Hot Rod Capital of the US

After reading a thread on the HAMB about the Hot Rod Capital of the World, I started wondering myself what we could consider the Capital of Hot Rods. The first thing I need to do was consider should the Hot Rod Capital be a Region in a Country or a City? We already know that by far the Country is the US with Australia or Canada in second but what part of the US is the Hot Rod Capital?
The Most Obvious answer probably would be Southern California or So-Cal right? Most of you are probably thinking all of the Magazines started here, the parts companies started here, the SCTA and the NHRA started here so its gotta be So-Cal Right? Well maybe it is So-Cal since it seems like a lot of Hot Rod History is So-Cal so I guess the Hot Rod Capital is So-Cal thanks for reading.
WAIT! Just because the magazines mainly cover So-Cal (mainly because they are based there) doesn't mean So-Cal is the Hot Rod Capital! What about Texas, Florida, The Mid West, Detroit, Las Vegas or even the Northeast (seriously I mean it).
Let's start with Texas, Texas is another State Known for its classic cars and Hot Rods with shops like Austin Speed Shop and House of Hot Rods as well as shows like Lone Star Rod and Kustoms Round Up and Texas Hot Rod Hoedown the state is a great place for hot rods. Here the shows are large and wild, the cars are well built and clean and they are daily driven, all of this could possibly make Texas the Hot Rod Capital of the US.
Las Vegas is another place that gets commonly associated with Hot Rods with SEMA based here even if SEMA has more than Hot Rods. Vegas is also commonly associated with Hot Rods cruising down the strip both during the day and at night. It could also be where we get are gambling and show girl association with Hot Rods from as well (Also could just because SEMA is based here). Besides SEMA, Vegas is home too Rockabilly Rod Reunion and Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender. I don't know if its just me but everytime I watch or see something with Vegas some how Hot Rods, Muscle Cars, Rockabilly or Elvis gets associated with it, it also seems like there are a lot of clubs there so Vegas could be the Capital of the Hot Rod World.
Another place the Midwest of America, the Heartland lets put on some Bob Seger or John Mellencamp (ever wonder why he dropped the Cougar?) and lets check out the Heartland. Well the Heartland is the Center of the US and is also the place where most of the US Population lives so it is a good chance that this Region is the Hot Rod Capital of the world. Generally the cost of living is lower here and junkyards are full of old cars that could be turned into Hot Rods but what could really make the Midwest the capital is the fact that the Minnesota Street Rod Association is the largest Rod club in the world and the Back to the Fifties car show is the largest Car show in the World bringing in over 10,000 cars (11,731 cars at the last show)!
The other place is the birthplace of the car (well sort of) Detroit. Detroit is where for years American Iron and Steel (well the kind on wheels) is made. It is the place where Hot Rods would cruise and race many streets mainly Woodward Ave. It is also the place where the factories of Chevy, Ford and Mopar would test their newest cars right there on Woodward Ave just take them out and drag race them. Guys would also bring out there Super Stockers and other drag cars and race them right on Woodward Ave. Of Course since 1995 the biggest Hot Rod event in Detroit has been the Woodward Dream cruise, which is by far the largest Cruise in the World. It may even actually be the largest hot rod, muscle car, and just general automotive event in the world bringing in over 40,000 cars and over 1 million people each year.
Now the one place a lot of people don't commonly associate with Hot Rods is the Northeast. Usually when we think of the Northeast we think of Baseball being the biggest sport, crowed suburbs, high taxes, New York, Boston, Phili, and of course lots of snow. But the Northeast does have some great Hot Rods. The First place is Raceway Park in Englishtown New Jersey. Englishtown New Jersey is just some small town in Jersey (yes there's small towns in Jersey) anyway the Raceway Park is one of the largest dragstrips in the world and besides NHRA events its home to events run by the NMCA, the East Coast Gassers and many more. Any surprising place I have been told that is the Hot Rod Capital is Rhode Island. At first I thought this was a joke but apparently Rhode Island is home to a lot of cruise knights for Hot Rods and they look pretty active too.
Of course the last place that could be the Hot Rod Capital is the place I mentioned before Southern California the place where it all stared and the place despite the high cost of living and high regulations still has an active Hot Rod scene. Ever where from LA, to the San Fernando Valley, to Pomona  Hot Rodding is active and has great History here. Its where the STCA started in the 30s and is still strong today. It has everything from most large parts manufacturers to So-Cal Speed Show to Hundreds of car clubs to the NHRA based here. But why is California so active? Well the Warm, Dry Climate close to the Ocean makes it ideal for Hot Rods since its dry rust its less likely, not to mention open desert roads where cars can drive fast and of course dry lakes to go as fast as you can make your car go.
Now I am not saying So-Cal is the Hot Rod Capital of the World but it has a good shot but so does Detroit, Minnesota, Las Vegas and the other places I mentioned. Some places I haven't mentioned that could be the Hot Rod Capital of the world are Florida (Warm weather, and a lot of the older population has a Hot Rod), Arizona (a lot of car shows), the South (the place of Moonshine running and Stock Car Racing) and even Wendover, Utah for one week could be the Hot Rod Capital. Its hard to chose but those would be my choices.

What is a Hot Rod?

In the world of Hot Rodding it is the oldest question; what is a Hot Rod? What makes Hot Rods, well Hot Rods? To hot Rodders it is asking them the question they can’t answer like how big the Universe? Where’s Ringo?, How old is Eddie the Head?, Are people really eaten at a GWAR show? And of course Who is John Galt? If you went to Hot Rod Magazine and asked everyone there what is a Hot Rod I guarantee that Freiburger will have a different answer from Finnegan, if you went to a Nostalgia Drag Racing even Don Garlits would have a different answer from Don Prudhome, or if you went to the Rumblers Car Show, Roger Miret and the others would have different answers. So why did I write this article? To tell you how no one knows what I Hot Rod is? NO! I wrote this article because I like all of the different answers everyone has about what is a Hot Rod I went to the Hot Rodders, the HAMB and a few other places to get my answers and here is what I got.

Now the most basic answer of what is a Hot Rod that has been used since at least the late 40s, though some say the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) has been using it since the 30s is; Any car that has been modified for Performance. Some still say this is what a Hot Rod is others say that this is too broad because then Le Mans Ferraris and Porches’ as well as Rock Crawlers and Prerunners would be considered Hot Rods.

In the 50s a the almost exact same definition was used just using Hot Rod Slang; Any car that is Hopped Up. The reason for this was in the 50s the term Hot Rod was mainly a very American Term that was only used in America and when Hot Rodders showed off there cars probably 98% of them were American Cars expect for the very rarely seen Angelia, Morris Minor or Pre War Fiat that one kid would have. So kids would just call each others cars Hot Rods because they were American cars.

In the 60s one of the common terms of a Hot Rod was still the 50s one, just now that the Gassers, the new Sedans, the Super Stockers, the Sling Shots, and the new Muscle Cars are also Hot Rods.

Some say by the late 70s the car world became much more complex with more Foreign cars more common such as European Exotics and the early Japanese cars that there need to be more definitions so some of the definitions you might have heard are this

Hot Rods are any modified American Car from 1948 and earlier (they can be only modified in appearance too)

Any American car from 1949 to 1963 is a Street Machine.

Any American car from 1964 to 1974 is a Muscle Car.

Anything Foreign who cares.

Now by this time you can see things started to get complicated, a lot of people said that Muscle Cars are 2 Mid Size cars so by this definition that would make a 65 Cadillac Deville a Full Size Luxary car a Muscle Car (though it does have a Big Block V8) or it would make a 1966 Chevy Corvair a Muscle Car. So you can see this is where things get complicated.

For at least over 20 years the definition of a Street Machine has been any modified American car from 1949 till today. Pro Street, Street and Strip and Pro Touring all fall into the Street Machine Category.

For a while in the late 70s and 80s when Street Machines, Pro Street, Muscle Cars, Low Riders and everything else came along that many people start saying a Hot Rod is 48 or older only and everything else is everything else.

Today there is a similar definition to the one above but instead of 48 and older it is 1965 and older is a Hot Rod and everything else is everything else.

The last common definition that you will see at several car shows, to several Magazines like Hot Rod is any Modified American Car or American Powered Car is a Hot Rod. Everything from a HEMI powered 32 Ford to a Chevy Big Block Powered 55 Chevy, to a 68 Plymouth Roadrunner with a modified 440, to a Pro Street Nova to Don Garlits Swamp Rats, to Tom McEwen’s Funny Cars to Rick Dobbertin’s Pontiac J2000 to Altered’s, to even a Rat Rod (yes I said it) is a Hot Rod.

I happen to say that is my definition of what a Hot Rod is. Now what I would really like to know is what you think is a Hot Rod? There is no right or wrong answer I just want to know what you think is a Hot Rod.

Barrett-Jackson-itis

Its been awhile since I talked about a disease that has been going around in the Hot Rod world, the last one was Kustom Syndrome. Anyway there is a disease that has been going around for a few years now that hasn’t been mentioned and that is Barrett –Jackson-itis!

            I have nothing against the Barrett –Jackson auctions, sometimes I watch it when I am bored and nothing is on what I am warning you about is how a lot of car owners caught a nasty side effect from watching Barrett –Jackson-itis!

            What is Barrett-Jackson- itis? Well it is when classic car owners see the prices the restoted, custom and rare model cars are going for on Barrett-Jackson that they assume there poor or mediocre conditioned classic that has been sitting in there garage is worth tens of thousands of dollars!   

            You probably have seen it before, maybe looking around on craigslist and you find a 1968 Chevy Malibu for sale that need paint, the 350 in it needs work, the interior needs to be redone and the guy thinks its worth $25,000! Or maybe you found a shell of a car like a Plymouth Roadrunner, it’s a good condition shell no rust, but at the same time no motor, tranny, suspension or interior so you think $2,000 sounds fare but the guy wants $20,000 for it “cause it’s a Roadrunner, the one on Barrett-Jackson went for $30,000!” which is an excuse you will commonly hear.

What to do about it?

Now do you really think I would tell you about Barrett-Jackson- itis and not tell you how to treat it? Here are a few things you can do.

The wear them down method- Chances are when you find a classic car on Craigslist and you go and meet with the owner, 9 times out of 10 you are there only interested buyer! If you really want to confirm this watch craigslist for a few weeks and you will see several of the same cars been reposted in new ads.

Since you are most likely the only potential buyer you can use this to your advantage! What you can do is keep trying to wear the owner down over a period of time. Show up once to ask about the car, here the owner mention the ridiculous price, leave and come back a week later do the same thing. After a few weeks you will wear them down to a reasonable price.

Traditional Haggling- You could always try the traditional haggling method, when you are there with the owner. Maybe bring up some real facts, if the car is a project car (most likely it is) explain to the owner that it needs lots of work before its worth $20,000, maybe try to show them the difference between the cars in the Barrett -Jackson Auction and how there car isn’t worth $20,000 yet or just play Hardball and just try to lower price that way.

Barrett-Jackson-itis has been come a problem for a lot of Hot Rodders, hopefully we can stop people from believing there unfinished cars are worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Choppers by Region

Some of you guys may have noticed that Choppers built in So Cal usually look different than Choppers built in NYC or why do Choppers Built in Florida look different then choppers in the Pacific Northwest? What is the reason for this? Is it personal style or is it function?

            In the early days of the Chopper (the 60s and 70s) many builders and riders were actually building them to make it easier to ride in there area. Choppers were actually built more with function over style, compared to today. But what determined what was function?

            Well it all depended on were you lived, in the US (or the world). If you lived in the San Francisco were you had a lot of hills your bikes would be suited towards that terrain. Things like high gas tanks for better balance, the gas tanks are also made larger to get more gas out of them (some as much as 100 MPG), shorter rakes for more control on the hills (can’t be too long or it would be hard to make a u-turn on a hill), and the pegs just underneath the rider (like on a horse) rather then in front for more control as well.

            If you happened to live in a bike City in the Northeast like say NYC for example, bikes would be more suited to the high volume of traffic and rough old style roads of NYC. Things like cabs, lots of pedestrians on the street and potholes create the NYC style. Usually NYC Style bikes are built small, short front ends, very minimal with everything not needed stripped off, peanut gas tanks and rigid frames. The reasons for the rigid frames are do to the rough roads and pot holes, NYC riders need a frame that is strong, the short front ends are so the bike can handle better in a tight space, the peanut gas tank is to keep the bike small and to strip the bike down is to make sure it fits through all of the traffic.

            Another common style is the Southern California look, for this style think Denver Mullins. Whats common with this style is a long front rake, large frame and large gas tank sometimes diamond shaped. Even though this style is studied well for So Cals open, desert terrain the real reason it started in a Quote from Denver Mullins Daughter is “my dad started modifying motercycles in the late 60's because he was a BIG man (6'3" and was @#%$@( pounds) so he wanted to ride comfortably. That is when the low profile frames were designed and produced....to make the low profile frame look cool, he decided that the front end needed to be longer. The laid bake appearence of his choppers, minus the sissy bar, was so that he could ride long and easy with his size getting in the way. Also, regular tanks were to bulky so he created the diamond tank!!!” Kind of ironic that all of that also fit the terrain as well.

            The Pacific Northwest region has its own style as well, nicknamed the grasshopper style due to its appearance. This style of bike is known for its highboy frames, small rear end, and de-raked with tall tubes given it a grasshopper like appearance, also usually the front fender is left on. The reason for these mods are due to the terrain and climate of the Pacific Northwest, it rains a lot up there so the choppers have to handle well in the rain (yes they ride in the rain) and to handle the mountain terrain of the Northwest.

            There are many other styles of chopper out there as well, some by region others by look, even though these choppers were originated by there riders regions today you will see all types of choppers no matter what region. I see Frisco style choppers over here in Florida all the time, I’ve seen pictures of So Cal style choppers in NYC, I live in Florida but I like the look of the NYC style the best. So it really doesn’t matter where you live, if you like a style build that style. I just wanted to show how some of the styles of the chopper originated.

The Gaslight Anthem, An American Rock Band

Have you ever found a band that is just amazing, but you really can’t explain why? A band that has something about them but, you’re really not sure what that something is? Well The Gaslight Anthem is that band. I have been a fan of TheGaslight Anthem for over 2 years now and I can honestly say I can’t get enough of them.

            What type of band is The Gaslight Anthem? What do they sound like? Well The Gaslight Anthem sounds like Bruce Springsteen, and Miles Davis got together with the drummer from the Cure and started recording songs by The Clash, the Bouncing Souls and the Replacements and had Bob Seger, Tom Petty, John Lee Hooker, Alkaline Trio, Otis Redding, Muddy Waters and Johnny Cash all make guest appearances on the album and Charles Dickens wrote the songs . Everything from Punk Rock, to Soul, to Jazz, to Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty has influenced The Gaslight Anthems sound.

            When it comes to The Gaslight Anthem’s songs, they are very lyrically based, when you listen to them you have to listen to everything that is said in the songs. The reason for this is all of The Gaslight Anthems songs tell a story, and paint a picture of a different era kind of like a Springsteen song or a Bob Seger song. The stories that The Gaslight Anthem tells range from Hard Luck, Love, Good Times and Nostalgia for things such as Cruising at night and hanging out at drive in’s, dreaming about making it big, racing in our Hot Rods and Muscle cars around Asbery Park and remembering all of the other good times.

            Relating to this one thing I really have to praise The Gaslight Anthem is for making my Generation (the current Generation) feel Nostalgic for things we never have experienced like what I mentioned aboved. When I listen to there song Old Haunts I think about places in Town an Old Diner or Driven in use to be that people would cruise, or when I listen to High Lonesome I think about some lost love I never even had!

            Getting back to the Story telling and the Imagery, one of the songs I have to praise the band for is there song Great Expectations. When I hear the song I from the opening riffs I start to picture an old style place, but I can’t quite picture it, and after the First verse I picture a Diner full of Hot Rods and Classic cars with Bruce Springsteen’s Character Mary and Pip from Charles Dickens Great Expectations on a date thinking about the good times while listening to Bob Seger! Another great song with Imagery is there song the Spirit of Jazz which I picture a married couple through the years from the 40s when they were married till now, all old with Grandkids but still together.

            I like The Gaslight Anthem so much that I can probably Literally write articles about each song and how I picture them, but I’ll leave that up to you to deiced. Another thing you may notice about The Gaslight Anthem is there name and song tittles. There name its self just says nostalgia! The Gaslight Anthem, it makes me picture an old North Jersey Style Home built in the early 40s with a big porch at night, with the Gaslight Light and a Blues guitarist (I picture John Lee Hooker) sitting on the porch strumming his guitar.  Just everything about the Band has Imagery!

            If you are a Fan of 70s Rock, 60s Rock, 50s Blues and Soul, Swing, Cool Jazz, Punk, or Rockabilly this band is for you! If you are a Fan of Bob Seger, the Clash, Joe Strummer, the Replacements, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, Otis Redding, the Bouncing Souls or John Lee Hooker this band is for you! The Gaslight Anthem is great for when you want something to cruise to, or if you want something straight forward yet deep.