Car Drawings vs. Hot Rod Design   Over the last decade, we've seen explosive growth in the hot rod and custom car industry and hobby as a whole. This can be attributed to the popularity of television shows like Overhaulin', American Hot Rod and others, as well as Powerblock TV, the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Events, and of course, access to great personalities like Chip Foose, Stacey David and others. This brings in new enthusiasts, and naturally, more project cars!   Not since George Barris snapped thousands of photos and wrote hundreds of articles promoting the hobby back in the 1950's and '60's have we seen so much attention on our hobby, and it's amazing to witness. Yet, while there's all of this excitement, many of these new fans and participants are feeling lost when starting a project. It can be a daunting task to say the least, but when taking those first steps, having the right footing can make all the difference in the world.   Naturally, any success in a project requires a plan, and building or modifying a car requires very careful thought at this stage. I've...

1966 Mustang Fastback - Pro-Touring Budget "I bought a 1966 Mustang Fastback out of a junk yard for $400. Thought I would challenge myself to build as exotic a g-machine as possible for $5000. "   It sounds impossible, anti-Pro-Touring even. MyRideisMe.com asked Ron Schwarz, owner/builder of this Grabber Blue beauty, to share his 5 Tips with our readers. He tells it like no one else can. This guy is hilarious! There are some killer classic quotes here. Stick to these 5 Tips below and you too can build your own budget dream ride.   1. Choose The Right Car Your car has to be affordable, but still turn you on. If it doesn’t keep your interest it will be just another project that doesn’t get finished. Choose a car you can get cheap parts for, period.   2. Do your homework The mods on this Mustang were done with factory (Ford and GM) parts from performance models/sports cars. The front suspension is all C5 Corvette parts; great handling, big brakes, relatively cheap, and fairly easy to come by.   3. Choose The Right Drivetrain. Find a drivetrain that...

Being passionate about modified rides, I spend a lot of time on websites that span the spectrum of hotrodding to "tuning" and everything in between. Two favorite build styles of mine are Pro-Touring and the Street Drift style called HellaFlush. HellaWho? I'll explain in a minute. Call it DetroitFlush or Ill-Touring (Ill, as in Siiiick wheel fitment dude!). We can nail down the name later. Let's dig into this concept a little and see what you, the reader, has to say. First, lets define the two components of DetroitFlush individually. Pro-Touring. The Pro-Touring.com's definition as a reminder, is old muscle with new sports car performance. Modern suspensions, brakes, big wheels/tires and late model drivetrains (like a 6.1L Hemi Crate motor, 6 speed Tremec and 20" wheels with 315/30/20 Pirelli's like the TerraCuda built by Chip Foose) HellaFlush on the other hand is the concept, "Offset Is Everything" and traces its roots to Japanese Street Drifting which pushes the limit of fenders on import cars such as WRX's, EVO's, 240SX's and RX-7's. As seen in the picture above from the HellaFlush website, the wheels fit flush to the fender. Simple...

Please Contact: Michelle Domagala (317) 373-8455 or email prodragracers@earthlink.net Professional Racers Owners Organization’s (PRO) “Great Helmet Auction” INDIANAPOLIS, In. – On May 15, 2009, PRO will unveil its’ first ever online promotion the Great Helmet Auction. The auction features autographed helmets, most worn during NHRA Drag Racing competition, by stars of the sport including: Jack Beckman, Brandon Bernstein, Kenny Bernstein, Antron Brown, Ron Capps, V. Gaines, Mike Edwards, John Force, Ashley Force Hood, Matt Hagan, Robert Hight, Allen Johnson, Warren Johnson, Doug Kalitta, Ron Krisher, Cory McClenathan, Mike Neff, Tony Schumacher, Bob Vandergriff Jr., and Tim Wilkerson! For a full description of driver helmets, including their history and photographs, visit www.GreatHelmetAuction.com when the site goes “live” on May 15. The 10-day auction will be hosted on eBay beginning June 6 and ending June 15. Direct links to each helmet can be found on the www.GreatHelmetAuction.com website. Winning bids will benefit PRO, a trade organization providing services and other benefits to professional drag racing team owners and drivers, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Racers for Christ (Team RFC), an organization which has been servicing NHRA for over 25...

If you've visited MyRideisMe.com before, you know I have a 27 Ford Roadster with a fairly hot 2.3L Ford four cylinder that's better known as a "Pinto Motor". I've got a not-so-cool problem with the Weber 44 IDF induction setup right now though... When I get into the throttle, not that I'd ever do that, I get a misting of fuel over the top of the carbs. OK, it's less of a mist than a toxic ozone killing cloud of gas vapor. (I'll commute tomorrow to make up for it!). I owe you a video of this, before and after. So what I'd do? I knew Inglese Induction Systems are the experts.  Inglese has been making intakes for this setup for a long time so they must know what's happening and how to fix it. Even more cool? Inglese is now owned by the Comp Performance Group that also owns, Comp Cams. I've always had great success with Comp Cams in my Ford V8's and my pops has been really happy too. Having 2 great reasons, I called over to Comp Cams. "...should get the torque to come on...

Fabrication, Welding and how-to's for your home built hot rod from WelderSeries.com Dear Welder Series... I have a 1956 Chev truck and want to put a 4 link in the back .was thinking of a triangulated one. would that work? the frame is 34 inches wide.or should i use a parallel 4 bar and a panhard bar and which kit # do you recommend ? thank you Dave Dave, this is a good question... There are several considerations when choosing a rear suspension system. An important one is frame width. A typical triangulated rear 4-link has the upper bars mounting off of the frame boxing plates and angling back to each side of the differential housing. The narrower the frame, the less triangulation is possible unless the upper bars get shorter. Shorter upper bars cause greater pinion angle change. The upper bars could be angled from wide apart on the axle tubes to close together off of a crossmember to get more triangulation. A parallel 4-link and Panhard bar is not as sensitive to frame width. The bars should be mounted as wide apart as practical to stabilize the...

Pro-Touring Hot Rod Comet   Pro-Touring? Does this sound like grandma cruisin' Route 66 in a Mercury Marquis? Try Again! For those hiding out in your garage working on your own hot rod in the last 5 years, Pro-Touring cars are classic muscle cars modified to be driven hard with modern hot rodding technology.   Call it Pro-Touring or G-Machine, everything on these tricked out rides is upgraded and modern: Late model or aftermarket suspension, big horsepower engine, and body mods to fit those giant wheels with low profile tires and big brakes. New school muscle with old school style. Buckle up.   OK, let's have a look-see at Josh Martin's 1965 Pro-Touring Mercury Comet Caliente then shall we? A few magazines are planning to feature this track day-ready Comet, but the details are not set. In the meantime, MyRideisMe.com delivers the latest and greatest in hot rodding. We say, why wait? Type in your email address over on the left and you'll receive stories like this right to your inbox.   Filling you in on the Comet build then, meet car owner, Josh Martin.   MyRideisMe: All dream...

Bonneville Salt Flats: 2008's Pictures: I'm a little intimidated to tackle a story that even has the words: Salt Flats, Bonneville, and Speed Week included. The 2008 Speed Week day-trip I made last year was only my second time on the salt in Bonneville, the "Fastest Place On Earth" as the Bonneville Speed Week website declares. I wanted to share a few words and pictures from that day. I made the 1.5 hour drive out to Bonneville International Raceway with my good'ol 1959 JC Higgins rat rod cruiser pedal bike. The Bonneville salt-essentials strapped on the rear rack: bottles of water, sunflower seeds, sunblock and the old point and shoot camera. You need a bike just to get around the pit area. Why you ask? The pit area is 3 miles long and about 2 miles from the starting line!!! I spent most of my time near the starting line and in the pits soaking in sun, salt and of course the coolest "Car Show/Cruise-In" ever! OK, so there's no official car show, but that's what I call it. There are a few hundred old roadsters, coupes, muscle cars,...

COMP Cams®, RHS® & FASTTM Add $12,000 In Contingency To The 2009 Engine Masters Challenge EFI technology innovator FASTTM sees first visit to annual challenge while the cylinder head-valve train duo look to repeat success for the COMP Performance GroupTM After a successful year in 2008, the COMP Performance GroupTM will once again add excitement to the JEGS Engine Masters Challenge presented by Popular Hot Rodding magazine. In 2009 CPG companies will offer up to $12,000 in contingency awards to the top six finishers of the event. New to this year's event will be the inclusion of fuel injected engines, giving EFI technology leader FASTTM its first chance to enter the competition as the company hopes to enjoy the same success as its fellow CPG members have in years past. For 2009, COMP Cams® will offer contingency awards to those competitors running their camshafts, while those running RHS® cylinder heads will receive an additional payout. As the first year that EFI engines are allowed to compete, the 2009 competition will also feature contingency payouts for those equipped with FASTTM XFITM systems. In addition to contingency awards, scholarships to working...

Local small town car shows and cruise-ins are at the heart of the American Hot Rodding hobby. Layton, Utah is a good example. The cars at this show cover the gamut of usual suspects along with some nice surprises. This show is a monthly event during the summer months and is part of the JC Hackett's Rock-n-Roll Cruisin' Oldies car show tour in northern Utah and surrounding area.  The 2009 Calendar can be found on the site in Excel. I hope you dig these photos. Check out the gallery below. I was toting around my 3 sons (ages 6, 4 and 2), so I didn't get to stop and talk to any car owners and get more info on my favorites. Gotta pass on the hot rod blood, right!? Have you gone to a local cruise in spot or a big national hot rod event yet this year? If so and you took some pics, let us know about it. We'd like to see what the hot rodding scene is doing in your neck of the woods. [gallery =...

You can't shake a stick at a hot rod or custom car show or here in the custom garages at MyRideisMe.com without seeing some pinstriping. We added a "Hot Rods and Pinups" gallery cause everyone likes the sexy vintage styled girls... The same kind of thinking made me add a Pinstriping Gallery. It's just a good fit. The gallery is LOADED with pictures. Well, not really, there's only the pictures from the Viva Las Vegas car show, put there's alot from that show. VLV's the kind of show where I'd say 80-90% of the cars have custom pinstripes. Here's just a few of the pictures in the gallery:[gallery = 27] To make the pinstriping gallery happen, we'll be shooting detailed photos of pinstripes at the shows and races we cover in the Event gallery and more importantly featuring pinstripe artist that are making their living pulling lines all over the country. Look for a story on Von Hot Rod and also my buddy Charlie the "One Arm Bandit". Charlie's also got a great community similar to us at Hot Rod Revival. Check it out! With the pinstripes on hoods,...

So I know ya’ll are dyin' to hear what the ladies were up to during Viva Las Vegas 12. If you had the privilege of being present, you already know that Viva Las Vegas was swarming with some of the purdiest ladies you ever did see. While you fellas might've been out merely lookin' for ladies - I was lookin' for fellow Grease Girls. Being that the car show at VLV draws one of the biggest grouping of home-built cool traditionals, customs, and rat-rods – I was hoping I'd find a few of those “builders” who also happened to be ladies. As Stude (my own 1955 Studebaker Champion) and I arrived on the lot Thursday evening, many other cars had already arrived, but we were the only girl-owned car so far. By the time Saturday rolled around the entire lot reserved for the VLV 12 Shifters Car Show was full, with ample stragglers in The Orleans parking lot. As soon as I showed up on the scene Saturday morning, I wholeheartedly began my search for fellow car ladies. You'd think finding other lady car owners wouldn't be too much...