Late Model
Native American Russell Youngblood is a man you’d love to powwow with. Bloomfield, New Jersey is the home and base camp for one of the coolest late-model classic Chevys you’ll ever see. Many feel that the 1994-1996 Impala SS models are to today what the 1955-1957 models were to the ’50s. Youngblood will certainly agree. His dark green-gray metallic is custom from stem to stern—so much so that we’d consider it one of a kind.
Here’s the deal: if you’re driving a performance car, the last thing you want is factory lag holding you back. You bought it for the thrill, the punch, that raw acceleration that gives you instant gratification. But if you’re tired of stock throttle response getting in the way, The Auto Builder has the answer. We recommend Soler Performance’s DLX Bluetooth Throttle Controller. Your first drive will be mind blowing — it transforms your car into a responsive rocket.
In early 2005, a funny thing happened to David “Stroke Daddy” Taylor from Ewa Beach, Hawaii. One morning, Taylor went out to buy a new pair of work shoes. He returned home, however, driving a brand-new ’05 Ford Mustang instead. we’ll let Him tell the rest of the story.
We recently had the opportunity to work on a Levi’s Edition AMC Jeep Renegade—a unique piece of off-road history that has undoubtedly seen its fair share of adventures. The exterior still boasts its original paint, complete with bumps, scrapes, and surface rust that showcase the character that comes with many years of use and enjoyment. Rather than opting for a fresh new repaint, our mission was to preserve its tough, battle-worn patina while adding protection and a nice polished matte finish to show it some love. We wanted to enhance its character, highlighting its scars instead of hiding them, and, with the assistance of Sweet Patina’s products, we accomplished this beautifully. This Jeep didn’t spend its life tucked away in a garage; its paint tells a story, with each scratch, chip, and faded patch serving as a badge of honor. We felt that applying a shiny new paint job would be a disservice to this classic Renegade.
The 2024 Triple Crown of Rodding at Nashville Superspeedway brought the heat, and while the Elite 10 took home the big glory, don’t sleep on the rest of the Top 30 winners. These rides didn’t snag the top spots, but they’re anything but second-rate. This show is a heavyweight showdown, and these builds were ready to rumble.
Here’s a question that ought to neatly divide our reading audience in two: Which Camaro is better, the ’68 or the ’98?
“Rust can put fear into the hearts of many hot rodders, but with enough work, nearly anything can be repaired.“
The Time-Worn Look Is More Popular Than Ever Author Defining Patina in Street Rods Patina is defined as “a pleasing surface sheen on something that develops with age or frequent handling.” When that definition is applied to street rods, a patina rod can take on any number of variations. The exterior can be close to original, with age showing through the painted surface in the form of primer. Sometimes the faint appearance of rust can also classify a rod as having patina, provided the rust has not taken over the entire car. Many times these patina rods are built from those treasured “barn finds” that seem to be discovered by undaunted rodders scouring the country searching for the Holy Grail of hot rods. The Art and Trend of Patina One of the modern trends of the street rodding hobby has been to create that cherished patina look. The art of patina can be tricky. We have seen patina rods crafted in such a fashion that the naked eye cannot tell the difference between real and invented, the real old and the fabricated old. The Appeal of Patina Rods As with all aspects of rodding, each of us has a different definition of what makes a patina rod. There does seem to be one theme that runs through each variation, though: the owners have a lot of fun with their cars. For some, it is a chance to get back to the basics. For others, it is a chance to reverse the high-end trophy-hound trend.
Traditional hot rods are all the rage, and while it’s a great experience to run across a true barn-find hot rod, some folks would rather make their own with the perfect blend of colors, textures and just the right amount of sanding. It’s definitely a way to grab attention, as these so-called beaters steal the show from some of the finest rods around, but there’s no doubt lots of time and money is spent to obtain this look.
There are many ways to finish the bottom of any car. Whether you are building new, from the ground up or even detailing a rebuild that is not the off-the-frame type, you have options. And regardless of the extent of the refurbishing, you could even leave the underside in some shade of primer as it is easy to touch up, and the fenderwells and underside often become marked with use.
