Tabla de contenidos para Volume 6, Issue 63 - December 2025 en Modern Rodding

1. REEVES HOT ROD SIX-GAUGE OVAL Phoenix Machine’s Reeves Hot Rod Six-Gauge Oval is recessed and tipped back in the dash, sold separately, or you can purchase the insert and the gauges as a package. Center gauges are 3-3/8 inches, next set are 2-5/8 inches, and end gauges are 2-1/8 inches. This is CNC-machined from 6061 aluminum bar stock and polished to a mirror finish. It also features a stainless steel, engine-turned insert. For more info, check out Phoenix Machine at (920) 841-0500 or visit phoenixmachinellc.com. 2. 9-INCH HOUSING FOR A-BODIES Ridetech has expanded its Ford 9-inch Rear Axle Housings to include 1964-72 GM A-body applications using current Ridetech four-link systems. Installing a Ridetech four-link into your first-or second-generation A-body has just become easier. These axle housings are perfect for…

In its third year, the Triple Crown of Rodding (TCR) proves to be the show to attend the weekend after Labor Day, held at the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee (just outside of Nashville). The highlight of the TCR is the presentation of the elite six categories that showcase the best of the best. These include the Street Rod of the Year, Street Machine of the Year, Street Cruiser of the Year (all sponsored by ARP), followed by Truck of the Year Up to 1972, Truck of the Year 1973-1987, and Truck of the Year 1988-1998 (all sponsored by LMC). Open to all cars through 1972 and American-made trucks through 1998, it doesn’t end there. The TCR winners will also receive an invitation to the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona,…

The name Jon Hall, a longtime hot rodder associated with Shadow Rods, and the well-known XL27, a freshly minted out of sheetmetal roadster body, should be familiar to many hot rodders. He’s no stranger to trying something new. What you see isn’t what it might initially seem to be: a 1957 C1 Corvette. The owner is Jon Hall, and this “C1” is the prototype and first finished vehicle for the XL57 Corvette program, created by Steve Snow of Dynamic Corvettes (DC), Jon Hall of Shadow Rods, and Jesse Greening of Greening Auto Company (GAC). They combined their talents to build this one-of-a-kind vehicle from composite materials, with the intention of developing a future product line. Motor City Solutions (MCS) now owns the program and will be producing these XL57s moving…

There are a handful of customizing tenets that define the early, traditional custom style. The first and most obvious modification is to improve the factory design. Another approach is to adjust the stance and body lines to draw the viewer’s eye rearward to a distant vanishing point, creating a flowing, tail-dragging aesthetic. Finally, early customizers aimed to disguise more common, lower-cost cars by incorporating design elements of their up-model counterparts. Fadeaway fenders—modifying the fender lines of pre-and immediate postwar cars to connect the front fenders with the rears—check every one of those boxes. Automotive design advanced rapidly from the early 1930s through the late 1940s. As that progress continued, fenders transformed from simple, bolt-on splash aprons into parts fully integrated into the body, like on the innovative 1949 Fords, whose…

When we think of classic American muscle cars, few names spark as much excitement as the Dodge Charger. Among the various models, the 1968 and 1969 Chargers stand out, praised for their bold designs and powerful performance. Each has its own unique character, drawing passionate fans among car enthusiasts. Ron Michels, from the Bay Area in California, is a longtime Mopar fan, owning a very nice 1970 Dart. (To round out his collection, he also owns a 1937 Ford.) Armed with his natural enthusiasm for Mopar, he enlisted the help of a friend and masterful builder, Bill Ganahl, and the crew from South City Rod & Custom. The 1969 Charger gained cult status, primarily due to its appearance on the television show. Culturally, the 1969 Charger gained legendary fame as…

Mark McDonald from Central California proudly owns and built a stunning 1932 Ford roadster that has attracted significant attention at the hot rod show circuit. He quickly credits his father, Mark Sr., and Russell Zullim of Double Z Hot Rods for their contributions. At the 2025 Grand National Roadster Show, his roadster took First Place in the Street Roadster category. It also earned the 2025 Meguiar’s Magnificent Masterpiece award at the Goodguys Del Mar Nationals and was named the 2025 Best of Show 1st Runner-Up at The Classic at Pismo Beach. The heart of this roadster is a BluePrint 350 engine with a stock displacement of 350 ci. This V-8 features an iron block with casting marks removed for a clean paint finish. BluePrint Engines handled the machining, and hypereutectic…

Dean Livermore and the crew at Hot Rods By Dean (HRBD) have built some of the most well-known, award-winning hot rods in the country. So, what do these guys do in their spare time? They build a drag race car to have fun with on the weekends. Starting with a moderately rough 1972 Chevy Nova that was a former race car, the HRBD team thumbed through the JEGS Performance Parts catalog to find the needed parts to update the chassis—first up was the rear suspension. Since the Nova used monoleaf springs, something would have to be done to control the axle wrap and wheel hop these suspensions are susceptible to. The cure for what ails these suspensions came in the form of Calvert Racing’s split monoleaf springs (PN 294-230-45) and…

The world of custom cars experienced a significant loss on May 30, 2016, with the death of Gary “Chopit” Fioto, an exceptional talent from Long Island, New York. His career began with highly customized and carefully crafted automotive art that inspired many. Our first encounter with Gary was through our friend Bo Huff, who encouraged us to reach out after seeing the wildest bubbletop creation in Florida. When we spoke to Chopit, his personality was as lively as Bo had described, which led to an invitation to visit him. It was here that many of us became good friends with Gary. The first of Chopit’s hot rods to be featured was his restyled 1932 Ford pickup, painted in a “blazing” fire red, notable for its chop, channel, and section metalwork.…

In Memoriam: Chris Raschke Several months ago, our industry suffered a significant loss with the tragic death of Chris Raschke, a longtime friend and dedicated enthusiast of the automotive aftermarket. Chris lost his life in an accident at the Bonneville Salt Flats while doing what he loved. His death is a significant blow not only to his family but to everyone who knew him and was influenced by his steadfast dedication to our hobby and industry. Chris joined Automotive Racing Products (ARP) in 1996, bringing with him invaluable experience from his time working alongside master engine builder Kenny Duttweiler. In his role as director of sales and marketing at ARP, Chris connected with engine builders, engineers, designers, and competitors worldwide. His hands-on approach and remarkable ability to evaluate assemblies and…

Some projects are more exciting than others. One such tedious project is bodywork leading to primer. While it’s exciting to reach that stage, it isn’t one of the more glamorous efforts. However, Eastwood has developed something that may make this task a bit easier, faster, and, arguably, more enjoyable: roll-on primer. To be accurate, Eastwood refers to this roll-on primer as OptiFlow. According to our fellow hot-rodding friends at Eastwood, this gray primer is a well-suited epoxy primer for frames, single panels, and other small projects. Once finished, you are ready for a basecoat/color. When it comes to painting, whether custom painting a car or a house, I’ve always had a knack for leaving a big mess behind. I have a professional airless setup that I bought new and have…

When building a car, decisions are made at every step of the process that affect the look of the finished project. Some cars have a very simple design, while others incorporate so much detail that it can be overwhelming. It can be challenging to know how much detail to add, so today we’re looking at an example of a 1970 Chevelle built at Roadster Shop. We believe it has just the right amount of detail for this type of hot rod build. The original Chevelle had a large open area between the grille and the radiator, and when the hood was open, it looked quite utilitarian. The first step in refining this area was to create a simple panel with a single lateral step. Although this was a significant improvement,…

Brotherly love. Nothing compares to it. The Chowansky brothers understand this well. They not only work together, but they also play hard together. When siblings Rob, Dan, and Steve are not managing their family business, Fusco’s Auto Salvage in Watertown, Connecticut, they can usually be found having fun with a variety of motorized toys kept at the shop. Hot rods, motorcycles, muscle cars, and even snowmobiles have kept the brothers busy over the years, and you never know what you might see them riding on any given day. However, during a recent trip to the hills in New York, the guys realized something was missing from their lives. “It had been a long time since we had a race car in the family. Steve is an accomplished driver and has…