Table of contents for Volume 4, Issue 30 - March 2023 in Modern Rodding

So, I find myself at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, working on the “Cup” project for a magazine article when I stumble across the original (#1) SO-CAL Speed Shop ’32 Ford highboy roadster. This is the two-tone red with white scallop paint scheme that was the original car Pete Chapouris built for the famous Southern California speed shop that he was so proud to be part of. To be exact, while I was in the press room writing up web stories on the Barrett-Jackson Cup, I get a phone call from Dean Livermore of Hot Rods by Dean. (The auction is in his backyard so every year he and I make sure to get a couple of days at the auction to see what’s happening.) There is no doubt…

It’s been called the Golden Era of automotive design, and this is especially true in the eyes of hot rodders everywhere. The Tri-Five era, 1955-57, has achieved “favorable status” among hot rodders with the major Detroit OEMs. There can be no doubt about the Bowtie contribution, and what about the Buick and Olds of that era? But let’s not forget about Ford and their influence on the period, especially the ’56 Ford Crown Victoria. We are going to look at one amazing effort on behalf of SoCal hot rodder Joe Gregorio. His ’56 Ford Crown Vic built at Wheeler’s Speed Shop (Huntington Beach, California), under the care of owner Bryan Wheeler, is an amazing representation of what can be done with a Blue Oval from this period. Surprisingly the approach…

Every now and then, even old hot rodders come upon a car that we’d agree just shouldn’t be modified. Even so, we can’t help ourselves, can we? Out here in Northwestern Montana we’ve had The Flathead Ford Museum to enjoy for many years. Its curator, Lyle Aklestad, is a knowledgeable hands-on restorer, preserver, and collector who’s kindly shared his passion with likeminded Ford fans and curious passersby alike. Long story short, the Flathead Ford Museum’s recent liquidation was an opportunity for buyers. If by chance you were already a friend of Aklestad’s, there were noteworthy bargains on tap. Our subject ’40 Ford Standard Tudor is an unrestored original, displaying only 46,000 miles on its odometer. New owner, Willie Steele, understands that it shouldn’t be modified. A subtle stance-enhancement, however, wouldn’t…

One look at a “hot rod” and it will tell you what the owner’s intentions were. Steve Harvey, of Costa Mesa, California, all along wanted a mid-’50s-themed hot rod that he would build in his own garage. His goal was to use iconic parts, such as the power source, wheel and tire combo, and the correct stance that give his ’32 Ford highboy coupe its final expression. To listen to Steve, he will tell you that he relied on his lifelong experiences with all manner of hot rods from drag to lakes racing. And like many of us we all relied on our collection of car magazines and books that brought to us the “food” required to stoke our passion. In going over his research material he gravitated toward the…

Triple Crown of Rodding Big news on the Triple Crown of Rodding event, which is slated for September 8-9, 2023 (weekend after Labor Day) at Nashville Superspeedway. PPG is now the Presenting Sponsor for the Triple Crown of Rodding. LMC is now the Official Truck Parts Supplier of the Triple Crown of Rodding and will present the three awards set aside for the three Best Truck categories (Up to 1972, 1973-87, and 1988-98). The awards were originated by one of our very own hot rod designers Eric Brockmeyer. Gibson Brands, Inc. is supplying six very cool Gibson SG guitars that will be engraved with the 2023 Triple Crown of Rodding logo. One will be given to each of the six Triple Crown of Rodding winners! And what about that 2023…

Work continues on Greg Heinrich’s outstanding ’35 Chevrolet coupe being built by Ironworks Speed & Kustom. This time we’ll focus on the extensive body modifications. The body is lengthened, chopped, wedge-sectioned, and all the fenders are extensively reworked to conform to the big ’n’ little wheels and tires. When doing extensive modifications, it’s important to know when to stop. If you chop a top too aggressively, the result is not likely to be well proportioned. Every element of a car’s body must work with the whole ensemble, so it’s a constant balancing act to keep everything flowing harmoniously. Rodger Lee and his crew at Ironworks have a long track record of getting it right. They did not use specific dimensions for most of the body modifications–they relied on moving each…

There can be no denying that the postwar Chevrolet designers got it right with several of their designs. The Bel Air two-door hardtop, introduced in the ’50s, is a favorite with hot rodders everywhere. We believe the second-generation Fleetline, made from 1949-52, is a very close second, with many believing this is the “chosen one.” The Fleetline is both a highly collectable car as well as an ideal starting point for a hot rod project. The second-generation Chevrolet Fleetline is a fullsize fastback sedan that comes in either a two- or a four-door configuration. What sets the Fleetline apart is its distinctive sloping rear roofline (1 inch shorter than a fullsize sedan) and sheetmetal design. What you are now going to look upon is the ’49 Chevy Fleetline belonging to…

When it comes to traditional customizing techniques, sectioning a car is arguably the most complicated. The process involves removing a horizontal band all the way around the car’s body to thin the profile—kind of like chopping a top, only you’re chopping the whole body. Done right, the results can be dramatic. Done wrong, you can wind up with an expensive collection of vintage scrap metal. Cody Walls has been hard at work building a unique, sectioned ’49 Buick custom for his wife, Erin, at his Delaware-based shop, Traditional MetalCraft. What started as a low-mile original destined for a small-block swap and some mild modifications quickly turned into a full custom concept car. By the time you read this, it will have debuted at the 2023 Grand National Roadster Show where…

When I think of a ’40-41 Willys the first image that generally comes to mind is the nose-high gasser with the storied names on the doors, such as Stone, Woods, and Cook (although it says “Cookie” on the door, sometimes), the Big John Mazmanian gasser with its blazing Candy Apple Red color (which influenced my ’29 Ford roadster), and the K.S. Pitman bright orange machine. It’s what I grew up with. In fact, for many years I thought the ’40-41 Willys came with a blown Chrysler V-8. These A/GS cars typically had a large-bore Olds, or what would become the more popular Chrysler Hemi powerplant with a blower firmly mounted to the intake. But I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that the ’40-41 Willys also makes an impressive…

1. RETROTECH FOR YOUR ’42-48 FORD Achieve a drop-in upgrade for your stock ’42-48 Ford car dash with Dakota Digital’s Retrotech package. The Dakota Digital RTX series focuses on retaining that stock look without sacrificing the late-model features you value. Dakota Digital has incorporated OEM design elements regarding the layout, face styling, and indicators into their latest offering. At first glance these gauges look like original equipment, but once you hit the switch and the LED backlighting comes on in your favorite color scheme all doubts will be removed. The CNC machined housings are filled with electronics designed and built in-house, helping Dakota Digital once again raise the bar for aftermarket instrumentation. The high-definition TFT message centers can be fully configured to display just about any piece of information needed.…

Donn Lowe started out hammering on metal at a young age in Connecticut in the ’60s. It was a mecca of customs and hot rods and there were plenty of Mercs and other makes that needed chopping. Donn quickly learned the best way to do that to where the final look was perfect. Down the road a bit he moved to Oregon to enlighten the rodders out there on the proper way to truly build beautiful customs and hot rods. Along the way he built a few of his own that ended up in some of the finest garages in the land. One of the customs he built for customer Doug Beattie, of Vancouver, Washington, was a ’40 Ford called the “Futurama Forty.” That gorgeous coupe garnered top awards at…

Our ’64 Ford Galaxie (named “Project Lara Lor-Van”) belongs to Eddy Cebreco and has a great deal of sheetmetal work that is needed. We have already begun by replacing the firewall, now comes the upper and lower cowl areas. This is going to give us all fresh metal underhood at the firewall/windshield area. It should be noted that Auto Metal Direct (AMD) makes a great number of sheetmetal pieces for not only our ’64 Ford Galaxie but any number of other buildable material from the ’60s. The project continues with Auto Metal Direct (AMD) freshly stamped sheetmetal. These upper and lower cowl pieces will fit both the ’63 and ’64 Ford Galaxie. The upper cowl carries PN 360-8963 while the lower cowl carries PN 360-8963-1. To achieve our efforts, we…

It was up to MetalWorks Speed Shop to find a solid-bodied ’55 Chevy–and they did, allowing John Wise of Indiana to build his high school vision and have his dream hot rod. His vision was to have a Pro Touring build with all the modern handling and performance but maintain the early looks of the ’55 Chevy. The ’55 Chevy does have a distinctive look with its two-tone “darked out” appearance. The look comes from the all-black, in a satin and a gloss, finish effectively drawn up by Tavis Highlander and then executed by MetalWorks. Oh, did we mention that John is also fond of horsepower, hence the supercharged LS3 for power effectively controlled through the Art Morrison Enterprises (AME) GT Sport chassis with full independent suspension? MetalWorks handled the…