[Big Dave]

This thread speaks to a larger issue.

Like it or not, ecomodders are a subset of the larger hot-rodding community. Ecomodders simply use a different criteria of performance, but they are hot-rodders nevertheless.

But eco-modders are always (including by other eco-modders) dissed as some sort of cheap-Charlie money-saving DIY cult, not serious hotrodders. I go to truck shows and everybody always asks how much do I have to drive to justify what I’ve spent. I ask back, how much do you have to drive to justify $8,000 worth of wheels and tires? As exotic as my drive train is, it did not cost as much as a set of big meats and shiny wheels – not to mention the lift and 4.56 gears to make it drivable at all, etc

I point out that I enjoy my ‘performance’ every day. I get nearly twice the mileage of the average diesel pickup and easily 250% of a gas pickup. My truck is driven. It is not what I call “garage sculpture.” My truck is a high-MPG ‘rat rod.’

If basjoos went to a car show, most of the people there would dismiss it as some some of shade-tree DIY project and go drool on some flashy T-bucket (or other obsolete car.) Only if there were Bonneville types about would his car get respect. Those guys are always on the lookout for the last 0.001 off the Cd. That is life to them. Nobody else cares.

Go to a regular hot rod show and there are $100,000 cars as far as the eye can see. Not a one of them will win the Indy 500 and darn few will ever win a drag race.

How to get respect?

As long as it is just claims of MPG, everyone assumes you are lying to cover up the fact you are driving a shabby-looking vehicle.

I think that if respect is desired, looks matter. I think that we need to move beyond coroplast and duct tape and move into the workmanship like bondo.

And for that you gotta spend some money.