What is "Old School" really?

[Drogster]

I've seen some of the "old school" pictures on here of 67-72s that I love...but can someone describe what "old school" really is? I'm thinking about doing my '68 in an old-school style, maybe even having a custom hot-rod shop graphic on the doors.

Thanks!

[1969 GMC]

Originally Posted by Drogster

...but can someone describe what "old school" really is?

[CPNE voice] Bone stock! [/CPNE voice]

[dion]

I would say it means different things to different people but with the crowd I know "Old School" means either completely stock or more of a "Rat Rod" look which would be primer, flat black, slammed, white walls, moon eyes, pinstripes, shaved, etc etc, which could also be called rat custom or custom rod or about a thousand other terms.

[weasel29gm]

I agree with Dion, or you could say a '' unfinished look ''

[HeavyD]

Aluminum slots are old school. Everyone I know under the age of 30 absolutely hates them...call them "disco rims" Add a tiny little chain link steering wheel, real big flares, a "foot" gas pedal, and fun-fur the heck out of everything inside and you will be retro for sure!

[69 Short Fleet]

One more thing that I personally like is a decent rake as well in the old school catagory. If I ever had a chance to do one I think a 67 regular fleet with the small rear window and nice meats on the back would look pretty alright. I saw one on "cheese-bay" @ few months back that looked wicked!

[cdowns]

well for me i have a hard time understanding how people can call anything done to the 67-72 trucks as "old school" because i look at them as new or modern trucks to me "OLD SCHOOL" refers to vehicles pre war(WW2) the real hotrods that were built in the 40"s thru 60"s when i was a kid back when it was more relient on a guys imagination than pocketbook,it seems like todays rodders if they can't find it in a bolton off the shelf with a part# available online version with illistrated instructions they're not interested in going thru the effort to adapt and improvise

[bobs409]

I'd say there is more than one answer as it's up to the person.

To me old school is using only things from way back, nothing modern like newer engines, newer bucket seats,etc. I like to think of my truck as "old school" (70/80's style) as it has aluminum slots, standard ride height, cherry bombs, etc, and mostly only things that would be done in the 70's era which is my preference. (except the CD player) It's not slammed and no ricer wheels/rubber band tires. Heck, I even considered putting on chrome side pipes but can't talk myself into that one.

Old school once mean't 30's 40's and 50's but considering we're in 2005, I don't see why our trucks couldn't be old school too.

I must be old school myself because I can't understand alot of things done today. :?

[RON WOODGEARD]

Originally Posted by cdowns

well for me i have a hard time understanding how people can call anything done to the 67-72 trucks as "old school" because i look at them as new or modern trucks to me "OLD SCHOOL" refers to vehicles pre war(WW2) the real hotrods that were built in the 40"s thru 60"s when i was a kid back when it was more relient on a guys imagination than pocketbook,it seems like todays rodders if they can't find it in a bolton off the shelf with a part# available online version with illistrated instructions they're not interested in going thru the effort to adapt and improvise

Yep,

"Old school" was going to the JunkYard and looking at what you could buy with little money and big imaginations.. Caddy engines were the most powerful, so they were on the top of the list. But flatheads were the most used because of cost and availability.. There were no WIDE tires like we have today, and Baby Moons, Full covers, or just plain painted rims were the way to go.. (Only thing they had) Power Steering was Big Biceps, Power Brakes, Big Calfs !! There were NO BRAKES on the front of those Straight Axles. ( or most of them anyways) most Stick shifts were truck units you shifted On the Floor. Straight pipes were in for the noise department, ( there were no noise laws)

Old School was being one of the few who had a car of their own, having the Knowledge to keep it up, and ability to scavenge parts when it was needed..

I just missed the true "Old School" era, ( I was still in my Single Digits) like many of you just missed the Performance era...But I remember my older Brother bringing his menagerie of Junk piles home, and using Dads Tractor tools, and our Barn to wrench on his stuff..

I think to put it simply,,,,,, Old School was a point in time ! A place in our mind ! Somewhere we can never go back to, but we can attempt to recapture.. what we remember or was past down to us through the analogue of time, the stories and memories carried around in the Minds of the Older Guys..

It's a GREAT life Charlie Brown !!!

[special-K]

The term"old-school" is over and misused by the"new school"these days.What these guys are talking about on these trucks is(ironically)the 50s-early 60s "work-in-progress look using speed equiptment,accesories,and styling"Qs"that were used in that era.Primer or flat paint,often with scallops,flames,or accent-strips,lowered,beatnik theme decals,red rims/wide whites,baby moons,Fiesta,Lancer,Cad sombrero hub caps...that"kookie-look".The traditional definition would be:the old way or old school of thought,slow to change,old fashioned,or conservative.As far as this old school look goes,it comes from a time when people made or swapped parts,aftermarket was in it`s fledgling years,customized was blending with performance,speed shops and drag strips were popping up and most hot rodders did their own work.It`s cool.

[CPNE]

Originally Posted by 1969 GMC

[CPNE voice] Bone stock! [/CPNE voice]

Hey Adam! :nut:

Little known factoid:

Old School is a bastardization of the name of a great Irish customizer from the 40's and 50's, named Shamus O'Skool. He was the Chip Foose of his time. O'Skool customs were the "it" car of the era. As time passed, they became known as O'Skools which was mistaken for "Old School". His distant cousin, Patrick McBozal, now runs the family shop in Sandusky OH.

[stepside454]

to me old skool is no billet, no modern looking 20" wheels...old style valve covers , carb set ups etc., maybe classic paint jobs, like heavy metal flake, pleated interiors....no hi tech stuff visible...no air ride systems..etc.

[VetteCityBowtie]

I think of flat black, steal rallies, low stance, Nothing made after 54, and white wall tires. Most of the stuff that you see called "Old School" I would consider Pro-stalgia. Like the 67-72 pickups witht he factory paint scheme, but lowered with billet wheels. Or a flat black 80's pickup with red rallys. I actually like both.

[cdowns]

if you can identify or better yet know how to use this you know what old school really is

[stepside454]

I think Ive seen those at the adult novelty stores.....um...not that I ever go to those

[screamin_c102]

Originally Posted by cdowns

if you can identify or better yet know how to use this you know what old school really is

Wagon brakes?

[dubie]

I wanted to chime in on this one I went at my 72 with an ol skool theme to it. I tried to use what I could that was old or year specific so here is the story of what I did.

My engine is a 350 that I picked up from a guy. Me and 2 others picked it up off the ground outside his double wide It was sunk about 6 inches in the ground. I tore it down, and rebuilt it with no polution control, cruise contol or any other crap, just straight HP. I scrapped the stock bed because it was beyond repair and opted for the flatbed. My father in law bent up the channel and we went to her. The tail lights are just simple trailer light that I drilled a hole in so I could install some original blue dot tail light insert. The seat is a stock bench seat that I had to dry out, it was sitting outside thru the snow and rain for a year.The seat cover is a blanket my brother brought back from Mexico. it sat in the closet for years. We converted the column shift to a 3 on the floor with a kit I cought from a member here for $30 and dropped a piston from a 5HP briggs and stratton snow blower engine. The bend in the shifter came back to far so I took a knife and carved a square out of the seat foam so the picton head could come back into the seat for shifting into 1st and 3rd. The floor is bare painted steel floor with a couple floor mats and thats it. No dash pad, rattle can orange paint job on the dash, and a big ol hole where the stereo used to be. The paint on the outside is a single stage industrial enamel paint that had flattening powder put in to give it a suede look. I was gonna prime it, but we have such a high level of humidity that it would have rusted thru in no time. The flames I taped off and sprayed with rattle cans and I will be hand pin striping it this spring. The front clip I took off my junk 67 GMC, thru some bondo on it, sanded it down and bolted her on. Anything I could find from my 2 parts trucks, I put into the 1 truck. The flashiest piece is the chrome GMC grille. Every ol skool ride has to have some chrome in there. The exhaust is just some bottles I ahd built at a muffler shop (pretty much staright pipe) then they bend 90 degrees up after the cab and go to dual 3" smoke stacks which will be getting some flame throwers installed this summer.

but I think ol skool is a certain look and a certain level of coolness. Anything can be made ol skool, but not everything can be a rat rod. There is a huge difference between the 2.
here is my ride

[ebfabman]

cdowns, inner tube patch cleaning and pressing tool.

[cdowns]

Originally Posted by ebfabman

cdowns, inner tube patch cleaning and pressing tool.

A WINNER !!!!!

[busterwivell]

Looks like something we used to take on date night. Dang, I'm wrong?

Dubie, where'd you take those pics? Bonneville? That salt sure is white.

[96blazr]

Originally Posted by stepside454

to me old skool is no billet, no modern looking 20" wheels...old style valve covers , carb set ups etc., maybe classic paint jobs, like heavy metal flake, pleated interiors....no hi tech stuff visible...no air ride systems..etc.

NAIL HIT ON HEAD!!! It's what they used to do back in the 50's and 60's. It's flat black paint(cause they couldn't afford anything else), Chrome reverse rims(cause they couldn't afford anything else) and all sorts of stuff to make them their own.
Some succeeded and everyone copied the look and what they did. Others.........well, let's just say that they were/are the "Late-model-bed-on-a-'67thru72-crowd"(NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT!) Something's just didn't work and everyone knew it and went another way, that's all.

If it's at possible to look up a bunch of old Photos from those days and you'll see what we're trying to describe. What they were doing was simply trying to do, with what you could and all you had at the time.

[GreyHoundSteve]

VON-DUTCH LIVES lol

[stepside454]

well.. I think some people get old school & rat rod crossed while, rat rods are old school....Crager SS wheels..old school. Sun Super TachII...old school....strait axle front ends..old school, velocity stacks..old school

[ebfabman]

True ole school is pre mig welder and pre bondo, though I don't think I really want to go back to those days....I love my mig welders and plazcutters

[franko72]

My truck seems kinda old school. Unity spotlight, air horn on top of cab. fact hub caps, 8 track player.Original look.The more I think about it , I guess that I am getting kinda old school at 43 .Seems wierd talking to people about things that seemed like they happened yesterday, and their reply is "Dude , you're old!"