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General Auto History

The History and Origins of The Hot Rods, Customs and Modifieds

Back in the thirties, a few mechanically inclined young men with limited budgets, went to the wrecking yards to put parts of vehicles like the Model T's and Model A's together and build their own creative versions of the automobile. This was the beginning of the American Hot Rod Hobby.

In the early 1940's, a continued interest in these modified vehicles called hot rods, resulted in adaptations of all types of vehicles. These changes and adaptations of autos included fenders missing, bumpers missing, hoods opened and engines tweaked and adjusted for speed.

In the late 1940's hot rods began to show custom grills, changed headlights, missing and swapped hub caps, and performance adjustments to the engines. These Hot Rod mechanics were just beginning to show their creative abilities as they applied their skills to customizing the automobile.

The men returning from WW II were raring to get a hold of the auto and show what they could do to demonstrate the creative ideas they had been dreaming. The 1940's Fords and 1941 Mercuries as well as the early Fords were candidates for these new energies that were directed toward customizing the automobile. Initially, attention to the engines was centralized around performance.

Later and today the main interest in the engines has turned from racing and performance to show. Vehicles were charged in a multitude of creative ways: chopped tops, lowered chasis, shaved, flamed, scalloped, and dropped. The vehicles were hammered and raked all resulting in uniquely attractive and beautiful works of art.

Today, the street rods and custom vehicles have come to include: street rods, street machines, customs, hi-boys, lakesters, lead sleds, low riders, t-buckets, tubsters, cruisers, woodys, dueces, fat fenders, stove bolts, shoe boxes, coupes and sedans, convertibles and pamper show cars. JC Taylor insures them all.