Why air Ride ?

[Lincolnlovers]

I've lived in Prescott, Phoenix, and Tucson, for a total of 30 years. I've seen what you're talking about. But it's all relative. When you compare it to places like California and Colorado, Arizona seems like a more car friendly, and reasonable real estate-state. But Places like Oklahoma are even better with the real estate deals and pretty laid back on the automotive regulations. I have owned and driven air ride vehicles in all of the states that I just mentioned, and let me say that Arizona has the best roads! In fact, Arizona has some of the best roads on the country. I still really miss living there

[frasern]

I hope I'm still on topic, but I'm getting close to a hijack.
So far the "stock vs. custom' discussion has been around the vehicle condition. I would like to add that every car has a story which is unique. To some their story is of the places and faces of previous owners, for others the story is what they have done to the car and where they are going with it. To me a "cookie cutter" is one without a story. In this regard, even two otherwise identical cars would be unique.
Although I personally prefer stock, I am glad that others do their own thing, as this would be a boring hobby if everyone agreed with my opinion. Diversity is strength.

[Lincolnlovers]

I hope I'm still on topic, but I'm getting close to a hijack.
So far the "stock vs. custom' discussion has been around the vehicle condition. I would like to add that every car has a story which is unique. To some their story is of the places and faces of previous owners, for others the story is what they have done to the car and where they are going with it. To me a "cookie cutter" is one without a story. In this regard, even two otherwise identical cars would be unique.
Although I personally prefer stock, I am glad that others do their own thing, as this would be a boring hobby if everyone agreed with my opinion. Diversity is strength.

Amen to that, buddy! There are people who do, or don't do, things to vehicles that I just don't get, or understand. Especially the younger generations, but I remember what it was like when I was young, didn't know much, and had no money, yet I knew I liked cars and trucks. So I bought what I could afford, and did what I wanted to it, and what I thought was kool. The old guys, especially the purist restoration crowd, didn't get it. In fact we weren't allowed to get onto a lot of their shows. It sucked. No respect. I talk to the younger guys and discuss their cars and trucks, even if I don't care for the way they've modded them. When you exclude the younger guys, they go away, and we get old and die. The cars lose. Not a lot of kids into cars now days. Not like when I was coming up. So I think it's important to show an interest into what they're doing and encourage them, because they'll be the ones owning our cars when we die. Without them, our cars will end up unappreciated and junked. At the risk of going too far off topic, but because I believe in what I'm saying, and feel I'm living proof, I'm gonna post a few pictures of my past vehicles, from when I was young, until now (I'm almost 50) Remember, I love cars and trucks. Was excluded from a lot of shows and talked down to by a lot of purist car guys when I was getting started. But a few took an interest, and that meant a lot to me. Now it's come full circle, and that's what I try to do. I love the eclectic mix of vehicles at shows (though I love driving and cruising much, much better). We all may have different ideas on what we want our classic or custom to look like, but the thing we have in common is the love of vehicles. It transcends age, sex, race, politics, and socioeconomics, at least for those of us who truly love vehicles. To keep it on topic, all these vehicles I'm gonna post had modified suspension, most of them were on air ride. The last one isn't, it's our Lincoln. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do, if I'm gonna put it on air, or leave it stock, but it's stock for now, and, surprisingly, I love it!

[jtheye]

I JUST DID A TEST! I showed the above pictures of the modified cars to my 15 year old son to rate them from best to last. His "last" pick was the picture of the stock, white continental. He labeled it "a boom'r car". It goes to show that as the years go by, taste change and classics of the past are forgotten and fade into history. I then showed my 15 year old the latest picture of our 64 Continental, slammed on the shop floor. These pics are from our last visit to see how the progress is coming along where our Continental has been for the last 4 years. My 15 year old went on to tell me how much fun it is going to be to drive our cool car around. He didn't even realize they are the same car. The point being is that customizing this generation of Lincolns is what will keep them from fading into obscurity, or that my 15 year old lied to me because he thinks I am a "boom'r". As for the purists, yes your work is amazing and so is your car. When your dead, the only thing that will keep these Lincolns in the relative world is because some kid is going to buy your untouched Lincoln and SLAM IT!....... With that poke from a sharp stick, NON of us who have air ride, custom Lincolns would have a clue how to keep our cars running if it was not for you older Purists and your knowledge. So I tip my hat to you, go back to the shop my Continental is at and will complain some more about it not being done.

[action]

Or your 15 year old's opinion does not align with most teenagers.

Hard to make a conclusion based on a survey of one.

Action

[TonyC]

When I was around that age, my things were Trans Ams first, then 'Vettes.

That gives you an idea of the significance of a 15-year-old's opinion. It's okay, he'll learn in good time that old fogies drive newer Lincolns, not vintage Lincolns.

---Tony

[frasern]

As a teen, I liked what my dad liked. As an adult, I formed my own opinions, as we all do. I still respect his ideas, and he would respect mine.
There will always be some who like stock, some who like custom. Stock will remain as is, but custom will not, tastes will change and that is the nature of customizing. To think everything will be slammed is as "cookie cutter" as it gets, once that market is saturated, people will find something new. As an example, just look at wheels, in the '60s it was coke bottle mags, '80s, they were replaced by centerlines, then directional, now 22's, all on the same car! In the future, maybe those will get replaced by 13's with really tall sidewalls, we don't know yet. The future is an open book, and THAT, is what will keep this hobby relevant.

[Mike]

I never liked slammed cars or hydraulics or super big rims but at the same time it also gets boring seeing a bunch of identical mustangs and corvettes etc at shows. I've always been into more oddball vehicles to begin with but I've done the hot rod or sleeper thing to cars before and not every one is into that either. It's all this doing things different that makes things interesting.

[TonyC]

Dittos Mike! The car shows I went to last year would have been absolutely boring for me had it not been for the oddballs I saw—a '61 Continental (sedan), a '50 Cosmopolitan, a '14 Ford (1914, that is), a '58 Edsel pacer, a '56 Bel Air that was kept 100% showroom-original (I'm not even into Bel Airs, they are very overrated and almost always tricked out to the point of clichéd)...

Me, I'm not exactly a purist, sticking strictly with what was offered in a particular year and nothing more; I do believe in modding out a car, but only if such mods will actually improve the car and not sully its original look. All the special mods I've done to Frankenstein have been subtle, unnoticeable at first glance, but made all the difference in the world in overall operation and creature-comforts. The most obvious add-ons would have to be the defroster grid and the head rests, and even then most people don't even give them a thought. The only thing I cannot do is reclining seat backs, unfortunately...but they aren't so uncomfortable that I can't handle long road trips, anyway.

---Tony

[rick]

Similar to what Fraser mentioned, when I was really young I liked what my Dad liked. But by age thirteen when he wouldn't swing for the fender skirts and sulky horse race driver hood ornament for the family Ford, I knew we were headed in different directions. As a teenager in high school I drove a '47 Plymouth with 19,000 miles on the odometer that I bought off a spinster school teacher and named it Howard..... it never let me down like every one of my three MG's and Yamaha 305 did that I also owned in high school. My parents bless their hearts, never melted down with all my cars parked around the house. Now, 160+ cars later I still haven't had my fill. Probably my final stamp on today's kids will be the fact that I have promised to buy each and every one of my nine grandchildren their first car. Hopefully I've managed to hook them over the years as I've tried pretty hard. The first one is coming up soon as my fifteen year old grand-daughter is first in line. She is losing sleep trying to decide on a red eighties vintage Nissan 300ZX or a Cadillac Allante. Her teenage friends think she's lost her mind........... maybe I've succeeded.

Rick

[Lincolnlovers]

300zx or an Allante... Quite the choices! You don't see those around much any more. It's good to see some of the younger generation interested in cars. As much as my kids watched me with cars, they loved the ones I had, but they weren't very interested in getting their drivers licenses. One of my daughters didn't get her license until she was 20... And not because I didn't try to help her. She just wasn't that interested. I was kind of worried about it, but when I started mentioning it to friends and acquaintances, I found out their kids, and their friends kids, for the most part, could care less about driving. I started thinking on it and I figured out why. For my generation (X) and the generation preceding mine (boomers), a car meant freedom. It was how you met up with friends, girls, and got away from your parents. It was how we socialized. Our kids, and grandkids generation (Z) socialize a different way: social media. They hang out with friends, meet boys and girls, and escape their parents, without even leaving home.
For us, a car was literally a vehicle to independence and freedom. Smartphones, ipads, and laptops are the vehicle kids (young adults) use today. It's understandable, but it's kinda sad to see where it's headed.
...but I think there's a glimmer of hope! The electric car. We are seeing quite a large resurgence of interest in automobiles these days, because of the integration of electric power. I think that we may see a version of the 1950's, in the next 20 years, where people fell in love with automobiles, because all of the modern innovations that are making them "new" again. Hell, Covid repopularized the Drive in theater, and new ones are starting to pop up around the country. Time will tell if it becomes even more popular, but I think between new electric cars, and the nostalgia of the drive-ins, they are ripe for a comeback. Perhaps that will lead to cruising, and cars becoming more than just a vehicle to get from A to B. Who knows.
What I do know is, when I see a young guy, or girl, driving a classic, or working on a vehicle, fixing it up, customizing it, I compliment them. I encourage them, even if I don't care for what they're doing to the car (as long as it's relatively safe), because they're the ones that will keep classics and customs alive.

[Lincolnlovers]

I would like to add that every car has a story which is unique. To some their story is of the places and faces of previous owners, for others the story is what they have done to the car and where they are going with it. To me a "cookie cutter" is one without a story. In this regard, even two otherwise identical cars would be unique.

Fraser, in my previous reply to you, I meant to comment on your point. I agree. The story is a key element. One of the most important parts of my vehicles stories, are the friends I made while customizing them. My three best friends, who I talk to, and/or hang out with on a weekly basis, have been a part of my life 25+ years now. We all met because we were into customizing cars and trucks. Our interests have evolved over the years. My best friend now owns a 2009 Shelby Cobra Mustang. We've all got into motorcycles, at one point (a couple of us still are). The last few years it's been guns. But without my first mini truck back in 1996, I never would've met any of them. Our friendships go way beyond cars and material things, of course. We've been there for each other through thick and thin. Part of each other's families. Best men at each other's weddings. Godfathers and uncles to each other's kids. Beside each other's hospital beds when things went bad. I couldn't imagine my life being so great, without my buddies. That's the story my cars tell. Those are the memories I keep when the car gets sold. The Lincoln is already writing a new story for me and my girl, and I know it's gonna be an epic tale!

[TonyC]

I still think Allantés are nice; it's cool to see one when I do see one. I also think the contemporary Reattas were cool, for small cars.

My mother used to have a 1984 300ZX; I remember when she let me try to drive it to get a feel for it, the clutch was extremely sensitive, to the point I never could get used to shifting. And I was no stranger to clutches; I mastered her 240Z in pretty short order. Perhaps that's something you should share with your granddaughter; if she opts for the ZX, she will need to do a lot of closed-track practice to get used to that overly-sensitive clutch.

Oh, and tell her not to give any face-value to her peers' opinions. She has better taste already than they ever could. Sure wish I could've married someone with that kind of taste in cars.

---Tony

[frasern]

Rick said his parents never melted down over his collection, I had to laugh. In about "68, my dad bought a '63 Rambler from a neighbour, with clutch problems. In those days if you had 1 Rambler, everyone wanted to give you another, so before long we had 3, in a 2 car driveway. Then he found a "59 MGA coupe, for $75.00, and put it in the backyard, because the garage already had an MGB in it. A few years later, when I started "collecting", he really couldn't melt down, I was just following in his footsteps.
Sorry for the side trip, this thread seems to go everywhere.

[TonyC]

Anything to distract newbies from the loopy thought of crazy balloon-suspension conversions.

---Tony