Rodding USA July/August 2020

Who would have thought we would still be in the COVID pandemic after first hearing of the virus during the GNRS weekend in January. The unforeseen changes have taken a toll on the rodding community from the perspective of the near elimination of car shows across the country and around the world. Hopefully, all of you and your families are safe and sound. The Havasu Deuces show in early March was one of the final shows of the new year. Many upcoming shows have been postponed, and others canceled, but we will keep our fingers crossed for events later in the year. Malena and I had planned on attending Billy Hill’s Yellow Brick Road Show in Liberal, KS, but he had to postpone it from Mother’s Day weekend to Father’s Day weekend.…

Frank and Andi Brown of Los Lunas, New Mexico, recently acquired this classic 1940 Deluxe Ford coupe, which was built by Hot Rod Haven in Albuquerque. This stunning example of a Forty is a perfect addition to Frank’s collection of Deuces. The project was commissioned by a customer of Jamie Johnson’s who decided it was too nice a vehicle to enjoy since he lived on a dirt road. Frank knew the car well, and at one time he mentioned to Jamie that he would like to own it if the original owner ever decided to sell. Recently Frank received a call that the owner wanted to sell, and he became the proud owner a few days later. Frank says that it’s a great road car and is happy to add it to…

OWNER: Frank & Andi Brown – Los Lunas, New Mexico CHASSIS: Original frame, tubular crossmembers, electric ABS power brakes. FRONT SUSPENSION: Independent front suspension, disk brakes, power rack and pinon and Bilstein shocks. REAR SUSPENSION: Currie 9-inch Ford rear axle, parallel leaf springs, disk brakes, Bilstein shocks. TIRES & WHEELS: Michelin tires, 165/80-15 front, 255/70-16 rear. Real Rodders Wheels with knock offs, 5x15 front, 8x16 rear. ENGINE: Ford Coyote 5.0, 430 HP, 2-½ inch exhaust. TRANSMISSION: AODE electric automatic overdrive transmission. BODY: Original Ford sheet metal, Glasurit single stage paint, Jamie Johnson painter, bodywork and paint finish by Jamie and Jim Johnson at Hot Rod Haven. INTERIOR: Full leather by Ron Mangus interiors in Rialto, CA. COMPLETED: 2014. BUILDER: Hot Rod Haven – Albuquerque, New Mexico.…

As the checkered flags fell and record books swelled from the legendary performance of Ardun-headed Ford V8s, the word spread far and wide. Stories of its prowess were published in Hot Rod magazine, which had distribution in several countries around the world. The Ardun’s horsepower and speed gains soon permeated the racing and hot rod scenes in Australia and even in New Zealand, where I live. Back in the year 2000, New Zealand Hot Rod magazine published a 4-part article tracing the development of the engine and the history of the Ardun conversions, which made their way to our shores. (I’ll come back to those in a minute) To my knowledge, there are no articles published on the history of the Arduns exported to Australia. Still, I recently had confirmation…

2021 Havasu Deuces Show Rodding USA is proud to announce our partnership with Havasu Deuces, producers of the late winter Havasu Deuces car show in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Their show has never offered trophies, but this year’s event will include the Rodding USA TOP TEN picks. Choosing ten cars will be a difficult task, with nearly 250 Deuces along with another 100+ ’57 and earlier custom cars. Each winner will receive a TOP TEN plaque, along with a Rodding USA t-shirt and a photo in the extended coverage of the event in the May/June (#50) issue. The three days of rodding fun takes place on March 4-6, 2021. The show includes the Thursday Downtown Main Street Show, Friday Garage Tours and Dinner, along with the big show in Rotary Park on Saturday and…

When Doug Beattie was in high school, his paper route took him past a bunch of guys hanging out with some nice cars. It turns out; it was the West Seattle Cruizers. Their rides included ‘30s Ford coupes, shoebox Fords, and even a Mercury. Memories like those tend to be retained over what may have been far more important events of the day. Those memories can lead to passion-filled times for the rest of our lives. Doug spent time in California, where he found hot rod heaven, and finally did end up back in Washington state. The NW takes a back seat to no one when it comes to the automotive frenzy that has occurred in the last 50 plus years. Doug and a buddy rescued a ’30 Ford coupe from a…