How would you define the following categories:
SRTEET ROD----
HOT ROD-------
COSTOM-------
LEAD SLED-----
SHOW CAR-----
TRAILER QUEEN-
I wonder just how different people think about this ???? Just do one if you are so inclined....
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Grump

I am suprised at you Grumpy, you left out the only class you can get in. Old Mother Trucker. LOL. I dont care what the excuse is,if it came to the show to show off and it came in on a trailer, it's a (Drum roll please) Trailer Queen !
--
Life is what happens while your making other plans.

Here we go....

Street Rod- Street 'driven' show worthy ride
Hot Rod/Rat Rod- Low buck go for broke hardcore roots rod (the way they used to be)
Custom- Mild and in some cases wild ride (not just 50's rides...pre '48 can be classified as Custom Rod depending how much you do with the body)
Lead Sled- Mild or Wild custom (bodywork done in lead or at least some done in lead)
Pro Built Rod/Custom- Anything dragged around on a trailer with the price tag big enough to pay off the National Debt
Trailer Queen- See above definition

Slammin
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Hold your ears folks...ITS SHOWTIME!!!

Sorry Grumpy I'm not even going to get started in this discussion.

The reason I am asking I wrote to Brian at Street rodder magizine and they can't see the difference between a street rod and a show car. I just wonder if you guys can tell the difference. Grant you are real close to the way I think...
I personally think it is quite all right to carry a street driven roadster on a trailer if it has to travel a long distance. I have had roadsters and I know how they are on a long trip. But if it goes into an enclosed trailer for the most part it's a show car....Ray
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Grump

Grumpy, I totally agree with you about trailering a roadster on an open trailer (the only kind I have lol)
for a looong trip. Having been a motorcycle rider for most of my adult life, getting caught in the elements is not that big a deal. I've even had my socks soaked in a roadster and maybe it wasn't fun at the time, it was fun after getting a hot cup a coco from mommy and a blanket in front of the fireplace...LOL
If I had more leg room it might not be so bad....
As for yur other questions, if it's a show car, it's very likely a trailer queen (no one ever calls them trailer kings). I'm into (and I hate the word "rat rod") hotrods. They're what built the backbone of the hobby in the first place. I don't know about a lot of you but I can hear Mother Natures clock ticking down and I don't want to miss the fun of just haveing a car that I can jump in and eat up 98% of the 5.0 you-know-whats!!
Good questions but I don't think anyone has ever resolved the decades old labels in most cases.
Fred P

PS, a "ratrod" must refer to a Chevy powered street rod...
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Fred P.

Hey GRUMPY
In my pre-rodding flying days. I owened and flew a open cockpit Pitts bi-plane. We flew thru rain, snow and very cold weather. It was part of the thrill of going to a show.
Nothing like going 150 mph in a driving cold rain. No trailers for us. Seems I was much younger, had more hair, and fearless back then. Very little in the brain dept. Sure glad those days are gone. Now I drive to shows in my air conditioned & heated car.

Now am confused what kinda car I have. My 36 is a streetrod, slightly customized, done in lead.
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That's my story and I'm stickn to it

It's amazing that we survived the brain dead era in our lives for sure. When I think of some of the dumb things I've done and lived to tell about it just blows my mind...Lol
Tom my first car was a 36 like yours but of course it wasn't chopped or near as nice but it did run well with the a flatty in it......
The only thing I use lead on anymore is at stress areas and even then I finish with CUZ....Ray
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Grump

Personally, I consider any vehicle that's been modified to perform better or look unique (or both combined) a "hotrod". It can be a car, truck or a motorcycle too. Hell, I've even seen what I would consider "hotrod" airplanes too.

And....I don't consider EVERY car that's on a trailer a "Trailer Queen" either. I drive my cars a lot (all of em), but when I go to an event that's real far away and I want to take one of my cars with say 4.11 gears, I've been known to trailer it to the motel where we stay. Of course, it comes off the trailer at the motel and is driven to the event (and local cruises). But, my point is.....I don't consider any of my cars a "Trailer Queen". Sometimes it's just not practical to drive em long distances.

I fear that it's often too easy to get caught-up in precise definitions. I can lead to "nit picking" and will distance us from the "fun" aspects of being a gearhead. I like to leave some "wiggle room"......but, then again......I'm the guy that sez "ooOOoooOooommmMMmmmm"

They call me mello yellow.........and I don't smoke banana peels either, so don't even think it Richard
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William Lye

I'm with ya 110% Ray and Bill, if you need to trailer it thats one thing, Just like you said, if you got a roadster and your going 650 miles its a necessity. But these fools that trailer to a show around the corner with a display and a 35 foot enclosed trailer that takes up half the show grounds need their head checked or need to quit smokin' that stinky green. And yes I saw it once and thats all it took, A guy came into a local show last year with a enclosed 35 foot trailer complete with a high buck '37 Minotti, the guy took it to the extreme to say the least with stanchions up already (bolted to the trailer floor) mirrors under the car fully carpeted and to top it off the trailer sides and rear door had plexiglass inserts. The big joke of the day was "Did you enter the trailer the car or both" and another comment was "Hey I dont think theres a enclosed trailer class!" As usual the little guys like us got overlooked and he won Best of Show as you might think. What the show promotors and local clubs that put these shows need to learn is to have classes for the trailered and classes for drivers. Or if nothing else since theres not too many (or not enough) to start trailered classes give a best in show best street rod best paint best interior best engineering etc.. to the trailered and give us little guys a shot at the same ones. About the only thing the trailered CANT go for is Best Unfinished thank God LOL! And when they start that, thats when I bow out LOL.

Slammin
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Hold your ears folks...ITS SHOWTIME!!!

Street Rod: car consists mainly of 1-800 parts and carries matching chairs, Owner stands by it 100% of time and wears a rod run shirt to make sure everyone knows its his. Thinks hes a rodder because he "assembled" the car.

Hot Rod: no fenders, owner knows the importance between an I-beam axle with hairpins VS. tube axle and 4 bars, should have a radical motor, chopped if its a coupe. Owner built a lot of pieces and made a lot of cool stuff for the car but it only has the necessities. Owner doesnt worry about what kind of wax to use, or whether synthetic oil is better or not. Owner walks show to get ideas from other cars for his next project. pre-34, big N littles no hood to show neat-o motor. More focus on aggressive look than a pretty look.

Custom: mild mods on a car that was already a pretty car when it was made in the day.

Lead Sled: wild mods, car may not resemble original body style anymore, 50% of the people think its ugly

Show car: Reminds me of those annual shows indoors in middle america where idiots bring their late model with its custom wheels, surround it with ropes. any IASCA or World of Wheels event.

Trailer Queen: Smoothie car with with a lot one off pieces, no ididit/lokar/wescott/tea's seats. Maybe a Marcel steel body. Car may not be your cup of tea but it provides a lot of info about how to route plumbing, wiring and exhaust. Good upholstery ideas since it was probably done by one of the best. Carries all of the latest trendy ideas paint, brakes, wheels, owner bought it doesnt really know much about it But leaves show to get something to eat at fancy restaurant because he really isnt in to the whole car thing.
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Glen
www.hotrodsbyglen.com

Hey Glen, Ya forgot about the canopy and or tent on the streetrod definitions.

A street rod, by definition, is a modified pre-49 vehicle. That's what the dictionary says it is. The term Street Rod was coined to describe the modified antique cars that were coming into vogue in the late sixties. The name was derived from Hot Rod but softened a bit to Street Rod so it would not evoke the lawless and wild image of their predecessors, the HOT RODS

Customs can be considered to be post 48, however, many pre-49 rods were also considered to be Customs. Purists will want to establish a cut-off year in the sixties for true "customs" but many present day cars are still receiving extensive body modifications that make them true customs.

Simply bolting on store-bought trinkets does not a custom make. Instead, we have a gook wagon or whatever other colloquial tag was appropriate for your region.

McMullen/Argus, as another example of the terms in question, adheres to the 1949/1949 split in the publication of Street Rodder and Custom Rodder.

1949 is an obvious year to set a limit or division point. That was the year that the Big Three began stamping the rear quarter panel and fender as one piece. Prior to that, the rear fenders bolted to the rear quarter panel.

Muscle cars (true muscle cars, not converted six cylinder grocery-getters) grew out of the factory race cars like the Max Wedge MoPars, 421 Catalinas and the 409 Biscaynes of the early sixties. They, in turn, evolved from the Turnpike Cruisers and Chrysler 300s of the fifties. The Pontiac GTO is universally recognized as heralding the dawn of the muscle car era and mandated unleaded fuel and the resulting demise of the high compression engine in '72 signaled the end of the era. The big difference between their predecessors and the muscle cars themselves was the choice of body styles. Muscle cars were high performance engines in lightweight carlines. Their fifties-ear predecessors were large, not necessarily high performance, engines in heavy bodies.

With the muscle cars came the Pony cars. Small block powered Mustangs, Cougars, Camaros, Firebirds, Darts, Barracudas, Valiants, etc. Big block versions of these cars were considered muscle cars.

Clones of these as well as hopped up versions of everything back to the mid fifties got lumped into the Street Machine category. There is something to be said for a matching numbers car and the same can be said for a true muscle car. A true muscle car will have a VIN code designating it as such. The street machine simply won't. A muscle car with an engine replacement (proper displacement) is still a muscle car. A street machine will never be a muscle car.

Interestingly enough, it was the street machiners that began to give hot rodding in general a bad name.

The street rodders, muscle car owners (real, not clone muscle cars) and custom owners weren't interested in acting like mindless children behind the wheel but the street machiners didn't care. They weren't messing with a matching numbers car. They had their life savings (some of them) in these cars and they wanted to show off. This was one of the reasons for the demise of the Street Machine and Van division demise within NSRA. Yea, we all know the vans didn't help, either.


Street rods and muscle cars are clearly defined. The rest is a bit less defined.


Anyone can be a trailer queen, no matter what you own.

--
Early hemi s.m.e.
Street rod wiring consultant
Free lance rod & custom journalist

Hi Skip, I belonged to the nsra van division and went to the street machine van nationals Memphis in 1974. There was hot rods, street machines, customs and streetrods there, we all had a blast. My 73 Dodge van was fully decked out and it had a balls out 440 magnum w/ a b@m trans. Really quick for a van. I side stepped hotrodding for a year or so enjoying the van scene, the party`s alone were worth it. There was no bad feelings between rodders and vanners, the van fad just faded away. It was all part of the rodding culture at that time. I bet there are alot of rodders today that built some awsome vans back then. Wish I knew where mine was today, love to have it back. It read "Spaced Truckin..." on the sides in gold leaf. It made a few magazines. Them was da days.......

Jeeeeeze- and I thought hotrodsrj (Steve) was long winded! That's EXACTLY why I'll just read this one.

HOTROD: production automobile that has been modified to enhance power, handling or both, with the intent on racing and "winning" at racing. may or may not be street drivable. If it's "winning" it's probably too radical for the street.

STREETROD: pre'49 production car originally built with the intent to ba a HOTROD but didn't cut it at the lakes, track or drag strip, so the owner put the muffler and lights back on it and drives it on the street. Or built it to look like a HOTROD right from the start, never intending to race it. So it looks like a HOTROD but isn't quite competitive in the performance area so the owner saves face by making it pretty. "If it don't go, Chrome it!" A STREET ROD might be used to pull HOTROD's trailer to the race course, since the "real" HOTROD might not be streetable!
(My blue truck is a HOTROD because it'll blow the doors off of any stock '40 GMC pickup in town....yea right!)

CUSTOM: Production automobile with æsthetic body modifications, made in the attempt to enhance the looks of the car. Performance may be enhanced or depreciated, that's not the issue. Can be anything from a 1936 Ford to a 2001Acura Integra.

LEADSLED: A particular "look" in CUSTOMS that usually includes respelling that word "KUSTOM". The typical look is that of a chopped and molded '49-51 Mercury or Buick. If that 50% Glen mentioned really hate it, you've probably been a success!

SHOW CAR: The only kind of car a person hung up on "winning" "artistic merit" trophys should own. They are fancy, expensive, flashy sculptures that resemble cars to some extent, and with the proper amount of certain fluids actually added to them, real brake pads installed instead of teflon copies (teflon doesn't scratch the rotors.... we can't have scratches on the rotors can we? might loose points!) Being trailered is a given so these are not "TRAILER QUEENS" I think it's funny-crazy that some person who mearly footed the bill for the construction of a SHOWCAR would want an "artistic merit trophy", which is what show trophys are, when the trophys should really be going to the painter's prep man and the welder/leader/bondo jockey, the chrome shop's polisher, and the trim guy working for the big name upholsterer...

TRAILAR QUEEN: A perfectly driveable STREETROD, CUSTOM, or LEADSLED that gets hauled around usuallr followed with some lame excuse about mileage or wear or sun or road rash or haven't sorted out, or my back, If the car isn't streetable, for you, don't take it cross country just to pretend that it is. Take your Buick Regal and be a spectator! I can't think of an excuse, especially if someone trailers a car a long distance hides the trailer, and then accepts the "long distance" award, when someone else with their sun burned forehead and bug infested radiator really deserve it.

They are fancy, expensive, flashy sculptures that resemble cars to some extent, and with the proper amount of certain fluids actually added to them, real brake pads installed instead of teflon copies (teflon doesn't scratch the rotors.... we can't have scratches on the rotors can we? might loose points!)...
should have ended; ...might even run.

Good job Dr J, I like your version of the show car and a trailer queen the best so far.



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Grump

SRTEET ROD---- Pre 49 vehicle with a late model, wimpy stock drivetrain "like our big Olds"

HOT ROD-------See above, but with a non-stock non-wimpy drivetrain.

KUSTOM-------Pre 63 vehicle with mild to wild body mods.

LEAD SLED-----49-51 Merc

SHOW CAR-----A big waste of money.

TRAILER QUEEN-See above.

Just my opinions, I could be wrong.

BTW. BluemoonBill may not smoke banana peels, but I still think there is something funny in that pipe of his! hehe

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Charlie

Charlie, I`ve smelled the odor out of that pipe, something like old gym sneakers. I kinda remember the smell from a Who concert at the Fillmore East in 1968. Probably just cheap tobacco.........."right"

I tell ya Ed, something up with that pipe tabacky. No one is that happy all the time without "a little help from his friends"
Ya ever seen his VW microbus, complete with peace symbols?
Maybe I'll take a ride down when he brings the Camaro down. And maybe he'll share his secret to the "happy place" on the way back! hehe
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Charlie

Well Charlie....There`s one way to find out {and I already know} He can use a ride back to Fulton if ya volunteering {hint hint} Give him a call for that ride to my shop. I`ve seen that VW bus, the MAGIC BUS, It`s hard for em to let it go. I dont blame him, it reeks of cool, umungst other things. I think Bill is just always in a good place, A good egg......scrambled, but a good egg.

Hey now Charlie!!! Don't you make fun of my hippie wagon!!!

You're gonna make me tell everyone about the time when you were a hippie at the Atlanta airport. Go on guys, ask Charlie about that one......;-)

Yeah Ok, so I gotta VW bus fully equipped with Cheech & Chong zoned out in the back. However, the peace signs came off on Sept 11th and an American flag is now flying from the antenna.

But your point is well taken, "don't worry, be happy".

OoooOOooommmMMmmmm Far out man.........

What's all this got to do with auto definitions anyway? I'll tell ya what it's got to do with auto definitions......ya gotta be mello, ya gotta be loose, lets not get caught-up with definitions because they can be restrictive. Charlie, Ed & Richard: you've seen my cars, what definition would you put on my Camaro or my Chevelle? Yes, their muscle cars, but they're also customs (shaved, slammed, flamed, flip flop paint, etc) and I call em "hotrods"! If we get too hung-up with a definition, we can loose sight of the big picture and maybe miss actually building something unique.

What do you call a 1st generation Camaro RS with Lincoln Town Car tail lights, welded body seams and ghost flames? I built one, I decided to customize it, I dropped in a monster 468 rat, I didn't get stuck in box thinking or definitions, I didn't look back and I think it looks bitchen, I'm proud of it.....and that's what counts.

Yes, several so called experts said that I ruined a classic and some said that I shouldn't do it.......it wasn't the definition of what should be done to a muscle car (or pony car if you will)..........

The moral of the story...........

Hang loose, do yer own thang.........SMOKE EM!

OoooOoooooOOoMMMmmmMMmmmm

I can dig it, he can dig it, she can dig it, can you dig it?
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William Lye

Rat on..Rat on..Rat on brother. Whats this....Charlie a hippie? Say it aint so....Well I guess we`re all caught now.

Darn and I thought I had all the categories named but you may have started a new one. The Rat Costom
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Grump

A definition for your cars?
How 'bout the same on the guy who use to own your Chevelle used? hehe
See Skips definitions. Pretty much spells it out.
I see definitions as a great way to start a debate, or even and argument!
Yes Ed, I was an X hippie. Now just a bald ole fart.
It was mainly just to nail the hippie chicks! hehe
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Charlie

Okay...so who's going to bid on Tim Allen's '55 Nomad? I would, but I've already got one wagon. LOL. It's up to $40,100, which puts it out of my price range anyway. Would it be a 'Kustom'? Anyone interested in the eBay auction, the number is 1653743250.

phil
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One man's treasure is another man's trash.

Hot Rod = Souped up Car or Truck, Modified to go fast. You will always find a Tool Box in the trunk.

Street Rod = Nice cruzer, Modified to run and drive in comfort. You will always find Wax & Cleaning Stuff in the trunk.

Custom = Car or Truck of any year "custom" built to owners taste. You will almost never see the rear wheels.

I love them all, HonestFrank
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"VEO DINDICE"

Hey Frank, what would you call a car that blends your definitions? You know ike a street rod with a tool box in the back or a hot rod with cleanng stuff. Or a mix of all three? Just wondering.

There all cars! The guy's who own,built,or worked on them are car guys. Some are into it more than others, some know more, some very little. Some are good people and some are assholes, just like everywhere else...............ED!!!!!! you came out of the clost!!!!!! A VAN~!!!!!! Dude, in the late 70's and early 80's I was drivin my 66 econo! Slamed, flaired, and flamed, the whole front 1/2. The thing had no side doors or windows (factory) Ran a built 240 six / auto. All kinds of stuff went on in and around little F---truck!

Vans and Harleys in the early '70s were LOTS of fun...great memories... Here's a pic of me (on the left) cutting naugahyde on the lawn doing an interior for a van.

What's the guy behind you doing, playing leap frog?
;^)

Purp is really Weird Al Yankovich! hehe
No, I ain't posting pics of my long hair days!
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Charlie

Yep, I agree with Tinbender...."They're all cars" (well, except maybe for the motorcycles) and we can choose to enjoy them all (looking, building, driving, pondering or whatever) or ignore them. To me its all about the fun....the fun you can have with cars and the fun a bunch of gearheads can have when they get together.
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William Lye

A street rod has a small block under the hood and a can of wax in the trunk.
A hot rod has a flathead under the hood & a toolbox in the trunk.

A Hot rod has a fuel cell in the trunk....waxes?...we dont need no stinking waxes.