Tabla de contenidos para Volume 6, Issue 58 - July 2025 en Modern Rodding

As the July ’25 issue of Modern Rodding (MR) hits your hands, we invite you to join us in celebrating a significant milestone: our fifth anniversary. For those who might not know the story, MR began its journey as a bimonthly publication, with just three issues gracing the stands before transitioning to monthly editions in January 2021. Time flies when you’re having fun; indeed, it has been quite the ride. Reflecting on the tumultuous landscape we entered during the “rockiest of times,” it’s hard to ignore our challenges. For many of us, our old employer, automotive magazines, which were often cast aside, were treated with indifference as the world grappled with economic uncertainties and the pandemic. Amidst the chaos of a toilet paper shortage and the looming threat of COVID-19,…

Gary Stell Jr. from Southern California has long been passionate about custom automobiles. As a youth, he developed a fondness for the iconic 1950 Mercury featured in the film Cobra, famously driven by Sylvester Stallone. (Interestingly, four versions of this Mercury were created for the movie.) Inspired by this, Gary collaborated with Ron Cambra from Cambra Speed Shop (CSS) to build his own version of a 1951 Mercury custom. Eddie Kotto, who handled the glasswork, and Carlos Rodriguez from The Art of Sound, who was responsible for crafting the car’s audio system, worked closely with Gary and Cambra. Gaston Gardeazabal brought the initial design to life, ensuring that every detail met the high standards of custom car enthusiasts. The result is a stunning 1951 Mercury, impressive in PPG Lucille Gold;…

Of all the steps taken when updating a vintage vehicle, one of the most intimidating, yet often the most necessary, is updating the electrical system. The need may arise from the deterioration of the original system to the point that safety is compromised. Reliability can also be an issue, along with the inability to add electrical accessories that the vehicle was never equipped with. In our case, all these factors were true, and the solution was installing a complete wiring system from American Autowire. In our case, the project car involved is a 1960 Dodge station wagon. Like many Mopars of the era, it does not have a conventional fuse block. Instead, circuit breakers and inline fuses are used. This makes adding electrical accessories, like air conditioning, problematic. The car…

When viewing these images, it is hard to believe that this 1962 Corvette was once a tired old crate. It didn’t even have an engine or transmission, let alone matching numbers. Given this, Kyle Kozak decided to build a mild custom using parts from other Corvettes—a car with the right components that would stick to the road and be very quick. Kyle and Steve Frisbie of Steve’s Auto Restorations (SAR) put their heads together and made subtle yet breathtaking changes. With the body and chassis separated, the body went to the SAR body shop, while the chassis ended up in the dumpster. The replacement for the old chassis is pure magic. It features a custom-built round tube frame from SRIII Motorsports. The additional components include GM Corvette C4 and C5…

It all started while stuck in traffic. My FAST EFI-fed, 348-powered, 1960 Corvette stumbled and stalled. Don’t panic, turn the key off, then crank it, and the engine starts, though it has a hard time idling and runs rough for several minutes. So, we’ve got a problem. The initial solution is to slip it into Neutral and keep the rpm above 1,000, a poor solution to say the least. Modern EFI systems are beyond my technical expertise; I recall thinking the push-button telephone was remarkable. Nevertheless, the EFI screen in the cockpit provides a wealth of helpful information. Back home in my driveway, I let the engine idle (650 rpm) in gear until it reaches the 180-degree “fan-on” temperature. The DeWitts fan kicks in, causing the engine to stall, but…

Not much is known about the past of this nicely simple Ford coupe. Steve Frisbie started his business, Steve’s Auto Restorations (SAR), over 40 years ago. Many car projects have passed through his shop and out again, emulating the original, but now stand as shining examples of the coachbuilder’s art. One day, a man drove his car to SAR to get an estimate for a paintjob. Since his budget was limited, he said that if the cost was too high, he might as well sell the car. Steve quoted him on the price of a show-quality SAR paintjob, and with that the man decided to sell the car. Steve asked what he had in mind for a price. Steve covered the difference, while it was well below market value, and…

Roadster Shop has an outstanding reputation for building state-of-the-art chassis and complete cars. We’ll look at a recently completed project based on a 1970 Chevelle. While there are no major body modifications, the work on refining this car’s details is exceptional, as you’ll see. This time, we’ll focus on how the bumpers fit the body and the scratch-built taillights and flush-fitted marker lights. In the days of chrome bumpers, car manufacturers actually designed bumpers to handle bumps, so a generous gap was left between the bumper and the body. Now that these cars are being lovingly updated, many people want these gaps tightened to achieve a sleek look. This means that more care must be taken when driving and parking these cars, but many owners believe that the svelte appearance…

In most high-end project cars, the sheetmetal in the entire engine compartment is completely custom fabricated. This is sometimes necessary to accommodate a specific engine, but it also serves as a “statement piece” that allows the builder to showcase their design and fabrication skills. BBT Fabrications in Mahomet, Illinois, is building a 1971 Plymouth Duster project with a supercharged Chrysler Hellcat Hemi engine; in this article, you will see the unique approach they took in constructing the underhood panels for this car. As with most projects at this level, one of the first steps is to remove the factory sheetmetal in the engine compartment then examine the space available for the new sheetmetal. Many components must either be built into the design or the design must be configured to provide…

1. BLUEPRINT ENGINES LAUNCHES A NEW LINEUP OF MAGNUSON SUPERCHARGED LS COMPATIBLE CRATE ENGINES BluePrint Engines, a leader in crate engines, is excited to announce its new lineup of supercharged LS Compatible performance crate engines. These engines are now available in 376- and 427ci configurations and feature a Magnuson 2650 supercharger. The new 376- and 427ci supercharged crate engines deliver exceptional power and reliability, with the former producing over 700 hp and the latter exceeding 800 hp. Each engine is meticulously tested at BluePrint’s state-of-the-art facility in Kearney, Nebraska, ensuring top-tier performance and durability. These engines offer a hassle-free engine management solution, designed for seamless plug-and-play compatibility with Holley’s Terminator X EFI systems. BluePrint Engines has partnered with Magnuson Superchargers, leveraging over 40 years of expertise in high-performance supercharger engineering.…

The name Gary Stell Jr. may sound familiar, especially to those who recently read the article on page 16 about a stunning 1951 Mercury custom. In this issue, we highlight not just one but two of Gary’s exceptional vehicles: his flawless 1951 Mercury custom and his visually appealing mild custom 1955 Chevy. Both cars were crafted with the expertise of Ron Cambra and his staff from Cambra Speed Shop (CSS). Under the hood of these impressive machines lies a Mast Motorsports V-8 engine. Although it resembles an injected Hemi, it is actually an LS 427 Black Label developed by Mast Motorsports. This all-aluminum block and head configuration delivers an astonishing yet street-friendly 750 hp from 427 ci. It features diamond alloy pistons boasting a formidable 10:1 compression ratio and a…

We’ve followed along as Colin and Tate Radford of Radford Auto resurrected a 1965 Ford Mustang fastback. So far, they have repaired the floor, radiator support, and passenger side front inner fender panel using Golden Star Classic Auto Parts components. This time, they focused on the rough left rear quarterpanel and the taillight panel, both of which resembled gunny sacks full of walnuts, giving them much-needed attention. Once again, we turned to Golden Star for replacement parts panels. Golden Star offers replacement quarter-panels for 1964-66 Mustang coupes and convertibles. These panels extend from the B-pillar to the taillight panel and wrap over the top to the trunk lid opening. The coupe replacement panel connects to the top of the C-pillar. The third option is Golden Star’s 1964-66 quarter-panel skin, which…

America’s West Coast is steeped in time-honored traditions when it comes to custom car shows that trace their roots to the early postwar years. To celebrate May Day, not with a Hallmark card or a bouquet of roses, but with a road trip north, we jumped into our old GMC and left Orange County headed for the 74th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Sacramento Autorama. Arriving Thursday afternoon at the host hotel, Courtyard by Marriott Sacramento Cal Expo, was a good omen; this was going to be an amazing experience that materialized before we even checked in. No custom car show is complete without celebrity guests, and for 2025 it was CHiPs’ Larry Wilcox who played Jon and Erik Estrada who played “Ponch.” Outside the hotel lobby, Estrada walked up and…

In the late 1990s, Street Rodder magazine was thriving, pumping out 300-page issues like they were pamphlets. Street rodding and the supporting industry had expanded to incredible levels, and to honor our supportive advertisers we developed the Street Rodder Road Tour program in 1996. Street rods built entirely from aftermarket parts were constructed and driven to all annual events on the National Street Rod Association event schedule. In the first year, Darrell Mayabb designed a blue 1933 Ford three-window coupe with bold GT-style white stripes, which was driven to every NSRA event (25,000 miles to 11 events) by Jerry Dixey, attracting rodders nationwide to subscribe to Street Rodder for a chance to win the 1933. (Editor’s note: It was later purchased from the winner and is now owned by Lokar’s…