“Why does it look so easy when you read it in the magazine, but when you go to install it is more difficult?”


Almost everything gets cut off at some point. But you must brace things up before you start hacking at your frame. I used some relatively thick angle iron bars to hold the top and bottom of the frame rails and to keep them from twisting and moving when cutting out the cross members, two temporary crossbars up front and one towards the rear just for safe measure. Also, welding extra crossbars around the frame will help prevent the twisting and flexing that welding can cause if the frame doesn’t hold anything together. Remember, welding causes the metal to expand and … Continue reading “Why does it look so easy when you read it in the magazine, but when you go to install it is more difficult?”

64 Ford Pickup


As if we didn’t have enough to do, we traded for a 64 Ford custom cab pickup with a Y-block. The idea was to pull the motor and drop in a Windsor. Well, that turned into another entire project, as when we tore into the truck, we found a lot of little secrets. For one, the stance was too high, so we flipped the leaf springs in the front and notched the rear end to bring it down. Then we had the cab floors that needed to be replaced, swapped out the steering column and the gas tank, and built … Continue reading 64 Ford Pickup

7 Reasons Hot Rods Are Dying


BY CRAIG LIEBERMAN ON DECEMBER 2, 2022 If it seems to you that hot rods are dying, you’re not wrong.  If you go to any generic Cars & Coffee events, you’ve probably noticed that fewer and fewer hot rods are in attendance.  Just a few years ago, it seemed like the Japanese sports cars were dying out.  Today, in many places they are more popular than the Hot Rods.  Of course, there are still few Hot Rod only shows like this one where Hot Rodders are among the best in the business. The pre-teens, teens and twenty-somethings grew up watching The Fast and Furious … Continue reading 7 Reasons Hot Rods Are Dying

Mustang II Suspension – Lakeshore Fab


It has been a while since I have posted anything. I have over five hundred pictures of the transformation of this car. When I started this project in 2009, I planned to build a little rat rod. Well, that has changed drastically. I will update this site on where we are now with the car, starting with placing a Mustang II suspension kit onto the frame. No one makes a kit for a 1954 Merc, so this had to be a custom order. I went with a local builder roughly an hour from my home — Lakeshore Fabrication in Colombia, … Continue reading Mustang II Suspension – Lakeshore Fab