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Hot Rod

2009-07-20T14:02:55Z

Dlamerton:

{{dablink|For other uses, see [[Hot rod (disambiguation)]].}}
[[Image:1932-ford-roadster-shadow.jpg|right|thumb|350px|A 1932 Ford Roadster]]
'''Hot Rods''' are cars which have been customized for performance, and/or appearance. The term became popular during and after World War II, particularly in California, originally meaning an old car (most often a [[Ford]], typically a [[Model T]], [[Model A]], or a 1932 to 1934 [[Ford Model B]] or [[Ford V-8]]) which had been modified by reducing weight (sometimes modifying the body by removing roof, hood, bumpers, windshield and/or fenders), lowering it, modifying, [[Engine tuning|tuning]], or replacing the [[engine]] to give more power, and changing the [[wheel]]s and [[tire]]s to improve traction and handling. Such modifications were considered to improve the appearance as well; often the car was also given a distinctive paint job. The term may have originated from "hot [[roadster]];" it was used in the 1950s and 1960s as a derogatory term for any car that did not fit into the mainstream. Other sources indicate that the term was derived from replacement of [[connecting rod]]s in engines to allow higher RPMs to be reached without failure.

As hot rodding became more popular in the 1950s, magazines and associations catering to "[[street rod]]ders" were started.
Hot rodders including [[Wally Parks]] created the National Hot Rod Association [[NHRA]] to bring racing off the streets and onto the tracks. The annual [[California Hot Rod Reunion]] and [[National Hot Rod Reunion]] are held to honor pioneers in the sport. The [[Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum]] houses the roots of hot rodding.
Nowadays people who own hot rods keep them clean and try to make them noticeable. Those who work according to the original idea of cheap, fast and no frills are often called [[rat rod]]s. There are many magazines that feature real hot rods, including The Rodders Journal. Commercial magazines include [[Hot Rod Magazine]], [[Street Rodder]], and [[Popular Hot Rodding]]. There are also television shows such as [[My Classic Car]], and [[Horsepower TV]]. Hot rods are part of American culture, although there is growing controversy within the automotive hobby over an increasing trend towards the acquisition and irreversible modification of surviving historic - some even very rare - vehicles rather than the traditional hot rodding concept of the salvage and remanufacture of reusable junked parts.

Author Tom Wolfe was one of the first to recognise the importance of hot rodding in popular culture and brought it to mainstream attention in his book ''The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby''.

== Hot Rod era ==
The Hot Rod era extended from 1945 to the beginning of the [[muscle car]] era (about 1965), reaching its height in about 1955. During this time, there was an adequate supply of what hot rodders called "vintage tin": junk cars manufactured prior to 1942 that could be had cheaply. Many of these had sound bodies and frames and had been junked for mechanical reasons, since the [[running gear]] of early cars was not durable.
The typical hot rod was heavily modified, particularly by replacing the engine and transmission, and possibly other components, including brakes and steering. Certain engines, such as the [[Ford Flathead engine|flathead Ford]] V8, and the small block [[Chevrolet Small-Block engine|Chevrolet V8]] were particularly popular as replacements because of their compact size, availability, and power. The early [[Chrysler Hemi engine|Hemi]] was popular in applications that required more power, such as [[drag racing]].

Construction of a hot rod requires skills in mechanics, welding, and automotive paint and body work.

The "classic era" of hot rod construction ended around 1965, partly because the supply of vintage tin had diminished, but mostly because new cars were equipped for greater speed and power from the factory with little or no modification required.

Today, there are still a large number of hot-rodders and street-rodders. The [[Street Rod Nationals]] serves as a showplace for the majority of the hot-rodding and street-rodding world to display their cars and to find nearly any part needed to complete them.

== Today ==

There is still a vibrant Hot Rod culture worldwide, especially in the United States and Sweden. The hot rod community has now been subdivided into two main groups: hot rodders and street rodders. Hot rodders build their cars using a lot of original, old parts, and follow the styles that were popular from the 1940s through the 1960s. Street rodders build cars (or have them built for them) using, primarily, new parts.

Hot rod builders such as [[Boyd Coddington]], famed hot rod designer currently stars in ''American Hot Rod'', a documentary series on Discovery channel. One of his cars appeared in the music video of ''Gimme All Your Lovin’'' by the rock band ZZ Top.
The Discovery Channel airs several shows dealing with modern interpretations of kustom kulture such as ''Monster Garage'', ''American Hot Rod'', and ''Overhaulin'''.

Juxtapoz Magazine, founded by the artist Robert Williams, has thrived as a recent extrapolation of kustom kulture art. It has also begun to garner respect as an exhibitor of contemporary artistic talent that transcends kustom kulture's bounds.

There is a contemporary movement of traditional hot rod builders, car clubs and artists who have returned to the roots of hot rodding as a lifestyle. This current traditional hot rod culture is exemplified in a whole new breed of traditional hot rod builders, artists and styles, as well as classic style car clubs like the Deacons, the Shifters, and the Dragoons. Events like Viva Las Vegas, and GreaseOrama showcase this return to traditional hot rods and the greaser lifestyle. Underground magazines like [[Garage]], [[Rolls & Pleats]], and [[BurnOut]] showcase this return to traditional hot rods by covering events and people around the world. There are number of independently released DVDs featuring this traditional hot rod revival with names such as Mad Fabricators, Hot Rod Surf ‘All Steel All Real’, and Hot Rod Havoc.

The culture is vibrant in Sweden where there are many automobile enthusiasts, also known as [[raggare]]. Meetings like [[Power Big Meet]] and clubs such as [[Wheels and Wings]] in Varberg, Sweden have established themselves in Swedish Hot Rod culture. Since there is very little "vintage tin" the hot rods in Sweden are generally made with a home made chassis (usually a Ford model T or A replica), with a Jaguar (or [[Volvo 240]]) rear axel, a small block V8 and fiberglass tub, but some have been built using for instance a [[Volvo Duett]] chassis. Because the Swedish regulations required a crash test even for custom-built passenger cars between 1969 and 1982 the Duett option was often used since it was considered a rebodied Duett rather than a new vehicle.[http://hem.passagen.se/stur/pages/artiklar/duettrod/Duettrodden.htm][http://hem.passagen.se/stur/pages/galleri/duetter/Duettrods.htm][http://amazon.forum.bilia.se/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?p=25500&sid=e89d2d537977372aa45c4d0c5b7b9598][http://www.garaget.org/?car=19319][http://www.garaget.org/?car=16701][http://www.garaget.org/?car=19319]

Many 50's and 60's cars are also hot rodded, like [[Morris Minor]], [[Ford Anglia]], [[Volvo Amazon]], [[Ford Cortina]], [['57 Chevy]], to name but a few.

===New "Retro Inspired" steel bodies===
As the supply of original steel bodies dwindles to nothing, those who reject fiberglass replicas can buy new reproduction bodies. They are not actual antiques, but often are superior in some aspects such as build quality to original hot rod bodies. The best bodies can command a price of $10,000 or more.

== See also ==
* [[Automobile]]
* [[Boy racer]]
* [[Custom car]]
* [[Cutdown]]
* [[Hot hatch]]
* [[Import Scene]]
* [[Kustom Kulture]]
* [[Lowrider]]
* [[Muscle car]]
* [[National Street Rod Association]]
* [[Plymouth Prowler]] - a modern take on the "hot rod" concept
* [[Rat rod]] - a controversial hot rod term.
* [[T-bucket]] - a style of hot rod based on a [[Ford Model T]]
* [[Three window coupe]] - one of the classic hot rod styles
* [[Volvo T6]] - a [[Volvo Cars|Volvo]] concept car with obvious hot rod inspiration
* [[Volksrods]]

[[Category:Vehicle modification]]
[[Category:Car body styles]]

==External links==
{{commonscat|Hot rods}}
*[http://www.popularhotrodding.com Popular Hot Rodding]
*[http://www.hotrod.com Hot Rod]
*[http://www.justcustomz.com/hot_rods/ Hot Rod Pictures]

Muscle Car

2009-07-20T14:02:02Z

Dlamerton:

==Definition==

What, exactly, ''IS'' a '''Muscle Car''', anyway?

Well, that it certainly one of the most subjective automotive categories, and sometimes the most debated. Ask 10 different people what a muscle car is and you'll likely get 10 different answers. A '''Muscle Car''', per se, is a 2-door intermediate coupe with a big-inch V8 engine and rear wheel drive built between 1964 and, at the latest, 1974 - something I think all gearheads more or less agree on. The line, however, is anything but clear. Here are a few examples:

Is a 1967 [[Pontiac GTO]] a muscle car?

''Yes!''

Is a 1968 [[Dodge Coronet]] Super Bee a muscle car?

''Sure!''

Is a 1970 [[Ford Torino]] Cobra a muscle car?

''Absolutely!''

'''BUT'''...

Is a 1969 [[Chevrolet Camaro]] Z/28 a muscle car?

''Hmmmmm.... could be.''

How about a 1964 [[Ford Galaxie]] XL 390?

''Well it does have a big block...''

Could a 1967 [[Buick Wildcat]] 430 be considered a muscle car?

''I suppose it could be ''considered'' one in some circles...''

See what we mean? This is where the "blurred" line comes in. The ''popular'' belief when it comes to muscle cars is that while there are a few exceptions, they basically started coming of age in 1964. The most subscribed-to notion is that [[GM]] led the way with the 1964 Pontiac GTO, along with the [[Chevrolet Chevelle]] SS, [[Buick Skylark]] GS and [[Oldsmobile 4-4-2]] that also debuted that same year (and were all based on the same platform).

[[Ford]] and [[Mercury]], on the other hand, didn't really have anything in 1964 by way of a "true" muscle car in the same vein of, for example, the GTO. The pedestrian [[Ford Fairlane|Fairlane]] and [[Mercury Comet|Comet]] weren't much of a threat at that time (yes, they did have a very limited-edition Thunderbolt Fairlane, but that car was hardly mainstream). [[Chrysler]] didn't have much either until 1966, when it redesigned the [[Dodge Coronet|Coronet]] and [[Plymouth Belvedere|Belvedere]]/[[Plymouth Satellite|Satellite]]. So one can conclude that while GM got the lead on introducing mainstream muscle cars to the general public, it wasn't until 1966-67 when Ford and Chrysler officially got in the game as well as true competition.

Most will also agree that the best years of the "muscle car" era would probably be 1968-1970, with 1970 being the zenith. GM started lowering compression ratios in 1971 with resulted in a subsequent drop in horsepower ratings, and Ford and Chrysler followed suit in 1972. Plus, in 1972, lower net horsepower ratings became into play, replacing the much-higher gross ratings - which was another nail in the muscle-car coffin. By 1975, there were a few muscle car nameplates left - [[Oldsmobile]], for example, still had a 4-4-2... but by this time it was largely a stripe-and-decal package, and even though it did offer a 455, it was basically the same 455 you got in your grandfather's [[Oldsmobile Delta 88|Delta 88]]. It was pretty much the same bleak story across the board at Ford and Chrysler.

The party, as they say, was over.

==Pony Cars==

Ford brought the [[Ford Mustang|Mustang]] to the market in 1964, and that was the start of the "pony car" market. Pony cars were cars that were based on compact cars instead of intermediate models like the muscle cars were - so by definition, a pony car is, as a rule, smaller than a muscle car. Pony cars all shared the same design of the "long-hood, short deck" (the 1964-1969 [[Plymouth Barracuda]] being the lone exception) that wasn't nearly as pronounced on the larger muscle cars.

Many pony cars, however, did share the same drivetrains as their larger muscle car counterparts. The 1969 [[Pontiac Firebird]], for example, could be had with the same Ram Air 400 V8 that came in the GTO (although they were sometimes detuned in the pony cars, at least on their spec sheets... but not always). The 1970 [[Dodge Challenger]] R/T could be had with the same 375 hp 440 Magnum V8 that was in the 1970 [[Dodge Charger B-Body|Charger]] R/T, to use another example.

Now, an interesting thing about pony cars is that while they got their start at the same time as the traditional muscle car, pony cars would outlast the traditional muscle cars by a huge margin. Sure, some pony cars went on to bigger and better things after their tenure as a pony car (the [[Mercury Cougar]] XR-7 being a prime example), but long after the muscle car market bit the dust, Ford and GM still kept their pony car entries (even though the Mustang nearly died in the mid-1970s when it became the [[Ford Pinto|Pinto]]-based the Mustang II, but it managed to come back and redeem itself in the early 1980s as a true pony car). GM canned the Camaro and Firebird after 2002, which left the Mustang as the "last pony car standing", so to speak. At this writing, the Mustang is still the lone pony car available, but GM is slated to bring back the Camaro in 2009, and Chrysler (now DaimlerChrysler) is bringing back an all-new Challenger in 2008... so it looks like a much-anticipated pony car shootout between GM, Ford and Chrysler will finally come to fruition in 2009, for the first time in nearly 40 years (sometimes, patience really ''is'' a virtue!).

==The Compacts==

Now that we've discussed the loose definition of a "pony car", what about the compact cars that they were based on, such as a [[Chevrolet Nova]] SS or a [[Dodge Dart]] Swinger 340? That's a good question. Is a [[Plymouth Duster]] 340 or a [[Ford Maverick]] Grabber a muscle car? Well, with a few exceptions such as the limited edition Yenko Nova or the outrageous 1969 440 Dodge Dart, most "compact muscle" cars were equipped with small-block V8s. Plus, the very fact that they were compacts and not intermediates pretty much disqualifies them as a true muscle car, although they certainly shouldn't be overlooked as valuable members of what some have affectionately called "budget muscle" cars.

==But What About...==

'''The 1960s Impala SS? The R-code [[Ford Galaxie]] 500? Or the [[Pontiac Catalina]] 2+2? Don't forget the [[Mercury Marauder]]...'''

Those are of course full-size cars. In some cases they could easily hang with their smaller muscle and pony car brethren (and in rare cases even the beat them) in the almighty 1/4 mile... but "muscle cars"? No, they aren't considered as such, at least in the traditional sense.

BUT... one could perhaps rightfully argue that such cars are "grown up" muscle cars if one were so inclined.

==OK... Then What About...==

'''The [[Chevrolet Corvette]]? The [[AC Cobra]]? Or the [[Dodge Viper]]?'''

Well, they certainly packed the right muscle car gear such as big-block V8s, multi-carburetor setups, etc (except of course the Viper and current Corvette), but those are 2-seat roadsters, and while they certainly deserve respect as icons and have garnered fanatical and faithful followings, they aren't muscle cars in the traditional sense, or even pony cars for that matter. These cars didn't share their chassis or bodystyles with lesser cars like the muscles and ponies did. Is this a "slam" against them? Absolutely not.

Instead, these roadsters are the cars that the pony and muscle cars aspired to be like. Could there be anything more flattering?

==Modern Day Muscle==

'''The 1994-1996 Chevrolet Impala SS, the 2003-2004 [[Mercury Marauder]], and the 2006-present [[Dodge Charger|Charger]] R/T'''

Well, they do (or, in the Impala's and Marauder's case - ''did'') have a V8/rear drive platform, and while they certainly have very respectable performance, I think all us motorheads agree that a true muscle car in no way has more than 2 doors, no matter how nice or fast they are.

==Conclusion==

As we said at the beginning, the definition of "muscle car" is a very subjective one. We've layed out many examples of what is and isn't a "muscle car". The muscle car, in the truest sense, has been non-existent since 1974 (some would say even earlier than that). To some, however, any rear-drive American car with sporty pretensions, such as a 2001 Chevrolet Camaro SS, a 2003 Ford Mustang Cobra - or even a 1987 [[Buick Grand National]], is a muscle car. If that's ''your'' definition, that's fine - we certainly won't try to correct you.

Most of us with high-octane gasoline running through their veins will agree, however, that regardless of what "class" it may belong to - if it looks cool, is American made, drives the rear wheels as God intended and has 8 jumping pistons in a really big motor, who cares if it's a muscle car, pony car, or a roadster... '''we like it!'''

==External links==
*[http://www.justcustomz.com/muscle_cars/ Muscle Car Pictures]

Hot Rod

2009-07-20T13:58:38Z

Dlamerton: