I wonder if, sometime in the past, people had the distaste I seem to have for the 'ricer' cars with the muscle car movement of the 60's. There's no stopping the ricer thing, it's even catching on here in Des Moines. It seems very 'fad-like' to me, but it's been going on for a long time now and is now gaining ground - as proven by the coverage the movement is getting in TV coverage and national shows. If you think about the price of most 'muscle' cars, particularly the desirable ones, and then factor in cost of running them and insuring them as a driver, I can see why a younger person would get into the 'ricer' scene - a Honda Civic can be had for a few thousand and it will run forever, costs nothing to insure, and next to nothing to run - 'tuning' it can be done for very little over time (factor in that most 'tuning' is done in the sound system and graphic stick-ons and it's REALLY inexpensive). Be hard to get the same bang for the buck with a vintage muscle car...

Just my $.02...

-bob

 

If it wasn't for the young kids in the "ricers", I'm not sure some of our local dragstrips could remain in business. At least there are kids that have an interest in autos even if that interest takes a different route than ours.

 

One of my co-workers is about 10 years younger than I am and has a Civic that doesn't look at all like the car he started out with. (Remember the Flintstones when the rack of ribs was put on his car and the thing tipped over? That's what his wing looks like!) We do spend a great deal of time talking about cars, and I do like the fact that even though we like different kinds of cars, we still do share a common hobby, and I can respect that. But to see what he is doing to his car and thinking of the re-sale value of a car that has been heavily modified AND still depreciating (I think it always will be), I cringe.

And still it's not fast! He took it to the track and left the 17.42 paint on the window for 3 days!...

I guess I'm more and more like my parents. "The music the kids are listening to now and the cars they're driving, and the things that they're doing to them..."

Times are changing. I just read a report that 30% of all 7th graders are sexually active. Where were all of them when I was in 7th grade? or 11th for that matter...

But I digress...

BTW Bob, keep up the great work. It's about time to send my membership dues to you again! (hint to others.....)/forums/images/icons/wink.gif

 

i believe they have them as fast as our old muscle cars and when you consider weight to hp you can get licked pretty fast.

 

Whatever i thkn its like disco it was a big fad for a long time but then there was a backlash and a hate for disco in the early 80 then you will see polka-dot paint on mustangs and a flock of seagulls make a comeback

 

The Hot Rodders of the Fifties didn't have much use for the "store bought" hot rods of the 60's" How difficult is it to put headers on a car??

Well the fifties hot rods are still around, the Muscle Cars are still around, the custom vans are gone...Thank God..

But, the the ricers will be here to stay. Is that ricer with a capital R?? Actually the ones I have met are very nice kids. And the guys who have actually modified their cars are frighteningly fast. You can tell because they are the ones without decals and porch size rear wings.

 

One of the first things I had the garage do to my Mach 1 was to pull the airshocks that the PO had put on to jack the car up in the back. He didn't have slicks or need the clearance...he just wanted to look cool.

I view the rice trend exactly the same. Air shocks, glass pack mufflers, and tinted windows were the "rice" when I was in high school. How many people had a Thrush sticker on their side window?

I talk to my Dad about his hot rodding days and the things that they used to do to their 40's and 50's vintage cars got the older crowd excited too. (He tells a story about a car called Casper that had a cartoon ghost on the rear quarter and Racer X a '40 Ford drag car that had a big X painted on the door.)

I get a chuckle out of the whale tails and fart can mufflers too but I also figure its their turn, so live and let live.

 

You missed the most horrible part...one of the kids with a civic, bonded a pair of Shelby upper air extractors ('67-'68) to the hood of his ricer as hood scoops!!!! I was truly shocked and insulted!

Deathman68

 

Wow. I didn't think that I had to defend my anti-rice opinions around here...

I know that there are plenty of Civics and Acuras and Eclipses that can roast me on the track. I know many kids that do this to their cars, and I agree, they are a real nice bunch of people. Many of the ones that I know have much more knowledge about cars and their mechanics than I will ever have.

However, there is another group... the one that doesn't know jack about what it takes to get their car to perform. They try to dazzle you with all of this talk about their intake, header, cat-back fart pipe, and cut springs. I ask them if they plan on upgrading their ignition or thottle body and they get this clueless look. When they ask me about what I've done to my motor and I tell them about having the motor blueprinted, port-matched and polished they look at me like I'm the one speaking a foreign language. I don't even get into anything technical like camshaft lift/duration or stuff like that...

All I am trying to say is that there are plenty of people out there with the stickers, wings and speakers that think that they add 20 rwhp per item (sorry, I guess fwhp), and the show that was on TNN was pretty much all about them! For instance, there was a guy on there who had modified his Neon. The car had a custom paint job (in and out), stickers, graphics, and a wing. For performance, he lowerered the car, put in an adjustable air suspension and other stuff. His engine remained stock. In the corner his car is great. Too bad he can't accelerate out of it!

So, basically, any type of car that is performance oriented (either factory or modified) is fine by me. But putting a body kit, wing, and "Type R" stickers on my Taurus would not make it the quarter mile beast that some would think...

So I guess I don't know if it's a fad or not. I can see how it is a cheap way to get into the "gee I want to go fast but haven't a clue how to do it" hobby that more and more kids are leaning to, and the increased media and show attention isn't really educating them much.

As for what was done to our cars back then to make them look/go fast... I'm sure you're all right. No doubt people frowned upon what was done with the glass packs, etc... It's all the same, I guess. I'm sure that there were plenty of cars that looked fast but weren't then too.

(Ever see an import with the "APC" logo on the windsheild? It stands for American Products Corp. On a car from Japan?)

 

Try looking into our own type of car culture. It seems nowadays that putting gigantic TT2 wheels on a 60's muscle car, tiny low profile tires and ultra modern modifications is the 'in thing'.

In the eyes of a "ricer" this is terrible. They probably think modifiying a CLASSIC car is unthinkable. Yet, we do this every day. I opened a muscle car magazine a few days ago, seeing pictures of Hemi mopars being thrashed on a drag strip. To these import folks (and some of us) thats insane.

Regardless of what 'category' of car culture you belong to, there is always a varity of people. As someone said a while back, the mustang owner stereotype is "old fat guys".

The actual hard working import car modifiers are probably shocked just as much at the sterotype they are seen in, largely brought on by shows like this.

Gary

 

I agree with BOB.
But I must add that ricers still look in awe at Muscle Cars and most understand that speed is a product of cash (as we know).

Of course with those wings they still don't understand aerodynamics. Okay that's a pet peeve of mine./forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

SOrry but when i was asked if puting a higher MPH autolight gauge that was 220 max i was cracked up and for that week i bought my friend a sticker pack from jegs and told him that it would be a better upgrade than the new speedo for his accord

 

Yep, or "young fat guys" in my case. I went to my local Autozone yesterday, and they have a section of cold air intakes and stuff, clear taillight covers, etc. Seemed to have more "performance" stuff for the sport compacts than for older American muscle (including Chebys). I noticed Summit Racing has a Sport Compact catalog now, and a SC section in their regular "big" catalog. Looks like the stuff is here to stay. I have to wonder how much money kids are wasting on "speed" parts that don't do much if anything, like the electric "superchargers" you see on E*bay. I grew up around old cars and trucks, and that is what I wanted when I got older. These kids (and shudder, their kids) are growing up around the SCs and will probably "aspire" to own that type of vehicle. To be fair, the few SC enthusiasts I've tallked to seem to be fairly knowledgeable, atleast the ones that speak English. I can't help but feel that a four cylinder plus some nitrous does not make the car a "muscle car". Their cars are cheaper, more reliable, a heckuva lot cheaper on gas, and have better aftermarket support (from mainstream suppliers) but they will never be muscle cars IMO. Just my 1.5 cents (not even worth the full $.02)

Shane

 

I'm sure our parents thought the same thing when we hopped up our cars way back then. If you ever drive one you might find yourself having fun! I did /forums/images/icons/smile.gif
To each his own......

 

I like that "old fat guys". I might change my name to Old Fat Guy /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

I don't really have a problem with teenagers wanting ricers......it means less young idiots abusing our precious pony resources.....in other words, more stang stuff for me /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

My 17yr old boy has a 90 civic with rims on it worth more than the blasted car! Also a "fart can". I did however, help him by changing the timing belt and the timing balancer belt and all the other crap those things have to have like adj valves, etc... So he was a little in awe that I can still do all the "real maintenance" that would have cost him about $500 at a local shop. When I finished I lovingly cranked up the 66 with "loud" exhaust and roared that puppy around the block just to get the stink off my hands from working on the "rice". I also told him, if you put a stupid wing on that car, I will,while you are asleep" crank up my 1952 ford 8n tractor and promptly crush that thing into a recyclable tin can.... Now my youngest boy, 15 this month, has a real nice 56 chevy pickup that we are building a hot little 350
for. When he is 16 it will be ready to go, I can dig that. We already have plans to go to the race track to see who is the baddest and will have bragging rights for the year. His truck has 370's posi in it so unless I can get ahold of a traclock for the stang, I will be hurting all the way...any donors out there?

 

One thing that still gets me, is when these people put these big ol' wings on these tiny cars that cant even go fast enough to make them useful. Not to mention, a lot of them are front wheel drive... hmm... why push the back wheels down more when the front wheels are delivering power...? And why they would think they need that big of an exhaust pipe for a 4 clynder... i dont think i will ever understand. From what ive been told they actually suck away around 14-15hp. And after all the twin-turbo, nitrous, body kits, lights, subwhoofers, rims, amps, cool-air intake.. blah blah blah theyve spent thousands of dollars... and their still not that fast. Twin turbo systems alone cost something like $8000 for a good system. Shoot... i just dont get it.

 

Start talkin' turbos and you'll run into trouble with ricers... My first "fast" car was a 92 DSM AWD... A larger turbo, boost controller, a VPC with a 5.0 fuel pump and larger injectors, 3" turboback through a test pipe, and it'd run mid 12's all day long on street tires with stock cams and head. I had a 90 that I bought for 750 bucks, put a fresh factory turbo in it, did some free work, and could run mid 13's easily. The sad fact is the factory turbo imports will absolutely decimate 75% of the pony cars running around, dollar for dollar.

 

Relax, most of those kids don't even know how a wing improves (or detracts from) the cars handling. When I was 17 the cars to play with (read in my price range) were chevelles, Mavericks, Mustangs (my first cost me a fat $100), and the like. I even ran a Bug with a Holley and headers, then played with a 1600cc Pinto with a cam, a small 4 bbl, and headers. It doesn't matter what they build as long as they learn and advance the hobby.

The main thing is that Rice is what is available to them for the money they have. And are you really sure any of them are made in Japan? More likely Maryville Ohio.

 

Time has a way with droping things with no substance. Think of time as a kitty litter scoop ( I don't think ricers will make it through). Maybe not the best example but you get the point.

 

Yeah, but they get to look at that hot little blonde /forums/images/icons/tongue.gif - we get Dennis Gage /forums/images/icons/crazy.gif.

There are as many different types of "Sport Compact" Enthusiasts as there are "Classic Car" enthusiasts. Some are concerned with looks/style, some with function, and some with performance. It's wrong to classify ALL of them as ricers....JMHO.

 

You should see me and my brother-in-law. He is a 'RIcer' while I go for classic or Euro.

I used to get a chuckle from the ricers...and I still do, but I do understand it. What other car is affordable to them that they can tinker with? Mustangs? 15k for a V-6. Camaro? Yeah right. Honda Civic...10k brand new...much less used. Very common aftermarket. Easy to work on (I'm sorry, I changed the plugs on my wife's 99 mustang and hated every moment of it).

They are car enthusiast...treat them as such...but still get your laughs.

 

I agree with mike's opinion. I'm of the opinion that 85% of these so called car enthusiests don't know crap about cars. they simply pay someone to do mods for them that they think is cool. I know one guy who talks alot of crap because he has a turbo 4 under the hood of his early 90's eclipse. The fact of the matter is, that he doesn't know what a turbo is, how it works, what it looks like, and wouldn't even know he had it if someone hadn't told him.

the funniest part is that he was willing to bet me that he could smoke my new gt strictly on the basis that his speedometer reads to 160 while mine only reads to 150. therefore, he must have the faster car.

I got a good laugh out of that statement and was very temped to take his money. (chuckle)

jim

 

No offense intended... But are you sure the guy wasn't trying to hussle you?... A mildly modified (free mods) turbo Eclipse would hand a GT its butt in a drag. I sold one of my previous ones to a buddy and we use it to hussle guys; its got a few minor mods, I ran a 13.6 in it after they were done (free stuff, and he can't drive. That was my "slow" Talon. My "fast" Talon was a different story). He drives his car to the track and I drive the Mach; its a hussle. I can out drive him, he runs his mouth, makes the bets and I run the car. In short drags very few cars on the road will dance with the AWD turbos.