Definition of a Hot Rod

[rusty_cage520]

I HATE not being able to sleep! I just lay there in bed all mad about how crappy of a day I'm gonna have tomorrow from lack of sleep! Does this ever happen to you guys?! I have an exam tomorrow and so of course tonight is the night I can't sleep. Gotta be up in less than six hours and I'm one of those people that needs their full eight to even be able to complete their own sentences the next day.



Well, I thought I might stir some thoughts on what everyone's definition of a hot rod is. I thought I'd share some evidence of how I must imagine the term has come to apply to different things than it did 50 years ago.



I was poking through some kind of holiday catalog we had mailed to our house (this was in between studying of course). There was a section on kids' toys. One of the toys was a set of remote control cars, a police car and a blue civic (huge wing, graphics etc.). It said "chase the Hot Rod with the Cop car and once the bumpers touch...). I just kind of chuckled to myself about "hot rod". I mean, I've been in plenty of fast 4cyl cars (My friend Josh's 06 STi comes to mind. 300hp and not to mention that braking for corners is PURELY OPTIONAL in that car.) but the term "hot rod"? I guess I just don't think of that as a hot rod right away but at the same time I knew a guy who'd been working on v8's all his life and then decided to build a stroke'd and nitrous'd civic one day. Is his sleeper honda MORE of a Hot Rod than the fart-tipped, spring-cut, winged honda? I'd sure like to think so! But maybe I'm wrong. I recently rode in a built-454 69 camaro and a dyno'd 360whp '04 GTO. I mean a couple months apart. But both times I immediately thought "hot rod". When I rode in subaru (that pulled just as hard as the 454 camaro mind you) I still thought "hot rod".



Is it a "hot rod" once you've worked on it yourself? What if you have a huge checkbook and all the work is done for you on your 70 chevelle? Do you still own a hot rod because GM calls it a hot rod? I mean he has put an intake and exhaust on this subaru. Is that enough yet? Where's the line folks, if there's even a line. I want to know where you stand.



Sorry for the long post. This one isn't meant for the 10yr-old's attention-span. http://www.s10v8.com/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif



(maybe next time we'll do "streetable") lol

[wheelspin]

HOT ROD in my book means the rumble of a v8 and the biggest thing to me that means hot rod is TORQUE! All the fart muffler cars are great if thats your thing. BUt I wanna be thrown back in the seat and coming outta the whole sideways holding on for dear life! thats a hot rod. not making 300 hp at 9000 rpm. I want torque right outta the gate! not half track.and I know some of you are gonna have your replies "sti's leave great blah blah blah. its not the same AND NEVER WILL BE! LONG LIVE V8 TIRE BURNING, GEAR BANGING, CRAP YOUR PANTS HOT RODS! NOTHING COMPARES!!!

[dwhite]

I think Hot Rod applies to something that the person has actually done moderate work to the motor. Lowering it, slapping a wing on the back, and putting a body kit on it does not make it a Hot Rod. I believe if it's built under the hood, it falls in the Hot Rod category. I know a guy that has an older Civic and it has a shit ton of HP and runs like a bat out of hell, it definitely falls into the Hot Rod genre for me.

[gs97chevys10]

HOT ROD not RICE A RONI

[greenmachine_1]

A hot rod is a class of vehicle usually something extremely unique has been done to it... Like stuffing a V8 in a PT Cruiser or taking a stock all original 70 Chevelle and making the car that YOU want out of it... A hot rod is whatever you make it but I have my cars that I would definitely classify as a hot rod and I don't think that a 4 or 6 banger can meet that criteria without producing about 500 hp at the wheels and being able to drive the thing without breaking drive line components all the time... I don't know how to exactly describe it but I do know it when I see it and it's not someone that has just put an intake, exhaust, and maybe a turbo or a little nitrous to a car those modifications are fairly simple.



I also believe that people like Jay Leno and others like him really do a lot to help show people what can be done with a car even if they just have the ideas and let someone else put them together for them.

[heavyram]

Idk.. When i hear hot rod i think of old school cars with big nasty blowers stickin out the hood and stuff.. My dad used to have a '65 chevy II. Huge blower, dual 4bbl's, narrowed rear end, big wide sticky's on the back, wheelie bar, ect (and it was street legal here in MS)... I think of that as a hot rod.. Now he has a '91 vette that has just as much power, and just as much work done to the motor, but i dont really think of it as a hot rod.. I guess it's just all in the way you look at it..

[riotpolice75]

http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&svnum=10&q=hot+rod&btnG=Search+Images



i searched google images for the term "hot rod". above is what was returned on that search. i looked through the first 10 pages and found nothing that even remotely looks like a honda or an STi









smith

[cdkd2324]

check out page 24 of the google search,2nd row down

[adh383]

To me a hot rod is something made for competive use---and something that will compete- i remember back in the day when i thought a 69 z 28 was the shit-- or a boss 302 mustang-- or even a 440 road chicken- well those were FACTORY hot rods-- what most of us drive on here is a street hot rod-- and those who have a hot rod that is good for drag strip only-- so, determine what kind of HOT ROD u have by competive test-- most of those factory hot rod owners just have a nice payment to make, and no tools -- wHERE DID U SAY THE OIL FILTER WAS? LOL

[spacecadet]

I always thought the definition of a Hot Rod was a modifed / custom car of age. I thought in the late 60's and early 70's the manufactures were building thier performance cars to be the next generation of hot rods.

To wathc some of the old classic movies, thier 'idea' of a hotrod seems to be modifed vehicles older than 20 years. However, it also seems that each generation has their 'term' for the genre called hot rods. In 10 years the 90's POS's will be the next generations version of 'hot rods'. That I think is a shame. But I'm sure the 50's guys thought the same about the 60's guys and the same for the 70's guys.



OK OK OK I shut up.



OldSpace.

[Scotty_S-15]

My thoughts run similar to Spacecadet.



In my mind, in order of relativity, this is what a Hot Rod is:



* No fenders.

* Old

* Loud

* Fast



But, for lack of a term to represent other more modern, modified and souped up vehicles, the term "Hot Rod" has morphed into almost anything that goes fast.

......... I often refer to my S-15 as "my hot rod". What else can you call it? Sometimes I'll say "my race truck". But that's not an accurate description either.

........... Anyone care to coin a new phrase? http://www.s10v8.com/images/smilies/icon_confused.gif http://www.s10v8.com/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif

[heavyram]

I agree with space.. Maybe that's why i see the chevy II as a hot rod and not the vette.. I suppose in the next 20 years when everythin is has 4 bangers running off corn and hydrogen that the vette will seem more like a hot rod.. haha

[krmuck]

Yep, Evan John Force refers to his Top Fuel Funny Cars as Hot Rods.