Table of contents for July/August 2020 in Rodding USA

As the checkered flags fell and record books swelled from the legendary performance of Ardun-headed Ford V8s, the word spread far and wide. Stories of its prowess were published in Hot Rod magazine, which had distribution in several countries around the world. The Ardun’s horsepower and speed gains soon permeated the racing and hot rod scenes in Australia and even in New Zealand, where I live. Back in the year 2000, New Zealand Hot Rod magazine published a 4-part article tracing the development of the engine and the history of the Ardun conversions, which made their way to our shores. (I’ll come back to those in a minute) To my knowledge, there are no articles published on the history of the Arduns exported to Australia. Still, I recently had confirmation…

Legendary drag racer Gary “Red” Greth was born in Centerville, Ohio, on July 3, 1934, and moved to Tucson, Arizona, at age 14, where he resides to this day. While attending high school, he worked at Miller Rasor Radio and Speedometer alongside local circle track heroes, Hank Arnold, Roger McCluskey, (future Indy 500 racer) and Bill Cheesebourgh. The trio introduced Red to high-performance racing, and on weekends he would assist them at the local races. In return for his weekend help, the racers would help Red hot rod his ‘32 Ford coupe. At age 16, Red began racing his Deuce at organized events in Phoenix since Tucson did not have a sanctioned track. At that young age, Red worked with Tucson area law enforcement, civic groups, and Senator Barry Goldwater…

After WWII drew to a close, a bunch of gearheads optimistically went back to their favorite pastime – wrenching on cars. Custom cars had already been around before the conflict, especially on the West coast, but the scene indeed took off as G.I.s were eager to spend their cash on personalized automobiles. The most prevalent professional car builders showed ingenuity and unconstrained creativity, which translated into vehicles featuring distinctive designs. The word “distinctive” is vital here, as the most notorious craftsmen of the era worked with limited outside influence. Hot rod and custom shows did not exist during the immediate postwar period, while the publishing world did not pay much attention to these automobile trends until 1948 when Hot Rod Magazine appeared on the market. With limited stylistic influence, each…

When assembling an engine or finishing off a driveline, rodders often face the quandary, “what should I use…studs or bolts?” This simple answer is, it’s a matter of personal preference. But there are reasons why studs have an advantage in some critical applications. One thing to keep in mind is that when you apply torque to a bolt, the female threads in the block or other metal receptor encounters friction, whereas a stud is typically inserted “finger tight.” Reducing the friction or stress on the thread is especially crucial with softer materials, like aluminum. Yes, there are unique studs which are designed to bottom-out in the block, etc., but those are relatively exotic applications. When it comes to head studs vs. head bolts, most engine builders these days opt for…

Frank and Andi Brown of Los Lunas, New Mexico, recently acquired this classic 1940 Deluxe Ford coupe, which was built by Hot Rod Haven in Albuquerque. This stunning example of a Forty is a perfect addition to Frank’s collection of Deuces. The project was commissioned by a customer of Jamie Johnson’s who decided it was too nice a vehicle to enjoy since he lived on a dirt road. Frank knew the car well, and at one time he mentioned to Jamie that he would like to own it if the original owner ever decided to sell. Recently Frank received a call that the owner wanted to sell, and he became the proud owner a few days later. Frank says that it’s a great road car and is happy to add…

2021 Havasu Deuces Show Rodding USA is proud to announce our partnership with Havasu Deuces, producers of the late winter Havasu Deuces car show in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Their show has never offered trophies, but this year’s event will include the Rodding USA TOP TEN picks. Choosing ten cars will be a difficult task, with nearly 250 Deuces along with another 100+ ’57 and earlier custom cars. Each winner will receive a TOP TEN plaque, along with a Rodding USA t-shirt and a photo in the extended coverage of the event in the May/June (#50) issue. The three days of rodding fun takes place on March 4-6, 2021. The show includes the Thursday Downtown Main Street Show, Friday Garage Tours and Dinner, along with the big show in Rotary Park…

The 1932 Ford has been at the center of the hot rod hobby since shortly after World War II, when returning veterans stripped them down and went racing. Over the years, the ‘32 roadster evolved as the most popular choice, with coupes a close second and two-door sedans not far behind, followed by four-door sedans and then cabriolets. Cabriolet models never caught on for several reasons, mainly because they were heavier, the vertical windshield was not aero-dynamic for racers, and the sculpturing where the sides of the top meet the body was not appealing to the eye once the top was removed. As a result, very of them were built as hot rods, and even fewer became highboys. On the plus side, cabriolets were made with roll-up windows, an appealing…

ISSUE 4 (Aug-Sept 2013) After a very successful trip to the L.A. Roadster Show in Pomona in June, it was right back to work to bring the coverage to our readers in Issue 4. It has always been a priority to provide coverage of events promptly. It was a busy time during the Roadster Show as we took a trip to the late Frank Curries’s (Currie Enterprises) home to visit his home shop and collection of hot rods. We also shot a feature on Rich Mohr’s stock appearing ’29 Ford roadster pickup. Other events included were the Back to the Fifties (MN) show and the NSRA Nats South (TN) event along with tours of Vintage Air and Currie Enterprises. Contributor Dennis Parks gave us the knowledge on how to…

Billy Hill’s Yellow Brick Road car show was planned for its usual date being the Saturday before Mother’s Day in May. Unfortunately, the pandemic, which has infected the world, has caused thousands of events, including car shows across the country to be canceled or postponed. Thanks to Billy’s foresight, he decided to postpone to Father’s Day weekend and hope for the best. Eventually, the crowd size restrictions for outdoor events in Kansas were lifted, and the show was a go. Billy and his family own Billy’s Blue Duck BBQ along with the Ayrs Lanes bowling alley and host the Friday registration, which includes feeding all of the registered participants a healthy dose of Kansas BBQ. The Texas band, Insufficient Funds, played until late in the evening. The weather looked threatening…

When Doug Beattie was in high school, his paper route took him past a bunch of guys hanging out with some nice cars. It turns out; it was the West Seattle Cruizers. Their rides included ‘30s Ford coupes, shoebox Fords, and even a Mercury. Memories like those tend to be retained over what may have been far more important events of the day. Those memories can lead to passion-filled times for the rest of our lives. Doug spent time in California, where he found hot rod heaven, and finally did end up back in Washington state. The NW takes a back seat to no one when it comes to the automotive frenzy that has occurred in the last 50 plus years. Doug and a buddy rescued a ’30 Ford coupe…

Jamie Johnson, owner of Hot Rod Haven in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was commissioned to build this stunning 1941 Ford pickup truck for a customer in Northern New Mexico in 2005. The owner had a few ideas for the build but left the rest in the hands of the builder. The owner was thrilled with the finished result but then lost interest in it and decided to sell. Fred Dixon of Albuquerque caught wind of the pending sale and stepped up and became the new owner. This is one of those vehicles which at first glance looks 100% stock, but the more you look, the more you see the many subtle changes which set it apart from the original version. The four most visible changes: 1. The center windshield molding has…

Southern Californian’s Frank and Andrea Brown purchased a 1932 Ford roadster in 1972 for the sum of $500.00 and a vision of turning it into a hot rod. Frank quickly went to work performing the necessary bodywork, which included a custom rear pan. Once it was smoothed and prepped, he proceeded to spray it in $12.00 a gallon Signal Red acrylic lacquer in the back yard of their home. Good friend Stanley Mutersbaugh donated a louvered hood top along with the interior. A 1936, 21 stud Ford Flathead was purchased for power. The entire rebuild was completed for an additional $500.00, and it was now a roadworthy and very cool SoCal hot rod. The Browns enjoyed the car and participated in many functions and shows along with their young daughter.…

As is quite often the case with many of today’s hot rodders who grew up in the ‘50s or ‘60s, it was the sight and sound of a hot car cruising the neighborhood or a cool car of a friend of a friend which caught your eye, and suddenly you were hooked. For Mark Frketich, he was influenced by an older neighbor driving around in a ‘60s muscle car, and from there, he became interested in 1955-56 Chevies. It was when he saw American Graffiti that he became obsessed with ’32 Fords, as did many other rodders around the world. He purchased as many publications as he could lay his hands on, which featured Deuces and soaked up all the photos and stories on the pages. At 16 years of…