Innholdsfortegnelse for March - April 2025 i Rodding USA

Derek Truam of Rockford, Illinois was destined to a life of hot rodding. His dad (Charles R. Traum) purchased this Model A Sedan at 15 in 1951 for $35.00. His dad passed his driver's license test in it and drove it until he purchased a 1946 Ford in the mid-50s. He was going to restore it in the early 60s and then his family began to grow, and the Model A took up residence in the family barn for the next 57 years. Derek bought a rough 1956 BelAir at age 15, but wasn't concerned since he was the son of a mechanic and he had an excellent mentor. After working on it all summer, it was road-worthy, and he drove it all through high school. After high school he…

(Editor's Note) In the early 2000s, well before the concept of Rodding USA was ever thought of, I used to go to Denver to photograph cars for my freelance magazine clients and my point of contact was longtime Colorado hot rodder/builder Gary Vahling. Gary owned Masterpiece Rodding and knew the Colorado rodding scene very well from the 50s on. In early 2008 he told me about a 50s-built 30/31 Ford Model A roadster that he had purchased. It had been hibernating for many years north of Denver and rumors about the car swirled around the area for quite some time. Gary purchased the car from Bob Conner whose story on it goes something like this. Bob found it in the Fort Collins, CO area in 1970. It was on a…

Steve Frisbie owns Steves Auto Restorations (SAR), in Portland, Oregon. A restorer of classic cars and builder of custom cars and hot rods, SAR has a worldwide reputation for being the place to go when you want the very best. Past winner of the RIDLER in Detroit, and other major awards, his shop has the accolades that prove it. Growing up beside his dad in the garage, he contracted the “car disease” at an early age, planting the seed that guided his career. Over the years, one car or another crossed his path and was cloistered in someone else's garage, or in a rail car in the field behind the shop. He never had a real garage for his growing collection of cars. When a house with five acres showed…

In the custom car world, the years 2024 and 2025 are both very important. Back in 1964 a show called The Munsters appeared on TV, and sixty-one years later it is still popular. 2025 would have been the 100th birthday of famed custom car builder George Barris. These two events are tied together by the cars used during the run of The Munsters TV show. The Munster Koach and Dragula, are creations that came from the talented mind of George Barris. John Sbrigato of TV Show Cars fame now owns both. The two cars come with a great history. The Munster Koach is the third one built by George Barris while Dragula which sits in his collection is the real deal number one car. It was used in both the…

I never would have thought that sixty-four years ago at age fourteen I would become a lifelong fan of Henry Ford's Model A. How could one not? Everything about its styling screams hot rod. My first one came early in life. Most of the guys I knew who had their own cars had hot rods, so I knew what I wanted and was on the hunt. I had saved a few bucks from my paper route. But heck, back in the day a few bucks was real money and a few could get you some wheels. A friend's dad told me he knew a farmer who had a Model A in his barn and would sell it. He didn't know which one, coupe, sedan, or pickup? To me, any of…

1953 In honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Grand National Roadster Show, over 40 of the previous 75 winners gathered for a once-in-a-lifetime display of hot rodding history. Building 9 housed this exhibit which was laid out in chronological order depicting the changes in style and craftsmanship throughout the past seventy-five years. Enjoy this look into the past and up to the present. You'll understand how the original National Roadster Show became the “Grand Daddy of them all” and elevated America's Most Beautiful Roadster competition to today's astonishing standards. Congratulations to all of the past AMBR winners. 1952 1950 1955 1951 1961 1955 1958+59 1964 1963 1968 1960 1971+75 1978 1969 1972 1985 1983 1986 1984 1987 1988 1989+91 1992 1990 1993 2006 2000 2004 2001 2007 2013 2016…

In November of 2013, wanting something more comfortable and less “in your face” to drive, Steve Spiker of Carlsbad, CA swapped his numbers matching 1966 Big Block Corvette for this subtle 2-door custom station wagon. The 1956 Parklane Wagon was Ford's knee-jerk response to Chevrolet's highly successful Nomad Sport Wagon. However different from GM's models that benefited from all-new sheet metal, Ford resorted to dressing up their bottom-of-the-line, rubbermatted, plain Jane utility wagon, the Ranch Wagon, in response to Chevrolet's surprise release. This one-year-only model is essentially a Ranch Wagon with Victoria trim. It did very well against the Nomad for that one year of production. However, this particular Parklane is not only a different animal. Steve says the car has exposed him to a whole new motorsport lifestyle and…

Arecurring conversation that I have had with multiple rodding friends over the last several months revolves around the overall quality of today's hot rods. With an innovative aftermarket that can provide almost every part that goes into our pre-49 hot rods, almost anyone with some disposable income can be behind the wheel of a hot rod. There is no denying that some people's disposable income will go farther than that of others, but still, there are a lot of nice hot rods out there. Sure, some are home-built, while others are professionally built. But, regardless of the cost of the build, the median hot rod in 2025 is much nicer than its counterpart in 1975. Some of the hot rods that were featured in magazines fifty years ago pale in…

Undoubtedly, hot rodding has a very rich history which all leads to today's inspiration. Over the years there have been some truly remarkable and some would say iconic hot rods built. The universal appeal of these cars is huge and the car you see here is no exception. The Cop Shop Coupe started from the pen of the late Dave Bell in 1979 appearing as the masthead of Tony Kelly's Cop Shop column in Street Rodder Magazine. By 1981, prolific hot rodder Tom Prufer was inspired to turn the cartoon into reality. Master chassis builder/hot rod fabricator Pete Eastwood was contracted for the project. The finished car was shown at the Oakland Roadster Show in 1983 and Rod Powell flamed it a few months later. Prufer went on to build…