TRJ Issue #22

The Granddaddy of Hot Rods
Consummate hot rodder Bob Anderson of Huntington Beach, California, has embarked on a project to restore the 1920 Model T roadster originally built back in the early 1920s by R. Hodge. He built a SOHC conversion for the T four-banger and adapted everything from external oil and water pumps to twin Stutz Bearcat ignition, dual coils, and twin Winfield downdraft carbs.

Beautiful Beginnings
The Rodder’s Journal has become known for featuring hot rods and customs in baremetal, but we thought we’d take that “behind the scenes” idea one step further and showcase a number of rolling chassis before they’re fitted with their bodies. Massachusetts builder Dave Simard provided a number of examples, including a tri-power Chevy-motivated Deuce and a smallblock Ford-powered ’34. We also feature Bob Juliano’s ’51 Ford Woody chassis, Chuck Lombardo’s ’32 Chevy roadster, and others.

The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum
We explore the rich history of the NHRA Motorsports Museum. Photography of the racecars and memorabilia from the museum captures the vastness of the NHRA’s influence and history. Among the cars shown are the Beebe & Mulligan and Chris Karamesines Top Fuelers, the Kenz & Leslie streamliner, the Speed Sport Modified, Ed and Ray Cortopassi’s “Glass Slipper,” and others.

The Quest for the Aztec
The Barris-built ’55 Chevy, “The Aztec,” has enjoyed one of the strangest, most twisted histories of any custom. It was confiscated by the Federal government–twice, slated to be crushed, left for dead in the elements, and heroically rescued by Barris custom fanatic Barry Mazza. Historic photos and new images taken on the beaches of Florida accompany this story, which you’ve got to read to believe.

A History of Australian Hot Rodding
Australia has hot rodding history going back to the early-’50s–almost as far back as their U.S. counterparts. We take a look at these righthand-drive rods over the decades, highlighting the rod runs, swap meets, different styles of cars, and the general rodding and customizing from yesterday and today.

The Alexander Brothers and the Grasshopper
Not all customizing in the ’50s was taking place on the west coast. The Detroit-based Alexander Brothers built some of the most iconic customs of the ’50s and ’60s, and they also pieced together a neat little ’31 Ford shop truck they called “The Grasshopper.” Mike Alexander has since restored the little green hauler and we showcase it here.

Low Flyer
When it comes to finely detailed, beautifully proportioned hot rods that are as competitive as they are good looking, few can compare to the Jim Khougaz Deuce. The channeled roadster sported a finely crafted aluminum belly pan setting off the deep Washington Blue paint. An Auburn dash accents the leather upholstery. And the ’47 Merc flathead with a quartet of Strombergs powered it to nearly 150mph in 1949. Mark Van Buskirk has had the roadster restored by Dave Simard’s East Coast Custom.

The Boat People
For many hot rod and custom fanatics, watching and participating in boat racing was a common pastime when not in the garage turning wrenches on their cars. Jay Fitzhugh examines these flathead and early overhead-powered hot rods of the sea using colorized photos shown in Popular Mechanics magazines from the 1940s.