By Ron Covell Photography by Jon Hall & Dave Autin

on Hall is the founder of Shadow Rods, a company that makes the XL27 body. This body has the basic shape of a ’27 Ford roadster but has been subtly enlarged to give more interior space and is tailored to fit perfectly on a ’32 Ford frame.

Hall recently finished a personal roadster project that features some unique modifications. It was a very strong contender for the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California. In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at how the perfectly proportioned roll pan was made for the rear of the body.

By Eric Geisert Photography by THE AUTHOR

radition is sometimes hard to find, even when something has been around for 70 years but, since 1953, the Detroit Autorama has been able to deliver on its boast of being “America’s Greatest Hot Rod Show.” Through seven decades the Detroit show has demonstrated its perfect blend of tradition and contemporary, with a little sideshow mixed in for good measure.

Many facets of today’s Detroit Autorama are firmly entrenched in its long history. Celebrity autograph sessions used to feature TV’s Batman Adam West or well-known sports figures; this year’s show featured TV personality Dave Kindig, actor Henry Winkler, and hip-hop’s Falvor Flav.

By RON CERIDONO Photography by MATT JONES

hile quarter-mile elapsed times were once a hot rodder’s chief factor in assessing a car’s performance, today we expect a more well-rounded approach—we want them to go fast in a straight line, negotiate corners like they are on ’rails, and stop on the proverbial dime. While that sounds like a tall order for vintage Mopar aficionados, Art Morrison Enterprises (AME) now makes all that possible with their new suspension upgrade for ’66-70 Mopar B-body platforms.

Known for their superior chassis and suspension components, AME’s new bolt-in K-member assembly follows their well-established reputation and comes with rack-and-pinion steering, tubular control arms, Strange Engineering coilover shocks, and C6 Corvette–style knuckle assemblies. According to AME, the tall, forged knuckle assemblies provide several suspension geometry benefits—the lateral roll center migration is minimal, while the negative camber gain is aggressive enough for high-performance driving and autocross. As Matt Jones, president of AME, explains it, “Put simply, this means the car will have excellent grip while corning and feel stable to the driver from the initial turn-in to corner exit.” Jones adds, “AME’s Mopar K-member is a 100 percent bolt-on assembly that can be easily installed by any competent do-it-yourselfer.”

f you live in Nebraska, the name Kuck is synonymous with great cars. Kuck Motorsports houses a private collection of over 100 cars, ranging from vintage racers to classic hot rods, muscle cars, movie cars, and modern-day race cars. The late Gary Kuck was the driving force behind the original collection. Today, as a family, the Kucks, Sue and her son Scott, are both total gearheads, so it should come as no surprise that during a bench racing session talk turned to building a full-tube chassis muscle car, a street legal racer based on a ’71 Plymouth Barracuda.

By BRIAN BRENNAN
Photography Courtesy of the Petersen Automotive Museum

ome hot rods are more memorable than others. Some become part of rodding history and some go on to become iconic. Such is the case for the former Bob McGee ’32 Ford highboy roadster that gained monstrous fame as the Deuce to become the L.A. Roadsters logo. I’m thinking there aren’t many hot rodders who do not know of the profile of the red ’32 Ford highboy roadster on an oval white background with red and black trim and black lettering (Roadsters Los Angeles).