Hot Rods
Hot rods are cars that have been customized for performance and/or appearance. Nobody knows for sure the origin of the term "hot rod." One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Open roadsters were the cars of choice to modify because they were light. Hot Rod may also refer to the cam or pushrods inside the engine or other to the exposed frame rails of such an automobile. It was adopted in the 1930s or 1940s as the name of a car that had been "hopped up" by modifying the cam to achieve higher performance.
History
The term seems first to have appeared in the late 1930s, when kids from southern California would race their modified cars on the vast, empty dry lake beds northeast of Los Angeles under the rules of the Southern California Timing Association. The term became popular during and after World War II due to returning Soldiers who were given machining and/or engineering training, particularly in California, originally meaning an old car (most often a Ford, typically a Model T, Model A, or a 1932 to 1934 Ford Model B or Ford V-8) that had been modified by: reducing weight (sometimes modifying the body by removing roof, hood, bumpers, windshield, and/or fenders); lowering it; modifying, tuning, or replacing the engine to give more power; and changing the wheels and tires to improve traction and handling. Hot Rod was sometimes a term used in the 1950s as a derogatory term for any car that did not fit into the mainstream. Such modifications were considered to improve the appearance as well; leading to show cars in the 1960s replicating these same modifications along with a distinctive paint job.
After World War II there were many small military airports throughout the country that were either abandoned or vary rarely used that allowed Hot Rodders across the country to race on marked courses. Originally Drag Racing had tracks that may have been as long 1 mile or more, and included up to 4 lanes of racing at the same time. As hot rodding became more popular in the 1950s, magazines and associations catering to Hot Rodders were started. As Hot Rodders began to race on the street in addition to drag strips, a need arose for an organization to promote the images of Hot Rodders. Hot rodders including Wally Parks created the National Hot Rod Association NHRA to bring racing off the streets and onto the tracks. They created rules based on safety and entertainment and also allowed Hot Rodders of all caliber the ability to race. The annual California Hot Rod Reunion and National Hot Rod Reunion are held to honor pioneers in the sport. The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum houses the roots of hot rodding.
Nowadays people who own hot rods keep them clean and try to make them noticeable. There are many different sects of Hot Rodding now, there are Billet Rods (noted by many items being made from Billet aluminum), Traditional Rods (those that are built according to a particular point in time and stick to those build techniques and materials), Rat Rods (those that are pieced together to look like old time jalopy’s, although some times they require more work than a show rod), and Show Rods (Hot Rods created to compete in National Car Shows such as AMBR (America's Most Beautiful Roadster), and the Detroit Autorama). Although collectively they are all referred to as Hot Rods. There are many magazines that feature real hot rods, including The Rodders Journal, Hot Rod Magazine, Rod and Custom Magazine, Street Rodder, and Popular Hot Rodding. There are also television shows such as My Classic Car, and Horsepower TV. Hot rods are part of American culture, although there is growing controversy within the automotive hobby over an increasing trend towards the acquisition and irreversible modification of surviving historic - some even very rare - vehicles rather than the traditional hot rodding concept of the salvage and remanufacture of reusable junked parts.
Hot Rod era
The Hot Rod era extended from 1930 to the beginning of the muscle car era (about 1965), reaching its height in about 1955. During this time, there was an adequate supply of what hot rodders called "vintage tin": junk cars manufactured prior to 1942 that could be had cheaply. Many of these had sound bodies and frames and had been junked for mechanical reasons, since the running gear of early cars was not durable. The typical hot rod was heavily modified, particularly by replacing the engine and transmission, and possibly other components, including brakes and steering. Certain engines, such as the flathead Ford V8, and the small block Chevrolet V8 were particularly popular as replacements because of their compact size, availability, customization and power. The early Hemi was popular in applications that required more power, such as drag racing. More recently, more unusual engines have become popular to use in hot rods, notably the Cadillac 500 and the Buick "NailHead".
Construction of a hot rod requires skills in mechanics, welding, and automotive paint and body work.
The "classic era" of hot rod construction ended around 1965, partly because the supply of vintage tin had diminished, but mostly because new cars were equipped for greater speed and power from the factory with little or no modification required.
Today, there are still a large number of hot-rodders and street-rodders. The Street Rod Nationals serves as a showplace for the majority of the hot-rodding and street-rodding world to display their cars and to find nearly any part needed to complete them.
Today
There is still a vibrant Hot Rod culture worldwide, especially in the United States and Sweden. The hot rod community has now been subdivided into two main groups: hot rodders and street rodders. Hot rodders build their cars using a lot of original, old parts, and follow the styles that were popular from the 1940s through the 1960s. Street rodders build cars (or have them built for them) using, primarily, new parts.
Street rod builder Boyd Coddington starred in American Hot Rod, a documentary series on Discovery channel. One of his cars appeared in the music video of Gimme All Your Lovin’ by the rock band ZZ Top. The Discovery Channel airs several shows dealing with modern interpretations of kustom kulture such as Monster Garage, American Hot Rod, and Overhaulin'.
There is a contemporary movement of traditional hot rod builders, car clubs and artists who have returned to the roots of hot rodding as a lifestyle. This current traditional hot rod culture is exemplified in a whole new breed of traditional hot rod builders, artists and styles, as well as classic style car clubs like the Deacons, the Shifters, and the Dragoons. Events like Viva Las Vegas and GreaseOrama showcase this return to traditional hot rods and the greaser lifestyle. Underground magazines like Garage, Rolls & Pleats, and BurnOut showcase this return to traditional hot rods by covering events and people around the world. There are number of independently released DVDs featuring this traditional hot rod revival with names such as Mad Fabricators, Hot Rod Surf ‘All Steel All Real’, and Hot Rod Havoc.
As the supply of original steel bodies dwindles to nothing, those who reject fiberglass replicas can buy new reproduction bodies. They are not actual antiques, but often are superior in some aspects such as build quality to original hot rod bodies. The best bodies can command a price of US $10,000 or more.
Listed below you will find a couple of good friends of The RockIt Roost that offer some services to the HotRodding community. Please feel free to check them out and contact them if you should be in need of any of their services.
Josh (“Pappy”) Green – Custom Pinstriping and Metal Fabrication
Photos Provided By Pappys Kustom Pinstriping
I first fell in love with HOTRODS back when I was a little guy at the age of 8 or so. My Dad would always take me to car shows to see what kind of cars I liked. It turned out at the time I really liked the 47-53 Chevy trucks. So when I was 14 I worked all summer mowing lawns and bought my own truck, a '49 Chevy pick-up which I now call "Marilyn".
I did not know what it took or how to build a car but I learned from books, videos, and of course my dad helping me out as much as he could. "Marilyn" is the whole reason I am now building HOTRODS for a living.
I went to Wyoming Tech when I got out of high school and have been professionally building hot rods for almost nine years now. I work in Auburn at "Wicked Fabrication" building high end cars where my specialty is in welding and sheet metal fabrication. My love, however, is for the good ol' TRADITIONAL Hotrods.
When I was in school at Wyoming Tech I picked up pin striping from one of my roommates. I fell in love with it and now do it as much as I can. I have been pin striping for the same amount of time as I have been building HOTRODS. I can and will pinstripe pretty much anything anyone wants from HOTRODS to custom bikes, to helmets, dining room tables, windows, toilet seats, desk tops etc. The only limit is your imagination!
I do quite a bit of side work so if you would like something done don't hesitate to visit my Myspace page or call me @ (253)225-8011. Any questions or comments about my work is welcomed and feel free to call anytime. Thanks for taking a peak at what I love to do, and remember, "If everyone liked the same things, this world we live in would be extremely boring!"
John (“Johnny Danger”) Broshears – Kar Kosmetics
Photo Provided by Kar Kosmetics
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