You may remember that last month I installed a Vintage Air evaporator under the dash (almost!) in my project '49 Chevy, converted the stock heater controls to operate the air conditioning, and fabricated a bulkhead fitting to route the plumbing from the interior to the engine bay. Well, it's been a busy month, as not only did I plumb the brakes (see page 40), but also plumbed the air and heater hoses, and wired the air conditioning.inline_mediumwraptextright31246989/techarticles/1001rc_1949_chevy_heating_and_air_conditioning1001rc_01_o+1949_chevy_heating_and_air_conditioning+hoses.jpgTrue

Typically, when a person goes to Barry Lobeck, they do so for only one reason: to have a car built. But it isn't just because of his shop's talent. That high aptitude level is backed up by an equally high artistic level, which is sort of like comparing an interior designer to an average-yet-skilled handyman when weighing Lobeck's against a run-of-the-mill rod shop. I wouldn't go so far as calling Lobeck the Carson Kressley of hot rods, but he does have that "eye" for concept, color, and complete overall design of a project.inline_mediumwraptextright27004306/featuredvehicles/1001rc_1934_ford_cabriolet1001rc_02_o+1934_ford_cabriolet+passenger_side.jpgTrue

What A Concept!
Sometimes it seems that all the cool new engine accessory parts are made for small-block Chevys, and even if you do find stuff for other makes, it's often only available for the most popular engines. You know, if you have a Ford it'll probably only fit the small-block 289 or 302 motor. Concept One is redressing the balance by offering four (count 'em) pulley kits for the 351 Cleveland. They range from a basic alternator-only pulley kit up to a full-option solution with alternator, air conditioning compressor, and power steering mechanism. All associated pulleys and brackets, belts, and chrome hardware are included.inline_mediumwraptextright31292961/rodshop/0912rc_december_2009_rod_shop0912rc_01_z+december_2009_rod_shop+concept_one.jpgTrue

Earl Jones knew he married the right woman when she gave him a '50 Chevy for a wedding present.inline_mediumwraptextright30776562/featuredvehicles/0912rc_1950_chevy_fleetline0912rc_01_o+1950_chevy_fleetline+driverside.jpgTrue

You want to talk about traditional hot rods? Let's talk about four-bangers.

The story of Roger O'Dell's custom project begins with a phone call. It was a friend of his complaining about a '36 Ford roadster he'd purchased, based only on photos. When he received the car, it was-surprise!-not anywhere near as nice as it had been described. It was, in his words, "a pile" and he just wanted it gone.inline_mediumwraptextright26582548/featuredvehicles/0912rc_1936_ford_roadster0912rc_01_o+1936_ford_roadster+driverside.jpgTrue

Stromberg Carburetor is proud to announce its sponsorship of the Suede Palace at the 2010 Grand National Roadster Show, L.A. County Fairgrounds, Pomona, CA, January 29 - 31, 2010.inline_mediumwraptextright25995149/hotnews/0911rc_stromberg_carburetor_announces_suede_palace_sponsorship_at_2010_grand_national_roadster_show0911rc_01_z+stromberg_carburetor_sponsor_2010_suede_palace+gnrs.jpgTrue

Up until this past summer, if you wanted to wire your car the old-fashioned way-with a quality (insulated) cloth-wrapped wire, that is-you literally had to do it the old-fashioned way, meaning individual wire by individual wire, as there weren't any full-vehicle harnesses previously available. (You could, however, have an automotive electrician scratch-wire your car, but it's getting harder and harder to find skilled individuals still willing to perform this.)inline_mediumwraptextright31282461/techarticles/1001rc_american_autowire_nostalgia_wiring_kit1001rc_01_o+american_autowire_nostalgia_wiring_kit+trans.jpgTrue

With all the major mechanical components installed in our '49 Chevy project Purple Pig, it's time to get down to all the little jobs that seemingly take forever in order to make the car road worthy. One of the larger of these "little" jobs is the time-consuming task of running brake lines. We already installed the ABS Power Brakes master cylinder (July '09 issue), and used a Straight Brake Line kit from Inline Tube to hook everything up. While Inline Tube offers pre-bent kits for many applications, they don't have patterns for every combination, and suggest using their Straight Line kits for custom setups like ours.inline_mediumwraptextright31248012/techarticles/1001rc_1949_chevy_brake_lines1001rc_02_o+1949_chevy_brake_lines+underbody.jpgTrue

I'm always anxious when I see a new build and then hear that the project started with an existing old hot rod because I love old barn finds and survivor cars from back in the day. When I spoke to Gary Bennett about shooting this five window, and saw its nostalgic appearance, I figured it had been a '50s or '60s build. Despite its stunning reconstruction, my heart sank a little. This only proves that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover because when he sent me a CD full of pictures of the Deuce on the day he bought it, my (selfish) fears proved unfounded. Sure it may have been rodded farther back in the past, but what Gary purchased was an '80s-built rod that hadn't stood the test of time, and he's done a heck of a job bringing it to what it is now.inline_mediumwraptextright27006292/featuredvehicles/1001rc_1932_ford_coupe1001rc_01_o+1932_ford_coupe+front_angle.jpgTrue

These days, Dennis McPhail is anything but "understated". Roll back the calendar some 15-plus years, however, and that would've probably been the best way to describe him ...or at least that's how this West Coast greenhorn photojournalist perceived him after our initial introduction in the early '90s.

There are some shows that for whatever reason become a "must-do" on many people's calendars. The Lifters Car Club's King of Clubs event is just that. This July saw the fifth such event, and my third consecutive year. Held on a Saturday at the eighth-mile dragstrip on the Barona Reservation, just east of San Diego, it offers the chance to put your rod or custom up the strip-and inter-club rivalry is encouraged with trophies in three classes: street, flathead, and race, as well as five bands and a burlesque show on an outside stage. There are more vendors every year, with beautiful surroundings and some killer cars.

Diamond Bar, CA (November 2, 2009) -- SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association, working on behalf of California enthusiasts of specialty vehicles (street rods, custom vehicles, kit cars and replicas) and in cooperation with the Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Automotive Repair, Air Resources Board and Attorney General's office has resolved a complex and threatening issue to this market segment and the industry it serves. "This breakthrough procedure allows owners of certain specially constructed vehicles (SCVs) to avoid the pitfalls of a previously muddy process for legally registering and titling such vehicles in California," said Steve McDonald, SEMA Vice President of Government Affairs. "Under this process, vehicle owners can avoid a situation that could have led to confiscated SCVs and law enforcement action. Further, the program now permits these vehicles to demonstrate state emissions-compliance requirements."inline_mediumwraptextright31162473/hotnews/0911rc_sema_and_california_agencies_solve_titling_dilemma_for_hobbyist_vehicles0903rc_01_z+sema_logo+.jpgTrue

If it's Father's Day weekend it means the annual L.A. Roadster Show and Swap Meet has come around again. A well-established tradition for hot rodders in Southern California, this year marked the 45th such event for the club which was formed in 1957. The established format of only letting finished, painted, and upholstered 1936 and older roadsters into the main show area is the main draw. But at least double the real estate taken up by the finished roadsters is set aside outside the gate for the huge swap meet and specialty parking area, where pre-'75 hot rods, customs and other special interest vehicles are made welcome.inline_mediuminlinewithtextright24936212/eventcoverage/0911rc_la_roadster_show_and_swap_meetParagraphImage.jpgFalse

One of the best things about welcoming new young people to the rod and custom scene is the fresh perspective they bring with them. Untainted by decades of rituals, rodding rookies are much more willing to break many of the hobby's unwritten rules. Like the one that says you should avoid old Mopars-and four-door sedans. Texan Kent Ladner ignored both of these jewels of rodding wisdom when he applied a host of modern custom tricks to a '55 Plymouth Belvedere, creating the slinky sedan shown here.inline_mediumwraptextright29708703/featuredvehicles/0911rc_1955_plymouth_belvedere0911rc_01+1955_plymouth_belvedere+wheels.jpgTrue

We moan about the rising cost of gasoline, but we keep putting it in our cars as, without it, they're expensive garage ornaments. But until you build a project, or have to replace parts, the fuel system goes largely ignored. As with most things in life, times change, and products improve. Not to mention the big shift towards fuel injection means components that worked with carbureted engines will no longer work. With these thoughts in mind, let's take a look at how the precious lifeblood gets from your gas cap to the combustion chamber.inline_mediumwraptextright25814590/techarticles/0911rc_modern_fuel_systems0911rc_01_z+modern_fuel_systems+chevron.jpgTrue

Chevy Metal
That the 1949-53 Chevy is one of the most popular cars to modify right now should be pretty obvious to anyone who attends shows or reads magazines, but unfortunately we can't all find a rust free south-western state project. Luckily the aftermarket is coming to the rescue with patch panels and sheetmetal to rescue these models.
EMS Automotive has always been a great source of repair panels for numerous Fifties cars, and now they've introduced a lower front quarter panel for the 1953-54 Chevy. Die-stamped in the USA, the 18-gauge panel is stepped into the door jamb and extends through into the wheel opening and about 4 inches above it, with a stepped flange already formed to make fitment easy. For more information contact EMS Automotive at (216) 541-4585.inline_mediumwraptextright29718222/rodshop/0911rc_rod_shop_november_20090911rc_10_z+rod_shop_november_2009+panel.jpgTrue

Tooling along taking in the bouquet of the landscape, the wind coursing through your hair, nothing beats a roadster for the full experience. But sometimes the experience can be just a little bit too...full. Like when the overnight cloudburst fills your car with water. Or when someone takes a criminal liking to something they just happened to see as they were checking out your car. Sometimes it helps to have just a little bit of protection.inline_mediumwraptextright24941405/techarticles/0911rc_1929_ford_tonneau_cover0911rc_02_z+1929_ford_tonneau_cover+covered.jpgTrue

A big part of the appeal of show rods like Craig Smith's wild customized '32 roadster is nostalgia for the early Sixties. It was a time before assembly-line musclecars replaced hot rods, before brightly-colored bell bottoms replaced indigo dungarees, and before some British mop tops elbowed out American-born musicians like Elvis and Jerry Lee. Of course, not every music star of the era was playing rock 'n' roll. One wavy-haired young piano man was making the ladies swoon with his showy interpretations of the classics.inline_mediumwraptextright24894106/featuredvehicles/0911rc_1932_ford_roadster0911rc_01+1932_ford_roadster+wheels.jpgTrue

My favorite cars have always been traditional-style rods, in particular, the early "show coupe" style of the late Fifties/early Sixties-cars like the Catallo Deuce and the Tognotti and the Andy Kassa coupes, which managed to combine the best of features of hot rods and customs. After owning a few hot rods and customs, when the chance finally came to build one from the ground up, I wanted one that evoked that era.inline_mediumwraptextright30329616/featuredvehicles/0911rc_1931_ford_model_a_coupe0911rc_01_z+1931_ford_model_a_coupe+driverside.jpgTrue

As with so many hot rodders, the seed was planted very early for Lynn Bird. While his earliest memories would be of his uncle's fixed up cars when he was very young, Lynn would forever be a builder after he was introduced to scale model car kits in the Fifties (one of his favorites was the Ala Kart kit). In the early Sixties, Lynn was a teenager in Southern California, where, in addition to cars, he was drawn to the beautiful nearby coastline. Many years and almost as many cars later, Lynn was starting yet another project with a few forlorn pieces and a picture in his head as to what he could turn those bits into. A well-used 1927 Ford Model T roadster cowl and pair of doors found their way into Lynn's busy garage, and were all he needed to get the wheels turning toward building his own version of a Fifties "show rod" inspired by the Ala Kart.inline_mediumwraptextright24898784/featuredvehicles/0911rc_1927_ford_roadster_pickup0911rc_02+1927_ford_roadster_pickup+custom_headlights.jpgTrue

Pleasanton, Calif - The Goodguys Rod & Custom Association, the largest rod & custom association in the world with over 70,000 members, will stage twenty-three events in 2010. The event lineup features nineteen national events for rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage as well as four "Get-Together's" in California which welcome all years, makes and models of specialty vehicles.

It is with regret and great sadness to announce the passing of master craftsman and long time dedicated employee, Bill Jenks. He passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 3, 2009. It is a great loss not only for his family and friends, including everyone here at MOON, but the entire industry and hot rodders everywhere.inline_mediumwraptextright30869349/hotnews/0910rc_bill_jenks_1930_20090910rc_01_z+bill_jenks_memorial+mooneyes.jpgTrue

There are many components of a custom or street rod that have to be integrated into the build, such as gas and brake pedals, a shifter, and a steering column. There are others that aren't as important to the operation of your car but are just as important, such as seat belts and an emergency brake. But just because you need an emergency brake doesn't mean it needs to be out in the open in the interior. In many cases the factory e-brake handle or foot pedal is now competing for space in the kick panel or under the dash with other custom components. Relocating it is often a better solution and with parts from Lokar it doesn't have to take up much space or be an eyesore.inline_mediumwraptextright30851025/techarticles/0912rc_floor_mount_emergency_brake0912rc_01_o+floor_mount_emergency_brake+mounted.jpgTrue

Despite its appearance now, I actually used the Purple Pig as my daily driver when I first moved to California, commuting 70 miles a day. With nothing more than a seat inside the car, and temperatures where I lived at the time too much for me to bear on my afternoon drive home, I realized for the first time why installing air conditioning was so popular in hot rods and customs! Bear in mind I'd just moved from a country where heaters and demisters are requirements, not cold air!