Tech - Exterior - MR

01 Rear truck corner with foam mockup of a custom taillight housing

Custom Taillights For Your 1937 GMC Cabover

Ron Covell

By Ron Covell - Photography By Tin Man’s Garage Brian Limberg of Tin Man’s Garage in Sycamore, Illinois, is no stranger to building top-level street...

01 1959 Chevrolet undergoing a custom build with a high performance V8 engine mock up in a bare metal engine bay

BBT Details Custom Underhood Modifications for a 1959 Chevy Impala

Ron Covell

By Ron Covell In past articles, we have examined several aspects of the BBT Fab 1959 Impala. This time, we will focus on the extensive...

01 A 1971 Corvette undergoing bodywork restoration with a person sanding the engine bay

Custom Smooth Firewall for C3, or any Early, Corvette

John Gilbert

By John Gilbert - Photography By the Author At Harold’s Hot Rod Shop in Enid, Oklahoma, custom builds shine with unique styling, especially highlighted by...

01 Polished stainless steel trim pieces for a 1959 Chevrolet Impala laid out for restoration work

1959 Chevy Impala Receives Fresh Stainless Steel Trim

Ron Covell

By Ron Covell BBT's 1959 Impala showcases exceptional craftsmanship, particularly in its stainless trim. The team faced challenges in perfecting the fit and finish, notably...

01 A new rear quarter panel for a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro placed beside the body for fitment

Replacing a 1969 Camaro’s Rear Quarter Panel With AMD Sheetmetal

Ron Covell

By Ron Covell - Photography By Brian Brennan In this installment, Hot Rods by Dean’s Paul Gilbert installs reproduction quarter panels in a 1969 Camaro....

01 Bare metal 1959 Chevrolet Impala body with distinctive tail fin design undergoing restoration

1959 Chevy Impala Receives Reimaged Rear Sheetmetal

Ron Covell

By Ron Covell Troy Gudgel and BBT Fabrications are customizing a 1959 Chevrolet for their client, Eugene Bothello. They are replacing various body parts, creating...

1 Tate Radford of Radford Automotive straightened the vintage Mopar sheetmetal and laid on the Summit Racing Equipment two tone paint

Affordable Paint To Paint Your Hot Rod

Ron Ceridono

By Ron Ceridono - Photography By Tate Radford Summit Racing Equipment is known for its automotive performance products, but it also offers affordable automotive refinishing...

04 Classic Instruments custom made the gauges a focal point for the interior

Part 4: Building a One-of-a-Kind Model A Sedan

Ron Covell

By Ron Covell - Photography By Chris Gray Careful attention to small details can make a car stand out, as shown by the tweaks made...

01 1930 ford channeled sedan eric black artwork

Part 3: Building a One-of-a-Kind Model A Sedan

Ron Covell

By Ron Covell - Photography By Chris Gray The one-of-a-kind 1930 Model A sedan has undergone distinctive chassis touches as well as all sorts of...

01 Gauge cluster fitting perfectly into the adjusted opening

Period-Correct Custom Gauges & Taillights

Ron Covell

Custom Metalwork Tastefully Modifies Our Ford Highboy Roadster By Ron Covell - Photography By Jason Scudellari Adding a small detail to a project car, such as...

Roadster Shop Model A Body Modifications

Ron Covell

Part 2: 1930 Ford Model A With Impressive Modifications By Ron Covell - Photography By Chris Gray The last article examined the outstanding chassis Roadster Shop...

01 Classic Shoebox Ford requires restoration work on the hood front fenders and grille

Facelift On This Ford Tudor Sedan

Ron Covell

Ford Shoebox Gets French Headlights & Custom Grille By Scott's Hotrods 'N Customs By Ron Covell - Photography By Camren Beattie Just before World War II,...

01 Bob Stedman meticulously working on a large surface area of a car

Dodge Charger Classic Vinyl Top Replacement

Barry Kluczyk

Tips On DIY Vinyl Top Install For Your Classic Car By Barry Kluczyk - Photography By the Author Miss it or not, the all-American vinyl roof...

01 Rad Rides booth showcasing a contender for America s Most Beautiful Roadster award at the 2024 Grand National Roadster Show

Custom Dash & Headlights on Fenderless Ford Roadster

Ron Covell

Part 6: Rad Rides by Troy Built Innovative Custom Dash, Headlights, and Shock Mounts By Ron Covell - Photography by Adam Banks & Brian Brennan This...

01 Myers’ Fenderless 1936 Ford Roadster at Grand National Roadster Show

Mastering Metal: Myers’ Fenderless Ford Roadster by Rad Rides

Ron Covell

Part 5: Apron Panels, Lower Hood Panels and Door Construction By Ron Covell - Photography by Adam Banks In past issues, we covered much of the...

01 Tate Radford fitting a replacement rocker panel on a 57 Ford Ranch Wagon

Rust Repair on a Ford Ranch Wagon

Ron Ceridono

Restoring This Vintage 1957 Ford Station Wagon By Ron Ceridono - Photography By Tate Radford Let’s take a step back to a time when the ’57...

01 Adam Banks artwork depicting the final look of the 1936 Ford roadster

Supercharger & Suspension On Myers’ Fenderless Ford Roadster

Ron Covell

Part 4: Ford Y-Block, McCulloch Supercharger, and Suspension By Ron Covell - Photography By Adam Banks A tremendous amount of work goes into building a car...

01 Stainless steel trim piece restoration with simple tools

How To Restore Trim Pieces On Your Classic Car

Tommy Lee Byrd

DIY Trim Piece Restoration For Your Project Car By Tommy Lee Byrd - Photography By the Author When it comes to the final details of a...

01 Buick car stripped of glass and interior before being taken to Traditional MetalCraft

Chopping The Buick Coupe Top

In The Garage Media Staff

Tips For Chopping Your Pre War Classic Car By Curt Iseli - Photography By the Author When customizing originated, the goal was to refine the lines...

01 Vintage car fender restoration process showing original and reproduction fenders

Vintage Sheetmetal: Repair Or Replace?

Gerry Burger

An age-old question for DIY Hot Rodders By Gerry Burger - Photography By Chadly Johnson Original or repro? It’s a longtime hot rodder’s battle with no...

01 Adam Banks drawing setting the direction of the project build

Intricate Fabrication On Myers’ Fenderless Ford Roadster

Ron Covell

Part 3: Custom Fabricated Decklid, Wheel Wells & Floor By Ron Covell - Photography By Adam Banks Construction is moving at a rapid pace at Rad...

Myers’ Fenderless 1936 Ford Roadster

Ron Covell

Part 2: Rad Rides by Troy Meticulous Chassis Work By Ron Covell - Photography By Adam Banks We previously looked at how the crew at Rad...

01 Adam Banks working on a concept sketch for a custom car project

Building a One Of A Kind Roadster

Ron Covell

Part 1: Rad Rides by Troy Builds a One of a Kind 1936 Ford Roadster By Ron Covell - Photography By Adam Banks Unless you’re new...

03 Geoff Jones using a pneumatic die grinder with a thin cut off wheel to cut away rusty metal

How To Fix Quarter Panel Rust

Ron Covell

Patch Panel Install For Rust Repair on Your Vintage Project Car By Ron Covell - Photography By Brian Brennan Rust repair is often a part of...

01 part 2 how to sand for professional bodywork

More DIY Tips on How to Sand a Car for Painting

Chris Shelton

Part 2: You Can Do it Yourself Part 2: Nick Sinoris’ Sanding Techniques for Proper Paintwork Results By Chris Shelton - Photography By Brian Brennan If...

01 Nick Hubcap Sinoris demonstrating long block panel preparation

DIY Tips On How To Sand a Car For Painting

Chris Shelton

You can do it Yourself, Part 1: Nick Sinoris’ Sanding Techniques For Proper Paintwork Results By Chris Shelton - Photography By Brian Brennan They may not...

01 marking the center of the bell housing on the firewall

How To Make Custom Mounts For An Engine Swap

Ron Covell

Some Custom Fabrication On the Firewall and Floorboard May Be Required By Ron Covell - Photography By Jason Scudellari There are often some adjustments needed when...

01 Concept rendering of the complete vehicle by Tavis Highlander

ISK Ford Ranch Wagon Gets Custom Wheels, Hood, & Wrap Up

Ron Covell

Ford Ranch Wagon Project Part 3: Ironworks Speed & Kustom Hood & One Of A Kind Of Custom Wheels From EVOD Industries By Ron Covell...

01 Out with the Tri Five Chevy s old sheetmetal and in with the new Golden Star Classic Auto Parts tailpan

Replacing the Tail Pan on a Tri Five Chevy

Eric Geisert

Getting Rid of Decades of Deteriorating Metal By Eric Geisert - Photography By The Author As you get into any metal repair or replacement work on...

01 Close up view of the Old Anvil Speed Shop team working on the AV8 chassis modifications

Old Anvil Speed Shop Built Scudellari’s 1929 Ford Roadster

Ryan Manson

Building a Traditional AV8 By Ryan Manson - Photography By Brian Brennan When it comes to building a traditional AV8 highboy roadster, one of the most...

01 Sparks flying at MetalWorks Speed Shop while fabricating a smooth firewall for a 55 Chevrolet

How To Modify Your Tri-Five Firewall To Accept An LS3 Engine

Gerry Burger

MetalWorks Modifies A Chevy Bel Air Firewall For An LS Swap By Gerry Burger - Photography By Chadly Johnson David Goodwin and the team at MetalWorks...

01 A close up shows just how seamlessly this detail flows into the panel

How To Make A Recessed License Plate Holder

Ron Covell

Tin Man’s Garage’s Custom License Plate By Ron Covell - Photography By Brian Limberg Brian Limberg, the founder of Tin Man’s Garage in Sycamore, Illinois, is...

How To Make A Custom Hood and Nose

Ron Covell

Custom Fabrication On A Shadow Rods XL27 Chassis By Ron Covell - Photography By Jon Hall & Dave Autin Track roadsters have been popular since the...

01 It is also particularly true when you are cutting and buffing the final paint

How To Cut and Buff Like a Professional

John Gilbert

DIY Guide To Cutting and Buffing Paint To Perfection By John Gilbert - Photography By the Author There are two types of hot rodders: the DIY...

The Art Of Shaping A Roll Pan

Ron Covell

Shadow Rods’ Perfectly Proportioned Roll Pan Method By Ron Covell - Photography By Jon Hall & Dave Autin Jon Hall is the founder of Shadow Rods,...

01 prepping a 1965 Chevelle before it receives its PPG black paint

How To Prep Your Car For Paint

Chris Shelton

Paint Preparation Prevents The Need For Costly Paint Correction By Chris Shelton - Photography By Brian Brennan, Glenn Sinon & Chadly Johnson If you’re like me,...

16 Sullivan finally buried everything in VC5700 mixed as a conventional final clearcoat

Finishing The Tribute 1959 Thunderbird

Chris Shelton

Part 2: Marcus “Shaky” Sullivan and “PPG Paul” Finish The Custom Paint Job On Larry Watson’s Tribute ‘59 Thunderbird By Chris Shelton - Photography By...

06 Notice the openings cut in the hood side in preparation for fitting the precisely contoured vent doors

New Levels of Precision; Custom ‘35 Chevy Coupe

Ron Covell

Ironworks Speed and Kustom Use The Latest Tech When Making Custom Parts By Ron Covell - Photography by the Author & Rodger Lee Videographer Rodger Lee ...

01 Cody Walls started with a solid foundation in his wife’s original low mile 1949 Buick

How To Section a Car

In The Garage Media Staff

The Art of Sectioning: Tackling Hot Rodding’s Most Audacious Technique By Curt Iseli - Photography By Cody Walls When it comes to traditional customizing techniques, sectioning...

01 Here we are mapping out how we will go about laying down the paint on the 1959 Thunderbird

A Legendary Candy Paint Job On This Special 1959 Thunderbird

Chris Shelton

Part 1: “Wild Bill” Carter Left a Paint Legacy and an Unfinished Larry Watson Tribute. Here’s How Marcus “Shaky” Sullivan & “PPG Paul” Stoll...

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