Tabla de contenidos para Volume 5, Issue 42 - March 2024 en Modern Rodding

Regardless of your age, if you are into old-timey hot rods then you know of and understand the look of many of the dry lakes–era hot rods. Dale Grau of Minnesota has been around modified cars for many decades and appreciates the hot rods of the dry lakes era. Presented on these pages is his Brookville Roadster–bodied ’32 Ford three-window highboy coupe, one of 19 Deuce hot rods he owns. He built this one to honor the classic dry lakes imagery as well as to drive and enjoy. Dale enjoyed working with Darin Lenk of Lenksters Custom Garage (LCG) out of St. Cloud, Minnesota, for the “added” expertise required to build a hot rod to this level of creativity, workmanship, and fit and finish. While the Deuce coupe does look…

When customizing originated, the goal was to refine the lines Detroit provided and, in some cases, restyle more common marques to resemble their up-model counterparts. When I bought my ’41 Buick Super I felt like I had a head start. Prewar Buicks were part of that up-model bracket to begin with, boasting sleek body lines, long wheelbases, powerful overhead valve engines, and some deluxe interior appointments. But there’s always room for improvement, and since I wanted to build a late-’40s/early-’50s–style custom, a chopped top was always part of the plan. Much of the custom work has been done in my home garage, but lowering the lid was over my head, so to speak, so I turned to Cody Walls at Traditional MetalCraft. Since every car is different, we’ll save the…

By 1969 the Pontiac GTO was cemented into the muscle car history books. Some would say that it is the keynote factory hot rod that started it all, with the most famous of all magazine stories that appeared in the Mar. ’64 issue of Car & Driver. They intended to compare a Pontiac GTO to a Ferrari GTO. But alas, the gods conspired, and the head-to-head comparison never materialized. But C&D still managed to “compare” one against the other. (Do you know what GTO stands for? It’s an acronym for Gran Turismo Omologato, a classification term commonly used in sports car racing.) The ’69 GTO displayed in front of you, while beautifully built, immensely powerful, and an amazing performer, may not be as popular as the man who owns it.…

Ron Ceridono and I couldn’t pass up this story. One evening while swapping old photos taken by our mentor LeRoi “Tex” Smith, Ceridono and I began talking about the ’32 Ford panel truck displayed on this page. It might not be the most exciting hot rod you have gazed upon, but the backstory of its owner is most definitely one to read. Before we get onto the Deuce panel, how about a little on J. Neal East’s background. Neal is a lifelong hot rodder, car show guy, magazine guy (freelancer and former staff member of Rod & Custom), owner of many hot rods, including some famous ones, automotive bookstore owner, and a Lifetime L.A. Roadsters Club member. Now, we don’t have the space to go into depth on Neal and his…

Construction is moving at a rapid pace at Rad Rides by Troy on Ross Myers’ scratch-built ’36 Ford fenderless roadster. In this installment, we’ll look at the construction of the decklid, the rear wheelwells, and the floor. Building a complete body from new metal is a daunting project, but the crew at Rad Rides decided it was the best way to go; when you look at the caliber of the work being performed, we think you’ll agree. The work rivals the best you’ll see at any coachbuilding shop around. Adam Banks, the main fabricator for the project, uses a somewhat unconventional technique for forming the panels from 18-gauge steel. Shrinking dies are used on a power Eckold machine, starting at the edge of each panel and working progressively toward the…

There is little denying that the Tri-Five Chevy has a long and storied place in hot rodding. Among the Tri-Fives, the Nomads, regardless of year, are the preference for “favorites.” Marc Byers of Fort Worth, Texas, has long wanted to own a ’55 Chevy Nomad as it is his “dream car.” And why not? Marc has a shop that is more than capable of building his vision. Back in the day, all the Nomad (two-door only) bodies were made in the General Motors Cleveland plant and then shipped to one of 11 locations for final assembly. In 1955 there were over 1.8 million Chevrolets made, with approximately 8,500 Nomads. The Nomad was a distinctive-looking two-door wagon with its ribbed roof, chrome tailgate bars, slanted “B”-pillars, and the rear license plate…

When it comes to the final details of a project car, the trim can be one of the most tedious parts of the process. Even if the trim is in good shape, polishing it and reinstalling it can present challenges. Some applications have a huge selection of aftermarket replacement parts, but many purists would rather repair an original piece. In some cases, like our ’66 Chevy II project car, the trim pieces simply aren’t available, so you must repair the original parts if they are damaged or scour swap meets to find suitable replacements. On the ’66 Chevy II, the trim is made from a variety of metals. The side trim is aluminum, while the hood and trunk trim pieces are diecast (pot metal) with chrome plating. Pieces like the…

Ford Motor Company produced “only” slightly more than 45,000 pickups in 1940, making it one of the rarer Fords. That’s a shame, as all of us can see it truly is a good-looking pickup and one many a hot rodder awould truly enjoy having as a daily driver. Joe Gregorio, of SoCal, owned this ’40 Ford pickup for some time before deciding to “make it run.” After a visit to Bryan Wheeler of Wheeler’s Speed Shop in Huntington Beach, California, a plan was worked out. Wheeler opted to use a custom Total Cost Involved chassis that features their IFS, which is comprised of TCI spindles, coilover shocks, rack-and-pinion, and Wilwood disc brakes. The brakes are made up of drilled rotors and Dynalite calipers in both the front and the rear…

Original or repro? It’s a longtime hot rodder’s battle with no one correct answer. On the one hand, there is something special about repairing that original tin. There just seems to be a bit more “soul” in 68-year-old fenders, but on the other hand, there is a strong argument for today’s high-quality reproduction sheetmetal. If that gennie fender requires too much repair you can fall prey to the old axiom: “The handle has been replaced three times, and the head twice, but it’s still Grandpa’s axe.” Likewise, be sure to buy quality reproduction sheetmetal so you don’t end up doing excessive work for proper fit. In the end, the decision comes down to a good, honest assessment, the availability of quality new tin, all mixed with just a bit of…

We’ve been following along as Colin and Sue Radford’s ’57 Ford Del Rio Ranch Wagon has been undergoing the transition from a mild-mannered grocery getter to a legitimate pavement pounder. So far Colin and his grandsons, Tate and Caden, have replaced the stock suspension with components from Art Morrison Enterprises (AME). Up front is an AME bikini clip with a Flaming River rack-and-pinion, in the rear is an AME axle housing and four-bar kit, and at all four corners are Strange Engineering coilovers. For motive power, Team Radford replaced the 292 Y-block and Ford-O-Matic transmission with a Ford Performance Coyote V-8 backed by a Gearstar 4R70W automatic transmission. It’s safe to say for most hot rodders who have a family and a full-time job, time for projects can be scarce.…