2008 Flyby!
SA HotRods magazine has cruised through its first year and what ride! I can’t believe a year has come and gone already. Its amazing how time flies when you have deadlines.
First off I want to say thanks for all the emails and support. SAHotRods.com has been busier than ever. 
We have heard from Rodders from all over South Africa, and even some from the home of Rodding, the USA! Keep sending us your Hot Rod pics and who knows, you could be in this magazine next.
While some people will be busy with Christmas shopping and holidays this festive season, most Rodders will be hard at work preparing their Rods for the Street Rod Nationals coming up. I hope you have all marked the 11th of April 2009 on your calendar, it looks like there is going to be a massive turnout. In fact, we have dedicated two pages to the ‘In the Garage’ section in this edition, as there are so many great projects on the go in preparation for this momentous SA Rodding event.
SA HotRods is a sucker for a road trip, so we could not pass up the opportunity to go on the Castrol Chicken Run. This trip took us all over SA and I fell in love with our country all over again. So my New Year’s Resolution, aside from stopping smoking, getting fit and building more Rods, is TAKE MORE ROAD TRIPS. There is a lot to see in SA so I recommend you tear a page out of this book!
Again we have scoured the land to find not only the best SA Rodding has to offer, but also the most unique and rare Rods out (or in hiding). We proudly bring you our cover car, the 1956 Chevy Nomad, the only one in SA! We met up with Monty Booth and his big block 1969 Camaro, and Seun van Rooyen shows us his 1936 Plymouth Coupe. We took a 1957 Buick on a drive to the country, and we found a gorgeous 3.5m Custom Chopper hiding in a barn. In our eternal commitment to the local Rodding scene, we have included some local Rodding businesses and events. Adding some international flavour, we feature the Hot August Nights Show in Reno and tell the story of the lucky travellers who got to go. Finally we pay tribute to SA Rodding legend and friend, Ivor Pringle.
As always an action-packed edition of SA HotRods, and as an added Christmas bonus to you all, we bring you a generous sprinkling of Santa’s little helpers throughout this magazine. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, drive safe, and keep Rodding!
Joe van Zyl
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RODDING TERMINOLOGYRodders have their own language and identity. They are tough nuts to crack, unless you speak their language. Get your guide to Rodding lingo in the Christmas edition of SA HotRods magazine. Supplied by the Street Rod Factory, this is the first in a series of 'Street Speak' articles which we will be publishing over the next few editions. |
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IVOR PRINGLE: A Rodding LegendIvor Pringle’s determination to follow his Hot Rod dreams has inspired many South African Rodders, resulting in him having a major impact on the local Rodding scene. He was the first person in SA to manufacture fibreglass moulds for Hot Rods, and sacrificed a great deal to pursue this passion. |
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IN AWE OF A 454 - the 1969 Chevy Camaro SSMonty Booth needed a Camaro for his incredible car collection, so when a friend had a ‘69 Camaro RS for sale, Monty snapped it up. The car had been stripped to nothing, but after years of hard work, plenty of headaches and a lot of ‘grocery shopping’, Monty now has a Camaro with an unforgettable, gut-wrenching roar. |
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THE CASTROL CHICKEN RUNThe 5FM Castrol Chicken Run may not have consisted of a convoy of Hot Rods and Muscle Cars, but it embodied the true spirit of ‘road trip’. That is, a group of like-minded individuals who take to the road to explore the countryside and have a great time doing it. SA HotRods brought their own Muscle to the trip with the gorgeous new Chevy Lumina SS Ute. |
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ONLY YOU - the 1956 Chevy NomadEven in the birthplace of the Chevy Nomad, finding one is not an easy task, and finding one outside of America is almost unheard of. It was a joke that pushed owner George von Backstrom to seek out the Nomad, and legendary Hot Rod builder, Tinus van Dyk, took this car from being nicely restored, to a work of art. |
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BODY TECH: HammerformsIn the next SA HotRods Body Tech article, sheet metal specialist Barry Ashmole tells us about Hammerforming – how to shape sheet metal into complex shapes. He will discuss what it is, why it is done, the tools needed, and demonstrate how to create a male and female shape using Hammerforming. |
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IN HEAVEN WITH A '37 - the 1937 Plymouth CoupeA Hot Rod with its heritage intact, a perfect blend of old and new, it is always the attention to detail that sets one Hot Rod apart from another and Seun van Rooyen’s ’37 Plymouth Coupe is no exception. |
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MOTOR TECH: Why Valve TimingDid you know that changing the valve timing on your motor can improve its performance? |
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HOT AUGUST NIGHTSReno is sent back to the 50’s where cars are the stars and rock ‘n roll ruled. Judged the number one special classic car show and nostalgia event in the United States, Reno Hot August Nights is not just a car show, but an all-round spectacle where baby boomers and other revellers take over the entire town to relive the 50’s and 60’s. |
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THE BANKERS HOT ROD - the 1957 Buick CenturyTo modern day Rodders, this may not be a Hot Rod, as this gorgeous 1957 Buick Century has hardly been modified or customised. But back in the 50’s, when Buick created the fastest Buick of its era, it became known as the ‘Banker’s Hot Rod’. |
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DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS - Jet's ChopperWhen word got around that a world-class custom-built Chopper was tucked away on a quiet farm in Stellenbosch, the first to track the beast to its lair was SA HotRods. Jet Pieters commissioned Ronny Lehman to build this dream machine and his only requirements were that it must be long, low and wide. Building Custom Choppers is Lehman’s passion and he created the most radical Custom Chopper SA HotRods has ever seen. |
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