here’s an old expression that states: “You shouldn’t drive faster than you can stop.” Notice we wrote, “shouldn’t,” given the fact many rodders don’t always do what they should do when they should do it! But the smart ones realize getting out in front of a problem is the best way to avoid a problem. Something all of us should always closely watch is our hot rod’s braking capacity. Knowing this we thought it a good idea to take a look at what’s offered from Classic Performance Products (CPP) in the way of stopping power for one of the most popular brake systems used in our world.

One of if not the most popular swap in our hobby is the Mustang II front crossmember with IFS. It has shown up under every kind of hot rod imaginable and for good reason—it works. But you can always improve on a good thing if you know what to look for and how to accomplish the swap. That brings us to the CPP Mustang II Modular Spindle Wheel Brake Kit (PN M2SWBK-MOD-S) for stock height spindles that will fit the popular Mustang II IFS. CPP also offers a 2-inch drop one-piece forged spindle for this same kit (PN M2SWBK-MOD-D) that will work in the same applications. Should you go for the 2-inch drop spindle you will want to make sure that you have the proper wheel and tire clearance within the front wheelwell area for both suspension travel, turning, and ground clearance for the undercarriage.

To show off the CPP Mustang II Modular Spindle Wheel Brake Kit we used this 1941 Ford. The front suspension is the ever-popular Mustang II IFS that rolls on Coker Classic Firestone rubber mounted to Wheel Vintiques steelies.

e have been following along with the construction of the Bill Sather 1934 Ford five-window coupe at BBT Fabrications for the past year. With the exterior of the car flawlessly metal-finished it was time to take a look inside. With a traditional hot rod profile on the exterior, the interior consists of current-day metal shaping while maintaining the hot rod flavor. Actually, that has been the theme throughout the build, forming a traditional hot rod but with the fit and finish of a show-worthy, modern-day hot rod. Even the powerplant is a blend of both worlds, with a big GMC 6-71 blower pumping wind into a modern LS motor that lies below.

The interior design draws heavily on the original 1934 Ford five-window coupe shapes but it’s also cleaner, better fitting, and will make for a very sanitary interior. The “bellypan” under the dashboard is an example of that concept. This removable panel will hide everything from the Vintage Air components to the wiring while providing a panel to mount the A/C ducts. The hood release mechanism also protrudes through the panel for more of that sanitized look.

The headliner, door panels, and all interior are hand-formed aluminum, the craftsmanship is so nice one may be tempted to leave the interior in bare metal. The final plan is to cover them in leather, and so, like many things on a good hot rod, much of this work will be covered. The same goes for the floorpan. The beautiful metalwork will be covered with sound-deadening material, but all is not lost as the metalwork is easily seen when viewing the underside of the car.

hink back a few months (May ’21 issue) to our 1969 Ford Torino Cobra Jet 428 4V Q-code project. We’re back! The last time we replaced the passenger side quarter-panel. Yep, our Torino was in dire straights and needed lots of attention. Knowing this, we rounded up a fresh radiator core support (PN 350-8469) from Auto Metal Direct (AMD) and visited Craig Hopkins at The Installation Center where he quickly showed us how to replace a tired, worn, and/or rusted radiator core support.

While it truly fits our Torino Cobra Jet, this radiator core support will also work on 1966-1969 Torinos, Fairlanes, and Rancheros. There is a second core support for the same vehicles for 1970-1971. While you are at it, you might want to also consider replacing both upper and lower radiator support mount brackets (upper, PN 351-8467-3 replaces factory PN C7OZ-8A193-A; and lower PN 351-8467-2 replaces factory PN C7OZ-8052-A).

A little more on fit. The reproduction radiator core support will work on all engine sizes except the six-cylinder model. According to AMD, “It’s stamped from a high-quality OE 20-gauge steel on new tooling and each radiator core support features the correct original shapes, size, bends, tabs, and holes as the original.” It comes bathed in an EPD coating to protect it against corrosion. (EPD is “electrophoretic deposition” or more commonly called “electro coating.” It’s an immersion wet paint process that uses electrical current to help the paint product bond to the metal surface.)

his story started out as a simple tech about installing Dynamat into a hot rod and then a more thorough examination of the car changed everything. This 1931 Model A Ford is the best example of the worst job building a hot rod that I’ve ever seen. The first time I saw the East Coast–style coupe it was too late to advise my son-in-law how to buy a used hot rod. Ramon had already bought the car and spent big bucks for questionable repairs before pulling it out of a dodgy shop. 

My first opportunity to see the Model A in person was while our family gathered for Thanksgiving and it was a flashback to the ’80s. It was typical ’80s looking. Inside the coupe’s interior it was obvious the car had been built by an inept DIY guy using junkyard parts who owned a cutting torch but not a body grinder. 

I asked Ramon how he intended to use the coupe and he said he wanted to cruise it to the local weekend car shows like the doughnut shop, but no long road trips. The next question was which shop would finish it up? Ramon said he was happy with the customizing work 714 Motorsports in Westminster, California, did on his new Ford Super Duty, so he’d probably take it there. 

uilding a hot rod is simply, or not-so simply, a series of challenges. While it definitely pays to plan ahead, sometimes you do things with the thought of “we’ll worry about that when ….” This is the tale of just such a postponement. Early on in our 1936 Ford phaeton build we decided the original top just had to go; we would be running topless in our tub (Author’s note: That didn’t come out just right.—BB … “It never seems to!”—GB) with plans of either a tonneau cover for the back seats or possibly a Carson-style top.

So, the top was removed and sold, leaving an unsightly seam where the original steel body panel was unceremoniously nailed to a wood header. Ah yes, they just don’t build ’em like they used to. At one time the top was also nailed to this header. While creating a reasonable transition from steel to wood was obviously a problem, we put the project off and now the time had come to address a solution.

We considered a type of upholstery trim or even aftermarket vinyl door protector but decided while that would be easy it would also look like an inexpensive aftermarket door trim. And so we continued our search, which led us to the Lokar website to check out their Clayton Machine Works offerings. The offerings are varied and all very cool, from door handles to shifter handles or pedals, they all have a great sense of style. But we were looking for trim; sure enough, there it was, Aluminum Exterior Trim. A mill-finished 6063-T0 aluminum trim that could be mounted with 3M double-sided high-strength adhesive, it can be drilled and tapped for “blind fastener” installation or it can be drilled and screwed in place. The simple look of the trim was perfect for our hot rod, just two pleasant curves give the trim shape and even more important it would provide the perfect transition from body panel to the wood header. We contemplated using 3M adhesive to mount the trim but due to the uneven mounting surface we decided to screw the trim in place. We also felt some countersunk stainless screws would look more period correct on our vintage-style hot rod. If we were using this same material for side trim on a car we would definitely use the adhesive. A quick call to Lokar and we placed the order for two pieces 4 feet long (also available in 6- and 8-foot lengths). Several days later a heavy cardboard tube was delivered to our door.