It doesn’t seem like Frank Gonzales sleeps much. He holds a full-time job at a school and after hours he’s in his garage building cars. He cuts, forms, welds, fabs, grinds and even paints hot rods for himself, his family, and some friends. Constantly. Frank distinctly remembers when the hot rod bug bit him deep. At
Up to this point, our Legends of Hot Rodding have all been members of the four-wheel community – you know, hot rodders. But occasionally a talent from the two-wheel world is so renowned that they crossover into hot-rod legend status. Such is the case with motorcycle customizer extraordinaire Arlen Ness. Arlen Ness was born in Minnesota
With several projects from Kindig-it Design in his garage, Goodguys regular Ron Meis decided it was time for an open-wheeled car with a little more agility than his GTO and ’59 Buick. After hashing out a build plan they decided to use the redesigned ’27 T roadster from Dynamic Corvettes and Shadow Rods in Saginaw,
John Martin made 10-second quarter-mile passes in the early days of Pro Stock drag racing, so he knows a thing or two about fast hot rods. But his current ride could put those vintage Pro Stockers to shame. His 1934 Ford coupe is NHRA-certified for 8.5-second runs, if he wants to push the 693ci, 850-horsepower
Metalwork is an art, just like painting in oils, photography, or creating a sculpture. To become a professional, it takes years and dedication to the craft in one’s chosen field, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get involved, start learning, and try to tackle a few tasks yourself. It seems that forming and shaping metal into
Steve Stanford has played a major part in hundreds of hot rod and custom car projects – without ever picking up a hammer or wrench. As one of the most-respected and well-known custom car designers and automotive artists, Stanford has had a hand (literally) in some of the most prolific vehicles of recent times, including