Hot Rods: Roadsters, Coupes, Customs (Idea Books)

When it comes to building your hot rod, you’re faced with choices for everything from which go-fast goodies to slap on your mill to what paint and other eye candy might define your rod more than anything else.  And when it comes to a hot rod, parts aren’t just parts; it’s all in how they come together--either it works or it doesn’t.

This new Motorbooks Idea Book covers every system of a traditional hot rod—be it roadster, coupe, or tub—illustrating with hundreds of color photos the various options for frame rails, suspension, steering, brakes, wheels and tires, drivetrain, electrics, cooling, body, interior, and paint.  Looking through this book, you’ll be able to assess which choices fit your aesthetic sensibility as well as how they suit your plan to use your hot rod.  You’ll also get the “big picture”--a clear idea of how some choices work together and others just don’t mesh in the same car.  Whether you’re looking for inspiration or practical answers, this book will guide you from off-the-shelf, fabricated, and even found parts and pieces to the finished hot rod of your dreams.

Whether at a local car club event or at a regional show, at a swap meet or just driving through town, some hot rods turn heads and others don’t. The challenge of building a really great hot rod tests the dedication of even the most enthusiastic car owner. Choosing a body type and style, installing headlights and other exterior components, picking the right upholstery, and finding an engine that will give you just the right kind of power can be difficult, not to mention custom painting and pinstriping. With all the options available in both original and reproduction parts, where do you begin? How do you avoid the common pitfalls that can make your hot rod a bad combination of mixed-up styling elements that just don’t blend? In Hot Rods: Roadsters, Coupes, Customs, author Dain Gingerelli shares over 500 photos that will help you make all of these decisions and more. By following a well-planned theme from start to finish, you can design and then build or restore a hot rod that will be both eye-catching and classic.