Iconic American hot rods. Hot at Heart: Five Incredible Hot Rods Hello from Roswell

13.07.2019

Miscellaneous

Traditionally, hot rodders subscribe to a fairly strict set of rules, and I'm going to disprove that thesis right now.
I can understand the "do it the way it used to" mantra, but I personally think it's the opposite of hot rodding. "The way they used to do it" depended on creativity and making the most of the parts that were readily available, apart from expensive parts that weren't available in the sixties.

I've never been the guy who differentiates every turn signal by year and model, nor did I know which cylinder heads were the most preferred. I'm a hot rodder because I like things to look right. And ordering parts from a catalog never guarantees that your car will look good.

In short, I like "hot rods that can do THAT - because for me, a real" hot rod "is just old car with a soul and this is something that everyone will appreciate - a car enthusiast and not only.

Jared Seganti's '37 Dodge pickup did just that when I caught a glimpse of it on Instagram. It was one of those cases where you re-look at the object you are interested in, then evaluate it by squinting, and in the end you start to study all the details. Luckily, Jared was easy to contact from there, and as a fan of Speedhunters, he was delighted that Sean Kinglehofer himself offered to capture the features of his work.

I guess I should give you time to digest what you see, because this is a special type of project. It all starts with the cabin of a Dodge 37’ truck that was part of a “hot rod” wrapped in sheet steel to fit a Sandrail – a symbiotic combination of different parts racing cars, all mounted on a chassis based on Trophytruck SUVs. It's a pretty serious hybrid of styles that are fundamentally different, and yet it works.
This, my friends, is what I call hot rodding.

You see, Jared first got his first job experience at the age of 17, sweeping floors in a manufacturing facility. From that moment on, he was hooked by what he saw, and he never looked back. Since then he has worked for Predator Sand Cars, Alumicraft Racing, Racer Engineering and even briefly worked for West Coast Choppers. Obviously, he bent enough metal into the silhouettes of a Sandrail or a Trophytruck, so when he set out to build a hot rod, in general, everything worked out.

Things like a rear-mounted, perforated-mount radiator come straight from the off-road world where you need to keep your cooling system out of harm's way. For Jared's pickup truck, it was rather a tribute to the old days.

The advantage is the clean face of his "hot rod", freed from body parts. Instead of a front end, the bodywork is purely mechanical; tubular structure, suspension and engine all come together to create a form whose only function is design.

The inline six-cylinder engine of the old Chevy is really the only, besides the cab, standard part the same truck. The engine is located in its original position, parallel to the chrome-molybdenum tubes of the frame. Note the radiator cooling system, which follows the same pattern.

The first thing that caught my eye about Jared's Dodge 37 was the bodywork, to which he added original sheet steel. The style and quality was such that I could say that it was originally made in a special factory.

If you've ever spent time around Sandrails and Prerunners, you may feel their influence too. Tight-fitting aluminum panels, Dzus locks, metal perforations - it's all there.

Like the half-covered front, the chrome frame is only partially covered at the back.

Also, Jared has built a working car from scratch, which we'll get to shortly, styling is a really amazing thing - a car designer can sketch absentmindedly while daydreaming. The most ingenious part is the way the new aluminum panels are sourced from Dodge's factory lines and then quickly molded into an aggressive, angular, layered shape. When designing a car, the concept of “angle of attack” is used, and this car has a lot of such angles.

If you walk around the car, you will begin to see those levels that "come into play". I have never seen a hot rod that had the depth and size of the rear side panel, if you can call it that.

Refurbishment work continues inside, where Jared has handcrafted almost every detail. Look at the gas pedal taken from a sprint car or from the latest models. This is an example of the use of a cool detail, the installation of which Jared skillfully beat. The origins of all this are practically irrelevant, because this idea has found its place at the moment.

Jared seems to know all the tricks that will allow him to use his sheet metal at a professional level.

He not only used quality stainless steel fasteners everywhere, but was able to give it an aesthetic beauty. Jared made excellent use of his experience; he knew that 4-inch screw spacing would be sufficient. When the rivets are farther apart, the sheets of metal will begin to knock, and at a more frequent interval there will be too many rivets.

Of course, you can be considered a talented car builder if you can combine an old truck cab with a handmade chassis, and not only visually, but also, in the end, get a mechanically sound, working vehicle as a result.

And so, many of these great images turn out to be just dreams - projects locked up in someone's garage, never to be completed. That's why I couldn't help but smile when I saw small truck Jared Seganti, kicking up dust from under him with his own might.

Everyone has their own reasons for not completing these "dream projects": maybe due to lack of funds, or maybe simply because of a lack of time or motivation. One skill I suspect Jared has learned while working in these amazing off-road workshops is the ability to see a project through to completion. On our part, it would be a gross and oversimplification of things, looking at the photographs of this hot kind, to think that creating it is as easy as shelling pears.

Of course, Jared learned a lot of useful skills working in workshops, among them working with welding and bending pipes, which he used to create his chrome chassis. Sheet metal work is another feature from the amazing world of off-road vehicle construction.

Jared built the front suspension from scratch using A-arms and coilovers. But what really surprised me was that he built all the geometry at fixed lengths and angles - with zero adjustment. The only thing that can be changed is the toe angle. Instead of threaded tie rod bearings, his suspension pivots on brass struts, demonstrating that he has experience and is capable of designing suspension as well as cracking nuts.

For rear suspension, he used a different set of coilovers and triangulated four links to install the axle. The key here is how everything works in tandem. A cross beam ties the sides of the chassis together, as well as a radiator that only leaves room for the top coilover mounts.

We're inside again, where the frame integrates with the old truck's sheet metal, but also borders nicely on the bottom of the dash.

I almost didn't mention the carved roof, which is usually an important part of a Hot Rod, but with everything that's going on here, this detail is easy to miss. Peeking through the shortened rear window opening, you can see another attached racing detail you don't usually see in a Hot Rod: Momo's suede-wrapped steering wheel.

This is the same mixing of styles that I mentioned at the beginning of this story. And it works, doesn't it?

Since he built everything else out of aluminum and welding rods, Jared went ahead and made the seats in style.

For all the wildness of this amazing work, I may have missed something and I don't think anyone would have noticed. Of course, these are eight-bolt, three-piece Humvee wheels with small street tires mounted on them. But did you know that Hummer wheels were 16.5 inches and you could never find the right street tires? This is where Jared shrugged and got to work: he cut the wheels, removed a couple of inches from the circumference, resulting in 16”.

This is the kind of confidence you need to have to take on the construction of a Hot Rod for the first time ... And fearlessness to look at a piece of metal and see something more in it. In this case, nothing will stand in the way of its creation. When talking with Jared, I noticed that he was a little embarrassed because of the fact that we wanted to talk about his car. He sees everything he could do better in his own thoughts. But I'm standing next to this hot rod with my mouth open.

I had already told Jared that I would be very happy to see this thing in motion, and suddenly it occurred to me to ask if this car is even finished. Turns out this little Hot Rod pickup truck is only half done. Jared plans to completely disassemble the car into parts for painting. Now he is enjoying and enjoying the car in motion, looking at his bare metal work.

Keith Charvonia
Instagram: SpeedhuntersKeith
[email protected]
Photos by Sean Klingelhoefer
Instagram: seanklingelhoefer
[email protected]

Jared Seganti's 1937 Dodge Pickup
engine
1968 Chevrolet inline six cylinder, 250ci, fabricated engine mounts, custom black braided fuel hoses, custom fabricated exhaust system, two Optima six volt batteries wired in series, two Spal 14″ radiator fans, remote mounted radiator, inline Meziere thermostat housing, scratch built wiring harness, small forklift alternator, marine grade battery kill switch

Driveline
Chevrolet TH350 transmission, 14 bolt eight lug rear differential from a motorhome, 4:10 gearing, custom driveshaft from Driveline Service of San Diego, B&M Quarter Stick shifter

Suspension/Brakes
All front suspension links except toe are non-adjustable, front suspension bushings are brass, rear chromoly four link with 5/8″ heim joints, adjustable aluminum shocks, BRT sprint car steering box, four piston Wilwood front calipers with 13″ GT-48 slotted rotors, two piston rear calipers, CNC master cylinder, custom routed 3/16″ copper nickle brake lines, custom pedal box, scratch built black brake hoses

Wheels/Tires
Hummer H1 wheels, changed from 16.5″ to 16″ diameter, front wheels narrowed from 9″ to 7″, rear wheels widened from 9″ to 11″, cheap 205/55/16 front tires, Mickey Thompson 315/45/16 rear tires

Exterior
1937 Dodge truck cab, hand formed aluminum body panels by Jared Seganti, 4 1/2″ chop, shaved door handles, LED tail lights
Interior
Hand formed aluminum interior panels by Jared Seganti, aluminum seats, chromoly roll cage integrated into chassis, Momo steering wheel with Sweet Manufacturing quick release, sprint car gas pedal, Mil-spec switches

Original article on the team's website speed hunters- #chapter-built-to-drive">www.speedhunters.com

We recently talked about the popularization of customization in an article dedicated to George Barris and his brother Sam. However, the culture of author's automobile "alterations" existed before them, albeit in a fundamentally different way. If the Barris brothers built their concepts based on their aesthetic qualities, then the parallel branch of custom processes came from speed. And her name was -.

In the interpretation of the meaning of "hot rod" plays a key role the last part given word. Some experts argue that this very “genus” (English “rod”) is an abbreviation for the term roadster and indicates the type of body required for modifications. Others say that this is the designation of connecting rods, the parts that were the first to be replaced during the construction of a “hot” car. So garage craftsmen increased the volume of engines of their "piece of iron". And although in their general mass hot rods were wild "handicraft", from time to time genuine masterpieces arose among them, which conceptual designers still look back at. Several similar works and this article is about.

Classics of the genre

Hot rodding originated in the United States in the 30s of the last century, gaining popularity rapidly and everywhere, becoming almost the main male entertainment. And what else is an unemployed peasant to do on a Friday evening, how not to drink bitter and rush through the streets in half-disassembled rattletrap? Adding to the thrill was a government ban on the sale of alcohol, as well as fast driving on public roads. Therefore, in order to find a clandestine brandy dealer and get away from the cops if there was a roundup, the guys badly needed fast wheels.

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Hot rod based on Ford Coupe 34’. Options: front axle borrowed from Ford 48’ with Posies springs and levers from Ford 32’ installed on it. Frame modified, rear cross members removed from Ford Model A and Model T. Wheelbase is 114 inches (289.56 cm). There is a 15-gallon tank in the trunk, which is fed to the 59AB block from the Ford 46’. Engine modification: Isky 400 Junior camshaft and Stromberg 97 carburetors. A 5-speed transmission from an S-10 Chevy pickup is also installed. The radiator and front grille are handcrafted from aluminium.

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Hot rod based on Ford Coupe 34’. Options: front axle borrowed from Ford 48’ with Posies springs and levers from Ford 32’ installed on it. Frame modified, rear crossheads removed from Ford Model A and Model T. Wheelbase is 114 inches (289.56 cm). There is a 15-gallon tank in the trunk, which is fed to the 59AB block from the Ford 46’. Engine modification: Isky 400 Junior camshaft and Stromberg 97 carburetors. A 5-speed transmission from an S-10 Chevy pickup is also installed. The radiator and front grille are handcrafted from aluminium.

But rusty carts like the Ford Model A or B did not really please their owners with dynamics. To enlarge speed characteristics, they tore off everything superfluous from the cars: fenders, footboards, casings engine compartment, even the roof! The craftsmen were not too worried about the loss of body rigidity. The main thing is that the car should fly like the wind. In this she was helped by an eight-cylinder engine, promoted by Mr. Ford on all mass models of his company. So, by chance and multi-armed masters, whose names were lost under the soot of hundreds of carbon monoxide evenings, the appearance of a classic hot rod was formed. The most zealous admirers elevated it to the canon and even now they reject any custom built on the basis of a car older than 1945.

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The interior retains a sporty austerity: no extra upholstery, door cards and other decorative elements. Dashboard redesigned with Stewart Warner indicators, four-spoke steering wheel taken from a Ford 40’ along with a bench seat. The entire body of the car, even in the roof, has multiple "gills" for ventilation, which gives it swiftness. Side and rear windows in this hot rod is not provided at all.

Over time, hot rodding has grown from a semi-handicraft hobby to a status and costly hobby. When America ceased to be in a fever from mafia showdowns and legalized military conflicts, the rich were drawn to exotic alterations. High-speed races were no longer a matter of survival: they moved from the streets to sports tracks and specialized arenas. The famous Lake Bonneville has become the largest of these sites. And of course, the studios of the surrounding regions have long become champions in the construction of hot-rod classics.

For example, the Rollings Bones studio is famous for making hot rods that are closest to the original. In a modern interpretation, they are similar to the creations of the hands of Dr. Frankenstein, as they are assembled from dozens of parts belonging to different cars. However, boosted engines and aggressive appearance make them the very evil bastards that cut through the salt expanses in the 50s. Experienced craftsmen know that no matter how ambitious a project is, the main thing is to pay attention to details. Only then will a simple metal trough on two spars and four wheels truly come to life.

Peculiarities:

Clyde Barrow, notorious Prohibition-era gangster, admired cars Ford brands. He even addressed a letter to the president of the company, where, in a half-joking tone, he promised to steal only Fords. But among American bandits, Clyde was no exception. Criminals preferred Henry Ford products for their cheapness, simplicity and power. Custom alterations of such equipment have become a kind of side effect of this popularity. So Mr. Ford is responsible for many things that happened in the States in the first half of the twentieth century. Yes, and the second, in fact, too.

Red Baron

The unusual appearance of hot rods began to attract bohemian people. Artists, musicians, and most importantly, filmmakers, driving on such equipment, were entered into a closed club, a kind of secret box with their own customs, laws and rules. In America in the 60s, there were not so many specialized publications that covered the projects, competitions and workdays of real hot rodders. The most authoritative of these was the magazine Hot Rod, owned by Robert Petersen. But when Monogram became interested in hot roadsters, the subculture got its own pop star.

Box cover with Red Baron Monogram model

The Monogram Models formation was very popular in the States for providing the leisure of millions: everyone from young to old liked to collect kit-models, turning a pile of plastic into a perfect piece of motorized equipment. Representatives of the automotive industry seriously monitored the Monogram range, because if the next creation of someone from the Big Three was reproduced on a scale of 1:48, then its success was not accidental. However, the path of the hot rod named Red Baron was exactly the opposite.

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In total, two Red Baron hot rods were recreated. Another replica was made by the famous Hollywood customizer Jay Orberg. In his project, he used an eight-cylinder Big-Block engine from Chevrolet.

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In total, two Red Baron hot rods were recreated. Another replica was made by the famous Hollywood customizer Jay Orberg. In his project, he used an eight-cylinder Big-Block engine from Chevrolet.

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In total, two Red Baron hot rods were recreated. Another replica was made by the famous Hollywood customizer Jay Orberg. In his project, he used an eight-cylinder Big-Block engine from Chevrolet.

Tom Daniel was a freelance designer. He worked with Monogram Models only once before it dawned on him: you don’t have to draw sketches of real-life equipment - you can in fact invent a car that never existed! To do this, Daniel studied the rating of prefabricated models, highlighting those that sold better than others. They turned out to be fighter planes from the First World War and ... old Fords. Putting these two looks together, the designer got a distinctive hot rod with a Kaiser infantry helmet instead of a cockpit and Albatros D. II war paint. The “Red Baron” was named after the best ace of the war, Manfred von Richthofen, who shot down 80 enemy aircraft.

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Currently, the only surviving copy of the Red Baron is in the Museum of American Speed at the Speedway Motors studio in Lincoln, Nebraska. And only the most skilled hot rodders dare to create their own replica of this car.

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The model hit the shelves in 1968, making a splash among kit collectors. In just a few years, Monogram Models has sold more than 3 million copies of this set! And when they were offered to embody an unusual hot rod in metal and in full size, no one was particularly surprised. Chuck Miller, an engineer at Detroit's Styline Customs, took on the job, meticulously restoring all the details. The Red Baron was built in the back of a Bucked T, that is, in the most classic version of the hot rod, for which the basis of one of the Ford T models of 1917-27 was used. release. Trying to achieve maximum compliance, Miller wanted to install in the car aircraft engine specified era, produced by Mercedes-Benz or BMW, but could not find a suitable copy - I had to be content with a 6-cylinder Pontiac OHC racing unit.

Peculiarities:

In the world of hot rods, the Red Baron was what Bon Jovi was to rock music. His appearance is like the imperishable single It's My Life, sounding non-stop. Even Chuck Miller receives awards for the creation of this machine with the same regularity with which the famous musician receives Grammy awards.

Hello from Roswell

"Mischief managed!" Harry Potter's happy friends kept repeating, conjuring over a magic map. The same can be said about the work of "Big Daddy" Ed Rott - a legendary figure for several generations of hot rodders. Many of today's masters were inspired to get down to business by the extraordinary author's thinking and the philosophical view of this man. Ed Rott came up with a lot of things that gave this subculture meaning. He is also responsible for creating such symbols as the pot-bellied rodent Rat Fink - the emblem of independent customizers and the Beatnik Bandit machine, the wonderful look of which enthusiasts are still trying to outdo.

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The life of the car was long and eventful. Periodically, it was even painted in a different color and tuned. In 1970, Ed Rott lost interest in Bandit so much that he sold it for $50. A strange decision, considering that the peak of its popularity came at this time: the Beatnik Bandit toy accounted for 16% of the sales of the entire Revell range! Fortunately, the "real" hot rod was not lost, but was restored, and now he is in the National automobile museum city of Reno, Nevada.

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The life of the car was long and eventful. Periodically, it was even painted in a different color and tuned. In 1970, Ed Rott lost interest in Bandit so much that he sold it for $50. A strange decision, considering that the peak of its popularity came at this time: the Beatnik Bandit toy accounted for 16% of the sales of the entire Revell range! Fortunately, the "real" hot rod was not lost, but was restored, and now it resides in the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada.

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The life of the car was long and eventful. Periodically, it was even painted in a different color and tuned. In 1970, Ed Rott lost interest in Bandit so much that he sold it for $50. A strange decision, considering that the peak of its popularity came at this time: the Beatnik Bandit toy accounted for 16% of the sales of the entire Revell range! Fortunately, the "real" hot rod was not lost, but was restored, and now it resides in the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada.

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The life of the car was long and eventful. Periodically, it was even painted in a different color and tuned. In 1970, Ed Rott lost interest in Bandit so much that he sold it for $50. A strange decision, considering that the peak of its popularity came at this time: the Beatnik Bandit toy accounted for 16% of the sales of the entire Revell range! Fortunately, the "real" hot rod was not lost, but was restored, and now it resides in the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada.

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The life of the car was long and eventful. Periodically, it was even painted in a different color and tuned. In 1970, Ed Rott lost interest in Bandit so much that he sold it for $50. A strange decision, considering that the peak of its popularity came at this time: the Beatnik Bandit toy accounted for 16% of the sales of the entire Revell range! Fortunately, the "real" hot rod was not lost, but was restored, and now it resides in the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada.

The story of the orange-striped Bandit repeated the fate of the previous hero, Red Baron, almost by letter. It all started with a tiny scale model Hot Wheels by Revell, for which Ed designed. He then created a "full size" hot rod based on a 1955 Oldsmobile, shortening the chassis to just over two meters.

The master sent the original body to a landfill, melting something out of fiberglass that looked like the skin of an alien ship. To match the image, a transparent bubble has established itself in place of the cabin / roof. To make it, Mr. Roth put a piece of plastic in a pizza oven, and when it got hot and soft, he blew it up like a balloon. Although the master was not the first inventor of such a roof, he was definitely a popularizer of such "soap bubbles" - many of his subsequent models had this author's touch.

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The body of the Roswell Rod has been handcrafted from fiberglass over several years. The car was created on a shortened Oldsmobile Toronado 68 'chassis. With its twin headlights, the “muzzle” of the hot rod resembles a Corvette. Rear optics borrowed from the Chevy Impala. The Roswell Rod cockpit also contains all the necessary controls: a steering wheel stylized as an aircraft helm, a gear knob and on-board instruments.

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The shamanic 5-liter Beatnik Bandit engine was equipped with a Bell Auto supercharger and a twin Ford carburetor. When assembling the exhibit, Mr. Rott did not seriously think about the hundreds of horsepower in it, but he was still afraid to ride this hot rod. The car he built was almost the only one that moved exclusively on a gun carriage. After all, she did not have a steering wheel at all: control, acceleration, braking and gear shifting - all this was put on a metal steering wheel. The latter, oddly enough, worked, which horrified everyone, including its creator.

Big Daddy passed away 15 years ago, at the age of 69, but his works still have a magical effect on people. Most of Ed Rott's cars are in private collections, but there are also some in museums - for example, the Beatnik Bandit. This strange apparatus has such an exciting effect on customizers that they borrow its touches in their projects. But only a few, like Fritz Schenk, the inspired enthusiast, manage to build the perfect new Bandit. He called his car Roswell Rod, and it has a number of serious differences from the original. Firstly, it can be started and driven without risk to life. And secondly, Schenk is sure that he built exactly the apparatus that the FBI found in Roswell in 1947.

Peculiarities:

After himself, Ed Rott left not only cars, but also several books, in fact - practical guides by one action or another. “I worked on a whole bunch of cool stuff that no one wanted to know about,” he wrote. “And then he took and built a car out of all this!”. great way get attention, by the way. Moreover, not only to yourself, but also to what worries you, as, for example, Fritz Schenk did.

Tramp/Marauder

Lewis Carroll, author of Alice Through the Looking-Glass, admired English language: it contains a huge number of words of double meaning. The so-called "wallet words" very accurately characterize processes and phenomena, especially if they end unsuccessfully. Take, for example, the Prowler model - its sketches have been approved and passed around for so long that you can’t call it otherwise than the “Tramp”. But when she nevertheless established herself in the production of Plymouth and for five years did not bring her native company a cent, her hidden essence emerges in the light - the Marauder. Yes, robbing parents is not good, but Prowler is perhaps the only hot rod launched into the series, for which a lot is forgiven.

For the first time the idea to produce a retro car in the style of hot rodding came to Bob Lutz, president of Chrysler, in 1990. Its marketers have calculated that this subculture costs several million of its admirers a tidy sum - $ 10 billion! Lutz, himself an avid racer and retroman, rightly decided to lure this audience to the side of the “five-pointed star” and charged the corresponding project. The concept car, vaguely similar to the current Prowler, debuted at the 1993 Detroit Motor Show and shocked absolutely everyone. But its adaptation to the serial chassis dragged on for another five long years, after which it was decided to assemble the roadster by hand.

Peculiarities:

While the Plymouth Prowler is not a "true" hot rod, this model is unique in its own way. Yes, the manufacturer failed to combine retro aesthetics with the racing characteristics of "hot roadsters". But this project is one of a rare number of cases where genuine emotions took precedence over costing. While Chrysler didn't make any money, it managed to make some of its customers truly happy.

Hot Nord

Oddly enough, but hot rodding has achieved close attention among the Scandinavian craftsmen. Zealots of their own traditions, they suddenly willingly adopted the American style in the construction of custom cars. True, in some ways the northerners have departed from the canons. They liked the aggressive appearance of the hot rods and the huge dynamic potential. But a lot of hanging trinkets seemed superfluous to them. The Scandinavian public, who revered orderliness and accuracy, began to build "hot roadsters" in their own way, and Lief Tafvesson, who succeeded in this, even received the status of a demigod.

Mr. Tufvesson worked as a designer at the Volvo Concept Center for six years before starting his own car tuning business. Cars bearing the hallmarks of his workshop Caresto are rightfully considered the best representatives of hot rodding in Sweden. At the same time, Volvo Cars periodically resorts to the services of Lief, if they need copyright developments. And he, in turn, agitates the flagship of the Swedish engineering industry to switch to the production of hot rods on a serial scale.

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The concept of Hot Rod Jakob was built in 2005 and timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the brand. The car is painted in dark blue, similar to the one that covered the original Jacob models. The interior of the hot rod is fully consistent with the exterior. The interior uses a steering wheel from a 1962 P1800 model, a brake pedal and a main brake cylinder from 140 Series.

This example is not the only hot rod with the Volvo logo on the hood, but certainly the most iconic. Lief Tafvesson named it Hot Rod Jakob in honor of the very first car of the Swedish brand, which, by the way, was also created on Jacob's day (July 25)! The five-seat Volvo OV4 crew was equipped with a 28-horsepower engine and sold 293 copies in the first year. Behind the eyes, the mechanics called this car with a removable top ... Jacob.

The new Jakob is powered by a turbocharged 5-cylinder engine producing 265 hp. With. (borrowed from the Volvo T5). Paired with it is the 5-speed "mechanics" M90, which was used on the 960 sedan. The chassis, as on racing cars, made of carbon, the frame is steel, the body is aluminum, and the suspensions are dependent. Brake system with huge discs with a diameter of 450 mm in front and 515 mm in the rear and 4-piston calipers all around. The gears are hidden in the grandiose AEZ Forge wheels (19-inch front and 22-inch rear). The wheels are shod with special Pirelli tires with trademark Volvo. Perhaps, there has never been a more original exhibit in the Volvo factory museum in Gothenburg!

Peculiarities:

The spar frame and spring suspension are far from the only technological solutions adopted by the Scandinavians from overseas. Through the efforts of Lief Tafvesson, small-scale production of Volvo hot rods is just around the corner. Already on his account more than a dozen powerful concepts in this style, and the public idolizes them. If the industrialists from Gothenburg do not give up, those descendants of the Vikings who fell in love with hot rodding will take their factories by storm. Sooner or later.

Epilogue

The popularity of hot rodding has waned since. Compared to these polished beauties, the modified Fords looked like bumpkins. In the mid-60s, hot rods went underground, which was not the first time they had to do. However, complete oblivion did not happen: now many retro fans are ready to overpay for new cars in top trim levels, just to have a cult and unique device in their collection. Which, in general, is gratifying and raises my faith in a bright, non-standard automotive future.

The owner of the car writes: Moskvich 401 HotRod "LuckyDog13". - Implementation of the project 2011-2014.

Was purchased in 2006 under a similar idea. The idea is to create a classic American style hot rod. In the fall of 2010, work began on the "first" version of the project with Japanese engine V8 3uz-fe, 4.3 liters and based on the frame and suspension from the crown in the 143rd body, in the summer of 2011, due to some financial, other difficulties and understanding the correctness of building a “real hot rod”, it was frozen, disassembled and sold (on the blog 9 deals with this issue in more detail). Only the completed cabin was saved. After a detailed study of the “custom culture”, the principles of building hot rods, collecting the necessary information, calculating, buying spare parts, from January 2012 it was continued in a new, maximally “correct” version.

DESCRIPTION OF THE CAR: Moskvich 401, 54 onwards. Chop (lowering) of the roof by 5 cm, reduction of the cab by 30 cm, alteration in the coupe, doors open against the direction of travel, lengthening of the base, Chevy Small Block V8 engine 5.7 liters (400 hp) modified, Chevy TCI gearbox reinforced, front beam and rear axle from a 2-ton Japanese truck, on springs, "custom chassis", "custom suspension". Ford 32 grille.

DIMENSIONS:
- length 420 cm,
- width 175 cm,
- height 135 cm,
- ground clearance 10 cm.
- estimated weight within 900-1200 kg. Upon completion of work will be weighed.

Engine: Chevy Small Block V8 5.7 liter, 350th (400 hp), :
- Aluminum radiator with Ford32,
- Aluminum filter housing,
- Edelbrock carburetor
- Edelbrock intake manifold
- Head caps and filters crankcase gases and chrome pallet "morosso",
- Tyunin heads "Brodix", forging were installed initially.
- Mounted "march": chrome-plated generator, pump, air conditioner, aluminum pulleys,
- Shaft damper "harmonics",
- Chrome-plated starter "staf",
- Edelbrock pump,
- Armored wire "street fire",
- 100 mm exhaust tract, forked "stingray",
- Ignition and distributor "msd",
- Chevy TCI box, reinforced, semi-automatic up to 600 hp, 4 gears, rocker and modified Locar hydraulic handbrake, aluminum box cooling radiator.
Lightweight rims based on sander aluminum rims, centers made and chromed to order, front rims width 7 inches, tires 15x185x75, hancock, rear rims width 16 inches, rear tires, drag semi-slicks, size 15 inches 30x15.5, i.e. . width rear rubber 390 mm.
- Reinforced hoses, silicone, chrome filter, tosik fasteners, chrome bolts, "vintage" gauges, chrome steering column, pedals, "vintage" exterior and salon door handles, chrome mirrors, chrome headlights "vintage", engine damper, chrome steering damper "co-caal", etc. and so on…
According to the database

Engine 5.7 (401 hp)
Machine 1954 release, was purchased in 2006

From the original meaning of the term "Hot Rod" little is left of the original in a modern car made in this direction. The concept has become broader, and in the last decade it has changed very seriously, embracing even new cars and not american stamps cars (now they even make custom from ZILs and old Zhiguli).

It all started with the old classic modified american cars, in which large engines of increased power were rearranged, bodies were finalized, weight was reduced and wide rear tires were installed for maximum traction.

For the first time such machines appeared in North America in 1930-1940. Body type mainly used for racing Hot Rods. The place of races (usually in a straight line) in the first 1/3 of the 20th century was the dry lakes of California.

At the beginning of its history, Hot Rod was made from roadsters, tuners or Model A, as well as Model B, of the late 20s, mid-30s, were especially fond of.

After the Second World War, a second life was breathed into the movement. Thanks to the huge pace of development of the US auto industry and the rapid change of generations of models, enthusiasts have the opportunity to inexpensively purchase 3-5 summer models and bring them to mind to your understanding. Thus, custom began to be made from heavy and clumsy Mercury, stylish Buick and even pickup trucks. Enthusiasts did not forget about the classics of the 30s.

In the 1960s, Hot Rods looked like in a new way, but always tried to follow the canons of the old school.

Over time, racing on outlandish devices faded into the background. Custom moved into the category of real art. They tried to bring every detail in this car to perfection, chrome plating, including engine elements, repainting of suspension elements, the body was also subjected to serious modernization.

In the 90s, along with the external style, the internal component began to change. Engines began to acquire powerful turbines, modern fuel injection systems began to appear on V8, V12, the efficiency of engines increased many times over.

In the 21st century, there are a huge number of different variations of the classic Hot Rods, but five of their most notable and most memorable representatives can be distinguished from them. The five most common cars from 1920-1960.

1948-'57, 1960 Buick: Let's be honest, nothing compares to the beauty of the classic Buick, these cars even in the stock version look like masterpieces of art, but what people with creativity do with them is beyond words. Unusual body paint options, including the use of matte body paint, which gives Buick cars of the 1950s and 1960s an absolutely unusual attractive look.

As always on classic "Americans", chrome is used in abundance, whole compositions are created from the radiator grille and a custom-made front bumper.

1920 - 1950 Chevrolet: a feature of custom created from can be called the fact that often not sedans or roadsters, but pickups are taken for rework. They put a charged motor in the old fashioned way, chrome wheels with a fancy pattern, the appearance is ennobled with fresh paint and varnish.

At the exhibition stands and during the gathering of Hot Rod lovers, these pickups are most favorably distinguished by their appearance and energy, attracting the attention of the audience.

Ford Model A: The first Hot Rods in the early 20th century were made from old cars from the 1920s and 30s. The most common models of those times, as we said, were the Ford Model T, Model S and Model B.

These models are still popular today. Now it is, with bodies of the 20s, 30s of the XX century. In the modern world, they are valued for their rarity, value and timeless appearance.

Since there are no longer enough original bodies for everyone, it is not uncommon for a new Hot Rod to have only a frame from an old model, all other attachments and assemblies, including the body, are new.

In the past, they were popular due to their simple design and availability of parts.

1940-50 Mercury: Mercury, one of the brightest representatives of the Hot Rod family, who for decades have been created with only one goal - to make a work of art out of it. Brightness, beauty, style, automotive icon, these are the words that come to mind when the image of these masterpiece cars of the past arises in front of you.

1933-1942 Willys: As opposed to the sleek Mercury, the Willys Hot Rods were and are built for racing. They certainly have style, as well as historical value, but the goal of Willys cars is to show results on the drag strip. The sooner the finish line is crossed, the better!

Weight is reduced to a minimum, injection is hung on the motor, other tricks are used to increase power.