Rodding Around
By Brian Brennan
red gear icon In The Shop: Rutterz Hot Rodz
1932 Ford Deuce chassis with stripped paint
A massive Chrysler wagon
Steering wheel of the Chrysler wagon
Light grey Chevrolet C10 chassis in the shop
Vintage car chassis with stripped paint
Back in the ’90s Mike Rutter opened up his shop Rutterz Rodz in Bristol, Tennessee. He’s been known for building good-looking hot rods for some time now and has taken home many industry awards and honors for the cars that have come out of his shop.

We recently took a look around his shop to see what’s currently going on and what we might have to keep a lookout for as future feature material for Modern Rodding. While it was the SpeedStar roadster along with the 1932 Ford that really put Mike on the map, he has branched out, covering all of the popular builds going on today. He still has a feel and a passion for the Deuce, as you can see by the five-window coupe that’s nearing final primer stage with its next step into the spray booth. He also has a massive Chrysler wagon, a Willys, and a C10 showing the versatility the shop has covering the street rod, classic truck, and street cruiser markets.

For more visit: rutterzrodz.com or
facebook.com/Rutterz-Rodz

red gear icon Visiting Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed
Showroom floor of Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed
Steering wheel of car at Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed
Exposed engine display at Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed
Car on an angled display at Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed
The selection of photos you see here came from the Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed to our office and we just couldn’t pass up letting rodders know that the most famous of all hot rods—the Ed “Isky” Iskenderian Model T roadster—is on display.

Modern Rodding recently completed a two-part series on Isky and his roadster (https://tinyurl.com/3792mkrn and https://tinyurl.com/9bauzze). The museum has an Isky exhibit that has the Isky roadster and the cam grinder that perhaps started it all for Isky, as well as the only other pair of Maxi heads known to exist.

The 150,000-square-foot facility founded back in 1992 by the late “Speedy” Bill Smith located on the grounds of Speedway Motors in Lincoln, Nebraska, is a must-see for any hot rodder. (Editor’s note: Having visited the museum myself, which included the back shops, I can tell you this will be one of the greatest experiences you will have in our world of hot rodding. Put it on your bucket list. —B.B.)

For more visit: museumofamericanspeed.com

red gear icon In The Shop: Stoker’s Hot Rod Factory
Corvette 1963 C2 on the road
Seats and steering wheel of the Corvette 1963 C2
416-inch LSA-based V-8 with an Edelbrock supercharger of the Corvette 1963 C2
Black 1939 Cadillac Series 61 convertible
Nothing like a father-and-son team to make the work day go by much easier. Well, that’s what we are told, but we believe it in this case. Terry Stoker indoctrinated his son Dave into the world of cars and especially hot rods from a very early age. But it’s only been since 2012 that both Terry and David have teamed up and work together, turning out some great-looking hot rods under the banner of Stoker’s Hot Rod Factory in Upland, California.

For those who make the rounds of the Grand National Roadster Show, you will recognize their first effort back in 2014 with the blue 1932 Ford roadster. From here there was the black Model A fenderless roadster in 2017 and the Tom Firth 1932 full-fendered roadster (often referred to as the Brownstone roadster because of the GM color paint) that appeared in 2017. All three were in the running for the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award representing their building talents that they had mastered over decades of being car enthusiasts of the highest level.

A quick look around the shop recently shows us they are working on a 1939 Cadillac Series 61 convertible that’s packed with a GM LT 5.3L V-8, which rests neatly on an Art Morrison Enterprises chassis complete with AME IFS and AME four-link in back. Other industry trademarks are the Wilwood disc brakes, the Coker Classic 7.00/15 rubber, and the Classic Instruments gauges.

Another project is the split-window Corvette (1963 C2) powered by a 416-inch LSA-based V-8 with an Edelbrock supercharger, all backed up to a TREMEC TKO 600. This time around the AME chassis sports IFS and IRS with HRE wheels. Inside you will find Classic Instruments gauges and Vintage Air A/C with upholstery by Elegance Auto Interiors.

For more visit: facebook.com/stokershotrodfactory
or instagram.com/stokershotrodfactory

Modern Rodding
VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 9 • 2021