Many hot rodders dream of turning their old-car hobby into a profession. Having the right combination of skill and good business sense to do that successfully can be more challenging than a lot of people realize, though. David Kennedy is one rodder who seems to
Sport Utility Vehicles may be the most ubiquitous form of transportation on American roads these days, but they were still a bit of an unproven concept back in the mid-1950s when Dallas Marine’s 1954 GMC Suburban Carryall first came off the assembly line. Family vehicles
Words by Roger Jetter On the way home from the James Dean Days in Fairmount, Indiana, a few years ago, we asked friends Stan and Judy Goodwin of Casper, Wyoming, if they’d ever considered touring Canada. “On my ‘bucket list,’” Stan replied. Thus, the plan for
Words and Photos by Steve Sommer I have always liked the ’55-’56 Chevy pickups, dating back to when I was 12-13 years old and had a paper route. Someone on my route had a nicely done truck with good paint, mag wheels and a naugahyde interior
In the 1970s, California was a breeding ground for standout hot rods, ground fertilized by a convergence of factors, most notably the popularity of the Street Rod Nationals, a resurgent Rod & Custom magazine, and an explosion of aftermarket parts suppliers. Out of
Warren Alvord can still remember the first time he laid eyes on a Kurtis 500S. “I was 16 and I was at the South Mountain Hill Climb in Phoenix,” Warren says. “I saw the car and thought it was the most beautiful car I’d ever
It takes a village. The above photo shows a portion of the Brute Force build team, from left to right: Bill Brakman, Ryan Rivers, Paul Hattrup. Chris Brown, and owner Bob Matranga. What does it take to build an elite-level custom vehicle in today’s hot-rodding environment?
Hot rodders love to reimagine iconic cars. For decades, passionate enthusiasts and creative craftsmen have strived to reinvent the most popular models from our history, whether it’s a ’32 Ford, ’57 Chevy, or ’69 Camaro. The hot rod culture undoubtedly has its favorites, and builders
Dean Livermore’s shop, Hot Rods by Dean, has been consistently turning out top-notch rides in the Phoenix area for decades. With a wealth of respect from other builders and customers alike, Dean is a great ambassador for the hobby and an ideal craftsman for selecting
“It was supposed to just be a cool pantina’d hot rod.” Norman Bradley says he had no intention of his ’32 Ford five-window coupe becoming a Goodguys Tanks Inc. 2020 Hot Rod of the Year winner when he first had Henry Richards at Steadfast Manufacturing start
