Innehållsförteckning för March/April 2020 från Rodding USA

There’s a secret in the Steel Valley of the USA that needs to be told. It’s the Rockabilly Ruckus at the Trumbull County Fairgrounds in Cortland, Ohio, near the OH/PA border. With only a few years under its belt, this still-growing show is already well known for a great time with plenty to do. And it’s put on by a family, not a corporation. That means it has a natural family feel and atmosphere. A dirt track lets owners test their cars. Other on-track events are also available like their Burnout Contest and Moonshine Run. Are you brave enough? Several bands play, there are food trucks and vendors, pin-up contests for ladies and kids, and a Charity Panel Jam has pinstripers raising money for Veterans. Camping on site is available,…

We brought you the story of Bernie Couch and his 1932 Ford roadster, which he purchased in May 1940 for $285.00 from McCoy Mills Ford in Fullerton, CA, in Issue 31 (March-April, 2018.) In Issue 42, we shared the news that Bernie passed away in December 2019. Before his passing, he decided to sell his beloved Deuce after having owned it for nearly 80 years. He wanted to make sure that whoever purchased it would preserve the legacy of the old hot rod. The new caretaker is Jeff Goldstein, and he took to heart the fact that the roadster would always be known as “the Bernie Couch roadster.” Bernie and Jeff agreed that the car should be restored back to its look from 1951, which was after Bernie had retired…

All he had was the cowl, doors, and a model a frame, so we made the deal, and I brought it home that day in the back of my truck. I quickly made the decision that I wanted to attempt a hybrid hotrod using the Model A roadster body but set it on a deuce frame. Having just gotten out of college, I didn’t have the funds to buy an original frame, and I didn’t want to ask my folks to help fund the project, so I ordered a set of rails from American Stamping, and we made our own. My fabricator Herb Whitmore, Jr., had worked for SAC hot rods in Orange, CA, several years ago, so together, we were able to build a frame jig using old Ford…

The 1932 Ford coupe has been in our family for over 70 years. The car was initially purchased by my wife Becky’s father, Jacob J. Wechsler (Jay), in November 1944. It was his daily driver when he was in the military service. The car is more than just a family heirloom and survivor; it also has fascinating connection to World War II. In 1941 Jay was a freshman in college when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and like most of his friends, he went down to sign up for the war effort. Gifted with poor eyesight, the recruiter turned him away and suggested he stay in school. As Jay tells it, by 1943, the Army was desperate enough that they finally allowed him to enlist. Then after boot camp, some…

January 24 – 26, 2020, was the weekend which had show car owners and spectators from around the world descending on the Fairplex in Pomona, California for the Grand National Roadster Show. The 71st edition of the show saw over 500 show cars fill the Fairplex buildings and with perfect weather on Saturday, another 1,000 cars attended the drive-in event. The event is, of course, capped off with the crowning of America’s Most Beautiful Roadster which was won by Monte Belsham’s 1932 Ford roadster. The Al Slonaker award was given equal status to the AMBR and was won by Ron Ernsberger and his 1936 Willys. Both of these awards were sponsored by ARP and included a check for $12,500 and the winning trophy. THE DATES FOR THE 2021 SHOW ARE…

IFS I-BEAM AXLE IT’S no secret that ‘20s and ‘30s solid axle cars don’t always produce the most comfortable ride. A traditional I-beam can make your vehicle difficult to control on the road. Current independent suspension options take away from the vintage spirit of the car. At Nate’s Hot Rod Garage, our mission is to integrate modern technology with a classic design. We are proud to introduce a fully independent dropped I-beam, the Evo-Axle, a new standard for hot rods. (602) 622-4891 www.NatesHotRodGarage.com UPGRADED WIPER MOTOR NOW available from New Port is a bolt-in replacement wiper motor for the 1973-87 Chevy and GMC trucks. These trucks are becoming more popular with the younger crowd, and if you ever drove one in the rain, you know how annoying it was to…

In November of 1998, Larry O’Toole, owner of Graffiti Publications in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia, sent a reply letter to American hot rodder Ed Belknap of Monrovia, California. Ed had contacted Larry (also the editor/ publisher of Australian Street Rodding magazine) inquiring about the fiberglass bodies being manufactured by a company named Deuce Customs in Ferntree Gully, Victoria. Ed, a Southern California hot rodder, was getting ready to build a new car, and he had heard good reviews of the Deuce Customs bodies and in particular, the ’32 2-door Phaeton. He reached out to his friend Larry, who in turn, let him know that he highly recommended the DC bodies and felt they were equal to anything in the world, and were nicely finished. Even more interesting information in the letter…

When it comes to fasteners, the proverbial “red-headed stepchild” is the washer. It’s sometimes overlooked and often misused. So for a little guidance on the subject, we turned to the folks at Automotive Racing Products, Inc. —better known as ARP— the acknowledged experts in fastener technology. In terms of automotive use, you’ll commonly find five types of washers employed: flat (or plain), fender, split (or lock), star, and insert. And there’s a variation of the flat washer featuring serrations on the underside. You won’t find split washers in ARP’s catalog because they’re primarily useful with small diameter fasteners in low load conditions. The concept is that the split washer acts somewhat like a spring and puts pressure on the object being attached and the head of the bolt or a…

Standing alongside a gravel-topped road carved in the hard, red clay in the foothills of North Carolina, a car approaches rapidly, its engine gasping for air. An old maroon coupe hurls into view, whitewall tires grabbing for traction as it starts to fishtail, flashes by, and pulls in down the road by an old barn. Nearby, someone yells out, “Cut.” Big Jim Fallin parks it next to a pair of his black coupes and climbs out from behind the wheel of his ‘39 Ford Deluxe to see if the director of a documentary being filmed for Discovery Channel is satisfied. The documentary is about the late Junior Johnson and his storied career as a moonshiner and founding father of NASCAR racing. When it is released, it will be the seventh…

Later that year in June, for my 18th birthday, I had invited a bunch of friends over for a pool party at Chiriaco Summit, and the thought dawned on me that we should go get that car out of the desert. We took a small pickup bed converted to a single axle trailer, strapped some 2x4’s to the front, and away we went. We had to push the little trailer to get it as close the body as possible as the nearest dirt road was over a mile away. We managed to get it home that evening, and it was probably one of my most memorable birthdays ever. There was no rust anywhere, I didn’t have to patch any part of the body except for a small section of the…

The American hot rod scene truly blossomed after World War II, fueled in part by specialized magazines. It didn’t take long for our Canadian neighbors to get wind of the wild jalopies being built in the USA. Before the turn of the decade, parts to hop up engines had already begun trickling across the border. And by the early ’50s, several local speed shops played a significant role in cementing the hobby in Canada. Cam Grant of Surrey, British Columbia was one of the young lads who became enamored with America’s hot rod lifestyle at the time. In 1958, he embarked on building his first project, based on a ’30 Ford roadster, which first relied on a ’48 Mercury flathead V8, followed by a Buick Nailhead – Cam was only…

The 49th edition of the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction was held January 11-19, 2020, and shattered records from previous events including the over 1,900 vehicles which rolled across the infamous auction block. General Motors donated the very first (VIN 001) 2020 Corvette Stingray, which sold for charity at the incredible price of 3 million dollars.…

Red’s Headers was established by Red Hamilton in 1975 with the help of his wife, Marilyn, in Ft. Bragg, California. Red began rebuilding early Ford engines in 1959. Soon after, he started manufacturing headers for those engines. In 2006 Red decided to sell his business to James Davis. Jim moved the shop to Thousand Palms, California, and ran it successfully until he sold the business to Victor Garcia in June 2017. Red’s Headers is now located in the rural town of Chiriaco Summit, CA, which is conveniently located between Blythe and Indio on Interstate 10. While they are mostly known for Ford, Lincoln & Merc headers covering the years of 1928-64, there are plans in the works to expand the line. They are just now getting into making more custom…

Victor purchased the body of the coupe from Bobby Walden in Pomona, CA. It sits on an original 1932 Ford chassis, which he purchased from Scot Gillen in Malibu, who acquired in a deal from Don Fergusson. The engine is a French Flathead V8, which is being built by Keith Tardel of Rex Rods in Johnson City, TX. The transmission is a 1939 Ford with Zephyr gears, and the rear end is stock for now. F The body is being chopped by David Martinez/ Martinez Industries in Desert Hot Springs, CA. For an engine, I have a good French Flathead V8 being built by Keith Tardel of Rex Rods in Johnson City, TX. The plan is to paint the coupe a dark maroon.…

Larry Smiley began playing with cars in about 1962 and it has turned into a lifelong hobby. His older brother Joe owned a DX filling station and a Mobil filling station while he was growing up. They lived in Newton, Kansas, a small town near Wichita. Larry worked for Joe, changing oil and performing minor repairs on customer cars. His true love was 1940 fords coupes (See Issue 41 of Rodding USA) and sedans. He and his wife Barbara moved to Iowa in 1968 and Larry joined the Des Moines Police Department in 1970 and continued playing with cars and working on them. Larry then started painting cars and pedal cars to earn extra cash. He raced motorcycles in the ‘70s and then raced go-karts for several more years. One…

Flaming River is now offering the Microsteer universal Electric Power Assisted Steering system. It can be easily fitted to virtually any vehicle, without the need to change steering rack or install a hydraulic system where manual steering currently exists. The unique Microsteer tuning box allows you to adjust the amount of assistance by using a rotary potentiometer or, if you prefer, you can make the system speed-sensitive by connecting a wheel speed signal to the tuning box. A mode selection switch on the box allows you to choose your preferred method, manual, or wheel speed.If you have no wheel speed sensor on the vehicle, they recommend purchasing a Hall effect type sensor. This is not included in the kit and would need to be purchased separately. The input and output…