http://www.billetproof.com/
It was a rainy, wet weekend but we had a blast none the less. Here are a couple shots of the drive down.
When at the show, I was introduced to a style of Hot Rod that was new to me. It is a movement that was started somewhere around 15 years ago (maybe earlier) but has recently started to become regular sighting in the scene. Traditional Hot Rodding. These are cars built in the same style as was done when the hobby first really got rolling back in Southern California in the late 30s and 40s. They can be referred to as "Pre-war Hot Rods" and "Post-war Hot Rods". A style that revolves around the quest for speed and the earliest days of the salt flats. The Look generally involves a mild lowering job, removal of the fenders, "Big and Little" tire combinations (larger size tires in the rear and small tires in the front) Hydraulic brake conversions (Early cars had mechanical brakes- scary stuff) No bumpers and pretty much anything else that would add weight and slow the car down.
The engine modifications started as hopping up Henry Fords 4 cylinder engine that came in the model A and early 32s. It produced a whopping ground pounding 40 HP and these guys did everything imaginable to squeeze every bit of possible power from them. From casting there own intake manifolds and high compression cylinder heads to completely re-engineering the valve train to convert the engine to an overhead valve and thus increasing the intake and exhaust flow.
In 1932 Ford introduced the first V8 engine. This really changed the game and the 4 cylinders (Bangers as they had become known) were removed from most cars and the V8 were installed.
This is a huge part of Hot Rodding history and one that could have its own dedicated blog. If this is something that interests you further, you could check out some publications that have been written about these early days of the hobby. Don Montgomery http://www.montgomeryhotrodbooks.com/ has some excellent books on this. The Jalopy Journal http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/ is a website and forum that is strictly dedicated to this era as well and has some great info.
So as I started to check these cars out, I really fell in love with the simplicity and styling of these cars. Here are a few examples:
