Rod & Custom

Being editor of Rod & Custom puts me in an elite group of 14 men to have held the reins of this magazine, but I now belong to an even more elite group of just three, along with Bud Bryan and Tom Medley, as we’ve all had the displeasure of penning editorials letting readers know that their favorite magazine will be no more. Wow, that’s some pretty cool company right there, but for the wrong reason! While Bud Bryan had to tell you the news in 1971, when R&C was given its own space within Hot Rod for almost a year, it was publisher Tom Medley who revealed the magazine’s demise in 1974, after R&C’s brief resurrection in July 1972. And now it’s my turn. While many of you will…

DOFFING CAPS Just got my August issue of Rod & Custom. The blue ’50 Ford sedan owned by Arturo Quesada shows a nice set of 15-inch full-disc hub caps. These would look good on my ’49 Fleetline. What kind are they, and could you get some info on these caps? Thanks. Leonard Rochowiak Via email We went to the horse’s mouth, so to speak, and asked Arturo directly. He says he found them at the Kustom Kemps of America show in Salina, Kansas, a couple of years ago, and they haven’t been modified. He sent us pictures of them during the polishing stage, and they’re definitely formed in one piece, center bullet and all. He assumes they’re old aftermarket ’caps, as they’re not badged or stamped with any OEM markings.…

Rod & Custom is, from this issue forward, merging with STREET RODDER magazine. This is not an editorial or publisher-level decision, but as part of our parent company’s re-branding as TEN: The Enthusiast Network. R&C was just one of the “victims,” along with Custom Classic Trucks, Popular Hot Rodding, Camaro Performers, and a number of other titles. We didn’t want this event to pass unmentioned, and felt a celebration of your and our favorite magazine was in order. However, it was but a scant six months ago that we brought you a special issue celebrating 60 years of Rod & Custom, with almost entirely archival content. We have neither the intent to repeat ourselves, nor the space to commit to doing something similar, as we’d already put 90 percent of…

Robert Lomas’ name will be familiar to regular readers as the owner of the ’34 three-window coupe on our May ’06 cover, as well as the ’51 Vicky mild custom from our Sept. ’11 issue. A lifelong affinity with the Model 40, however, has taken him back to the earlier Ford, and after many coupes, this time it’s a roadster that received his touch. “I have always been partial to Fords, especially the Model 40, ever since I was a kid. I have owned and been driving one for the past 20 years. It started with a ’34 Ford truck then two ’34 five-windows and two ’33 three-windows, then another two ’34 threewindows and a ’34 phaeton. Next on my list was to own the most desirable Ford of all—at…

Many would say a custom isn’t a custom until the top’s been chopped. Honestly, it’s a hard point to argue! When the topic of customs comes up, the proverbial “go to” image seems to be a slammed and chopped Mercury. No matter how ya wanna slice it, the key component to a full custom is a chop. It’s been one of the top methods customizers have used over the years to give their creations that one-of-a-kind look and signature style. When delving into the topic of chops things expand into a cosmic land of imagination. For a chop isn’t just simply the mere matter of lowering the lid, it’s a planned and executed mission to alter the flow and profile of a custom. Slicing and dicing the roof skin is…

Sometimes things don’t go exactly as planned, but work out in the end. I got the word from Editor Kev that I would be shooting the NSRA event in Knoxville on my long trip across country in my ’66 Econoline. My trip from Long Beach to Georgia had gone off without a hitch, so I was confident I’d have plenty of time and easygoing miles to get to the Knoxville event to get the lowdown on what the southeast had to offer. We set out to go north Friday, when confidence in my ride ended with a bump and screeching as a rear wheel bearing let loose on me on the highway. In the middle of nowhere and about three hours from the show, I decided it was time to…