Useful Information Regarding Hot Rod Frames

By Ruth Brown


In the US, social status has been associated with cars people drive for a very long time. This means that the social status of a person is reflected by the type of car they drive. It is thought that this attitude began with the hot rods. Streets rods were a creation of young individuals. These were young people who hoped to make their cars comparable to those owned by wealthier counterparts in terms of speed and performance. This is what Hot rod frames are all about.

The Depression period between of 1930s and 1940s is where the idea of hot/street rods originated and California is where the first versions of these cars were created. These types of cars were assembled by the youth that had more leisure time and less cash to buy good cars. So they resorted to making and advancing cars that they owned to performance levels.

Street rods were/are typically very old, classic or modern American cars that have large engines. The engines were large because they were modified in order to achieve more speed. At the moment, there is still no clear explanation as to the origin of the term hot, which is used to refer to these vehicles. Several different theories have been developed over the years to try and explain the origin of the term.

The procedure of modifying a vehicle so as to better its performance is believed to be one among the meanings of the name hot. Because the early hot rods were based on the roadster, people believe that the term rod in the name refers to roadster. It is cited in another theory that the term rod refers to a camshaft, which is an engine constituent. The camshaft was improved so as to increase the power output.

Like stated earlier, the concept of hot rod began several years ago and has undergone a lot of change. Initially, the vehicles were used by bootleggers to evade revenue agents and law enforcement agents. The initial hotrods were old car models, initially Model Ts, then Model As, and later Model Bs. The cars were modified in several ways to improve performance, handling, braking, and speed among others.

Removal of convertible tops, fenders, windshields, and bumpers were involved in the modification process. Also, the body was channeled and the engine was modified. It was through replacement of a less powerful engine with a more powerful one that engine modification was done. Also, for the engine to perform better, it was tuned in some cases. Wheels underwent modification to provide better traction and handling.

A lot of military airports were deserted following the Second World War thereby giving space to hot rodders to engage in racing activities. Some racers however took the race to the streets despite having space in old airports. The National Hot Rod Association was then founded following security issues racers caused in the streets. The association was charged with maintaining standards in the industry.

Car manufacturers began making cars with better performance in later years. This caused a reduction in interest in hotrods because people could buy muscle vehicles directly from showrooms. However, manufactures began focusing more on fuel effectiveness due to the Oil Crisis later in 1973. This caused the birth of street rods, modified cars not meant for racing.




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