Just a pipe dream?

[moparedtn]

Agree with @kiwigtx that the Political forum is here with the red carpet rolled out for everyone with their political/religious opinions, which is a generous offering by the site Admin IMHO.

Some forums just lower the ban hammer upon the minority of users posting that stuff, paid or not.

This is a forum about our shared hobby of amazing cars and that's the main reason people come here.

 

[1STMP]

I think there could be a 4th group if
you include a true hotrod. Not talking
ratrod, as the way I see it, those in the
ratrod world eat up and destroy rare
parts that could be used on a hotrod.
There could also be a 5th group if
you include lowriders.

I drove these Mopars new, from 67 until the mid 70's. When the power was taken out by smog devices, I went with a number of Corvettes until 84. I have been back with Mopar from that point on. The hobby has changed considerably already over the years, but I think there will always be basically 3 basic groups.
1 Correct OE restorations
2 Day two type restorations
3 Restomod cars
I have all three types, and enjoy the day two cars the best. The number of people in these 3 groups is what will change

 

[Rebelrouser]

There ought to be way of an adult
discussion of political winds without
emotions involved. No profanity,
no personal hatred,
I fully understand the sites' willingness
to avoid this subjective topic
altogether.
But what the elites are trying to
implement directly affects our sole
reason for being members of this
forum.
Slowly, the supporters of this site will
die out. It's inevitable. And so will
the site. Unless they're welcome
to the transition of mandated EV's
and they become the present
discussion.
I'm relatively a new member here,
but can recognize those truly
devoted to any vehicle committed
to past technologies and the remedies
to revitalize an old relic. B bodies
just happen to dominate. (Chevys
the wooden cross)
Anytime politics or religion are the
main topic discussions are soon to
sour.
We should have open discussions
as to where our hobby is headed
given the ever changing political
winds, instead of having our
rabid opinions relocated.

First nothing political about it, there is no mandate to buy or build electric cars. Just like there is no mandate to buy or make cordless power tools. How many of you still drag out a drill with a cord on it to drill a hole? In looking back in history how many paved roads were there in 1900 in the USA? But still they built vehicles until the horse was displaced and they built roads for them to run on. I think they called that progress. Go do some research on what the people who made their living from horses thought about the internal combustion engine, and some of the laws they tried to pass to kill the new horseless carriage. Better yet do like I did and take a ride in a Tesla Plaid. The level of performance is unbelievable. I raced a NSS Dodge Polara and after many years I got it to run 9.60's The Plaid runs that fast with the A/C on, and stops just as well. Elon Musk has made billions from his car company, the old car companies simply want a piece of that pie, that is why they are all building electric vehicles, and since there is a waiting list to get one, somebody wants to buy them. Will I buy one? Most likely not, they are expensive, and my current vehicles will last as long as I will most likely.

People who love and fix up old cars will always gravitate to the vehicles they learned to drive in, or as I joke first had sex in. And yes the 60 and 70 muscle cars will lose value as we baby boomer die off, just like the value of model T's and A's have dropped off as that generation is dying off. My whole life has been centered around the automobile, I have worked on them for a living, raced them, restored them, and taught other people how to do the same. Also as an educator I started the first Electric Vehicle Hybrid training program in the state of Missouri because I saw the handwriting on the wall 10 years ago.

 

[1STMP]

Rebelrouser,
Thanks for chiming in.
Mandates in my state after 2035. No
new ICE vehicles will be sold at
dealerships. 11+ years is not that far
off.
I think auto manufacturers are headed
down a path where rapid shifts in
production from EV's to ICE vehicles
occurs, as the general buying public
has no confidence in EV's. Also, 11+
years is not enough time to implement
necessary infrastructures, and the
distribution of power will be sorely
lacking.
PS....I still use an electric drill with
a cord. 1/2" chuck. It takes care of
the tasks that a wimpy battery
powered drill can't handle.

 

[1STMP]

That is most likely what my great grandad thought watching the 1st car he ever seen while he was sitting on his horse.

What is inevitably approaching, many
businesses are going to feel the pinch.
Hopefully they're able to adapt to a
changing market.
I know quite a few 'millenials' that still
appreciate old iron. Not all are into
drifting.
Dad hands down the hotrod. The
younger bunch knows what it took
to build the car, and thru if nothing
else but sentinel reasons, will keep it.
They probably had a hand in building
it.

 

[Kern Dog]

First nothing political about it, there is no mandate to buy or build electric cars.

This statement is either misguided or just naïve.

Either you are denying what is happening or you have not been paying attention.
This poorly run state plans to give you NO choice but electric cars in 12 years. Massachusetts and Rhode Island have similar mandates.
Another thing....who the hell cares how fast a Tesla is? Going fast is only part of what makes a car fun. Real car guys embrace the sound, the smell and the feel of a rumbling engine as much as the speed it generates.

 

[1967coronet]

What is inevitably approaching, many
businesses are going to feel the pinch.
Hopefully they're able to adapt to a
changing market.
I know quite a few 'millenials' that still
appreciate old iron. Not all are into
drifting.
Dad hands down the hotrod. The
younger bunch knows what it took
to build the car, and thru if nothing
else but sentinel reasons, will keep it.
They probably had a hand in building
it.

I have one grandkid out of 5 who is interested in my 67.
He is 12 now and still loves helping me work on anything.
My own 2 kids are 40s and were raised knowing how to start & operate $500 cars and pickups lol.
There is hope yet.
New cars........ I am 1 month away from hanging up my paint gun and can say the last 10 years cars / trucks have bypassed us at our shop.
The options are endless and in most cases needless.
We have a few hybrids come through , I don't care for them.
The 1st time I had to order a windshield that was (acoustic glass) I thought it had something to do with the stereo
Turned out it's for road noise.....
Yep I'm ready to be done.

 

[Triplegreen500]

You all forgot the "survivor" class.

Some cars are nice, just the way they are, and that is starting to gain a lot of momentum in the market. My '70 is an example of such a car - clean, solid, original, unrestored, numbers match engine, with only maintenance work done to it over the years (belts, hoses, radiator, condenser, tires, brakes, etc). Original sheetmetal with semi-original ("day 2") paint - it must have been in some sort of accident way back when, because it wears a coat (full car) of not-quite-F4 light green single-stage lacquer, and has almost a dozen finger smudges on the driver door jamb in different shades of green where they were obviously trying to match the paint. My guess? Trying to paint one panel for the repair (all panels are original so it must have been fixed, not replaced - my guess is driver quarter panel, due to the fact my magnet found about 8" square of mud right over the wheel), couldn't match it, so they sprayed the whole car. Including some trim. But, that was when it was just "a car" and people were just...driving them. There's a sticker on the fan shroud from a trans shop, I'm guessing the 904 was rebuilt at some point (or replaced; I haven't checked for a VIN on that like I did on the block). It has goofy, black-tape style door molding on both sides that hide the body line (from back in the day), and it has what appears to be a dealer-add vinyl top with the Charger emblems in the wrong place and the wrong border trim...but it's as "original" as it could be, obviously not something recently added, and it contributes to the "story" of the car. I have the original customer's order, showing they wanted a vinyl top car; I have the original bill of sale for THIS car. I can only assume they got this car in, showed the customer, said "we can add a top", and the customer said "OK". It's a "real" car; it has a great "story"; nothing has been "restored" (although I did replace the drivers floors due to rust); all that originality still shines brightly and speaks volumes.

Its a 318/2v car; 904; 2.73(?) open rear. Factory a/c. 14" wheels with full wheel covers, and 4 wheel (non-power) drum brakes. It won't get a hemi. It won't get a 4 speed (or 5, or 6). It won't get a hellephant motor. I might convert it to power front discs, just for safety's sake...but I don't want to lose the 14's and wheel covers, so that's down the list right now. It has scratches. It has nicks. It has stains in the paint. It has dings up and down both sides. The carpet is faded.

I don't care.

It's REAL, it's fun to DRIVE, and the moment it's restored...it loses all of that. I'm simply going to treat it as a clean, solid, old car - and continue to enjoy driving it whenever the hell I want.

My '91 Daytona turbo is in the same boat. It's a one-owner car that I bought brand new, everything is original except the exhaust, and the Mopar Performance lowering springs I put on in '93 (and tires, brakes, hoses, belts, etc). Being 19, I didn't have the foresight to keep the window sticker or the bill of sale...but I have the original 13-mile title and most of my maintenance records. It's clean. It's solid. It has a couple scars from past battles and warranty work...but it, also, is unrestored - and will remain so as long as I have it. And it, also, is a car I simply love to drive - and feel no guilt about doing so.

 

[SureGrip]

View attachment 1515039

Well, she straightened my posture, but it wasn't my back...