2021 Nashville Nationals Builders Choice Top 10 by Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop
Bobby Alloway has been building distinctive, award-winning street rods, cruisers, and muscle cars since 1991 at his Tennessee-based Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop and is a household name among rodding enthusiasts. He’s all about building clean, well-detailed rides with attitude, distinguished by big ’n little wheel-and-tire combos, tastefully executed modifications, and big horsepower under the hood. He knows good craftsmanship and design when he sees it and had a tremendous variety of worthy rides from which to choose at the Nashville Nationals. He said it was especially tough narrowing it down to just 10 selections this year, but he managed to complete the task and deliver a winning lineup. Let’s take a look at what grabbed his attention.
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- It’s difficult to deny the appeal of a custom VW bus, especially a custom version that’s as cool as this beauty belonging to Rodney Harris. The result of a five-year build, it has a narrowed front suspension to aid in the low stance, plus disc brakes, Porsche wheels, a safari pop-out windshield, and beautiful green PPG paint. A modified 1904cc VW engine provides power, while the inside is filled with custom upholstery stitched by Clay Poole.
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- Builder Mike Rutter has had a good year with the ’66 Charger he built for Doyle Thomas. We featured it in the January 2021 Gazette and it has picked up Builder’s Choice awards in Raleigh and now Nashville. The first-year Charger rides on Reilly Motorsports front and rear suspensions with RideTech coil-overs and one-off 18- and 19-inch wheels from Sage Speed and Custom. There’s a late-model supercharged Hellcat Hemi under the hood, Axalta Sahara Bronze paint on the body, and beautiful brown leather Paul Atkins upholstery inside.
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- We’ve been fans of Beth Hazelwood’s ’74 Duster known as “Kasper” ever since it rolled out of Goolsby Customs a couple years ago. Bobby Alloway likes it, too, and who can blame him with elements like a Roadster Shop chassis and a Hellcat Hemi under the subtly modified body. Custom-machined Evod wheels help to keep the car’s racing heritage alive (Beth drag raced it in the ’70s and ’80s), while the copper-and-white paint and retro upholstery offer a proper ’70s vibe.
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- Alloway gravitated toward earth tones with his Top 10, including Scotty Hooper’s beautiful chocolate and cream ’58 Corvette. The classic ’Vette is built on a Roadster Shop chassis with an independent rear suspension and has a late-model LT4 backed by a Tremec six-speed transmission and breathing through Borla exhaust. The good-looking wheels are from Forgeline and interior guru Paul Atkins gets credit for the tasty custom upholstery in the two-place cockpit.
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- Phil and Debbie Becker’s ’32 Ford Vicky was the Goodguys Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year in 2019 and still gets out to events on a regular basis. Finished by Dave Lane at FastLane Rod Shop, the car has Lane’s signature attention to detail, plus features like a Moal torsion bar chassis, 15- and 17-inch Dayton wire wheels, and a cleverly detailed small-block Chevy engine with eight-stack injection and one-off air cleaners. Beautiful details and clean execution abound on this victorious Vicky.
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- The custom-mixed Vanguard Green metallic paint really pops on Van Bingham’s ’67 Corvette, especially with the complement of big-inch Forgeline wheels and redline tires. The widened ’Vette is built on a custom chassis from Street Shop Inc. and has LS7 power and disc brakes, along with custom leather upholstery by Steve Holcomb inside augmented by Classic Instruments gauges and air conditioning.
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- Check out this tasty chocolate and beige ’58 Chevy Yeoman wagon belonging to Derek and Eileen Eisenbiesz! Built on a Roadster Shop chassis rolling on custom wheels, this ’50s classic has modern LT4 power under the hood and Wilwood disc brakes to reign in the speed. Stitch master Paul Atkins got the nod for the equally tasty upholstery inside, which is augmented with a custom console, tilt column, and air conditioning.
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- Ken Stek had just finished his ’57 Ford Ranch Wagon hours before making the long drive from Iowa to Tennessee. Built at Ken’s Stek-Lo Rodz Shop, the mint green and white wagon benefits from a custom front suspension that helps get it low over steel wheels with Diamondback wide whites, plus a contemporary 4.6-liter SOHC engine backed by an overdrive automatic transmission. Inside, Ken fitted a gauge assembly from an early-’60s Ford dash and built a custom console between the custom-upholstered bucket seats.
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- Bobby Alloway with his custom-machined Builders Choice Top 10 awards.
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- A great stance and a bitchin’ set of Billet Specialties wheels are just a couple of things to like about Brian Kilgore’s ’66 Chevelle sedan. Beautiful bodywork and that gleaming ruby red finish add to the appeal, as does the clean and well-detailed engine compartment surrounding the 383c.i. stroker small block. A five-speed transmission makes driving a little more fun for Brian, while disc brakes and air conditioning improve the experience. Finished off with custom upholstery inside, it make for one clean muscle machine!
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- We featured David Kennedy’s ’32 Ford roadster pickup on Fuel Curve earlier this year and were happy to see it caught Bobby Alloway’s eye in Nashville. Built by David and his son Kirby at Kennedy’s Hot Rod Shop, the Brookville-bodied roadster is based on a custom frame built with ASC rails, a Super Bell front axle, and So-Cal rear ladder bars, with 16-inch So-Cal knock-off wheels that get rolling courtesy of a well-detailed small-block Chevy backed by a Tremec five-speed. Mudstone brown paint and a Wanlass windshield finish it off nicely.
