Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue# 30 i Rodding USA

Rodding USA reader David Widhelm and his wife Jodina recently took a cruise that featured a stop in Havana, Cuba. He was rather excited as any car guy would be considering the fact that thousands of classic cars roam the streets as normal, everyday transportation. He was kind enough to share his photos with Rodding USA so that we in turn could share them with you. Although the cars may not be the quality that we’re accustomed to, you can see that they have done the best with what they have to work with and they love brightly colored paint jobs. We hope that you enjoy this glimpse back in time and the fact that American cars are appreciated in all parts of the world.…

Long time hot rodder and East Coast pin striper Jerry Campbell of Wilmington, Delaware has built and owned many rods over the past 40 years. Some of those cars have included a 1946 Ford convertible, ’34 Ford sedan delivery and several 1932 Fords. Jerry’s been building cars since the age of 19 and pin striping them almost as long. He met his wife-to-be in 1965 when he owned a black 1934 Ford, three window coupe. They would get married 2-1/2 years later and as time went by, his wife Edie told her friends, “this car business won’t last, he’ll grow out of it.” Little did she know what she was getting in to! In April, 2018 they will be sharing their 50th wedding anniversary and Edie is still waiting for…

Hot rodders go through changes, just like the machines that get our blood pumping. What was cool a few years ago may not be cool today—it’s all in the eye of the beholder. And that’s what brings us to the 1951 Mercury on these pages. Russ Pendley is the proud owner of the custom coupe, and he considers this his dream Mercury. It may not be your dream Mercury, but that distinct vision is what makes the hot rodding world go ‘round. Russ cars hot rods for many years, but shifted gears toward traditional hot rods and customs a number of years ago. His shop is packed with killer project cars, but this Mercury is the centerpiece of his collection, and it means a lot to him. It wasn’t this…

BACKUP MIRROR/CAMERA THIS is a Watsons StreetWorks exclusive! Watson’s StreetWorks has just introduced a Backup Mirror/Camera combination with 2 styles of cameras; either a license plate mounted camera or a body mounted unit. This is a 4.3-inch screen in a custom billet center mirror. It can be mounted on your dash or overhead. The smoked glass on the mirror looks great when the screen is off and cuts the nighttime glare from lights behind you. The arm pivots at both ends giving you plenty of adjustment. Wiring the system is amazingly easy, just supply power and ground to the camera and screen, then one wire joins the 2. Choose from either a license plate mounted camera or a body mounted unit. Both packages include the billet framed mirror/screen with mounting…

When you have to postpone an annual event things get complicated, especially when all money raised goes to charity. Shelby’s Way, a 501c3 nonprofit hosts this event each year and the 11th Annual Hot Rod Hullabaloo had to be rescheduled for October 21st due to hurricane Harvey. I was worried about the turnout...a rescheduled event may conflict with other plans and may also be on the same date as an event already scheduled, it’s a chance we take. We had a brisk Fall Saturday with some warmth from the sun and over 630 Hot Rods, Kustoms, Street Machines, Muscle Cars, Pickups and Specialty Vehicles. The participants and spectators enjoyed a day filled with plenty of live music from Danny Dean & the Homewreckers along with our own Hot Rod Hullabaloo…

Ron Olmstead began his hot rodding adventures in 1955 when he purchased his first car from his aunt…a 1950 Chevy Fleetline. He made it into a mild custom by shaving the hood and deck, painting it black as well as fitting it with white walls, Fiesta hub caps and a dual exhaust system. While in high school a friend of Ron’s gave him the nickname of “Mouse.” This friend was over 6-feet tall while Ron trailed behind at barely 5-feet. That name stuck with him and has become well known among the hot rod crowd. His high school car club was called the “Playboys” and were located in the Valley of the Sun…Phoenix, Arizona. He and his club friends built a ’51 Henry J B/ gas racer that did well…

We have all been to hot rod/street rod events where everyone parks their vehicle in their favorite spot and then walks around looking at the cars. That is all well and good, as we all know that it is in reality a big social event for the owners and admirers of these vehicles. However, aren’t hot rods meant to be driven? That is certainly one of the beliefs of members of the CrossMembers Car Club. Their other belief is in Jesus Christ. Not a bad combination from what I can tell. On Saturday, October 7, 2017, members of the CrossMembers hosted their fourth annual STL (St. Louis, Missouri) Hot Rod Hundred. They also host similar events in and around Southwest Missouri, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Oklahoma City, and North Texas. While these…

The 2017 edition of the SEMA Show took place from October 31 – November 3 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and was the biggest one to date. It’s hard to believe that this event continues to grow larger and have more attendees than the previous year. This is certainly a good sign that the automotive aftermarket is not slowing down in any category and continues to grow.…

Bob and Mary Watrous live in the Northern California town of Grass Valley where they have built their dream home atop a hill along with a Rodding Cave/ workshop that would be a dream come true for many rodders. Bob’s been a rodder for many years and his current stable includes a 1932 Ford roadster, 1932 Ford pickup and a 1932 Ford 3-w coupe which we featured in Issue 28 of Rodding USA. Bob’s garage was well thought out and is the ideal facility to build and work on projects as well as having a clean, safe area for his finished rods. The shop encompasses nearly 3,000 square feet and was well thought out and was designed to include all the amenities necessary to keep Bob extremely content in his…

This year’s trip to the Goodguys Southwest Nationals at West World in Scottsdale, Arizona was a bit different in that this was the first year Rodding USA had a vendor space. Considering this show is in our back yard (only 128 miles from Tucson to West World) it only made sense to offer our magazine to the Southwestern rodders. This marked the 20th anniversary of the event and it turned out to be the largest to date with nearly 4,000 cars and a massive swap meet. Something rather odd took place on Friday about mid-morning when we began to see droves of rodders entering the vendor tent and they were wet. Yes, wet as in it’s raining outside which never happens in November in Arizona. It rained lightly for…

The Relics and Rods car club was formed in 1975 by nine residents of Lake Havasu City, AZ who had the same interest in hot rods. In 1978 the club decided to put on a car show which was held in the parking lot of the London Bridge shopping center. The first show was called the “Camp-O-Rama” and 28 cars showed up including a few from California. The club decided it would be better to have it on the grass at a golf resort and the name of the show was changed to the “Run to the Sun.” Over the years the car show grew to a five-day event and the non-profit club has raised over $300,000 which has all been donated to local charities. The club held their 40th…

When I was 12 years old, (in the early 1950s) I was my father’s right-hand man, working in his fender and body shop. I always admired my Dad because of his talent as an auto body mechanic. While I worked for him, I was assigned with sweeping the floors, cleaning the work tables, and organizing the tools. Dad hated having dirt under his feet while working, so I kept the shop spotless. As I got older, my father allowed me to take on more responsibility in the shop. I would often hold brackets, or a fender that he was welding. One time, as he was stick welding, one of the hot bee bees jumped right into my sock and burned my leg. I guess he never heard of child labor…

Jerry and Jason Slover, proprietors of Pete and Jake’s Hot Rod Parts in Peculiar, Missouri purchased this 1932 Ford 1-ton truck from the original owner with only 21,000 actual miles on it. The truck was purchased new in Saint Louis, MO and was driven directly to the Bailey Farm in Marshall, MO where it spent its entire life before being purchased by the Slovers. The Slovers had always liked a similar truck which was built by Pete Eastwood in California and was the reason behind the purchase. Once the truck was back at the P&J shop, plans were put in place to give it a complete overhaul including suspension, drive-train and paint. The heavy duty hauler was put back in service in 1985 and is a conversation piece wherever it…

Jack Linden has built over two dozen street rods and muscle cars starting back in the late ‘60s. Although these projects included several ‘32 Fords, he had never been able to find the right steel 3-window project which he could afford. That all changed when he found this old Deuce 3/W as a running hot rod up in Toronto, Canada in 2007. It was an old build from the 1970s but had a great chop and a nice stance. The chassis was quite dated with a Mustang steering box and a tired old Chevy 350 small block backed up by a Muncie 4-speed and a ‘57 Ford rear end. He wasn’t looking for a show car, he just wanted a good driver with “great bones.” Following a brief negotiation Jack…