Wiring-the mere mention of the subject brings chills to the spines of most do-it-yourself rodders. For many, it's part of the sacred trio of chores left to hired guns-paint, upholstery, and wiring. But for those willing to do some research, practice a bit of trial and error, and spend the time and e
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The 1949-51 Mercury is the quintessential custom car. Thousands of them have gone under the knife in the last five decades, so it's a little surprising to discover how little aftermarket support there is for these beloved 'sleds. It's a particularly disheartening discovery if you happen to be buildi
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Check out this fully restored 1954 Mercury Monterey!
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When Chip Foose and Wes Rydell get together on a custom project, step back and watch out. The results are bound to be spectacular.
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Whether you're attempting your first build or your 20th, one key to maintaining sanity is finding a balance between what you can afford and the desire to use top-quality parts. Fortunately, the hot rod aftermarket continues to develop quality parts to help us improve our cars, and magazines like Cus
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It's fair to say Kansas has been good for the Kustom Kemps of America. The organization was formed in Wichita, and that's where its first national event-the Leadsled Street Custom Spectacular-was held more than a quarter-century ago. And while the Leadsled Spectacular would have many homes in many s
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Wes Rydell's '54 Bel Air gets some Foose finesse
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Mad Mod GalaxieWe've been pleased to bring you some of Brian Stupski's artwork in our "Stylines" column over the past couple years. You may recall in the January 2006 issue, Brian sketched several versions of a '63 1/2 Ford Galaxie. As always, we thought the images were cool, and apparently Jeff and
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Small & MightyTuff Stuff Performance Accessories is making engine swaps easier with mini gear-reduction starters for Ford, Olds, and Pontiac engines. Not only are these starters up to 1/3 smaller and 40-percent lighter than stock units, but they allow multi-indexing, meaning the starter can be posit
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When Derek Dejonge became the caretaker of his father's mildly customized '50 Olds 88 fastback, he knew he was being handed the keys to a cool ride. What he didn't expect was the crash course in modified suspensions he would receive.
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Richard Zocchi Takes Bold '59 Buick Styling A Step Further
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Custom Rodder has profiled many significant car builders and vehicles in this column the past several years. For our finale issue, however, it's only fitting to share the history of the man behind the National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame Museum, Darryl Starbird.
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Wonder Wagon"I am not a famous guy, but I thought you would be interested in one of my rare rides," writes Stuart Clark, of Chehalis, Washington. Rare, indeed-Chevrolet didn't build a two-door Impala station wagon in 1959, though Stuart's longroof has been decked out in Impala attire. It also wears
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'49 Chevy FleetlineLet's get this "Stylines" sendoff started in style with a classy Chevy. The Fleetline has such a nice profile that I left the roof unchopped, though I deleted all the trim except for the top-accentuating beltline brightwork. Up front I inserted a floating '54 Chevy grille flanked
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How A Kid From The Wrong Place With The Wrong Car Shows Us What's Right
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Ed and JoAnna Potestio's tradition-rich modern Merc
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Ronnie Staples Reunites His '50 Ford With Its Original Builder
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Check out the various upgrades, performance parts, and quality replacements available for your hot rod!
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Laundry, lawn mowing, taking out the trash, and picking up my room-all things I love not doing. In the grand scheme of things, though, ever since I was old enough to realize that I couldn't care less for those chores, the female role model in my life has constantly reminded me how necessary they are
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As American automakers clamored to turn out new car designs following World War II, a number of prewar construction techniques lingered, particularly on lower-priced makes and models. One was the practice of stamping hoods in two pieces and welding them together in the center. The resulting seams we
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A custom tiller with a secretMost of us are well aware that if a determined thief really wants a car, he can figure out a way to get it. Yet we also realize that many car thefts are crimes of opportunity, and if we make it more difficult to steal our cars, we're less likely to loose them. That's the
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Any enthusiast who owns the same custom car for a significant length of time is bound to refine it as he goes along. He builds the car, drives it, determines its strengths and weaknesses, and, ideally, makes tweaks to improve it through the years.
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Gear Vendors, Inc., manufacturers of the popular UNDER/OVERDRIVE brand of auxiliary transmissions has announced the availability of their new T-10 Manual Transmission kits. Chosen at SEMA as one of the best new Street -Performance products (runner-up), the ki
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There have been hundreds, perhaps thousands, of different taillights adapted to the quarter-panels of custom '49-51 Mercurys through the years. Some designs are natural fits; others aren't so memorable. Selecting the right style can make or break the appeal of a custom's posterior.
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Every project has to start somewhere, and mine usually begin at the bottom-with the suspension and brakes. I'd like to say it's because I approach car projects logically by stripping them down to bare frames and rebuilding them from the ground up, but that's not really the case. I'm not nearly so ra
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