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A '20 T Bucket with a small block Chevy engine and a slighty traditional look. T-bucket with early hemi. The aluminum radiator (rather than brass), rectangular headlights, and five-spokes (rather than motorcycle wheels) mark this as a later incarnation. 3-window Deuce coupé '32 3-window with a classic-style[1] flame job and Moon tank, very reminiscent of Chapouris' California Kid.

Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or replacement of the camshaft(s), sometimes known as a "stick" or "rod". A camshaft designed to produce more power is sometimes call a "hot stick" or, here, a "hot rod". Roadsters were the cars of choice because they were light. The term became commonplace in the 1930s or 1940s as the name of a car that had been "hopped up" by modifying the engine in various ways to achieve higher performance.

The term can also apply to other items that are "souped up" for a particular purpose, such as "hot-rodded amplifier".

History [link]

Late 1930s–1950s [link]

The term seems first to have appeared in the late 1930s in southern California, where people would race their modified cars on the vast, empty dry lake beds northeast of Los Angeles under the rules of the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA). The activity increased in popularity after World War II, particularly in California because many returning soldiers had been given technical training in the service. Many were prepared by Bootleggers in response to Prohibition to enable them to avoid revenue agents ("Revenooers"); some police vehicles were also modified in response.^{[citation needed]}

The first hot rods were old cars (most often Fords, typically Model Ts, 1928–31 Model As, or 1932-34 Model Bs), modified to reduce weight. Typical modifications were removal of convertible tops, hoods, bumpers, windshields, and/or fenders; channeling the body; and modifying the engine by tuning and/or replacing with a more powerful type. Speedster was a common name for the modified car. Wheels and tires were changed for improved traction and handling. "Hot rod" was sometimes a term used in the 1950s as a derogatory term for any car that did not fit into the mainstream. Hot rodders' modifications were considered to improve the appearance as well, leading to show cars in the 1960s replicating these same modifications along with a distinctive paint job.

Engine swaps often involved fitting the Ford flathead engine, or "flatty", in a different chassis; the "60 horse" in a Jeep was a popular choice in the '40s. After the appearance of the 255 cu in (4.2 l) V8, because of interchangeability, installing the longer-stroke Mercury crank in the 239 was a popular upgrade among hot rodders, much as the 400 cu in (6.6 l) crank in small-blocks would become. In fact, in the 1950s, the flathead block was often fitted with crankshafts of up to 4.125 in (104.8 mm) stroke, sometimes more.^[2] In addition, rodders in the 1950s routinely bored them out by 0.1875 in (4.76 mm) (to 3.375 in (85.7 mm));^[2] due to the tendency of blocks to crack as a result of overheating, a perennial problem, this is no longer recommended.^[3] In the '50s and '60s, the flatty was supplanted by the early hemi. By the 1970s, the small-block Chevy was the most common option, and since the '80s, the 350 cu in (5.7 l) Chevy has been almost ubiquitous.^[4]

Post WWII origins of organized rodding [link]

Ford Popular

Rodded prewar British Rover 10

After World War II there were many small military airports throughout the country that were either abandoned or very rarely used that allowed hot rodders across the country to race on marked courses. Originally drag racing had tracks as long as one mile (1.6 km) or more, and included up to four lanes of racing at the same time. As hot rodding became more popular in the 1950s, magazines and associations catering to hot rodders were started. As some hot rodders also raced on the street, a need arose for an organization to promote safety. Hot rodders including Wally Parks created the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) to bring racing off the streets and onto the tracks. They created rules based on safety and entertainment, and allowed Hot Rodders of any caliber the ability to race. The annual California Hot Rod Reunion and National Hot Rod Reunion are held to honor pioneers in the sport. The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum houses the roots of hot rodding.

1960s rise of the street rod [link]

Certain linguistic conventions are followed among rodders and customizers:

• The model year is rarely given in full,^[5] 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 is specified, and almost always a Ford.
• A 3- or 5-window is usually a Ford, unless specified.
• A flatty is a flathead V8^[6] (always Ford, unless specified); a late (or late model) flatty is probably a Merc.
• A hemi ("hem ee") is always a 426, unless displacement (331, 354, or 392) is specified;^[7] a 426 is a hemi, unless Wedge 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) 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 {"three fifty"}); this frequently depends on which units the user is most comfortable or familiar with.

Some other common terms:

• 3/4-race — high-performance flatty cam, suitable for street and strip use
• 3 deuces — arrangement of three 2-barrel (twin-choke) carburetors; distinct from Six Pak and Pontiac and Olds^[8] Tri-Power^[9] (also 3x2 arrangements)
• 3-window — 2-door coupé; so named for one door window on each side plus the rear window^[10]
• 5-window — 2-door coupé; so named for one door window and one quarter window on each side plus the rear window^[11]
• 97s — “ninety-sevens,” a reference to the model number of Stromberg carburetors^[12]
• A-bone — Model A coupé^[13]
• Alky — alcohol (methanol) racing fuel
• Anglebox - British Hot rod slang for a 1959-68 Ford Anglia 105-123E
• Awful Awful (mainly North American) — AA/FA ("double A" Fuel Altered) drag racer
• Blower — mechanically-driven supercharger; excludes turbochargers. Commonly a Roots.
• 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 product (for the Ford badge)
• Bondo — brand name for a body filler putty, often used as a generic term for any such product
• Bored — increasing the diameter of the cylinders in order to increase engine displacement
• Bottle — nitrous
• Bowtie — Chevrolet product (for the badge)^[14]
• Bugcatcher (or bugcatcher intake) — large scoop intake protruding through hood opening, or on cars with no hood.
• Bumpstick — camshaft (for the lobes)
• Cam — camshaft
• Cammer — most commonly, the SOHC (single overhead camshaft) version of the 427 Ford V8.^[15]
  • sometimes, the Ford Racing Power Parts 5 liter.^[16]
  • rarely, any engine with overhead camshaft(s).
• Cherry — like new^[17]
• C.I.D. (sometimes Cubic Inches or Inches) — cubic inches displacement
• Crank — crankshaft
• Cubes — CID
• Cubic inches — CID
• Deuce —
  • '32 Ford Model B (most often a roadster);^[18] now commonly on A frame rails^[19]
  • Chevy II Nova^[20]
• Dual quads — two four-barrel carburetors
• Dragster —
  • broadly, any vehicle modified or purpose-built for use on strips.
  • specifically, specialized racers (early or recent types, in gas, alky, or fuel varieties)
• Elephant — Chrysler hemi^[21]
• Fat-fender — 1934-48 (U.S.) car^[22]
• Flatty — flathead engine^[23] (usually refers to a Ford; when specified, the Mercury-built model)
  • 3/8s by 3/8s — lengthening the stroke and increasing the cylinder bore 3/8 inch. A term only applied to flattys.
• Frenched — headlight slightly sunken into fender^[24] or to install as such ("she frenched the taillights")
• Fuel —
  • most commonly, nitro (or a mixture of nitro and alky); also, the top drag racing class
  • broadly, gasoline (petrol)
• Full-race — high-performance flatty cams, 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.
• Gennie — genuine^[25]
• Goat — GTO (not the Ferrari)
• Hair dryer — turbocharger (for the shape of the casing)
• Hairpins — radius rods^[26]
• Hopped up — stock engine modified to increase performance
• Huffer — supercharger,^[27]
• Inches — CID
• Indian (also "Tin Indian") — Pontiac (for the grille badge)
• Jimmy (or Jimmy Six) — GMC straight 6
  • Any GMC product, such as a compressor used on 2-stroke diesels used as a supercharger.
• Lakes pipes — exhaust pipes running beneath the rocker panels, after use by lakes racers
• Lunched — wrecked; caused to be wrecked ("lunched" the transmission)
• Mag —
  • magnesium wheel, or steel or aluminum copy resembling one such
  • magneto
• Merc — Mercury
• Mill - any internal combustion engine
• 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.
• Mouse — small-block Chevy^[28]
• Mountain motor — large-displacement engine. Named for their size, and for being constructed in the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina.^[29] 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
• Nail - any car used as a daily driver^{[citation needed]}
• Nailhead — Buick V8, so named because the relatively small diameter valves
• Nitro — Nitromethane, used as a fuel additive in some drag cars
• Nitrous — nitrous oxide
• NOS — Nitrous Oxide System (a.k.a. laughing gas, liquid supercharger, N₂O, nitrous, "the bottle"): apparatus for introducing nitrous oxide into the air intake of an engine prior to the fuel entering the cylinder.
• Pop — a mixture of nitro & alky. Also British shorthand for a sit-up and beg^{[clarification needed]} Ford Popular.^{[citation needed]}
• Plod - British hot rod slang for body filler. Also slang for the traffic police (after PC Plod in Enid Blyton's Noddy Series).
• Pro Street — street legal car resembling a Pro Stock car. Some are very thinly disguised racers.
• QJ — Quadrajet (Rochester 4-barrel carburetor)^[30]
• Q-jet — Quadrajet^[31]
• Rail (or rail job) — dragster with exposed front frame. Usually refers to early short-wheelbase cars, and not usually to Altereds.
  • In drag racing, also refers to the guardrail
• Rat — Chevy big block engine^[32]
• Rockcrusher — Muncie M22 4-speed transmission^[33] so called because of the audible differences in operation between the model M-22 and its lower strength but quieter cousin, the M-21^{[citation needed]}
• Rocket — Oldsmobile, in particular their early V8s
• Rolled pan - Contured sheet of metal that covers the space where the bumper used to be
• SB — small-block (Chevy)
• Shoebox — '49-'54 Ford (for the slab-sided appearance)
• Souped (souped up) — hopped up, performance improved (more common in '40s and '50s)
• Steelies — stock steel rims^[34]
• Stovebolt — Chevy straight 6^[35]
• 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.
• Stroked — increased stroke, to increase displacement; usually by adding a longer-stroke crankshaft
• Suicided — changed from front- to rear-hinged ("suicide door") type
• Tin Indian — Pontiac (for the grille badge)
• Toploader — Ford 4-speed manual transmission^[36] so named because access to the transmission internal was made via an access panel located on the top of the transmission housing ^[37]
• Track T — Model T roadster built in the style of a dirt track race car^[38]
• Tunneled — deeply sunken into fender^[39]
• Wombat — A nickname for the General Motors W series engine 348-409 cubic inch, manufactured circa 1958-1964 ^[40]
• Wrinkle walls — drag racing slicks^[41]
• Zoomie pipes (or zoomies) — short exhaust pipes with no mufflers, used for racing, or just for show (not street legal)^[42]

Some terms have an additional, different meaning among customizers than among rodders: NOS, for instance, is a reference to new old stock, rather than nitrous oxide.

Gallery [link]

This section looks like an image gallery. Wikipedia policy discourages galleries of random images of the article subject; please improve or remove the section accordingly, moving freely licensed images to Wikimedia Commons if not already hosted there.

• 

  The iconic T-bucket. Also features dropped tube axle, transverse front leaf spring, and front disc brakes.

• 

  Deuce roadster featuring '32 grille shell, larger "commercial vehicle" headlights, chrome dropped I-beam axle and tube shocks. Note stock frame rails (extended frame horns), disc brakes, sprint car^[43] pipes.

• 

  Deuce roadster with bobbed frame, dropped axle, disc brakes, and coilovers. Note the contrast with the stock frame rails.

• 

  "Rat rod" '29 Model A" coupe with a '32 grille shell, upgraded brakes, "bobbed" frame rails, body channeled below top of frame, etc. and a '48-53 Ford flathead V8 equipped with chrome carb hats.

• 

  Flamed Fiat Topolino.

• 

  Ghost flames, a contemporary concept

• 

  3 deuces closeup

• 

  A "puke can" (radiator overflow reservoir)

• 

  A mid '50s Chrysler 392 Hemi in a "rat rod".

• 

  Rat rod

• 

  Volksrod based on a Type 1.

• 

  '32 Bantam roadster with mags, disk brakes, hatpins, bugcatcher scoop, roll hoops, & custom interior

• 

  1934 Chevrolet Standard

• 

  Red Volkswagen at the 2010 Volksfest, South Australia

• 

  Twin Ford coupes.

See also [link]

References [link]

External links [link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hot rods

• National Hot Rod Association
• National Street Rod Association (NSRA)
• Hot Rod Magazine