Street Machine Mag

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

The November SM Mag is out and the FE/C web site got a mention in click and drag and there is an FE Panel Van in the Reader's Rides section.

[streetneat]

.....and if you keep your eyes out  you will notice the wifes FC project is being used as the test bed for many of the tech articles I have been writing. Yep thats my foot through the floor on the back page of the latest mag.... Next issue I show how to deal with rusted rear floor pans....
Ironically when finished the Car wont be featured - not radical  or wild enough... but I get the last laugh - Its gunna have been in the magazine five to six times  with all the tech articles .... heh heh heh ...
Cheers streetneat

[Blown_FC]

Interesting to hear what you say Streeneat, about the car not being wild enough for the mag.....this is one reason I now boycott Streetmachine Magazine.

Either the world has gone crazy or Streetmachine have lost the plot.   Their Magazine is called STREET machine, and was originally a magazine for all us car enthusiasts and STREET machine lovers to see what other people do to their cars and what we could possible do to our own.  
Unfortunately as is always the case in life, we always want bigger and better, and Streetmachine Mag are now in the situation where they really only cater for and promote / advertise / show / feature ELITE type cars.

Maybe it should be renamed ELITE machine magazine.

Seriously, the majority of cars featured in SM magazine are too good and too clean to even eat your dinner off !
and the normal STREET machiner out there would have no way to even come close to creating a machine to the level of the featured cars.

Most of these cars have had over $50 grand spent on them, and some must be pushing alot more than that.

I'm not saying that tehy shouldn't feature these cars, but when it comes to declining to feature a car created by yourself ( Streetneat ) with your talents, especially since it's good enough to feature in the TECH pages, I find that hard to understand.

I now buy PERTH STREETCAR MAGAZINE, which is a bigger magazine, features more cars, and cars of all walks of life, from Jap Crap Rice Burners, to Big Block Chev creations and everythign in between.

It has great tech pages and they are what I'd call a Streetmachine Mag in the true sense of the word.

Good on you Streetneat, for getting your car in the tech articles...maybe when they see the quality of your work, they may reconsider and actually make a full spread feature of the finished project !

Good luck.

Cheers

Mark

PS....this could have been in the dummy spit section, but it is related to Streetneats comments.

[streetneat]

Your comments and observations need to be directed to the magazine itself... (Preaching to the converted here) You've taken the time to post your comment here - foward it onto streetmachine itself.
This month there is a readers survey that if enough people take the time to fill it out the direction of the mag will be changed.
Magazines rely on advertising $$- so advertisers  want every attempt at showing the best cars - which many times  reflect the use of their products - displayed in  the magazine in greater numbers than the run of the mill streeters. Ironically this means that in order for the demographic  to be reached they have to show cars that are not typical of what the demographic readers are in possesion of or ever likley to be.... sort of the same approach with womens magazines - showing beautiful models  displaying some anti wrinkle/anti ugly  miracle cream/diet products- that  you - the fat/smoking/ lizard looking/ divorced mother of three on welfare  can look like this as well....

Magazines also  thrive ( the very succesfull ones anyhow) on reader feedback. I was very critical of the same magazine - remember I am first and foremost a Hot Rodder - who happens to have a passion for Holdens also...I was sending critical emails  to the Mag and basically  resulted in me putting  my money were my mouth was and come up with constructive advise and help break down some barriers- all as a result of telling the editors how it is out here in the real world...

You want informative tech articles? - pick up any of the issues from this year and you will see a bloke called ANDREW Clatworthy ( err...myself - aka- streetneat)  has been writing some tech articles as well as other articles...Its a case of cant beat 'em - join 'em.
I too banned this publication from my house for over ten years -  but after they featured my FC Coupe - I of course bought a few issues - and noticed to my pleasant suprise that the magazine had changed signifcantly - so  with some critical comments I and oher others have bought about some even further changes.
I am in full agreement about your stance on elite level cars - I have been a very vocal critic of this said thing - but at the end of the day many people draw inspiration and ideas from these impractical  trophy collectors  and apply many ideas and techniques to their streeters...

**streetneat steps up on soap box**
I have built the countries most succesful show car (always driven -NEVER trailered) for the amount of trophies won to the minimal dollars spent - under 15k and over 60 trophies  (The dollar value spent is decreasing - due in part to prize money  and the  trophies accured is increasing)....This car was my statement to show that succeses dosent amount to cubic $$ spent . Its an elite level car in some aspects  but I hate elite cars with a passion and also hate trophie hunters - Which is a paradox for me - in order to stick it to 'em you have to join in....
(Some may have noticed this is how I operate- with my contraversial posts on this board in the past.... I also think I was banned from using the word elite here as well....)
My trophies  I have accrued  have a different meaning to me - I see this as trophies I have stopped getting into the hands of the ego driven elite types. I dont have the ego to enjoy these trophies -which is why they hide under the house.
At the risk of this reply belonging in rants and raves  I will cease my torrent  here forthwith....
** steps off soapbox and exits stage left**
In ending - give streetmachine another go - you may be suprised that a few streeters are sneaking in....at least tech articles on real cars - like FC's.
It is after all the countries largest selling motoring mag...

Crikey - streetneats back.....- sorry RET....Cheers  streetneat

[Blown_FC]

I hear ya Streetneat or is that Andrew Clatworthy (lol).

I actually put pen to paper re: another mag I used to subscribe to...Hot 4's !
They used to be a great source of all things with 4 pots, even a mix of rotaries......it was a fantastic mag, and satisfied my reading needs during my Mini Cooper phase...but same thing hapenned, although with Hot 4's it became over run with River Burners....if it wasn't a Honda CRX, EVO VII, Toyota Soarer, with multiple Chips and Turbos fitted, it wasn't worthy of making the mag.  I got so sick of reading about the same model cars and longed for a read on Escorts, Coopers, Rotaries, Geminis ect.....They even started re-featuring the same cars, just with different $20k paint jobs and new wheels which diguised it as a new car......And I'm sorry, but when you have to start fitting fish tanks and swimming tubes for goldfish to swim around your car to make it worthy of a trophy, of a feature, then that's just getting silly ( true story ).

But I take your point about advertisers and people wanting to read about out there ideas.

Maybe I'll try that survey.......there's another 8 or so bucks they make out of me.....doh !

Thanks Streetneat......we'll keep at em....and who knows, maybe one day, the Andrew Clatworthys of the world will be not only heard but listened to aswell.

Cheers

Mark

[customFC]

Don't want to get into a slanging match, but I have seen you post these statements a few times now streetneat but have kept my comments to myself. This time however, I feel I need to say something.

"I have built the countries most succesful show car"
"I dont have the ego to enjoy these trophies"

Statements like these say to me that you are in denial. If you did not have the ego, you would not make such a boasting statement. If you weren't into trophies, you would not boast as to how many your car had won.

"I see this as trophies I have stopped getting into the hands of the ego driven elite types"

From my perspective, I do not think you acheived your goal.

I appreciate the work that has gone into your car, (probably more than most on this board) and the design elements are great.
If you built your car to make a statement, let 'IT' do your talking.

Regards
Alex

[streetneat]

Well Alex - you are entitled to your opioin- and intepretation.  Critisism comes with the territory. No real offence taken - so  no slanging match  will come from me - I base my arguments upon fact rather than emotion.
Denial -? By making statatments such as I have - I try and lay all the facts out- and you are correct - I try and let the results speak for themselves.
Even though your comments would be taken as inflammatory by some -  there is no ego to be bruised here -  If you are not one of these people that take themselves too seriously, then I take it as read that  you are confused as to why I would "boast" about the car and its trophy haul.
I will try and explain this in a different light:

Many people build cars for many different reasons - My approach  with the Custom  was the fun derived out of the actual building process and enjoying driving the car once finished. Sitting around car shows  waiting for your trophy when you are the only radical custom on show  is a bit of a drag. Its not competitition really when you dont have any.  A trophy is handed out and when the show is all over its forgotten about with in fifteen minutes - not much joy derived out of that ... My kids are about the only ones that enjoy that part...

So this is why many times I dont put my car up for judging - I dont have any great desire for more trophies and the car made its point a long time ago.
Ego 's are delicate things and break easily - so I worked it out a long ,long time ago  not to take it all too seriously.-
 However -I still have a business that relies on the promotion of my work - so the larger shows where there is a bit of competition I will enter the car for judging. There is a big difference between business gain  and ego tripping.
My main point is to prove that hard work and creativity-   not cubic $$$ should be the focus at car shows - giving people with out the big budgets a chance. If this approach upstages the ego driven then thats just a bonus.

Its all too easy to take portions of my statements and cast them into a different context-
I notice that you only selected the  first portion of my statement  each time - leaving out the qualifying portion of the statement -  I think most people can see through that.
However Alex - you made  your comments how you saw fit- and I encourage that - this is not about trying to win people over - rather  to make people aware and make better judgements  by debate.
I can see this is quickly becoming the wrong part of this forum to discuss this so maybe it would be better to have this in the rants /raves section?...
Oh and thanks Blown FC for your input...
Cheers streetneat

[oldgmh]

Streetneat - your cars have a very cheap final cost without the use of cubic $$$, so how about I bring an old dunger around for you to bring back to life?

And I won't use it to collect trophies because I am not on an ego trip - just use it to drive!

[-KIWI-]

in my humble opinion and i know people will correct me if im wrong  this thread appears to be turning into vehicle for certain people to promote themselves, there business, and a certain car magazine .



streetneat you say your car cost less than 15 k to build is that 15k at the rate joe bloggs would pay ??
because just to get my ek panel and painted professionally without modifacation is costing well in excess of 12k and it certainally is no rust heap

[streetneat]

Well Kiwi - Read it as you may - being taken to task is becoming a habit of this site.... Are members never allowed to mention their business?..or defend it?

On your EK-The prices you qoute are probably about right -  a hell of a lot more than what  our shop charges on average.  But I have no idea on what you are getting done to your car.
My FC cost me 15k in materials - in shop time its about five years worth - you do the maths...
Experience tells me  never expect car clubs to agree with everything you say ( or in this case forums)- so Ill leave it at that.
Cheers streetneat

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

Arrghhh!!!!!!
I was just giving a heads-up to people, if you don't like the mag don't buy it.

Horses for courses!
Truth be known I buy
Street Machine - Inspirational Cars, although I may never build to that standard and the columns are good too.
Extreme Magazine - Good drag cars and a few show cars too
Crusin Mag - for the "real" Street Machines, although I only buy it from time to time.

If you guys wanna argue, take it to the proper section.

RET, if you are reading any of this, can you please lock the thread?

[oldgmh]

Streetneat -

5 years in your shop - doesn't sound anything like low cubic $$$ to me !  I know that 5 years value of my spare time is worth big $$$$ value.  All relative isn't it.

[customFC]

Hey Streetneat.
As I stated, I do not want to get into a slanging match, and respect your right of reply. I believe I have made my point and some may agree with it and some may not.

Stinky
I apologise for taking this thread further off topic.
On the topic of SM.....I do not buy it anymore unless it has a feature on a car that I am interested in. I was an avid reader, and have every issue from #1 up to about 1990. (Including Van Wheels which turned into SM) The mag just seemed to lose relevance. 1 thing I do miss about it is the column 'Dirty Stuff' by William Porker.....a great read.

Regards
Alex

[-KIWI-]

5 years at 100 hours per year @ $55.00 per hour =27500.00 + $ 15000.00 = $42500.00
streetneat would you argree that this is what the final cost in dollar terms would be ??

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

Ummm hello? Did we take stupid pills this morning??

This thread is a dead !!!

You wanna get stuck into Streetneat, go to the Rants Section!

[RET]

Thread locked at stinky's request.