Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2023 i Hot Rod

PRESENTED BY When drivers rolled up to the Indianapolis Raceway Park starting line to begin their runs at the 1963 NHRA Nationals, they faced not the familiar gyrations of an enthusiastic flag-waving track worker, but an odd-looking pole covered in vertical rows of different colored lights. The origins of the original countdown starter are somewhat murky (says Wikipedia, anyway), but according to the September 1963 issue of HOT ROD, the new starting system was the brainchild of NHRA Eastern Division Director Ed Eaton and was assembled by Lew Bond, an electronics technician based in Maryland. The name of Bond’s company, Drag-Tronics, appeared on the equipment when it was set up at Indy. The September 1963 mention in HRM’s NHRA department “The National Scene” explained that the new starter system “was…

While attending the Race of Gentlemen in 2018, identical twin brothers Mike and Sean Tucker were casually browsing an online automotive marketplace over breakfast. “Somehow, we just stumbled upon an interesting ’32 Ford that was up for grabs,” Mike told HOT ROD. The boys soon realized that this Deuce was no ordinary, thrown-together jalopy hurled before the masses in the hopes of receiving a few random offers. This was a legit, Henry-Ford-steel ride, and a veteran hot rodder’s longtime project; it was a solid car, but one designed and executed to suit the current owner’s eclectic taste. “Though the Ford wasn’t built the way we would have done it, the Deuce did have all the major building blocks of our dream hot rod,” Sean said. “Another plus was the fact…

Email us at hotrod@hotrod.com In the beginning, the HOT ROD Power Tour had just seven Long Haulers—participants who joined the staff for the cross-country trek from Los Angeles to Norwalk, Ohio. In the intervening years, the number of Long Haulers has grown exponentially, and this year we had nearly 4,500 cars make the five-day trip with us. To celebrate and acknowledge these dedicated folks, we have traditionally run a group picture of the Long Haulers in the magazine. As you can imagine, that became a very difficult task as their numbers increased. Photographer Wes Allison was usually the person tasked with planning and executing the Long Hauler picture, and he has many horror stories to tell from years of these group photos. The settings ranged from the bleachers on a…

I first met Steve Strope in 1995 while photographing his 1965 Chevy El Camino at what is now known as Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. That car/truck appeared in the October ’96 issue of HOT ROD. Sometime later, Steve showed up unannounced in this author’s Van Nuys, California, driveway with a 1966 Dodge Charger that would go on to become Skully, the fully custom-built rod that was featured in the October 1998 issue of HOT ROD and on HOT ROD’s Top Ten list for 1999. Skully went from totally stock to a street machine that blew everyone away. When Steve showed me the car in stock form and explained what he had planned for it, I thought the plans were overly ambitious, but damn if he didn’t pull it…

It’s amazing that nearly 70 years have passed since Chevrolet married a Corvette front end to a wagon rear end and created the Bel Air Nomad concept car. Introduced at the 1954 General Motors Motorama, the two-door styling exercise was an instant hit and was hurried into production to join the 1955 lineup. GM brass, however, correctly surmised that the production version was better suited to the Bel Air underpinnings than those of the Corvette station wagon show car. The production car, described in brochures as “the brightest new star on wheels,” would closely follow the concept. Former GM Designer Larry Erickson, who also designed CadZZilla, said at the time, “It was the purest of the wagons. It retained the open, radiused rear wheelwells, the single-spear side trim, unique headlight…

The downside to buying a car on the cheap is that a ton of work is needed to get it to the finish line. The rolling shell of this 1968 Camaro that we picked up for $6,000 wasn’t as bad as some of the rusty hulks we checked out for less coin, but it was still in need of a lot of TLC. We had done the major bodywork such as quarter-panels, new framerails, and even mini-tubs, so now it was time to get the body ready for paint. The timeframe for this stage can be as long or as short as desired; it just depends on how nice we want the final product to be. We could smear the car with filler, hit it hard and fast with a…

Like many of the cars that come to his shop, Jeff Lilly described Edgar’s Galaxie as “spent,” saying it had been cobbled together with nearly any part he could find to keep the car the road. “The body was so rough even the convertible rear drain area below the back window was rotted through,” said Jeff. “A rebody is not really the word for this car,” continued Jeff. “The only original parts we could use were some of the convertible top mechanisms.” Since there are hardly any reproduction parts for these big Fords, you must find decent used parts or fabricate new ones from scratch. Jeff’s team used the quarter-panels from a Galaxie hardtop found in Arizona, along with one of that car’s doors, a left fender, and the hood.…

It’s been called the world’s largest rolling car show, and that’s right. Every year we expect the turnout to level off, but it just continues to grow. Why? Well, the obvious answer is that it’s all about the cars—but is it? After all, you can go to quite a few car shows and check out thousands of hot rods, customs, and classics. Our theory is that the HOT ROD Power Tour, Driven by Continental Tire, is fueled by people. It’s a chance for those who share a passion for hot-rodding to get together, travel the back roads of America, and spend five days being immersed in the hot-rodding culture. The superhighways and expressways that make travel between population centers faster come at a cost. These marvels of speedy travel let…

In terms of performance, the malaise of the ’80s meant dark days for hot-rodders, but there were a few, very few, bright spots. One of these was the Buick Grand National. Back in 1981 and 1982, Buick wanted to capitalize on their success in the NASCAR Grand National Series, so the plan was to build 100 Regal Grand Nationals, a number that swelled to 215 units in 1982. Power came from a naturally aspirated 4.1-liter V6 that only put out a bit over 120 hp. Yawn. They skipped the 1983 model year to regroup, and in 1984, launched the Grand National we all know and love. Powered by a turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 that put out 200 hp, and a more impressive 300 lb-ft of torque, these Buicks were only a…