Home » Are Hot Rods Camp? Tales From The Slack

Are Hot Rods Camp? Tales From The Slack

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Stef Schrader
Stef Schrader
10 days ago

Is “Commander Rodius Ruiner of Vibes” as a screen name…camp?

Some hot rods are camp, especially if there’s a theme. Like, making a car that looks like a giant technicolor toilet bowl? Bass boat sparkles? Anything Munsters-adjacent? I vote camp. Campy camp.

People who just wanna build something fast? Not camp. Cool, but not camp.

The too-serious how-dare-you-insult-Chip-Foose set, however, is so not camp that it actively hurts a little. Cars are silly things! They should consider adding some chrome spiderwebs and bass boat sparkles, y’know?

Sam Morse
Sam Morse
12 days ago

Even asking the question means you don’t know the culture.
Does this refer to street rods or hot rods, because the street rod folks can be cantankerously specific on that!?
While I was focused entirely on light sports cars, I was lucky enough to accidentally stumble into nationals and get an education in what it meant.
Hot rodding is a street T sleeper with an exposed 427 with a blower, about 1200 lbs.
Sleeper, I said?
The chromed 427, so the valve covers say, is a 572 faking a 427.
It’s cars with chromed and polished suspensions, detailed like a Hispano Suiza, that are daily drivers.
It’s a cobra replica with a big block and a blower, with no top, but 80,000 miles on the dash. And New England plates.
It’s a brightly coloured 40s coupe parked on the salt at Bonneville by a spectator, fully aware of the damage.
I was pulling bricks of salt out of my truck frame after 2000 miles and a month later.
It’s the twin Hemi special I saw there, and the turbo semi tractor that sounded just like the space shuttle.
Does the cosmetically average 65 Mustang count, with 1/8″ steel plate for a hood?
The weight is there to keep it on the ground at terminal velocity.
How about the Chevy Luv pickup a blues musician built, to see how much performance he could build without flash or big money?
Big engine, flatbed over the rear so he could run wide tires and carry equipment.
Looked slow.
Some are just showy, but the big secret is when you get the weight down and mount the drivetrain in the center of the chassis, they can outrun modern sports cars.
Even cobra fans have missed that, but it was pure hot rod when that four cylinder came out of it.
When you get into the customs, artistry is what counts, often subtlety over extremes.

Root
Root
12 days ago

Did these screenshots accidentally “out” The Bishop’s actual name?

Stef Schrader
Stef Schrader
10 days ago
Reply to  Root

I assume all designers are Hans until proven otherwise.

Manwich Sandwich
Manwich Sandwich
12 days ago

Nah… Tents and RVs are camp.

1978fiatspyderfan
1978fiatspyderfan
13 days ago

As a normal person. Every few years the art crowd creates a term for the new crap they consider art that any normal person considers garbage. Think a banana peel or banana nailed to a frame. Then they convince rich gullible people who have no idea what art is, as defined by the quasi experts. Once they convince rich people to buy crap for millions and take a cut and no one else can be conned into buying it they find a new landfill start convincing new people it is art but call it by a new name.

CSRoad
CSRoad
12 days ago

As an ab normal, I think you are right sometimes.
However things are never that simple, yesterday I was listening to some Wendy Carlos there’s knobs, keyboards and synth crap, but there art and brilliance all swept up in there. All I know is that camp usually involves fire and rain.

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