15 Events That Changed Hot Rodding Forever

How did we cook up this crazy stew of racing, high performance, modifications, and speed lust called hot rodding? How did we become so connected with our vehicles and so passionate about their function and form?

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It’s human nature to seek a singular answer to complex questions like these. Though we’ll never find just one explanation, by simply asking the questions we will gain understanding about what we truly are as hot rodders and what comes next for us.

There have been countless actions and events that have defined hot rodding. Some were glorious successes filled with horsepower and heroes. Others came with tragedy, or looked as though they might kill hot rodding before they helped it. There were also a multitude of rules, imposed not by a sanctioning body, but by our own government trying to save us from ourselves. All of these things and more made hot rodding what it is today. On the following pages are 15 crucial moments in our time line, some of which you may not have realized were directly tied to hot rodding, yet they all changed it in very definite ways.

1930s // The Forming of the SCTA

If you wanted to go fast in the ’30s and were lucky enough to actually have something to go fast with, then the outlying barren streets and corn-lined roads were the place. Unless you wanted real competition with timed sprints and even a few spectators. Oh, and you wanted to do it legally, unlike the forays outside of town. In that case, the dry lakes just outside of Los Angeles beckoned. In 1931, the Muroc Racing Association (MRA) was formed by George Wight, who owned Bell Auto Parts (one of the first speed shops), and George Riley, the designer and manufacturer of overhead conversions for Model As. Their first lakes meet was the following year. Initially, there were not any clubs or real organization holding the event together. It was a loose, independent group of hot rodders, with planning by a volunteer group under the auspices of the MRA.

Clubs eventually formed, which helped with the planning of meets, but Wight and Riley had their mutually burgeoning businesses to contend with and folded the MRA in 1937.

After their final meet, the seven clubs present decided to merge to form the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA), a nonprofit California Corporation. You could call this hot rodding’s Big Bang; from this banding of clubs came more organized meets, prompting promotion and excitement, which built upon itself.

By the middle of 1938, there were 23 clubs in the SCTA. Though halted for the war effort, enough meets, clubs, trophies, and fast cars had triumphed to spread the word between GIs, and that sparked the explosion of interest and participation once the war was over.

1930s // The Development of Fiberglass

The ancient Phoenicians and Egyptians both made glass and were able to make glass strands or fibers, so the origins of fiberglass go back that far. But the mass production of glass strands started in 1870, and by the 1930s numerous companies were experimenting with weaving the strands into a cloth-like material. Two of those companies merged in 1938 to form Owens-Corning, and by the time World War II started, they had found heat-treating the cloth made the material useful in the reinforcement of plastic laminates.

Concurrently with the development of fiberglass cloth, DuPont was awarded a patent for polyester resin. Once the war started, the British were able to steal secret recipes for resins the Germans were developing that refined the curing process. By the end of 1942, Owens-Corning was making fiberglass aircraft parts for the war effort.

1940s // World War II

How could something so bad result in something so good? WWII laid the foundation for hot rodding in so many ways you would almost think it was a plot schemed up by Wally Parks himself. Focused team management, surplus parts, new techniques and materials, word-of-mouth hot rodding, centralized aircraft manufacturing—and there’s more.

Soldiers returning home were different from when they left. They had money in their pockets, and many had picked up skills to fabricate or wrench. But they also needed an outlet to vent steam and something to help them erase the horrors of war. Some had also felt the exhilaration of speed, flight, and mobility and wanted to experience more of that on the ground, at home, and with pals who could participate with or against them in competition. It was like hot rodding was handed a full-course meal of opportunity.

Add the weather in sunny SoCal and its proximity to the assorted dry lakes due east, and you have all of the elements for hot rod heaven. Without the war creating this perfect storm, who knows how hot rodding would have—or wouldn’t have—developed.

1950s // The Duntov Letter

“Thoughts Pertaining to Youth, Hot Rodders, and Chevrolet”: This was the title of a three-page letter dated December 13, 1953, and sent to Chevrolet management outlining how Chevy needed to make performance parts available to hot rodders previously running flathead Fords, which would popularize the new small-block. It was written by Zora Arkus Duntov, considered the father of the Corvette and high-performance ramrod within the hallowed halls of Chevrolet. The basic philosophy put forth in that letter spurred on countless performance options and models, as well as framing the Corvette in a more aggressive package as a “halo car” representing the sexy side of Chevy right up to today.

It seems like a no-brainer, but back in the early ’50s NASCAR and the NHRA were just small groups of hayseed, backyard rabble-rouser to the suits in Detroit. IndyCar racing was exotic cars with little connection to selling four-door sedans, and it was still hard for the OEs to equate fast cars generating fast showroom sales.

Of course, now we know that Chevy’s small-block changed hot rodding in many ways. Acting as a guiding light, Duntov helped Chevrolet management grasp the significance of what they could do with it by putting his thoughts into that letter.

1950s // NHRA Fuel Ban in 1957

The “Devil’s Kool-Aid” was deemed too dangerous and potentially a press nightmare for an organization touting its safety and righteousness, so the NHRA banned the outright use of nitromethane as a fuel in 1957. Juice, cackle, pop, joy juice, CH3NO2, call it what you want, it was trouble in a can to the NHRA. Outlawed drag racers running the yellow stuff continued using it at non-NHRA-sanctioned tracks and proceeded to run faster times, raising the neck hairs higher on the growing amount of fans drawn to the smells, sounds, and speeds nitro created.

Gas-fueled dragsters running mid-10s at 140 mph at the beginning of the ban were up to 185 mph with times in the 8s six years later, but fuelers could hit the 7s with 190-mph speeds all day long.

Innovative gas racers started producing many novel attempts—like multi-engine configurations or running four rear tires—to return to the fast e.t. trajectory halted by the nitro ban, but the times were the same as conventional single-engine cars because of the added weight these extra parts bestowed. The one-engine configuration won out because it was simpler and cheaper.

Diversity, outlaw tracks, heated technology development on both sides of the ban, and recognition that nitro was the choice of champions (and happy spectators) ended the ban at the ’63 NHRA Winternationals in Pomona—then entirely for the ’64 race season.

1950s // ’59 NHRA Nationals Held in Detroit

Wally Parks had made it known since the inception of the NHRA that he wanted more participation from the Detroit manufacturers, and toward that end exported the NHRA Nationals event to Detroit, essentially bringing the show to their doorstep in 1959. Parks always framed the NHRA mainly as a sanctioning body for amateur racers to take their daily driver to the quarter-mile. He tied that philosophy with Detroit, and the rest is history. Soon there were “Swiss Cheese” Pontiacs, Super Stock and Ramcharger Mopars, and Thunderbolt Fords.

By exposing the Detroit manufacturers to the crowds, excitement, professionalism, and unlimited potential drag racing represented, the Motor City couldn’t brush it off as some kids in California racing on abandoned airstrips and turn a blind eye to it. To this day, GM, Ford, Chrysler, and even Toyota are involved in drag racing in some way, either through sponsorships, help with component development, or manufacturing race cars like the Cobra Jet Mustangs, Challenger Drag Pak, and COPO Camaros.

By looping Detroit into the specter of drag racing, it brought in more money through sponsorship and advertising, higher-performing OE cars and parts, and legitimacy—something Parks was desperately seeking for drag racing to help squash its bad reputation.

1960s // Youth and Surf Culture

Inextricably tied together were the surf culture and hot rods as the ’60s dawned. Not so much in practice, but culturally, as portrayed in America’s first recognition of the “youth culture.” American International Pictures, in particular, devoted its efforts to capturing the youth market with adolescent subject matter, which could be counted on featuring everything related to surfing and hot rods, along with some lame dialogue and plenty of scenes featuring bikini-clad girls, hunky boys, and actress (and former Mickey Mouse Club member) Annette Funicello. Beach Blanket Bingo, Beach Party, and Muscle Beach Party were just some of the movies blending surfing and hot rods. By the mid ’60s, hot rods, dragsters, and racing could be found on TV sitcoms and Disney movies, ensuring their exposure and induction into mainstream society.

1960s // Muscle-Car Advertising

Racing has always been an integral part of automobile manufacturing, but just as the manufacturers were developing the overhead V8 with dreams of high performance for the masses, the American Manufacturers Association (AMA) dictated there be no more advertising of racing, race-car drivers, and race wins—unilaterally banning manufacturers from supporting racing in 1957. So even with such great cars as the J2 Oldsmobiles, letter-series Chrysler 300s, and fuel-injected Chevys of the ’50s, they were only tacitly publicized.

As the ban began to evaporate, Detroit marketed and advertised its high-performance offerings in the mid ’60s with subliminal signals that telegraphed around the world how much better your life could be, and how much better you’d be viewed driving a fast Ford, Chevy, or Chrysler.

The revocation of the ban and introduction of the GTO, Mustang, big-block Chevys, and so forth ushered in a wave of fast dreams and horsepower high jinks. The race was on, and we don’t mean on the track. The car manufacturers wanted to have the coolest, fastest, most outrageously decorated series of high-performance cars for every taste and pocketbook. Straight-line performance and inspiration was broadcast into every household, mainlining and mainstreaming hot rodding.

What was only 10 years earlier deemed a scourge was now touted by the increasingly imaginative advertising coming out of all of the car companies. Studebaker went to Bonneville, and Oldsmobile had Dr. Olds creating scary-fast cars in his lab. There were Road Runners and Cobras, Barracudas and Z/28s. It was the golden age of the muscle car. It was a 180 spin that hailed Woodward Avenue, drag racing, Richard Petty, and Trans-Am racing.

1970s // 10 Movies That Changed Hot Rodding

Though car chases have been in movies since the days of the Keystone Cops in the silent era, one movie, Bullitt, really launched the elaborate car-chase scene. In the process, it further ingrained fast cars into the psyche of America and spiked movie ticket sales (and possibly speeding tickets) around the world. Starring Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, and Jacqueline Bisset, the 10 minutes and 53 seconds of high-speed mayhem directed by Peter Yates ignited a gang of movies with significant chases. Just check out the movies Bullitt spawned in immediate succession: Vanishing Point (1971), The French Connection (1971), a little known movie The Master Touch (1972) with a great chase scene, The Seven Ups (1973), Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974), Gone in 60 Seconds (1974), Roger Corman’s Eat My Dust (1976), Ron Howard’s Grand Theft Auto (1977), and The Driver (1978).

1970s // How Safety, Emissions, and the Energy Crisis Helped Hot Rodding

How could two government-mandated requirements forced on Detroit and then a nationwide fuel crisis have been good for hot rodding? Congress enacted the Clean Air Act in 1971 and followed with a sucker punch by the Environmental Protection Agency to clamp down on emissions caused by internal-combustion engines. With little time to comply, the car companies were forced to compromise the performance and, in some cases, driveability of new cars in the name of cleaner tailpipe compliance.

In 1968, the precursor agency to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s first Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards took effect. These required shoulder belts for front-seat vehicle occupants, side-marker lights, collapsible steering columns, and other safety features. Then in ’69, head restraints for front outboard passengers, addressing the problem of whiplash in rear-end collisions, were also mandated. By ’73, we were witness to the locomotive bumpers and side-door impact beams required by the National Traffic and Highway Safety Administration.

The results of all of these safety and emissions integration into cars was in some cases the compromise of styling, performance, additional weight, and a price increase to help cover the underlying costs and development.

Initially, the aftermarket viewed all of this as the beginning of the end of American performance cars. For years after being able to buy 400hp muscle cars, the epitome of power and performance from Detroit came in the 180–200hp range.

Soon, however, the aftermarket pursued a new mantra of better performance, engine efficiency, and improved emissions—without the constipated, retarded timing, and poor performance of stock new cars. Edelbrock created its own emissions-testing lab to go along with dyno testing in determining not only performance gains but emissions improvements too. Edelbrock even touted it in its advertising, which captured the attention of those who purchased new cars and were more than a little disappointed in their performance. With some help from the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA), the aftermarket was allowed to continue manufacturing components that met all of the criteria the government mandated if it was shown not to induce excess emissions.

Once the car manufacturers had time to develop computers reliable enough to withstand the functions and physical demands found in a normal car environment, timing, spark, variable-valve timing, and everything we have come to expect in modern cars became a reality, which in turn allowed those of us who can’t leave well enough alone to start modifying the computers that control our cars.

1970s // Racing Rivalries

Champion versus Autolite, Engle Cams versus Isky, Firestone versus Goodyear Tire—all of these famous rivalries helped to push product and define the internal pride represented in each company. In exposing their own qualities and achievements, this played into the competitive instincts we all possess. In much the same way as fans root for their hometown teams and superstars, the cam wars, tire wars, et al, attracted another level of fandom within drag racing and NASCAR. Sure, there was the Ford versus Chevy versus Dodge camaraderie, but these mostly phony feuds added further fuel to the fire of fanaticism. Also, the money spent to establish who or what was the best also added dollars to the coffers of the establishments and publications they were contained in, which brought further recognition and fan appreciation.

1970s // Sponsorship and Contingency Packages

In the ’20s, you could see “Frontenac” or “Studebaker” emblazoned on the sides of Indy roadsters. Then just before WWII, parts and lubricants stickers started showing up on the cowls of race cars

In drag racing, there were modest sponsorship deals in the ’50s—like Maurice Richer’s Nesbitt’s Orange Special and, of course, Don Garlits Wynn’s Jammer. For most racers, success meant some free parts and that was the extent of early sponsorship. Contingency money, or what was known as “decal money,” soon became available from parts, oil, tire companies, and other corporate interests involved in racing to help maintain the amateur status of drag racing Wally Parks always felt was necessary. You could win contingency money if you used a company’s product, ran its decal, and, most importantly, you won.

But things changed in the sponsorship arena the day Tom McEwen popped into Mattel Toys with a proposal to sponsor his and Don Prudhomme’s Funny Cars. McEwen had found sponsorship the year before with both Tirend Activity Booster and Gold Spot Breath Freshener, whose money fed both a Funny Car and dragster. With the advent of the Hot Wheels deal, it was apparent that sponsorship money rested beyond drag-racing-related companies, and soon the floodgates opened horizontally to beverage makers, fast-food chains, and so on. With the big money came the racers’ ability to seek greater technology, creating the need for still more sponsorship money, and on and on.

The other breakthrough in drag racing for sponsorship came a decade later through the efforts of racer Kenny Bernstein. Television coverage was ramping up with NHRA’s Diamond P Sports broadcasts on cable and coverage on the major networks. Bernstein looked at the demographics of drag racing—that being the 18 to 34 year old, predominately male, and then sought a product sponsor who coveted that demo. When you say “Bud,” you’ve said it all. From an initial sponsorship deal split between Roy Harris and himself, Bernstein had the exclusive sponsorship of Budweiser by 1981.

With this unprecedented stream of cash came Dale Armstrong as crew chief, aerodynamics testing, myriad engine configurations and experiments, and electronics in the form of a data recorder, and more—all made possible by the influx of sponsorship money.

1980s // The SEMA Show Becomes a Scene

The SEMA Show was never intended to be like it is now—the aftermarket juggernaut marketing phantasmagoria of parts, pulchritude, and promotion, with a bunch of plain old speed parts purveyors thrown in. It started as a small card table and handmade signs affair to showcase aftermarket and speed parts, located in the basement of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. But as it grew, it demanded more hoopla, glitz, and space. With its relocation to the Las Vegas Convention Center, its after-hours parties, seminars, previews, product launches, and excess was in keeping with its locale. By the early ’80s, the car manufacturers determined that the SEMA Show was in some cases attended by more than their “Top 10” shows in places like Paris and Frankfort. With that realization, their participation expanded and the eyes of mainstream media and OE parts suppliers increased.

Within the next few years, there was an overflow of show vehicles necessitating their placement outside, and that became a whole show unto itself by the early ’90s.

Today the show takes up more than 1 million square feet, draws more than 3,000 media, and has a buyer attendance in excess of 60,000. More than 2,000 exhibitors, occupying in excess of 10,000 booths help spike attendance to more than 100,000 manufacturers, buyers, and other industry representatives.

1990s // The Internet

Obviously, the Internet has changed the way we buy our cars, components, receive our information, and how we keep our friends apprised of every stage of our project’s development. In many cases, the swap meet has been replaced by eBay and Craigslist, eliminating the need to hoard cars and parts because those once impossibly rare and unobtainable cars and components are now just a click away. Catalogs and repair manuals are neatly filed online or on a disc, eliminating the need for carving out a corner of your shop for shelves of books. And don’t forget your favorite magazines now have vast websites with huge amounts of information and entertainment. At least HotRod.com does.

2000s // The Rise Of Turbocharging

Most Americans’ introduction to turbocharging was through the ’62 Corvair and Olds Jetfire, both offering turbos as options. Reliability problems meant they were soon withdrawn from production. Turbos started their slow creep into power-adder respectability in the ’70s with their use in both Formula 1 and LeMans. By the ’80s, each car corporation had at least one turbocharged car in its arsenal—like the Omni/Horizon GLH, Buick Grand National, and SVO Mustangs and Thunderbirds. But those numbers were still small. By 2012, more than 3 million cars were sold in the U.S. with turbos. What happened?

Gas prices, for one thing. Less resistance from traditional engine builders as the merits are better understood, the prices go down, and availability and variety go up. By using exhaust gases to increase air flow into the combustion chambers for more power, efficiency, and reduced pollution, the turbo becomes an even better option when you consider that it’s decoupled from displacement and parasitic robbing as with a supercharger.

The efficiencies have allowed the manufacturers to offer smaller-displacement engines with better fuel economy, performance, and efficiency—all things needed in the ever-increasing demand for the most performance for the least amount of cost and environmental damage.

Technologies Shaping Our Future

Welding Became Easy

Enabling weekend warriors everywhere to stick metal together, the MIG welder is one modern tool every hot rodder should have in the garage. You can learn on your own or have a buddy show you; either way, you don’t have to rely on a pro to get a little metalwork done. Start small and plug some holes, then go nuts and chop tops or even build your own chassis.

“Bondo” Is No Longer a Bad Word

We can’t all be as cool as Bill Hines, working the lead puddle with a cigar hanging out of his mouth. While a fully metalworked hot rod is the ultimate in traditional building, craftsmen who can do so are few. And lead is not without problems of its own, like shadowing paint or creating bubbles. For the other 99 percent of us, there are the durable and easy-to-work plastic body fillers of today. “Bondo” might be a naughty word to some, but face it, all the pro shops use it. When used correctly, there’s nothing wrong with using plastic filler.

Likewise, modern urethane paint is stronger, easier to use, and gives a deeper shine than the old acrylic paint materials. Of course, if you must have that period-perfect look, by all means shoot an acrylic paint job on your ride. Just know the differences and decide on the look you’re after first, because using urethane can make your life easier.

Home Garages Became Fab Shops

It used to be that only a professional tin-bender possessed tools like a beadroller, sheetmetal brake, or English wheel. They were usually huge, heavy-duty machines, but now companies like Eastwood, Harbor Freight, and Baileigh have made hobbyist versions available to the masses. Thank the Discovery Channel for showing us all these cool tools we didn’t know we needed, and then thank these companies for bringing tools like the affordable, vice-mounted shrinker/stretcher shown above.

The Digital Rendering Improves Design

Back in the ’50s, car designers spent all day sketching car designs by hand and even drawing them in full scale on the walls. They still do it today, both by hand and digitally, but another set of talented guys have taken it upon themselves to offer this service to regular hot rodders. With a tablet and digital-rendering software like Photoshop, these tech-savvy artists can help you design your ride from the ground up, saving tons of time, money, and mistakes before you put Sawzall to sheetmetal.

Computer Hacking Unlocks EFI

As soon as car manufacturers put a computer in a car, some hot rodder cracked it open and tried to make it better. Tuning has changed a lot from the early days, and now you can flash your ECU and record data to send to your tuner via email. All you need are the proper cables and software, a laptop, and an Internet connection. You can also sift through the data to see what your engine is doing under various conditions and tweak it yourself.

Go Pro Shows Us Everything

You can mount these small, lightweight cameras nearly anywhere, say on a rollcage or even right to the side of a car using super-strong suction cups. The idea is to capture an amazing moment to share, but it’s just as easy to catch all the mistakes you made blasting down the track too. Even if you don’t capture yourself being a badass on four wheels, you can still review the footage and look for improvements from the comfort of a computer monitor.

Carbon Fiber

This high-tech composite works much like fiberglass, only it’s lighter and stronger. Like 6061 aluminum, carbon fiber was once reserved for the aerospace industry, but the technology has trickled down to the point that materials are relatively affordable and a competent shop can turn out a nice part. Think of it as Formula 1 tech that you can utilize on your own hot rod.

One-Off Parts No More

Love it or hate it, it’s changed the face of hot rodding. Some use it as a “look,” but you have to appreciate the ability CNC machining has given the aftermarket to crank out accurate parts. Motor mounts, hood hinges, wheels or trim, CNC machining is another of those “good” or “evil” technologies that has undeniably left its mark on the hot rod world. Keith Charvonia

Computer-Aided Design Merges Engineer and Designer

Early CNC-machined hot rod parts looked like they were designed around the end mills that were loaded in the machine, but that was because programming was rudimentary. With more advanced CAD software came the ability to make nicer shapes, hence better-looking parts. Today’s designers truly manhandle their CAD suites to produce aftermarket performance parts on par with the OEMs. There are still ugly CNC parts, of course. Remember, CAD is just another tool and it’s all about how you use it.