Movie 'Hot Rod' 1950

[all american boy]

Now I get it about '32 Ford's!

At the end of the movie where 'the kids' and their cars all

gather around.

Almost every one of them is a '32. I think I spotted one '34 grill.

Looks like the flathead in a '32 was 'it' with hot rodder's for a fairly long time.

The movie has a fair amount of 'good stuff' in it about hot rodding.

They do have to tell a story. They can't spend too much time 'under the

hood'.

[blucar]

I have never understood what the big attraction was/is to the Model A and/or '32 Ford, which in reality were not very good cars. The one thing that was going for them was with the end of WWII the A's & '32's were plentiful and cheap. The thousands of young men returning from the war had money in their pockets, mechanical skills they had learned in the service, a devil may care attitude, they had survived where-as many of their friends did not, and a desire to make up for lost time.
I can honestly say that during my teen years in the late '40's, early '50's I could count on one hand the number of A's & '32's around school and/or the normal teen haunts. I can clearly remember me trying to talk my father into letting me get a '29 A roadster pickup from a neighbor, the neighbor said I could have it for hauling it out of the yard. My fathers statement still rings in my ears... "you'll kill yourself in that damn thing".. I bought a '40 Chevy coupe instead, I was shy of 15 at the time, had saved up $800. working part time for my father.
I had one friend in high school that had a '32, it was a '32 Vicky which still exists in eastern Idaho..
I paid $125. for my '36 Ford in 1952, the bottom fell out of the used car market in 1950..

[all american boy]

Thank you Blucar

Well. That's a head scratcher.

This movie reflects what was going on in Southern California in '50.

If you were there and you didn't see any that is odd.

If you were in Ventura at the time maybe there was a difference in

what was 'in' and what wasn't.

Movie probably reflects the LA baisn scene.

San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley and Greater LA.

[willowbilly3]

Short list of cars that don't interest me because there's nothing you can do that hasn't been done: 32 Fords, Model As, tri five chebys and Mustangs. But I still like seeing those original 50s rods!!

[all american boy]

Thank you Willowbilly

You have a point about the 'Standards'.

Some people just like that. They like to be in the middle of the herd.

I call it 'I would or wouldn't walk across the street to look at it'.

Last interesting vehicle I saw was a Torino at the Mattel Ford Car Show.

That was a long time ago. It was probably tubbed and running a big block.

Used to drive by Magoo's fairly often in the course of my work week.

They had '32 Fords lined up outside the shop. They were known for working on them.

Even then guys were getting a little jaded.

I think the one had a Jaguar V12 in it. All chromed and probably some kind

of supercharger

[tubman]

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Interesting fact : I watched that movie when it was on "TCM" about a month ago. I was curious, and found the the "star", Jimmy Lydon, is still alive and kickin' at the tender age of 94. (He lives in New Jersey; what's that about?)

[all american boy]

Tubman

You caught me!

Have all the hot rod movies from that TCM block recorded.

Just got around to watching the first one 'Hot Rod' a couple days ago.

That part at the beginning sure helped me.

El Mirage salt lake flats. THAT'S where the Southern California hot rod

crowd went! All these years I've been wondering 'Gee. That's a long drive

up to Bonneville Salt Flats for a weekend of racing. Specially with the old

roads. They were going to El Mirage not Bonneville.

[fortyonerag]

If you like your Hot Rods:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1CVV5GuSnA&t=934s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hbih-1ru9YM&t=317s

[V8 Bob]

Originally Posted by all american boy

Tubman

You caught me!

Have all the hot rod movies from that TCM block recorded.

Just got around to watching the first one 'Hot Rod' a couple days ago.

That part at the beginning sure helped me.

El Mirage salt lake flats. THAT'S where the Southern California hot rod

crowd went! All these years I've been wondering 'Gee. That's a long drive

up to Bonneville Salt Flats for a weekend of racing. Specially with the old

roads. They were going to El Mirage not Bonneville.

Just a couple of corrections. The So. California dry lakes are dried-mud flats, not salt flats. Bonneville is the only salt flat in the US.
Most of the racers did go to the dry lakes, until the vehicle speeds became to high, along with the war ending the use of Muroc, the largest dry lake. Bonneville was used for many years prior to the first nationals event starting in '49.

[blucar]

My spin on what was popular in So Cal and what I grew up with in Eastern Idaho and the inter-mountain west is what I base my observations on.
A roadster/open car is not very popular when there is eighteen inches of snow on the ground and it is -30 below zero. Warm air and sweet music is very important if you want to take a girl out on a date. Even coupes, without a back seat were not that popular. My first car was a club coupe, then two 2 dr and/or 4 dr sedans, with another club coupe before I bought my '36 coupe. The sedans were great for double dates and/or a girl friend in the back seat.
I did not move to California until 1956, only for six months then it was off to the US Army for two years.

[hardtimes]

Originally Posted by V8 Bob

Just a couple of corrections. The So. California dry lakes are dried-mud flats, not salt flats. Bonneville is the only salt flat in the US.
Most of the racers did go to the dry lakes, until the vehicle speeds became to high, along with the war ending the use of Muroc, the largest dry lake. Bonneville was used for many years prior to the first nationals event starting in '49.

Mud flats. I'm thinking that Muroc was good due to being basically Clay.