NZ Hot Rod January 2023

THE way I see it, 2023 is going to be a volatile year. Economists predict higher inflation and lower consumer spending with associated doom and gloom. We have a huge fish to fry this year, and that is our choice for the next NZ government. Freedom of speech is now a real issue, with our current crop of elected officials being caught red-handed using social media platforms as propaganda arms to suppress and eliminate opinions they don't like. Those very people we should trust to be fair, neutral and charged with maintaining our democratic rights appear to be using social media to advance their own narratives. The truth is our greatest adventure, and whatever the powers that be, have in mind for us in the coming year, it could be…

Many Thanks HI PAUL, Just a thank you to the team for the feature on my ‘32 Vicky and all the good work in hot rodding you provide. Tony Vittle Mystery Fordors HI PAUL, Shane “Clown” Brown in Franklin Street Rodders has a chopped ‘32 Fordor sedan, which he has owned for a long time. There is a good picture of it in an FSR club craft feature in the magazine in May 1999. It may be another piece of the puzzle. He purchased the sedan around 1987, in stock condition, from a hot rodder in South Auckland, who also had a ‘32 Tudor. Bear in mind Clown was only 17 years old at the time. He did the roof chop on it, but I suspect it is the one that is on page…

Flash Flatheads THESE “dressed to thrill” and “set on kill” flatheads have most certainly stretched their power envelope since their introduction 90 years ago. The Ardun is in a street rod, the one with the Hampton blower and Offy heads is in a Willys Race Car, and the “high tech” one is in a Bonneville salt flats racer. From Bruce Taylor. Trends from SEMA 2022 HOW long will it be before we start to see this variant of the mini truck trend in New Zealand? Hydraulic rams raise, tilt and spin the wellside, often while driving along. These mini trucks seemed to appeal to a broad age group of spectators. From Bruce Taylor. Peter Brock & the Modern Daytona Coupe AT the recent Shifters 30th anniversary car show, meeting the legendary Peter Brock was a real treat.…

Brought to you by For all GM restoration supplies. Tri-Five 210 RECENTLY arrived via West Coast Classics is this 1956 Chevrolet 210 4-door sedan with some great upgrades. It's a long-time, one-family-owned car. Under the hood is a near-new GM Performance ZZ4 crate 350 with alloy heads backed by a 700R 4-speed auto. Due to this car needing LVV for the engine trans change plus requiring a 3-point seat belt install, we decided to keep going. A CPP power disc brake conversion is included as well as CPP engine mounts, trans mounts & a roller idler arm kit (poor man's power steering). The body is an excellent original, not patched up, and no prior repairs have been seen. The underside looks good. The paint & interior are old & honest. Everything works -…

KEVIN Grainger has been playing around with old cars since the ‘70s. In 1974 he started work on ‘48 Ford Pop, running an HA Viva front end, 105E Anglia rear, and a hotted 1725cc Hunter engine. It was painted in blue with the name ‘Blue Moves’ (after an Elton John album title). Once completed in ‘77, and as his daily driver, the Pop was a regular sight around Hamilton ‘til the mid-'80s. A lot of the original Pop's build set the pattern for Kevin's next project, the Van you see here. A trip down to Horopito in ‘77 bought back the remains of the ‘38 Thames; yes, it's a ‘38 Thames. While many folks instantly assume it's Pop Van, this one is a ‘38 Thames and proudly wears the rare grille…

THE NHRA Nevada Nationals were held on the weekend before the SEMA Show, and it was pretty obvious from just walking through the gates (and metal detectors) that COVID, a so-called recession, high gas prices or any other excuse that people could think of, had absolutely no effect on top-level drag racing. Race fans were spending up large on T-shirts and souvenirs in the NHRA marquee, drinking cocktails and tall cans of beer at US$14 a can.…that's $26 in our money. My travel companions had the tough decision as to whether to sip it slowly to make it last longer or just drink it before it got too warm. The John Force roadshow was in full swing. One rig for selling T-shirts and other merchandise, another for media, marketing and…