hile tradition will always be an important part of hot rodding, the impact of technology cannot be denied. In the same way the Flathead Ford was eclipsed by overhead valve designs, the popularity of the Gen I and Gen II small-block Chevy has lost ground to the LS series of engines (address all hate mail directly to Brian Brennan).

Not exactly the new kid on the block, Chevrolet introduced the LS series in 1997 (and yes that really was 25 years ago). And while some hot rodders would complain when these engines first began to be used that “they don’t look right,” the advantages of the LS were hard to ignore. As a result of their performance, durability, and availability the LS series have become today’s go-to hot rod engine.

Along with the popularity of LS engines has come a renewed interest in hot rods with three pedals. The reasons are simple enough—today’s crop of five- and six-speed manual transmissions offers great gear ratio spreads for performance and overdrive top gears for highway cruising. And, of course, nothing is cooler than going through the gears manually rather than having it done for you automatically. In the example shown here we’re combining a Chevrolet LS3 crate engine with a TREMEC TKO five-speed transmission. We went to Summit and gathered the parts in question.

he 2022 Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS) was everything we have come to expect. Many said this just might have been one of the all-time best. Lots of great cars, many historical featured vehicles, the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award, and the Al Slonaker Memorial award both presented by ARP, both featuring a stunning collection of hot rods. In addition, ARP stepped up and presented each winner with a $12,500 check as a reward for a job well done. In the past, Building 4, with the AMBR, had become known as the “main hall.” This year saw the emergence of Building 6, with the Slonaker, as the place to be.

First a bit of recent history. The 2020 Grand National Roadster Show came off without a hitch but that doesn’t mean it was without unrest. Think back and you will realize, at least here in California, this was the last indoor car show for nearly two years. The 2021 show was first postponed, then rescheduled, and then canceled. Even the 2022 show was preceded by a great deal of breath holding. All of us have overcome the “bad old days” as that’s behind us, we all hope, and what lies ahead is a world with many indoor and outdoor car shows to enjoy–like in the good old days. Life in the rodding world is getting on its four wheels once again.

This year’s show featured Rodger Lee of Ironworks Speed & Kustom located in Bakersfield, California, as the Builder of the Year. Ironworks is housed in a 12,500-square-foot facility that is filled with 17 craftsmen who work on 10-12 hot rods at a time. Lee tells us that almost 75 percent of their customers are repeat.

hen building a hot rod, selecting the right wheels and tires and achieving the proper stance are crucial. Most often these cars are lowered considerably over stock, and larger-than-stock tires are usually fitted. This often leads to a mismatch between the tire and the fender recess in the body. Many builders simply live with this, but a few take on the considerable task of reshaping the fender recess.

When Craftworks Fabrication took on Natalie Bolea’s Model A coupe (Modern Rodding, Mar. ’22) project, they agreed that this would be a no-holds-barred effort. One of the earliest tasks was to establish the ride height, then do whatever it took to get the rear fender recess to match the curvature of the tire.

As it turns out, it took a lot. The desired location of the reveal was laid out with tape, then new metal was shaped on a bead roller to match the contour. The old reveal was cut out and the new metal was fitted in place. Of course, the recessed area below the reveal had to be made from scratch, and there was rust damage in the quarter-panels that required repair, too.

nce upon a time this was the rule rather than the exception: Real hot rods were built at home. Inside a reasonably well-equipped garage, armed with how-to articles from street rod magazines, cars were painstakingly assembled and driven. Hot rod clubs were active and what the owner couldn’t do, club members would jump in with just the right talent. Well, folks, today seeing six-figure (dare we say the occasional seven-figure?) street rods winning awards is somewhat of the new normal, but fear not, the homebuilt hot rod still makes up the majority of the hot rods at most events. We are in no way disparaging the professional-built cars, rather we hold the pro cars up as examples of new trends, techniques, and parts that might find their way into our own backyard projects.

While a lot of tarmac has passed under our collective hot rod rubber, there is still that next, or for some that final, street rod project. Enter Art Fortin, a longtime hot rodder originally from Massachusetts. When a job transfer landed him on the West Coast, he brought along his recently completed, full-fendered Deuce roadster. The year was 1981.

Knowing full well there would be future hot rods to build, his stash of vintage parts was also relocated. Sure enough, over the years another Deuce roadster and a ’35 Ford Woodie would roll out of the Fortin garage.