t’s been fascinating to witness the changes that have taken place in hot rodding over the years—most notably the inclusion of cars that at one time would not have been considered to be raw material to build a legitimate hot rod. While the foundation of the hobby was based on cars of the ’40s and earlier, the interest in vehicles produced during the ’50s and ’60s continues to grow—and some of the coolest of them all are station wagons. A case in point is Colin and Sue Radford’s ’57 Ford Del Rio Ranch Wagon.

Two-door wagons, like the Radfords’ long roof, can be cool cruisers and utilitarian to boot. What a great way to haul family and friends to a show, a swap meet, or just go for a cruise. But while cars of this era are arguably better drivers than their earlier counterparts, they can certainly benefit from upgrades. Typically these cars can use improvements in the suspension department—standard steering can require the arm strength of Popeye to turn a corner, not to mention parking, and the power steering of the day was usually over-assisted, vague, and prone to leaking from a variety of hoses. Brakes are generally not what you want to rely on in a panic stop and the front suspension geometry wasn’t designed with spirited driving in mind.

s the United States recovered after World War II, the automotive industry was dogfighting to capture customers’ attention. Good news for consumers, seeing as three out of five families owned cars. Competition breeds innovation and auto manufacturers developed ingenious inventions for an increasingly mobile country. Unfortunately, some smaller pioneering companies like Nash Motors couldn’t survive the skirmishes, but some of their ideas still live on today.

his ’64 Chevy Chevelle 300 two-door wagon is rare indeed. The Chevelle was the U.S. auto industry’s only all-new car for 1964 and was positioned to fill the gap between the small Chevy II and the fullsized Chevrolet models. Although there were almost 340,000 Chevelles (coupes, convertibles, sedans, hardtops, and wagons in two- and four-door) produced, the two-door 300 wagon is a rarity. This also included a coupe utility (El Camino), which was a derivative of the two-door wagon. In line with other Chevrolet series, the two-door hardtops were called Sport coupes. Four-door hardtops, dubbed Sport Sedans, were available in 1966-1972. A two-door sedan and station wagon was available in 1964 and 1965 in the base 300 series. 

Scott Downey of Kansas has long been a hot rodder, having grown up in a family obsessed with this era of cars. Following through, he’s currently an automotive upholsterer with a real passion for Chevelles and El Caminos and figures this Chevelle 300 wagon is the best of both worlds. It took Scott and his friend Ross Harrison two years to bring this two-door wagon to its current state, which many call “state of the art.”

hances are likely that you’ve performed your share of brake jobs. Whether it’s a daily driver, a hot rod, or an old truck, a good day’s work (as long as things go smoothly) can give you a sense of satisfaction that your vehicle will now be safe and dependable for thousands of miles. But what if you buy an old car that runs and drives great but looks terrible underneath? No matter how nice it drives, you’ll pick away at the details until the appearance meets your standard. Some might use this as an excuse to upgrade to an aftermarket brake kit. We were pleased with the performance and simply wanted a new look.

The car we’re working on already has disc brakes that work nicely. Upon inspection, the rotors look a little worn but they still function properly and have many more miles of service ahead of them. However, when we decided to swap to a new set of wheels, we realized that everything in the wheelwell shared the same shade of rust. This was especially apparent after we slid a new wheel over the studs and saw the crusty old brake caliper making itself visible between the spokes. It was time for a quick fix that would not only help our immediate dilemma, but also prevent rust from damaging the components.

Our search sent us to SummitRacing.com and we immediately found an extremely affordable option produced by POR-15. It’s a caliper painting kit (PN POI-42839) and it included everything we needed for a quick refresh on our brake calipers. We also wanted to freshen the inner fender, framerail, and suspension pieces, so we grabbed a can of Summit Racing Rubberized Undercoating (PN SUM-941232). Our bill came out to about $50 and the materials arrived a couple days later. After a few hours of work we were able to make a huge difference in our hot rod project for less money than it takes to fill the gas tank.

urpassing the half-century mark is a big deal in any one of life’s ventures. This is especially true with the 52nd Annual National Street Rod Association’s Nationals, a four-day event from Thursday through Sunday of the first full week in August each year. Since 1997 it’s been held yearly at Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

For the most part, the NSRA, its events, and we rodders have overcome the many pitfalls heaped upon us during 2020, so now it’s time to move forward. While the pandemic of 2020 piled mountains of woes on individuals and businesses alike, the NSRA and rodders were able to work our way through the malaise of pitfalls, not the least of which was the COVID-19 virus.