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.
For many of us, the culmination of money and time spent on our street rods comes through experiences with our friends, whether it’s at the corner drive-in on the weekend or at a national event with thousands of people. It’s there we can share stories, laughs and the fruits of our labors, namely, the cars that bring us together in celebration of history, creativity and realized possibilities.
When news of the Show Car Buildoff began circulating, the team at DuPont Hot Hues saw it as an excellent opportunity to not only become involved, but also to provide a sound platform to help all of us better understand what is involved in painting a car. The color selection is a process in and of itself, but having a better understanding of the characteristics of the materials used, how to use them and what is involved in using them is helpful as well.
Carl Casper’s name has been synonymous with the custom car movement for a long time. As a teenager, Casper created his famous ’51 Chevrolet custom, the Exotic Empress. The car went on to win the 1961 NHRA National Custom Car Championship. (You know it was a long time ago if NHRA was promoting car shows!) Carl Casper is a talented guy who can perform virtually every task required to build a world-class custom car, from metal fabrication to paint and upholstery, and while many of his creations took the form of wild custom cars, they were all driveable.
While it may be somewhat of a surprise that muscle cars have become some of the most highly prized cars on the market today, the prices people are paying for them really have enthusiasts reeling. With some cars easily surpassing the million-dollar mark at the Barrett-Jackson auctions and others swelling in value in the wake of it all—well beyond the prices paid for the most treasured of European exotics—muscle cars have been transformed into commodities. That’s a good thing and a bad thing.
We all know itʼs what lies beneath the paint that really matters—a good chassis, great metalwork, and great design. Yet, having said that, the paint job still remains the single most important element of any rod or custom. After all, even if the groundwork has been laid, your bodywork is straight and great, your design is fine and your mechanicals are flawless, a poor paint job can spoil it all.
Xtreme Velocity Motorsports is a muscle car builder whose name is not a put-on. While there are a huge number of shops around the country with a ton of talent for fabrication, much of this fabrication is performed for cars that will hardly see a world beyond the show schedules and their trailers. So XV takes its name seriously, and it builds its cars to drive hard—on the street or on the track. In fact, the company’s reason for being is to make old Mopars drive like new sports cars, but to pull off a trick like that, you need a lot more than dead reckoning.
Leon Sneed and Chris de Melo are the men behind Big House Customs, a Mustang restoration and customization shop in Dayton, Tennessee. We met them after moving our company to Dayton, the town we now call home. Like anyone else who runs their own shop, they are constantly on the lookout for project cars to fill in the gaps when customers don’t bring in cars, and that’s exactly what De Melo was doing when he saw a newspaper ad selling miscellaneous Mustang parts.
Magna Charger may not be a name immediately familiar to most Ford owners, but if your Camaro-owning buddy beat you out at the track during your last grudge match, Magna Charger may be the reason.
The 55th Annual NSRA Street Rod Nationals brought a roaring good time to the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville from August 1st to 4th, 2024. The event, a turbocharged celebration of classic cars, drew a massive crowd of enthusiasts. The Auto Builder was on the scene, capturing every thrilling moment. In this exclusive pictorial review, we’re showcasing some of our favorite builds from the show.
