Table of contents for July - August 2024 in Rodding USA

rodding shop tour All American Billet A row of manual lathes in the Valley Machine Works area. In February 2013, Shane Williams and his family purchased a small mom & pop machine shop named RM Garrison Screw Machine with the intent of getting into manufacturing aftermarket automotive parts. The name was changed to RM Garrison Machining (RMG) because the Williams’ wanted to keep the name recognition of RM Garrison but also wanted to let the world know they did more than screw machining. The shop had one CNC lathe and a bunch of antiquated cam-driven screw machines. Within a few months of taking over the business, a CNC lathe and two CNC Mills were purchased, and All American Billet (AAB) was started. Its primary focus was bolt-on billet accessories for the…

Thirteen years ago, Cold Spring, Minnesota, car and motorcycle enthusiast Dave Vogt had the misfortune of having three devastating strokes that affected the right side of his body, including losing partial feeling in his right leg and hand. He decided to sell the motorcycle since he wasn’t sure he could ride it again. While lying in the hospital, he had plenty of time to think about what could make the path to recovery easier. He had a handful of classic Mopars in his garage but was missing something he had wanted for years: a hot rod coupe or roadster. Regardless of which body style he would choose, he was determined that it would be flamed. He spotted a 1934 Ford Roadster and decided to purchase it and add his personal…

The 6th Annual Heroes & Hot Rods in the Ozarks took place June 7th & 8th at the Holland Barn Venue in Highfill, Arkansas. It was a successful Hot Rod-themed event focused on helping raise funds and awareness for veterans in need within the Northwest Arkansas community. They had 2,000 spectators from all over the region come out to participate in their Arts & Craft Fair featuring trades men & women from around the area, Veterans Celebration, Monster Truck Display, Car Corral, Swap Meet, one wild Hot Rod car, truck, and motorcycle show, helicopter rides, live music by country music artist Ryan Daniel, live auction and much more. Since 2019, Heroes & Hot Rods in the Ozarks has grown to over 3 million views annually through Facebook, and their website…

David Abell of Brevard, North Carolina, isn’t new to the hot rod scene, which began for him forty years ago at the age of fifteen. He was given a 1950 Ford F1 truck that was beat up and ugly, but he worked on it diligently to make it look good while driving it to high school. He still owns that pickup and has built over twenty cars, from Deuces to Forty Fords and Model A’s to Mercs, Cadillacs, and various other makes and models. Back in 2015, he ran across this 1933 Ford Coupe in the dry climate of Colorado and decided to purchase it since it was almost rust-free. He hauled it back to Elmer, Missouri, and dropped it off at Kenny “The Chopper” Baker’s shop for a 5-inch…

Custom Fabricated ’32 Ford RPU Dale Grau of Rice, Minnesota, is a well-known hot rodder with an impressive collection of 1932 Fords. One day last summer, he received a call from a friend who told him about a hand-built Roadster Pickup body he spotted on Facebook Market Place in Dent, MN. Dale wasn’t looking for another RPU project since he already owns one, but he took a two-hour drive to check it out. It turns out that Mike Petitt built the handmade body with many custom modifications, including the curved cowl and hidden hinges. The price was right, so it went to Rice and became the winter of 2023/24 project. Dale first built the car in his head, and then it was time to turn it into reality. Dale and…

We featured Part 1 in Issue 66 of the CanAm Curmudgeons and their travels in the U.S. and Canada. This photo essay follows their incredible escapades, enjoying comradeship, hot rods, beer, and B.S. As I write this, on June 7, 2024, the group is preparing to meet up on June 11 for their annual trek, which will take them from the meeting location of Tacoma, WA, through Montana on their way to the NSRA event in Pueblo, CO and ending in Selina, Utah. The 15-day journey will cover 4,500 miles. We salute these crazy Canadian and American rodders and wish them safe travels on their annual adventures.…

When Dave Darfus was in his early teens, a neighbor took him for a ride in a 1940 Ford coupe with a Thunderbird engine. From then on, he was hooked. The fact that the Beach Boys could be heard singing “Little Deuce Coupe” most anytime a radio was within earshot “may” have contributed to Dave’s hot rod fever. Dave’s brother, Tom, worked with a guy named Mac, who had recently owned a 1932 Ford. Mac had found the coupe sitting under a tree with a homemade wooden truck bed full of wet leaves in place of the rumble seat. According to Mac, it was common during the war when gas was rationed to see cars with a truck bed to get additional gas stamps. He removed the bed, made a…

Scott Kerfeld of Saint Augusta, Minnesota, was hunting for a “real hot rod” and came across this gem in Skiatook, Oklahoma. It had been chopped in the 60s by Karl Skalnik, owner of Skalnik Hot Rods. He sold it and the new owner brought it back to Karl to finish it. The chassis was sent to Jerry Slover at Pete and Jake’s for cross members, boxing, etc. It was painted black, but never finished. The car was a roller when the current owner decided to sell it. It lacked the engine, transmission, interior, etc when Scott purchased it in 2020 and the project began. The car came off the Ford Motor Company assembly line in early January 1934. As was typical in that era, some body parts from the previous…

Jeff Davis of Morristown, New Jersey, was in the market for a station wagon hot rod that he could customize and take his grandsons to the ice cream shop, out for a cruise, or to a car show. He’s retired now but owned an auto body shop for 49 years and has been into custom cars since he bought his first Model A at 16, some sixty years ago. In 1983, he painted a stock 1930 Ford Woodie Wagon for long-time friend Rob Gibby and then painted this 1931 in 1994. When Rob built it, he had an entirely new wood body built with a 2-1/2 inch chop, a full roll cage, and a steel floor to make the car more rigid. Rob put over 12,000 miles on it. The…

rodding event 58th L.A. Roadster Show June 14-15, 2024, were the dates of the Los Angeles Roadsters annual Show and Swap Meet at the Los Angeles County Fairplex in Pomona, CA. The Friday/Saturday event was well attended by rodders, swappers, and spectators. Several hundred Roadsters participated in that portion of the show while 500-plus cars were parked in the Specialty Car parking area. The swap meet was filled with 1,000 plus sellers and offered anything you needed to build or finish your project car. . The 2025 event is tentatively scheduled for June 13-14. For information: www.LARoadsters.com…

David de Muzio is the Audrain Auto Museum Executive Director in Newport, RI. According to David, the mission is “To share and articulate all aspects of the car culture and those that support it!” Rotating exhibits throughout the year contain at least 17 cars and other related materials. The “New England Hot Rod” exhibit captured Southern New England’s hot rods built from 1945 to 1965 within a hundred miles of Newport and received national attention at drag strips and indoor car shows. While not from the area, David enjoyed discovering the distinctive differences between the west vs. east coast styling by reaching out to the community and establishing a committee comprised of local hot rodders, museum staff, and several local vintage speed shops who could provide this information. The exhibit…

When Mel and Kara Lawyer created the Midwest Roadster Run, it was always intended to be a driving event. There was also the thought that the general location could even move from time to time. No one wants the event to get stale. From 2018 through 2023, this popular event was held in and around Alton, Illinois (just northeast of St. Louis, Missouri). While the event has historically enjoyed a good draw from distant states, a new location may attract more rodders and their roadsters. That proved to be true, with 16 states represented. Rodders from Vermont to Texas, Wisconsin to Florida, and most states in between were in attendance. Through the Midwest Roadsters page on Facebook, the members and participants are becoming a relatively close-knit group. Attending this event…