Innehållsförteckning för January/February 2019 från Rodding USA

SEMA took on a new perspective this year in that we had the opportunity to display the Rodding USA Roadster Pickup in the Pertronix Performance Brands display. This gave us a chance to share the car with the many manufacturers who took part in providing components for the build. Since this is an “industry only” event, many rodders will not have the opportunity to attend the show in person, so we always try to give our readers a glimpse of what takes place in the hot rod/custom car areas of the event. The event also encompasses the truck, off-road, audio, and late model automotive segments along with repair and refinishing tools and equipment. Also taking place during SEMA is the APPEX event at the Sands Convention Center with more machinery,…

Byron Smith has had several street rods over the years and was on the hunt for a new project. He found a Chevy truck which sparked his interest not only for the style, but also that it was owned by a relative who purchased it new in 1958 at Rudolph’s Chevrolet in Phoenix. The owner had passed away in 1982, and the truck was parked under the scorching Arizona sun on his dad’s farm in Laveen, AZ. For over 30 years, Byron tried to purchase it but he always received the same answer from the dad, which was that he was going to restore it “someday.” During the 30-plus years of being exposed to the elements, it continued to deteriorate, and rust was eating away at everything. In 2014, Byron…

The 21st Annual Goodguys Southwest Nationals took place November 16-18, 2018 at the Westworld complex in Scottsdale, Arizona. The picture-perfect weekend featured temperatures in the high 70s with clear skies and nearly 4,000 custom cars of all makes, colors, and styles. This event is extra special in that all “Top 12 Cars of the Year” are on display to the delight of participants and spectators. They also crown the 2018 Autocross winner on Saturday afternoon. The show is also home to one of the largest swap meets at any GG show, and bargains are sure to be found along with an abundance of cars for sale. If you’ve never attended a Southwest Nats, it’s time to make plans for 2019, and as you can see, no one in Arizona is…

Brian Everett is a custom car lover from way back and has owned several top-notch show winning customs over the years, including his candy red Lil’ John-built ’50 Merc which won the 1997 Bailon Kandy Apple award. He is also a longtime member of the renowned Beatniks car club. One of Brian’s latest creations is this stunning 1940 Mercury built by Oz Welch Kustoms in Oroville California. Brian found the car in a run-down barn in Texas over twenty years ago and dragged it home to New Mexico, where it sat lost but not forgotten in his garage for over a decade. Brian, who happens to be a world-renowned tattoo artist and owner of Route 66 Tattoo in Albuquerque, spent several of those years gathering parts and creating the beautiful…

September 22, 2018, was a big day for Rex and Annette Watson as they celebrated the Grand Opening of Affordable Street Rods’ new 12,000 square foot warehouse, showroom, and store in Peabody, Kansas. The day was made special with the help of a few hundred friends at their first annual Open House. Music, food, door prizes, facility tours, and hot rods filled the agenda while the early fall Kansas weather cooperated perfectly. According to Annette, “It was a great day. A huge number of our suppliers and manufacturers sent terrific door prizes. Most everyone who registered a car for the event left with something which was provided by one of our vendors.” Several hot rodding dignitaries made their way to the middle of Kansas to help the Watsons usher in…

Jon Wright, owner of Jon Wright’s Custom-Chrome Plating in Grafton, Ohio grew up in a small town in western Pennsylvania in the ’50s. The typical Friday/Saturday night routine was to go downtown and cruise the streets in your custom or hot rod and to park and check out the local car scene. Jon says that he would occasionally see two cool hot rods cruising through; one was a white ’39 Ford Standard with an Olds engine, and the other was a ’36 Ford roadster painted Bahama blue with a white top and a T-Bird engine. In 1960, he was looking to buy his first car, and while looking through the classifieds in the local newspaper, he spotted a ’39 Ford. He went to take a look, and it turned out…

The Auto Club Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, CA was host to an electrifying three-day gathering on Oct. 19-21, 2018. The CHRR event is an annual fan-favorite which brings together the best of the past and present with a number of exciting festivities, including quarter-mile nostalgia drag racing, a huge vendor area along with a large car show featuring hot rods, customs, muscle cars and more. Saturday also features a nighttime Cacklefest. As usual, there were time-consuming oil downs, which I’m sure left fans watching the live coverage quite frustrated but it is to be expected. However, when the cars were racing, it was exciting. Large fields of Hot Rods and NE1, NE2, decent sized fields of 7.0 Pro, ProMod, Nostalgia Funny Car, A/Gas,B/Gas, C and D/Gas, kept the fans happy…

Making any reproduction Ford window seal is no easy task. Research into how Ford did it back in the day, what materials, processes, technology and equipment, all are important. Once new seals are produced, they must be test fitted, installed in frames and evaluated for fit and finish as well as water holdout, smog resistance, ultraviolet resistance, and wear-ability. And then comes the fun – installation! We’ve installed our fair share of windshield seals at the Drake shop and nearly have it down to a science. PREPARATION As with any project, planning and preparation are key. In the case of Ford’s early seals, it is far easier to have the frame removed from the car and on the workbench. Replacing the seal with the frame installed is tortuous. Also advisable…

Steve Lykken of Solvang, California has been building cars since his first one; a 1923 Ford roadster hit the streets in the early 1960s. From there he went on to build a 1932 Ford Phaeton, which was based on a Wescott fiberglass body. He completed that car in the early 1980s and then built an Art Gooding fiberglass ’32 Vicky which he customized into a sedan delivery complete with rear “gull wing” door. Then in 1985, he bought the California Star from Don Varner and kept it for 29 years before selling it to Blackie for his collection. In 2013, Brookville Roadster began building their ‘32 Roadster pickup, and he just had to have a real steel car for once. He was used to doing his own fiberglass work, but…

Jim Bridgewater of Phoenix, Arizona grew up in the shadow of his father who was a mechanic and trucker, so his first job at the age of 10 was to change the oil, grease all of the fittings and to make sure all of the bolts were tight on the hauler. It’s easy to see why he would have a passion for cars from an early age. At age 15 he purchased his first car, and at the advice of his father, it was mandatory that it had hydraulic brakes. So what did he purchase? As Jim puts it…”I was now the owner of a very ugly 1932 Plymouth coupe that cost me $50.00 and didn’t even run.” With the assistance of his dad, he soon had his ’32 on…

It was November 1968 when speech therapist Jon Wright decided that his career needed to be in the field of custom cars. Despite a college degree in his chosen field, it was time for a change, and he started CustomChrome Plating with no knowledge of metal finishing or electroplating and on a shoestring budget. After 50 years in business, CCP continues to move forward as one of the most respected custom plating facilities in the country. Jon states “There’s really no secret to what we do at CCP. We handle the tough jobs that no one else will do. Our staff gets a kick out of meeting challenges.” Custom car enthusiasts and car builders from across the country use the services provided by CCP for their plating needs. Their attention…

Keeping with our theme of the finished car looking like a Model A but driving better, we updated the steering system. The front fenders do not hide the steering, and we wanted to keep the “side” steering system and look. A Vega cross-steering system or a rack and pinion would be a dead giveaway which started us on a search for a better steering box. The old standby early 1950’s Ford truck steering boxes have become rare and expensive. They also require modifications, in other words, more money. Toyota truck boxes are also scarce and not cheap. What we did find is a new side steering box from Borgeson. The Borgeson steering box, part number 920042 is a member of the 525-style family. This model box is available in several…

There are few hot rods built in the early ‘50s which are still owned by the builder, and this is one of those cars. Gordon Anderson bought this old Ford from Jim Retan in Portland, Oregon for the heavy sum of $750.00. He made weekly payments of $20.00 which is roughly 38 weeks or nine months. Not bad. During the first couple of years, Gordon drove the hot rod with its original engine. Then the frame cracked because the notch he made in it to clear the homemade headers was a bit too aggressive. That happened in 1953. After a failed attempt to build a new frame, Gordon went off to college. The body then sat in Gordon’s parents’ backyard for many years. When Gordon and Gladdy moved to Salem,…

The Rotary Club of Tucson held their 12th annual Tucson Classics Car Show at The Gregory School, and it once again was an overwhelming success. October 20th was a beautiful fall day in the desert with temps in the low ’80s and partly cloudy skies. Four hundred of the finest cars in the southwest filled the field along with merchandise and food vendors. Spectators came out in the thousands to take in the sights and festivities. The purpose of the show is to raise money for charities in Southern Arizona and through the previous 11 shows which number totals 1.2 million dollars. This years goal was $200,000, and it was surpassed. The club sells raffle tickets throughout the year for a grand prize of a 2005 Corvette or $15,000 in…