estorations are paused for many reasons, but the most common is a lack of time or money. Many resume when those resources become available again; this often happens multiple times during the project’s life. For some, though, their restoration project turns out to be far more involved than they ever imagined, and they realize they have bitten off more than they can chew. Too many of those end up as basket cases at a swap meet.

However, not all of them do. The pause button was hit on this 1973 ’Cuda more than 20 years ago, but the owner never gave up on it. Instead, it was properly stored away, waiting for the right conditions to move forward again.

It arrived at Muscle Car Restorations (MCR) as a bare shell, with most of the metalwork done but not finished. New quarters had been welded on but the welds had not yet been ground flush. However, the owner eventually decided he preferred the look of the 1971s over his 1973, so the quarters needed to be replaced with the 1971 versions anyway. Since all 1970-74 ’Cudas share the same body, the new panels were a relatively straightforward swap. Auto Metal Direct (AMD) provided not just the rear quarters but also everything else needed to complete the change. For anyone wondering about this legality, the car remains titled as a 1973, so the changes are purely cosmetic.

1. Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop (JHRS) completed the chassis for MeKenzie Murphy’s 1932 Ford roadster in a vibrant shade of magenta. For contrast, many of the suspension components were painted black rather than chromed.

here’s an old saying that beauty is only skin deep—but nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to hot rods. For those who appreciate the meticulous mechanical execution of a hot rod chassis, that is beauty, too. To prove the point, we look at what’s under the skin of MeKenzie Murphy’s 1932 Ford roadster, built by Alan Johnson and the crew at Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop (JHRS) in Gadsden, Alabama.

Johnson created the equivalent of a seismic event that rocked the hot rod world in 1993 when he rolled on the scene in a remarkable 1937 Ford cabriolet. The craftsmanship and attention to detail caught the attention of everyone who saw it in person or on the pages of the many magazines it appeared in. The buzz that car created helped give rise to JHRS opening its doors in 1994.

Since its inception, JHRS creations have won the Ridler award, Goodguys Street Machine of the Year, too many to count Pro’s Picks, along with others. While the cars turned out by Johnson and crew have included traditional hot rods, muscle cars, trucks, and even Bonneville racers, they all had one thing in common: scrupulous attention to detail and execution. A perfect example of the shop’s capabilities is the 1932 Ford highboy built for Murphy that won Best Street Rod at the 2024 Triple Crown of Rodding and was featured in the Dec. ’24 issue of Modern Rodding.

ver the past year, we’ve regularly visited Old Anvil Speed Shop in Orange, California, to keep tabs on a truly unique 1962 Chevrolet Impala SS convertible. Its exterior looks deceptively subtle, but it houses an impressive amount of fabrication and powertrain technology beneath its vintage exterior. Paul Bosserman, Old Anvil’s owner and founder, designed a completely new perimeter chassis for the car, replacing the original X-frame. Moreover, the chassis is welded to the convertible body, effectively creating a unitized structure that is significantly stronger than the factory foundation.

In addition, Bosserman and his team of fabricators created their own suspension setups, featuring a rear four-link (with a Panhard bar) and custom upper and lower A-arms in the front—all while incorporating 22-inch front and 24-inch rear custom wheels from Schott. The car also includes the first hot rod application of King off-road shocks, as well as front and rear airbags from Air Lift, allowing for 7 inches of suspension travel while keeping the chassis just above the pavement at rest.

e have previously examined this remarkable 1962 Chevy Impala and now we’ll concentrate on the exceptionally clean installation of aftermarket hinges for the hood and decklid. Old Anvil Speed Shop is handling the build, which continues to evolve with their innovative building style.

A decision was made to use black anodized billet aluminum hinges from Eddie Motorsports. These hinges were designed as a bolt-on item for a stock 1962 Chevrolet, but the extensive modifications made to this car required some creative adjustments. The wide wheels and tires required widening the rear wheelwells, which prevents the decklid hinges from mounting in their original location. Moving the hinges 2-1/2 inches inboard solved the problem but it required making new mounts. Great care was taken to ensure that the geometry of the installation was accurate to prevent binding of the hinges.

o paraphrase Eli Wallach’s character, Tuco Benedicto Pacífico Juan María Ramírez, in the movie The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, two types of hot rodders exist in this world: those who love shifting gears and those who don’t. For those who do, TREMEC offers a variety of options, including the exceptional TKX five-speed transmission and Summit Racing Equipment has everything you need for the installation. Recently, we hung out with Jason Scudellari of HB Hot Rod to demonstrate how it’s done.

TREMEC offers the TKX five-speed manual transmission for GM and Ford applications (the difference is in the length of the input shaft). The slimmest five-speed on the market, the TKX will fit most transmission tunnels without floor modifications, and three locations are available to optimize the shifter location. From a strength standpoint, the TKX is rated as 600 lb-ft of torque, can handle engine speeds of 8,000 rpm, and shifts at 7,500 rpm. All gears and shafts are made from special grade steel (ASTM 4615), and smooth shifting is due to the multi-cone synchronizers with hybrid synchronizer rings made of sintered bronze and carbon. The input shaft diameter is 1.125 with 26 splines; the output shaft has 31 splines and accepts a GM slip yoke.

t’s one thing to stroll through the aisles of the Grand National Roadster Show or wander among the rows of outrageous hot rods competing for some gold at Triple Crown. The level of craftsmanship is stunning, revealing thought, design, and creativity, but wouldn’t you love to have X-ray vision to see through those panels to the structures beneath? (Be careful what you wish for; Apple might be working on something! —B.B.)

One standout example is MeKenzie Murphy’s stunning, pink-flamed roadster. A breathtaking hot rod inside and out, we thought it would be intriguing to reveal what lies beneath that custom leather upholstery and the fabulously finished exterior panels. Convertibles, in general, and early roadsters, in particular, aren’t exactly known for their flex-resistant body styles due to the absence of a roof. Toss in 500 wild ponies underhood and the roadster body’s structural integrity is truly tested. Since this isn’t Alan Johnson’s first rodeo, he includes interior bracing in his Deuce roadster builds. This provides the stability necessary to maintain super-close panel gaps and prevent stress cracks (like the original bodies did) while offering a mounting structure for utilitarian items like batteries and interior panels. While it isn’t advertised as such, it could also enhance the structure’s safety. Like every facet of a Johnson’s hot rod, the design and craftsmanship are top-notch.

hile attending this year’s Grand National Roadster Show, we made our obligatory walk-bys of the manufacturers’ booths to see what was new and interesting. As always, we were not disappointed and saw all sorts of projects, but one from the past immediately caught our attention.

As we passed the Roy Brizio Street Rods booth, we spotted a hot rod from yesteryear that stirred up many wonderful memories. Andy Brizio’s, the original builder and owner, 1915 Ford Model T C-Cab (affectionately known as the Instant-T) in all its remarkable glory, adorned with a stunning ribbon paintjob by Art Himsl. This truck was initially built for the Rod & Custom Street Rod Nationals in Memphis in August 1971 where it won the “Best Appearing Car” award among a competitive field of 1,600 vehicles. In 1972, Andy drove the C-Cab across the country again, this time to the Hot Rod Street Rod Nationals in Detroit. (Remember that the first three Street Rod Nationals had not yet carried the National Street Rod Association banner; that was soon to come.) During that trip, riding shotgun and sharing driving duties was a young Roy Brizio, just 15-1/2 years old, clutching a freshly minted “learner’s permit.” In Detroit, the C-Cab earned the People’s Choice award. Afterward, with Andy behind the wheel, the C-Cab graced the cover of the Dec. ’71 issue of Street Rod magazine, published by Bruce Miller.