Table of contents for Volume 4, Issue 35 - August 2023 in Modern Rodding

We are always asking the question, “What is the future of hot rodding?” This question is often raised and seldom fully answered. In our story here we are asking, “What build style?” Early traditional to a ’60s vibe. A great way to look back and forward is to see how this pair, a ’29 Ford highboy coupe and a ’30 Ford highboy coupe, were built. Seeking to preserve our heritage as well as fueling our continual desire to move forward, it’s important to embrace younger talents for their insight and energies to see where their generation will bring us. Such is the case at Gas Axe Garage in St. Johns, Michigan, where first-generation builder Mike Boerema has been crafting traditional hot rods and customs for nearly two decades in the…

It is amazing that every year the list of homebuilt hot rods that turn out for competition for the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award grows. This past year was no exception. One of the favorites in the highly competitive field was a ’36 Ford roadster belonging to Danny Hyde of SoCal. He’s my neighbor, well, he lives a few miles down the road, but the fact is for the past eight years I wasn’t aware such a build was going on. But there is plenty more to this story. Let’s go back up to about 1984 when Danny decided it was time and moved from Connecticut to the Orange County suburbs in Southern California. So far so good. But this ’36 Ford was a five-window coupe and not a roadster.…

Tight spaces are commonplace in the hot rod world; pre World War II Fords and closed cab pickups are especially tight. The ’34 Ford pickup in this article is an in-depth project at Precision Hot Rods and Fabrication and it has lots of trick details inside and out. The owner wanted a full array of creature comforts, including an LS engine, overdrive transmission, and Vintage Air heat and A/C. Additionally, he wanted a stereo system—a tall order in such a tight space. The guys at Precision Hot Rods and Fabrication came up with a plan to tastefully fit the Custom Autosound components inside the already-crowded cab. The plan involved fabricating an overhead dash panel that would house the Custom Autosound head unit and extremely small speakers that come with the…

Building a successful custom car comes down to knowing when you’re done. It is often an exercise in restraint to achieve that perfect look. Several common approaches include the full radical custom that just screams “look at me” with extreme modifications. The mild custom could be as simple as nosing, decking, lowering, and a taillight swap. And then there is our personal favorite: the restyled car. Rodding and restyling go hand in hand (remember that old magazine?) and the restyled car has modifications that enhance the original lines of the car. Many of these modifications are quite complicated and yet when completed they often appear simple. We may look at a radical custom, but we take the time to study a restyled car. Charlie Matus has been at this rod…

All too often we see car builds that go “just a bit outside” of where they should have stopped. We can’t say that about Danielle Korek, of Winfield, Pennsylvania, and her ’60 Buick LeSabre. From what we can see all the “right pieces” were kept and the look is “right on.” Danielle tells us that being the wife of a car builder has its positives, but it can also have some hiccups. To listen to Danielle tell her story of her love of hot rods comes from a childhood of being around and absorbing the best that stock car and drag races had to offer. But her favorites were car shows. Her love of hot rods was enforced at home and through the remainder of the family, including uncles who…

Brian Limberg, the founder of Tin Man’s Garage (TMG) in Sycamore, Illinois, is no stranger to high-level metalworking. He has been refining his craft for many years, and his team has received some of the highest honors achievable. Last year they received the Al Slonaker award at the 2022 Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California, with the outstanding ’36 Willys pickup they built. In this article we’ll focus on a beautifully executed recess for a license plate, which TMG crew member Elijah Schroeder fitted to the rear of a ’37 GMC cabover bed that they built from scratch. The main forming tool used for this project is a Pullmax machine, and while there are other tools that could do this job, an “electric reciprocating” machine has several advantages—one of…

1. KEEP HEAT UNDER WRAPS Design Engineering’s (DEI) proven line of exhaust and pipe wraps are designed to contain heat inside of headers. This assists with increasing exhaust velocity through the exhaust system, while wrapping headers helps reduce underhood temperatures, protecting components while increasing performance. There are three distinct wrap categories: GLASS FIBER EXHAUST WRAP: Offered in various-sized rolls for shorter pipes, headers, turbo downpipes and powersports exhausts, the wrap withstands 1,200 degrees F (649 degrees C) direct/2,000 degrees F (1,093 degreees C) radiant heat. Available in both black and tan. TITANIUM EXHAUST WRAP: Made from pulverized lava rock, stranded into a fiber material, and then woven into a proprietary weave is the original and ultimate high heat-rated wrap. Engineered to be stronger and more durable than most wraps, it…

When the first Sacramento Autorama was organized in 1951, the average new car cost just $1,500, I Love Lucy was making its series debut on CBS, and the U.S. government was about to test the first nuclear bombs in Nevada. With the postwar boom in full swing, the custom car scene was also hitting its early apex. Some seven decades later, the 72nd O’Reilly Auto Parts Sacramento Autorama is still going strong, giving car customizers around the globe a place to gather to celebrate the art of sculpting candy-colored masterpieces. Each car has its own unique story of what it took to build and where it came from. More than 500 cars were on the scene at Cal Expo in Sacramento competing for over 400 awards and thousands in prize…

Living near an orange grove may not be typical for many hot rodders but if you are Wally O’Conner of Sarasota, Florida, it’s not uncommon at all. In fact, some 20-plus years ago Wally found this ’57 Ford Fairlane 500 in one of the plentiful orange groves near his home and he began to see his childhood dream come true. It wasn’t long before he realized that if he wanted to see his dream project finished, he would need to enlist help. He leaned on Thom Speed and his team at SaltWorks Fabrication, also in Sarasota, to bring this ’57 Ford Fairlane 500 to completion. Nowadays the well-dressed ’50s hot rod retains much of its original alure through preserving the factory sheetmetal but under the skin the excitement expands. For…

DURALASTPARTS.COM OFFICIAL SHOP SUPPLIES FRONTIERSUPPLIES.COM Part of the experience when it comes to driving a hot rod is the feeling of being transported back to an earlier era. Sitting on a bench seat looking out the windshield over an all-steel dash and hearing the mechanical rumblings of a V-8 drowns out reality. Unfortunately, there are other aspects of cars from this vintage that are less enjoyable. There is a way around the “uncomfortable zone” and it is a simple matter of the installation of heat and sound-deadening material, such as Thermo Tec products. The sandal-searing heat radiating from the firewall, tin can–like rattles emitting from every corner, or the inability to carry on a conversation with your passenger at speeds over 55 is something that we can truly do without.…

’63 BUICK RIVIERA CONVERTIBLE … THE ONE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUILT This month our Parting Shot looks at what could have been. There is no denying that the Buick Riviera, or Rivi, is an iconic design. The ’63 Buick Riviera is one of the hot rod world’s favorites, especially when equipped with the optional 340hp 425-inch Nailhead. The Buick Rivi is also one of the few examples of hot rod material that is best left in its original design state. It is a supreme car builder who can improve on this iconic factory look. Well, we touched bases with one of our favorite artists Bo Zolland of Bo Zolland Design in Sweden. He’s no stranger to Modern Rodding, having penned several products for us in the past. This month…