
Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimised for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and made to go much faster." However, there is no definition of the term that is universally accepted and the term is attached to a wide range of vehicles.
Most often they are individually designed and constructed using components from many makes of old or new cars, and are most prevalent in the United States and Canada.
Many are intended for exhibition rather than for racing or everyday driving.
The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. For example, some say that the term "hot" refers to the vehicle's being stolen. Other origin stories include replacing the engine's
camshaft
A camshaft is a shaft that contains a row of pointed cams, in order to convert rotational motion to reciprocating motion. Camshafts are used in piston engines (to operate the intake and exhaust valves), mechanically controlled ignition systems ...
or "rod" with a higher performance version. According to the Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) the term changes in meaning over the years, but "hot rodding has less to do with the vehicle and more to do with an attitude and lifestyle." For example, hot rods were favorites for
greasers.
The term has broadened to apply to other items that are modified for a particular purpose, such as "hot-rodded
amplifier
An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It may increase the power significantly, or its main effect may be to boost th ...
".
Etymology
There are various theories about the origin of the term "hot rod". The common theme is that "hot" related to "hotting up" a car, which means modifying it for greater performance. One theory is that "rod" means
roadster,
a lightweight 2-door car which was often used as the basis for early hot rods. Another theory is that "rod" refers to
camshaft
A camshaft is a shaft that contains a row of pointed cams, in order to convert rotational motion to reciprocating motion. Camshafts are used in piston engines (to operate the intake and exhaust valves), mechanically controlled ignition systems ...
,
a part of the engine which was often upgraded in order to increase power output.
In the early days, a car modified for increased performance was called a "gow job". This term morphed into the hot rod in the early to middle 1950s.
The term "hot rod" has had various uses in relation to performance cars. For example, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment in its vehicle emissions regulations refers to a hot rod as any motorized vehicle that has a replacement engine differing from the factory original.
History
1920s to 1945
The predecessors to the hotrod were the modified cars used in the
Prohibition era
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic be ...
by
bootleg
Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to:
* Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially
* Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence:
** Moonshine, or illicitly made a ...
gers to evade
revenue agent
''Revenue Agent'' is a 1950 American film directed by Lew Landers.
Plot
The accountant's wife is having an affair with his boss. In retribution the husband calls the Internal Revenue Service to expose a large tax evasion racket to smuggle gold b ...
s and other law enforcement.
Hot rods first appeared in the late 1930s in southern
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
, where people raced modified cars on dry lake beds northeast of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
, under the rules of the
Southern California Timing Association
Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) is a competition sanctioning body that maintains rules and record for Land Speed Racing events held at El Mirage Dry Lake, California and at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. It is a non-profit, volun ...
(SCTA), among other groups. This gained popularity after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, particularly in California, because many returning soldiers had received technical training.
The first hot rods were old cars (most often
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
s, typically 1910s-1920s
Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...
s, 1928–31
Model As, or 1932-34
Model Bs), modified to reduce weight. Engine swaps often involved fitting the
Ford flathead V8 engine
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
(known as the "flatty") into a different car, for example, the common practice in the 1940s of installing the
"60 horse" version into a
Jeep
Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Motors ...
chassis.
Typical modifications were removal of
convertible tops,
hood
Hood may refer to:
Covering
Apparel
* Hood (headgear), type of head covering
** Article of academic dress
** Bondage hood, sex toy
* Hoodie, hooded sweatshirt
Anatomy
* Clitoral hood, a hood of skin surrounding the clitoris
* Hood, a flap of ...
s,
bumper
Bumper or Bumpers may refer to:
People
* Betty Bumpers (1925-2018), American activist, First Lady of Arkansas, wife of Dale Bumpers
* Dale Bumpers (1925–2016), American politician, governor of Arkansas and senator
* Bumper Robinson (born 1974 ...
s,
windshield
The windshield (North American English) or windscreen (Commonwealth English) of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike, truck, train, boat or streetcar is the front window, which provides visibility while protecting occupants from the elements. ...
s, and/or
fender
Fender may refer to:
Transport
* Fender (boating), a bumper used to keep boats from banging into docks or each other
* Fender (vehicle) or wing, a part of a motor vehicle that frames a wheel well
* Fender, a "cow catcher" on a tram, see Pilot (lo ...
s;
channeling the body; and modifying the
engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...
by
tuning
Tuning can refer to:
Common uses
* Tuning, the process of tuning a tuned amplifier or other electronic component
* Musical tuning, musical systems of tuning, and the act of tuning an instrument or voice
** Guitar tunings
** Piano tuning, adjusting ...
and/or replacing with a more powerful type.
Wheel
A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to be ...
s and
tire
A tire (American English) or tyre (British English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide traction on the surface over which t ...
s were changed for improved
traction
Traction may refer to:
Engineering
*Forces:
** Traction (engineering), adhesive friction or force
** Traction vector, in mechanics, the force per unit area on a surface, including normal and shear components
* Traction motor, an electric motor ...
and handling. Hot rods built before 1945 commonly used '35 Ford
wire-spoke wheels.
1945 to 1960

After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, many small military airports throughout the country were either abandoned or rarely used, allowing hot rodders across the country to race on marked courses. Originally,
drag racing had tracks as long as or more, and included up to four lanes of racing simultaneously. As some hot rodders also raced on the street, a need arose for an organization to promote safety, and to provide venues for safe racing. The
National Hot Rod Association
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motors ...
was founded in 1951, to take drag racing off the streets and into controlled environments.
In the '50s and '60s, the Ford flathead V8 was supplanted by the
Chrysler FirePower engine
The Chrysler Hemi engines, known by the trademark Hemi, are a series of American V8 gasoline engines built by Chrysler with overhead valve hemispherical combustion chambers. Three different types of Hemi engines have been built by Chrysler ...
(known as the "early hemi"). Many hot rods would upgrade the brakes from mechanical to hydraulic ("juice") and headlights from bulb to sealed-beam.
[Shelton, Chris. "Then, Now, and Forever" in ''Hot Rod'', March 2017, pp.18 and 20.] A typical mid-1950s to early 1960s custom
Deuce
Deuce, Deuces, or The Deuce may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Deuce, in the '' Danger Girl'' comic book series
* Deuce, a character in ''Shake It Up''
* Deuce, in the '' Wild Cards'' science fiction universe
* Deuce Bi ...
was fenderless and steeply chopped, powered by a Ford or Mercury flathead,
[Shelton, p.20.] with an
Edelbrock
Edelbrock, LLC is an American manufacturer of specialty automotive and motorcycle parts. The company is headquartered in Olive Branch, Mississippi, with a Southern California R&D Tech Center located in Cerritos, CA. The Edelbrock Sand Cast and ...
intake manifold
In automotive engineering, an inlet manifold or intake manifold (in American English) is the part of an engine that supplies the fuel/ air mixture to the cylinders. The word ''manifold'' comes from the Old English word ''manigfeald'' (from th ...
,
Harman and Collins
Harman may refer to:
People
* Harman (surname)
Places
* Harman, Australian Capital Territory
* Hărman, Romania
* Harman, West Virginia
* Harmans, Maryland
* Harman, Virginia
* Harman's Cross, Dorset, England
Other uses
* Harman Interna ...
magneto
A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...
, and
Halibrand
Halibrand is an American maker of racing wheels and quick-change rearend housings.
Halibrand started in Culver City, California in 1946. Its first product was a magnesium wheel for Indy cars, as a replacement for the wire wheels then commonplace ...
quick-change
differential
Differential may refer to:
Mathematics
* Differential (mathematics) comprises multiple related meanings of the word, both in calculus and differential geometry, such as an infinitesimal change in the value of a function
* Differential algebra
* ...
. Front suspension hairpins were adapted from
sprint car
Sprint cars are high-powered open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia, New ...
s, such as the
Kurtis Kraft
Kurtis Kraft was an American designer and builder of race cars. The company built midget cars, quartermidgets, sports cars, sprint cars, Bonneville cars, and USAC Championship cars. It was founded by Frank Kurtis when he built his own mid ...
s.
As hot rodding became more popular, magazines and associations catering to hot rodders were started, such as the magazine
''Hot Rod'', founded in 1948.
1960 to present
As automobiles offered by the major automakers began increasing performance, the lure of hot rods began to wane.
With the advent of the
muscle car
Muscle car is a description according to ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'' that came to use in 1966 for "a group of American-made two-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." The '' Britannica Dictionary'' ...
, it was now possible to purchase a high-performance car straight from the showroom.
However, the
1973 Oil Crisis caused car manufacturers to focus on fuel efficiency over performance, which led to a resurgence of interest in hot rodding.
As the focus shifted away from racing, the modified cars became known as "street rods". The
National Street Rod Association
The National Street Rod Association or NSRA is an organization that hosts a number of Hot Rod and Muscle Car shows in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or Ameri ...
(NSRA) was formed and began hosting events.
By the 1970s, the
small-block Chevy V8 was the most common choice of engine for hot rods. Another popular engine choice is the
Ford Windsor engine
The Ford small-block (aka Windsor V8) is a series of 90° overhead valve small block V8 automobile engines manufactured by the Ford Motor Company from July 1961 to December 2000.
Designed as a successor to the Ford Y-block engine, it was f ...
. During the 1980s, many car manufacturers were reducing the
displacements of their engines, thus making it harder for hot rod builders to obtain large displacement engines. Instead, engine builders had to modify the smaller engines (such as using non-standard
crankshafts and
piston
A piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors, hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving component that is contained by a cylinder and is made gas- ...
s) to obtain larger displacement. While current production V8s tended to be the most frequent candidates, this also applied to others. In the mid-1980s, as stock engine sizes diminished, rodders discovered the aluminum-block
Buick or Oldsmobile V8 could be modified for substantially greater displacement, with mainly wrecking yard parts. This trend was not limited to American cars; Volkswagen enthusiasts similarly stretched stock 1600cc engines to over two liters.
In modern culture

There is still a vibrant hot rod culture worldwide, especially in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Sweden. The hot rod community has now been subdivided into two main groups: street rodders and hot rodders.
Lifestyle
There is a contemporary movement of traditional hot rod builders, car clubs and artists who have returned to the roots of hot rodding as a lifestyle. This includes a new breed of traditional hot rod builders, artists, and styles, as well as classic style car clubs. Events like
GreaseOrama feature traditional hot rods and the
greaser lifestyle. Magazines like ''
Ol' Skool Rodz
''Ol' Skool Rodz'' is a bimonthly magazine that has been published since 2003, first by Geno DiPol and Koolhouse Publications, and then by Murphos Publishing in Buda, Texas since 2019. The magazine features topics such as Kustom Kulture lifest ...
'', ''
Gears and Gals
A gear is a rotating circular machine part having cut teeth or, in the case of a cogwheel or gearwheel, inserted teeth (called ''cogs''), which mesh with another (compatible) toothed part to transmit (convert) torque and speed. The basic p ...
'', and ''
Rat-Rods and Rust Queens'' cover events and people.
In popular culture
Author
Tom Wolfe
Thomas Kennerly Wolfe Jr. (March 2, 1930 – May 14, 2018)Some sources say 1931; ''The New York Times'' and Reuters both initially reported 1931 in their obituaries before changing to 1930. See and was an American author and journalist widely ...
was one of the first to recognize the importance of hot rodding in
popular culture
Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in ...
and brought it to mainstream attention in his book ''
The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby
''The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby'' is the title of Tom Wolfe's first collected book of essays, published in 1965. The book is named for one of the stories in the collection that was originally published in '' Esquire magazine'' ...
''.
There are magazines that feature traditional hot rods, including
''Hot Rod'', ''
Car Craft
''Car Craft'' was a magazine devoted to automobiles, hot rodding, and drag racing. It was published by the Motor Trend Group. It was established in 1953. The magazine published articles directed at inexperienced and expert car mechanics, such ...
'',
''Rod and Custom'', and ''
Popular Hot Rodding
''Popular Hot Rodding'' was a monthly American automotive magazine from the Motor Trend Group, dedicated to high-performance automobiles, hot rods, and muscle cars. Though it focused primarily on vehicles produced from 1955 to the present day it ma ...
''. There are also television shows such as ''
My Classic Car
''My Classic Car'' is a television show about classic automobiles, hosted by Dennis Gage. It was originally broadcast on TNN, and Speed Channel, followed by MAVtv and Velocity. As of 2019 the show airs on the Motor Trend network. It was produce ...
'', ''
Horsepower TV'', ''
American Hot Rod
''American Hot Rod'' is a reality television series that originally aired between 2004 and 2007 on The Learning Channel and Discovery Channel. The series followed renowned car designer Boyd Coddington and his crew as they built hot rods and cus ...
'',''
Fast and Loud
''Fast N' Loud'' was a reality-styled Discovery Channel TV show featuring Richard Rawlings and his crew from the Dallas, Texas-based Gas Monkey Garage as they search for tired and run-down cars, and restore them for profit.
The show was success ...
'', and ''
Chop Cut Rebuild
Chop Cut Rebuild is an automotive documentary- lifestyle series. The show is the creation of its host Canadian actor Dan Woods who was previously known for his role as Principal Daniel Raditch in the Degrassi teen drama franchise. The series ...
''.
Particularly during the early 1960s, a genre of "hot rod music" rose to mainstream popularity. Hot rod music was largely a product of a number of
surf music
Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is instrumental s ...
groups running out of ideas for new surfing songs and simultaneously shifting their lyrical focus toward hot rods. Hot rod music would prove to be the second phase in a progression known as the
California Sound, which would mature into more complex topics as the decade passed. Hot rods were used as the theme of
Lightning Rod
A lightning rod or lightning conductor (British English) is a metal rod mounted on a structure and intended to protect the structure from a lightning strike. If lightning hits the structure, it will preferentially strike the rod and be conducte ...
, a
Rocky Mountain Construction
Rocky Mountain Construction, often abbreviated as RMC, is a manufacturing and construction company based in Hayden, Idaho, United States. The company is best known for its I-Box track and Topper Track for wooden roller coasters.
History
In 200 ...
roller coaster at
Dollywood
Dollywood is a theme park jointly owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment. It is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near the gateway to The Great Smoky Mountains. Hosting nearly 3 ...
.
In Sweden and Finland

Locals in these countries, influenced by American culture, have created a local hot rod culture which is vibrant in
Sweden and
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...
where enthusiasts gather at meetings such as
Power Big Meet
Power Big Meet (sometimes shortened "Power Meet") is a classic car show held in Lidköping, Sweden, for American cars (especially those from the 1950s and 1960s). It is held each summer during the first weekend of July and is a major event for p ...
and clubs like Wheels and Wings in
Varberg
Varberg () is a locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 35,782 inhabitants in 2019.
Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their "typical west coast" sandy beaches. In Varberg the coast changes from ...
, Sweden have established themselves in Hot Rod culture. Since there is very little "vintage tin" the hot rods in Sweden are generally made with a home made chassis (usually a Model T or A replica), with a Jaguar (or
Volvo 240
__NOTOC__
Year 240 ( CCXL) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sabinus and Venustus (or, less frequently, year 993 ''Ab u ...
) rear axle, a small-block
V8, and
fiberglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cl ...
tub, but some have been built using for instance a
Volvo Duett
The Duett is an automobile from Volvo that was in production from 1953 until 1969.
The name ''Duett'' was intended to signify a car that could be used as a delivery vehicle during the week and as a comfortable sedan away from work.
The Duett was ...
chassis. Because the Swedish regulations required a crash test even for custom-built passenger cars between 1969 and 1982, the Duett option was preferred, since it was considered a rebodied Duett rather than a new vehicle.
Some 1950s and 1960s cars are also hot rodded, like
Morris Minor
The Morris Minor is a British economy family car that made its debut at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, in October 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.6 million were manufactured between 1948 and 1972 in ...
,
Ford Anglia
The Ford Anglia is a C-segment, small family car that was designed and manufactured by Ford of Britain, Ford UK. It is related to the Ford Prefect and the later Ford Popular. The Anglia name was applied to various models between 1939 and 1967. ...
,
Volvo Amazon
The Volvo Amazon was a mid-sized car manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars from 1956 to 1970 and introduced in the United States as the ''122S'' at the 1959 New York International Auto Show.
The Amazon shared the wheelbase, tall posture and h ...
,
Ford Cortina
The Ford Cortina is a medium-sized family car that was built initially by Ford of Britain, and then Ford of Europe in various guises from 1962 to 1982, and was the United Kingdom's best-selling car of the 1970s.
The Cortina was produced in fi ...
,
'57 Chevy
The 1957 Chevrolet is a car that was introduced by Chevrolet in September 1956 for the 1957 model year. It was available in three series models: the upscale Bel Air, the mid-range Two-Ten, and the One-Fifty. A two-door station wagon, the ...
, to name but a few. These are known as
custom cars
A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been either substantially altered to improve its performance, often by altering or replacing the engine and transmission; made into a personal "styling" statement, using paint work and aftermarke ...
(sometimes spelled Kustom).
Language
Certain linguistic conventions are common among rodders:
*The
model year
The model year (sometimes abbreviated "MY") is a method of describing the version of a product which has been produced over multiple years. The model year may or may not be the same as the calendar year in which the product was manufactured.
...
is rarely given in full, except when it might be confused, so a 1934 model is a '34, while a 2005 might be an '05 or not.
*A '32 is usually a Deuce and most often a roadster, unless
coupé
A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors.
The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
is specified, and almost always a Ford.
*A 3- or 5-window is usually a Ford unless specified.
*A flatty is a
flathead V8 (always Ford, unless specified
[Baskerville, Gray. "How to Talk Hot Rod", in ''Hot Rod'', October 1987, p.46.]); a late (or late model) flatty is probably a
Merc
Merc or MERC may refer to:
Merc
* Merc (MUD), a text-based online game software platform
* Merc (role-playing game), 1981
* Merc (script) or Meroitic Cursive, derived from Demotic Egyptian
* Merc 2000, an alternative setting for the ''Twilight ...
.
*A
hemi
Hemi may refer to:
People Surname
* Jack Hemi (1914–1996), New Zealand freezing worker, rugby union and league player, shearer
* Ronald Hemi (1933–2000), New Zealand rugby union player
Given name
* Hemi Bawa, Indian painter and sculptor
* ...
("''hem'' ee") is always a 426, unless displacement (331, 354, or 392) is specified; a 426 is a hemi, unless
Wedge
A wedge is a triangular shaped tool, and is a portable inclined plane, and one of the six simple machines. It can be used to separate two objects or portions of an object, lift up an object, or hold an object in place. It functions by converti ...
is specified.
*A 392 is an
early hemi.
**A 331 or 354 is known to be an (early) Hemi, but rarely referred to as such
*Units are routinely dropped, unless they are unclear, so a 426 cubic inch (in³) engine is simply referred to as a 426, a 5-liter engine is a 5.0 ("five point oh"), and a 600 cubic feet per minute (
cfm CFM or cfm may refer to:
Organizations
* Canadian Federation of Musicians, the Canadian branch of the American Federation of Musicians
* Capital Fund Management, a French hedge fund
* CFM International, a joint venture American and French companie ...
) carburetor is a 600. Engine displacement can be described in cubic inches or liters (for example, a 5.7-liter engine is also known as a 350 ); this frequently depends on which units the user is most comfortable or familiar with.
Common terms
*1/2-race — mild flatty
cam
Calmodulin (CaM) (an abbreviation for calcium-modulated protein) is a multifunctional intermediate calcium-binding messenger protein expressed in all eukaryotic cells. It is an intracellular target of the secondary messenger Ca2+, and the bin ...
, suitable for enthusiastic street or highway use. It was halfway in performance between a full race cam and a stock cam.
*3/4-race — high-performance flatty cam, suitable for street and
strip
Strip or Stripping may refer to:
Places
* Aouzou Strip, a strip of land following the northern border of Chad that had been claimed and occupied by Libya
* Caprivi Strip, narrow strip of land extending from the Okavango Region of Namibia to ...
use. These cams were half way in performance between a full race cam and a 1/2 race cam.
*3 deuces — arrangement of three 2-
barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...
(twin-choke)
carburetor
A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meter ...
s; distinct from
Six Pak
"Six Pak" is a hit for The Revels in 1959. This was their first release.
Background
It was composed by Norman Knowles and other members of The Revels, Sam Eddy
Sam, SAM or variants may refer to:
Places
* Sam, Benin
* Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burki ...
and
Pontiac Pontiac may refer to:
*Pontiac (automobile), a car brand
*Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief
Places and jurisdictions Canada
*Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality
**Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic Di ...
and
Olds Olds may refer to:
People
* The olds, a jocular and irreverent online nickname for older adults
* Bert Olds (1891–1953), Australian rules footballer
* Carl D. Olds (1912–1979), New Zealand-born American mathematician
* Chauncey N. Olds (1816� ...
Tri-Power (also 3x2 arrangements)
*
3-window — 2-door coupé; so named for one door window on each side plus the rear window
*5-window — 2-door coupé; so named for one door window and one quarter window on each side plus the rear window
*97s (“ninety-sevens”) — reference to particular
Stromberg carburetor
A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meter ...
s
*A-bone —
Model A coupé
*Alky — alcohol (
methanol) racing fuel
*
Altered —
drag racing car, or the category it runs in
*Anglebox - British slang for a '59 to '68
Anglia
*Ardun — Hemi heads for the flathead, designed by
Zora Duntov
*Awful Awful (mainly North American) — AA/FA ("double A" Fuel Altered) racing car
*Back-halved - a bodied drag racing car that has had its stock rear suspension removed and replaced with a four-link or ladder bar rear suspension, and narrowed rear axle. This arrangement allows for larger tires and better adjustability.
*Bagged - the use of
air suspension
Air suspension is a type of vehicle suspension powered by an electric or engine-driven air pump or compressor. This compressor pumps the air into a flexible bellows, usually made from textile-reinforced rubber. Unlike hydropneumatic suspension ...
to raise and lower the car
*Bench race (or bench racing) - discussion of racing, or of a car's performance
*Big tire - a drag racing car running large rear tires usually over 29" tall and wider than 10.5"
*Blower — mechanically driven supercharger; excludes
turbochargers
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pr ...
. Commonly a
Roots
A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients.
Root or roots may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...
.
[Taylor, Thom. "Beauty Beyond the Twilight Zone" in ''Hot Rod'', April 2017, pp. 30–43 ''passim''.]
*Blown
**An engine equipped with a supercharger (a "blown hemi");
rarely used in reference to turbocharged engines
**A vehicle equipped with a supercharged engine (a "blown higboy")
**A wrecked engine or transmission
*Blue oval —
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
product (for the badge)
[Freiburger, David. "Hot Rod Dictionary", in ''Hot Rod'', July 1993, p.44.]
*Blueprint - to assemble something (usually an engine) to precise specifications or with special care
*Blueprinting - to blueprint
*
Bondo — the brand name for a body filler
putty
Putty is a material with high plasticity, similar in texture to clay or dough, typically used in domestic construction and repair as a sealant or filler. Although some types of putty (typically those using linseed oil) slowly polymerise and be ...
, often used as a generic term for any such product
*Bored — increased the diameter of the cylinders in order to increase engine displacement ("He bored the engine"); having had the diameter increased ("the engine was bored")
*Bottle — nitrous tank
*Bowtie —
Chevrolet product (for the badge)
*Boosted — a car that has a turbocharger or supercharger
*Bugcatcher (or bugcatcher intake) — large scoop intake protruding through hood opening, or on cars with no hood.
*Bulletproof - assembled in a fail-proof manner
*Bump in — the act of staging a drag car by moving forward in short increments or "bumps" while a transbrake or light foot brake pressure is applied. A transbrake equipped car uses a "bump box" to momentarily unlock the transmission allowing it to creep short distances. This is often done by turbo cars in order to build boost pressure while staging, but can also be done by non-turbo cars to shallow stage to increase roll out.
*Bumpstick — camshaft (for the lobes)
*Burndown — intentionally slowly staging a car for a drag race in order to throw the other driver off his game, or to cause the opponent's car to build excess heat.
Also called a staging duel.
*Cam — camshaft
*Cammer
**(most commonly) the SOHC (single
overhead camshaft
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion ...
) version of the
427 Ford V8.
**(sometimes) the Ford Racing Power Parts 5-liter.
**(rarely) any engine with overhead camshaft(s).
*
Channelled — a car lowered by having the floor removed and reattached; also, to have done so
*Channeling — removing the floor and reattaching it to the body at a higher point, thus lowering the car without suspension modifications. Sometimes known as a "body drop".
*
Cheater slicks
Cheater Slicks is a three-man garage punk band formed in Boston in 1987. The members are Tom Shannon (guitar, vocals), Dave Shannon (guitar), and Dana Hatch (drums, vocals). They toured with Jon Spencer Blues Explosion in 1995.
Cheater Slicksat ...
(also "cheaters") — soft compound tires with just enough tread added to make them street legal (not usually in singular)
*Cherry — like new
*Chipped — fitted with a modified ECU or PCM
*Chop — removing a section of the roof
pillars
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...
and windows to lower the roofline
*
Chopped — also "chopped top"; to have top chopped
*Chopping — executing a top chop
*
C.I.D. (sometimes cubic inches or inches) — cubic inches
displacement
Displacement may refer to:
Physical sciences
Mathematics and Physics
*Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
*COPO - Central Office Production Order
*Crank —
crankshaft
*Cubes — CID
*Cubic inches — CID
*Cutout — a short leg of the
exhaust system
An exhaust system is used to guide reaction exhaust gases away from a controlled combustion inside an engine or stove. The entire system conveys burnt gases from the engine and includes one or more exhaust pipes. Depending on the overall system ...
that exits to the side of the car and typically in front of the driver. The cutout can be operated manually or remotely from the driver's seat. Hot rodders typically use cutouts on hot rods that are used on the street and the strip. The cutout is closed for street use and open for
drag racing on the strip.
*Deuce —
'32 Ford Model B (most often a
roadster); now commonly on
A frame rail
A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent.
Frame and FRAME may also refer to:
Physical objects
In building construction
* Framing (co ...
s
*Digger — dragster: only applied to rails, slingshots, or fuel cars
*Double-pumper - carburetor with mechanical primary and secondary jets
[Freiburger, David. "Hot Rod Dictionary", in ''Hot Rod'', July 1993, p.45.]
*Dual quads — two four-barrel carburetors
*
Dragster
**(broadly) any vehicle modified or purpose-built for use on
strip
Strip or Stripping may refer to:
Places
* Aouzou Strip, a strip of land following the northern border of Chad that had been claimed and occupied by Libya
* Caprivi Strip, narrow strip of land extending from the Okavango Region of Namibia to ...
s.
**(specifically) specialized racers (
early
Early may refer to:
History
* The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.:
** Early Christianity
** Early modern Europe
Places in the United States
* Early, Iowa
* Early, Texas
* Ea ...
or
recent
The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togethe ...
types, in gas, alky, or fuel varieties)
*Door slammer (doorslammer, door car) — A drag racing car that retains its stock body with functioning doors or the appearance of a stock body with functioning doors. Some classes of door slammers are Pro Stock, Pro Modified, Real Street, x275, and Outlaw 10.5.
*Dyno queen — a car that puts up impressive power numbers on a dynamometer but fails to perform well when actually raced.
*Elephant — Chrysler
hemi
Hemi may refer to:
People Surname
* Jack Hemi (1914–1996), New Zealand freezing worker, rugby union and league player, shearer
* Ronald Hemi (1933–2000), New Zealand rugby union player
Given name
* Hemi Bawa, Indian painter and sculptor
* ...
*Fabricate - create a part no longer be available; create any part from scratch
*Factory freak - an unmodified car that seemingly makes more power than or is much quicker than the average for its year, make, and model.
*Fat-fender — 1934-48 (U.S.) car (Most common usage is to refer to '41-'48 inclusive, with '35-'41s called "pontoon fenders".)
*Flager (street racing) —the person who stages and starts the race, usually by an arm drop or flashlight.
*Flamed — painted with a
flame job
A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been either substantially altered to improve its performance, often by altering or replacing the engine and transmission; made into a personal "styling" statement, using paint work and aftermarket ...
*Flatty —
flathead
Flathead may refer to:
Peoples
* Flathead people, one of three tribes of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation in Montana.
* The Flathead, or Flathead Indian (or Amerindian) tribe more formally known as the Confed ...
engine (usually refers to a Ford;
when specified, the Mercury-built model)
**3/8s by 3/8s — lengthening the stroke and increasing the cylinder bore . A term only applied to flattys.
*Four-barrel - carburetor with four
venturis
The Venturi effect is the reduction in fluid pressure that results when a fluid flows through a constricted section (or choke) of a pipe. The Venturi effect is named after its discoverer, the 18th century Italian physicist, Giovanni Battista V ...
(chokes)
*French — to install headlight or taillight slightly sunken into fender
*Frenched — headlight or tallight slightly sunken into fender; to install as such ("she frenched the taillights")
*Fuel
**(most commonly)
nitro
Nitro may refer to:
Chemistry
*Nitrogen, a chemical element and a gas except at very low temperatures, with which many compounds are formed:
**Nitro compound, an organic compound containing one or more nitro functional groups, -NO2
**Nitroalkene, ...
(or a mixture of nitro and alky)
**the top drag racing class (which runs on nitro)
**(broadly) gasoline (petrol)
*Fuelie
**(originally) the 1957 Corvette fuel injected engine, or the car itself ("the fuellie 'vette")
**(commonly now) any fuel injected engine
*Fueler — any drag racing car run on nitro, or in a nitro class
*Full-race — high-performance flatty cam, suitable only for strip use
*
Gasser — car used in gasoline-only
drag racing classes in the 1960s (as opposed to alcohol or nitromethane fuels), where the front end of the car is raised along with the motor. Characterized by a body that sits well above the front wheels. Distinct from
hiboy
A Hahn Hi-Boy is a specialized, high-clearance type of farm crop chemical applicator designed to operate in high crops without damaging them. The largest producer of hi-boys is Hagie Manufacturing Company of Clarion, Iowa, United States. The m ...
.
*Gap — To win a race by at least a car length ("That GTO put the gap on that Mustang.")
*Gennie — genuine
*Giggle gas — nitrous oxide
*Goat —
Pontiac GTO
The Pontiac GTO is an automobile that was manufactured by American automaker Pontiac from 1963 to 1974 for the 1964 to 1974 model years, and by GM's subsidiary Holden in Australia for the 2004 to 2006 model years.
The first generation of the ...
*Grenaded — to break a part into pieces ("When I missed that shift it grenaded my transmission.")
*Hair dryer —
turbocharger
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pr ...
(for the shape of the intake and exhaust casings)
[Baskerville, Gray. "How to Talk Hot Rod", in ''Hot Rod'', October 1987, p.47.]
*Hairpins —
radius rod
A radius rod (also called a radius arm, torque arm, torque spring, and torsion bar) is a suspension link intended to control wheel motion in the longitudinal (fore-aft) direction. The link is connected (with a rubber or solid bushing) on one end t ...
s on axle suspension systems
*Hang (or pull) the laundry — to deploy a braking parachute
[McClurg, Bob. ''Diggers, Funnies, Gassers and Altereds: Drag Racing's Golden Age'' (North Branch, MN: CarTech Inc, 2013), p.64 caption.]
*Header — variety of
exhaust manifold
In automotive engineering, an exhaust manifold collects the exhaust gases from multiple cylinders into one pipe. The word ''manifold'' comes from the Old English word ''manigfeald'' (from the Anglo-Saxon ''manig'' anyand ''feald'' old and refe ...
.
*The hit — giving someone in a drag race the option to move first. Sometimes "the move".
*Hopped up (also "hopped") — stock engine modified to increase performance (more common in the '40s and '50s)
*Huffer —
supercharger
In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement.
The current categorisation is that a supercharger is a form of forced indu ...
, especially of the
Roots type.
[Zonk Hot rod . "Hydrogen Hot Rods", Zonk Hot Rod , December 2018, http://www.zonk.com/hotrod.htm]
*Hydrogen Hot Rod — Hot Rrod powered by alternate fuel
*Inches — CID
*Indian (also "Tin Indian") —
Pontiac Pontiac may refer to:
*Pontiac (automobile), a car brand
*Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief
Places and jurisdictions Canada
*Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality
**Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic Di ...
(for the grille badge)
*Jimmy
**(usually)
GMC straight-6 engine
The GMC straight-6 engine was a series of gasoline-powered straight-six engines introduced in the 1939 model year by the GMC Trucks division of General Motors. Prior to the introduction of this new engine design GMC trucks had been powered by str ...
**any GMC product, such as a compressor used on
2-stroke diesel
A two-stroke diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses compression ignition, with a two-stroke combustion cycle. It was invented by Hugo Güldner in 1899.Mau (1984) p.7
In compression ignition, air is first compressed and heated ...
s used as a
supercharger
In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement.
The current categorisation is that a supercharger is a form of forced indu ...
.
*Jimmy Six — GMC straight 6
*Juice
**nitro
**nitrous oxide
*Jug - carburetor
(no longer common)
*Juice brakes — hydraulic brakes
*Kits — multiple nitrous oxide systems ("How many kits are you spraying?")
*
Lake pipes
An exhaust system is used to guide reaction exhaust gases away from a controlled combustion inside an engine or stove. The entire system conveys burnt gases from the engine and includes one or more exhaust pipes. Depending on the overall system ...
— exhaust pipes running beneath the
rocker panel
Rocker or rockers may refer to:
Places
*Rocker, Montana, a neighborhood in Butte, Montana, United States
People
*Rocker, a British drummer, formerly of The Flatmates
* Fermin Rocker (1907–2004), painter and illustrator
*John Rocker (born 1974) ...
s, after use by
lakes racers.
*Laundry - parachutes used to slow drag racing cars
*Lope — exhaust note produced by of a high-duration cam
*Louvers — cuts in the
sheet metal
Sheet metal is metal formed into thin, flat pieces, usually by an industrial process. Sheet metal is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and it can be cut and bent into a variety of shapes.
Thicknesses can vary significantly; ex ...
of the body with a narrow raised section on one side of the cuts to create a small opening. Used to release air from engine compartments, or often merely for aesthetics
*Lowering — reducing the
ride height
Ride height or ground clearance is the amount of space between the base of an automobile tire and the lowest point of the automobile (typically the axle); or, more properly, to the shortest distance between a flat, level surface, and the lowest p ...
(or
ground clearance
Ride height or ground clearance is the amount of space between the base of an automobile tire and the lowest point of the automobile (typically the axle); or, more properly, to the shortest distance between a flat, level surface, and the lowest p ...
)
*Lunched — wrecked; caused to be wrecked ("lunched the transmission")
*Mag
**magnesium wheel, or steel or aluminum copy resembling one such
**
magneto
A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...
*Merc —
Mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Mercur ...
*Mill — any
internal combustion engine
An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal co ...
*Moons (or Moon discs; incorrectly, moon discs) — plain flat chrome or aluminum disc hubcaps, originally adopted by land speed racers. Smaller examples are "baby Moons". Named for
Dean Moon
Dean Moon (May 1, 1927 – June 4, 1987) was an American automobile designer. He grew up in Norwalk, California. Moon was around cars and racing from his youth. His father owned "Moon Cafe" and had a go-kart track he called "Moonza", a pun on Mo ...
.
*
Mopar
Mopar is the parts, service, and customer care division of the former Chrysler Corporation, now owned by Netherlands-based automobile manufacturer Stellantis. It serves as a primary OEM accessory seller for Stellantis brands under the Mopar br ...
— any car or engine sold by Chrysler Corporation; from the name of the parts, service, and customer care organization
*Mouse —
small-block Chevy
*Mountain motor — large-displacement engine. Named for their size, and for being constructed in the mountains of
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...
and
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...
. In organized automotive competition, the term commonly references a V8 engine displacing more than 500 cubic inches; informally, a V8 engine displacing more than 560 cubic inches
*The move — giving someone in a drag race the option to move first. Also "the hit"
*Nail — any car used as a daily driver
*Nailhead —
Early Buick V8, named for relatively small diameter valves
*Nerf bar — a small tubular or solid T-shaped or decorative bar that acts as a
bumper
Bumper or Bumpers may refer to:
People
* Betty Bumpers (1925-2018), American activist, First Lady of Arkansas, wife of Dale Bumpers
* Dale Bumpers (1925–2016), American politician, governor of Arkansas and senator
* Bumper Robinson (born 1974 ...
.
*Nitro —
Nitromethane
Nitromethane, sometimes shortened to simply "nitro", is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as i ...
, used as a fuel additive in some drag cars
*Nitrous —
nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide (dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide), commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous, or nos, is a chemical compound, an oxide of nitrogen with the formula . At room temperature, it is a colourless non-flammable gas, and has ...
*NOS
**New Old Stock, stockpiled parts of models no longer produced, not previously available for retail purchase. (More common among customizers than rodders.)
**Nitrous Oxide System (a.k.a. laughing gas, liquid supercharger, , nitrous, "the bottle"): apparatus for introducing nitrous oxide into the air intake of an engine prior to the fuel entering the cylinder.
*Nosed — as in "nosed & decked": removal of any hood (bonnet) or trunk (boot)
ornament
An ornament is something used for decoration.
Ornament may also refer to:
Decoration
* Ornament (art), any purely decorative element in architecture and the decorative arts
* Biological ornament, a characteristic of animals that appear to serve ...
s, the filling of holes, and painting as a smooth clean surface.
*Pickoupe — car-based light-duty
pickup, blend of "pickup" & "coupé"
*Pinched — narrowed and lengthened body, usually at the nose
*Pop
**a mixture of nitro & alky
**British slang for a sit-up and beg
Ford Popular
The Ford Popular, often called the Ford Pop, is a car from Ford UK that was built in England between 1953 and 1962. When launched, it was Britain's lowest priced car.
The name Popular was also used by Ford to describe its 1930s Y Type model. Th ...
.
*Plod
**(British) body filler
**(British) traffic police (after PC Plod in Enid Blyton's ''Noddy'' series)
*Poncho - Pontiac product
[Freiburger, David. "Hot Rod Dictionary", in ''Hot Rod'', July 1993, p.46.]
*Ported and polished — enlarging and smoothing of the intake and exhaust port surfaces of performance engine
cylinder heads
In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head (often abbreviated to simply "head") sits above the cylinders and forms the roof of the combustion chamber.
In sidevalve engines, the head is a simple sheet of metal; whereas in more modern ov ...
to facilitate the ease of movement and increased volume of the engine gases.
*Port-matching — the lining up of the
intake manifold
In automotive engineering, an inlet manifold or intake manifold (in American English) is the part of an engine that supplies the fuel/ air mixture to the cylinders. The word ''manifold'' comes from the Old English word ''manigfeald'' (from th ...
,
cylinder head
In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head (often abbreviated to simply "head") sits above the cylinder (engine), cylinders and forms the roof of the combustion chamber.
In sidevalve engines, the head is a simple sheet of metal; whereas ...
ports and exhaust
headers as to create one continuous smooth course of travel for engine gases with no ledges or obstructions.
*Prepped — a track or road that has been treated with various chemicals to increase traction
*Pro Street — street-legal car resembling a
Pro Stock car. Some are very thinly disguised racers.
*Puke can — radiator overflow reservoir, to prevent boilovers spilling on the track
*QJ —
Quadrajet
The Quadrajet is a four barrel carburetor, made by the Rochester Products Division of General Motors. Its first application was the new-for-1965 Chevy 396ci engine. Its last application was on the 1990 Oldsmobile 307
V8 engine, which was last ...
(
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
4-barrel carburetor)
*Q-jet — Quadrajet
*Ragtop -
convertible
A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers.
A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving ex ...
or
roadster
*Rail
**dragster with exposed front frame rails.
Usually refers to early short-wheelbase cars, and not usually to Altereds.
**(drag racing) guardrail
*Rail job
**dragster with exposed front frame. Usually refers to early short-wheelbase cars, and not usually to Altereds.
*Rat
**
Chevy big block engine,
**
rat rod
A rat rod, as usually known today, is a custom car with a deliberately worn-down, unfinished appearance, typically lacking paint, showing rust, and made from cheap or cast-off parts. These parts can include non-automotive items that have been re ...
*Redline — maximum safe rev limit; to operate an engine at that limit ("redline it", "redlined it")
*Repop - reproduction (part)
*Rockcrusher —
Muncie
Muncie ( ) is an incorporated city and the seat of Delaware County, Indiana. Previously known as Buckongahelas Town, named after the legendary Delaware Chief.http://www.delawarecountyhistory.org/history/docs/lenape-villages.pdf It is located in ...
M22 4-speed transmission so-called because of the audible differences in operation between the model M-22 and its lower strength but quieter cousin, the M-21
*Rocket —
Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile or formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it pro ...
, in particular their
early V8s
*Rolled pan (sometimes roll pan) — a contoured sheet of metal covering the space where the bumper used to be
*Sandbagger — driver who intentionally drives slower than his car is capable of or lets off before the end of the drag strip to give the illusion his car is slower than it is to lure people into racing.
*SBC —
small-block Chevy V8
*SBF — Small block Ford V8.
*Sectioned — having sectioning ("the '49 was sectioned"); having performed a sectioning ("he sectioned the Merc")
*
Sectioning
Involuntary commitment, civil commitment, or involuntary hospitalization/hospitalisation is a legal process through which an individual who is deemed by a qualified agent to have symptoms of severe mental disorder is detained in a psychiatric hos ...
— removing of a horizontal center section of the body and reattaching the upper and lower parts
*Shoebox —
'49-
'54 Ford (for the slab-sided appearance)
*Shotgun -
Ford Boss 429
*Six Pak - Chrysler carburetor arrangement with three two-barrels
*SkyJackers — air shocks used in the rear to jack up the backend to clear wider tires/wheels.
*Slammed — lowering the car very close to the ground. Frequently accomplished with the use of air suspension.
*Sleeper — a car built to appear stock or in poor condition but actually very quick.
*
Slick(s) — soft compound tire with no grooves, designed only for drag racing. Usually much wider than normal street tires.
*Slingshot — later variety of early digger,
named for the driver's position behind the rear wheels (not its speed
)
*Slug
**piston
**slow car
*Slushbox -
automatic transmission
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission (mechanics), transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gea ...
*Smack — Nitrous Oxide
*Small tire — a drag racing car using rear tires generally no taller than 29" and no wider than 10.5"
*SOHC ("sock") -
427 “cammer”
*Souped (or "souped up") — hopped up, performance improved (more common in '40s and '50s)
*Spray — nitrous oxide
*Snail — turbocharger, from the snail shell appearance of the housing
*Static — the use of static suspension components, such as
coilover
A coilover is an automobile suspension device. The name coilover is an abbreviation of "coil-over shock absorber".
Description
Coilovers are found on many vehicles, from RC cars to normal passenger cars, race cars and 4x4 vehicles. They are ...
s, to lower a car
*Steelies — stock steel rims
*Stovebolt —
Chevrolet Stovebolt engine
The Chevrolet Stovebolt engine is a straight-six engine made in two versions between 1929 and 1962 by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors. It replaced the company's inline-four as their sole engine offering from 1929 through 1954, and wa ...
*Straight axle — term for a car (often a gasser) that has had it stock A-arm style front suspension removed for leaf springs and a solid tube axle.
*Street legal — dual-purpose car, capable of performing routine duties as well as weekend racing. Some cars described as such, such as Pro Street cars, are very thinly disguised racers.
*Street-strip — dual-purpose car, capable of performing routine duties as well as weekend racing. Some cars described as such have very marginal off-track utility.
*Strip
**
drag strip.
**(more broadly) cars or parts used or intended for racing only. Thus "street-strip" is a dual-purpose car.
*Stroke —
Engine stroke; to increase the engine stroke ("stroke it")
*Stroked — increased
stroke, to increase displacement, by adding a longer-stroke crankshaft
*Suicided — door changed from front- to rear-hinged (
"suicide") type
*Tin Indian —
Pontiac Pontiac may refer to:
*Pontiac (automobile), a car brand
*Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief
Places and jurisdictions Canada
*Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality
**Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic Di ...
(for the grille badge)
*Toploader — Ford 4-speed manual transmission, so named because access to the transmission internal was made via an access panel located on the top of the transmission housing
*Track T —
Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...
roadster built in the style of a dirt track race car
*Traction bars —usually, a set of square tubes attached to the back axle via 2
U bolt
A U-bolt is a bolt in the shape of the letter U with screw threads on both ends.
U-bolts have primarily been used to support pipework
Within industry, piping is a system of pipes used to convey fluids (liquids and gases) from one location ...
s before and after the axle housing leading forward with a rubber snubber at the top end allowing as the car takes off to limit axle wrap on leaf springs.
*Trailer queen - a race car that is not daily driven, is trailered to events, and sees little or no use other than on a race track
*
Tri-Five
In automobile parlance, Tri-Five refers to the 1955, 1956 and 1957 Chevrolet automobiles, in particular, the 150, 210, Bel Air, and Nomad. Revolutionary in their day, they spawned a cult following that exists in clubs, websites and even entir ...
- a 1955, 1956 or 1957 Chevrolet automobile.
*Tubbed — a car that has had its stock rear wheel wells removed and replaced with larger ones to allow for wider rear tires.
*Tunneled — deeply sunken into fender
*Virgin road — a stretch of road that has not been raced on or had traction increasing products used on it
*Vdub — slang for a
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post ...
automobile.
*Weedburners — short exhaust pipes, running parallel to the ground, with no mufflers (similar to
Funny Car
Funny Car is a type of drag racing vehicle and a specific racing class in organized drag racing. Funny cars are characterized by having tilt-up fiberglass or carbon fiber automotive bodies over a custom-fabricated chassis, giving them an appe ...
exhausts), used for racing, or just for show (not street legal)
*Wheelie bars - rear-mounted bars with small wheels, designed to limit or eliminate wheelstands
*Wombat —
General Motors W series engine
*Wrinkle walls —
drag racing slicks
*Zoomie pipes (or zoomies) — short exhaust pipes with no mufflers, used for racing, or just for show (not street legal)
Some terms have an additional, different meaning among
customizers than among rodders: NOS, for instance, is a reference to
new old stock
New old stock (NOS), or old stock for short, refers to aged stock of merchandise that was never sold to a customer and still new in original packaging. Such merchandise may not be manufactured anymore, and the new old stock may represent the only ...
, rather than
nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide (dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide), commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous, or nos, is a chemical compound, an oxide of nitrogen with the formula . At room temperature, it is a colourless non-flammable gas, and has ...
.
Gallery
Image:T-bucket.jpg, The iconic T-bucket
A T-bucket (or Bucket T) is a hot rod, based on a Ford Model T built from 1915 to 1927, but extensively modified. T-buckets were favorites for greasers.
History
Model Ts were hot-rodded and customized from the 1920s on, but the T-bucket was spe ...
. Also features dropped tube axle
Tube or tubes may refer to:
* ''Tube'' (2003 film), a 2003 Korean film
* ''The Tube'' (TV series), a music related TV series by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom
* "Tubes" (Peter Dale), performer on the Soccer AM television show
* Tube (band), a ...
, transverse front leaf spring
A leaf spring is a simple form of spring commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles. Originally called a ''laminated'' or ''carriage spring'', and sometimes referred to as a semi-elliptical spring, elliptical spring, or cart spring, ...
, and front disc brakes.
Image:Deuce dropped tube axle.JPG, Deuce
Deuce, Deuces, or The Deuce may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Deuce, in the '' Danger Girl'' comic book series
* Deuce, a character in ''Shake It Up''
* Deuce, in the '' Wild Cards'' science fiction universe
* Deuce Bi ...
coupe
A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors.
The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
featuring '32 grille shell, original headlights, chrome dropped I-beam axle and tube shock
Shock may refer to:
Common uses Collective noun
*Shock, a historic commercial term for a group of 60, see English numerals#Special names
* Stook, or shock of grain, stacked sheaves
Healthcare
* Shock (circulatory), circulatory medical emerge ...
s. Note stock frame rails, disc brakes, Lakester pipes[''Street Rodder'', 12/98, p.47; ''Rod & Custom'', 7/95, p.29.]
Image:Yellow Deuce front_wb.jpg, Deuce roadster with a bobbed frame, dropped axle, disc brakes, and coilovers. Note the contrast with the stock frame rails.
File:1928-29 Ford Model A Roadster Hot Rod.jpg, Hi-boy Deuce roadster with flatty (with factory head and exhaust but aftermarket alternator ignition and dual-carb intake), dropped tube axle, and drum brakes.
Image:Rat rod flatty.jpg, "Rat rod" '29 Model A coupe with a '32 grille shell, upgraded brakes, "bobbed" frame rails, channeled, powered by an early flatty equipped with Edelbrock
Edelbrock, LLC is an American manufacturer of specialty automotive and motorcycle parts. The company is headquartered in Olive Branch, Mississippi, with a Southern California R&D Tech Center located in Cerritos, CA. The Edelbrock Sand Cast and ...
aftermarket head and aftermarket chrome carb hats.
Image:Fiat Topolino hotrod front.jpg, Flamed Fiat Topolino
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
.
Image:Ghost flames.jpg, Ghost flames, a contemporary concept
Image:3 deuces with louvered chrome hats 2.JPG, 3 deuces closeup
Image:Radiator 'puke' can.JPG, Improvised puke can
Image:392 hemi.jpg, A mid-'50s 392 in a "rat rod
A rat rod, as usually known today, is a custom car with a deliberately worn-down, unfinished appearance, typically lacking paint, showing rust, and made from cheap or cast-off parts. These parts can include non-automotive items that have been re ...
".
Image:Rod n Kustom 1apr2006 040.jpg, Rat rod
Image:VWRod.jpg, Volksrod
Volksrods are modified Volkswagen beetles. They are used as an alternative to traditional Ford-based hot rods. Classic Ford Model Ts and Model As are becoming more scarce and more valuable than ever. VW Beetles are much more affordable, easier ...
, based on a Type 1.
Image:'32 austin bantam roadster britened.jpg, '32 Bantam
Bantam or Bantams may refer to:
* Bantam (poultry), any small variety of fowl, usually of chicken or duck
Businesses
* Bantam Books, an American publishing house
* Bantam Cider, an American cider company
* Bantam Press, a British publishing imp ...
roadster with mags, disk brakes, hatpins, bugcatcher scoop, roll hoops, & custom interior
Image:Chevrolet Standard.JPG, '34 Chevrolet Standard
Image:Volkswagen Hot Rod.jpg, Volkswagen hiboy at the 2010 Volksfest, South Australia
Image:Ford Coupe's at sunset..jpg, Twin Ford coupes
Image:Hot rod à granby 1.jpg, Classically flamed 3-window at the ''Voitures Anciennes de Granby'' expo, with drilled I-beam front axle, nerf bars, velocity stacks, mags, and slicks.
Hot rod à granby 5.jpg, A rat rod during the ''Voitures Anciennes de Granby'' expo.
Image:“1922 Custom Buckett” hot rod.jpg, 1922 hot rod
File:Hotrod - Ystad-2020.jpg, Swedish Hot Rod in Ystad
Ystad (; older da, Ysted) is a town and the seat of Ystad Municipality, in Scania County, Sweden. Ystad had 18,350 inhabitants in 2010. The settlement dates from the 11th century and has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre, a ...
2020.
File:Hot Rod - Malmö-1986.jpg, Swedish Hot Rod in Malmö
Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal popula ...
1986.
See also
*
Automotive restoration
Conservation and restoration of road vehicles is the process of restoring a vehicle back to its original working condition, whether the car is partially scrapped or completely totaled.
Automotive restoration can be applied to many different eras of ...
*
Custom car
A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been either substantially altered to improve its performance, often by altering or replacing the engine and transmission; made into a personal "styling" statement, using paint work and aftermarket ...
*
Cutdown
A cutdown is a customised scooter (usually an Italian Vespa or Lambretta) with parts of the bodywork removed or cut away. Cutdowns were popular amongst skinheads and scooterboys during the mod revival of the 1970s and 1980s. While the style-obse ...
*
Flame job
A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been either substantially altered to improve its performance, often by altering or replacing the engine and transmission; made into a personal "styling" statement, using paint work and aftermarket ...
*
Hot hatch
A hot hatch (shortened from hot hatchback) is a high-performance hatchback car.
The term originated in the mid-1980s; however, factory high-performance versions of hatchbacks have been produced since the 1970s.
Front-mounted petrol engines, ...
*
Import scene
The import scene, also known as the import racing scene or tuner scene, is a subculture of modifying mostly Japanese-import cars, particularly in the United States and Europe.
History
Car modifying has been popular among youths in the US, espec ...
*
Kustom
*
Lead sled
In automotive usage, a lead sled is a standard production automobile with a body heavily modified in particular ways (see below); especially, though not exclusively, a 1949, 1950 or 1951 model year Ford 'Shoebox' or Mercury Eight car. In the name, ...
*
Lowrider
A lowrider or low rider is a customized car with a lowered body. These customized vehicles are generally individually painted with intricate, colorful designs, rolling on wire-spoke wheels with whitewall tires. Lowrider rims are generally smalle ...
*
Muscle car
Muscle car is a description according to ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'' that came to use in 1966 for "a group of American-made two-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." The '' Britannica Dictionary'' ...
*
Plymouth Prowler
The Plymouth Prowler, later the Chrysler Prowler, is a retro-styled production sports car manufactured and marketed from 1997 to 2002 by DaimlerChrysler, based on the 1993 concept car of the same name.
The Prowler was offered in a single ...
- a modern take on the hot rod
*
Pro Street
Pro Street is a style of street-legal custom car popular in the 1980s, usually built to imitate a Pro Stock class race car. Pro Street cars should appear to be more at home on the drag strip than the street, while remaining street legal and n ...
*
Rat rod
A rat rod, as usually known today, is a custom car with a deliberately worn-down, unfinished appearance, typically lacking paint, showing rust, and made from cheap or cast-off parts. These parts can include non-automotive items that have been re ...
*
Stock car
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...
*
Three window coupe
A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors.
The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
- one of the classic styles
*
Tuner
*
Volksrod
Volksrods are modified Volkswagen beetles. They are used as an alternative to traditional Ford-based hot rods. Classic Ford Model Ts and Model As are becoming more scarce and more valuable than ever. VW Beetles are much more affordable, easier ...
*
Crate engine
A crate is a large shipping container, often made of wood, typically used to transport or store large, heavy items. Steel and aluminium crates are also used. Specialized crates were designed for specific products, and were often made to be reus ...
References
External links
''List of Hot rod'' (www.historicvehicle.org)''Automotive Museum'' (www.petersen.org)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hot Rod
Modified vehicles
DIY culture
Kustom Kulture
Visual arts media
Car culture
Youth culture in the United States