Hot rods are a family business for Joe Kugel, who grew up in the hobby and has worked for his father, Jerry, for decades at Kugel Komponents. It’s little wonder he had a few fresh ideas for a Deuce roadster. “I wanted to build (another)
All of us have our short list of dream cars. For some, it’s only one. Johnny Rundle’s dream was to own a cool chopped Mercury – an old-school custom. He realized that dream by buying a finished car, but then had to suffer through the
Sometimes it’s good to get back to the basics. In a hot rod landscape increasingly filled with elaborate computer-designed parts, custom-machined wheels, intricate one-off trim pieces, and sophisticated high-tech fuel-injected engines, we can all use a refresher course in our hobby’s simple origins, a reminder
Chasing your dream car – in this case a ’69 Chevelle big block in Dover White – should be rewarding. The hunt is as often as much fun as finding the perfect ride. James Bazuik, though, learned one of life’s harder lessons when he bought
There are a lot of modified 1955-57 Chevys out in the world, but very few get the traditional custom treatment you might have seen at car shows in the late-’50s and early’60s. So, when a custom Tri-five comes along that’s as clean, cool, and well
The best place to learn any craft is through experience and on-the-job training – hands down. Just ask Bryan Fritsch, the owner and builder of our Goodguys Feature Pick from the 39th Grundy Insurance All American Get-Together. Bryan has helped train plenty of rookie police
If you were around in 1970 and had the cash to order a new LS6 Chevelle, you might have optioned the car like Bob Matranga’s pristine example. His 450-horsepower big block Chevy has more than just the obvious high-performance hardware. The car has a great backstory
When Steve Wozniak bought his 1970 Chevelle 10 years ago the plan was to build a nice car and sell it. As almost everyone with a car project knows, plans can change, often for the better. In Steve’s case, the result is much better thanks
For most of us, birthday years that end in a zero are usually a cause for larger-than-normal celebrations, including – maybe – an exceptional gift. For Ronnie Brysch, when he hit the big 6-O a few years ago, his family surprised him with a birthday
You know a hot rod project is a good one when both the car owner and builder are equally excited about it. That was the case with this ’32 five-window coupe belonging to Scott Chontos. Builder Harold Chapman of Customs and Hot Rods of Andice
