Car Club Questions

[Gearhead10]

I gotta few questions about startin a car club.There are a few guys that hang out at my shop and we been tossing around the idea of startin a club.Our community used to have one but it died out about 12 yrs ago.
First off, I talked to people from surrounding area and they require members to have a runnin, drivable car,pickup,custom or hotrod of some sort 65 and earlier.They must attend x-amount of meetings and cruize nites thru out the yr.to stay a member.Says it keeps em loyal to club.Problem is only a couple of us have older rides,most of the guys have mid 70's & newer.I don't want to discriminate anyone cuz they don't have a older car but also want members too.
Second,is there dues that one should charge to be a member? Allow voting & non-voting members according to dues or yr range of car etc.?
Most of the clubs around here are non-profit and donate to local charities which I believe is good.Also some allow motorcycles to join to which I have no problem with.I'd like to keep it hotrodish type club but just unsure how to go about it.Shoot me your ideas or suggestions.Thanks!

 

[donsrods]

A car club can range from one that has very few or no rules, to one that is extremely strict in it's acceptance of members and their cars. It all depends on how you want to set yours up. It can be very loose, with no requirement to own a particular kind of car (or any car at all for that matter) or it can be restricted so that only members who have a running car, or one of a particular make or model can belong. There is no one, single way to set it up.

I was the President of our local Ford club for a year and it was the hardest non-paying job I ever had. I was asked to take a second year and I declined. It was impossible to keep everyone motivated and interested in doing things, and all they did was b**** and moan about every little trivial thing they could. I spent every evening on the phone with someone who was complaining about something or other.

We would hold meetings and the same few regulars would show up and the rest would not, or we would plan some event and a few would do all the work and the rest would sit back. That was my experience, but there are some very good clubs out there, with members who seem to get involved. One that comes to mind is the Poor Boys Club, with various chapters.

Try it and see, you might be one of the ones who make a go of it.

Don

 

[Gastrick]

I don't belong to any club and I never have. I'm not opposed to it I just don't know many people I guess. I think a car club would be good as long as it wasn't too much like work, with cumbersome requirements. Mostly just a bunch of folks who get along well and like cars I think is the best type of club. When there are too many meetings, rules, voting, and chains of command, I think it would be more of a pain than anything else. When I say "too much like work" I don't mean the effort it takes to host an event such as Billetproof Florida, as the Tampa chapter of the Poor Boys do. I think that is a good thing for clubs to do. Those guys did bust their rears to pull off the show last year though.

I would say keep it simple, among friends, and it would be a good deal. I see quite a few car clubs today trying to pattern themselves after 1% biker clubs. I don't think that bodes well for the hobby as a whole. Like Don said, clubs like the Poor Boys seem to have their act together. Some of their members stop in here from time to time. Maybe you could talk to one of them about some ideas.

 

[51Cards]

A car club can range from one that has very few or no rules, to one that is extremely strict in it's acceptance of members and their cars. It all depends on how you want to set yours up. It can be very loose, with no requirement to own a particular kind of car (or any car at all for that matter) or it can be restricted so that only members who have a running car, or one of a particular make or model can belong. There is no one, single way to set it up.

I was the President of our local Ford club for a year and it was the hardest non-paying job I ever had. I was asked to take a second year and I declined. It was impossible to keep everyone motivated and interested in doing things, and all they did was b**** and moan about every little trivial thing they could. I spent every evening on the phone with someone who was complaining about something or other.

We would hold meetings and the same few regulars would show up and the rest would not, or we would plan some event and a few would do all the work and the rest would sit back. That was my experience, but there are some very good clubs out there, with members who seem to get involved. One that comes to mind is the Poor Boys Club, with various chapters.

Try it and see, you might be one of the ones who make a go of it.

Don

The best of these is a "Jacket Club" VERY INFORMAL, just a bunch that hang together like say at your shop FRIENDS and vote on all new members amoung all existing members. Come when you can, do what you can, no obligations though.

 

[Bonehead]

I belong to the local Jeep club, mainly to keep up with and work on public land use issues. But I organize the Offroad Show every year. We also try to do something for the community as well. We work with other non-profits to do some fund raising for different good causes as we can. Latley the interest in the club has dropped a little.
people seem to have alot going on in their on lives, and money is a little tight. But the club has been around since 1962 and is not going anywhere.

If you are starting a club, just so guys who like cars can hang out together, there is no need for a formal club. My opinion is, if you start a club, it should be to benifit the community, or to organize a show, or event.

I don't belong to a car club, but I do hang out with some different car guys. I guess we are a car group.

 

[Gearhead10]

Thanks for the input guys.I like 51 cards idea of a jacket club.Kinda what I had in mind.More informal but to the point.Since here in the midwest old stuff is harder to find and $ is always an option,I think just to start the club w/those interested and let it grow from there.We are not into shows as much as really wanting to start a cruize night at the local drive in.I'm into the homeade trophy idea and maybe hand them out for best engine,paint etc.That and get local buisness to donate door prizes, etc.I need to get my model A done and a couple other guys wanna get there rides drivable before we get serious,hopefully by summer.Its never too early to start planning something like this though.Thanks again for the info .

 

[Cyanide Jello]

All experiences I've had with clubs are bad... Mainly due to poor leadership... We don't do anything, we don't talk to each other b/c we have cliques in the club and drama got started and the club is fading away... So I quit...

I was in a club in Wv and moved back to Va and took the name with me and tried to start my own chapter which failed due to too much interest from the Wv chapter...

First club I was in failed due to member drama and a bad name...

Then again it may be because I'm dealin with kids basically... *shrug*

 

[440shorty]

car clubs

I've belonged to two different clubs in two regions. One was an informal cruise-night type of club that did not put on its own show. We would meet at a local burger joint, then cruise downtown (Wilmington, NC) then reconvene elsewhere to hang out. We would also attend car shows as a club. It went well until internal politics divided the club. I guess this was a "jacket club."

I belonged to a club here in Maryland that is a "Car show production" club. They host two shows a year for charitable causes, usually local. Therefore, the main thrust is to put on these two shows, and a secondary goal is to attend other shows as a club. They also have a weekly cruise night. All about the car shows. I don't have a show car, so I grew disinterested and allowed my membership to lapse.

The type of car club that I would be interested in existed in the 50s. These were the clubs where the members worked on their cars and helped each other out. The goals were to attend and compete at drag races or timed speed events (dry lakes, etc) with their hot rods. Sometimes the club members pooled their resources and rented shop space so that they could swap engines, fabricate parts, etc. to build, maintain, and modify their hot rods. Seems like all anybody wants to do these days is show their ride, not actually drive it and prove its hot rod credentials at the strip, autocross, or the salt (or Maxton here on the East Coast), or at least do the Hot Rod Power Tour road trip.

I did the Long Haul in 2006 - Florida to New Jersey over a week's time - with my home-built big block Volaré (had to sell it a year ago) with NO trouble at all. The people in the car club I belonged to were not impressed, nor supportive. I bet half their cars wouldn't make the trip anyway.

Good luck with the car club thing, Gearhead10. I hope that what ever type of club you create forms lasting friendships and becomes a satisfying outlet for this car hobby for you.

440shorty

 

[51Cards]

Thanks for the input guys.I like 51 cards idea of a jacket club.Kinda what I had in mind.More informal but to the point.Since here in the midwest old stuff is harder to find and $ is always an option,I think just to start the club w/those interested and let it grow from there.We are not into shows as much as really wanting to start a cruize night at the local drive in.I'm into the homeade trophy idea and maybe hand them out for best engine,paint etc.That and get local buisness to donate door prizes, etc.I need to get my model A done and a couple other guys wanna get there rides drivable before we get serious,hopefully by summer.Its never too early to start planning something like this though.Thanks again for the info .

Like This? http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/raleighroaddriveincruizers/

 

[51Cards]

I've belonged to two different clubs in two regions. One was an informal cruise-night type of club that did not put on its own show. We would meet at a local burger joint, then cruise downtown (Wilmington, NC) then reconvene elsewhere to hang out. We would also attend car shows as a club. It went well until internal politics divided the club. I guess this was a "jacket club."

I belonged to a club here in Maryland that is a "Car show production" club. They host two shows a year for charitable causes, usually local. Therefore, the main thrust is to put on these two shows, and a secondary goal is to attend other shows as a club. They also have a weekly cruise night. All about the car shows. I don't have a show car, so I grew disinterested and allowed my membership to lapse.

The type of car club that I would be interested in existed in the 50s. These were the clubs where the members worked on their cars and helped each other out. The goals were to attend and compete at drag races or timed speed events (dry lakes, etc) with their hot rods. Sometimes the club members pooled their resources and rented shop space so that they could swap engines, fabricate parts, etc. to build, maintain, and modify their hot rods. Seems like all anybody wants to do these days is show their ride, not actually drive it and prove its hot rod credentials at the strip, autocross, or the salt (or Maxton here on the East Coast), or at least do the Hot Rod Power Tour road trip.

I did the Long Haul in 2006 - Florida to New Jersey over a week's time - with my home-built big block Volaré (had to sell it a year ago) with NO trouble at all. The people in the car club I belonged to were not impressed, nor supportive. I bet half their cars wouldn't make the trip anyway.

Good luck with the car club thing, Gearhead10. I hope that what ever type of club you create forms lasting friendships and becomes a satisfying outlet for this car hobby for you.

440shorty

I'm with you shorty and I like your definition of car club It's basicly what we do here as Raliegh Road Drive in Cruizers other than the Sat. night at the movies mostly in the dark! Hard to show a car in the dark ya know..................lol WORKING together to get rides going and keeping it that way, is what we're about. I like your Drags Idea too sounds like good Friday Night Fun!!!!!!

 

[Gearhead10]

Hey Cards, cool site! 440,I like your post.Sounds like the car club that used to be here in town.Most of em showed up for there local show but they hardly ever drove em outta town.There are quite few rods in town here but I'd bet a $1000 that not 1 of those guys would join my club cuz they think their cars are show cars not cruizers.The guys I hang with, we help each other out a little already and we meet every Thurs nite at my shop now,have a couple beers ,talk cars and help each other out.Thurs nite has been a thing since we were all racin and gettin ready for Fri nite at the circle track.Now it has turned into more than just racin but cars in general.One of the guys has a 72 chevelle he's workin on to cruize,drag & burnout contest with.Couple guys still race circle track,and couple guys have mid 80's cutlass,etc that they just wanna drive.We are a pretty close knit bunch and thats why I think if we just keep it casual and fun we can make our club work.A lower number of people in the club helps I think,too big & too many them the clicky crap starts and thats when a club falls apart.Thanks again guys for the info and input.

 

[Black Magic]

The club I belong to is Asphalt Junkies I have not been a member for very long never really got into the club thing to much B------- and druma for me.

The club is not like that it is on the lines of the jacket club we kinda come and go as we want or when we have the time to. It is the best group of people I have had the plesure to be with every one respects one another and if some one needs something they get it. Plus every one has killer rides and we all drive them every were we go.

 

[bob w]

We had a club in the late fifties when I was in high school. About 10 years ago I had the club stickers (we didn't have plaques) reproduced and have put them on my rods. So, I guess I became a club on one. Thinking of disbanding though, because there is too much bickering.
Bonehead took the club sticker and designed shirts, jackets, and a variety of other items that can be purchased. So, this is an open invitation for any RRR member to go to Bonehead's Website and order Sleepers items and become an "Official" member of the club. Trust me, there will be no dues, no duties, no meetings, etc. Easiest club you will ever be in!