5 Minutes With…Ben York of Roseville Rod & Custom
You’ve been hearing a lot about Roseville Rod & Custom lately. Not only did Ben York and his crew build the Goodguys 2026 Grand Prize Giveaway ’40 Ford coupe, but it has also been busy showing (and driving) Amadeo Angelo’s ’32 coupe that was a Tanks, Inc. Hot Rod of the Year finalist, a Slonaker Award contender at the Grand National Roadster Show and most recently named the Goodguys 2025 Most Bitchin’ of the Year. Roseville also has a string of Goodguys Top 12 awards including two Hot Rod of the Years, two Street Rod d’Elegance wins, a pair of America’s Most Beautiful Goodguys awards, and one Truck title.
Ben York is the self-taught owner of Roseville Rod & Custom in Roseville, California. He started the shop just a few months out of high school in 1992. Three decades later, he gets to work side-by-side with his father and sons along with a team of other dedicated craftsman who build vintage cars in a signature subtle style with incredible attention to detail. We caught Ben recently to chat about his background and approach to building cars.
GG: What led you to open Roseville Rod & Custom?
Ben York: My dad was a hot rodder, so I helped him in the garage as a kid and had a knack for mechanical things. I took metal shop and auto shop in high school and was building a ’53 Ford pickup for myself. I also started working on friends’ cars and making a mess of my dad’s garage with overspray and parts. When I graduated, I took a job as a mechanic at the post office and with my second paycheck I had enough money to rent a 1,500 sq. ft. shop. I opened the shop in February 1992 and worked both jobs for the next three years.
GG: What were your first few builds?
Ben York: The first was a ’56 Ford pickup that I did the mechanical work on and outsourced the paint and interior. The first few that gained some recognition were a ’50 Olds with Mercedes headlights, a ’49 Olds, and a ’46 Buick. The Buick was a big deal for us as that was the first time a customer just let me do what I thought was right and follow my vision.
GG: Who were some of your biggest influences as builders?
Ben York: When I was really young, I just loved big motors, blowers, and the big/little stance. Lil’ John Buttera was a big influence, and of course Boyd Coddington. Another local builder, Cole Cutler, had a ’34 Ford coupe drag car and later a ’49 Ford that looked like an early pro street car that was on the cover of Hot Rod. A few years later came Troy Trepanier with the Sniper. That car changed things, and I remember getting to see it in person, it was a big influence. The Goodguys West Coast Nationals in Pleasanton was a big influence – that show was like the center of hot rodding for me!
GG: Subtle style is a theme on your builds. Has this always been your approach, or did it evolve over the years?
Ben York: I’ve always liked subtle modifications, but it has grown over the years as we’ve gotten more experienced. I focus on making changes that will make the vehicle look better or work better – not just to make a change for the sake of showing what you can do. Subtle changes just look right. For instance, when I chop a top, I’ll get it close, step back and look it over. From there it might be right, or we might take off a smidge more. As for colors, I’ve always like colors that are timeless. I try to stay away from trends because they may look dated in years to come.
GG: Is there ever such a thing as too subtle?
Ben York: Personally, I don’t think so. I like when people look at the car once, then come back and notice this change, that modification, and then start to see more of the work that went into the build. However, this has probably backfired on us when people just walk right by without noticing any of the work put into the build!
GG: Roseville Rod & Custom is a family operation with your dad and your son James. Any tips you can share about working with family members?
Ben York: My dad, Ben Sr., retired in 1999 and the next day started working for me. James handles all the machining and product development for York Speed Shop. My younger son, Eber, will graduate next year and will be helping fabricate and build hot rods soon. It is the greatest thing to work with my family daily in the shop. There are challenging discussions at times, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.
GG: You ran at Bonneville this year. How was that experience?
Ben York: I first drove at Bonneville back in 2009 and have gone 266mph in a friend’s lakester, which we’ve run several times since. This year I drove a customer’s car, a rear engine modified roadster with a Hayabusa engine. We took the car there to shake it down and see what modifications may be needed. We went 172mph on a 175mph record, so next year the owner should be ready to drive and try for a new record.
GG: York Speed Shop owns the tooling for inline six speed parts from Wayne Manufacturing and McGurk Engineering. Why the interest in these old brands?
Ben York: I just like these old speed parts and don’t want to see them go away. I got interested when I took ownership of my great grandfather’s ’50 GMC pickup with a big inline six. Then a customer brought in a project with a GMC engine with a Wayne 12-port head. Another friend happens to run inline-six engines at Bonneville. Suddenly, we had many inline six engines. Eventually it led to a foundry contact who knew of the molds for the Wayne valve and side covers and the tooling for McGurk valve cover and intake manifolds. James does all the machining and design work for these classic parts through our sister company, York Speed Shop.
