Rod & Custom Tech Articles

1949 Chevy Heating and Air Conditioning - Crimps 'n' Hose

You may remember that last month I installed a Vintage Air evaporator under the dash (almost!) in my project '49 Chevy, converted the stock heater controls to operate the air conditioning, and fabricated a bulkhead fitting... more

Four Cylinder Flathead - Big 'Banger Theory

Even before Henry's breakthrough V-8s, and decades before the introduction of the Chevy small-block... more

American Autowire Nostalgia Wiring Kit - Modern Spark ...In An Old-Timey Suit

Up until this past summer, if you wanted to wire your car the old-fashioned way-with a quality (insulated) cloth-wrapped wire, that is-you literally had to do it the old-fashioned way... more

1949 Chevy Brake Lines - Flaring Up

With all the major mechanical components installed in our '49 Chevy project Purple Pig, it's time to get down to all the little jobs that seemingly take forever in order to make the car road worthy... more

Modern Fuel Systems - Idleness Is A Fuel's Desire

We moan about the rising cost of gasoline, but we keep putting it in our cars as, without it, they're garage ornaments... more

1929 Ford Tonneau Cover - The Cover-Up

Tooling along taking in the bouquet of the landscape, the wind coursing through your hair, nothing beats a roadster... more

Floor Mount Emergency Brake - Down And Out (Of The Way)

There are many components of a custom or street rod that have to be integrated into the build, such as gas and brake pedals... more

Air Conditioning by Vintage Air - Air And Graces

Four years on, and I couldn't imagine not having A/C, so I called Vintage Air to discuss my requirements for the project '49... more

1949 Chevy Suspension - Get On Down!

Let's face it, unless you're building a gasser, any car looks cooler lowered. Back in the day when suspensions moved on... more

Music Solutions For Vintage Cars

It seems everyone's love of music has been rejuvenated by the iPod and other digital music players (DMP). Everyone's got one. And increasingly, every new car... more

Aluminum Bomber Seats - Sitting Nicely

I wanted a pair of aluminum bomber-style seats for my latest project and decided that I would have a go at making them myself. Most of the bomber seat magazine articles... more

MIG and TIG Welding - Merging Metal

Times change. It wasn't that long ago that if you owned a set of oxy-acetylene gas bottles for welding and cutting you would be considered to have a pretty well-equipped home shop... more

Retrofit Vintage AC Sytems - Old And Cold

You'd have to be new to this hobby, or a little inattentive, to not be aware of the excellent choice and availability of aftermarket air conditioning and heating systems we enjoy today... more

Ford Automatic Transmission - Automatic For The People

For the longest time, if you ran a Ford small-block or Windsor engine and wanted to run an automatic... more

Ford Wishbone Suspension - Bones To Bars

If there's one thing hot rodders have, it's a lot of options. Which options you choose depends a lot on your priorities... more

Installing Unisteer Products Rack And Pinion Kit - Steering In A Different Direction

When's the last time you looked underneath an early hot rod with a tube axle or I-beam axle and found rack-and-pinion steering?..... more

Installing Custom Fuel Tank To 1927 Model T Coupe - T Tank

The project is a '27 Model T coupe, unchopped and full-fendered. It is currently a work in progress, but will be something genuinely unique by the time.... more

1949 Chevy Purple Pig Project - Into Overdrive

You probably thought I'd forgotten all about the project '49 Chevy huh? Unfortunately a combination of work schedules, the start of the show season and the.... more

Keeping Your Hot Rod Cool - Cool Ride Or Hot Rod?

There are a number of things we seem to put up with in our pursuit of driving cool-looking cars. A ridiculously low car will induce a newfound fear of driveways..... more

Ford Flathead Power Steering System - Power Upgrade For Your Flathead

You wouldn't think that Richard Bellgardt's request was that unusual. Richard drives a '49 Ford F1 pickup, mostly stock, and Flathead powered... more

1937 Plymouth Sedan Headlights - Lighten Up

Improving the lighting on a highboy can generally be accomplished by just bolting on any number of the upgraded set of headlights... more

Fuel Air Spark Technology - Better Breathing Exercise

By now most people are aware that modern fuel -injected engines benefit greatly from the use of electronics, whether through the use of an on-board computer which constantly alters the tune depending on driving style, altitude or a number of other variables, or through the ability to plug in a lapto more

EZ Wiring Harness - Lightin' The Fire

I don't know about you but I'm perfectly happy fabricating chassis, welding and doing body and paintwork, and physically putting a car together, but I've always left the wiring in my projects... more

Installing ABS Electric High-Power Brakes - More Power To You

Whenever a brake upgrade is made, usually incorporating discs brakes at the front or even all around, most builders will upgrade to power-assisted brakes. more

Installing One-Piece Glass & Power Windows In A Shoebox Ford- Lose Your Wings

When chopping the top on a car with factory vent windows, one of the many considerations to take into account is whether or not to retain the wing windows. more