Rare skull biker shifter knob shift race drag 4 speed

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

SMALL SKULL SHIFT KNOB WITH BIKER HELMET 2" TALL Drill yourselfNo Reserve NR lot has been written about the origins of the hot rod and the development of the culture that gave rise to them and then grew up around them. and I'm sure others with more detailed knowledge (including the many who were t might well disagree with my thoughts. With that caveat, I place the defining origin point for hot rods and hot rod culture as the end of World War II. A number of factors came together at one time -- the period between the end of the war in 1945 and the begining of the 1950s -- and mainly in one place -- southern California -- to create a unique environment in which the hot rod and its culture were born. At the end of the war, a legion of young men returned to America with a wad of demobilization cash in their pockets and a sense of freedom and excitement bred by their experiences in the war. With a period of peace and the steadily increasing prosperity of the country as a backdrop, these young men had a "can-do" attitude and a desire to express themselves in ways that their time in the military had stifled. And, all of a sudden, t were a lot of inexpensive used cars available. For five years Detroit had basically been in the business of supplying the military. Now all that production capacity was turned to creating a stream of new cars to satisfy the pent-up demand of a civilian population that had scrimped and saved throughout the Great Depression of the 1930s and the sacrifices of the war years. Men who'd stayed behind to work in America's offices and factories had a lot of savings and they were ready to ditch their aging cars from the 1920s and 1930s for gleaming new models offered by the Big Three (and the others who are now gone, like Wilys and Kaiser). Their trade-ins became the starting point of the hot rodders, and came to define the way they were built and how they looked. These factors dictated the core aesthetic of the classic American hot rod. It was the later Model Ts and the plentiful early-30s Fords and Chevys that became the raw material for the young men who created hot rodding and hot rod culture. 's a picture of a '32 Ford Roadster, a contemporary car, but one built on the style of those first hot rods. The basic performance and engineering elements of the hotrod came together in these cars: More power, less weight and a look derived from these things leading to chopped tops, channeled bodies, pinched frames, dropped axles and, eventually wide tires. The "Rat-Rod" is an evolution of the "' jalopy ", which is a dilapidated antique car that appears uncared for or neglected. The Rat-Rod is the same idea, the bodywork is made to look dilapidated, or even completely derelict, whilst the underpinnings, i.e. engine, transmission and braking systems are sometimes upgraded.Rat rods have become popular with many enthusiasts as a reaction to the professionally built, billet encrusted, high dollar "street rods" at car shows. Many of these "street rods" cost upwards of $50,000 or more to build. Many are powered by a Chevrolet small block engines and automatic transmissions. Some of these cars are trailered to car shows and only driven a short distance before being displayed. The Rat Rod concept reverses this trend. Rat rods are generally hand built by the people who own them using vintage parts and traditional fabrication methods. Some of these vehicles are built using the same parts and methods available to the early hot rodders of the late 1950s and 60s. Just as early hot rodders strived to build their cars to the best of their ability, todays rat rodders prefer to do so as well. The emphasis is put on functionality as opposed to flash. Use of billet parts is frowned upon with original, vintage parts being preferred. Use of original, less common engines is also common. Rat rods are often powered by flatheads, straight sixes, straight fours and other relatively uncommon engines such as those made by Cadillac and Studebaker. The Oldsmobile "Rocket 88" is a popular choice as... read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.