Rodding USA May/June 2021

WELCOME BACK March 2020 was the end of car shows as we had known them since the beginning of custom car events in the late 1940s. January and February events went off without a hitch, and then COVID 19 crept into our lives and eventually took over the world. We managed to squeeze in a scaled-down Street Rod Nationals in Louisville in August and then a smaller than usual Southwest Nats in Scottsdale. Both events were subject to local health guidelines but the promoters managed to pull them off with no difficulties. Entrants and spectators at both events were required to wear masks. As we crossed the finish line of 2020 into 2021, everyone seemed to think the beginning of the New Year would bring change, but unfortunately, that was not the case.…

Over the years, I have heard just about all the arguments as to why some people believe that the engine brand in their hot rod must match the body manufacturer. MOPAR in a MOPAR, Ford in a Ford, and so on. I feel that part of hot rodding is the personalization of the car, and a big part of that is the engine. I have had a Chevy small block in my Plymouth coupe for decades. I did create MOPAR branded valve covers to disguise the change, and it has fooled a few at first glance. However, many people forget that there was a lot of cross-matching of engines into cars right from the start. There were car companies that did not have the funds to design and build their own…

At first glance, you might think there isn’t much difference between these father and son-owned Model A pickup’s apart from the noticeable differences like paint, front bumper, badges, and some chrome parts. However, a quick look inside James Jensen’s green, black fendered pickup might give you a clue there was a significant difference lurking somewhere under the sheet metal compared to his dad Phil’s blue one. Of the two of them, it was Phil who first started building his Model A truck. A diesel mechanic by trade, it wasn’t long before he was tinkering around with cars in his garage at home. The first car he owned was a 1949 Chevy Coupe which he paid $150 for and as he says, driving it around with a big hole in the floor…

Our Fuel Door kit was Hagan Street Rod Necessities first product, and over 25 years later is still our most popular item. They have been used by many thousands of Street Rod Enthusiasts and professionals to hide and/or move the fuel filler on their projects. Each kit has everything you need to complete the install including the door assembly (with hinge and touch latch), a fill-through cap, and a threaded spout for connecting a 2 inch ID hose to the fuel tank. We offer many configurations and door shapes to allow the builder incredible flexibility to achieve their vision. Step 1: First, determine your fuel door shape (oval, rectangle, teardrop, etc.) and if you want the fuel spout at a 45-degree angle (for “side” of quarter panel installations) or 90-degree angle (for…

In talking to car enthusiasts and business people alike in 2012, I was constantly asked why I would want to publish a print magazine when everything seemed to be shifting to digital content on the internet. I grew up reading magazines and began working in the publishing industry in 1978. I knew that digital was making headway into the publishing world but I also knew the feeling of receiving publications in the mail and the excitement and joy they brought. Those same feelings could not be captured on a computer monitor or the cell phone in your hand. I also believed that many hot rodders felt the same way. I wanted Issue #1 to be unique and came up with the idea to feature a wrap-around photo on the cover rather than…

If you were going to describe the quintessential hot rod, Art Goldstrom’s black and flamed, 1932 Ford roadster would check most of the boxes. I would think that even a person with minimal interest in cars would see this Deuce going down the road and would say to themselves, “now that’s a Hot Rod!” We would have the same thoughts. In the late 90s, Art Goldstrom, proprietor of Nostalgia Street Rods in Las Vegas, decided that his growing collection of street rods and race cars needed to have that “quintessential” hot rod in the collection. He collaborated with his team, and this is the car they came up with. They started the project with an aftermarket chassis and fit it with a dropped I-beam axle and hairpins up front and a 9-inch…