Mail your vintage photos of you and your hot rod, along with a brief story, to Tim Bernsau, Rod & Custom, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., 8th Fl., Los Angeles, CA 90048, or e-mail them (3x5 inches at 300 dpi) to timothy.bernsau@primedia.com. We are unable to return any submitted material.
Cruisin' The InternetWant a place on the Web to talk about traditional rods and customs? We've been lurking at Ruffrodders.com, which features message boards for tech, classifieds, and general discussion. The site features several other forums loaded with car feature photos, technical "how tooz," buildups, videos (the El Mirage shots are a blast), and trad rod event coverage.
Rat FinkThe Movie"Tales of the Rat Fink," directed by documentary filmmaker Ron Mann, made its world premiere at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference & Festival in Austin, Texas, on March 11. The feature-length movie takes a not-too-serious look at the early years of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, creator of the Beatnik Bandit, Mysterion, the Outlaw, and other groundbreaking kustoms-and the father of America's second-favorite rodent, Rat Fink. The cast includes the voices of Alex Xydias, Robert Williams, Billy Gibbons, Ann-Margaret, Paul LeMat (John Milner in "American Graffiti"), "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening, and John Goodman as the voice of Ed Roth. We couldn't make it to the SXSW Conference, so we're hoping "Tales of the Rat Fink" makes it into general release at our neighborhood multiplex, or at least to DVD, soon.
Help Find These Missing '32s To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Deuce, the Ford Motor Company, with help from the hot rod community, has compiled a list of "The 75 Most Significant '32 Ford Hot Rods," which has created a huge buzz in the hobby. The complete list is posted on the R&C Web site. Now Ford has launched an effort to find every car on the list. The whereabouts and status of many of them are unknown. That's where R&C readers can help. If you have info about any of these missing '32s, send an e-mail to The75@paccomgrp.com.
Balchowsky/Vogel roadster, early Hop Up cover carBanker Bros. three-window coupe, Hot Rod featureCar, 1961Bill Breece three-window coupe, Hot Rod cover car, August 1956 Lil' John Buttera three-window coupe, considered the first high-tech hot rodPete Chapouris Limefire roadster, Hot Rod and R&C feature carRoy Desbrow pickup, Hot Rod cover car, January 1952Richard Graves phaeton, R&C cover car in December 1972Herbert /Gaskin Fordor sedan, chopped "more- door" highboy street/strip terrorJackman Bros. sport coupe, Hot Rod feature car in August 1959 and April 1962Gary Kessler roadster, early '70s hot rodJerry Kugel roadster, aka Holmes /Kugel roadsterDave Marquez roadster, Hot Rod cover car, first lift-off body Ak Miller roadster, innovative highboy with independent front suspensionVeda Orr roadster, owned by first female lakes racerChuck Price roadster, R&C 's first cover car in May 1953George Sein five-window coupe, Barris-built Car Craft cover carDon Thelen Vicky, Hot Rod feature carDon Van Hoff five-window coupe, Hot Rod cover car in December 1955Lynn Yakel five-window coupe, chopped and channeled early lakes highboy