What looks like a terrific...
What looks like a terrific project vehicle to us looks like an eyesore to many regulators and legislators, who attempt to ban these "inoperable vehicles" with alarming frequency.
In the past decade, we've also learned tremendous lessons in the art of extracting power from the perfect combination of cylinder heads and intake runners, headers, and mufflers. These lessons, chronicled in SUPER CHEVY and its sister publications, mean you don't have to spend a fortune on trial-and-error purchases, trying to put together a combination that works.
Overcoming Adversity
We may not even have to worry about much of the gloom and doom stuff you see on the nightly news. In our conversations with manufacturers, we've heard over and over that the "iffy" economy hasn't affected most companies' sales, so that means plenty of folks are still happy to trade money for parts.
And just as we survived the Gas Crisis of the '70s, we surely will survive the current high price of fuel. It doesn't even seem to be affecting the specialty auto industry as a whole right now-although it may affect new car (and SUV) sales, much as the earlier gas crunch led to the demise of the musclecar era and the reign of the econobox.
Consolidation in the industry has made some products harder to come by. But consolidation is a natural part of an industry's growth cycle. As many of the founders of our industry pass on or reach retirement age, it's only normal for them to pass the torch to their family or sell out to another firm. While consolidation brings with it certain growing pains, it always opens the door for more small, nimble, entrepreneurial firms to spring up and make the products consumers want.
The Bad News
The biggest bummer as we speed into the 21st century is Big Brother. At the national, state, and local level legislators and regulators seem hell-bent on hindering our hobby. Fortunately, SEMA's Washington, DC, office keeps close tabs on pending automotive-related legislation and regulations across the country. When a detrimental (or a beneficial) rule gets proposed, SEMA spreads the word to enthusiasts via the SEMA Action Network (SAN). And here's the best part: SAN members have been very effective at changing law-and rulemakers' minds-and protecting our rights to drive cool vintage and modified vehicles.
Among the many nasty issues that come up over and over again are scrappage programs, exhaust noise regulations, inoperable vehicle bans, and efforts to limit or prevent suspension modifications and the installation of auxiliary lighting.
Brian Caudill of SEMA's DC office notes a disturbing trend: "There's a growing perception that antique technology is not safe... [These vehicles] may not have the same kind of lighting that modern cars have. Or perhaps the brakes aren't as good. Or perhaps these older cars aren't in as good of shape."
According to Caudill, bills have been introduced in the last couple of years that would severely restrict the use of vehicles that are 25 years old or older. "In some cases, they would be limited to the extent you can drive them, what kinds of events you can attend," he says, "or [they might have] mileage limitations, such as you can't go more than 500 miles away from your home." So far, SEMA and SAN have been able to help defeat these bills, but they signal a growing fear of vintage mechanicals.
Like it or not, vintage vehicles also are perceived as "dirtier" than new cars. While we know that a properly tuned '57 Chevy runs considerably cleaner than a '95 Toyota that's never had a tune-up, many lawmakers and regulators know precious little about automobiles. What they do know is that the federal EPA is breathing down their collective neck, especially if their state or region has poor air quality. And one way they can get the feds off their back (and avoid having the federal EPA take control of air quality in their district) is to start a scrappage program.