It seems that it takes some owners just a few months to build their ride while others take multiple years to get one done. Most of the time it’s minor stuff that delays a build, but it might be hard for Jim Wise to explain why his coupe took 27 years to finish.

A SEMA-supported bill (A.B. 8592) has been introduced in the New York Assembly to exempt restoration and custom shops from the state's motor vehicle repair shop requirements. This exemption would relieve these shops from the obligation to provide written estimates to customers seeking restoration, rebuild or customization work on specialty motor vehicles or motor vehicles at least 25-years old.

Legislation (H.B. 550) to increase the age requirement for vehicles eligible for registration as "historic motor vehicles" has been introduced in the Maryland Legislature. Under the bill, the age requirement would be raised from 20 to at least 25 years old and would prohibit these cars from being used for "occasional transportation." The measure would also require that an historic vehicle is insured by an historic vehicle, show vehicle or antique insurance policy. A hearing to consider the bill is scheduled for Tuesday, February 28, 2012 in the Environmental Matters Committee.

The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum presented by Automobile Club of Southern California will host a Speed Freaks Panel Discussion about what it's like to plan and drive some of the world's fastest vehicles on Saturday, Feb 18 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Open to all with paid Museum admission. Panel discussion will be held before the annual Southern California Timing Association (S.C.T.A.) Sidewinders Award Banquet.

The Goodguys Rod & Custom Association will stage twenty dynamic events in 2012 welcoming a wide range of hot rods, customs, muscle cars, trucks and classic cars to the country's premier event venues. California, Arizona and Texas will host multiple events while the biggie - the Goodguys 15th PPG Nationals returns to the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, Ohio July 6-8.

* NHRA Museum Memorabilia Silent Auction at the track, Feb. 9-12
* NHRA Drivers Antron Brown, Erica Enders, Morgan Lucas and Brandon Bernstein Participate in semi-annual Night of Champions Auto Club Question and Answer session, Feb. 10, 6 p.m. FREE!
* Racing Collectible Show with racing apparel, pins, die cast and more, Feb. 11, Noon to 9 p.m. $5
* Free Museum admission and extended hours, Feb. 9-12
* New ~ MOON: Six Decades of a Hot Rodding Eye-Con Exhibit

Though Street Rodder often hears from hot rodders who were influenced in their youth by something they heard or saw in a magazine or at a show, it’s very rare that the magazine runs across someone who has bothered to not only track down the person responsible for their obsession, but to also find that the influential rodder still owns the very same vehicle from 40 years past!

The road to Bonneville is a well-worn path fueled by passion and desire. For over 60 years hot rodders have been making the trek to the Salt Flats not only to race, but to experience the ultimate drive to the Promised Land in their own hot rods. Depending where you start from, it’s a trip that’s not for the faint at heart, as it can be grueling in many respects for both drivers and machines.

If there was ever an excellent example of an oxymoron, it might be the phrase: “a high-performance ’63 Rambler.” Truly a dare-to-be-different type of vehicle, Doyle Thomas’ ’63 Rambler American 440-H was originally going to be a wholly dissimilar car.

Dressed for Success

I should get excited when I’m paid to go to car shows but I admit I wasn’t exactly gleeful when I heard I was to cover Goodguys Great Northwest Nationals in Spokane. On one hand it was a blessing; I have lots of pals in Spokane and every year I use the show as a good reason to visit them. And to be fair the event is pretty good: it attracts a number of feature-worthy cars. But would it attract enough cars to warrant full-blown coverage, much less a Painless Performance Products/Street Rodder Top 100 selection?

Early Iron

There are a variety of ways to get the car of your dreams. Rummaging through junkyards and swap meets for years while you collect parts is one way and, at the other end of the spectrum, simply writing a check for a finished vehicle that is exactly as you want it (i.e. one that someone else slaved over) is another.

When the time comes for most Street Rodders to consider the suspension that will go under their car, and the impact it will have on the way it steers, rides, and handles, consideration is given to the front of the chassis. However, when it comes to what goes under the rear of the car the main concern is often ride quality. However, the rear suspension is critical to the car’s handling as well.

In the final installment of our “paint your car at home” series, we finally come to laying on the color. Body and paint prep is a long process when done correctly, and cutting corners will show in the final results. While by no means a fully inclusive series, hopefully you’ll have an idea of what goes into such a job, and feel encouraged to tackle painting your next project yourself.

OK, let’s be real here. A ’62 Chevrolet Impala is not exactly a prime candidate for a great-handling car. After all, these things rolled off the production line weighing in at 3,455 pounds, are right at 17-1/2 feet long, and stand almost 16 inches taller than a GT-40. And they are suspended on all four corners with nice soft coil springs attached to an X-frame that is, well, less than rigid. It’s not exactly a combination that begs to go road racing, but then some people’s definition of hot rodding is making a car do things it was never intended to do.

Sometimes it’s easy to see the writing on the wall regarding where destiny will take you. It’s called fate and for Clay Moorman of Elkton, Maryland, it was obvious that he’d eventually find his way into the world of hot rodding, starting way back on his parents’ farm in Roanoke, Virginia. When most kids were still learning how to ride a bike, Clay moved to the head of the class perched atop his dad’s lap while tending to the fields and operating cut-down Ford Model A’s serving as farm equipment. It was easy to see that learning to drive the doodlebugs fueled the fire for his automotive interests. There were also daily journeys taken while sitting on an old log shifting a left-for-dead transmission through the gears as well as cobbling together countless buggies from discarded wood and wheels to race down the meadows at the farm. As the years passed, Clay maintained his enthusiasm for horsepower, getting his fix while watching an endless array of cars light up the quarter-mile at Cecil County Dragway in North East, Maryland. At the same time, there was also plenty of cruising on the local ’strip in big-inch Chryslers with his friends. After raising a family, he decided to finally step into the rodding world and live out his dreams. Having always had a fascination with Tri-Five Chevys, he started to look for one with all the right elements. Sometimes the best cars are found through personal contacts and this time it was old pal, Rodney Manuel, who turned Clay onto a wicked ’55 offered by a local collector. The car had some race history and a neat attitude so a deal was made with Clay taking the keys and driving it for a few years.

Derick Samson was 19 years old when he started getting national attention with his homebuilt customs, but he had already been working on cars for seven years.

A lot went on at this year’s Shades of the Past Street Rod Association’s Hot Rod Roundup No. 29 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, now held at Dollywood’s Splash Country Water Adventure Park. But, before we get into this year’s goings-on how about a little background on why this event is rapidly becoming one of the country’s premier rodding events?

A bill (H.B. 267) in the Utah State Legislature to create a statutory definition of a "vintage travel trailer" and provide for a one-time registration fee was approved by the House Revenue and Taxation Committee. Under the bill, vintage travel trailers would also be eligible for a special group license plate and would be exempted from wheel cover, mudguard, flap, or splash apron requirements. The bill now moves to the floor of the House for a vote by all members.

Woody's Hot Rodz of Bright, Indiana, just west of Cincinnati, Ohio, was awarded the Chip Foose Award of Design Excellence at the Grand National Roadster Show this past weekend in Pomona, CA. This award goes to a builder and vehicle for originality and creative design. The winner is selected by automotive design legend Chip Foose himself and a judging supervisor. The winning of the prestegious award capped off a surreal weekend that followed the 18 month build of George Poteet's 1957 Chevrolet two door sedan. The weekend began as KTLA's Allie Mac Kay used the car as her backdrop on the LA morning news on Friday, January 27. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYkWr4p0ze0

Legislation (H.B. 878) that originally threatened to provide localities with the authority to raise from $100 to $500 the amount charged for an annual license tax for vehicles that do not display current license plates will be amended when Subcommittee #1 of the Virginia House Counties, Cities and Towns Committee meets tomorrow, Feb. 1, 2012. Working with Virginia hobbyist groups, we successfully negotiated an amendment with the bill's sponsor that will 1) totally exempt all vehicles 25 years old and older from the license tax and 2) limit the tax to $100 for all other vehicles undergoing active restoration or repair. Parts cars that are stored on private property for fewer than 60 days would remain exempted.

One of the great things about being around the Street Rodder office is the chance to gather at our editor’s feet while he regales us with tales of the “good old days.” Evidently back when Editor Brennan was a young’un braving the harsh SoCal winters and walking up hill both ways to magazine school, most people referred to ’28-29 Model A closed cab pickups as “phone booths” due to their tall, skinny profile. Of course that was back before an enterprising Australian, by the name of Kelvin Waddington, introduced the 6-inch stretched version manufactured by his company, Roadster Ute.

Legislation (H.B. 2456) that would allow West Virginia's vehicle hobbyists to install and use aftermarket modified exhaust systems that meet a 95-decibel limit was reintroduced in the West Virginia State Legislature by Delegate Gary Howell (gary.howell@wvhouse.gov). Current West Virginia law only allows a muffler originally installed by the manufacturer or an equivalent.

A SEMA-supported bill (S.B. 6005) has been introduced in the Washington State Senate to exempt restoration and custom shops from the requirement that they provide written estimates for the repair of any vehicle that qualifies for a "horseless carriage" or "collector vehicle" license plate, is a "parts car," "street rod" or "custom vehicle." The bill will be considered on Jan. 17, 2012 in the Senate Government Operations Committee.