Production numbers of original ’32 Ford roadster pickups vary, depending on the source, but suffice it to say, they’ll all agree on one thing: this particular model in Ford’s ’32 lineup is rare. Uncommon when new, they’re akin to the proverbial hen’s teeth today. Houston, Texas–based hot rodder Bill Lindig found this one in a stall behind a house in San Diego, California, some years ago, and though complete, even his description of its “terrible” condition doesn’t describe how bad it was. You’ll hear shortly when we delve into Bobby Walden’s description of its resurrection just how bad it was. But it’s a rare old truck, and deserved to be saved.

Far beyond his achievement of providing economical V-8 power to an impoverished nation, the last thing on the minds of Henry Ford’s newest customers in 1932, owners of his one-year-only Model B, was what profound impact those very automobiles would soon have—worldwide. Not even the visionary Henry himself could’ve predicted what a phenomenon that single vehicle was about to create. Much like the fabled AC Cobra, it’s safe to say that there are more “aftermarket” ’32 Fords on the road today than there are genuine FoMoCo ones! In the eyes of everyone, save for the restorative purists, that’s indeed a good thing.

Seems like whatever facet of the automobile hobby you’re into, whether it be restoration, hot rodding, race cars, or whatever, everyone has a “body and paint” story to tell. Jim Portelny is no different, with the extended build time of his ’37 Chevy owing mainly to his experience with a nameless bodyman. Unlike some others though, his project did make it to fruition. This is said with some experience, too. As an ex-body and paint shop owner, I was guilty of having a couple of, ahem, “long-term” customer projects over the years, though they did get finished. Why does almost every body shop seem to have such a project in the corner?

When building a custom, a certain sense of style is required. When building an early custom, even more so, given the less-is-more credo that almost always works best when dealing with ’30s and ’40s body styles. Indianapolis resident Kevin Anderson clearly gets it, if his “Goldtop” Buick Riviera and ’50 Merc are anything to judge by. This 1936 Ford custom, is his latest, its earlier body style having two things in common with his other customs, namely a roof chop and that sense of style.

When it comes to building a hot rod, it isn’t just a matter of raw talent, specific parts, or style—it’s actually all of the above. It takes a special blend of ingredients to build a great hot rod, and Jeff Bennett certainly put his blending skills to the test with this ’29 Ford Model A sedan. It’s a superclean car with all sorts of custom details, but its simplicity steals the show, thanks to a custom-mixed color combination and a perfect stance. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more sanitary sedan on the show field, and the fact that Jeff intends to put some serious miles on his freshly built Model A makes it even better.

The raw materials for a project can come from many sources, especially when dealing with original tin. Sure, we all dream of that perfect barn find, but truth be told, many of us start with something with way less salubrious origins.

If you know much, if anything, about the Nicholas Lepesh 41 Ford pickup, you may know its one constantthe fact that there was no constant when it came to the trucks signature exterior look. With that said, what many people recall the truck looking like is completely different than what others may remember. From its initial conception under Nicks tutelage til the day it was relinquished post-mortem to current caretaker Dave Pozzi, the 41 has gone through many a cosmetic makeover, each as notable as the next. Thus, when the time came to give what Car Craft dubbed Honey Of A Half-Ton back in 1964 yet another redo in 2010, the decisions on exactly which version should be used as the basis for restoration were not the easiest for the owner and its builder, Bill Ganahl, at South City Rod & Custom, to agree upon.

Rod & Custom Feature Car

1950 Chevy Bel Air

Things sure ain’t what they used to be. Pretty much you name it, and chances are, it ain’t anywhere near or anything like what it once was back in the day. And that day, to be completely honest, wasn’t all that long ago—much of our change we now see around us has occurred in more recent times. I’m not one for change, as you readers know where this editor stands on that particularly broad-ranged topic when it comes to the majority of its applications. One such area that has yours truly on the fence, however: multi-featured feature vehicles, aka double dippers.

We love a hot rod with history, especially when it’s been in the same hands for several decades. Gene Fernandez bought this ’34 Ford pickup back in 1960 from a neighbor who had a pair of similar trucks. Little by little he improved it, taking it with him as he moved around the country. Towed down to Texas from Washington, it was ready to be driven two years later when Gene’s job took him to California. He and his family even set out on that road trip using it to pull a trailer containing all their belongings ... until they reached the first hill—“what must be the only hill in Texas,” according to Gene! The little truck was too small and light for the heavy trailer, which broke away after fishtailing down the hill. With nothing broken, they hitched the trailer to the family station wagon that the kids were traveling in, and continued on their way!

Historians and diehard fans of land speed racing will all agree on the same thing when it comes to Veda Orr, the “first lady of the lakes”: Her contributions, both behind the wheel and behind the typewriter, are as legendary as they are crucial to the sport’s continued growth as in its earliest years. While her husband, racer and parts peddler Karl Orr, is often falsely credited as having the very first speed shop (possibly his 1920s repair shop in Missouri could’ve been construed as such, but not in the same facet as George Wight’s or Lee Chapel’s actual retail performance parts businesses, both of which were already established prior to Karl Orr Speed Shop opening its doors in 1940), the fact that Veda was the first woman to race in an SCTA-sanctioned dry lakes event in 1937 rings true, as it’s written in the record books.

We humans love our categories. Our ability to group things based on like traits let our forebears quickly judge what they could eat or what would eat them. It also lets us produce a magazine specifically about hot rods and custom cars.

It probably won’t come as much of a surprise to discover that Kevin Petitt, the owner of this ’64 Olds 88 Holiday Coupe, is an automotive painter by trade. Hanging out as a kid with your dad at custom paint shops, then working in one after college is likely to have that effect on a guy. He now works painting Hayabusa-engined three-wheelers for a living (check out www.tanommotorsusa.com), making painting his own car more fun than a work-related chore, for sure.

Unless it’s undergone some dramatic metamorphosis, it’s rare for a car to appear twice in a given magazine within, say, 40 years. It’s harder yet for one to return after appearing in a readers’ rides column; in fact, unless a car is under construction when first shown, it’s pretty much unheard of. So you could say it’s a pretty rare occasion that Ray Simpson’s ’41 Willys pickup reappears as-finished in print, especially since hardly a year has passed since its debut as a finished car in the May ’11 Readers’ Rods column.

Everyone loves a fast street car, right? So, how about a 10-second, blown Model A coupe that wears piecrust slicks on a permanent basis? (Not that we’d condone the use of such tires on the street. Ahem ...) Not only can David Webber’s coupe claim such bragging rights, but it’s his first hot rod too! We’ve spotted this coupe at the Lonestar Round Up on previous occasions, and something about its no-nonsense persona told us it was more than just a fairgrounds cruiser. But it wasn’t until this year that we got to meet David and his wife, Laura, and get the lowdown on what has been dubbed “The Austin Mangler”, thanks to a monster illustration of the car by Jeff Norwell.

The hot rod gene indeed flows in the Reed family’s blood. Rick Reed, uncle and twin brother of Ryan Reed’s late father, doesn’t spend his days behind the scenes creating like his nephew—he spends them behind the wheel driving them. And as evident from his ’35 cabriolet, both Reeds share the same taste in fine-detailed understatements.

Back when I was a grunt at STREET RODDER magazine, I was asked (told) to visit a shop down in Wildomar, California, called Fat Jack’s. Whether or not it was a baptism by fire is speculative (Fat Jack is quite the character), but rather than scurrying out of there with my tail between my legs, I developed a number of long-term relationships—including one with Ryan Reed, who at the time was cutting his teeth in the trade much like myself (it’s probably safe to say we both earned a good portion of our thicker skin thanks to Jack’s).

There’s nothing quite like a hot rod with a genuine pedigree … that is, unless it’s a hot rod with a genuine-pedigreed Riley SOHC V-8! Texan rod aficionado Don Smith just added a roadster to his collection with quite the eclectic history: an ex-drag Deuce, the “Kreepin’ Krips” B-Roadster, with early lakes racer Gene Van Arx’s original George Riley single overhead, circa 1936. Not only is that a mouthful to say, it’s one hell of a lineage.

For us journos, or this one at least, one of the best parts of traveling to shows around the country is meeting car owners. This is especially true of the owners of cars we photograph for features while we’re there, as between moving the car around and setting up shots, we get the opportunity to chat with them. While in Austin, Texas, for the Lonestar Round Up, not only was it a pleasure to meet Ronald and Carmen Andrews, owners of this ’51 Ford, but in a small way we were able to share their obvious thrill at not only debuting their car, but going home with Gary Howard’s Best Custom trophy and a magazine shoot in the bag.

Mr. Fifty-Five Fate
Randy Rosera’s Hardtop ’Vert

“After 30 years of not surfing or having an old custom car, I decided it was about time for both. So, I went out, bought a new surfboard, and got back in the water. That was the easy part; now I just needed to find a car.

We first came across Jim Holmes’ ’33 coupe in the Roy Brizio Street Rods booth at the Grand National Roadster Show earlier this year and immediately knew we had to find out more. The sectioned, channeled, but unchopped five-window had the appearance of an old hot rod, and indeed that turned out to be the case when we were told the history of the car. Not only was it first built in the late ’50s, but Jim actually rode in it when he was in high school, and never forgot the experience!

There isn’t a rift between ’39 and ’40 Ford owners, but there probably should be. It’s not that we wish there was, but that we’re somewhat surprised that fans of the ’39 haven’t revolted. Though the two cars are just short of identical, the ’40 seems to overshadow its older brother. It gets all the books written about it, and most hardly even acknowledge the ’39. In fact it usually gets lumped in with the ’38. But an advocate of the ’39 will likely explain just how many ways the ’39 has it over its younger sibling.

Aaron Kirby had just finished a six-year, 100 percent stock restoration of a numbers-matching ’69 Camaro RS/SS convertible when it was stolen from his driveway in broad daylight. Living in Los Angeles at the time, he took this opportunity to buy the car he’d been in love with since a teenager, a ’65 Buick Riviera. Since he told us the ensuing story so well, we’ll let him take it from here.

Cus-tom: noun; a usage or practice common to many or to a particular place or class or habitual with an individual.