Vintage Cars To Lowriders And Hot Rods

Lowriders are classic cars or trucks whose suspension system has been modified so that it rides at a very low level to the ground. With the use of modern day hydraulics, users have height adjustable suspension. Most of the lowriders are vintage cars of the 1940’s to 1960’s.

Lowering cars to almost the sidewalk level and customizing them dramatically has been a status symbol. Lowriders signify prestige. In the 1940's people had to wait for Sundays to catch a glimpse of a Lowrider. Soon enough Lowriders became a trademark for anyone seeking for attention or for someone cruising highways day after day. Lowrider cars inspired the making of lowrider bicycles.

Creating a lowrider is an art that’s evolved from using heavy weights and chopping springs to bring the body close to the ground; to modern day hydraulics that raise and lower the car, and also make it hop, and tilt it from side to side. Lowriders are designed with triple dipped chrome accessories, gold plating, stunning paint schemes, twin side pipes, spot lights, wire wheels, spinners and more. One can see a lot of vehicle makes, visual styles and a diverse mix of cultures in lowriders. A lowrider's internal parts are more likely to get damaged from road surface imperfections and obstructions.

Traditional low riders were made from cars of the 1960’s like Chevy Impala, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Buick Regal, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, Lincoln Continentals, and Pontiac Grand Prix. At times they are radically modified reducing them to pure show cars.

Hot rods, the typical American cars with large engines modified for linear speed are a compelling blend of vintage cars and today’s high performance engines. Car owners modify their production car in the attempt to increase acceleration and top end speed. For most Americans restoring their vintage cars as hot rods is more of a national sport.

The vintage cars of the 40’s to 60’s still have the potential to turn heads and that’s why there’s so much craze for hot rods. The traditional hot rodding concept was based on reusing original, old parts from the junkyard and remanufacturing cars that were popular from the 1940s through the 1960s. But the street rodding concept is based on building or getting cars built with new parts.

Hot rods have an abundance of chrome parts, they fatten up the tires for extra traction, engine is modified and some body panels are removed. Most hot rods are typically painted with a design of flames behind the front wheels. A typical hot rod is heavily modified by replacing the engine and transmission, a few other components, including brakes and steering. Building a hot rod requires skills in mechanics, welding, automotive paint and body work.

While modifying a vintage car to a hot rod – one of the things is to reduce the weight of the vehicle by removing certain parts. That’s why hot rods have minimalistic chassis with no roof, hood, bumpers, seats, windscreens or fenders. Sometimes the original engines are replaced by high speed ones. Hot rodding is an art work that replenishes the golden past with the present day high speed performance.

Hot rod catered to the rebellion and attention seeking needs of American teenagers. The modifications of hot rods are a vent to the frustrations of conventional styling. Hot rods are a display of American pride.