Rodding USA March/April 2022

CRAZY SCHEDULE The pandemic seems to be fading fast in the rearview mirror, and 2022 is roaring in as our hot-rodding world is back in the swing. Unfortunately, this was one of those rare years when Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale overlaps the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, which put me in a bind. I typically spend Tuesday/Wednesday at B.J. and then return for prime-time Saturday, but we had to leave for Pomona on Wednesday, so I had to readjust. Barrett begins on Saturday, which is family day and you don’t want to fight those crowds, so Monday was my only option. It worked out great because a friend and fellow rodder, Billy Hill, was there for the week and loaned me his golf cart which allowed me to cover the grounds…

Looking back at photos of rodders in the ‘50s, the apparel of choice was the plain white T-shirt. Rolled up sleeves to hold the pack of cigs and, when available, a pocket on the left chest area. However, by the later part of that same era, a rebel of sorts from Southern California started to change that with his custom airbrushed shirts called “WEIRDO T’s.” Ed Big Daddy Roth was selling them at car shows and events. He figured out a way to reproduce his art and mass produce these designs. He took out ads in popular car magazines, and a new industry was born. I saw his ads and knew I wanted, no, needed one of his shirts. After all, I was a car-crazy kid living in the heart…

Lynn Moore spotted this 1932 Ford Victoria at the 1973 Street Rod Nationals, which were held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and one day he hoped to own one. Fast forward twenty-five years, and the same Vicky he spotted in Tulsa was “for sale” only 30-miles from the family home in Wichita, Kansas. Lynn purchased the car and drove it home. Now the fun begins. Despite the car being in driving condition, Lynn would not be leaving it “as-is,” and the car would be completely disassembled. A new ’32 chassis was ordered from Total Cost Involved, and it was set up with a dropped Super Bell tube axle, Pete & Jake’s 4-bar, disc brakes, and Vega steering. A narrowed Ford 9-inch rear end with 3.50 gears was added along with a 4-bar,…

OWNER: Lynn Moore – Wichita, Kansas CHASSIS: Total Cost Involved. FRONT SUSPENSION: Chrome Super Bell tube axle, Pete & Jake’s 4-bar, Vega steering box, GM disc brakes. REAR SUSPENSION: 1957 Ford, Pete & Jake’s 4-bar, Aldan coil-over shocks, drum brakes. TIRES: Front – 165/R15, Rear – 235-75/R15. WHEELS: Halibrand, Front – 15x4.5, Rear – 15x8. ENGINE: Chevy 350/375hp built by Street and Performance, Tuned Port Injection, fully polished. TRANSMISSION: GM 700R4 automatic. BODY: Original body and four NOS fenders. Bodywork, and paint by Lynn’s son Lonny Moore/Moore’s Collision Repair in Wichita, KS. The chassis and underside of the car are color sanded and polished. INTERIOR: Narrowed (1.5 inches) Honda Civic bucket seats, Vintage Air ac/heat, hidden stereo, custom milled dash panel with VDO gauges, tilt column. Tom Richardson/Richardson’s Custom Interiors…

No matter what kind of hot rod you drive, you probably want the optimum performance out of the pieces and parts that have been put together, whether you or someone else assembled them. You probably want them to operate efficiently also. So no matter how cool your hot rod may be, there may be some ways to improve it, at least somewhat by crunching some numbers. This merely calls for some understanding of how various numbers relate. While hot rods were never really designed for fuel economy, the rising cost of gasoline has no doubt had some impact on the number of miles you enjoy behind the wheel. It may not have decreased the number of events you participate in, but it has no doubt put a more significant dent…

The 50th edition of the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale was back to its usual January dates after being moved to late March in 2021. The event was held at WestWorld from January 22-30 and saw a total of 1,857 vehicles cross the auction block. The auction vehicles grossed a total of 195.9 million dollars with a 100-percent sell-through rate. During the nine-day Scottsdale Auction, Barrett-Jackson raised more than 8.8 million dollars for charity by selling ten vehicles, led by the 3.6 million dollar auction of the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 VIN 001. To date, Barrett-Jackson has helped raise over 144 million dollars for charities around the world.…