By Brian Brennan Photography by THE AUTHOR

f you plan on driving your hot rod on the street there is a real good chance that you will need (and require) lighting comprised of headlights and taillights. Our ’28 Ford extended closed-cab pickup had its taillights installed (Nov. ’21 issue), so now it’s onto headlights.

To keep the early hot rod appearance of our pickup we opted for the Speedway Motors (SM) Guide 682-C 12V H4 Headlights with Turn Signals (PN 91101020). Since our truck’s sheetmetal will retain its primer appearance along with its black powdercoated frame, the addition of the black headlights and taillights finishes off the look. To continue the lowkey early look, we added the Lokar Performance Products Anchor-Tight Headlight Braid in black (PN XHL-1900).

he second longest running car show in the country didn’t disappoint after taking a two-year hiatus. The post-pandemic 71st edition of the Sacramento Autorama, presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts, with the Custom D’Elegance sponsored by ARP, was a home run as things idle back to normal in the high-performance world. Bolstered by full buildings and a robust drive-in turnout, the event was deemed a success by promoter and participants alike. A smashing success.

Custom car stylists come here far and wide to compete for the Custom D’Elegance Crown—an award steeped in prestige. There is also the coveted “Big B awards.” Paying homage to Sacramento custom legends H.A. “Baggy” Bagdasarian, Sam Barris, Joe Bailon, and Dick Bertolucci, the Big B awards are presented to the best of the best.

Displayed together in the upper concourse, this year’s Custom D’Elegance crop featured five heavy hitters: Dave Ciccante’s ’47 Buick Roadmaster out of the Lucky 7 stable, Joey Monaco’s ’40 Merc, Eddie Tovar’s ’40 Merc (a restyled Barris Kustom from 1951), Jeffrey Hess’ ’56 Olds out of the Pro Design Hot Rod Shop, and Joe Cusumano’s ’54 Merc. While all were turned out and polished to perfection, the Hess ’56 Olds Sled took home the D’Elegance crown (as well as the Sam Barris Memorial award), the big cup, and the cash that goes with it.

ur project ’36 Ford phaeton is making steady progress. After painting it at home (Modern Rodding Apr. ’22 issue; https://inthegaragemedia.com/inflatable-spray-booth-makes-it-easier-to-paint-like-a-pro/) we cut, buffed, and started assembling the body. However, we had not addressed the dashboard, mostly because we were determined to be done with the bodywork and because the dash will be a different color than the body.

The dashboard would be our first step in building the interior. In my humble opinion, the ’36 Ford open-car dashboard is overly plain, heading toward ugly. It should be noted, closed cars had a better dash. Since the roadsters and phaetons had this plain-Jane look, it was perfect material for a little hot rod enhancement.

We decided to ditch the stock ’36 Ford gauges in favor of a ’47 Ford speedometer and clock. We liked the larger size and the art deco look of the later gauges. Since this is a very traditional car, we decided black Stewart-Warner gauges, fresh off SpeedwayMotors.com, would be the perfect mate for our ’61 vintage, black face Stewart-Warner tach.

By John Gilbert Photography by THE AUTHOR

eginning at the dawn of the automobile, cars were among the first mass-produced products to be recycled and restored on a large scale. It’s a trend that continues to this day, thanks to the automotive aftermarket where car models long out of production are not only made serviceable again, but they are also upgraded and offer improved fuel mileage, lower emissions, peppier performance, and better creature comforts.

Computers and 12V electric motors have evolved and advanced significantly since 1966, the year our subject vehicle was brand new. In the second decade of the 21st century a classic car done restomod-style is oodles more sophisticated than meets the eye. A case in point is this ’66 Chevelle Malibu that took First Place in Restored Class at the 2022 Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California. 

Right from the get-go the plan was to make this Chevelle appear as stock as possible while incorporating little tweaks to the theme that would make it hard to finger why it looks better than a person’s recollection might be of a ’66 Chevelle—plus to create a car infinitely more refined than rolled off Chevrolet’s assembly line in 1966. 

nyone working with vintage sheetmetal, something that is more than 30 years old, will most likely have to deal with corrosion, packed-on dirt, cracks, dents, and other impacts. Our ’65 Chevelle is no different. While swapping out powerplants it became obvious that the inner fender panels needed help. So, a quick call to Golden Star Classic Auto Parts was a great solution to quickly solving our problem.

The Golden Star OEM-style inner fender panels (PNs IF03-64R-RH and IF03-64L-LH) are designed to protect the engine bay and other related sheetmetal from corrosion. These panels come stamped to match what was there from the factory and come with a protective coating that can be left as-is or can be prepped for painting.

How About a Massaged ’37 Chevy?

ere’s your last chance to wrap up another issue packed with lots of ideas for your current or future projects. The ideas you will see here might just give you the spark you will need for that future build.

We thought it a good idea to tap the fertile mind and computer programs of Bo Zolland, a longtime hot rodder and friend. His business offers their customers many variations on all things cars (and trucks), whether they be for the street or racetrack. His first look for us is a ’37 Chevy presented in several iterations as to what could be done.

First a little background. In 1937, the Chevrolet was beginning to undergo some subtle but important changes. Designed as the Series GA and GB, the 113-inch wheelbase wrapped around a 206-inch OHV six-cylinder. It was also at this time that all GM cars began sharing the “corporate” appearance resulting from the efforts of Harley Earl (you know that name) who headed up a group referred to as the Art and Color Section.

There was the new master who now replaced the lower-priced Standard Six. The Master DeLuxe was loaded with accessories or upgrades that also drove the price upward. Outward the ’37 Chevy Master featured different external to trim and equipment it was the Master DeLuxe that ushered in the IFS while the Master retained the vintage beam front axle and leaf springs.