
1962 Chevy Chassis
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Sheetmetal Excellence for Your 1959 Chevy

By Brian Brennan, Photography by Jason Matthew
By Brian Brennan, Photography by NotStock Photography
By Grant Cox, Photography by the Author
By Brian Brennan, Photography by Wes Allison
By Dale Moreau, Photography by the Author
By Barry Kluczyk, Photography by the Author
By Ron Ceridono, Photography by Taylor Kempkes
By Ron Covell
By Ron Covell
Photos by NotStock Photography & Jason Matth


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inding time to indulge in hobbies can be challenging in today’s fast-paced world. However, for car types, particularly lovers of hot rods, no matter what vintage you drive, there are countless ways to embrace this passion and make the most of every moment. Whether cruising down scenic routes, attending rod runs, or enjoying a quiet morning with your favorite car magazine, free time can transform into epic adventures filled with the joy of hot rods.
To truly relish your free time, start by integrating your love for hot rods into your lifestyle. Join a local car club to meet fellow enthusiasts who share your passion. These groups organize car shows, outings, and informal coffee cruises that allow you to connect with others, exchange ideas, and show off your prized ride. Car clubs are gatherings and vibrant communities filled with laughter, knowledge, and camaraderie. I’ve been a member of four different car clubs over the decades, and to this day I still have close friends from each of these groups, and the knowledge I’ve gained has stayed with me for a lifetime. Engaging with like-minded individuals can ignite new ideas. I don’t drive my hot rods nearly enough; drive yours as often as possible.
Saturday mornings often provide a perfect opportunity to enjoy a leisurely coffee cruise. What’s better than hot coffee, a fistful of doughnuts, and looking at other cool hot rods? Gather a group of fellow car aficionados and hit the road to your favorite café. Mine is Flo’s at a local regional airport. The bacon, eggs, and hot cakes are served chest-high with butter and Maple syrup. There’s something magical about driving your hot rod early on a Saturday: the sun is shining and the open road invites you to explore. Multi-day events are often filled with stunning hot rods and inspiring stories from their owners. They provide the perfect backdrop for sharing tips and tricks, “how-tos,” or the resurrection of old projects. And we all have at least two rat-holed in the garage or out back under a tarp.


JJ’s Rods’ product line consists of patent-pending firewall boots with polished stainless steel trim rings, brake/clutch pedal boots, shift boots, and steering column mounts.
JJ’s Rods’ inventory, tooling, and assets have been relocated to Borgeson’s manufacturing facility in Travelers Rest. The products will be manufactured, assembled, and shipped from Borgeson’s facility.

Crafted from high-quality 6061-T6 aluminum, Billet Specialties’ valve cover adapters ensure durability and strength. The innovative design utilizes an OEM Gen V LT valve cover gasket on the bottom and a standard SBC cork gasket on the top, ensuring a reliable seal. Each kit comes complete with stainless hardware for easy installation. Please note that coil relocation is required for fitting.


he 1967 Ford Mustang is one of the most popular muscle cars from an era widely accepted as the “greatest generation of muscle cars.” The 1967 Ford Mustang saw nearly 500,000 cars manufactured, making it one of the most common Mustangs. The 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby G.T. 500 is also the rarest Mustang ever built. So, when we see a 1967 Fastback, we know what we are looking at, as it is one of the most popular and sought-after muscle cars. Just something about its styling and performance makes it the “heartthrob” of muscle cars.
Rick Ribeiro presents his 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback for us to enjoy on these pages. One needs to look closely, as he has added a handful of styling and performance enhancements that make this Fastback a true hot rod through Emanon Auto & Customs and Powers Restorations efforts. Rick worked closely with Emanon Auto & Customs on all the fabrication to bring it to a rolling chassis. From here, he and Powers Restorations worked together to yield the awesome body- and paintwork in a custom-mixed green flake. Powers was also involved with the final assembly, glass, trim, and the interior.




Photography by THE Author & Courtesy of Speedway Motors
lthough manual transmissions have all but disappeared in new production vehicles, they remain popular with performance enthusiasts who appreciate the greater feeling of control that comes with manually shifting gears.
There are indeed several manual transmission options for Chevy engines, new and vintage. Still, honestly, we’re talking about the old-school Saginaw/Muncie four-speeds and the contemporary TREMEC five- and six-speed gearboxes. Fortunately, with the essentially common bellhousing mounting pattern on everything from vintage 250 inline-6s to the latest LT engines, as well as the plethora of adaption kits, it’s possible to match virtually any Chevy engine with a Muncie or TREMEC transmission and even earlier BorgWarner T5 gearboxes.
By Brian Brennan Photography by NotStock Photography

t was 1964 and you could feel that Detroit was searching for something to give to the growing segment of youth buyers who wanted more—more performance, more power, just more. That’s precisely what Russ Reiter’s 1966 Pontiac GTO is … more performance, power, and good looks, all brought about with significant expertise from Griffin Automotive Design (GAD).
By Tommy Lee Byrd
Photography by THE AUTHOR


egarding automotive events, every seasoned hot rodder can agree that things were better when car shows had more energy. People were willing to drive long distances and work on their cars along the way; the result was a level of excitement that’s hard to replicate these days. At a time when car shows were struggling to keep the attention of their participants and spectators, the Tri-Five Nationals hit the ground running with an energetic event format and a captivated audience of eager Tri-Five Chevy enthusiasts. Now, in its ninth edition, the Tri-Five Nationals presented by CPP gives showgoers a reason to be excited. The result is more than 2,600 Tri-Fives and thousands of spectators swarming the expansive property at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, during the second weekend of August.
The crew at the American Tri-Five Association, in combination with Woody’s Hot Rodz, puts together an outstanding event from start to finish, whether you’re a participant, spectator, vendor, or sponsor. There are new parts vendors and a huge swap meet to keep it interesting for those searching for parts and pieces for their project. The car show area is packed with various cars, ranging from all-original survivors to high-end show cars and everything in-between. Often, the “in-between” cars offer a great backstory, fun ownership history, and some cool homegrown details. The old drag cars, gassers, and street freaks always get a lot of attention. The drag racing pits have another level of dedicated cars and racers split into various classes to keep the competition tight. Daily exhibition runs, including Pro Modified cars and wheelstanders, give the crowd a reason to take a breather under the covered grandstands of the historic dragstrip. The Thursday night drags are a crowd favorite.


he engine hum seemed to sing a melody from a bygone era, a tune that spoke directly to the soul of anyone with oil in their veins and a passion for classic 1932 Ford steel hot rods. Darby Milner’s surname wasn’t just a part of his identity. It was a symbol of his destiny. Born into a family where cars were not just vehicles but vessels of memories and emotions, Darby’s journey with automobiles was almost written in the stars.





hen a diehard 1962 Chevy fan wanted someone to build an Impala convertible unlike anything seen before, Old Anvil Speed Shop got the call. The task was to build a car that could drop to the ground one minute and carve corners the next, house 21- and 24-inch wheels, and handle 1,200 hp. Obviously the first step in this process was going to be building a one-of-a-kind chassis.
Paul and Jenna Bosserman started Old Anvil Speed Shop in Orange, California, in 2018, specializing in chassis engineering, fabrication, and sheetmetal work. Today, they manufacture their own CNC machined billet parts and custom wheels, and with their focus on complete custom builds, they’ve added facilities for bodywork, paint, and upholstery.
One of Old Anvil’s recent builds is based on a very original 1962 Impala SS convertible that had traveled a mere 42,000 miles in its lifetime. To meet the customer’s vision for the ragtop, it would have to be built from the bottom up, which meant an entirely new frame would be required.



ome of the most recognizable and iconic hot rods are based on the roadster pickup—a Ford Model A, Deuce, fendered, or highboy. The 1932 Ford roadster pickup belonging to Scott Simpson and built at Jimmy White’s Circle City Hot Rods has a very cool 1960s vibe, complete with chromed wheels wrapped with slicks and spoked wheels wrapped with Firestone vintage tread, a dual quad Hemi, and outside the ’rails headers.
When we asked Scott about how this hot rod came about, we heard an interesting story and thought passing along the high points was well worth the effort:
“I remember the day it all started—more like the moment it hit me. A good friend of mine, Dano Nichols, had [died], and I felt that loss down deep. We had been thick as thieves, best friends bound by our passion for fast cars, roaring motorcycles, surfing waves, and chasing melodies. The world seemed a little dimmer without him. But in that shadow, a spark ignited inside me. Life was short, and I could either sit around moaning over memories or dive headfirst into building a hot rod to celebrate the thrill of living.


n past articles, we have examined several aspects of the BBT Fabrications 1959 Impala. This time, we will focus on the extensive work done underhood. Virtually every piece of metal around the engine has been custom fabricated, with great attention paid to fitting the complex panels together in the cleanest manner possible.
A new toeboard was fabricated to connect the front floor to the new firewall, and tasteful steps and recesses were added to these panels to give them more strength and a touch of style. These panels also support the new body mounts.
A completely new firewall was made from 18-gauge steel. The center of the firewall is smooth and flat, but a tremendous amount of work was put into making the stepped detail on the top edge, which continues down the firewall sides where the inner wheel panels attach. The inner wheel panels themselves were made from many pieces but were carefully designed to have smooth, flowing curves while providing sufficient clearance for the wheels as the suspension and steering work to their limits.



teve Frisbie owns and operates Steve’s Auto Restorations (SAR) in Portland, Oregon. His love of cars harkens back to working in the shop with his father. Over the years, many fantastic projects have come his way, including building a car that won the Ridler award at the Detroit Autorama. So, what would a guy in his position want for his ride? It turns out that Steve is into 1933-1934 Fords.
So, what’s a guy to do when he cannot find an original 1933 Ford Cabriolet but owns a business that can do whatever he wants? He builds one from the ground up. Steve had acquired dies to stamp and build all-steel roadster bodies from 1933 to 1934. This cabriolet was built by SAR using components from their 1933-1934 Real Steel Roadster project. The cabriolet was built to showcase and feature the 1933-1934 sheetmetal parts and roadster bodies. Steve has been restoring cars for over 20 years when he entered the hot rod and custom scene. A build series was featured in Rod & Custom to promote and advertise the build and the Real Steel roadster bodies.


rian Limberg of Tin Man’s Garage in Sycamore, Illinois, is no stranger to building top-level street rods. Of the many awards he has received, he is particularly proud of the Eric Black Design Award at The Gathering in Oklahoma last year for their team’s latest 1936 Willys sedan, dubbed “Gangrene.”
Limberg and his crew have been working on a 1937 GMC cabover truck; they completely hand built the bed. One of the finishing touches was mounting taillights to the bed; in this article we’ll look at how they approached this intricate project.
View Index
- AFFORDABLE STREET RODS
- AMERICAN AUTOWIRE
- ART MORRISON ENTERPRISES
- AUTO METAL DIRECT
- AUTOMOTIVE RACING PRODUCTS
- BOWLER PERFORMANCE TRANSMISSIONS
- CHAMPIONSHIP AUTO SHOWS
- CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS
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- CUSTOM AUTOSOUND
- DAKOTA DIGITAL
- EATON DETROIT SPRING, INC.
- FITECH EFI
- FLAMING RIVER INDUSTRIES
- FLAMING RIVER INDUSTRIES
- GEARSTAR PERFORMANCE TRANSMISSIONS
- HEINZMAN STREET ROD SHOP
- HOT HEADS RESEARCH
- LOKAR
- LOKAR
- NATIONAL STREET ROD ASSOCIATION
- NOTCHEAD FASTENERS
- PHOENIX MACHINE PRODUCTS
- POWERMASTER PERFORMANCE
- RARE PARTS
- RJAYS SPEED SHOP
- SALTWORKS
- SCOTT’S HOTRODS
- SPECIALTY AUTO PARTS USA, INC.
- SPEEDWAY MOTORS
- THERMO-TEC AUTOMOTIVE
- WHEEL SMITH
- WILWOOD ENGINEERING



John Buttera is no stranger to drag racing, Indycars, street machines, and street rods. He is no stranger to Modern Rodding, appearing in our Parting Shot column in late 2022 (honored here for the second time). What gave rise to this month’s reappearance occurred during our recent trip to the 2024 Triple Crown of Rodding event. While looking at so many amazing hot rods, we came across what appeared to be an “old friend.” Still looking as it last appeared, it was the famous 1932 Ford three-window highboy coupe that Lil’ John had built as it appeared on the cover of Hot Rod back in December 1979. The coupe now belongs to James DeSanto of Armonk, New York, who has kept it in its vintage form.
There is a story about how Lil’ John initially painted the car black but Hot Rod wanted it red. Before painting it red and then making its appointed rounds with its cover destiny, Lil’ John drove the car to the first and only National Hot Rod Association’s (yes, we typed NHRA) Street Machine Nationals held in Denver, where I had the opportunity to photograph it and enjoy a ride-along with Lil’ John. Lil’ John often drove the 1932 Ford three-window highboy coupe, featuring a 5-1/2-inch chop, with his good friend “Fat Jack” Robinson. In its red livery colors, the hot rod was driven well over 10,000 miles, and in 1980, made the roundtrip to the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Memphis, Tennessee.
