Table of contents for November - December 2023 in Rodding USA

rodding event Hot Rods on the Tarmac The “Hot Rods on the Tarmac” gathering came together on July 22, 2023, at the Lyon Air Museum in Southern California. It was the second annual juried show of period respecting Hot Rods and Customs. Limited to 100 cars, there were no trophies and no information cards, just a collection of exceptional “period” cars not often seen together in a spectacular venue. The Lyon Air Museum is at the site of the original Santa Ana Drag Strip. It is also now the site of the John Wayne Orange County International Airport in Santa Ana, California. The museum was founded by Major General William Lyon and opened to the public in November 2009. It is a world-class display of WWII aircraft and military hardware, curated…

Chad Roetzer spends his working days behind the wheel of a big rig, hauling steel throughout the Great Lakes region. Some say that once a trucker, always a trucker. That is certainly the case with Chad, as when he is not behind the wheel of a semi-truck, he can often be found behind the wheel of this slick Model A roadster pickup. Yes, it is considerably smaller, but it is still a truck by definition. He isn't just running around town in the RPU, either. In the first ten years that he had the RPU on the road, he put more than 80,000 miles on it. Many of those miles came from the open road on trips to and from California. After owning a 1967 C10, a 1951 Chevy, and…

rodding products The pickup came into my life in 1962 when my parents purchased a Flying A service station in Dufer, Oregon. It was used for everything, and even my mom drove it. At 102 this year, she remembers she did not like driving it, mainly because of the stick shift. According to my father, who kept track of every oil change, it turned out she drove it over 15,000 miles. On the other hand, I did enjoy driving it all around the small town. In 1969, I purchased it from my parents for $300.00, and during high school, my dad and brothers repainted the truck for me. Randy, my future husband, and I began dating in 1972 and would go on dates in the truck to the drive-in and…

rodding event The Triple Crown Just when you thought the good ole’ days were long gone, here comes the Triple Crown of Rodding, reconnecting some of the best experiences of past shows with forward-looking event ideas in an amazing two-day celebration of all things cool. Part of the Triple Crown success is the two-day formula; you don't have time to waste if you want to see it all. On a sunny September 7 and 8, 2023, the Nashville Super Speedway infield was blanked with top-notch hot rods, customs, and trucks. Over 100 vendors and sponsors were also on hand to share their rides, parts, and advice. You couldn't take two steps without seeing an unbelievably high-quality street rod, a nationally recognized builder, or a life-long familiar vendor on site. “I've never…

Nestled against the Santa Rosa mountains in the Coachella Valley is the quaint resort town of La Quinta, California, located 25 miles east of Palm Springs. The lush and beautifully landscaped city is home to the PGA American Express golf tournament at the La Quinta Country Club and hot rodder Steve Opperman. I picked Steve's green 1932 Ford Coupe for a Top Ten Award at the 2023 Havasu Deuces Show. A few months ago, Steve sent me a few photos of his neon-filled “rodding digs,” and I knew I would have to pay him a visit on my next trip down Interstate 10, and I did. Steve grew up in Sonoma County in Northern California. His family was in the lumber mill business, and his grandfather owned the Pacheco Pass…

rodding event 2023 RPM Nationals A few years back, a couple of long-time hot rodders, Justin Bass and Russ Hare, thought, “Why not?” and brought to life the RPM Nationals, which in a few short years has become the event to attend, with entries and gear heads showing up for the premier flathead racing in the nation. The Santa Margarita Ranch, a beautiful location in the central California coastal region, opens the private runway for more than a hundred racers, all in search of the famed trophy, competing side by side on the 1/8-mile strip with six classes of flathead-powered vintage-styled cars-4-bangers in 4 cylinder full race, 4 cylinder modified street and 4 cylinder street. Likewise, in the V8 classes, full race, modified street, and street, with specific rules for each…

Gary Hausler was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, and graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Mining Engineering. For the next 40-plus years, he traveled and lived across North America and the world, chasing the mining and heavy construction business. Eventually, he ended up in Gunnison, Colorado, a small town in the central mountain region. He got involved in the Gunnison Car Club along with several friends. GCC is very active, with many members and a wide range of cars. His buddies were hot rodders, and with their coaxing, he decided to build a 60s-style Model A. He located a ’28 Ford in a farmer's field in September 2015. He sold his ’67 Corvette big-block convertible, and the journey began. A call was made to Pete…

(A note from the owner.) Hot rodding became very popular after World War ll. Street racing, desert, and salt flat racing continued after the war, and drag racing was introduced. The Flathead Ford was a very popular engine, and the Ford body and chassis (from the Model T up through '34 Fords) were favorites. They were light and cheap, and parts/speed equipment were readily available. The most popular of the Fords was the 1932 because of the more robust frame, an available V8 engine, and good looks. '32 coupes and roadsters were the first choice for rodders; however, sedans were also used. This sedan is an example of what might have been built in the late 40's/early 50's. It would be one of the quickest affordable street cars until 1955 when…

I often ask hot rod owners, “What influenced you to become a rodder?” More often than not, it was being exposed to these fast, modified cars by a family member or neighbor at an early age. Dale Merrell of Tulsa, Oklahoma, had a bit of both, growing up as a mechanic's son and living next door to a filling station. It turns out the filling station owner had a hot-rodded '34 Ford Victoria. When Dale was 12, he would wash the Vicky on weekends, and the owner would take him for a drive around the block. Never any further, but that was enough to get hot rodding into his blood, and at some point, he knew he would own a 1934 Ford. He grew up owning fast cars, with one…

rodding event Grand National Truck Show If the event's Grand National Truck Show name sounds familiar, it's probably because its sister—the Grand National Roadster Show—has been the premier indoor custom car for over 70 years. Both shows are organized and promoted by the same people (RodShows), and this inaugural truck event follows the blueprint the older show has successfully laid out all these decades. Held at the Fairplex in Pomona, California, the recent GNTS (sponsored by O'Reilly Auto Parts) occupied the well-known Building 4, but the program was changed up by having a competition for the World's Most Beautiful Truck award, and 18 contenders brought their vehicle out for consideration. Any year truck is eligible for the award, and any year pickup or commercial vehicle can attend the show. As with…