Table of contents for November - December 2024 in Rodding USA

rodding full house One of the most desirable hands in poker is a Full House – two cards of the same value, a pair, and three of a different value, three of a kind. This story is about a different kind of Full House, one that is made up of a pair of friends and three old Fords. A PAIR Steve Orr and Bob Montgomery grew up a few houses away from each other in Seattle, Washington. They met while picking grapes down the alley between their Laurelhurst homes. Steve was 6, Bob 5. When they hit their teenage years, cars became their primary interest. In 1959, Bob, having just graduated from High School, and Steve, graduating the year prior, decided to drive their cars from Seattle to Tijuana, Mexico,…

I bought my ’40 Ford Coupe in 1965 from Garnett’s DX, a gas station/garage just South of Louisville, KY, while attending an electronic school (UEL) in Shively after graduating high school in my hometown of South Bend, IN. The car was in decent shape and reasonably intact, except for incorrect seats, dash, and coat hanger throttle through an open firewall! Engine power came from a low mileage Pontiac 389, GM 3-speed, and ’56 Ford rear end. The car ran and drove but was not road-worthy because it had only three working brakes, poor tires, no exhaust, and many other issues. I worked part-time at a local ESSO station and made progress on some of the needed replacements/repairs, but I finally realized too much work was required to make the car…

rodding event Speed Week It’s unlikely that anyone reading this hasn’t heard of Bonneville Speed Week. I first learned of the event by reading about it as a teenager in the mid-80s. Pages filled with pictures of roadsters, lakesters, and streamliners grabbed my attention. Super humans with intestinal fortitude I couldn’t imagine must pilot these beasts, or at least be half crazy, I thought. In 1986, my family took a road trip to California. As luck would have it, we drove I-80 right past the Bonneville Salt Flats; I was in awe! As we passed through Wendover, I spotted a museum dedicated to the history of land-speed racing and convinced my folks to stop. I vowed to return someday to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of Speed Week, maybe even…

rodding event Triple Crown Of Rodding The Triple Crown of Rodding Show hit another home run with their encore performance held at the Nashville Superspeedway on September 6-7, 2024. The car count nearly doubled from 2024, with over 3,300 high-quality custom vehicles through 1972 and American-made trucks through ‘98. The show features awards for the Street Machine of the Year, Street Rod of the Year, Street Cruiser of the Year, and Turck of the Year “up to 1972, 1973-87, and 1988-98, along with the Triple Crown of Rodding Top 30, Elite 10 and Celebrity Picks. The show awards were magnificent, as were the custom-made Celebrity Picks. The two-day show was a pleasant change from the more typical 3-day events. It cut travel time and lodging, which the participants and vendors enjoyed.…

rodding event Street Rod Nationals Due to space limitations in Issue 70, we couldn’t include our complete coverage of the NSRA Street Rod Nationals that took place August 1-4 at the Kentucky State Fairgrounds in Louisville. The 55th annual event hosted over 10,000 street rods and muscle cars through 1994. We hope that you enjoy the additional coverage of this incredible event.. THE 56TH STREET ROD NATIONALS DATES JULY 31 - AUGUST 3, 2025. WWW.NSRA-USA.COM…

rodding garage 1932 Ford Roadster Pickup Regardless of the quality of the rest of the vehicle, top notch hot rods all seem to have one component or aspect that captures the attention of on lookers; stance, wheel and tire selection, or the paint job/ paint scheme are the obvious things that draw you to look at a hot rod when you see it from across a crowded parking lot. Anyone who knows Gene McKeen knows that he is an engine guy. Therefore, it was no surprise to Keith Moritz at Morfab Customs that Gene planned to put an Ardun Flathead between the frame rails of this 1932 Ford Roadster Pickup. The Brookville Roadster sheet metal looks great, but there is no denying that the Ardun heads will be the focal point…

From the first time Tim Case saw a 1938 Ford Coupe, he wanted one. People would tell him to find a 1937, ‘39, or ‘40 because they all thought that of the Fat Fender cars, the ‘38 was the “ugly duckling” of them all. Jim Simpson, a friend, had one, but it took Tim some time to convince him to sell it. He had owned it for over ten years, and the Chevy Ram Jet engine and 700R4 transmission were new. Once Tim took ownership, he planned to drive it “as-is,” which included a rough body and primer spots, but he could take it anywhere and not worry about it. The purchase price also included two seats which wasn’t an issue since Tim owns Tim’s Auto Upholstery in Lake Havasu…

Many little boys spend lots of time playing with cars and trucks. Being a second-generation hot rodder, Kenny Pollman is still doing that. By day, he drives a dump truck to make a living. His dad has a 1933 Ford Three-Window Coupe and a 1934 Ford Roadster, so it is no surprise that Kenny has had his share of hot rods. Through the years, he has owned two 1932 Fords, a 1957 Chevy Pickup, a 1947 Chevy Pickup, a 1954 Chevy Pickup, and a 1934 Ford Tudor. Even with all of that, Kenny always wanted a Deuce Five-Window. Kenny quickly jumped on the deal when a stalled Deuce Coupe project became available. The fact that it is a closed car made the deal much sweeter for Kenny’s wife, Michelle. Kenny…

Glenn Massung of Trafford, Pennsylvania, was destined to become a hot rodder from the day he was born. His dad, Glenn Sr., was a street rod builder and his son was attached at the hip and they spent hours together in the shop. Glenn closed the shop nine years later and focused on his trucking company and his spare time was dedicated to his son’s new endeavor of motocross racing. They traveled coast to coast, racing for quite some time. Late in his teen years, Glenn Jr. retired from racing and got into building custom Harley’s while his dad continued customizing tractor-trailers for his trucking company. In early 2000, Glenn Sr. displayed a ’32 Ford Victoria, Harley Fat Boy, and a Kenworth W900 that he had built, customized, and painted…

rodding event Gathering at The Roc October 10-12, 2024, were the dates of the 5th Annual Gathering at the Roc car show in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and for three days, it was the center of the universe of hot rodding. Entries are limited to 500, and you must include a photo of your car when you submit your form. The result is a show filled with traditional hot rods, as seen in the photos. Hot Rod Garage sponsors the show, and it’s a fun time if you are a hot rodder. Thursday starts with an afternoon to evening street party at the Hilton Garden Inn/headquarters hotel, Cooper and Mill Brew Company, and various other locations in the downtown area. It’s all laid back with live music and plenty of calm street cruising.…

When I was 15 years old, I was a guy who wanted a car. I found a ’31 Ford Model A Coupe up the road from our house. Not running, but okay, I thought. I told my mom about what I had found and asked if I could buy it. She said yes, with conditions. Pay for it, insure it, and as long as it does not affect your school grades. With help from my brother, we pushed down the road to our house. Mom came out to see what I had bought. She commented, “Bob, I used to think you were smart.” For the next year, in my mom’s garage, with the help of my brother and lots of buddies, we stripped the old paint and rust down to…