To some, the intricacies of setting the ignition timing on an engine or changing a distributor may as well be black magic, while to others it's a procedure they know by heart, and as we took the opportunity to replace the cheapo distributor and coil in my '46 roadster pickup with Pertronix Flamethrower versions before I drove it to Bonneville, it offered the chance to delve into a subject that might be of interest, if the number of times I've seen people confused by timing markers and the subsequent inability to set their timing is anything to go by.

On or off, the removable aluminum hardtop is one of the most attention-grabbing design features of Miller's '29 roadster pickup. Laying beneath the stylish upholstery is a story crafted from talent and metal. The hardtop came together during filming for one segment of the RIDES TV show at Miller's Atlanta-area distribution and training center. There, nationally known custom rod fabricator Pat Keating and renowned metalworker Ron Covell joined Miller district managers Wayne Reece (the driving force behind the roadster pickup's development) and Robert Shepard in building the hardtop. Collectively, these four individuals have more than 100 years of fabricating experience. Here, they share some advice any automotive enthusiast can use, from choosing the right metals to tips for getting accurate curves.

Our project '49 Chevy saw the Chassis Engineering front suspension installed in our October issue, but we had no means to steer the car which made it kinda difficult to move around, especially as it doesn't live at our Tech Center between installation stories. However, a couple of calls to Flaming River and we had everything we needed from the steering rack up to the steering wheel, though we sourced the latter from Lecarra, opting for their Mk40 wheel in plain black, with a plain black horn button. While a V8 logo button is available, we were conscious of putting what is essentially a reduced diameter '40 Ford wheel in a Chevy and wanted to stay away from the V8 logo. Apart from the fact the Mk40 is a cool-looking wheel, we want the '49 to retain an early custom look inside and out (but not under!) once completed, and didn't want a half-wrapped wheel or anything too modern-looking. The Mk40 fits the bill perfectly.

Coilover shock absorbers are one of the most common forms of suspension on our kind of cars, whether used on Mustang II-based independent front suspensions, IRS systems, or in conjunction with four-links or ladder bars and a live axle.

Not long ago, we took a look at a selection of four-cylinder engines as possible hot rod powerplant fodder, and here we are again. This time, though, we're looking at domestic four-bangers as opposed to Japanese versions. And, with gas at more than four bucks a gallon, a little mpg would be welcome right now. Actually, that's not strictly true about the engines we're about to show you being domestic, as the Ford Zetec in particular has an extensive European history already. It has been shoehorned into any number of small cars over the Pond, spawning an aftermarket all its own.

After boxing the 'rails, adding an X-member, and building some engine and trans mounts for the stock frame of Ron Werderitsch's '30 Model A coupe, Chad Blundell and Greg Gillaspy at Blundell Speed & Machine wanted to upgrade the clutch and brake pedal assembly. The assembly in the car was vibrating a lot, and the clutch was too stiff for enjoyable driving.

So, you've checked out the pictures and it's dawned on you that what you're looking at is a fully polished, all-aluminum blown Ardun engine. Pretty exciting stuff, which is exactly what we thought when Mike Herman at H&H Flatheads contacted us with news of the engine's build. H&H specializes in building performance-oriented Flatheads and supplying vintage-style speed equipment, as well as manufacturing and distributing Navarro speed equipment and S.Co.T. superchargers, but this was the first of the new aluminum block and reproduction head-equipped Arduns they'd built. New blocks and heads? Yeah, but let's rewind a little first.

You may not think you'd have much use for a tube bender when building a car if you're not contemplating fitting a rollcage, but they have plenty of other uses. They come into play while fabricating chassis crossmembers or under cowl braces, whether for adding strength to the cowl or for mounting brake boosters, A/C units, or even pedals. But think smaller, too. How about nerf bars, bumpers, tube grilles, even? Or perhaps for framing out a body, whether 'glass or steel. See, you can bend square tubing as well as round tube, which opens up numerous possibilities. In fact, as is so often the case, once you have a tool, in this case a tube bender, you'll wonder just how you managed without it!

The age of mini tubs is well past its heyday, but there are still quite a few instances when the wheelwells of a rod or custom need to be modified or re-fabricated completely. At Roy Brizio Street Rods, for instance, we have widened the wells on a few '30s Fords in order to cram a body between 10-inch-wide Halibrand wheels, and we frequently widen the wells on late '30-40 Fords at the front where the tires tend to rub.

Henry Ford's method of locating the beam front axles in his early cars consisted of a triangulated arrangement comprising the wishbone and a beam axle, with a transverse leaf spring. The spring was mounted above the axle on pre-'35 cars and in front on '36-48 models, when the I-beam gave way to independent front suspension. The whole arrangement would pivot about the ball at the rear of the wishbone and the center of the leaf spring, mounted to the front crossmember. It was crude yet offered a huge range of suspension travel, especially when combined with a similar system at the rear.

There was a time when a flat-finished hot rod would've been regarded as either a work in progress or the victim of an oxidated paintjob. Showing up at a show with a non-glossy ride was the car show equivalent of going to church in your underwear. Nowadays, flat paint is almost expected on traditionally inspired rods and customs. For some rodders, a coat of primer is a quick, easy, low-buck way to get a finish on their cars. For a few, a cheap paintjob is a statement against the extravagant paint on over-the-top show cars (and easier than confessing a lack of money or skill). But, many talented builders are covering their high-buck rides with well-done flat finishes, too.

As I've mentioned before, the idea behind the build of my Project '49 Chevy is to use bolt-in components as much as possible, which made selecting Chassis Engineering's independent front suspension a no-brainer. It's not that I can't or don't want to weld-I've fabricated plenty of chassis in the past-but I know many readers don't weld, and it allows many more would-be hands-on builders to get involved by showcasing bolt-in upgrades. Plus, there's the view held by some that Chevrolet's inverted top-hat section chassis should be allowed to flex a little, and this is possible by bolting rather than welding parts to it.

The paint on your hot rod or custom is the most important element in terms of making a first impression. For many enthusiasts, it's worth the money (typically, a lot of money) to farm out the job to a pro-but shooting it yourself is the only way to go for hands-on hot rodders. The materials and equipment available today, not to mention the mountains of books and articles written on the subject, have increased the likelihood that your first paintjob will be a good one.

Mark Leal wanted to dress up the 348 engine in his '59 Impala but couldn't find any contemporary-style aftermarket valve covers for 348/409 applications. So, decided he'd "whittle away" on some aluminum to see what he could build on his own.

Early Fords, and most other early cars, came from the factory with padded top inserts and wooden support bows. This was because a panel the size of a sedan roof was simply too large to manufacture, despite the complex shaped body panels produced in the huge presses at the time. Why coupes received inserts too is another matter.

Ever since I used a pair of C10 trailing arms with airbags on a customer's car a couple of years ago, and was impressed with the ride quality those long arms offered, I planned on using a pair on my '49 Chevy. I even went so far as to scrounge a pair from my co-worker, Custom Classic Trucks' Cody Wentz, when he upgraded his own truck.

If there were a vote for the most misunderstood automotive component, we're willing to bet the automatic transmission would rank pretty high, and the torque converter itself possibly higher still. OK, so it's kinda like a clutch for an automatic, but how does it work? And, what do stall speed and lockup mean, exactly? How do you choose the ideal torque converter for your project or driving style?

At one time, it was more common for painters not to think very much about what they were breathing inside the spray booth or in the shop. Professional bodymen and painters working in purpose-built, well-equipped shops have traditionally been a step ahead of the once-in-a-while hobbyist working out of his garage. Employers must comply with specific regulations and procedures for selecting, using, and maintaining proper respiratory protection in the workplace that are contained in standards issued by federal, state, or government agencies, such as OSHA. Do-it-yourselfers and hobbyists are not similarly regulated, and exposures are less frequent and for shorter periods of time.

If you have a custom car, why have stock gauges? That's the question that led to the creation of the Aurora Designer Series Gauges about two years ago. The idea behind the product is to give customers an opportunity to select one of 114 different designs and 22 different colors from 25 different series of Aurora Instruments gauges. Whether you want sophisticated or wild, retro or contemporary, you're bound to find a gauge-face design to match your rod or custom.

Motorcycle fenders look great on traditional roadsters. Popularized in the 1950s on East Coast highboys, they served a practical purpose (complying with fender laws and avoiding getting soaked on wet roads), and they provided a third option to the no-fenders or full-fenders decision. They also happen to be mandatory equipment on a Model T roadster pickup currently under construction at Hollywood Hot Rods. It's not a legal issue-the T in question is being built as a precise, fullsize replica of the Black Widow model kit sold by Monogram in the early 1960s.

While not a high-profile item such as a Du Vall windshield or Halibrand quick-change, the dropped I-beam axle has been around hot rodding since the very beginning.

Your latest project isn't going to get very far without an exhaust system, but while a lot of builders are happy to tackle many aspects of a build, exhaust fabrication seems to be one job that often gets farmed out to muffler shops. However, with the availability of mandrel-bent tubing, there's no reason why homebuilders can't fab their own systems.

A lot of rodders look at 12-volt car batteries the way most non-enthusiasts look at engines. They don't know exactly what's happening on the inside, and they sure as heck couldn't build one, but they're happy as long as it keeps doing what it's supposed to. We can't show you how to build a battery, but we do have a few tips on how to keep yours doing what it does.

If you've already checked out our coverage of the 2008 Grand National Roadster Show, you've seen Steve Young's outstanding flamed '32 Tudor. Steve teamed up with Tommy Otis, in addition to Rick Cresse at Tri-C Engineering in Valencia, California, to build this show-stopping sedan. The induction system on the '58 392 Hemi includes an Edelbrock ram log manifold plus six Strombergs plumbed with lines and banjo fittings from Blundell Speed & Machine. But it's the exhaust system we're interested in right now.

Elsewhere in this issue, you may have read about another custom '36 Ford three-window the owner started with a nicely restored stocker because he was unable to find another decent starting point. This story is the complete opposite of that. You'd have a hard time finding something that would have made this build any harder.