Hot Rods by JSK, Fuel Curve

Hot Rods by JSK – Lone Star Cool

Jeff Kinsey of Hot Rods by JSK is a no frills, no fuss kind of hot rod builder. He will pass you on the freeway and smile as he goes by, foot to the wood. He will be the first to crack a beer with you at the end of the day and talk shop. He will help you get your car sorted out if you have roadside trouble. He just so happens to also build really, really nice cars. He’s one of the best in the Lone Star State. That is a fact.

Jeff is a shining example of old school craftsmen who forged their reputation the old fashioned way – through hard work and trial and error. He’s one of those self-taught guys who started off in his carport then ended up capturing big awards like the Goodguys Street Rod of the Year (in 2014 with Don Smith’s orange ’32 Fordoor) and the 2016 Truck of the Year Early with Fred Struckman’s tan ’36 Ford. Hot Rods by JSK was soon a household name in hot rodding circles.

Hot Rods by JSK, Fuel CurveHot Rods by JSK, Fuel Curve

What’s even cooler is that he’s in the same Cumby, Texas-based shop he worked in right out of high school, albeit a little more expanded these days.

Hot Rods by JSK, Fuel Curve

Kinsey says his family wasn’t really into cars, but his brother messed around with a few and that set the hook. He took a job doing repairs at his current location when he graduated in 1986, back when it was just an automotive shop. While in school he also built a T-bucket and brought it to the Goodguys event at South Fork Ranch. That was back in the 1990s when hot rods were bound by billet, pastel colors and lots of other ugly fare. But Jeff never followed those trends.


Hot Rods by JSK, Fuel Curve

After the T-bucket he built a ’64 Chevy truck with a big block, and then a Model A for someone else, both at his house in the carport. Kinsey continued to earn a name for himself and, in 1996, he was able to purchase the shop building he used to work at.

Hot Rods by JSK, Fuel Curve

Over the years he’s added on to the facility several times, and currently employs four people, with his wife Traci handling the books. They do everything in-house, including fabrication, paint, and even upholstery. They are a tight knit operation with Jeff overseeing every phase of the build process insuring only the highest quality cars roll out of the shop.

Hot Rods by JSK, Fuel Curve

Current projects on the burners include a ’66 Mustang with Coyote power and a full-boogie ’37 Lincoln Zephyr.

Hot Rods by JSK, Fuel Curve

The shop recently finished up a phenomenal ’55 Olds for George Poteet which was well received at the Goodguys Lone Star Nationals taking home a Builder’s Choice award. Kinsey also has a slew of other cars and project fodder waiting in the wings, and if you need a fully tricked out ’47 Metro milk truck that will turn heads, you need to hit him up. He’s got the perfect one that needs finishing.

Jeff and his hard-working team can deliver anything you need from a quick maintenance or repair, to a full-on build. They do it all, and they do it well!

Brandon Flannery has a thirst for all things automotive, mechanical, and unique. He’s spent nearly two-decades in automotive journalism and ten years shooting and writing for the Goodguys Gazette. His early years learning about cars involved building hundreds of models as a kid and writing fan letters to his favorite car magazines, which they usually printed. Currently a Memphis resident, Brandon keeps it real with two VWs, a rail buggy, a 1946 Ford 2N tractor, and the legendary road-tripping Blue Goose, which has pulled a U-Haul trailer coast-to-coast twice.