Rod & KultureTraditional · Illustrated · The archive

Stories

Feature stories from the magazine — 96 traditional rods, kustoms and choppers, as the magazine published them.

The Mura Brothers Willys

Feature

The Mura Brothers Willys

Few other cars of recent memory have given me a run for my story-finding money than this wildly-painted Willys, known as the Mura Brothers’ truck, or “Mura’s Bomb” as it was originally called.

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Marlyn Englert’s ‘56 Chevy

Issue 41

Marlyn Englert’s ‘56 Chevy

In June of 1956, an 18 year old, Marlyn Englert of Rosemont, Minnesota, stopped down to the local Chevy dealership and purchased a brand new 1956…

Bryan’s Blue Bird

Issue 41

Bryan’s Blue Bird

With custom bike building trends changing over the years, some of the current trends tend to leave this writer scratching his head and wondering what…

Zach's Roadster

Issue 6

Zach's Roadster

Every now and then, usually about the time you're ready to believe that the younger guys don't get it, something or someone comes along to thankfully…

Nasty Rat

Issue 6

Nasty Rat

This 1960 Chevy Belair two-door post sedan was purchased by Rick Shephard in mid-1967 out of Whittier, Ca.

rolling bones '32

Issue 8

rolling bones '32

OK, by now everyone has seen, or heard of, the Rolling Bones Car Club, that crazy group of hot rodders that help define everything we all hold dear…

Zitos Cycle – Pink Bike

Issue 40

Zitos Cycle – Pink Bike

When you’re building a custom motorcycle for a client, it’s often a battle between a few things.

Issue 25

Mark Moriaritys Zingers

Dennis Johnson’s entry at the ’69 Detroit Autorama was a unique 1:43 scale model car with a 1:24 scale engine jammed into it.

Issue 25

Fortified Forty

Deep in the darkness, the bold black coupe appeared, sitting low on a suspension modified to hold a heavy load.

Issue 25

Assid’s Truimph

It is an age-old idiom that necessity is the mother of invention.

Issue 25

Chris Ito’s three window coupe

We’ve all heard it said before: “The third time’s the charm.” This is often true for folks like myself who are still building skills of fabrication and metalworking.

Issue 25

Twisted Customs Coupe

It isn't very often that I spot a feature car in the swap meet of a car show, but that's exactly where I found this tidy Model A coupe - a promotional car built by the Kutztown, Pennsylvania based hot rod company Twisted Customs.

Issue 45

Scott Shaffer’s Gasser “A” Coupe

Story & Photos by Chadly Johnson Model A Fords are a cornerstone in the world of hot rodding and it seems they have been built every way imaginable.

Issue 12

Brian Darwas' 1932 Ford

Every time I make my way into New York City, there is one thing that is always at the top of my list of priorities; I have to get in touch with Brian Darwas to see what’s going on in his garage.

Issue 10

THE T-n-a coupe

I first spotted this little coupe at a car show called “The Grease Ball” in Baltimore, Maryland.

Issue 12

Tom Matroni's 1931 Ford Hot Rod

Few cars that I've seen in my many years of attending and participating in car shows make me think of the East Coast more than this coupe.

Issue 42

Grove Boys Willys

Ron Normann has owned some incredibly rare muscle cars, including Don Yenko’s personal (serial #1) ‘69 Camaro.

Issue 10

BOB STOLL'S TRACK-TOR

In Issue #7, Zombie offered his concept drawings of a tractor based Drag-tor.

Issue 42

Mark Guggenmos’ 1929 Model A Survivor Coupe

Seeking out survivor hot rods and customs to photograph has become a bit of an obsession over the years; an obsession that has introduced me to many amazing car clubs, collectors, and builders.

Issue 10

METEOR

I first saw the Meteor parked behind the bleachers several years ago at Famoso Raceway.

Issue 11

JEFF'S TRUMPET

British bikes hold a special place in my heart. I can't quite explain why.

Issue 10

RICH CONKLIN'S STREET FREAK

Street Freak. That's what they called 'em back in the 70's, and I remember reading about the "fad" in the old Hot Rod books while sitting in the school library.

Issue 12

A Matter of Perspective

Luck can be a matter of perspective. In a duel or a race, one can be lucky and win, and the other unlucky and lose.

Feature

Mag Dealers

For more information about becoming a dealer, please email kim@rodandkulture.com or call 805-238-7054.

Issue 8

Zombie's bsa

Why is it that, as gear heads, we just can’t seem to leave things alone?

Issue 42

Hot Rod Double Feature -Hardie & Voss

One thing we try to do at Rod and Kulture is to fill each issue with the best traditional hot rods, custom cars and motorcycles available to our readers.

Issue 12

Marty's 1933 Chevy Gasser!!!

Barn find cars seem to be all the rage these days. Apparently everyone in America has a barn with an old car in it.

Issue 11

FROM WINGS TO WHEELS

In racing parlance, what now a days is called a sprint car, back in the day was referred to as a "big car".

Issue 45

Dave Pelissier’s 1963 International Scout Drag Car

Story & Photos by Chadly Johnson Over the years it has been a real privilege to have attended many of the top nostalgia drag racing events in the US, but my hands down favorite is the Meltdown Drags, held at historic Byron Dragway in Byron, Illinois.

Issue 10

GOLDEN STAR

John D’Agostino and Oz Welch have been working together like peanut butter and jelly for quite some time, and their 7th collaboration, splashed across these glossy pages, is one of their best.

Issue 10

wick's 61 dodge gasser

If there is a moral to this particular hot rod story, it would be this: Be careful who you call a friend, because sometimes they can influence you in strange ways.

Issue 6

Bob Gleim

Bob Gleim's dream of building this hotrod started when he was just a small boy back in the mid 40's growing up in Glendale , California .

Issue 8

Dick's '40

OK folks, let’s say it’s the early to mid 1940’s somewhere in America and you’re a young guy returning home from WWII.

Issue 11

AN EASY CHOICE..

Hawaiian native Garran Soohoo was bitten by the hot rod bug in high school, and he has been infected ever since.

Issue 11

CLARK'S T

The name Clark Bates has come up more than once in this magazine.

Issue 6

The Pink Elephant

Bakersfield is a funny place. A city born from a low marshy spot in the valley, drained and converted into farmland and then transformed a second time with the onslaught of the oil rush.

Issue 10

FAMOSO SPEED SHOP GASSER

Randy Winkle says that his first exposure to a gasser-styled car came at a truck stop during a family trip when he was a kid.

Issue 12

keeping the torch

Chuck Gage’s late Uncle John was part of a car club that began in 1945.

Issue 11

THE SAPHIRE TATTOO

In 1993, an art show at the Laguna Art Museum rendered us a new term, “Kustom Kulture”.

Issue 11

matt winter's roadster

Is your daily driver a dry lakes racer? Or is you dry lakes racer a daily driver?

Issue 8

It's all hers.......

The project that wasn’t planned. That’s the opening description of Donnie’s 1964 Thunderbird.

Issue 8

the 204 car

The shot heard ‘round the world. That’s what comes to mind for many when you mention the Greek’s ChiZler, or “The 204 Car,” that’s splashed across these pages.

Issue 36

The Virginian

1965 was a pivotal year for me, I attended drag races with my dad for a few years and, like most young kids my age, was in love with the colorful gassers of the era.

Issue 4

The Pink Rod

Hot Rod stories. I happen to love them. It's the kind of thing that makes my heart race and my ears perk up in anticipation It's basically what I live for sometimes.

Issue 11

IT'S ALL IN THE FAMILY

For Bruce Boardman, it’s all about family. He was born in the hot bed of hot rodding, Southern California.

Issue 4

1934 Ford Three Window Coupe

They say that inspiration is where you can find it, and for Verne Hammond it was waiting to be found in the form of California 's early hot rodders.

Issue 8

a fine example

I’ll start off by saying that Bill Wishart is one heck of a nice guy.

Issue 4

Dick Lewis

I first met Dick Lewis at the Lehigh Valley Timing Associations 50 th anniversary show in May of 2005.

Issue 45

Fat Bastard – 1948 Anglia

Story & Photos by Daron Gray The Anglia pictured here is the byproduct of a lifelong hot rodding obsession.

Issue 4

Stude-a-Kustom

Did you ever wonder what a custom would look like if nearly every legendary builder had a part to play in its creation?

Issue 45

Chris Ito’s Rebel ’40 Ford

Story & Photos by Chadly Johnson In July 1948, a 21-year-old Larry Nicklin of Los Angeles purchased a former telephone company car off a used car lot for $225.

Issue 12

the art of vintage motorcycles

While Walt has enjoyed restoring & fixing period motorcycles in his spare time for years, his true passion lies in creating motorcycles of his own design.

Issue 4

Drifter’s Coupe, 1930 Ford Model A

After my weekend at the Injectors Car Club, I began asking myself “How can one club have so many great cars?” The Model A Coupe that appears on these pages is another of Mark Conforth's cars, filled with as much history as his others, but much closer to home.

Issue 45

Steve’s Ivo T-Bucket

Story by Randy Curran, Photos by Trent Sherrill Remember when you were a young tike and you got your first model car kit?

Issue 8

"the third one"

So you say that you have an old car? What’s that? You say it was built a long time ago?

Issue 10

'39 FORD THE FAMILY SEDAN

Sometimes in a sea of chopped and channeled hot rods, and gleaming multi-carb engines and metalflake paint, it’s the subtle that stands out.

Issue 11

BRENT'S '27

Occasionally parts that you discard from one project find their way back to you with another.

Issue 30

Motor City Model A

Four years ago, Bill Miller was looking for a new project path, after spending his time with motorcycles.

Issue 10

THE MICHIGANDER

"This is a bad disease and it does not go away. You can't get too old for it to go away." This is how Bud Barnes describes his life behind the steering yoke of a nitro burning, front engined top fuel dragster.

Issue 4

The Comet, 1929 Ford Model A Sedan

The beautiful sedan you see before you is named The Comet. This is not the original Comet that Gary's dad, Anthony Abato, had in 1954.

Issue 10

THE KANY ROADSTER

Some cars get names like the Purple People Eater, the Orange Crate, or the Green Monster.

Issue 8

david's '54

How many times have you heard "It's the journey, not the destination"?

Issue 12

Ted Burleson 40 Merc

Some of you might be looking at the beautiful maroon 40 Mercury on these pages and be saying to yourself "damn that car looks familiar"; while others of you might instantly recognize it as the Sam Barris- built "Matranga Merc" that won the 1951 Oakland auto…

Issue 8

pete harris' creamsicle

Being the guy that picks cars to shoot features for a magazine isn’t as easy as it may look.

Issue 11

BUNCH's '34

Aaron Bunch is no stranger to the world of hot rods. His father, Mack, has been building and driving hot rods all of Aaron's 22 years (and then some).

Issue 6

So What Coupe

Here's a car I followed from a bare body to a completed, running car.

Issue 1

Cosmic Concept

Harley Earl..paging Mr. Earl.. I have a few questions for you!

Issue 45

’32 Ford Coupe

Story by Randy Curran, Photos by Trent Sherrill Unlike new cars, hot rods are built with soul.

Issue 12

MEAN GREEN

Everyone likes to get their hands on some mean green. Rick Uyeda’s 1951 Ford Gasser changed hands many times as a project before he brought it home.

Issue 12

Homegrown

There is nothing better than homegrown, just ask Bruce Cox. He is a farmer by trade and knows quality homegrown produce.

Issue 11

AARON's COUPE

Aaron Von Minden works on cars all day long, but most of his work will never be seen by the public.

Issue 1

Jon Lee's Bobber

A son of a local biker inherited this sweet little bobber after his father lost his battle with cancer.

Issue 1

Andrew Krauss's Time Capsule

Another car show, and another car with history finds me. This is the story of Andrew Krauss's '31 Roadster.

Feature

Contacts

Publisher – Scott Stevens Editor – Zombie – Zombie@rodandkulture.com Art Direction/Design/Layout : Dave Plivelich & The Marcom Group Design Team: Josh Kim & Keith Brandon Associate Editors: Spike “Hoagie Beat Down” Kilmer, Marc Gewertz, Mike Parker, Lou Leto…