Rodding USA January/February 2022

Happy New Year to all of our readers and advertisers. I feel that we are all ready for 2022 to lead us to new adventures and take us back to our pre-pandemic way of life. Our January/February issue always goes to the printer right after the holidays to avoid our printer’s abbreviated work schedule between Christmas and the New Year. Therefore, I like to write my editorial on January 1. This one was extraordinary in that 90 years ago; the Ford Motor Company introduced their all-new 1932 Ford, which was a drastic departure from the four-year run of the Model A. This year will bring many special salutes to the 1932 Ford, and we’ll plan on bringing some of them to you throughout the year. During the 50th anniversary of the ’32, I…

I’ve been a rodder most of my life. Sure, I took a few detours and tinkered with import cars and sports cars, but my first love and still my main focus today is Rodding. With that said, there have been events, places, and cars on my list of must-do or must-have. First, I had to have a Hot Rod. I’m not a fan of the term Street Rod. Its political correctness is wasted on me. I have had a few hot rods. ’23 T, ’32 Rockne, ‘37 Fiat, and my long-term car, and the only one I ever finished (are they ever really finished), my 1948 Plymouth. I have had it for 37 years now. Second, I wanted to meet and chat with people who made rodding history and impacted the hobby/industry. Over the…

Leonard Garduno dreamed of owning a 1933 or ’34 Ford for many years. After weighing the cost and time of building a car from scratch to suit his needs, he decided to opt for an already completed street rod. He found this gorgeous 1933 five-window coupe in Canon City, Colorado, in 2017, freshly built and painted by well-known ’33-’34 Ford expert Dick Ebling. The traditionally-styled coupe features an original all-steel body, with a 3-inch chopped and filled top. A Rootlieb hood with ’34-style handles was fitted, and the hood, deck lid, and tank cover were punched with a total of 140 louvers. Other features include vintage-style nerf bars, King Bee headlights, and Bear Claw door latches with power locks. The cherry body was then covered with a slick coating of ’79…

OWNER: Leonard and Eloise Garduno - Santa Fe, New Mexico CHASSIS: Stock 1933 Ford frame, fully-boxed. FRONT SUSPENSION: Super Bell drilled and dropped I-beam axle, hairpin radius rods, rack & pinion steering, disc brakes, all parts chrome plated. REAR SUSPENSION: 9-inch Ford positive traction rear end, 3.55 gears, semi-elliptic springs. WHEELS: 15-inch steel, 1940 Ford Standard hubcaps, beauty rings. TIRES: Front: BF Goodrich 155-80-15. Rear: BF Goodrich 235-70-15. ENGINE: GM Performance Ramjet 350 crate motor, 350 cubic inch, 350 horsepower, Ramjet fuel injection. TRANSMISSION: GM 700-R4, Gennie shifter. BODY: All steel original 1933 body, 3-inch chop, and filled top, 140 louvers, nerf bars, Rootleib hood, King Bee style headlights, ’79 International Harvester Embassy Gray with Burgundy pinstriping, INTERIOR: Brown leather roll & pleat upholstery, power bucket seats, VDO gauges, ’40 Ford steering wheel, tilt column, hidden stereo system. SPECIAL THANKS:…

After a year off for the Covid-19 virus, NSRA scheduled the 44th Western Street Rod Nationals to April 23-25, the weekend it’s been in the past, then quickly re-scheduling for October 29-31, 2021. While the weather was a possible consideration with the later dates, it was, in fact, a gorgeous weekend. While we have seen a reduction in attendees this year at many of the events, a result of the weekly changes in the Covid scene, Bakersfield was no exception, although it was hardly noticeable, what with this being a gearhead community, as hundreds of local entries were there. We viewed home-built hot rods parked next to a $500,000 pro-built street rod, as well as pickups, many pickup trucks. Remember, this is a significant farming and oil supply area of California. The…

1932 - 2022 90 years ago, the Ford Motor Company was busy building 322,962 passenger cars and 115,322 commercial vehicles at their Detroit Rouge Plant and other locations worldwide. Little did Henry Ford know that his Deuce would be adopted as the go-to car for young speed demons in Southern California on the dry lake beds. The popularity of these race cars would eventually make them the choice of hot rodders and customizers around the world. Even though the 1932 Ford was only produced for one calendar year, it has fascinated rodders for years. Besides the drastic styling changes from the Model A, the Deuce was also given a new heart on March 31, 1932, when Mr. Ford introduced the 221 cubic inch Flathead V8 engine, producing 65 horsepower. The following pages show…