Builds
Rich Oakley is not your average hot rod builder. There is no room for cookie cutter cars in the Retro Rides by Rich shop in Archdale, North Carolina. In fact, he prefers to be one step ahead of the norm when it comes to building his personal rides. Loosely inspired by the Tony Nancy 22 Jr., his Model A highboy comes equipped with an attitude. “The car has a loud, rude nature. That’s what I like about it, the way it shakes, smells, and of course, the noise,” Oakley says. It has an aggressive stance, and those six Holley 94 carburetors are an indication that the roadster might have a chip on its shoulder.
At home at a concours event, George Lange’s ’68 Camaro begs for closer inspection, as it is much more than it seems. Capable beyond most people’s wildest imagination, its laser-smooth lines are complemented beneath the flawless luster of DuPont’s Ash Gold Metallic paint. Call it “Alloway style.”
Two of a kind? Not quite. Chip Rhodes’ ’68 Nova SS clone and Donnie Childers’ ’66 Chevelle are as different as they are similar. Different body styles, small block vs. big block, SS vs. non-SS—but, my, there is a family resemblance: pale yellow in color, each with a black vinyl top, black interior and gray five-spoke wheels. Fraternal twins, then?
Neal Hensl is a true muscle car enthusiast. Over the years he’s owned plenty of them, including Novas, Chevelles, Corvettes and a Fairlane. Not long ago, he picked up a ’68 Mustang fastback, and it wasn’t just any fastback—it was a rare R-code.
Regardless of where high school student Wyatt A.K. Freitas of Makawao, Hawaii, drives his very unique ’83 Chevrolet El Camino around the island, he always gets the same response: “I didn’t know that Chevrolet made a 2000 El Camino.” Of course, we know that they didn’t, but maybe Chevrolet should have.
Are you driving an old truck, or perhaps you are driving a newer, modified pickup that is being upgraded as you go? Either way, both present their own set of challenges, which when not addressed, will turn normal operation into a nightmarish chore. No one enjoys breaking down along the side the road, so you do what you can to favorably stack the odds against such breakdowns. Truth is you do this by eliminating the simple oversights and by selecting the right parts that enhance the performance and operation of your daily driver.
During the latter part of the 1950s, as America fell into a recession, the American industry machine suffered. The Big Three Detroit automakers felt the hit and quickly began building affordable cars that would appeal to the public.
When the time comes to begin building a new project, the process can often end up going in a different direction. By the time you are finished, the truck you started with can take on a whole new appearance, as if the French built it. That wasn’t going to happen with Rick Parsons’ project.
A stroll through the pits at the local 1/8-mile dragstrip is always fun for us, as you’re likely to see any number of cars that use a full-tube chassis, fiberglass body and monstrous slicks to click off consistent 5-second elapsed 1/8-mile times. However, it’s far more entertaining to see a stock-appearing car hit those same numbers, and that’s exactly what Greg Corbin’s ’98 Trans Am is capable of doing.
