Table of contents for Volume 4, Issue 31 - April 2023 in Modern Rodding

1. ’64-67 GTO RECEIVES A FACIAL Classic Instruments announces its new ’64-67 GTO direct-fit package is an allelectric cluster featuring a speedometer and tachometer with a set of two dual gauges reading fuel/oil and temp/volts. It has green LED turn signal indicator(s) and a blue high beam indicator in the dash housing. Mounting hardware and a wiring harness is included to install with the original bezel, diffuser, and lens and setup is a breeze with push-button speedometer calibration and built-in ECM signal filter switch. All other necessary sending units are included with a Classic Instruments GM sending unit kit (PN SNGMNF) no-fuel sending unit. Fuel gauge is calibrated to 0-90 ohm. Save space with Classic Instruments’ Zeus Speedometer Technology built-in, meaning the cluster requires no external control boxes and works…

The Barrett-Jackson auctions are well known for their automotive venues. In an attempt to become more inclusive of all parts of the automotive world, they initiated the Barrett-Jackson Cup a few years back. Initiated to recognize more than cars that are just auctioned, the Barrett-Jackson Cup brought out 50 of some of the finest hot rod builds in the country to compete for one significant award and a cash prize. Initially it was the late Pete Chapouris, of SO-CAL Speed Shop fame; Bobby Alloway, of Alloway’s Hot Rods; and Bob Millard, a lifelong indoor car show judge, who were the threeperson team who determined the overall “Cup” winner. Originally held in Reno, Nevada, the pursuit of the Barrett-Jackson Cup has moved for the second time and for the foreseeable future,…

When it comes time to fusing elegance and performance together in a well-planned package nothing gets you to the head of the class faster than imagining the union of a classic ’50s-era cruiser with all the technological benefits of a new-generation muscle car. The alluring ’55 Chrysler C-300 showcased across our pages belonging to Paul White Sr. of Portland, Maine, stays true to its marque with the blending of an ’18 Dodge Challenger Hellcat to its vintage heritage. Far more involved than your standard platform change, it required the build team to up the ante with reengineering the Hellcat platform to mate to the C-300 as well as integrate all its driveline, electronics, and interior components into the car. Looking back, designer Virgil Exner was given the reigns to refresh…

In our world of hot rods, especially early cars, the lack of a heater and/or A/C used to be the norm. Nowadays there’s a simple solution to solving heating and A/C needs. Well, it’s much easier for the closed cars, but for open roadsters (and the like) the use of A/C, while occurring more frequently, the real need is for heat. A small heater only is more affordable than an entire A/C system, and sometimes more practical. So, with this in mind, we came up with the Vintage Air (VA) Streamline Heater (PN 660066) ideally suited for open hot rods. It is designed to sit separately below the dash. Next stop was at Hot Rods by Dean in Phoenix to check out the installation of one of the VA Streamline…

It started more than a decade ago with the economy taking a hit many of us hadn’t experienced in our lifetime. Then came the long “climb” back and we were most assuredly on the right track. Then three years ago we were smacked upside the head once again; dare I say none of us has experienced—a pandemic, inflation of staggering proportions, and a myriad of other social and political miscues. Yet as I look around it appears to me that our industry is doing well … ask SEMA, look to Detroit, or better yet check in with your local rod shop. All are telling stories of skyrocketing business but dampened with stories of labor shortages and escalating prices. Yet the overall assumption is that for all the “issues” we are…

Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance winner probably isn’t the best way to introduce anybody in a rod magazine. But our pal Bob Owens isn’t just any ol’ body, either. Hell, sometimes he ain’t even Bob. More on his ’32 Ford roadster. “Flattop,” as his friends know him, owns a Deuce that placed Third in the Historic Hot Rods class at last year’s event. Now, if the irony in that isn’t obvious, we’ll point it out: Concours typically isn’t the place for owners with working-class nicknames. But Flattop is, in fact, an heir: He presides over Owens Salvage Company, his family’s ancestral wrecking yard in the rolling hills east of Amarillo, Texas. If you’re historically minded, you likely recognize the car from its spate of publicity it got in the early ’60s.…

Over a hundred years ago there was a print ad for Cadillac that appeared only once. It turned up in the January 2, 1915 issue of the Saturday Evening Post. The title of the ad was “The Penalty of Leadership.” It didn’t show a picture of a Cadillac or mention the brand by name, but this ad became legendary. Which brings us to our ’49 Cadillac Series 62 Sedanette currently owned by Texas hot rodder Doyle Thomas. It was brought to its existing level of accomplishment by Mark Bowler of Bowler Performance Transmissions (yes, the transmission people). There was no mistaking which brand was at the “soul” of the ad. So much so that reprints of this ad were handed out by Cadillac for decades to come. It was also…

https://youtube.com/shorts/Cvr0puqLaZs As work nears completion on Greg Heinrich’s cutting-edge ’35 Chevrolet coupe, we wanted to show how some of the outstanding details were handled. (In previous months, Modern Rodding has brought you chassis and sheetmetal work.) Ironworks Speed & Kustom has made a commitment to use the latest technology to design and build these parts. In most cases, the portion of the car where the parts will fit is scanned, so when the parts are designed in CAD they will fit precisely. Once the CAD model is completed, a plastic part is printed and then this part is checked for fit and appearance before machining the final part from billet aluminum. Opportunities for improvement often become apparent after the printed part is made, and frequently parts go through several revisions…

Growing up around old cars can have lifelong effects. For some, it takes many decades to reach a financial position to invest in a car that takes them back in time. Casey Daniels, a young car guy from Taylorsville, North Carolina, took the accelerated route and bought this ’55 Chevy 210 Delray when he was 25 years old. His dad, Rick, bought a ’55 while Casey was still in diapers, and those childhood memories of that car keep their passion for old cars alive. Casey found this ’55 Chevy Delray for sale online. He was out of town for an extended amount of time and didn’t want it to slip away, so he had his dad give it a once-over. Rick said it was a great car and that he…

Coilover shocks have been around for a long time. It’s been so long that several unnamed Modern Rodding editors had a full head of hair when they first began to find favor with chassis builders. Initially, coilovers were only found on race cars, but it was our good friend, the late LeRoi “Tex” Smith, who has been credited with first installing them on a street rod. He hung a pair on the rear of his America’s Most Beautiful Roadster trophy–winning XR-6 in 1962 and coilovers have been with us ever since. While coilovers have been popular on sports cars and smaller, prewar hot rods, they have also become popular for use on larger, heavier postwar cars, like Colin and Sue Radford’s ’57 Ford station wagon shown here. And why shouldn’t…

Alot has already been written about the Ford Mustang, especially the firstgeneration (’64-73), American-made hot rod. However, plenty more can be said for what individual hot rodders like Michael Newman teaming up with Tim Divers of Divers Street Rods (DSR) of Sultan, Washington, can accomplish. This ’66 Ford Mustang Fastback has the right elements to give it staggering performance all the while keeping those classic fastback lines. At first glance this ’66 Mustang gives all the appearance of the iconic Mustang GT350 with its U.S. international racing colors of a white body with blue stripes. Upon closer examination you realize the “DSR350” is its own moniker. A great side story is how the original GT350 received its badging. According to stories from the day: The GT350 had neither 350 ci…

Many hot rodders tend to prioritize performance and cool looks before ever thinking about things like steering improvements. Making the move from manual steering to power assists is obviously a night and day difference, but you may be surprised to learn that even updating a stock power steering box with a modern unit can make a huge difference in the way your old classic drives. Our case in point is a ’64 Chevelle that still sports the factory power steering. The turning action was easy, almost too easy, and felt unbalanced at highway driving speeds. We recently heard about Borgeson Universal’s all-new quick ratio steering box that bolts in place of the factory Saginaw 800 series box used in most ’64 and up GM classics. The new unit has a…

It will be this summer on July 20th when longtime hot rodder and well-known designer of Hot Wheels for Mattel Larry R. Wood will be inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame (AHF). The AHF itself is in Dearborn, Michigan, and is open to the public. To those of us who have spent our lives building, driving, and thoroughly enjoying hot rods, Wood is one of us. He is a member of the Early Times Street Rod Club and is a constant sight in the Long Beach, California, area. His builds have graced the cover of many car magazines over the years. I’m also willing to bet there isn’t a hot rodder alive who hasn’t picked up a Hot Wheels car at one time or another. When Wood graduated from…