Mardi 29 mai 2012 2 29 /05 /Mai /2012 09:47

265 Chevy - Sporty Car In Disguise

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Jeff Knudsen came to the trad-rod scene the long way around: from European sports cars. His first serious ride was a '72 MGB. "The gearheads in high school were all into muscle cars, but they kind of took me in as an oddity," he remembers. His Holland, Michigan, garage is full of rare old Porsches and VWs, but the vintage-rodding bug bit him hard a few years ago when he purchased and rehabilitated the Dick Roy '32 Ford show rod--a fascinating piece of history, but nearly impossible to drive. The desire to build a traditional-but-roadworthy hot rod of his own burned straight through him, and here's the result.

"After years of classic sports cars, certain criteria emerged," Jeff says. "The car had to be small and light and, most of all, traditional. And it had to function." After locating a salvageable '31 Ford coupe body, he opted to go channeled but not chopped, a classic East Coast look that's plenty low but still provides adequate cabin volume. The Model A shell was dropped over a Riley Automotive rectangular tube frame kicked up 4 inches in front and 8 in the rear, while the suspension is--what else?--transverse leaf spring at both ends. By keeping it simple, Jeff kept the coupe's weight under 2,400 pounds, soaking wet.

While investigating Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Buick nailhead, and Ford Y-block motivation, Jeff fell upon a complete '56 Chevy 265--period-correct for his project, yet reliable and not too heavy. The Stovebolt V8 is essentially stock except for a rumpy cam (an under-the-workbench item of unknown specs) and a pair of Rochester two-barrels. The transmission is a Muncie four-speed; as Jeff saw it, he had no other choice: "True sports cars don't have automatics." Nor do real hot rods, some might say. Wheels are 16x4-inch Ford steelies, front and rear, rolling on reproduction Firestone whitewalls. "My only real compromise to handling was the use of bias-ply tires," Jeff says. "That was one hot-rod rule I was not going to break by using radials."

Being a sports-car guy, Jeff couldn't resist adding some subtle, '50s-Euro details to his A-Bone, starting with the paint. From a set of old Fiat chips, he chose Cioccolato Peyrano, a deep chocolate brown, as the main color, and Rosso Modigliani, which we might call coral, for the wheels and engine. The tones are a close match for a vintage VW combination Jeff really likes, while similar to some '50s Packard and Lincoln tones, as well. "I drove my wife, two sons, and friends absolutely nuts while I agonized over the color combination," Jeff says. The seats and upholstery materials are vintage sporty car, carefully selected to be historically true to the car's late-'50s theme. Had some mechanic at an import dealership built a hot rod in 1958, it might've looked just like this--if the builder had exceptional taste, that is.

The entire project was accomplished in less than eight months, for which Jeff is quick to thank ace wrench Randy Northuis along with friends and helpers Bill Wiswedal, Don Voss, Nick Hardie, Russ Jacobs, and Carl Heideman. "They were invaluable for technical advice and experience and for making sure I didn't break any of the unwritten hot rod rules," Jeff says. Is he pleased with the final result? Completely: "I couldn't be happier," he adds. "The car gets driven to all of the events, and the trailer stays home."

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Par flcblog - Publié dans : Hot Rod
Mardi 29 mai 2012 2 29 /05 /Mai /2012 09:41

The Mint 400

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History : The storied history of the Mint is steeped in celebrity, drama and excitement as the city of Las Vegas itself. The Mint 400 has held the title of the toughest, most spectacular off-road race in North America since 1967 when it was first run. The race was created by Norm Johnson who was race director through 1974 and a participant from 69 to 82. Initially the race was a public relations event promoting the Mint Hotel’s annual deer hunt. but what started out as hotel promotion soon grew into a legitimate desert race. The second year it was run, Norm enlisted the help of his friends, famed race car drivers Mel Larson and Parnelli Jones. With their endorsements and a guaranteed prize purse of 30,000 the participant list grew exponentially. Entrants in the event were world wide and included some of the most well-known names from all racing genres as well as the television and motion picture industry. Indianapolis 500 winners Parnelli Jones, Al Unser, Rick Mears, and Rodger Ward; off-road champions Mickey Thompson, Ivan Stewart, Jack Flannery, Walker Evans; international off road competitor, Rod Hall; power boat champion Bill Muncey, movie- and television stars James Garner and Steve McQueen; Comedian, Mort Sahl; Astronaut, Gordon Cooper, are among the many racing and entertainment luminaries who competed in the Mint 400.

 

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Par flcblog - Publié dans : Classic
Mardi 29 mai 2012 2 29 /05 /Mai /2012 09:35

Hot Rod and Pin-Up

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Par flcblog - Publié dans : Hot Rod and Pin-Up
Mardi 29 mai 2012 2 29 /05 /Mai /2012 09:30

V-Twin June 2012

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Par flcblog - Publié dans : Revue de Presse
Mardi 29 mai 2012 2 29 /05 /Mai /2012 09:22

Savage June 2012

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Par flcblog - Publié dans : Revue de Presse
Vendredi 18 mai 2012 5 18 /05 /Mai /2012 15:56

Ford Mustang Mach 1 - 1970 - 3000 HP

 


 

 

Par flcblog - Publié dans : Muscle Cars
Vendredi 18 mai 2012 5 18 /05 /Mai /2012 15:21

Shelby Cobra 1964

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Par flcblog - Publié dans : Classic

   

   

 

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