Cars

Hot Rod/Muscle Car July 20, 2023

TEXAS TRANS-AM

Thirty-four-year-old Mustang enthusiast Dave McMillan of Dallas, Texas, may not have been old enough to remember those wild and woolly days of SCCA Trans-Am racing, but that doesn’t mean he can’t relive that glorious era each time he climbs inside his Trans-Am-style ’69 Mustang SportsRoof.
McMillan is what you would call a certifiable Ford nut, having owned quite a few noteworthy high-performance Fords over the years. The mix has included or currently includes the likes of a ’70 Mach 1, a ’93 SVT Mustang Cobra, an ’01 SVT Ford F-150 Lightning and a ’66 Sunbeam Tiger. “All my buddies give me a hard time for being a Ford man,” McMillan says. “I just tell them that anybody can drive a Chevrolet.”

Ford July 18, 2023

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.
So it’s been for Joe Stuban, a lifelong car enthusiast who has been closer to the source of automotive invention than most us will ever have the chance to explore, creating tens of thousands of stampings and assemblies for every imaginable vehicle that’s rolled out of Detroit over a period of 25 years. Yet, while his experiences have certainly been a blessing, in that he knows what it takes to achieve greatness, it’s that much more of a challenge to attain those goals building the cars he loves so much.

Hot Rod/Muscle Car July 18, 2023

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.

Builds July 16, 2023

FROM RAW TO REALITY

In the midst of all the wait comes this brand-new and, dare we say, quite revolutionary roadster/convertible, and a whole new wave of “…there’s not a chance.” Opinions surfaced. We took the high ground, as we have sat and listened intently to the plans for HRH, have visited facilities where some of the early work had been done, and are of the opinion that what the company has set out to do is not much different than any of us, only HRH bit off a whole mouthful.

Hot Rod/Muscle Car July 16, 2023

SUBTLE SEDAN

When we were at the NSRA Nationals last year, we came across a nice Pontiac sedan that we just had to photograph. It was different, super clean and it had fantastic detailing that made you come back for a second look.

Builds July 16, 2023

EVEN ’GLASS IS SCARCE

For 1933, Dodge had a full line of automobiles, and the salesmen of the day no doubt touted that there was a Dodge model perfect for you. But of all the sedans, coupes, convertible sedans (of which only 13 four-door convertible sedan eight-cylinder models were built) and station wagons, the convertible coupe was no doubt the most stylish of the bunch. The ’33 Dodge convertible coupe was a rare car in 1933, with only 1,563 units being produced, and, of course, there were 56 more built with the eight-cylinder engine. So, while the convertible coupe was a strikingly good-looking automobile, it was not the best of times, and the practicality and affordability of coupes and sedans far outsold the convertibles of the time. Today, finding a ’33 Dodge convertible coupe is truly a challenge.

Hot Rod/Muscle Car July 16, 2023

Slippery Sedan

Greg Harris has been a car enthusiast for years and has built a number of muscle machines and classic trucks. He has had loads of fun with late-model cars, but he couldn’t shake the fact that he really had the yearning to build a street rod some day. His friends knew about his longtime goal, so when one of them found a partially completed early sedan for sale, he told Harris about the car. Harris went to take a look, and as it turned out, the car was a half-finished all-steel ’33 Ford two-door sedan powered by a 427 Chevy engine. He immediately knew he had to buy the sedan—it was just what he was looking for. He made a deal with Clark and Bridgett Short, the folks who started the project, and brought the ’33 home.

Builds July 16, 2023

TAKING IT TO HEART

Sometimes building a street rod can be downright exasperating. The amount of money involved and the stress of chasing down parts and coordinating the efforts of multiple shops can lead to a fair bit of tension in any owner. How many times have you heard someone say something along the lines of: “That damn car’s going to give me a heart attack!”? Odds are you’ve heard it or even said it at least once or twice if you’ve been involved in rodding for any length of time.

Builds July 16, 2023

STEALTH OPULENCE

Building a cool new truck to show off at SEMA is nothing new for Jim Lewis and his team at ProMotorsports in Edmond, Oklahoma, as that’s what they do. This stunning new ’07 Cadillac Escalade EXT is their most recent creation. Like so many other enthusiasts, Lewis used the latest generation Escalade because it was an immediate hit, especially among the urban lifestyle crowd, so team ProMotorsports thought one would make a great representative demo vehicle for their shop. Billy Lewis came up with the flat black concept, with tons of chrome and polished metal to contrast the flatness of the finish. While the paint may be the first item that attracts you to this truck, the crew at ProMotorsports actually started the build underneath it all by increasing the performance of the Escalade.

Wheels and Tires July 16, 2023

Project ’47: Part Three

Project ’47 All In has undergone an extensive transformation from a worn-out farm truck to a meticulously detailed pickup. The project features a chassis upgrade with C4 Corvette suspension, a robust 383 stroker engine from Blueprint Engines, and premium components. The restoration process includes a focus on sheetmetal work, from disassembly and rust repair to the final paint job, highlighting the skillful blend of classic design and modern performance.

Cars

TEXAS TRANS-AM

STUBAN’S STATEMENT

Hot Rodding at Its Purest

FROM RAW TO REALITY

SUBTLE SEDAN

EVEN ’GLASS IS SCARCE

Slippery Sedan

TAKING IT TO HEART

STEALTH OPULENCE

Project ’47: Part Three

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