If you are building the hotrod of your dreams to cruise the beaches, and hang out at car shows, don't make it too nice....
It seems that there are a lot of people that build cars so over the top that they can't actually be driven anymore. I see it as a giant waste of money, but maybe that is because I build my cars on a budget. The cars I am talking about are the price of a house, and are way too clean to drive, park, touch, or even take out of their climate controlled garages. They can't get inspection stickers, could never be taken to a grocery store, or driven anywhere outside on that dirty pavement. They are typically dropped off their trailer about a 1/4 mile away from every car show, and driven in, so the owner can brag that "they drive it all the time". Yes, these cars are known in the automotive community as trailer queens.
At indoor events, you can always tell which ones they are. They are the untouchable ones spinning on a pedestal with million candlepower lights pointed at them from every direction. They are usually accompanied by pictures of them doing "real" smokey burnouts and wheelies. Just about every car show has one, and it wins all trophies because it has the most money dumped into it. Don't get me wrong, I am all for people restoring their Yenkos, factory race cars, antiques, and other rare breeds to look like the day that they were new. They are at least important parts of automotive history. It is the people that dump $100k into their 301 cubic inch 1979 Firebirds, that make me write articles like this. When I look at these vehicles, I can't help but think about how many clean, driveable muscle cars, rat rods, lead sleds, and race cars I could have built with the same amount of money. I know that sometimes bad things sound like great ideas when you are building the car, but chrome brake rotors? The last time I had chrome brake rotors, it was because my brake pads were missing. The sad part about these cars is that they can't be sold once the owner gets bored with them. No car buyer goes out searching for car that is not driveable. People want to buy a car to cruise the boulevard and look cool in it! It is also only worth that long gone $100k to the guy who originally spent it. Let's face it, nobody in their right mind would pay $100k for an undesirable model car with chrome brake rotors.
So as you continue to build your hotrod, keep the cost and time invested in mind. You don't need everything absolutely perfect, because your car could be next to unintentionally become a trailer queen. Now I just have to start practicing what I preach......Maybe I am just jealous..
-HRCS