Hot rod

There are various theories about the origin of the term "hot rod". The common theme is that "hot" related to "hotting up" a car, which means modifying it for greater performance. One theory is that "rod" means roadster,^[6] a lightweight 2-door car which was often used as the basis for early hot rods. Another theory is that "rod" refers to camshaft,^[7] a part of the engine which was often upgraded in order to increase power output.

In the early days, a car modified for increased performance was called a "gow job". This term morphed into the hot rod in the early to middle 1950s.^[8]

The term "hot rod" has had various uses in relation to performance cars. For example, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment in its vehicle emissions regulations refers to a hot rod as any motorized vehicle that has a replacement engine differing from the factory original.^[9]

1920s to 1945

The predecessors to the hotrod were the modified cars used in the Prohibition era by bootleggers to evade revenue agents and other law enforcement.^[7]

Hot rods first appeared in the late 1930s in southern California, where people raced modified cars on dry lake beds northeast of Los Angeles, under the rules of the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA), among other groups. This gained popularity after World War II, particularly in California, because many returning soldiers had received technical training.^[7][6] The first hot rods were old cars (most often Fords, typically 1910s-1920s Model Ts, 1928–31 Model As, or 1932-34 Model Bs), modified to reduce weight. Engine swaps often involved fitting the Ford flathead V8 engine (known as the "flatty") into a different car, for example, the common practice in the 1940s of installing the "60 horse" version into a Jeep chassis.

Typical modifications were removal of convertible tops, hoods, bumpers, windshields, and/or fenders; channeling the body; and modifying the engine by tuning and/or replacing with a more powerful type. Wheels and tires were changed for improved traction and handling. Hot rods built before 1945 commonly used '35 Ford wire-spoke wheels.^[10]

1945 to 1960

Ford Popular

Hot-rodded prewar British Rover 10

After World War II, many small military airports throughout the country were either abandoned or rarely used, allowing hot rodders across the country to race on marked courses. Originally, drag racing had tracks as long as 1 mi (1.6 km) or more, and included up to four lanes of racing simultaneously. As some hot rodders also raced on the street, a need arose for an organization to promote safety, and to provide venues for safe racing. The National Hot Rod Association was founded in 1951, to take drag racing off the streets and into controlled environments.^[11]

In the '50s and '60s, the Ford flathead V8 was supplanted by the Chrysler FirePower engine (known as the "early hemi"). Many hot rods would upgrade the brakes from mechanical to hydraulic ("juice") and headlights from bulb to sealed-beam.^[12] A typical mid-1950s to early 1960s custom Deuce was fenderless and steeply chopped, powered by a Ford or Mercury flathead,^[13] with an Edelbrock intake manifold, Harman and Collins magneto, and Halibrand quick-change differential.^[14] Front suspension hairpins were adapted from sprint cars, such as the Kurtis Krafts.^[15]

As hot rodding became more popular, magazines and associations catering to hot rodders were started, such as the magazine Hot Rod, founded in 1948.^[16]

1960 to present

As automobiles offered by the major automakers began increasing performance, the lure of hot rods began to wane.^[7] With the advent of the muscle car, it was now possible to purchase a high-performance car straight from the showroom.^[6]

However, the 1973 Oil Crisis caused car manufacturers to focus on fuel efficiency over performance, which led to a resurgence of interest in hot rodding.^[7] As the focus shifted away from racing, the modified cars became known as "street rods". The National Street Rod Association (NSRA) was formed and began hosting events.

By the 1970s, the 350 cu in (5.7 L) small-block Chevy V8 was the most common choice of engine for hot rods.^[17][18] Another popular engine choice is the Ford Windsor engine.^[19] During the 1980s, many car manufacturers were reducing the displacements of their engines, thus making it harder for hot rod builders to obtain large displacement engines. Instead, engine builders had to modify the smaller engines (such as using non-standard crankshafts and pistons) to obtain larger displacement. While current production V8s tended to be the most frequent candidates, this also applied to others. In the mid-1980s, as stock engine sizes diminished, rodders discovered the 215 cu in (3.5 L) aluminum-block Buick or Oldsmobile V8 could be modified for substantially greater displacement, with mainly wrecking yard parts.^[20] This trend was not limited to American cars; Volkswagen enthusiasts similarly stretched stock 1600cc engines to over two liters.^[21]

Discover more about History related topics

Prohibition in the United States

Prohibition in the United States

In the United States from 1920 to 1933, a nationwide constitutional law prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. The alcohol industry was curtailed by a succession of state legislatures, and finally ended nationwide under the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified on January 16, 1919. Prohibition ended with the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment on December 5, 1933.

Rum-running

Rum-running

Rum-running or bootlegging is the illegal business of smuggling alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law. Smuggling usually takes place to circumvent taxation or prohibition laws within a particular jurisdiction. The term rum-running is more commonly applied to smuggling over water; bootlegging is applied to smuggling over land.

Internal Revenue Service

Internal Revenue Service

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax law. It is an agency of the Department of the Treasury and led by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, who is appointed to a five-year term by the President of the United States. The duties of the IRS include providing tax assistance to taxpayers; pursuing and resolving instances of erroneous or fraudulent tax filings; and overseeing various benefits programs, including the Affordable Care Act.

California

California

California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2 million residents across a total area of approximately 163,696 square miles (423,970 km2), it is the most populous U.S. state and the third-largest by area. It is also the most populated subnational entity in North America and the 34th most populous in the world. The Greater Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas are the nation's second and fifth most populous urban regions respectively, with the former having more than 18.7 million residents and the latter having over 9.6 million. Sacramento is the state's capital, while Los Angeles is the most populous city in the state and the second most populous city in the country. San Francisco is the second most densely populated major city in the country. Los Angeles County is the country's most populous, while San Bernardino County is the largest county by area in the country. California borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, the Mexican state of Baja California to the south; and it has a coastline along the Pacific Ocean to the west.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles

Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California. Los Angeles is the largest city in the state of California, the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, and one of the world's most populous megacities. With a population of roughly 3.9 million residents within the city limits as of 2020, Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic and cultural diversity, being the home of the Hollywood film industry, and its sprawling metropolitan area. The majority of the city proper lies in a basin in Southern California adjacent to the Pacific Ocean in the west and extending partly through the Santa Monica Mountains and north into the San Fernando Valley, with the city bordering the San Gabriel Valley to its east. It covers about 469 square miles (1,210 km2), and is the county seat of Los Angeles County, which is the most populous county in the United States with an estimated 9.86 million residents as of 2022.

Southern California Timing Association

Southern California Timing Association

Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) is a competition sanctioning body that maintains rules and record for Land Speed Racing events held at El Mirage Dry Lake, California and at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. It is a non-profit, volunteer organization made up of eleven separate car clubs.

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobiles and commercial vehicles under the Ford brand, and luxury cars under its Lincoln luxury brand. Ford also owns Brazilian SUV manufacturer Troller, an 8% stake in Aston Martin of the United Kingdom and a 32% stake in China's Jiangling Motors. It also has joint ventures in China, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is controlled by the Ford family; they have minority ownership but the majority of the voting power.

Ford Model T

Ford Model T

The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by the Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relatively low price was partly the result of Ford's efficient fabrication, including assembly line production instead of individual handcrafting. It was mainly designed by an American and two Hungarian engineers. The Model T was colloquially known as the "Tin Lizzie", "Leaping Lena" or "flivver".

Ford Model A (1927–1931)

Ford Model A (1927–1931)

The Ford Model A was the Ford Motor Company's second market success, replacing the venerable Model T which had been produced for 18 years. It was first produced on October 20, 1927, but not introduced until December 2. This new Model A was designated a 1928 model and was available in four standard colors.

Ford flathead V8 engine

Ford flathead V8 engine

The Ford flathead V8 is a V8 engine with a flat cylinder head designed by the Ford Motor Company and built by Ford and various licensees. During the engine's first decade of production, when overhead-valve engines were used by only a small minority of makes, it was usually known simply as the Ford V‑8, and the first car model in which it was installed, the Model 18, was often called simply the "Ford V-8", after its new engine. Although the V8 configuration was not new when the Ford V8 was introduced in 1932, the latter was a market first in the respect that it made an 8-cylinder affordable and a V engine affordable to the emerging mass market consumer for the first time. It was the first independently designed and built V8 engine produced by Ford for mass production, and it ranks as one of the company's most important developments. A fascination with ever-more-powerful engines was perhaps the most salient aspect of the American car and truck market for a half century, from 1923 until 1973. The engine was intended to be used for big passenger cars and trucks; it was installed in such until 1953, making the engine's 21-year production run for the U.S. consumer market longer than the 19-year run of the Ford Model T engine for that market. The engine was on Ward's list of the 10 best engines of the 20th century. It was a staple of hot rodders in the 1950s, and it remains famous in the classic car hobbies even today, despite the huge variety of other popular V8s that followed.

Jeep

Jeep

Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Motors Corporation (AMC).

Fender (vehicle)

Fender (vehicle)

Fender is the American English term for the part of an automobile, motorcycle or other vehicle body that frames a wheel well. Its primary purpose is to prevent sand, mud, rocks, liquids, and other road spray from being thrown into the air by the rotating tire. Fenders are typically rigid and can be damaged by contact with the road surface.

1936 Chevrolet street rod

There is still a vibrant hot rod culture worldwide, especially in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Sweden. The hot rod community has now been subdivided into two main groups: street rodders and hot rodders.^[22][23][24]

Lifestyle

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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 includes a new breed of traditional hot rod builders, artists, and styles, as well as classic style car clubs. Events like GreaseOrama feature traditional hot rods and the greaser lifestyle. Magazines like Ol' Skool Rodz, Gears and Gals, and Rat-Rods and Rust Queens cover events and people.

In popular culture

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

There are magazines that feature traditional hot rods, including Hot Rod, Car Craft, Rod and Custom, and Popular Hot Rodding. There are also television shows such as My Classic Car, Horsepower TV, American Hot Rod, Fast and Loud, and Chop Cut Rebuild.

Particularly during the early 1960s, a genre of "hot rod music" rose to mainstream popularity. Hot rod music was largely a product of a number of surf music groups running out of ideas for new surfing songs and simultaneously shifting their lyrical focus toward hot rods. Hot rod music would prove to be the second phase in a progression known as the California Sound, which would mature into more complex topics as the decade passed. Hot rods were used as the theme of Lightning Rod, a Rocky Mountain Construction roller coaster at Dollywood.

In Sweden and Finland

Swedish hot rodders with a 1960s American car at Power Big Meet

Locals in these countries, influenced by American culture, have created a local hot rod culture which is vibrant in Sweden and Finland where enthusiasts gather at meetings such as Power Big Meet and clubs like Wheels and Wings in Varberg, Sweden have established themselves in 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 Model T or A replica), with a Jaguar (or Volvo 240) rear axle, 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 preferred, since it was considered a rebodied Duett rather than a new vehicle.^{[25][26][27][28]} Some 1950s and 1960s cars are also hot rodded, like Morris Minor, Ford Anglia, Volvo Amazon, Ford Cortina, '57 Chevy, to name but a few. These are known as custom cars (sometimes spelled Kustom).

Discover more about In modern culture related topics

Greaser (subculture)

Greaser (subculture)

Greasers are a youth subculture that emerged in the 1950s and early 1960s from predominantly working class and lower-class teenagers and young adults in the United States and Canada. The subculture remained prominent into the mid-1960s and was particularly embraced by certain ethnic groups in urban areas, particularly Italian Americans and Latino Americans.

Ol' Skool Rodz

Ol' Skool Rodz

Ol' Skool Rodz is a bimonthly magazine that has been published since 2003, first by Geno DiPol and Koolhouse Publications, and then by Murphos Publishing in Buda, Texas since 2019. The magazine features topics such as Kustom Kulture lifestyles, pin-ups, rat rods, custom cars, and artwork. Its articles are often written in a humorous and irreverent style, and it has documented the work of leading custom car builders such as Bo Huff. The publication is known for setting fashion and hairstyle trends in the Kustom Kulture scene. The magazine is based in New Jersey. It has a widespread cult following in the Kustom Kulture scene and is considered an authoratative view of this subculture's lifestyle.

Popular culture

Popular culture

Popular culture is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a society at a given point in time. Popular culture also encompasses the activities and feelings produced as a result of interaction with these dominant objects. The primary driving force behind popular culture is the mass appeal, and it is produced by what cultural analyst Theodor Adorno refers to as the "culture industry".

Car Craft

Car Craft

Car Craft was a magazine devoted to automobiles, hot rodding, and drag racing. It was published by the Motor Trend Group. It was established in 1953. The magazine published articles directed at inexperienced and expert car mechanics, such as rebuilding a carburetor.

Popular Hot Rodding

Popular Hot Rodding

Popular Hot Rodding was a monthly American automotive magazine from the Motor Trend Group, dedicated to high-performance automobiles, hot rods, and muscle cars. Though it focused primarily on vehicles produced from 1955 to the present day it maintained an emphasis on cars produced from the early 1960s through the mid 1970s.

My Classic Car

My Classic Car

My Classic Car is a television show about classic automobiles, hosted by Dennis Gage. It was originally broadcast on TNN, and Speed Channel, followed by MAVtv and Velocity. As of 2019 the show airs on the Motor Trend network. It was produced by MadStache, who also created Popular Hot Rodding Television, Corbin’s Ride On and Texas Hardtails.

American Hot Rod

American Hot Rod

American Hot Rod is a reality television series that originally aired between 2004 and 2007 on The Learning Channel and Discovery Channel. The series followed renowned car designer Boyd Coddington and his crew as they built hot rods and custom vehicles at his wheel and car shop in La Habra, California. The show was known for its frequent rows and bust ups, and a high staff turnover rate. Some crew members went to work for Overhaulin's Chip Foose, a former partner of Coddington's, for a more relaxed environment; even Boyd's own son could not work there for long.

Chop Cut Rebuild

Chop Cut Rebuild

Chop Cut Rebuild is an automotive documentary-lifestyle series. The show is the creation of its host Canadian actor Dan Woods who was previously known for his role as Principal Daniel Raditch in the Degrassi teen drama franchise. The series is produced by Dan Woods and Edward Peghin and directed by Edward Peghin. In 2012, Dan Woods and Edward Peghin were nominated for a Daytime Emmy award for Outstanding Lifestyle Program.

Lightning Rod (roller coaster)

Lightning Rod (roller coaster)

Lightning Rod is a steel roller coaster located at Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), the ride is themed to hot rod cars from the 1950s and opened to the public on June 13, 2016. Initially marketed as the first launched wooden roller coaster of its kind, Lightning Rod was later modified for the 2021 season, with over half of its wooden Topper Track getting replaced with RMC's steel I-Box track. Prior to the conversion, Lightning Rod was considered the fastest wooden coaster in the world reaching a maximum speed of 73 mph (117 km/h).

Dollywood

Dollywood

Dollywood is a theme park jointly owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment. It is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near the gateway to The Great Smoky Mountains. Hosting nearly 3 million guests in a typical season from mid-March to the Christmas holidays, Dollywood is the biggest ticketed tourist attraction in Tennessee. It has won many international awards.

Raggare

Raggare

Raggare is a subculture found mostly in Sweden and parts of Norway and Finland, and to a lesser extent in Denmark, Germany, and Austria. Raggare are related to the American greaser and rockabilly subcultures and are known for their love of hot rod cars and 1950s American pop culture. Loosely translated into English, the term is roughly equivalent to the American "greaser", English "rocker", and Australian "Bodgie" and "Widgie" culture; all share a common passion for mid-20th-century American cars, rockabilly-based music and related fashion.

Finland

Finland

Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, across from Estonia. Finland covers an area of 338,455 square kilometres (130,678 sq mi) with a population of 5.6 million. Helsinki is the capital and largest city. The vast majority of the population are ethnic Finns. Finnish and Swedish are the official languages, Swedish is the native language of 5.2% of the population. Finland's climate varies from humid continental in the south to the boreal in the north. The land cover is primarily a boreal forest biome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.

Certain linguistic conventions are common among rodders:

• The model year is rarely given in full,^[29] except when it might be confused, so a 1934 model is a '34, while a 2005 might be an '05 or not.
• A '32 is usually a Deuce and most often a roadster, unless coupé is specified, and almost always a Ford.^[30]
• A 3- or 5-window is usually a Ford unless specified.
• A flatty is a flathead V8^[31] (always Ford, unless specified^[32]); a late (or late model) flatty is probably a Merc.
• A hemi ("hem ee") is always a 426, unless displacement (331, 354, or 392) is specified;^[33] a 426 is a hemi, unless Wedge is specified.
• A 392 is an early hemi.
  • A 331 or 354 is known to be an (early) Hemi, but rarely referred to as such
• Units are routinely dropped, unless they are unclear, so a 426 cubic inch (in³) engine is simply referred to as a 426,^[34] a 5-liter engine is a 5.0 ("five point oh"), and a 600 cubic feet per minute (cfm) carburetor is a 600.^[35] Engine displacement can be described in cubic inches or liters (for example, a 5.7-liter engine is also known as a 350 {"three fifty"}); this frequently depends on which units the user is most comfortable or familiar with.

Common terms

• 1/2-race — mild flatty cam, suitable for enthusiastic street or highway use. It was halfway in performance between a full race cam and a stock cam.
• 3/4-race — high-performance flatty cam, suitable for street and strip use. These cams were half way in performance between a full race cam and a 1/2 race cam.^[36]
• 3 deuces — arrangement of three 2-barrel (twin-choke) carburetors; distinct from Six Pak and Pontiac and Olds^[37] Tri-Power^[38] (also 3x2 arrangements)
• 3-window — 2-door coupé; so named for one door window on each side plus the rear window^[39]
• 5-window — 2-door coupé; so named for one door window and one quarter window on each side plus the rear window^[40]
• 97s (“ninety-sevens”) — reference to particular Stromberg carburetors^[41]
• A-bone — Model A coupé^[42]
• Alky — alcohol (methanol) racing fuel^[32]
• Altered — drag racing car, or the category it runs in^[32]
• Anglebox - British slang for a '59 to '68 Anglia^[43]
• Ardun — Hemi heads for the flathead, designed by Zora Duntov^[44]
• Awful Awful (mainly North American) — AA/FA ("double A" Fuel Altered) racing car^[45]
• Back-halved - a bodied drag racing car that has had its stock rear suspension removed and replaced with a four-link or ladder bar rear suspension, and narrowed rear axle. This arrangement allows for larger tires and better adjustability.
• Bagged - the use of air suspension to raise and lower the car
• Bench race (or bench racing) - discussion of racing, or of a car's performance^[32]
• Big tire - a drag racing car running large rear tires usually over 29" tall and wider than 10.5"
• Blower — mechanically driven supercharger; excludes turbochargers. Commonly a Roots.^[46]
• Blown
  • An engine equipped with a supercharger (a "blown hemi");^[46] rarely used in reference to turbocharged engines
  • A vehicle equipped with a supercharged engine (a "blown higboy")
  • A wrecked engine or transmission
• Blue oval — Ford product (for the badge)^[47]
• Blueprint - to assemble something (usually an engine) to precise specifications or with special care^[32]
• Blueprinting - to blueprint
• Bondo — the brand name for a body filler putty, often used as a generic term for any such product
• Bored — increased the diameter of the cylinders in order to increase engine displacement ("He bored the engine"); having had the diameter increased ("the engine was bored")
• Bottle — nitrous tank
• Bowtie — Chevrolet product (for the badge)^[48]
• Boosted — a car that has a turbocharger or supercharger
• Bugcatcher (or bugcatcher intake) — large scoop intake protruding through hood opening, or on cars with no hood.
• Bulletproof - assembled in a fail-proof manner^[32]
• Bump in — the act of staging a drag car by moving forward in short increments or "bumps" while a transbrake or light foot brake pressure is applied. A transbrake equipped car uses a "bump box" to momentarily unlock the transmission allowing it to creep short distances. This is often done by turbo cars in order to build boost pressure while staging, but can also be done by non-turbo cars to shallow stage to increase roll out.
• Bumpstick — camshaft (for the lobes)^[47]
• Burndown — intentionally slowly staging a car for a drag race in order to throw the other driver off his game, or to cause the opponent's car to build excess heat.^[32] Also called a staging duel.
• Cam — camshaft^[49]
• Cammer
  • (most commonly) the SOHC (single overhead camshaft) version of the 427 Ford V8.^[50]
  • (sometimes) the Ford Racing Power Parts 5-liter.^[51]
  • (rarely) any engine with overhead camshaft(s).
• Channelled — a car lowered by having the floor removed and reattached; also, to have done so^[32]
• Channeling — removing the floor and reattaching it to the body at a higher point, thus lowering the car without suspension modifications. Sometimes known as a "body drop".
• Cheater slicks (also "cheaters") — soft compound tires with just enough tread added to make them street legal (not usually in singular)^[52]
• Cherry — like new^[53]
• Chipped — fitted with a modified ECU or PCM
• Chop — removing a section of the roof pillars and windows to lower the roofline^[32]
• Chopped — also "chopped top"; to have top chopped
• Chopping — executing a top chop
• C.I.D. (sometimes cubic inches or inches) — cubic inches displacement
• COPO - Central Office Production Order^[54]
• Crank — crankshaft^[32]
• Cubes — CID
• Cubic inches — CID
• Cutout — a short leg of the exhaust system that exits to the side of the car and typically in front of the driver. The cutout can be operated manually or remotely from the driver's seat. Hot rodders typically use cutouts on hot rods that are used on the street and the strip. The cutout is closed for street use and open for drag racing on the strip.
• Deuce — '32 Ford Model B (most often a roadster);^[55] now commonly on A frame rails^[56]
• Digger — dragster: only applied to rails, slingshots, or fuel cars^[57]
• Double-pumper - carburetor with mechanical primary and secondary jets^[58]
• Dual quads — two four-barrel carburetors
• Dragster
  • (broadly) any vehicle modified or purpose-built for use on strips.^[32]
  • (specifically) specialized racers (early or recent types, in gas, alky, or fuel varieties)
• Door slammer (doorslammer, door car) — A drag racing car that retains its stock body with functioning doors or the appearance of a stock body with functioning doors. Some classes of door slammers are Pro Stock, Pro Modified, Real Street, x275, and Outlaw 10.5.
• Dyno queen — a car that puts up impressive power numbers on a dynamometer but fails to perform well when actually raced.
• Elephant — Chrysler hemi^[59]
• Fabricate - create a part no longer be available;^[60] create any part from scratch
• Factory freak - an unmodified car that seemingly makes more power than or is much quicker than the average for its year, make, and model.
• Fat-fender — 1934-48 (U.S.) car^[61] (Most common usage is to refer to '41-'48 inclusive, with '35-'41s called "pontoon fenders".)
• Flager (street racing) —the person who stages and starts the race, usually by an arm drop or flashlight.
• Flamed — painted with a flame job
• Flatty — flathead engine^[62] (usually refers to a Ford;^[32] when specified, the Mercury-built model)
  • 3/8s by 3/8s — lengthening the stroke and increasing the cylinder bore 3⁄8 in (9.5 mm). A term only applied to flattys.^[63]
• Four-barrel - carburetor with four venturis (chokes)^[32]
• French — to install headlight or taillight slightly sunken into fender
• Frenched — headlight or tallight slightly sunken into fender;^[64] to install as such ("she frenched the taillights")
• Fuel
  • (most commonly) nitro (or a mixture of nitro and alky)^[46]
  • the top drag racing class (which runs on nitro)^[46]
  • (broadly) gasoline (petrol)
• Fuelie
  • (originally) the 1957 Corvette fuel injected engine, or the car itself ("the fuellie 'vette")^[65]
  • (commonly now) any fuel injected engine^[66]
• Fueler — any drag racing car run on nitro, or in a nitro class^[32]
• Full-race — high-performance flatty cam, suitable only for strip use
• Gasser — car used in gasoline-only drag racing classes in the 1960s (as opposed to alcohol or nitromethane fuels), where the front end of the car is raised along with the motor. Characterized by a body that sits well above the front wheels. Distinct from hiboy.
• Gap — To win a race by at least a car length ("That GTO put the gap on that Mustang.")
• Gennie — genuine^[67]
• Giggle gas — nitrous oxide
• Goat — Pontiac GTO^[32]
• Grenaded — to break a part into pieces ("When I missed that shift it grenaded my transmission.")^[58]
• Hair dryer — turbocharger (for the shape of the intake and exhaust casings)^[68]
• Hairpins — radius rods on axle suspension systems^[69]
• Hang (or pull) the laundry — to deploy a braking parachute^[70]
• Header — variety of exhaust manifold.^[71]
• The hit — giving someone in a drag race the option to move first. Sometimes "the move".
• Hopped up (also "hopped") — stock engine modified to increase performance (more common in the '40s and '50s)
• Huffer — supercharger,^[72] especially of the Roots type.^[73]
• Hydrogen Hot Rod — Hot Rrod powered by alternate fuel^[73]
• Inches — CID^[68]
• Indian (also "Tin Indian") — Pontiac (for the grille badge)^[74]
• Jimmy
  • (usually) GMC straight-6 engine^[68]
  • any GMC product, such as a compressor used on 2-stroke diesels used as a supercharger.^[68]
• Jimmy Six — GMC straight 6
• Juice
  • nitro^[68]
  • nitrous oxide^[58]
• Jug - carburetor^[68] (no longer common)
• Juice brakes — hydraulic brakes^[12]
• Kits — multiple nitrous oxide systems ("How many kits are you spraying?")
• Lake pipes — exhaust pipes running beneath the rocker panels, after use by lakes racers.^[75]
• Laundry - parachutes used to slow drag racing cars^[70]
• Lope — exhaust note produced by of a high-duration cam
• Louvers — cuts in the sheet metal of the body with a narrow raised section on one side of the cuts to create a small opening. Used to release air from engine compartments, or often merely for aesthetics
• Lowering — reducing the ride height (or ground clearance)
• Lunched — wrecked; caused to be wrecked ("lunched the transmission")^[68]
• Mag
  • magnesium wheel, or steel or aluminum copy resembling one such^[68]
  • magneto^[68]
• Merc — Mercury
• Mill — any internal combustion engine^[58]
• Moons (or Moon discs; incorrectly, moon discs) — plain flat chrome or aluminum disc hubcaps, originally adopted by land speed racers. Smaller examples are "baby Moons". Named for Dean Moon.
• Mopar — any car or engine sold by Chrysler Corporation; from the name of the parts, service, and customer care organization
• Mouse — small-block Chevy^[76]
• Mountain motor — large-displacement engine. Named for their size, and for being constructed in the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina.^[77] In organized automotive competition, the term commonly references a V8 engine displacing more than 500 cubic inches; informally, a V8 engine displacing more than 560 cubic inches
• The move — giving someone in a drag race the option to move first. Also "the hit"
• Nail — any car used as a daily driver
• Nailhead — Early Buick V8, named for relatively small diameter valves^[78]
• Nerf bar — a small tubular or solid T-shaped or decorative bar that acts as a bumper.
• Nitro — Nitromethane, used as a fuel additive in some drag cars
• Nitrous — nitrous oxide
• NOS
  • New Old Stock, stockpiled parts of models no longer produced, not previously available for retail purchase. (More common among customizers than rodders.)
  • Nitrous Oxide System (a.k.a. laughing gas, liquid supercharger, N
    ₂O, nitrous, "the bottle"): apparatus for introducing nitrous oxide into the air intake of an engine prior to the fuel entering the cylinder.
• Nosed — as in "nosed & decked": removal of any hood (bonnet) or trunk (boot) ornaments, the filling of holes, and painting as a smooth clean surface.
• Pickoupe — car-based light-duty pickup, blend of "pickup" & "coupé"
• Pinched — narrowed and lengthened body, usually at the nose
• Pop
  • a mixture of nitro & alky
  • British slang for a sit-up and beg Ford Popular.
• Plod
  • (British) body filler
  • (British) traffic police (after PC Plod in Enid Blyton's Noddy series)
• Poncho - Pontiac product^[79]
• Ported and polished — enlarging and smoothing of the intake and exhaust port surfaces of performance engine cylinder heads to facilitate the ease of movement and increased volume of the engine gases.
• Port-matching — the lining up of the intake manifold, cylinder head ports and exhaust headers as to create one continuous smooth course of travel for engine gases with no ledges or obstructions.
• Prepped — a track or road that has been treated with various chemicals to increase traction
• Pro Street — street-legal car resembling a Pro Stock car. Some are very thinly disguised racers.
• Puke can — radiator overflow reservoir, to prevent boilovers spilling on the track
• QJ — Quadrajet (Rochester 4-barrel carburetor)^[80]
• Q-jet — Quadrajet^[81]
• Ragtop - convertible or roadster^[68]
• Rail
  • dragster with exposed front frame rails.^[46] Usually refers to early short-wheelbase cars, and not usually to Altereds.
  • (drag racing) guardrail
• Rail job
  • dragster with exposed front frame. Usually refers to early short-wheelbase cars, and not usually to Altereds.
• Rat
  • Chevy big block engine,^[82]
  • rat rod
• Redline — maximum safe rev limit; to operate an engine at that limit ("redline it", "redlined it")
• Repop - reproduction (part)^[83]
• Rockcrusher — Muncie M22 4-speed transmission^[84] so-called because of the audible differences in operation between the model M-22 and its lower strength but quieter cousin, the M-21
• Rocket — Oldsmobile, in particular their early V8s^[32]
• Rolled pan (sometimes roll pan) — a contoured sheet of metal covering the space where the bumper used to be
• Sandbagger — driver who intentionally drives slower than his car is capable of or lets off before the end of the drag strip to give the illusion his car is slower than it is to lure people into racing.^[68]
• SBC — small-block Chevy V8
• SBF — Small block Ford V8.
• Sectioned — having sectioning ("the '49 was sectioned"); having performed a sectioning ("he sectioned the Merc")
• Sectioning — removing of a horizontal center section of the body and reattaching the upper and lower parts^[68]
• Shoebox — '49-'54 Ford (for the slab-sided appearance)
• Shotgun - Ford Boss 429^[68]
• Six Pak - Chrysler carburetor arrangement with three two-barrels^[68]
• SkyJackers — air shocks used in the rear to jack up the backend to clear wider tires/wheels.
• Slammed — lowering the car very close to the ground. Frequently accomplished with the use of air suspension.
• Sleeper — a car built to appear stock or in poor condition but actually very quick.
• Slick(s) — soft compound tire with no grooves, designed only for drag racing. Usually much wider than normal street tires.^[68]
• Slingshot — later variety of early digger,^[46] named for the driver's position behind the rear wheels (not its speed^[68])
• Slug
  • piston^[68]
  • slow car^[68]
• Slushbox - automatic transmission^[85]
• Smack — Nitrous Oxide
• Small tire — a drag racing car using rear tires generally no taller than 29" and no wider than 10.5"
• SOHC ("sock") - 427 “cammer”^[68]
• Souped (or "souped up") — hopped up, performance improved (more common in '40s and '50s)
• Spray — nitrous oxide
• Snail — turbocharger, from the snail shell appearance of the housing
• Static — the use of static suspension components, such as coilovers, to lower a car
• Steelies — stock steel rims^[86]
• Stovebolt — Chevrolet Stovebolt engine^[87]
• Straight axle — term for a car (often a gasser) that has had it stock A-arm style front suspension removed for leaf springs and a solid tube axle.
• Street legal — dual-purpose car, capable of performing routine duties as well as weekend racing. Some cars described as such, such as Pro Street cars, are very thinly disguised racers.
• Street-strip — dual-purpose car, capable of performing routine duties as well as weekend racing. Some cars described as such have very marginal off-track utility.
• Strip
  • drag strip.
  • (more broadly) cars or parts used or intended for racing only. Thus "street-strip" is a dual-purpose car.
• Stroke — Engine stroke; to increase the engine stroke ("stroke it")
• Stroked — increased stroke, to increase displacement, by adding a longer-stroke crankshaft
• Suicided — door changed from front- to rear-hinged ("suicide") type
• Tin Indian — Pontiac (for the grille badge)
• Toploader — Ford 4-speed manual transmission,^[88] so named because access to the transmission internal was made via an access panel located on the top of the transmission housing ^[89]
• Track T — Model T roadster built in the style of a dirt track race car^[90]
• Traction bars —usually, a set of square tubes attached to the back axle via 2 U bolts before and after the axle housing leading forward with a rubber snubber at the top end allowing as the car takes off to limit axle wrap on leaf springs.
• Trailer queen - a race car that is not daily driven, is trailered to events, and sees little or no use other than on a race track^[79]
• Tri-Five - a 1955, 1956 or 1957 Chevrolet automobile.
• Tubbed — a car that has had its stock rear wheel wells removed and replaced with larger ones to allow for wider rear tires.
• Tunneled — deeply sunken into fender^[91]
• Virgin road — a stretch of road that has not been raced on or had traction increasing products used on it
• Vdub — slang for a Volkswagen automobile.
• Weedburners — short exhaust pipes, running parallel to the ground, with no mufflers (similar to Funny Car exhausts), used for racing, or just for show (not street legal)^[46]
• Wheelie bars - rear-mounted bars with small wheels, designed to limit or eliminate wheelstands^[68]
• Wombat — General Motors W series engine^[92]
• Wrinkle walls — drag racing slicks^[93]
• Zoomie pipes (or zoomies) — short exhaust pipes with no mufflers, used for racing, or just for show (not street legal)^[94]

Some terms have an additional, different meaning among customizers than among rodders: NOS, for instance, is a reference to new old stock, rather than nitrous oxide.

Discover more about Language related topics

Model year

Model year

The model year is a method of describing the version of a product which has been produced over multiple years. The model year may or may not be the same as the calendar year in which the product was manufactured.

Mercury (automobile)

Mercury (automobile)

Mercury is a defunct division of the American automobile manufacturer Ford Motor Company. Created in 1938 by Edsel Ford, Mercury served as the medium-price brand of Ford for nearly its entire existence, bridging the price gap between the Ford and Lincoln model lines. Its principal competition was General Motors' Buick and Oldsmobile divisions, and Chrysler Motors' DeSoto and Chrysler brands.

Camshaft

Camshaft

A camshaft is a shaft that contains a row of pointed cams, in order to convert rotational motion to reciprocating motion. Camshafts are used in piston engines, mechanically controlled ignition systems and early electric motor speed controllers.

Drag racing

Drag racing

Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most commonly 1⁄4 mi, with a shorter, 1,000 ft distance becoming increasingly popular, as it has become the standard for Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars, where some major bracket races and other sanctioning bodies have adopted it as the standard. The 1⁄8 mi is also popular in some circles. Electronic timing and speed sensing systems have been used to record race results since the 1960s.

Venturi effect

Venturi effect

The Venturi effect is the reduction in fluid pressure that results when a fluid flows through a constricted section of a pipe. The Venturi effect is named after its discoverer, the 18th-century Italian physicist Giovanni Battista Venturi.

Carburetor

Carburetor

A carburetor is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the Venturi tube in the main metering circuit, though various other components are also used to provide extra fuel or air in specific circumstances.

Chrysler LA engine

Chrysler LA engine

The LA engines are a family of pushrod OHV small block 90° V-configured gasoline engines built by Chrysler Corporation. It was factory-installed in passenger vehicles, trucks and vans, commercial vehicles, marine and industrial applications from 1964 through 1991 (318) & 1992 (360). The combustion chambers are wedge-shaped, rather than the polyspherical combustion chambers in the predecessor A engine or the hemispherical combustion chambers in the Chrysler Hemi engine. LA engines have the same 4.46 in (113 mm) bore spacing as the A engines. LA engines were made at Chrysler's Mound Road Engine plant in Detroit, Michigan, as well as plants in Canada and Mexico. The "LA" stands for "Light A", as the 1956 - 1967 "A" engine it was closely based on and shares many parts with was nearly 50 pounds heavier. The "LA" and "A" production overlapped from 1964 - 1966 in the US and through 1967 in export vehicles when the "A" 318 engine was phased out. Willem Weertman, who later became Chief Engineer – Engine Design and Development, was in charge of the conversion. The basic design of the LA engine would go unchanged through the development of the "Magnum" upgrade (1992-1993) and into the 2000s with changes to enhance power and efficiency.

Pontiac (automobile)

Pontiac (automobile)

Pontiac or formally the Pontiac Motor Division of General Motors, was an American automobile brand owned, manufactured, and commercialized by General Motors. Introduced as a companion make for GM's more expensive line of Oakland automobiles, Pontiac overtook Oakland in popularity and supplanted its parent brand entirely by 1933.

Oldsmobile

Oldsmobile

Oldsmobile or formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produced over 35 million vehicles, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory alone. During its time as a division of General Motors, Oldsmobile slotted into the middle of GM's five divisions, and was noted for several groundbreaking technologies and designs.

Methanol

Methanol

Methanol (also called methyl alcohol and wood spirit, amongst other names) is an organic chemical and the simplest aliphatic alcohol, with the formula CH3OH (a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group, often abbreviated as MeOH). It is a light, volatile, colourless, flammable liquid with a distinctive alcoholic odour similar to that of ethanol (potable alcohol). Methanol acquired the name wood alcohol because it was once produced chiefly by the destructive distillation of wood. Today, methanol is mainly produced industrially by hydrogenation of carbon monoxide.

• 

  The iconic T-bucket. Also features dropped tube axle, transverse front leaf spring, and front disc brakes.

• 

  Deuce coupe featuring '32 grille shell, original headlights, chrome dropped I-beam axle and tube shocks. Note stock frame rails, disc brakes, Lakester pipes^[95][96]

• 

  Deuce roadster with a bobbed frame, dropped axle, disc brakes, and coilovers. Note the contrast with the stock frame rails.

• 

  Hi-boy Deuce roadster with flatty (with factory head and exhaust but aftermarket alternator ignition and dual-carb intake), dropped tube axle, and drum brakes.

• 

  "Rat rod" '29 Model A coupe with a '32 grille shell, upgraded brakes, "bobbed" frame rails, channeled, powered by an early flatty equipped with Edelbrock aftermarket head and aftermarket chrome carb hats.

• 

  Flamed Fiat Topolino.

• 

  Ghost flames, a contemporary concept

• 

  3 deuces closeup

• 

  Improvised puke can

• 

  A mid-'50s 392 in a "rat rod".

• 

  Rat rod

• 

  Volksrod, based on a Type 1.

• 

  '32 Bantam roadster with mags, disk brakes, hatpins, bugcatcher scoop, roll hoops, & custom interior

• 

  '34 Chevrolet Standard

• 

  Volkswagen hiboy at the 2010 Volksfest, South Australia

• 

  Twin Ford coupes

• 

  Classically flamed 3-window at the Voitures Anciennes de Granby expo, with drilled I-beam front axle, nerf bars, velocity stacks, mags, and slicks.

• 

  A rat rod during the Voitures Anciennes de Granby expo.

• 

  1922 hot rod

• 

  Swedish Hot Rod in Ystad 2020.

• 

  Swedish Hot Rod in Malmö 1986.

Discover more about Gallery related topics

T-bucket

T-bucket

A T-bucket is a hot rod, based on a Ford Model T built from 1915 to 1927, but extensively modified. T-buckets were favorites for greasers.

Leaf spring

Leaf spring

A leaf spring is a simple form of spring commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles. Originally called a laminated or carriage spring, and sometimes referred to as a semi-elliptical spring, elliptical spring, or cart spring, it is one of the oldest forms of vehicle suspension. A leaf spring is one or more narrow, arc-shaped, thin plates which are attached to the axle and chassis in a way that allows the leaf spring to flex vertically in response to irregularities in the road surface. Lateral leaf springs are the most commonly used arrangement, running the length of the vehicle and mounted perpendicular to the wheel axle, but numerous examples of transverse leaf springs exist as well.

Disc brake

Disc brake

A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to hold it stationary. The energy of motion is converted into waste heat which must be dispersed.

Shock absorber

Shock absorber

A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulic device designed to absorb and damp shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy which is then dissipated. Most shock absorbers are a form of dashpot.

Edelbrock

Edelbrock

Edelbrock, LLC is an American manufacturer of specialty automotive and motorcycle parts. The company is headquartered in Olive Branch, Mississippi, with a Southern California R&D Tech Center located in Cerritos, CA. The Edelbrock Sand Cast and Permanent Mold Manufacturing foundries are located in San Jacinto, CA. Edelbrock has two facilities in North Carolina: the Edelbrock Carburetor Division in Sanford, and the Edelbrock Race Center in Mooresville.

Rat rod

Rat rod

A rat rod, as usually known today, is a custom car with a deliberately worn-down, unfinished appearance, typically lacking paint, showing rust, and made from cheap or cast-off parts. These parts can include non-automotive items that have been repurposed, such as a rifle used as a gear shifter, wrenches as door handles, or hand saws as sun visors. Whether or not so appointed, the rat rod uniquely conveys its builder’s imagination.

Volksrod

Volksrod

Volksrods are modified Volkswagen beetles. They are used as an alternative to traditional Ford-based hot rods. Classic Ford Model Ts and Model As are becoming more scarce and more valuable than ever. VW Beetles are much more affordable, easier to find, and easier to find parts for. It is also a 1930s design, which is well-suited to hot-rodding's roots and tradition.

Volkswagen Beetle

Volkswagen Beetle

The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German der Käfer, in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, intended for five occupants, that was manufactured and marketed by German automaker Volkswagen (VW) from 1938 until 2003.

American Austin Car Company

American Austin Car Company

The American Austin Car Company Inc. was an American automobile manufacturing corporation incorporated in the state of Delaware. The company was founded on February 23, 1929, and produced motorcars licensed from the British Austin Motor Company from 1930 through 1934, after it had filed for bankruptcy protection. The company was liquidated in 1935 and the assets were acquired by Evans Operations, Inc. and a new company American Bantam Car Company was incorporated in June 1936.

Ystad

Ystad

Ystad is a town and the seat of Ystad Municipality, in Scania County, Sweden. Ystad had 18,350 inhabitants in 2010. The settlement dates from the 11th century and has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre, and tourist attraction. The detective series Wallander, created by Henning Mankell, is set primarily in Ystad.

Malmö

Malmö

Malmö is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal population of 357,377 in 2022. The Malmö Metropolitan Region is home to over 700,000 people, and the Øresund Region, which includes Malmö and Copenhagen, is home to 4 million people.