Featured

Just after New Year’s, when the cold really starts settling in, one of the first major indoor car shows of the year rolls into town. The O’Reilly Auto Parts World of Wheels Custom Auto Show has become a yearly tradition—mixing hot rods, customs, and classics with a dose of pop culture to create a winter event that gives the whole family a reason to get out of the house.

Corvette Expo 2026 & Chevys in the Smokies Take Over Pigeon Forge

The Great Smoky Mountains are famous for the blue haze that gives the range its name—but during the 49th Annual Corvette Expo 2026 and Chevys in the Smokies, the mountains were a little smokier than usual. Some of that haze came from cammed-up V8s, hot rubber, and thousands of horsepower rolling into Pigeon Forge for one of the biggest Chevrolet performance events in the region.

A Long Time Coming

How many times have you heard the following: I sold my first truck for $1,000 and wish I had never gotten rid of it. If you have, then you understand the mental grief generally associated with selling your first truck. What can make matters worse is to find out the new owner wrecked it, sold it or that it was eventually parted out or scraped. Perhaps you have succumbed to one of these unfortunate circumstances, leaving you to long for that first ride. Longtime classic truck enthusiast Eddie Rudd of Knoxville, Tennessee, knows that empty feeling, as Rudd drove a not-so-flashy 66 Chevy 1/2-ton to and from work during his teens, and even into his 20s, it served as his daily driver. Times changed, Rudd became a father and soon learned the uncomfortable truth that the truck no longer allowed the entire family to ride comfortably. Rudd knew the truck had to go, so in March of 1982, he sold it to a friend.

Nostalgia Rod

Installing a Nostalgic ’56 Ford Pickup Steering Box

Old-style rods, nostalgia rods and rat rods are increasing in popularity across America, and we are beginning to see a growing number of them at car shows outside California, where the movement seems to have set strong roots. These styles are generally seen in large numbers at shows such as NHRA’s Hot Rod Reunion (in Bakersfield), the West Coast Kustoms Show (in Paso Robles) and even the L.A. Roadster show (in Pomona). For the last two years there has been a special room for such cars at the Detroit Autorama (held at Cobo Hall), and this year was the biggest display yet.

Author

Jeff Tann

Story & Photography

The Rise of Nostalgia Rods and Old-Style Builds

Old-style rods, nostalgia rods and rat rods are increasing in popularity across America, and we are beginning to see a growing number of them at car shows outside California, where the movement seems to have set strong roots. These styles are generally seen in large numbers at shows such as NHRA’s Hot Rod Reunion (in Bakersfield), the West Coast Kustoms Show (in Paso Robles) and even the L.A. Roadster Show (in Pomona). For the last two years there has been a special room for such cars at the Detroit Autorama (held at Cobo Hall), and this year was the biggest display yet.

Primer Nationals and the Growth of the Movement

There’s even a Primer Nationals show held yearly, and it, too, keeps getting bigger. Last year there were more than 800 cars in attendance. Amadeus Ramirez-Reynolds was fascinated with the old-style rod look and movement, so he decided to build one. He spent some time reading old magazines to determine the components that were used in the old days and started collecting the parts he would need. He wanted a car that had the old flavor, but he also wanted one that would be safe, reliable and a good driver. It doesn’t always seem that these conditions are possible with many of what we call “art” cars, which are conceived to look like rusted-out hot rods of decades past.

Following a Traditional Build With Modern Awareness

We talked to Amadeus when he was just starting his rod and liked what he had to say, so we decided to follow the buildup to show other young guys how it can be done with safety in mind. The front and rear suspension was covered in the June 2006 issue of STREET ROD BUILDER. This is not a project per se; rather, we have focused on the various technical aspects of the build. The engine installation was featured in the July 2006 issue of this magazine.

Once the engine location was determined, it was time to install a steering system in this channeled ’29 Ford sedan nostalgia rod, so once again we bring you a look of the past with consideration for a satisfying, and safe, driving experience.

Traditional Steering Choices and Vintage Components

Although Amadeus did make some modern improvements along the way, he wanted traditional steering, so he selected a ’56 Ford pickup steering unit because that’s the way it was done in the past. He found a good, rebuilt steering box that had to be adapted to the boxed Model A chassis. This entire installation was done with vintage parts, so if you have a garage full of old parts that you replaced on your street rod, they may be valuable to someone else.

Tools Required for a Period-Correct Steering Installation

In this feature we followed Amadeus as he designed and fabricated his steering setup. The tools required to accomplish this task included a T-square, a drill motor with several drills, a hole saw, a 3-inch cutoff wheel, a 5-inch sander, a plasma cutter, an oxy-acetylene welder, a large chop saw, a metal lathe, a TIG welder and a variety of normal hand tools.

1. The steering selected was a rebuilt ’56 Ford pickup steering box and a stock-style steering arm. In the old days the early Ford truck unit was a big improvement over the stock steering setup and was easy to install in most of the early Ford frames.

2. The installation began by making a cardboard template of the steering box mounting flange. The frame mounting side was marked with lines.

3. The mounting location was determined on the frame and lines were drawn where the steering box will mount. Another set of lines was drawn for the steering shaft location.

4. The cardboard template was located in the mounting area and the steering shaft location was determined.

5. After the shaft location was determined the center had to be located. Here the center is being marked with a felt pen.

6. The center of the hole was located with a centerpunch and a starter hole was drilled through the frame with a step drill.

7. After the starter hole was drilled the large hole for the steering shaft was drilled with a hole saw.

8. After the hole was finished the cardboard template was installed over it to determine where the steering box mounting holes would have to be drilled. As you can see in this photo, one of the holes does not line up with the frame.

9. The steering box had to be modified to fit inside of the frame, so one of the hole locations on the flange was cut off with a 3-inch cutoff wheel.

10. After the steering box was modified the area that was removed was sanded smooth with a 5-inch sander.

11. Since this is a boxed chassis an opening has to be installed to mount the steering box. This box was designed for use on a frame that was not boxed. Using the template as a guide the shape of the steering box was drawn on the frame.

12. The hole for the steering box was cut out with a plasma cutter, leaving a nice, clean opening. Some sanding will be required to finish off the edges.