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General Auto History

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

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

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

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

The men returning from WW II were raring to show what they could do and unveil the ideas of which they'd been dreaming. Early Mercuries and Fords were candidates for these new energies.

Over time, the main interest in the engines has turned from racing and performance to show. Vehicles were changed in a multitude of creative ways: chopped tops, lowered chassis, shaved, flamed, scalloped, and dropped bodies. The vehicles were hammered and raked, all resulting in unique and beautiful works of art.

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