Revving Up Nostalgia
August 23, 2023
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Scrap Yard Binders
Since we don’t really have to search for vintage parts anymore, gone are the days of scouring the local “Pick-a-Part” in search for that illusive part that will interchange or convert your muscle car to bucket seats, tilt steering, A/C or some suspension upgrade. But there was a day when you and a rodding buddy could venture to your favorite junkyard and come home with a whole truckload of cool vintage goodies that would aid you in your rebuild, all in the span of a day.
Well, those days aren’t completely gone. While at the local wrecking yard looking for any useful hot rod parts, we stumbled across another enthusiast, Sean Rievley, who is in the progress of upgrading his ’71 Chevelle chassis
2026 Pigeon Forge Spring Rod Run
When Pigeon Forge hosts the Spring Rod Run, it doesn’t just put on a show—it takes over the entire town.
From April 16–18, the LeConte Center at Pigeon Forge was ground zero for some of the cleanest, hardest-hitting builds in the country. Inside, it’s all business—high-end restorations, pro-touring muscle, detailed customs, and serious contenders chasing Top 25, Ultimate 5, and King of the Hill. It’s the polished side of the Rod Run, where the bar is set high and the details matter.
Installation Tips For Those Tough Spots
Most every pre-’48 car came with fender/body welting, consisting of a simple combination of a narrow strip of vinyl (or similar material) folded over a small-diameter woven cord and glued shut. Its purpose was, and still is, to insulate one piece of body metal from another when bolted together—not an electrical or temperature insulation, but essentially to eliminate squeaks and rattles, and to prevent paint from chipping (or cracking) as the two pieces flexed and vibrated together under normal road use. Generally referred to as fender welting, this product can also be found throughout certain car models; used to mount grilles, running boards and bumper gravel shields.
THE TRIPLE CROWN OF RODDING PRODUCT ROUND-UP
There’s always something new to discover at the Triple Crown of Rodding, and the fourth annual gathering was no exception. Held September 11–12, 2026, at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee, the event brought together an impressive collection of hot rods, customs and trucks, along with many of the builders and
CROWN WORTHY: THE TOP 6 WINNERS OF THE 2026 TRIPLE CROWN OF RODDING
The 2026 Triple Crown of Rodding delivered a winner’s circle loaded with horsepower, imagination, and extraordinary craftsmanship. From a sparkling ’32 Ford roadster to a towering Squarebody Chevrolet, this year’s six top winners covered a remarkable range of styles. Each brought its own personality—and enough beautifully executed details to keep
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: HEAVY-DUTY 6-BOLT LS IRON BLOCK by SMEDING PERFORMANCE
Big horsepower gets expensive fast. Between the rotating assembly, cylinder heads, valvetrain and power adder, an LS build can burn through a budget before the first bolt gets tightened. Your engine needs a strong foundation—but buying one shouldn’t derail the entire project.
JEEP INVASION 2026: THE SMOKIES GOT CRAWLED
For three wild days in August, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, didn’t just welcome the Jeep community—it was completely overrun by it. The 2026 Smoky Mountain Invasion stormed into the LeConte Center August 20–22, bringing an army of Jeep owners, clubs, builders and aftermarket heavy hitters from across the country.
ONE REMARKABLE DAY WITH THE LEGENDARY XR-6
It was summer of 1981 when the phone rang. On the other end was Bob Juliano, calling to tell me about a car we might be interested in for Rodder’s Digest Magazine. The car was none other than the 1963 Oakland Roadster Show winning, XR-6. While the XR-6 remained on
WHEN “THE HEAT” GOES HOT RODDING
Hang out with your hot rod buddies and I guarantee talk will turn to days gone by. Some stories are more complex than others, but all are fun and most are true. Our latest Rear View Mirror takes a look at Jack Klingel’s tales of the open road. To
INSTANT AWESOME
It seems that everyone with a talent for building something is finding a career in television these days. Channels that were once dedicated to the preservation of rainforests and historic perspective have turned their attention to various forms of reality shows centered on street rods, choppers and wicked creations that
HOT ROD POWER FEST TAKES OVER ATLANTA
HOT ROD brought the Power Fest name back for 2026, filling Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway with a weekend of fast cars, cool builds and nonstop action. Held August 28–29, Power Fest transformed the NASCAR facility into a giant automotive playground with drag racing on pit road, an autocross course, a huge
THE YORK BEFORE YORK
Central Pennsylvania has long been a hot bed for traditional hot rods. When the N.S.R.A. moved the Nats East from Timonium, Maryland to the York County Fairgrounds in 1975, the town of York, and the associated York County Fairgrounds became synonymous with the NSRA Nats East. But wait, there
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Stainless Headers MFG’s Ceramic Coating Service Has You Covered
There are plenty of jobs you can tackle in your own garage. Professionally ceramic coating a set of headers probably shouldn’t be one of them. Sure, you can buy products that promise a ceramic-like finish at home, but getting the kind of results you’d expect on a professionally built car
