Rant mode on:
Sickening to see the cars he utterly destroys on that show. Watched it tonight and he destroys an Anglia they were building into an altered that was in great shape, with the Bill Mitchell blown big block in it, because they did not finish the build. He destroyed melted a '73 Camaro after butchering it into a dirt track car. Ruined a cherry SS 396/402 El Camino by turning it into a figure 8 car and then proceeded to wreck it and destroyed it to smithereens. Ruined a pickle fork Libertator boat by turning it into a car. There are others and it is just sickening.

Those cars are part of Americana history a sport/revolution we started by cramming huge ass powerful engines into mid size sedans and having fun on the street. We, Americans, also started the insane altered/gasser drag racing by cramming blown nitro powered big blocks into little English and Italian 2 door coupes and propelling them down the track at unheard of times and speeds and that wanna be just ruins them. Yes he is wanna be and is a disgrace to American all gearheads worldwide, ricers and eurogeeks included, and should never call himself a gearhead EVER. No true gearhead would destroy things the way he does. He is a destructive little boy inside a mans body who has entirely too much money and time.
Rant off.

Money talks. You'd whore yourself for enough money just like anyone else.

Quoted: Money talks. You'd whore yourself for enough money just like anyone else.

I'd love to say I wouldn't, but you're probably right. I still don't know if I could destroy those cars though.

Quoted: So modifiying a vehicle for purposes that suit you is an all American tradition, but altering them in ways that don't suit you is blasphemy? I haven't seen them destroy anything all that rare, a few expensive vehicles but nothing one of a kind, or really even all that uncommon.

I will admit they do some neat things, also will admit it gets my panties in a knot and sand in my mangina times ten when they use an old muscle car to do it. It's destroying them if the builds aren't complete that really irritate me, give them to a school auto shop or something and let them complete it and sell it or hell even get a driver to drive it. Many options, they don't have to destroy it.

I know it's about the money, but I just cannot imagine someone who appears to be "into" cars doing this. I wouldn't smelt my Firebird into steel beams because I didn't finish a project in a week.

Quoted: He destroyed melted a '73 Camaro after butchering it into a dirt track car. Ruined a cherry SS 396/402 El Camino by turning it into a figure 8 car and then proceeded to wreck it and destroyed it to smithereens.

So whats the problem?

Quoted: I understand what you are saying. If that iratates you I imagine you don't remember about 15 years ago when CA was paying people $2000 IIRC for any running vehicle built before 1980 (once again IIRC), then crushing them. There weren't all that many cars that were worth big bucks then turned in, but there were thousands of early seventies cars that got crushed in that mess that are considered classics/near classics today, that were just "old cars" in the early ninties. Lots of nice Novas and Mavericks got crushed in those days because you could only get a few hundred bucks selling them used, and the government was willing to pay much more for htem.

Oh no, I was young, but I do remember it . I've been reading hot rod magazines for a long time considering my age. Was raised around drag racing/hot rods/flat track motorcycles, made me sick then and still does now. Why does kalifornia have to ruin everyones fun???  I know my rant came across as harsh, it just seems like a waste.

Lots of kids in auto shop would benefit tremendously from getting to finish a project like that. I think I was able to get across to the kids in my auto shop class more than the teacher by letting them help set the valves, check timing, rejet the carburetor etc on my Firebird. Hot rodding is a dying and or dead skill, much like shooting in my opinion. Most people my age can't change tires let alone rebuild engines, port heads, or even know what porting heads is. I was lucky and had a great father and grandfather that passed their skills to me. It's a shame more kids weren't exposed to things that I was, if it weren't for my dad I wouldn't have a clue about the finer hobbies in life

Our country has had a "disposable mentality" since the '60s.

---edited for reasons of pure stupidity...........bigscrun.----

Jesse also took a mini-gun to his RX7 sand rail project after it didn't work for him.

I'm not too crazy about his show-he just seems like an asshole to me.  He said once when he was running really early with his project and the producer told him to slow down the project he said on camera:"I don't give a fuck what the producer thinks" IIRC.

But your producer signs the checks, dumb-ass.  

Quoted: Rant mode on: Sickening to see the cars he utterly destroys on that show. Watched it tonight and he destroys an Anglia they were building into an altered that was in great shape, with the Bill Mitchell blown big block in it, because they did not finish the build. He destroyed melted a '73 Camaro after butchering it into a dirt track car. Ruined a cherry SS 396/402 El Camino by turning it into a figure 8 car and then proceeded to wreck it and destroyed it to smithereens. Ruined a pickle fork Libertator boat by turning it into a car. There are others and it is just sickening. Those cars are part of Americana history a sport/revolution we started by cramming huge ass powerful engines into mid size sedans and having fun on the street. We, Americans, also started the insane altered/gasser drag racing by cramming blown nitro powered big blocks into little English and Italian 2 door coupes and propelling them down the track at unheard of times and speeds and that wanna be just ruins them. Yes he is wanna be and is a disgrace to American all gearheads worldwide, ricers and eurogeeks included, and should never call himself a gearhead EVER. No true gearhead would destroy things the way he does. He is a destructive little boy inside a mans body who has entirely too much money and time. Rant off.

Yeah ole Jesse wore out his welcome after the first few episodes.  Being married to that porn actress must have fucked with his head.

Yeah, but he's married to sandra bullock now.....  That ought to account for something????

And the one episode that ticked me off was taking the WWII Ford GPW and turning it into a tractor pulling machine.  What a waste of historic military history.
~m38a1

It's not the money that makes him like that. I've heard from people that actually know him that say he's always been a spoiled brat. It's also rumored that quite a few of his bike builds looked nice, but were very questionable in the quality department.

Supposedly, he's the one who actually finds the rare cars just to destroy them. It's claimed he does this because he thinks it's funny and he knows it will get ratings.

Have you ever watched TRUCKS?


How about the other auto shows?



All those rigs that get built get crushed at the end.

Quoted: It's not the money that makes him like that. I've heard from people that actually know him that say he's always been a spoiled brat. It's also rumored that quite a few of his bike builds looked nice, but were very questionable in the quality department. Supposedly, he's the one who actually finds the rare cars just to destroy them. It's claimed he does this because he thinks it's funny and he knows it will get ratings.

red- Does not suprise me in the least. Just the way he presents himself reaks of a big head.
red #2- Again does not suprise me in the least considering the arguements hissy fits he has with people who actually know what their doing.

Quoted: Have you ever watched TRUCKS? How about the other auto shows? All those rigs that get built get crushed at the end.

I've never heard that but if it's true they deserve the same swift kick in the ass Jesse James. I can't imagine some of the guys that build the cars on those, even if just a partial build, would do that. But not saying they wouldn't. I know the cars they build in the magazines they keep as test mule's, get sold, or auctioned for various charities/reasons.

Maybe I am just a wierdo and  a throwback to previous generations. My dad always told me that, as I get older I really start to believe it.

Quoted: Have you ever watched TRUCKS? How about the other auto shows? All those rigs that get built get crushed at the end.

What? Where'd you get that idea?

Quoted: Quoted: Have you ever watched TRUCKS? How about the other auto shows? All those rigs that get built get crushed at the end. What? Where'd you get that idea?

I don't have any documentation, but on one episode of "Trucks", they stated that most/all of the builds are for customers.

In fact one of the vehicles was sold by the original owner and he was giving a history/run-down about it.

on trucks if its a vehicle donated by an automobile manufacturer, it is destroyed.  they dont want to be responsible for modifications.  if its a private vehicle, its good.  i do hate seeing good things going to waste.  american chopper does a lot of that also.  put a ad in the paper or somethin, and somebody would be grateful.  its the jackass generation.

Quoted: Oh no, I was young, but I do remember it . I've been reading hot rod magazines for a long time considering my age. Was raised around drag racing/hot rods/flat track motorcycles, made me sick then and still does now. Why does kalifornia have to ruin everyones fun???  I know my rant came across as harsh, it just seems like a waste. Lots of kids in auto shop would benefit tremendously from getting to finish a project like that. I think I was able to get across to the kids in my auto shop class more than the teacher by letting them help set the valves, check timing, rejet the carburetor etc on my Firebird. Hot rodding is a dying and or dead skill, much like shooting in my opinion. Most people my age can't change tires let alone rebuild engines, port heads, or even know what porting heads is. I was lucky and had a great father and grandfather that passed their skills to me. It's a shame more kids weren't exposed to things that I was, if it weren't for my dad I wouldn't have a clue about the finer hobbies in life

Not true. There's bunches of young guys and girls out there building motors, porting heads, etc., they're just not building American cars/trucks.

Quoted: Quoted: Oh no, I was young, but I do remember it . I've been reading hot rod magazines for a long time considering my age. Was raised around drag racing/hot rods/flat track motorcycles, made me sick then and still does now. Why does kalifornia have to ruin everyones fun???  I know my rant came across as harsh, it just seems like a waste. Lots of kids in auto shop would benefit tremendously from getting to finish a project like that. I think I was able to get across to the kids in my auto shop class more than the teacher by letting them help set the valves, check timing, rejet the carburetor etc on my Firebird. Hot rodding is a dying and or dead skill, much like shooting in my opinion. Most people my age can't change tires let alone rebuild engines, port heads, or even know what porting heads is. I was lucky and had a great father and grandfather that passed their skills to me. It's a shame more kids weren't exposed to things that I was, if it weren't for my dad I wouldn't have a clue about the finer hobbies in life Not true. There's bunches of young guys and girls out there building motors, porting heads, etc., they're just not building American cars/trucks.

That's not entirely true either. I'm 21 and I do my fair share of wrenching on Olds motors, and my brother's very experienced in the head porting department.

How is it that the guys on the show are generally some of the best of the current crop of hot rodders, yet hod rodding is supposedly dead?

I have never heard any complaints about his bikes quality. OCC now, that is a different story.

Jesse is a genius.  You may not like his style or his attitude, but he's done it his way all along and just waited for the world to catch up.  Telling the producers to shove it because he doesn't want to draw out the build is a great example.  He came from busting his ass every night after work building his bikes to the millions he makes now, and the reason he behaves how he does is because he doen't care if he winds up back there.

Like him or not, Jesse is considered one of the best in the bidness. He's highly respected by the majority of big name builders like Billy Land and Arlin Ness.  He has metal working skills that in some cases, less than 100 people alive still  have.  He actually had a hard life growing up and much to the dismay of liberals didn't use public assistance to get out of it.  He learned a skill, and busted ass to use it to bring himself out of his former life.  I've seen 2 of his bikes up close.  No bad quality at all.  Harley wishes they could make them half as good as he could.  Let's not forget they are choppers.  And by the way,  With at least 2 of the destroyed builds if you'd look closer, its just the shell.  I'd be willing to bet that some of the shells were parts bought from year one or another OEM supplier.

Quoted: How is it that the guys on the show are generally some of the best of the current crop of hot rodders, yet hod rodding is supposedly dead? I have never heard any complaints about his bikes quality. OCC now, that is a different story. Jesse is a genius.  You may not like his style or his attitude, but he's done it his way all along and just waited for the world to catch up.  Telling the producers to shove it because he doesn't want to draw out the build is a great example.  He came from busting his ass every night after work building his bikes to the millions he makes now, and the reason he behaves how he does is because he doen't care if he winds up back there.

Couldn't have said it better myself.
Paul jr has admitted to only getting into bike building for the money.  Jesse got into it when there was no money in it.

Quoted: Love him or hate him he's put huge numbers of guys into thinking custom cars and bikes like never before and that's not a bad thing.

the only bad thing about it, at least in my area, is that they're paying for it and not building it themselves.  I've gotten so tired of seeing <30 year old punks with gold chains and $200 shoes riding around on Bourgettes and other production customs that I've come up with a nice way to greet them; "hey, nice bike.  how much did your mom pay for it?"