The Cold Facts
September 25, 2022
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Truck Triumphs at the Triple Crown of Rodding 2023
September 13, 2023
C10 Nationals 2025: Nashville Sets Record-Breaking Truck Celebration
October 16, 2025
Easy Out
In this day and age, getting the most power out of your late-model truck or SUV is both difficult and easy. Now that we have covered ourselves technically, we will give you the reasoning behind this convoluted theory. New vehicles are hard to work on but easy to upgrade. See? That was easy.
STAR CARS: A Family and Its Speedstar
Dale was working on a unique rod project when his father went to a Goodguys event and saw Bobby Alloway Speedstar’s new Rat’s Glass Speedstar body and Alloway frame package. Joe knew it was the look Dale was trying to accomplish, so he purchased the makings of a Alloway Speedstar street rod and traded it to Dale for his unfinished car. Joe and Dale then went to the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky, and saw a beautiful orange Speedstar that Alan Johnson had just finished. They were impressed with the roadster’s craftsmanship and attention to detail, so Dale decided to take his custom Speedstar build to Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop in Gadsden, Alabama, to help him finish it. Dale’s intention was to build the roadster for outdoor car events, because the last rod he built was never driven, it was strictly an indoor show car. This time he wanted a rod that was exceptional, and a driver.
Meet the Legends of Hot Rodding at the Triple Crown of Rodding
This isn’t just a lineup—it’s a living hall of fame. We’re talking the visionaries whose cars dominate the Ridler, the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR), and the Goodguys Top 12. The innovators who set the trends that every other shop follows. The craftsmen whose names carry weight in any serious shop conversation, even if they aren’t on reality TV every week.
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
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Dynamat Xtreme Mega Pak
You can spend serious money on the engine, paint, upholstery and audio system—but if the finished vehicle still rattles, buzzes and sounds like an empty drum, it isn’t really finished. The Dynamat Xtreme Mega Pak is the company’s largest pack of Dynamat Xtreme, the industry-leading sound-deadening material it introduced in
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.
