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9/August/08. A whole new page has been added; Blogs. Check out our new Blogs area. You might feel strongly about an aspect of street rodding\hot rodding and you've wanted to get that point of view across to others. You might just want to record some noteworthy rodding milestone - it doesn't have to be political. If you want to be published, drop me a line. Do you admire collectors? I do, usually. They spend the dollars necessary to keep a lot of cars from falling into disrepair, cars that are sometimes traded with those of without collections, thus assisting the overall movement. This collector focuses not only on a single brand of vehicles, but also a particular year. I think I know this person's name, but as it isn't published on the site, we'll respect his privacy. Check out a very fine collection of 1935 Fords here; http://www.users.bigpond.com/bikeandcar/index.htm We are all about restored cars, so far, as this yarn is about the journey of a '31 Model A Fordor that was driven for 5 days across America. In fact, one of the more interesting points about this story is that the car is largely un-restored, in that the body has never been off the frame. These people are not at all hostile towards rodders, although you may feel that you can detect a little hostility towards the rat-rodder who has hacked up some old tin for very little aesthetic reward, as I did. Rodders might also be amused at how very few miles they travelled in those 5 days, but hey, the thing is an original 79 year old, give it a break; http://idisk.mac.com/forever4/Public/pages/sleepingbeauty.htm How about a slide show made up of cars and people from 1938? There is scant information in this YouTube clip, but it is an interesting way to spend 2 minutes & 38 seconds; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fujo5fHSCzk Peter Crain 4/August/08. Rod Hadfield is probably the best known Aussie rodder, both within Australia, and overseas, but this YouTube clip might help you understand the man, and one his more radical machines, a bit better. The Merlin '55 Chevy was built some years back, and is still generating interest all over the 'net. See the professional quality video of the '55 here; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIj2GVfua84&feature=related If a V12 sounds interesting, how about a V16? That should be at least 50% more interesting. When the V16 is installed in a '34 Ford roadster, with the same sort of professionalism as Hadfield's, then we should sit up & take notice. Take a tour of the project on YouTube; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrCOupYZfww&feature=related There is also some info regarding V16's in general on Wikipedia, here and Marmons here. Internet piracy, whether or not it is intentional, is something to be very careful about, as lawyers are trolling the 'net continually, looking for people to sue over copyright infringement. YouTube is rightly paranoid over the issue, as they have miles of material uploaded every second, some of which the uploader does not have the right to post. The following is clip of a man flipping through his (??!) copy of The Rodders Journal, and reading a quick synopsis of some of the articles. I don't think that this form of piracy will cost TRJ any sales; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NuinY9cph8 Nostalgia drag racing fans can fill up with some very old nitro-laced stories about the Schultz & Glenn team. Nitro was about $10 a gallon then, and front engined fuellers were nearing the end of their time, with some of the chassis manufacturers offering both configurations. Its a great read; http://www.dragsters.net/schultz&Glenn/shlz&gle.html 15/July/08. Some club web sites are a little dry, but that is not the case at the Wheelers club, as their site has some interesting people and yarns. Unlike some of the recycled clubs, this is an internet based club, so even the old geezers are internet savvy, in the same way you are, dear reader. Visit their club "rooms" at; http://home.comcast.net/~cuznbrucie/WHEELERS.htm There are miles of speed shops, so some specialise in a niche market, and do well in a limited area. The Silva Speed Shop has miles of product that is great for all projects, but there is also a strong traditional influence. Take a look at the Chassis page, and check out the original style cross-members, for an example of the point; Their site is at: http://www.silvaspeedshop.com/ Did you know that GM made a Chevy V8 with the distributor at the front? Before you collapse in a state of shock, be aware that the only place that you are likely to see the engine is at US NASCAR races, as the R07 is designed with that market in mind. It looks not unlike an LS1 - LS7, but that front mounted dizzy will throw most Chevy spotters. It has been out for over a year now, so read about it by clicking here . 6/July/08. Some of the articles we have published have taken weeks to put together, as names and facts have to be collected, where possible. I have had some material for more than thirty years - a collection of a few of the cartoons that I drew for the Rods Inc. Newsletter, one of the more popular and informative such rag-lets that were published in Australia, in the '70's. Rods Inc, still one of the premier clubs, was started in 1964, and by the '70's the club, though not necessarily all the members, had matured to the point where a newsletter was within the capabilities of the committee. I'll try to find some more cartoons from the olden days, and may even add some new renditions. To see them, click here. The cartoons page replaces the time consuming Classifieds page. Being a frustrated metalworker, I love looking at cars & chassis that illustrate the talents of those who really know both their trade and their craft. The following link is to a project being undertaken by a Gold Coast company - a Nissan powered '28 Model A. The YouTube page contains two videos; be sure to watch both videos here, then go to the web site of Racecraft Custom Fabrication & Machining, and do not miss out on the link to the "Cusso build" - fantastic workmanship by a very talented crew. Frustrated metalwokers in the Pleasanton area can relieve the symptoms by learning the art from a pro, or if you are a shy retiring type, or live too far from their Pleasanton location to attend classes, they have video courses available for sale. Visit their site first, at http://www.lazze.us/, then decide if their skills are adequate. The all-alloy Willys coupe should convince you that they know much of which they speak. Are you considering a pickup for a project? If so, you owe it to yourself to check out the repro bodies and components at Classic '36 pickup. Their 'glass repro bodies come in 3 sizes, kinda like fractional fitting for the larger man about the farm; regular, biggie and big boy. Check them out at; http://www.classic36pickup.com/ A couple of interesting nostalgia racing clips came our way recently. Neither are of very great quality - one appears to be have recorded via a camera in front of a telly - but the subject matter is dear to our hearts. The Vintage Drags clip is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzfFusEj4eM&NR=1, and the legendary, and hair raising, 15oz '34 coupe is available at http://youtube.com/watch?v=mN4z7hzjWE8 26/June/08. The Rodders Journal is probably the greatest idea that any rodder ever had - a coffee table quality book that is created by very knowledgeable people, and just keeps coming out. The last issue that I have has the Mondello & Matsubara fuel altered on the cover (or the back cover). Even before the edition came out, there were stories going around the net about the $500 worth of fuel the team burned up, while the photographers got the shot right. There was also the fact that some cops turned up to see what the noise was, and stayed to enjoy it. You can listen too, as YouTube has quite a few clips of this legend; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugmq-nPtxqk & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYiXAFXQCzs should do the trick. It was at the Goulburn Nats, and 10 of us were exiting a services club after lunch. Dressed 'normally' in jeans & jackets, we were waiting for a mini-bus, when Johnny Z stopped outside in his black roadster pickup. Johnny, as is his custom, looked frightful - the body piercings, ghostly contact lenses and garish pointy punk hair was designed to have that effect, and his female companion looked almost as startling. Mouths agape, we stood in silence, then Johnny whipped out a camera, popped the flash, bellowed "We're just taking some shots of all the weirdos!", then roared off. If nothing else, his sense of humour is priceless. See more of Johnny here; http://www.johnnyz.com.au/ Another individual who is at all the big events, is Michael Dascoli, a highly accomplished Victorian rodder who had the foresight to start his own public broadcasting style TV show, named Rodders Life. Visit the Rodders Life web site & catch up with some of the news about his team here; http://www.rodderslife.com.au Hunting for Vintage Tin is always exciting, though rarely as fruitful as it once was. There are still huge caches of abandoned cars in lost junk yards all over the world, despite the best efforts of the Chinese and Indian steel mills to gobble up all the scrap they can devour. Check out these two yards on YouTube, before they go to the big scrap smelter in the sky; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a67O0fL2Dc&NR=1 & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbvbCt8Qmwc&NR=1 19/June/08. If you would like to see your car on HRF, just send me an e-mail, and I'll let you know what do. You don't have to pay anything, and it might not be as difficult as you think. Traditional rods are those that attempt to recreate the style of hot rod that existed during a period at some time in the past, generally pre-1960, though some more exclusive styles insist on only pre-war accoutrement. The style is almost always diluted, or even bastardised, by the owner's use of generator cases that house alternators, late model safety glass, late brakes and in some cases (shudder!) radial tyres. The purists positively reject all late model trappings, and in most cases, these unique vehicles come in just the one shade - flat black. Still, that doesn't mean they aren't unique, nor interesting, so we have covered a few web sites here... The name Suhr keeps coming up in these 3 sites, as Zach Suhr runs the workshop known as Suhr Speed & Custom, in Piketown PA, that we kick off with, and is also President of The Flyers Roadster Club. Zach, a talented web site producer as well as traditional hot rod builder, is also an honorary member of The Hot Irons. Visit with Zach, and read about his family's long hot rod connection here, and be sure to look at all the cars in the gallery named The Cars; http://www.suhrsc.com/ The Hot Iron club is a recycled club, in that they have the name and some of the history of a pre-war club, and are determined to honour those original members, through the recreation of cars (and possibly clothing) styles from the period. The site is both well laid out and interesting, and the smooth tones of Cab Calloway help get you into the period; http://www.hotironclub.com Another recycled club, the Flyers Roadster Club also honours its former members, and sets the standard in one of the main pages, where it says that "Period correct Pre 1955 style only" cars are allowed. Aahh, that takes me back. I can remember when the standard for a car being a Hot Rod was that it be pre-1949, and of American origin. What's that, that argument is still going? Anyhoo, have a look at the pages of the Flyers, and enjoy the pictures, without any of the controversy that might be generated when such a narrow range of artistic expression is allowed; http://www.flyerscc.com/ 15/June/08. I apologise. Not to take anything away from the major apologies that have been in the news, but because it was my fault that I didn't have a backup, and when I lost a hard drive on my computer, it took me months to recover. Now I am quite sensitive to the issue of backups, Raid mirroring etc, so it probably won't happen again. There are two new articles to view tonight, and the Wintersun story is almost ready to go. How about an Australian hot rod shop that has a great web site, to kick off with? I always go straight to the gallery pages to see the type of cars they have been building, and this site is quite interesting. Have a look at http://www.hotrodhi-way.com.au/ and make up your own mind. Are you interested in old-timey drag racing vehicles? The Vintage Fuel web site is chock-a-block full of details of racers & meets, both contemporary and events that happened before some of us were born. http://vintagefuel.com/index.html has it all, and you could spend hours on this fascinating web site. When I bought my first Model A parts from the US in the mid '70s, the Australian dollar bought $1.17 in greenbacks, and the supplier was Antique Auto Supply, in Texas. Now the dollars are closer to that rate than at any time since 1977, and Antique Auto are still peddling parts for old cars. Now someone has made a movie about Stacey Brown and his collection of NOS (new, old stock) parts; check it out on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VadAcb94GZE YouTube continues to grow, with some fabulous, but mostly junk, short movies of all manner of topics. We found this gem, which features the legendary Golden Sahara II, a George Barris built contraption that had almost every futuristic do-dad that was remotely conceivable in 1962. Thats not to say that remote controlled and voice activated cars weren't possible in '62, but they certainly weren't in every home; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh79rjltJJI 12/Dec/07. We are always interested in interesting rod shops, and this one is a doozy. Tim Divers has a shop named after him, in Startup, WA (it sounds like Bill Gates had a hand in the naming of the town), and they do top flight work for lucky locals. Their web site is tasteful, well laid out, and informative. There is even a cars for sale page. But the real reason to visit has to be the Ferrambo - a 1960 Rambler wagon, with a mid-mounted Ferrari motor. Yes, straight from the Why Would You Bother Department, this project is headed for the Detroit Autorama; Check it all out, at: http://diversstreetrods.com/ The NZ Beach Hop people have put together a Give away car - a period correct '59 Pontiac Catalina. Just $5 a ticket, they should do nicely as this run is supported by thousands of entrants. The raffle details are on their main page; http://www.beachhop.co.nz/ Mike Siewert has an evolving site that focuses on the action in and around his native Calgary, Canada. The Foothills Street Rod Association, and the North of Bonneville salt lake racers are a large part of Mike's life, and figure prominently in his University of Calgary hosted site; http://www.ucalgary.ca/~mdsiewer/ 5/Dec/07. Your garage might be a wonderful place that stores miles of memorabilia, truckloads of tools and a vast collection of tin. I bet that it isn't as good, or as unusual as this Australian collector's home away from home - his underground railway of collectibles; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpch7qt6NFI This YouTube clip is a compilation - the Shirley Muldowney and Don Garlits interviews are from the seventies, but there is a swag of late '50s and '60s era material. There are wild Willys coupes and sedans, roadsters of all description, and one body-less '34 jobby powered by an Ardun. Did the Orange Crate ever run an Ardun? Maybe not, but it is a very classy ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOxJtEgMgtE The Department or Revisiting old stories has something to contribute to this issue - do you remember the roadster that we covered in October '06. No, I didn't either, but there has been some progress in the rebuild of one man's dream - a channeled survivor that he built in 1957; http://www.airbum.com/NeatShtpix/Roadster.html Are you planning a trip to California? This site promises to have all the info on upcoming events, which might be really helpful when you are debating which trips to take. The current Events page lists dozens of events right up to December this year, plus there are pictures from recent events in the state; http://www.socalcarculture.com/ 28/Nov/07. The current fashion amongst the low-buck dragster fraternity involves the production of cookie cutter machines that all look much the same. That's ok, consider early speedway cars, where the paint and racing number were all that distinguished one look alike from the other, but it isn't necessary within modern drag racing. The legendary Tommy Ivo twin Buick powered rail from '59 couldn't be confused with any other, and this site has enough detailed photographs to allow anyone to reproduce a close copy. Just don't make 10 of them; http://www.standard1320.com/Ivo/Buicks/TwinBuick/TwinBuick.html Bangers, not the type that English people serve with mashed potato, are typically early ford side valve fours, usually from a Model T motor up to a '34 flat head four. They have been more noticeable in recent years, though the supply of original motors is dwindling. Most banger enthusiasts are keen to avoid the belly button syndrome of the typical small block V8 power plant that is installed into rods, racers and resto's. Along those lines, this next page, though a little dated, has some excellent info on the art of running a banger; http://www.hotforhotfours.com/history_101.htm R.T. Street Rods is another special interest vehicle vendor, located in Pennsylvania. They have quite a few cars in stock, and their pages are updated fairly often. If you are in the area, look them up; http://www.rtstreetrods.com/index.html Here is another shop, Lockit Sockets, though these people manufacture interesting tools, and are connected with Pyramid Street Rods, so be sure to click on the Street Rods in the works button at the top of the page. If someone wants to send me a sample of their sockets, we could road test them; http://www.lockitsocket.com/ 28/Nov/07. The holidays are nearly here - enjoy some of these short clips, and be sure to look at the associated clips in the YouTube side bar. Lions Drag Strip only ran for a bit over a decade, but the various magazines ensured that some of the pictures in this montage would be indelibly etched in our minds, for as long as we have minds. The background music is period perfect as well; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn7S_CTvcA0 Advertising has changed quite a lot over the years. Contemporary TV ads are direct & to the point, in the main, sometimes to the extent of the presenter having to scream at the hapless housewife consumer before she commits to a purchase. Ads in the olden days were less brutal - this Ford ad for a '65 Mustang appears to be selling picnics - the product isn't even mentioned! Ok, it is seen in almost every frame, but the effect is almost subliminal - oblique at best; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyUjr8HdEqQ&mode=related&search= This one doesn't need any explanation. Just make sure the cat is out, crank the sound waaaay, up, then click on this link; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px7yT2CvtC8 So this is Christmas. It must be, as there are streams of cars cruising past my house at night, most packed with children gaping at the lights on the house across the road, and others up & down the street. The annual Christmas lights tours are gaining in popularity, whether or not the cruisers subscribe to those particular superstitious beliefs. I was being taken to task by an avid house illuminator over the matter of the amount of fuel we rodders consume in our 'gas guzzlers', and how that consumption was ruining the ecology. I pointed out that the mid evening suburban traffic jams across the nation would be responsible for far more gas consumption than a typical rod run, not to mention the electricity consumption. Before anyone can say "Bah! Humbug!", lets finish with 'Wizards in Winter' by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and a light show; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orZg8F2Nfa0&mode=related&search= 21/Nov/07. Cruizin', the West Australian based half hour public TV show is quite popular amongst the relatively small base of viewers within the the broadcast range of the Channel 31 network. Many potential viewers simply cannot pick up the signal, and viewers outside Australia are missing out on an opportunity to hear Hot Rod spoken in strine. Most, if not all, of the presenters are knowledgeable rodders, and though the productions are low dollar, the effort is appreciated by regular viewers. To see the show in the small screen on the net, go to the Channel 31 site, click on the Click here to watch TV on your computer button, select Cruizin' if the icon is available, or select c from the alphabet then Cruizin. Enjoy. While the Bonneville story was being prepared we heard that long time salt racer Art Arfons had passed away. NHRA news has the story, and the internet has miles of interesting pages about this colourful character, and his Green Monster series of jet cars that Art & his half brother Walt raced. Some articles can be found here, here, and here. Sometimes a vertical interest site, such as Hot Rod Features, is forgiven a few bugs and the fact that they don't have the very latest whiz-bang pop-ups, menus and banners; hell it could be a raw text page, and if it has good info about our hobby we don't mind. This MoPar site has it coming & going, packed with swoopy programming & chock-a-block full of info on interesting MoPar products. Did you know that you could buy a new crate engine variant of the Hemi, called the 392? It is recommended reading; http://www.mo-pod.com/ To finish up, we have another item from the Why Would You Bother department: this company makes a 3/4 scale deuce roadster. As if deuce hiboys weren't small enough, Chupps Hot Rods have put the original dimensions on a diet, just when everyone else is making bodies with longer doors and passenger compartments. to accommodate the ever enlarging girth of the typical rodder. Mind you, if you were vertically challenged, and the only luggage you needed for a good weekend was a credit card and a condom, then maybe this car would be big enough. We are sure there are other uses, so have a look; it would look good under a x-mas tree; http://www.chuppshotrods.com 14/Nov/07. Here is an interesting way to advertise your hard copy (printed) publication - Google Book Search published important parts of it; not the whole book, but just enough to whet your appetite. The example we found is Hot Rodders Bible, by The Rodders Journal's Gerry Burger & Steve Hendrickson. Check it out by clicking here. Having worked as a sheet metal worker for a short time, I have the utmost respect for people who can fabricate intricate parts out of a flat sheet of material. Chris Davenport takes some very flat aluminium and turns it into a '41 Willys coupe body! Not with the aid of expensive dies and 50 ton presses, but through the old fashioned method of a wheeling machine, and years of practice. His web site is not all that informative, but go to the Gallery page and have a look at the progression of the '41 Willys, from flat sheet to fully formed, with opening & closing doors, deck lid & front clip; http://www.aluminumstreetrods.com/index.php?base=willys Oddly enough, the Metalshapers site has more details, and something dear to our heart - informative captions. This another of those sites that could turn a wet weekend into a great experience, with miles of articles and photos of various projects; http://www.allshops.org/cgi-bin/community/communityalbums.cgi?action=openalbum&albumid=9980231374607 Not a hot rod, more along the the line of 'why the hell would you bother?' really, but presented for your amazement and edification - the amazing one third scale Ferrari 312PB. The video is professionally made, and provides some insight into why; http://www.shoutfile.com/v/P8NtRgag/Stunning_Fully_Functional_13_Scale_Ferrari_312PB 7/Nov/07. Bonneville is still big news, even if it has been and gone for this season. Most of the printed media have covered it, but we are just getting into the stories and great photos sent by Kerry Fehlberg. I hope we can do justice to the photos, as Kerry went to a great deal of effort to take the shots. Contact HRF if you would like large size prints of any of Kerry's shots, printed in superb high definition, full gloss detail. This site has miles of reasonable quality videos from recent Bonneville events, though at the time of our last visit, the site seemed as slow as molasses in winter. Doug hisself has lots of 'toys', which is how some people describe their rods, and they can be seen by clicking here. BonnevilleRacing.com is a URL that says it all - you could spend all day looking at the interesting things that make up our fascination with going flat out in a salt shaker. The movies page has miles of footage - make the most of it. Have you ever wanted to know or been asked about a dimension on a stock Model A? This site is more of a research resource than a site that promotes any particular person or product, so check it out, and be sure to follow the instructions at the top of the page.; http://home.cogeco.ca/~deuceguy/Model_A_Scans_Main.htm 1/Nov/07. There is no particular theme this week, so we'll kick off with one of the more unusual hot rods we have ever seen. The car is a '29 Model A Tudor, located in far away Finland, and built by Makela Auto Tuning. Powered by a ballsy 2 litre BDA Cosworth engine that makes 250 hp at 9500 rpm, the restoration photos are among the best we have see. Pay particular attention to the "wooden" wheels. Ok, we all know that Model A's didn't have wooden wheels - but they might have in Finland, the home of the Fir tree. See the build gallery; http://www.mat.fi/project1929fordmodel-a.htm Ok, after viewing the build photos, now take a look at the car on the road. Most die hard rodders will make rude noises about the exhaust note of the non-V8 Cosworth, but to some it will be a refreshing change from the V8 rumble. Well, not all V8s rumble, and if they just purr, then maybe they would be better off with a more fuel efficient system. This BDA wouldn't consume any less juice than most V8s, when it is being flogged in the manner shown in the video; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFSGSL3Nrmc Back to more conventional rods, this is a rod shop in Yucuipa, California, so expect some "traditional" cars to come out of this shop. They appear to lean more to the ratty style of rod, though not as outlandish as some; http://www.vintagehammergarage.com/ 21/July/07. YouTube again - this time we'll open with a pair of nostalgia classics, the first of which is about the Winged Express, an AA\FA T bucket driven by 'Wild' Willy Borsch. Willy was a heavy smoker and died of throat cancer at an early age. His racing team partner, Al Marcellus, still runs the team, and they run the Winged Express at 6 or 8 nostalgia meets a year. Curiously, Willy tours with them, as Al always has on hand the urn that contains Willy's ashes! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_QrDmeEFTs This is an odd video, in that it shows the progress of a nostalgia dragster at Famoso Raceway, Bakersfield CA, and the camera is on top of the roll bar. It is also noteworthy in that the 'chute failed to open, but the rail rolls to a stop safely, turning off on the last exit, before shutting the blown hemi down; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcepSv2jtJQ The strip has their own web site too; http://www.famosoraceway.com/ Staying with nostalgia, but getting away from the videos, you could spend hours looking at the huge volume of photos of race cars, stockers, gassers, pro-stocks and altereds, that raced in the 60's and 70's, in and around Winnipeg, Canada. The mind boggles at what some of these Super Stock cars would be worth now, as most of them were very limited production runs; http://www.mts.net/~57ford/reunion11.html 14/July/07. YouTube has some mildly interesting material on it, and some real gems. These are all gems, and for different reasons. The first is Part One of Hot Rods & Customs, though the origin of this well produced documentary is a mystery, at the moment. In this segment, Gene Winfield cuts up a ratty '49 Merc, and creates yet another of his custom made masterpieces; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTlYD-i8070 In Part Two, we hear from such luminaries as Pat Ganahl, from The Rodders Journal, Vic Edelbrock Jr, the pom Tony Thacker and Pete Chapouris, both from So-Cal, and many others. The series appears to be incomplete, so we'll keep an eye out for Part Three. In the meantime, take a trip back in time to the dry lakes, and even a glimpse of an early rod run; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjegWFT6r0Y Sticking with the YouTube theme, we now look at an indulgent collage of clips of rods at various events. There is no special message, nor is there any info on the cars displayed, so just sit back and enjoy; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlwSSkB55jo Have you ever been involved with a bulletin board? They can be a lot of fun, and a great source of information. Here is your chance to get onto one at the ground level - the Deuces Limited club, in Texas, has just started up a bulletin board, so, get on board, as it were; http://deuceslimited.activeboard.com/ 7/July/07. Hands up all those who have never wanted a woodie. Just as I thought, everyone has wanted a woodie at some stage of their life. To some, having a woodie is central to their very existence - without a woodie they are no-one. I can vaguely recall having a woodie myself some years back... but I digress. Some web sites have really poor music that plays as soon as you enter the site, some are like Hot Rod Features - nothing. No music. Silence. That is probably because, as with things automotive, one person's favourite tune may sound awful to another. This next site, belonging to the National Woody Club, has music in the intro page, and it is really cool guitar work - but then it stops in mid-riff! Alas, they can't play a whole album in the intro, so we appreciate the little that we get. The rest of their web site is really great also, and very topical, given our emphasis on woodies; http://www.nationalwoodieclub.com/ California Woodies has a neat site also, and yes, they have some neat music that plays on entry, but it is so predictable that it sounds kitschy. Great stuff though, and be sure to check out the rest of their site. They have a tiny for sale page that only has a couple of entries, but these things often change; http://www.californiawoodies.com The Southern California Woodie Club also has their own web site, and it is mute, where you might think they would be a certainty for a Jan & Dean number at least. There is a great story on the Gallery page, and the Calendar has plenty of info on the dates to put a (tree) ring around; http://www.socalwoodies.com The Woodie Works - that name alone is going to attract some attention; it could be either a declarative statement, or a place where woodies are made. The site is chock full of details on all manner of woodies, not just the one belonging to the talented owner of the site. The current projects page is fascinating, and the concept art page is a great way to make a point; http://www.woodieworks.net/wwindex.html Doug Car builds woodies for people, so his business is known as the Wood N' Carr, which is a nice play on words. They also make kits, so that people can assemble their own station wagon or Sportsman body, and have all the fun of making the wooden bits fit together; http://www.woodncarr.net/ 30/June/07.
A new article has been added to
Events. This is another international link; this time to the British NSRA site that relates the story of how two New Yorkers drove their deuce coupes to Bonneville, last year. The story is quite pertinent, as the New Yorkers, collectively known as the Rolling Bones team, did it again this year, and Kerry Fehlberg was at Bonneville to capture the dizzying array of rods and racers that attended the greatest collection of flat out racers anywhere on earth. Kerry's fabulous photos will appear here in a few weeks, but in the meantime, take a trip to Bonneville with the Rolling Bones; http://www.nsra.org.uk/images/rb/index.htm This link is to a new and very professional Australian web site, and they specialize in tools and workshop gear that some readers will be looking for. The Rods & Relics Classifieds are just kicking off, so they are a bit sparse, but as with all new web sites, keep coming back. Check out the Gallery page, and if you are in need of panel beating equipment, call them; http://www.rodsandrelics.com.au/site/index.php In the spirit of American Hot Rod, another Southern California rod shop has its own TV show, and a new range of real life characters who are bound to alienate or attract members of the viewing public. The show is called Hard Shine, a reference to the main character and owner of the shop, Jimmy Shine. We remember the name from the Thacker & Shine Bonneville roadster of a few years ago, but the roadster has been sold and is now being campaigned by someone else. Jimmy is a former employee of the famed So-Cal shop, and former boss Pete Chapouris gives Jimmy a big wrap in the Bio page. Have a look at the site and see if you can tell us why James Dennis Falschlehner is referred to as Jimmy Shine. If you know the answer, send us a stamped, un-addressed envelope, and the explanation, and the neatest correct entry may win the prize of our choice, at a date in the future; http://www.jimmyshine.com 13/June/07. YouTube, that great stalwart for e-magazines that are short on content, does it again. The topic is The Hot Rod Story, which has been posted on YouTube in 3 parts. The first film has, in the opening 3 minutes, a fabulous shot of the old C-T Strokers fueller running at Lions Drag Strip, then we see an early rod run, in which the Dick Scritchfield and Dick Flint roadsters are seen on one of the 'reliability runs'. Not just the cars and owners are noteworthy, the film was produced in 1963 by Dean Moon, and narrated by Alex Xydias of So-Cal fame. The three films run for nearly 30 minutes; see the first one at; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf2_gDygn9A The second & third films concentrate on Bonneville, which is quite topical, as it looks as though racing will be limited to a single lane at this year's event, due to flooding, just as is depicted in the film. Back to the flick, click on the link to see the second; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sarx0JCLRU . Alex Xydias' commentary is inspirational - in the 3rd film, he displays the remains of a lunched motor and says that "the bearings lost interest in what they were supposed to do". Don't let me spoil it all for you, click here to finish; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-e5X-V5h_o Last week we covered a very small part of the world's hot rod shops. One of the most well known is the one that Alex Xydias started in the 50s, So-Cal. Their web site has loads of information, in particular about Alex Xydias and Pete Chapouris, who resurrected the business name some years back. Drop in, at: http://www.so-calspeedshop.com/ Not a hot rod shop in the strict sense of the expression, but a hot rod shop provider, Currie Enterprises manufacture, and re-manufacture all forms of rod related rears. Their 9" diffs are popular in all forms of motor sport, be it roundy racing, drag racing, or street rodding. Check out their wares at; http://www.currieenterprises.com/ 6/June/07. Shops. Hot Rod shops in particular, will be the theme for this issue, and what better shop to open with than the legendary Pete & Jakes. They, Pete Chapouris & Jim 'Jake' Jacobs, have been in partnership since 1973. They acquired the Super Bell business some years ago, and remain a reliable source of parts and excellent workmanship. The P & J blog page is a great read, rich in references (name dropping) to many well known rodders. Get all the details at their site; http://www.peteandjakes.com/ Not as well known, but Johnson's Garage has an interesting web presence all the same, particularly if you are into the wide white-walled, excessively channelled look. Be sure to check out their rat rod influenced projects, many of which are completed, and possibly being driven. See it at; http://www.johnsonsgarage.com/ We had heard that 'Squeak' Bell had sold his business, Kiwi Konnection, but the web site doesn't reflect that fact yet, if it is true. Located in a hot bed of rodding, Bakersfield CA, the transplanted Kiwi's name crops up in features of some very well known hot rods. They supply components to the many rod shops in the region, and overseas; http://www.kiwikonnection.com/ The A & M Deluxe Customs Inc. were voted builder of the year in one poll, and their web site is fabulous - the Gallery page is packed with interesting projects, and the 360 tour page is mind blowing! Only broadband users should bother, but the 18 different views that have been canned are really interesting. One rodder spent 6 hours following the various cameras as they slowly & intently panned around the various workshops. See it at; http://www.aandmdeluxecustoms.com/ Less high tech than most, the Kikin Street Rods site has a good Cars For Sale page that admittedly needs updating, but is a great place to find bits that may not get gobbled up on e-Bay; http://www.kikinstreetrods.com/ 30/May/07. Every year is the anniversary of some auspicious occasion, even if it is simply your own birthday. Those birthdays are usually celebrated especially hard if that anniversary is a "milestone", that is, your turning 40, 50, 60 etc. Well, the deuce is 75 this year, and it would have been difficult for anyone to fail to notice it, in our little community. Larry O'Toole did a great story on the vote that they conducted at Australian Street Rodding, and The Rodders Journal had a special edition. Even Ford Motor Company, with all their present problems, have noted the event with a great press release that lists the 75 best 1932 street rods ever built (in the USA), and there are some great cars among them. Dick Scritchfield's '32 Phaeton was a clunker pulled out of an Australian paddock in the 60's, and there may be other Australian connections in the list. Read the Ford story here: http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=23304 There was even a special organisation that was created to celebrate this anniversary, and it also has some great names on the masthead, Henry Ford III, and Keith Crain among them. The main event is 9th of August, in Dearborn, so if you are in downtown Dearborn then, drop in, it should be memorable. See their site at: http://www.deuce75.com Edmunds.com is a general interest auto magazine, but that hasn't stopped them noting the event, and they have gone a step further than the other sites above, and had hot publishing luminaries Pat Ganahl & Greg Sharp put together a great internet resource. Their page that includes YouTube clips of connected articles, and a slide show of all 75 of the cars that made the (US) list. Be sure to scroll right down to the list, and click on the Click here link, to see the slide show; http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=119310#1 We must include a video, so this one was taken at the Grand National Roadster Show, back in January, and Henry Ford III illustrates how to lose 12.7 billion dollars in the morning and still turn up for a bunch of rodders who are celebrating the achievements of his grandfather; http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-980961871895862675 23/May/07. Trying to start a carburetted vehicle in the dead of what passes for winter around here is a pain in the arse. Sure, both cars start up Ok, and idle, after a while, but then when we hit the street and put the pedal down, gingerly, we might get a mis-fire. If we go out in someone else's late model EFI thingy, they have no idea what sort of commotion they are missing. Many rodders are making the switch from carbs to EFI, of one sort or another, and leaving the world of mis-firing, poor fuel economy and extended warmups behind them. As we may have sounded critical of Holley in the opening paragraph, we should give them the right of reply. They have been churning out injectors for years, and some are not only sweet performers, but look the part as well. Have a look at their range, and you will probably find something that fits; http://www.holley.com/91703201.asp These people appear to know what they are on about, offering advice and experience on conversions using Throttle Body, Multi-Port and Tuned Port installations. The harnesses that are available from the better harness manufacturers will all have the capacity to hook up to the various sensors that an EFI system will use - this crowd lists most of the options, with prices; http://www.affordable-fuel-injection.com./ If you use an original GM TPI system (if you have one you will know that TLA means Tuned Port Injection. FIY, TLA stands for Three Letter Acronym. FIY, FIY means For Your Information) you will appreciate the depth of knowledge offered by this site, which includes some history on the development of EFI; http://www.chevythunder.com/ One of our contributors knows so much about EFI that you would swear he could write a book about it. Make that another book about it, as Choco Munday has a few book credits to his name, and all are well written, by a very clever rodder, for rodders and other concerned souls. We have mentioned Choco's books before, but we do so again to assist those who have had enough of smelly, spitting carbs; http://www.hotrodhandbooks.com.au 23/May/07. If you watch a lot of television, or have spent some time in the US, you may be familiar with Barry Meguiar, the co-owner of the car finish products empire of the same name, and the host of Car Crazy, a TV show wherein Barry and his crew skilfully interview attendees and interviewees at all forms of motoring events - including major street rod events. Barry comes across as a glib, articulate speaker, in the manner of some of the smoother tele-evangelists. That isn't far from the mark, as Barry is given to thanking supernatural elements for all manner of things. That aside, the interview with Jeff Beck (on http://www.carcrazycentral.com/cc_tv.aspx?contentid=198) is both revealing and informative, and Jeff confesses his first connection with rodding, and discusses his current collection, including the Graffiti coupe clone that Jeff built in the '80s. Check out the half hour Car Crazy shows, and lots more; http://www.carcrazycentral.com/ You will need broadband, and you may spend half a day there, so get comfortable. Nostalgia drag racers will be familiar with the concept of the cackle-fest, which is where a lot of old fuellers and gassers line up on the track, with engines idling, and they blow the ear drums of anyone in close proximity. But what a way to go. At the recent NHRA reunion there was an unfortunate incident which saw 'Big Daddy' Don Garlits' car rear-ended by another entrant; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vejbVUVMgF8 The same nostalgia racers and fans should love the following site - it has lots of video, including a clip of a Ramchargers vs Hawaiian match race in '72. Be sure to listen to some of the audio clips too, as the strategies for the first 2-car teams were developed, and other milestone events; http://www.claresanders.com/ 16/May/07. This has to be the best single-make web site on the web. It covers the venerable Harley Earl designed '55 Buick, and the author isn't too proud to acknowledge the limitations of the original, as it compares with vehicles from the modern era. Be sure to click on the Projects link, then follow the construction of the author's LS1 powered, custom framed, '55 Buick Riviera. http://www.55buick.com/ Many stateside rod runs aren't organised by NSRA or Goodguys - they are single event promoters who have grown into mature organisations that don't need outside promoters. Some are one shot wonders, where a small office and a web site is their only visible presence for most of the year. Then, as the time of the run draws near, they spring into life. One such outfit is The Daytona Turkey Run, which has sprung into life every year for the last 34 years; http://www.turkeyrun.com/ The crew from the Lone Star Roundup organise a run\show in Austin, Texas, for pre-64 vehicles, in early April. Which year is the run? Every year! Check out the details of the last couple, at; http://www.lonestarroundup.com/ Cruisin' the Coast is a great example of the single event promotion company, and they have been doing this for 10 years so far. They are located in Gulfport, Alabama, which is between Mobile AL, and New Orleans, LA. Hurricane Katrina failed to wreck the organisation, though the few bridges and roads that are still affected should be fixed by the September 30, 2007 deadline for the next cruise. Local operators should note the massive amount of cash the cruisers bring to the community, in the form of meals, accommodation and fuel. See it at; http://www.cruisinthecoast.com/ Cruisin' Ocean City is another, held in Ocean City, Maryland, in May. They also organise an indoor car show, and an auction, all in Ocean City, in the nice part of the year. Read all about it at http://www.specialeventpro.com/cruisin.php 9/May/07. E-bay has allowed many vehicle owners without market-place skills to list their vehicles, and it has been argued that as a result, more cars have hit the market, and prices of special interest vehicles have dropped. Conversely, the internet has also allowed many dealers with slow moving special interest stock to publish their lists, and that is where some of today's links are coming from. Keep in mind that full time dealers have to return a profit well above that which a private seller might find acceptable, as some of these prices would indicate; http://www.desertclassics.com/ A '61 bubble-top, clean & straight for $12,500? Clearly, not all dealers are rip-off merchants, otherwise we wouldn't have such a roaring market in special interest vehicles. This dealer comes with the personal recommendation of some Aussie buyers who have dealt with them, and their web pages are updated regularly; http://www.gotexasexports.com/ This site has entry level, or basket case, projects as well as some runners. Dealing at this level is Ok, as it allows a person to get into a project without a huge cash outlay. Some of the stock here would suit an importer who had, say, a complete 4 door sedan, and would like to build a two door sedan or coupe version; http://www.classicautoprojects.com/ Waaaay up at the other end of the spectrum is a dealer whose stock is mainly high dollar and probably worth every penny - to someone who is cashed up. The cars are mostly highly desirable, and almost universally very expensive; http://www.jjrods.com/ 2/May/07. YouTube allows the least experienced amateur producer a few minutes of exposure. We've seen plenty of shaky cameras, and operators forgetting to turn off the camera while they point it at the ground, but in this link the video quality is better then most. Its a pity about the snarling, guttural soundtrack by the Hot Rod Lunatics, as it doesn't suit the image that is presented of a cool, smooth, laid back weekend of cruising and other hot rod activity in Uraidla, in the Adelaide hills; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6eJF6v5EAU We presented some links to various reproduction vehicles\components a few weeks back, but that only barely scratched the surface of the huge and very diverse reproduction and kit car industry. One web site attempts to collect all the kit cars, which is where we got some of the links that we used; http://www.kitcarlist.com/ Lindsay Houston has been well known as a superb custom painter in his part of the world, which is presently at Pomona - the Pomona in Queensland, Australia. His work has been seen by a much larger audience though, as his cars and the paint he lays on customer's cars, are usually quite dramatic. Take a look, at; http://www.ldikustoms.com.au Vintage drag racing has had some stellar moments, but this one ranks up there with productions such as Alien vs Predator, in terms of the matching of two very famous individuals. We are referring to Sox & Martin vs The Little Red Wagon, which most readers would prefer over the ugly monsters; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NdEpMUv_pc 25/Apr/07. Aren't computers clever? These next couple of YouTube videos show the engineering world from a geeks perspective. GM has made the first, using a 3D CAD drawing, or collection of drawings, of an LS2 motor, and added all the components in the same sequence that they would be assembled, at the factory; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2ZQQRDmlJc Rather than just drawings, this one shows a Matsuura 5 axis MAM72-63V CNC machine whittling a Ferrari V8 block out of a solid alloy billet. With mass production techniques such as this being used in Modena, we could ask why a 500 hp Ferrari is 3 times the cost of a 500 hp LS7 Corvette; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsmiIeAkE-o Having built the alloy motor, we can now see its components, in a drawing programme that is not as detailed as the LS2 drawing; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGf4XBrBGAI Getting back to hot rods, Blower Drive Service has been supplying superchargers to drag race & street rod applications for decades. Rather than simply rebuilding worn out GMC blowers that seen service on trucks and earthmovers, BDS manufacture their own blowers from scratch. They also adapt fuel injection, from Enderle and other manufacturers, to electronic operation, making a system that is both efficient and aesthetically pleasing; http://www.blowerdriveservice.com Bob Drake Reproductions have been in the news, with their reproduction '40 Ford Deluxe coupe body tipped for completion later this year. There is no news about this hush-hush project on their web site, but theirs is a site that bears revisiting. Watch a '35 5-window coupe take shape in the following link, as the crew uses as many Bob Drake Reproductions inventory parts as possible; http://www.bobdrake.com/project.html 18/Apr/07. Continuing our article on the reproduction body industry, we have some links that are of interest. Lars Lundstrom, the Swedish steel repro deuce roadster manufacturer, has re-tooled his range, and offers a new fit and finish, presumably an improvement over the earlier versions. Read about it here: http://www.roadsters.com/reprosteel/ The Speedway Motors deuce roadster is different from most others, in that it comes completely assembled, trimmed and painted, except for a motor. The car is set up for a small block Chevy, and we know they will be fast, as they are all painted Posies Red. See the brochure at; http://24.123.120.90/index.html The ASRF Goulburn Nats weren't over before people started posting short video footage on YouTube, which may give you 'the vibe' of the event, though the necessarily low resolution of the images won't put the event's CD sellers out of business. See the first YouTube video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9PA8UkEfXs, and the second at; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCkkyRn7gbs While the Nats were on, many rodders drove right past Goulburn to Narrandera, where an alternative, low key, event was held. See the videos at; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5eMacyEETw and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgODXSiqLIg 11/Apr/07. The reproduction industry is pumping out all manner of delicious non-vintage tin, and modern manufacturing techniques mean that these new products are straighter and better finished than the rough repros of the early days. Brookville Roadster started making Model A roadster bodies 20 years ago, then added the '32 roadster line about 10 years ago. Now they make a stock height '32 3-window Deluxe coupe; at least 3 are headed over here, as early as this year. Check them out at http://www.brookville-roadster.com/ Hot Rods & Horsepower also make a range of steel '32 facsimiles, though the Dearborn Deuce is a yuppified 'convertible' with a fold away roof, as opposed to a regular roadster. The convertible is stamped and assembled in the USA, and appears to be of high quality. Interestingly, the chopped '32 3-window prototype steel coupe that they were trumpeting loudly has disappeared off their web site, though there is at least one reference to it in a side bar; http://www.hotrodsandhorsepower.com/ Steve's Auto Restorations produces a '34 roadster, and assembles Brookville bodies for clients. The '34 is unlike the Brookville bodies in that the floor and door interior panels are not exact reproductions of Henry's originals, but enhanced with stronger supports. Even restorers could use the bodies though; http://www.realsteel.com/ In terms of the number of dies and the amount of welding involved, early Ford bodies are less complex than say, a '69 Camaro convertible, or even a '67 Mustang fastback. This next site should take you breath away, as the range of repros is staggering, and growing. Dynacorn Classic Bodies Inc. make those bodies, and a '67 Camaro coupe and a '69 Camaro coupe and some '50s truck bodies. Make sure you click on the links in the About Us page, as there is some fascinating reading; http://www.dynacornclassicbodies.com Cars Inc. is another reproducer of delectable delights, in this context they make a repop '57 Chevy convertible body. That's not all they make, as they probably produce more individual bits than all the others combined, but at this stage the '57 convertible is their only repro body - well, almost, as they use an original cowl from a '57 convertible, possible New Old Stock (NOS); http://www.1957chevybody.com/ 4/Apr/07.
New articles have been added to both
Features
and News On a lighter note, have you ever wondered what would have happened if a particular model of car had been continued in another market? Take the Falcon for instance, the Yanks find it amusing that our Falcon evolved from the US style when they stopped making Falcons, but Ford Australia persisted. Our Falcon is now 100% Australian, with nothing in common with any US models. This link shows how a very similar evolutionary process was applied to the Falcon in Argentina; http://www.cocheargentino.com.ar/f/ford_falcon.htm Imagine one of the exceptionally straight and lovingly pampered all steel stock bodied '32 3-windows that are in your area. Got the picture? Now imagine it with a killer small block and 10½" slicks, but still wearing that superior smirk that accompanies such iconic models. Could you also imagine it popping an almost unbelievable wheel stand. Can't imagine it? Take a look here at Dennis Wile's '32 at Irwindale Raceway. You may have to watch it a few times to appreciate the rich irony of a street rod that has it all, power and enviable good looks; http://videos.streetfire.net/video/59426411-b89d-44d1-bec1-98fe017a7f41.htm On a similar note, this is an older video of a '28 coupe that allegedly makes 1,200 HP at the rear wheels. The restraining rope snaps and its almost 'Good Night Irene' for our hapless hero; http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1813587561618839405&q=dyno This link is to an advertisement for the Hot Rod Dreamer book & video, so it has some interesting shots that relate to the early days at the drags, and the salt; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElC3TY19fMg and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgMZLkDwLoY are the two shorts that they have released. The main web site is at http://www.dreamsoflegends.com/ and they appear to have the 2 hour video out now. Magoo's in Auckland have the distribution rights for Australia - nice deal for them, but I doubt that it will help the producers reach the much larger Australian market. 28/Mar/07. George Poteet must be fabulously wealthy, as a visit to his web site will show that he has, and has owned, dozens of righteous street rods and racers. He has commissioned many of the top shops to build his cars, and a common theme appears to be that the shops shouldn't skimp on the production costs. Even the name of his racing shop, Camel Toe Racing, makes me proud to be in the same hobby, as he is obviously interested in the same things as most of us. Go to his site, and weep; http://www.cameltoe.net/ This George Poteet tribute wouldn't be complete without more details of the builders of his cars. Fastlane Rod Shop, in Donohue, Iowa have built many of George's cars, in fact, when they list the owners of some of their projects, they refer to him as just "George" - the rest is redundant. Take a look at some the work they do at; http://www.fastlanerodshop.com/ Roy Brizio is another of the shops to build George a car; in this case the legendary '32 roadster pickup. This page is slow to load, as it has many small images, but it is worth the wait; http://www.roybriziostreetrods.com/progress/poteet/index.htm Troy Trepanier has also built a George car, though they don't seem as keen to tell us about that fact on their web site. Both of the cars that Troy's team has built for George are outstanding; the Intruder is a '57 Ford Ranch Wagon, and the Sniper is a left field '54 Plymouth Savoy coupe with a Viper V-10 that you may have seen on the "Rides" TV show. Check out Troy's shop at; http://www.radrides.com/ This next one is a low dollar site, but these lads have toured George's (I feel as though we would be on first name terms) collection, and have been impressed enough to put their slides up on a special page; http://www.ms-sra.org/msra/gpoteet.htm 21/Mar/07. Many novice computer users are being sucked into the nefarious scams that flourish on the internet, and hot rodders aren't exempt. We troll through eBay looking at some of the choice pieces for sale, and some just don't add up. How about a mint Model A sedan with IFS & IRS, fuellie motor and o'drive, with a buy-it-now of $7,900? The same vendor was selling a rare Camaro, a rarer Hemi-cuda, and a rarer still Cobra, all with a buy-it-now price of $7,900. The other constant through all his ads was the fact that he wouldn't let you bid until you had sent him an e-mail. It might not be obvious to novices that this scam will result in his getting your e-mail address, which will then be deluged with spam, Trojans and viruses. Be wary, they are out to get you. This link takes you to a video that was e-mailed all around the world years ago. It is just as funny now, but be warned - you might not think it is funny at all. No animals were harmed in this 100% digital assassination; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_BZWjCQv4A Eager to make amends, the pommy creators of the video above made a follow-up video of the Ka's evil twin, without hurting any digital cats; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGbjVqLoz3I Another name that looms large in contemporary hot rodding circles is that of Dick Spadaro, from New York. His company has an extensive on-line catalogue (though they spell it funny) and some great bits that traditional west coast suppliers might not have. Check out their range at; http://www.dickspadaro.com/ Sanderson headers have been in business for decades, making headers for race cars and street rods. I wasn't aware they they claimed to produce a range that doesn't need gaskets - quite a claim, if it is true. Their range, and these amazing claims, can be seen here; http://www.centuryperformance.com/sanderson/index.asp 7/Mar/07. Record numbers of people are joining the internet community, so it stands to reason that some sites will be less attractive than others. This one has a bit of a down home on the farm feel to it, but the content is interesting. Check out the '32 chassis in the For Sale section. http://www.woodardracingandhotrods.com/ Nostalgia Drag Racing fans may find the following interesting. Al Eckstrand was part of the YouTube Ford Racing story brought to you last week, so this American Auto Club International article follows on; http://www.aacint.com/lawman.asp There are plenty of hot rod\special interest vehicle For Sale sites, but not all of them have such banal background music as this one. You can turn the sound off while you cruise their used car lot, which has lots of reasonably priced project vehicles. The East Coast USA site is right up there, but we know nothing about the people or business practices that are part of; http://www.affordablestreetrodprojects.com The SCTA is quoted and referred to constantly in contemporary magazines, often in the past tense. They are still alive and kicking, and have a web site with heaps of interesting material to prove it; http://scta-bni.org/ If you are into rockabilly, red painted steel wheels with wide whitewalls, satin paint and greasy hair, you may want to consider upgrading your red steelies to Radir wheels, which are quite acceptable to the narrowly defined fashion standards that characterise that group of hobbyists. Check 'em out at; http://www.radirwheels.com/ 28/Feb/07.
Another new article has been added to
Features. More international rodding can be seen at this Canadian site, which has a lot of the things that we try to provide for Aussies. They have a Forum, which has a For Sale section accessible to non-members, so am surprised the CN$10,500 '33 Tudor is still for sale. That will get some of you clicking; http://www.canadianrodder.com/ Getting some good content is always a problem for any hot rod related web site, and this one has only been going since March '06. It is still a bit light on (I know the feeling), but it may develop as time goes by; http://www.tristaterodders.com/ We did a story in the News section about South Australian built repro Ford SOHC 427 c.i., and 429 c.i. Shotgun engines, so these YouTube links are topical, or would have been then. This series is a very informative article on the Ford motors, and their racing programme. Notables such as Bud Moore, Lee Holman and Al "Lawman" Eckstrand provide commentary. Part one is at; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBJ8ge86ulA , part 2; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifwch3ZmU2E & part 3; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFUlgNjCco8 and finally, part 4 is at; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhdVAlI5TGk 21/Feb/07. We get heaps of links to videos and sites, and some of them aren't always strictly hot rod related. An example would be the Spitfire video we showed you a couple of months ago. Well, it must be comedy week here at HRF, because a couple of these are hot rod related, though only just. This one just shows that some people have far too much time on their hands; http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1825622556 When a joke is being told it will fall flat if no-one laughs, obviously. Sometimes, and it doesn't happen very often, the way that one of the people in the audience laughs will cause of all the others to crack up, and the attention falls on the person with the funny laugh. If I haven't explained myself very well, take a look at this and you'll get the picture; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4Y4keqTV6w This isn't a joke, but the fact that this feature is on a VW related web site might raise a few eyebrows. The site is actually the VW Judson site, and this pickup uses a Judson blower, so thats the connection. Ok, the pickup uses a supercharged Volvo engine (and the owner probably wears a white bowls club hat) but it is interesting all the same; http://vwjudsonregister.tripod.com/lew_schimkes_page.htm The Willowbank round of the Cruzin Magazine Nostalgia Drags are almost on us, so this link will help get you in the mood; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o76vJLVtlU Vern Tardel's name keeps popping up as one of California's premier hot rod builders. His site even has details of his 'Fantasy Ranch' concept, where a builder would build his car at Vern's place, while some of the best known tradespeople look over his shoulder, and assist where they can. Vern's parts pages are also expertly laid out, and a pleasure to read. Check out Vern's delightfully arty web site at; http://www.verntardel.com/ 14/Feb/07. Some users don't have broadband, and it takes ages to watch a simple video on YouTube. If they spend ages waiting to watch a 'new' video, and it turns out to be about how some knucklehead has channelled a Model A to within a millimetre of the deck, and his pals are all standing around giggling about how cool it is, then the dial-up user would be annoyed. The following 3 clips are worth the wait, as the subject is an old timey good old boy in his '35 5 window, which has just 18,263 miles on it. The first video is interesting, despite the fact the cameraman leaves the camera going when he thinks he has turned it off, for a short time; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlgpC_MOvYI . The sequel is better, with regard to camera control; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkhycbjrLrs and again, where he shows the cameraman around the treasure trove of early Ford parts, and the mint A Tudor, in his yard; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pemWT11XP74 Dial-up users may wish to forego this one; others may find it amusing, and stand around giggling; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6fEqE5CKXQ This is a slide show, rather than a moving picture, and as such gives reasonable quality pictures. A small problem is that the person who put it together only gives you a second to absorb each picture. Maybe the author has had too much red cordial perhaps; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbpY_pd8poU This is great - the design & development of the 1949 Ford (known here as the single spinner), starting in 1946. Check out Henry Ford II's high tech intercom that he uses to speak with an executive. It probably only weighed half a ton, and took an hour to warm up; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCYr3MvnjpQ 7/Feb/07. I couldn't get to the CRAKK run in Canberra - my son refused to put his 21st off until it was convenient, so I asked some of those who did attend to contribute some material. Matt Sherwood provided the pictures - and Matt's photography is second to none, while EFI expert and long time rodder Choco Munday provided the words. Both have internet sites that are well worth visiting, so take a gander at Matt's site; http://www.hotrodmattimages.com and Choco's; http://www.hotrodhandbooks.com.au This event marks a first for HRF - an interstate run that was covered entirely by contributors. If you feel you could also help with material, please drop me a line. I have heard the question asked "Are T-buckets traditional hot rods?" They sure are, though they may not have arrived on the scene until Norm Grabowski invented the genre in the mid '50's. Shortly after Norm got his bucket on the road, "TV" Tommy Ivo met Norm, and with Norm's permission, copied Norm's layout for his own spectacular bucket. The pair of them popularised the art form through the media - both Tommy and Norm were actors. If you are you interested in building your own bucket, read about out the free plans (the only thing missing on the page is the plans - they are still coming, but the rest of the advice is helpful) available from; http://crankshaftcoalition.com/wiki/The_FREE_T_Bucket_plans Speaking of Norm, have you ever seen him in a movie? You almost certainly have, because he has played so many parts that it is unlikely that you could have missed them all. One of the many sites that lists actor's credits has him down for 46 roles, plus 4 movies where he played himself; http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333288/ . There is more on Norm at Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norm_Grabowski . There is also a page on Tommy Ivo, which lists his 65 plus roles, at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0412443/ Mooneys Japan has an interesting side line - converting cars to woodies! Their English is a damned sight better than my Japanese, but I was looking for some interesting 'Jinglish', because 'Woody' is a subject that is open to all sorts of misinterpretations - particularly from English to Japanese, then back again. The worst that I could find was a page heading for 'Woddy'; hell, that's a typo that anyone could make. So, forgetting the voyeurism, enjoy their site: http://www.mooneyes.co.jp/english/shop/koubou/about/ 31/Jan/07. Lets begin with a laugh. This link is to a spoof site, that is, it is all a big joke, and intends to take the piss out of of the turbo-charged, neon illuminated, imported sports coupe with the doof-doof sound system, and the overly large muffler. Even if that type of car is your bag then you will probably still find this funny. Some of the stuff looks quite useful though - I wouldn't mind a set of cross-drilled brake hoses, 'cause I read somewhere that cross-drilled was good; http://kalecoauto.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1&zenid=5598e4b17db6939bc7da673f5e40a02f Would you like a brand new '57 Plymouth Belvedere? It looks very similar to Col Chapman's Coronet in this week's Events feature. The town fathers of Tulsa buried the Plymouth, along with a case of Schlitz, in a "time capsule" in 1957. The capsule will be opened up this year, and I expect the new owner will drive off, swigging on a vintage Schlitz. Now there is a product grouping that has become unfashionable in the last 50 years, cars and beer. See it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6fQZhua6d0 This English hot rod site has footage of the sensational crash of Top Gear's Richard Hammond, in a jet car. The site even has a very elaborate computer simulation of the event, which begs the question as whether anyone would have even noticed if Richard had broken the UK land speed record without crashing: http://www.v8hotrod.com/ Flathead freaks have another new champion of their cause; a completely new casting of the venerable 24 stud steam engine. This one has a 4 bolt main bearing (that might sound funny, but flattys only have 3 main bearings) and a host of modern manufacturing methods employed in the production: http://www.motorcityspeedequipment.com/ Don't you wish you knew more about old Henry Ford? The internet is a great learning resource, so there must be loads of information on old Henry. We refer to our cars as "Henry's finest", but most of our Fords were designed by his son Edsel - starting with the Model A. Read more at: http://www.thehenryford.org/exhibits/hf/ 24/Jan/07. After that heavy article, how about some light entertainment, from the old favourite, YouTube. This story deals with a high stepping gasser clone that would be welcome at any drag meet; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-VISGZ5oxk This has nothing to do with hot rods, in fact it is about an aeroplane, but we thought you might enjoy the article anyway. We promise not to digress like this in future, but we know there are quite a few other Spitfire enthusiasts out there in hot rod land. The clip is R-rated; http://www.alexisparkinn.com/oh_my_god.htm Neat eh? So are the products available from Rod Bods, in beautiful downtown Nabiac. We saw a few of their products at Valla Park, and their list of bodies seems to expand continually; http://www.rodbods.com.au/rodbodshomepage.html Someone told me that Dan Fink had sold his business to a Kiwi who has been activley involved in the business for some time. In case you are not aware Dan Fink produced the most exquisite '32 Ford grille bars, amongst many other items. Check out the range that Dan Fink (or is that Den Funk now?) produces at; http://www.hotrodproducts.com/ 17/Jan/07. We love hot rod related art; the better the quality the harder we salivate. This bloke is a Pom who has worked in the US, and has been commissioned by many of the large US speed equipment manufacturers to do his thing to their products\promotions. His almost photo realistic sketches, on the "Commissions 2" page are particularly awe inspiring http://www.atomichighboy.com/ . He even has a caricature of Dave Winter's hiboy, or is it? http://www.atomichighboy.com/pages/Wild.htm Given that this is the 75th anniversary of the '32, the following might assist if you are thinking of building a deuce. We have seen this crowd's ads for thier stamped '32 frame rails on e-Bay, and they start at $650, so you might get them cheaper there, than the $695 buy-it-now: http://www.jimweimerrodgarage.com/ Nostalgia drag racing is fun, so these links should be hoot, as they combine period footage with a period soundtrack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnhruLK2468 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuHxs6uG6iY will keep you glued to the YouTube for 10 minutes. 3/Jan/07. | ||||||||||||||||
