Car culture blows my mind.

Shift518 Automotive
1

I should just get a rocking chair, toss it on my front porch and hang up my spanners. Maybe I am getting too old for this stuff.

How is it that a hand full of years ago, think Fast N Fucking Retarded 1, 2 and 3… that everyone made fun of those cars and how they were built.

-flashy attention getting hey look at me paint
-stickers and shit all over the car
-stupid looking wheels
-obnoxious exhaust
-racing seats that hurt like hell in a car that will never see a track just to look cool
-just an overall hodg podge of parts from 10 different directions bolted, glued, or otherwise attached to a poor car.

But now, instead of muscle shirts, beanies and a fist full of dolla’s we have girl jeans, flat brims and a new iPhone 5’s. Even with the change the enthusiasts have made, the cars haven’t changed conceptually much at all, yet are hypocritically deemed “balling, bitchin, bad ass” and whatever other verb is hip these days.

Every car, minus the RX7 in the 3rd pic has atleast the 6 points I made above that were shunned a hand full of years ago. Wrapping a car in CF head to toe to look cool. Taking the covering and padding off some racing seats and leaving the shells in the car. Beer tap shifter in an otherwise low key decent looking car.

Then ending with this bombshell.

http://cdn.speedhunters.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Slammed_Society_Spotlights-35.jpg

http://cdn.speedhunters.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Slammed_Society_Spotlights-38.jpg

http://cdn.speedhunters.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Slammed_Society_Spotlights-39.jpg

http://cdn.speedhunters.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Slammed_Society_Spotlights-39.jpg

The motor swap and engine bay is sweet. great work, well thought out, well done. The rest of the car make me want to take up shuffle board and never enjoy a car again. Complete cob job everywhere else, but hey its by design right so two wrongs must make a right, right? Army green paint fake rusted hood and fenders, big mural painted on the hood, go cart wheels and tires, 6 foot long exhaust tip, ricer front lip, uselessly slammed on its nuts rubbing and smashing on everything, bumpers falling off, destroyed door and fender lips… Seriously what the fuck. The car is straight up mangled, something you would see right from the lower lot at Kohls.

But, people swing off its nuts. I say enjoy it while your fad lasts

http://cdn.speedhunters.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Slammed_Society_Spotlights-40.jpg

It just kills me to take pride in my work I do on my cars and my customers cars… when shit like that parks next to them at a show and steal all the credit away.

//kk rant over.

2

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b28/skierdood/4F0F0E4F-2666-42CE-9867-EC8535A389A4-4327-000004A446691D07.jpg

3

95% of what you posted are nothing more than borrowed trends from the car scene in Japan in the 80’s. Which is a hybrid of the toned down version of the OG Bosozoku culture and Motorsport elements.

4

Imagine rolling up to a job interview in one of those cars?

5

borrowed trends from 6 different pockets and slapped on one car hap hazardly. correct?

Would you drive, enjoy, and be proud of that green car if you had it in your driveway?

6

I’d beat my neighbors ass if he had that car in his driveway.

7

while I can understand where your coming from. Isnt the point of the “car scene” to drive whatever the fuck you want and enjoy the hell out of it? I mean in all seriousness you are saying that because you don’t like it and it isn’t up to your standards that it’s a piece of shit and no-one should ever consider letting it see the light of day. But last time I checked the point of having a “project” car or “fun” car was to drive the shit out of it, and enjoy it the way YOU want to.

Maybe it’s just me because I have never owned a show worthy vehicle, but who the fuck cares? If they have pride in the vehicle, and make it their own then let em have fun. It in no way affects you. And as you stated you put pride into your work and make everything you touch the best of your ability. So your dealing with a whole different customer base…right?

I guess my main point is, who the fuck cares what’s trendy…it doesn’t affect the car you drive, so just let them do what they want and worry about your own shit.

But hey, what the fuck do I know…

8

Apparently making cars look like cartoons is cool nowadays.

9

sbardy knows whats up.

Timeless, will never, ever go out of style, get dated, or stop being respected by just about anyone who is a “car guy”. Highly doubt this will show up under a google images search for “riced out” “pos car” “wtf car” etc.

/

http://www.dragtimes.com/images/16347-1969-Chevrolet-Camaro.jpg

10

HEY ASSHOLE!

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y80/eghatchattack/photobucket-17585-1338819056189.jpg
photobucket-17585-1338819056189.jpg767×432

My subaru has the same paint

11

if my neighbor had that in his driveway, I wouldn’t have to fuck my girl to get my nut off.

12

I dont like abstract art either. :rofl

Not denying the concept of having fun with any and all cars. Thats why I didnt mock it like “lets drink some twisted teas, grab some stickers and go cover my headlights with them, it will be fun”.

And it does effect me, and you, and everyone else. Trends like that are dangerous IMO. Its the stuff like that which publish’s the “I have to fit in to build a successful car” nonsense to the car culture and market. Quality drops, prices have to follow, shit seeds roll down hill. And the customer bases overlap still. Take Joe bob that swings by the shop to build a 40K hot rod, and see’s johnnys green thing here getting the very well done engine swap. While I do my normal quality and pridefull work on the swap, you cant tell me Joe wont think twice about how his car will turn out “judging the book by the cover” from the other car in the same shop.

And you cant just turn Johnny away, becasue of the risk of him telling everyone “his car isnt good enough for XXXXX shop, they are a bunch of dicks”.

13

LOL :hug

yours is a beater daily to got its ass beat on a back road and get you to work and what not. It wasnt built as a resume car to get you into car fame.

14

Basically the 10-14 year olds that thought FF1-2-3 was cool 6 years ago are driving now…we are fucked.

15

OK. I can understand your point. But isn’t that the time in which you explain to the guy, “we are doing the swap on this, shoving this V8 into this mini or whatever”. And pull out the pictures of all the epic work you have done. I mean I do get what your saying, but some quick thinking and great customer service can change that person’s opinon. I mean how did you do it when you first started? How did you get someone to put their confidence in you to turn out a killer product?

16
  • rep to Swaiknow. and to the rest, who the fuck cares??? I mean really, who fucking cares what everyone else is doing…is this why the car “scene” sucks?? because people are doing different stuff to their cars that not everyone will like??? To me that green car is no different than an old model A rat-rod.
17

Not going to lie I would love to pour over a lot of those cars. I don’t think I would ever own or drive one but I do like looking over them and seeing what had to be done to achieve such extreme looks.

18

To spur this conversation on since I am currently working on the Lexus and widebody and my car has more than a few places where rivets are visible on a panel I have really been tossing around the idea of painting it the exact same color as my subaru vinyling “High road” back on the side skirt in block lettering and some sunk face mesh matte black wheels

kind of Rauh Welt inspired. fan boy car Weeeooooow suck it

19

Taking the time to “bull shit” with a customer or even potential customer is honestly one of the biggest hurdles to get over running a shop. It takes away ALOT of time, lost time = lost money. Its a fine line between reeling in a customer with said bs’ing, or loosing a hand full in a few days and seeing 5 hours time/labor lost.

And that if you are even “given” the chance. Most people tend to just form their own opinions and walk away, or worse spread rumors. So you can even pull those epic pics out to show them.

But yes, great CS can and will change a customer. 100%

I started as you assume I did. And my wife can tell you, from seeing me every day, every week as I climb into bed, and get out of bed to repeat the process… if I could save the time used for the same old BS “even though this green car is a turd but my work is awesome, here look, please let me work on your car next” I could be efficently working on something and maybe be home for dinner once a week. So, I let, like you said, allow my work to do the talking for me. If they want my shop to do it, they can come… I aint fishing!

20

cars are fun. don’t take them too seriously.