here was a time, many years ago, when rewiring a hot rod meant patching up a dilapidated wiring harness with scraps of wire and handfuls of butt connectors. The results were seldom satisfactory—trouble-prone at best and a fire hazard at worst. Today, a better and safer alternative is a complete wiring system like those available from American Autowire (AAW) in their Universal, Factory Fit Original Reproduction, and Classic Update series kits.

As the name implies, the Universal Series of harnesses are for custom applications and are available with various circuits. AAW suggests deciding on a “wish list” of electrical system accessories planned when choosing a wiring harness, always keeping in mind you may want to add some accessories later, so plan accordingly. It’s better to have a circuit that isn’t used right away than to need one later and not have it.

he primary tenant of Pro Touring is building track-capable handling into a vintage vehicle, and that’s exactly the plan of the 1969 Camaro project we’ve been following at Phoenix-based Hot Rods By Dean. And the Detroit Speed & Engineering QuadraLink rear suspension is just the right call.

In addition to a supercharged LT4 crate engine and TREMEC Magnum six-speed transmission, the car is also receiving a complete, front-to-rear chassis-and-suspension makeover using mostly Detroit Speed components. Our previous installment showed the LT4 engine being nestled into its new home within a Detroit Speed hydroformed front subframe. It was stronger than the original but was the foundation for an all-new coilover front suspension and rack-and-pinion steering system.

ince the days of the Model T, hot rodders have been finding ways to make Fords go faster. Ironically, as those efforts became more successful, it became obvious that old Fords needed to stop more effectively as well.

Although Henry Ford’s mechanical intellect was staggering on one hand, on the other hand his conservative nature often influenced his decisions. When the Model As for 1928 were introduced, they were equipped with four-wheel mechanically operated drum brakes. Certainly, it was an advancement compared to the Model T, which only had a pedal-operated single brake band inside the planetary transmission and lever-actuated “emergency brakes” on the rear wheels. However, Ford continued to use mechanically operated brakes long after other manufacturers had made the change to hydraulics; Duesenberg introduced hydraylic brakes in 1921, and by the mid 1930s virtually all manufacturers had made the switch. Part of Henry’s hesitation to make the change to hydraulic brakes probably had something to do with the fact that the early systems were prone to leakage, so he felt more comfortable with mechanical linkages. However, an even more compelling reason may have been that the company would have had to pay royalties to the owners of the various brake patents and Henry liked total control of the vehicles he produced.

In past issues of Modern Rodding we looked at the outstanding chassis on Gerry Kerna’s Rebel A Sedan, built by Roadster Shop, and the initial body modifications. This time, we’ll dive into the ton of special details work that was done at Creative Rod & Kustom in Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania. They brought the car to completion with its superior level of fit and finish.

Model As have their own appeal, but some elements can certainly be improved. The sedan doors fit flush on the front edge, but the back edge overlaps the quarter-panel, creating a “hiccup” that would be out of place on a smooth car like this one. It takes a lot of work to fabricate an accurately sized recess in the quarter-panel, allowing the door to fit flush, but the crew at Creative Rod & Kustom did an admirable job. They also extended the door tops to meet the new reveal that replaced the original driprail.

Model A bodies are flat on the bottom, but since this body is slightly channeled on a 1932-style frame, the bottom reveal in front of the door was curved up about 1 inch to blend more smoothly with the ’32-style hood.

he classic GM G-bodies (1978 to 1988), Cutlass, Regal, Grand Prix, and, of course, the Monte Carlo were the last of the company’s intermediate body-on-frame cars. They had suspension and braking technology little changed from the muscle car days.

It all worked quite well in the later 1970s through the 1980s, but to be honest, that was the era when not even the highest output of the brands’ respective “performance” models even cracked 200 hp. For example, the high-profile, undeniably sharp-looking, and NASCAR-influenced Monte Carlo SS looked like it could shred rubber from Daytona to Talladega. Still, its 305-inch small-block managed only a meager 180 hp.

istory. That conjures up all sorts of thoughts as everyone and everything has its “history.” And the world of hot rodding is no different. However, early history is based on the actions before World War II, and then there is modern hot rodding where it becomes fun. It is often credited with starting in the early 1970s through a movie that came out in the early 1970s about the summer of 1962 in Modesto, California (central California), about 70 miles south of San Francisco. The movie was American Graffiti, and the car is the brilliant yellow 1932 Ford five-window coupe—the Milner coupe, as it is so often called.

Call the movie what you wish–coming of age, a summer of fun, a documentary of graduating high school students—still, there’s no denying it lit a fire under many current and future hot rodders. The movie was loaded with soon-to-become-famous Hollywood types–from both sides of the camera. Our leather jacket–wearing anti-hero was John Milner (played by Paul Le Mat), who drove the 1932 Ford coupe dressed in bobbed front and rear fenders; it’s technically not a highboy coupe, but that’s what it was (and still is).