PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: SHOW YOUR COLORS WITH PROFORM
August 26, 2026
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Hot Rodding at Its Purest
The T rides on a home-built frame that’s a mixture of round and rectangular boxed tubing. Front suspension parts consist of a polished I-beam axle hanging from a four-bar arrangement and suspended by quarter-elliptic springs and friction shocks. These parts provide the appearance of a genuine vintage track car, and the end of each axle features a Wilwood polished caliper bolted to a ’40 Ford spindle. Steering consists of a Vega box with linkage outside the hood for additional style. Unseen, though, are the twin 8-gallon gas tanks hidden within the frame. The wheels, of course, are painted steel, measuring 15×6 inches and wearing plain hubcaps and beauty rings. Wrapped around each wheel is a 215/75R15 BFGoodrich radial T/A tire.
Best Of Show
When Hot Import Nights strolls into Seattle, typically two cars end up battling it out for Best of Show honors. Earlier in the year, Kelly Williams, one of the two competitors, took home the Best of Show honors when HIN first rolled into town. His Civic has been cleaning house for several years up in the Northwest and there hasn’t been a Honda to touch what he has built. Until Dara Sordano showed up and surprised them all— including Williams.
NOTHING’S IMPOSSIBLE
Dave Kaminski wanted a custom-built truck, but he also wanted a vehicle he could take to a dealer for repairs, plug it into a computer for a diagnosis and determine the problem. In this hobby, that is hard to do with an old truck, given that computers rule the functions of today’s engines. Kaminski met with Frank Strianese, owner of The Car Shop in Springville, New York, and explained that not only did he want an old new truck, he wanted it to blend in with the Ford service trucks used by his Besroi roofing and contracting business in Buffalo. Ideas were passed back and forth, and soon a project began to unfold. Once you read how it was accomplished you will know that nothing is impossible to do.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: SHOW YOUR COLORS WITH PROFORM
You can spend a small fortune making an engine compartment look right, but one parts-store alternator can kill the whole vibe. That plain aluminum lump might get the job done, but it certainly isn’t winning any points when the hood goes up.
Product Showcase: Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion 2026
The 2026 Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion didn’t simply roll into Pigeon Forge, Tennessee—it took the place over. For three days, the LeConte Center and surrounding streets were packed with lifted Wranglers, built Gladiators and enough off-road hardware to empty a Jeep owner’s wallet before lunchtime.
Stuban’s Statement
If you think you’re particular about your street rod—the quality of the build, the effectiveness of the drivetrain and chassis, and the aesthetics of the entire effort—consider what it must be like for someone who has specialized in high-level manufacturing for most of his life.
GOODGUYS COLUMBUS 2026
The 28th Summit Racing Nationals presented by Grundy Insurance took over the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, Ohio, July 10–12, 2026. As the biggest event on the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association calendar, Columbus brought together thousands of hot rods, customs, classic trucks, muscle cars, and street machines for three
VALUABLE LESSONS
Building an engine at home is exactly what you make of it—your first experience could be a good one if you choose to do it the right way, or it could be a bad one if you take short cuts along the way. As cheesy as it may sound, with
MYSTERY MUSCLE
It’s a beautiful spring morning in Florida. As we round the corner to the next fairway, we assess the hole. Looks like a real beauty, long with deep green grass and a turn to the right. A large pond lies at the end of the fairway. It was the kind
A VISIT WITH THE LOBECKS
You’ve heard the saying, “They went to different schools together.” Well, Ginny and Barry Lobeck did just that. In the 1970s, street rodding was well into its “rebirth,” and mail-order business was just a fledgling industry. In southern Ohio, a young Barry Lobeck was busy finishing a ’65 Riviera. Slammed
DINNER WITH BARRY
Originally published in the November 2000 issue of Street Rod Builder, this candid conversation with legendary hot rod builder Barry Lobeck captures the humor, honesty and unmistakable personality behind some of the industry’s most influential creations. More than 25 years later, Lobeck’s thoughts on traditional styling, proper stance and the
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: DYNAMAT XTREME RACE BOND
Available exclusively through SRI Performance, Race Bond is a fast-bonding crash-repair material designed to help crews make strong, durable trackside repairs and get damaged race cars back into the action. It is quick, versatile, and built to survive the heat, vibration, and punishment that would make ordinary repair tape wave
TRI-FIVE FEVER TAKES OVER BOWLING GREEN
For three days, Bowling Green, Kentucky, became the center of the Tri-Five Chevy universe as the 11th Annual Tri-Five Nationals rolled into Beech Bend Raceway Park, August 13–15, 2026.
Presented by Classic Performance Products, the annual gathering brought together an incredible assortment of 1955, 1956, and 1957 Chevrolets from
