Rodding USA September/October 2021

Obviously, you never know what you will encounter any time you take a trip, whether by train, airplane, car, or ship, but our trip to Louisville surprised us. I learned a lesson several years ago when Malena and I took our annual trip to the Nats. Setup for vendors runs from Monday thru Wednesday, with the show opening on Thursday. Flying from a small city like Tucson means you will most likely have to change airplanes at one of the major hubs across the country if a hub city is not your final destination. We took an early morning flight on Wednesday to Chicago with expected arrival in Louisville at 1 pm. This would give us plenty of time to do our setup before the building closes at 5 pm.…

When street rods and trailers are brought up in the same conversation, people often speak about luggage-type trailers or a trailer used to transport a car. The famous Mullins Red Cap was produced for only two years (1936-37) and is the first to be discussed. Its smooth style has become a favorite among those who need extra storage space on long runs. Champion Luggage Trailers make a close representation of the Mullins, and McGill Mfg. has a very stylish towable that looks great behind various rods. There is also the teardrop trailer which is large enough to sleep two uncomfortably. I know. I owned one. They are usually equipped with a rear hatch that conceals a propane stove, some storage, and a sink. Because there was a growing recreation and…

When you have a museum filled with an endless supply of cars from 1910 to 1965, the goal is to have a handful from every era and style. Nostalgia Street Rods in Las Vegas has done just that, and they were kind enough to share this cool 1924 Dodge “modified” Track Roadster with us. It doesn’t have a historical pedigree, but we just liked its look and wanted to share it with our readers.…

OWNER: Nostalgia Street Rods – Las Vegas, NV CHASSIS: Completely hand-fabricated. FRONT SUSPENSION: Suicide front end with I-beam axle, Schroeder cowl steering, knee-action shocks, drum brakes, split wishbones, and quarter elliptical springs. REAR SUSPENSION: Banjo rear end with hairpins, buggy spring, and friction shocks. TIRES & WHEELS: Wire wheels with 5.50/R16 front tires, 7.50 x 16 rear. ENGINE: GM 2.5L, 4-cylinder “Iron Duke” and Indy-style exhaust. TRANSMISSION: 3-speed automatic. BODY: Modified 1924 Dodge roadster. INTERIOR: Orange vinyl, black carpet, Stewart-Warner gauges, Bell style steering wheel.…

In 1974, Dub Adams, Butch Turner, and Gary Mussman brought up the idea of creating a car club dedicated solely to the 1932 Ford, so they started the Midwest Deuces. It was initially ten members from Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas. Forty-seven years later, the club has grown to 175 members from around the country but primarily those four states in addition to Minnesota and Illinois. The Midwest Deuces’ big event each year is the Deuce Doins special parking area at the Des Moines, Iowa Goodguys Show. The Deuce Doins have been held around the country since 1976 but picked up steam in 1983 when Gary Meadors, who attended several of the Deuce Doins events, started the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association. Midwest Deuces started a partnership with Goodguys and…

We take you back to December 22, 1957, when Hal Ashton was a mere 17 years old and was visiting relatives in Pasadena, California, along with his family. Hal was from Tucson, AZ and had a keen interest in hot rods and kept his eyes peeled for a 1934 Ford 3/window coupe. Bright and early on that Sunday morning, young Hal was reading the classifieds in the L.A. Times when he spotted an ad for his dream car. The ad was for a completely stock 1934 Ford 3/window coupe that had been reconditioned and ran the original Flathead V8. The asking price was $375.00. He asked his dad if they could take a look, and they did. Upon arriving, he found the car of his dreams. The stock coupe was…