Notes: Sometimes it takes someone to see American culture from the outside to remind us what American culture is all about. For example, over the last generation the hot rod world has enjoyed this incredible interest in the historical hot rod movement-at least in its aesthetic. But, as "traditional" as we'd like to think it is, it's an almost entirely original expression that merely derives a few of its elements from actual history. It just took Larry O'Toole, publisher/editor of Australian Street Rodder, to say so much.
In a nutshell, O'Toole showcases a few dozen hot rods that fit the "traditional" hot rod aesthetic. But, rather than erroneously proclaiming that these cars represent the way things were, he makes the case that they represent what the bare-essential hot rod of yore has turned into. He wields his extensive knowledge of hot rod history, practice, and parts to draw historical parallels; however, he points out the things that distinguish these cars from examples built decades ago. He's quick to point out the technological advancements in various technologies employed by latter-day "traditionalists," things like fuel injection masquerading as carburetion, disc brakes shrouded to look like drums, and polyurethane paints mixed to mimic old lacquers.
But, his analysis goes deeper than just that. For example, he singles out a few examples of cars made almost entirely of vintage parts that don't look anything like the way they would've looked half a century ago. Among them are numerous cars built with bodies or parts never considered as viable materials by pioneer hot rodders. In doing so, he makes the case that the ingenuity that our forebears used to create their cars by their own means is still alive and well three generations on. Though these newer cars aren't necessarily built with exactly the same parts or by the same means, they resemble their ancestors simply by their creators' intentions and philosophies. In other words, while not exactly the same, they're essentially alike. They're all hot rods.
What O'Toole says in this book is long overdue. By showcasing these cars on their own terms, he helps legitimize this idea that a hot rod built to time-honored aesthetics doesn't have to be a carbon-copy clone of anything else. That's important because original expression is something essential to the whole hot rod movement. After all, if we wanted to drive clones of other cars, we'd be happy with new cars.
Instead, Classic Hot Rod Style makes the case that the construction philosophy and aesthetic are the primary things that make a "traditional" hot rod. From there, everything else is open to interpretation.
How to find it: Graffiti Publications, (03) 5472 3653; www.graffitipub.com.au
What it's called: Custom Cars
Who done it: Matt Doeden and Chuck Vranas
What it's about: It's an educational introduction to the hot rod and custom car movement from the perspective of a children's author with gearhead sensibilities and a practicing automotive photojournalist/car builder.
Notes: Like most gearheads in formative stage, I wasn't terribly fond of sitting down and reading anything, much less a book. On the other hand, I loved my school's library. In fact, I even learned about the Dewey Decimal System-at least what I absolutely needed to know about Melvil Dewey's landmark classification to find my way to the 29th division of the 600 class (Technology Applied Sciences). It's because I knew that 629 was all about transportation and among those books were titles about cars, and of those titles the ones written by a guy named Ed Radlauer were worth reading. They were chock-full of all sorts of neat color photographs on subjects that varied from soap-box racing to custom cars to drag racing to chopper motorcycles, and best of all they were written for kids. It was in that aisle far from the librarian and pesky girls that I found my bliss.
Sadly, those wonderful snapshots of '60s technical culture have long since left school libraries, most likely deemed inappropriate for successive generations or at the very least obsolete. So, when I caught wind of Matt Doeden and Chuck Vranas' Custom Cars, it felt like fifth grade all over again. Plain and simple, it's a vibrant, relevant, and infectious introduction to hot rod and custom car culture.
Unless you're in the publishing industry or are 11 years old, you probably don't recognize Doeden's name. It's because he writes for kids. Among his 50 titles, a few dozen are about cars. In fact, other subjects in Doeden's Motor Mania series include stock-car racing, lowriders, and choppers.
Now, if you claim a subscription to this magazine and don't recognize Vranas' name, you've got some explaining to do. It's because he's a contributor to many titles with a list of subtitles of his own, including photographer and writer. Though the guy's a Bay Stater (Massachusetts), he gets around. And, wherever he goes you can be sure of one thing: He's got a camera strapped to his neck.
Together, they put together what's probably the first kid-themed custom car/hot rod book to come along in decades. If this isn't the first, it's certainly one of the more legitimate ones. To retain ever-decreasing attention spans, it's broken up into easily digestible chapters regarding automotive history and the various subcultures that the automobiles have spawned. Being a kid's book, it's rather short; however, they loaded it with captioned color photos to draw kids into these 48 pages (sort of how we get you adults to do more than just look at the pretty pictures).
The days of Ed Radlauer and Henry Gregor Felsen polluting impressionable young minds with the promise of cool cars may be over. On the other hand, as long as we've got guys like Matt Doeden and Chuck Vranas to take their place, there's hope for the following generations.
How to find it: Lerner/Motor Mania, (800) 328-4929; www.lernerbooks.com
What it's called: How To Build a Cheap Hot Rod
Who done it: Dennis Parks
What it's about: It's an overview of the tools, materials, and processes required to build a simple fiberglass-bodied roadster.
Notes: With a title like that, how could we not like this book? It's one you should buy for its name alone.
What Dennis Parks does in this title is basically walk us through every step he took to build a single car from a body/chassis package. Now, this book is definitely relevant, but one thing bears mentioning: The title could be a bit misleading. It probably should be titled How To Build a Speedway Track T on a Slim Budget, but we're the first to admit that it just isn't as catchy.
At the same time, we feel it's imperative to emphasize that he addresses a lot of universal issues/concerns/points in building this specific car. For example, you may choose to build an entirely different car altogether, but you'll learn a whole bunch you can apply to your project. Since Parks aimed it at people who have done little more than change the oil on the family sedan, he foregoes intensive technical detail like how to create an entire chassis or suspension from scratch. In fact, you may take solace that he, probably like you, feels better farming out to professionals highly critical tasks like suspension welding.
In short, he offers plenty of first-timer insight on subjects that most professional builders take for granted or technical tidbits that written instructions often gloss over. For example, by watching how Parks built his car, we get crash courses on various critical subjects like mounting bodies, creating fiberglass structures, what to look for in drivetrain packages, and how to mount various accessories and components.