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NEIGHBORHOOD SEDAN

We’ve all heard stories of fellow street rodders who have searched far and wide for that special car. Weeks are spent on the Internet, days are spent stumbling through hot, dry, cold, wet, dusty or muddy swap meets, and even more time is spent at major rod runs, car corrals and cruise nights. Even with all that effort, time and expense, often times you still don’t find a particularly special car. Of course, you could do what Cecil Watts did and walk next door while your neighbor is having a barbecue for the hot rod club and say, “I didn’t know you were going to sell the Fordor—I’ll take it.” It was really that simple, and the best part is that the car is really special.

ONE-WEEKEND WONDER

Instant gratification. It’s an addicting thing whereby somewhat suddenly, you find compete satisfaction. It’s the opposite of long, laborious projects that linger on for years, doling out their pain and pleasure in measured portions along the way. Sure, it can be fulfilling, but few things are more fun than putting things in fast-forward and doing what should take a long time in a short time. TV shows are based on just such rewards in this ever-accelerating time we live in, and in a reversal, we now find life imitating art as hot rodders do their own versions of Overhaulin’; we like to call it Over-Thrashin’. Generally, there are no cameras whirling, no lights and no scripts. It’s just a bunch of hot rodders, a good garage and maybe stacks of empty pizza and parts boxes in the corner.

SEMA 2023 Product Showcase

Explore the highlights of SEMA Show 2023 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, featuring exclusive videos of the latest automotive performance products, vehicle trends, and expert-led sessions from this premier event for car enthusiasts and industry pros, only on The Auto Builder.

Product Spotlight: Granatelli Motor Sports® 12v Electric Vacuum Pump Kit

Rev up your engines and buckle up, folks, because Granatelli Motorsports is unleashing the ultimate solution to your vacuum woes with their 12V Electric Vacuum Pump Kit! Picture this: you’ve got your hot rod sitting pretty in the garage, but you’re struggling with power brakes, wipers, or engine management issues due to vacuum deficiencies. Well, fear not, because Granatelli has your back with their state-of-the-art kit, designed to tackle these challenges head-on and turbocharge your ride’s performance.

Competition and Chrome

The Holley LS Fest West Car Show is an epic event that pays homage to the legacy and performance of LS and LT-powered machines. Imagine this: a gathering of the sickest LS and current-gen LT rides you’d ever seen, each one a testament to the blood, sweat, and grease poured into its creation. But we’re not just talking about flashy paint jobs and blinged-out rims – we were all about the nitty-gritty details here. From intricate mods to groundbreaking designs, we were on the prowl for rides that screamed individuality.

THE LONG HAUL

Around 1993, Bob Marion purchased a ’40 Ford cabover cab, but at the time he didn’t have anything he could do with it. He didn’t worry about it; he just thought of plans here and there, and after a full decade of on-and-off planning he finally decided it was time to do something with the old cab. He took it to Rich Brandl Sr. at Superior Custom Classics Inc.

Madillac

Jerry Starling is a rod and custom car builder by trade, but like many builders, Starling found that he did not have the time available to build his own vehicle. When it did come time to build the fine-looking ’96 Chevy Tahoe you see here, he instead turned to the father-and-son team of Randy and Kevin Cox, and their shop Custom Concepts in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

REALITY CHECK

Virginia Beach, Virginia, residents Ronnie and Linda Loyd have always held a special place in their hearts for classic trucks. Having owned several old trucks through the years, Loyd built a certain appreciation for early Chevy pickups, especially those of the 1967 thru 1972 era. Since Loyd already owns a ’33 Ford coupe and a ’93 454 Chevrolet SS pickup, he decided now would be the perfect time to complete his collection by getting the early ’70s truck he always wanted.

BULLETPROOF

For the past several months Super Duty Headquarters in Gilbert, Arizona, has been working one very special project—a full-custom, double-throw-down pre-runner for non-other than Jesse James. Yes, that Jesse James.

Rugged Baby Buggy Bumpers

Serious off-roading is rough on equipment. Only the toughest gear will stand up to the hardcore bashing and thrashing of rockcrawling, mudding and desert running. Even the toughest equipment, however will not last forever under these conditions. Once a part or component has been hammered on enough times, it must be replaced. Fortunately, with the rapid evolution of off-road engineering, the replacement is often much stronger and will withstand more abuse. In the case of the 1985 Toyota 4-runner in our story, we are replacing it’s fourth front bumper. Yeah, this rig has seen some serious trails from Moab to the Rubicon over the past ten years.

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