How will gas prices affect your rodding?

[purplepickup]

Reading Crosley's post about gas prices and daily drivers made me wonder how gas prices will affect rodding.  Will you build engines to get better mileage rather than "rumpety rump" higher HP?  Will you be tempted to sell a car?....no change?....something else?...

.....just wondering how people are thinking about our hobby now... :0-0

[Ohio Blue Tip]

The price of gas won't affect my rodding plans, because it's the time in my life to ENJOY and I intend to take a full measure.

When or if I run out of gas money, I have a plan:

Plan A
1.   Pawn all my tools.
2.   Pawn all my guns, except one.
3.   Take my gun and go get my tools and other guns back.  

Plan B
1.   Rob a bank for cash.
2.   Not get caught and enjoy the money.
3.   Or get caught and have free food, lodging and medical care.  (Better than the old folks home) :oops:

[Uncle Bob]

It could be interesting to watch how the hobby reacts in general, right now I'm in a "be more selective" mode as far a useage.

Those who remember the '70's will recall the cars being built with V6s and little 4 bangers as a response.  But I think there was a difference in perception then.  The concern was more driven by fears of availability rather than per gallon price.  People will adapt fairly quickly to price, but standing in line to get a limited supply is a whole 'nother matter.

It's been interesting to watch earlier this year (meaning up until last week).  Sales of muscle cars and hot rods have been strong, in spite of the rising fuel prices.  I had one buddy sell a pretty nice, but not outstanding, '36 5 window at Hot August Nights for $46k.  Another sold a glass '37 roadster at Pleasanton last week for near $58k!!  Both those have got to be record high prices.  So rising gasoline prices didn't have much effect there.  Now that we're looking at availability issues it could become a whole different ball game.  

The Gulf region refineries produced more gasoline than the immediate market area consumed, but still could move it to other areas that had high demand and lower supply options.  Now, with well heads knocked out in the gulf, ports closed down, and refineries inoperable, availability becomes the number one issue...............prices just go along for the ride.

If it takes a long time to get what's so lovingly refered to as the infrastructure back on line we could see a real big contraction in the hobby.  My one hope in all this would be that we would rationally evaluate the message and realize that refining capacity in this country is a big problem, not supply of crude.  

Good thing most of us love these cars, we may be stuck with them.

[WZ JUNK]

Reading Crosley's post about gas prices and daily drivers made me wonder how gas prices will affect rodding.  Will you build engines to get better mileage rather than "rumpety rump" higher HP?  Will you be tempted to sell a car?....no change?....something else?...

.....just wondering how people are thinking about our hobby now... :0-0

I think when you go to the liquor store in your street rod, you will need to buy twice as much liquor as usual, to cut down on the amount of trips and the amount of gas.

[reborn55]

If the price of gas keeps rising I will probably be more selective in going to weekend shows.  The shows are our vacations throughout the years.  But when the price of gas costs more than the motel bill for the weekend then it will definitely be time for a change.

[HotRodLadyCrusr]

I filled up Big Olds and my daily driver both on Monday nite ($2.57 per gallon) knowing prices were going to increase dramaticly.   I have to drive my daily to work every day no getting around that.  

Last nite though instead of driving Big Olds 65 miles roundtrip to a cruz on Rudys side of town I drove him 3 miles to a local cruz.  I really didn't feel like spending the $3.25 per gallon now to replace that gas in my tank which would have been over $14 in fuel costs to attend that cruz.   Being cheap?  Nope, just practical in light of fastly rising fuel costs.

Yes, of course I'll have to put gas in Big Olds soon but since I'm not taking him anywhere this weekend and since he's going into the shop on Tuesday for repair work before my big trip, I don't forsee having to fill him for a couple of weeks.  Hopefully prices will have come down by then.  

In a nutshell, yes the price of fuel will effect how much and the distance I will cruz.

[phat rat]

OBT and wzjunk have the idea. * the torpedoes full steam ahead. Just be glad we're not boaters, was talking to a friend of mine over the week-end and he figures 1mpg for his boat. The price of gas at a marina is a lot more than at the gas station.

[Santa Fe Bri]

Hey   Guy`s   you should be a Rodder in England, the price of gas is £4.50.. gall =$7.00 & we still build them with the good old American V8. Ive built 4 classic Hot Rods over the past 45yrs & when I start building I think I will build for economy I soon change my mind. You can`t beat the raw power of a V8 & there`s nothing that sounds so good I just love em   Cheers ................Bri

[Dave]

Reading Crosley's post about gas prices and daily drivers made me wonder how gas prices will affect rodding.  Will you build engines to get better mileage rather than "rumpety rump" higher HP?  Will you be tempted to sell a car?....no change?....something else?...

.....just wondering how people are thinking about our hobby now... :0-0

The guys at work told me I should sell mine now cause gas is so high. I told em Id look at . Its payed for. I havent done much rodding at all this summer but ill be at kzoo ad ive got plans for the Ididit show and clinton and a cider run. Funny thing my boss asked me if I had the bike full and I told him i didnt want to pay the high price sunday after I detailed it. DUH  And it takes midgrade to boot. I may be out on it this weekend though. Kinda screwed my plans for the races in angola but ya never know. Oh ya my 32 gets better milage than my truck I think but im getting a little over 19mpg with the new colorado and im slowing down pushing for over 20 just to see if it can be done. We (sue and I) work at the same place but she has different hours so we drive 2 vehicles and I get my son to work and back every day till he gets his license back. He will be chipping in for fuel starting next week I never asked before cause I gotta drive and its not really out of the way but he offered a while back and after it hit 3 bucks a gallon its time. We saw this same stuff after 9-11 but it was a different situation. Lets see hoe far it goes and hopefully it will level out and the prices will go back down. Think about the guy with a non working wife 4 kids making 8 bucks an hour and driving 50 + miles a day . Yup they are out there . At least we can or I think most of can get buy for now.
Dave

[34ford]

Have a friend that owns Hobby Town USA.  He bought a small local business years ago and built it to multimillion dollar business and sells franchisee now. He told me when the economy goes bad people always save money for their hobby. Think it might be the same for the hot rodding part to. Be more shows closer to home. Went to the Nationals this year but don't know about next year. This year it cost about $180 more in gas than it did 2 years ago. Just canceled the motel for the Kansas City Goodguys. Will spend the money on paint for the car since it's getting close.


bob

[beatnik]

I also cut down on the shows in general this year to save some money and get some work done. But the gas prices won't effect my planing or building.

Everyone is freaking out but realistically a trip like the Louisville Nats would cost me about $100 for gas at $2.25 a gallon and the same trip would cost about $150 at $3.25 a gallon. For as much as those weekends end up costing an extra $50 on the end of an already expensive weekend isn't all that much if you've decided to go.

As far as building I was already using mild engines that would run on the cheap 87 or even 85 octane and get some decent mileage. My daily gets 22/27 my roadster gets about 18/22. If you look at consumer reports this month there arent that many new cars that get much better that that no matter what they advertise.

I think most people who have been building cars to make long distance runs have already been concerned with mileage and  I'm sure people will make even more of an attempt to improve mileage now with less gear, or OD transmissions, and less motor. I wouldn't be suprised to see a lot more V6, 4 Bangers, and fuel injection enter the scene, if gas prices don't come down some.

I've got a couple of wild cars going together, still pump gas but I'm not going to change directions because of gas prices, it would ruin the whole style of the car if I did.

Gus

[Charlie Chops 1940]

The price of gas can be a budget breaker when you're retired but it doesn't have to be with a little planning. I started using my bicycle for errands within the 5 mile radius last summer. I'm still doing it. I have a couple checks to deposit at the credit union, so I'll ride over there tomorrow. The good part is that I enjoy riding.

I'm 2 weeks into a full tank with the trailblazer and have 1/2 a tank(12 gal.) left; filled up the '40 when we got home from vacation 2 weeks ago and have only driven it to OBT's one evening last week ( been doing body work). I believe the gas in it now will take me to Nats North and back home.

Hopefully things will settle down over the next few weeks. So far here in Muskegon it dropped from yesterdays $3.48 to $3.18 (the paper would say "plummeted"). I'm trying not to take the gas prices personnally, but I think Big Oil and their paid lap dog (GB) are out to get me, so last night I rode the bike past 3 gas stations and gave then the raspberry...that'll teach 'em.

Business as normal for this tightwad. I'll just drink OBT's beer!

Charlie

[phat46]

Reading Crosley's post about gas prices and daily drivers made me wonder how gas prices will affect rodding.  Will you build engines to get better mileage rather than "rumpety rump" higher HP?  Will you be tempted to sell a car?....no change?....something else?...

.....just wondering how people are thinking about our hobby now... :0-0

I'm sure that the prices will affect all of us, we all have to pay more money, a lot more money, for our fuel; that's an effect. I haven't started my '46 for more than two weeks because it needs gas to go anywhere, I thought it was too expensive two weeks ago to just put gas in it to cruise around.  My daily is a four door '02 Dodge 1500 with a 360, I added six gallons of gas to a half tank yesterday ($20) to take my daughter to dinner for her birthday in a city about 25 miles away. That took all the extra fuel i put in it plus some. The trip computer in the truck showed 19 MPG at 65 MPH which is better than i expected. I did notice that the semis were only going  about 60 MPH on the expressway and people in general were driving slower. Gas prices WILL affect how i drive my hobby cars in the future. They will go out much less, I don't have the extra money to pay over $3.25 for gas for a toy. After K Zoo i will be taking the road insurance off my '46 and parking it. Hopefully by next year the fuel "crisis" will have passed and things will be back to a more normal state. It doesn't look good though

[Bib_Overalls]

This morning I had to go to the VA clinic, about 30 miles each way.  I took the roadster because it gets better milage than my truck.

On the way home a guy pulled up to me and asked what kind of milage I got.  I said 22 on the highway and much less in town because I like to get on it when I pull away from the stops.  And when the light changed I showed him.  Ha!

But I suspect the Olds 215 powered rod I am collecting parts for will become my road ride of choice.

[Jbird]

Don't worry guys, a few minutes after I fill up my truck(almost fifty gallons) gas prices will plummet to record lows.

It seems like, for no apparent reason, fuel prices had almost doubled since the first of the year. Now in the aftermath of Katrina, there's a credible reason for the oil companies to really screw us, and, their patsy GB will be there to explain(spin) it for us. Hil & Bill in '08. Can an expresident run for vice president?
 Jbird