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énjoy
Rods N'
Rebels
CONCEPTION & PHOTOS BY Tammi Swanson
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Photo by Dave Becker, davebecker1@mac.com.
hey may not be sporting a white t-shirt, but there’s a decent chance they’ve got a can of Murphy’s ‘Original’ at home. Meet a few of southern Utah’s bad boys whose passion for what’s under the hood is just as important as the body work. These guys build hot rods Rods N’ Rebels is their unofficial name. And the pomade of the group is a place called Dave’s Barber Shop. Although the term ‘hot rod’ itself has debatable history, hot rodding seems to have made it’s first appearance in the late 1930’s in southern California. Crowds gathered to watch the souped-up cars race across the empty dry lake beds northeast of Los Angeles. Hot rodding increased in popularity after World War II because many returning soldiers had advanced technical training while in the service. At the same time small military airports across the country that were either abandoned or rarely used allowed hot rodders to drag on the old runways. The sport’s popularity quickly spread coinciding with the first issue of Hot Rod Magazine which was first published in January, 1948. Once a month Dave Lefler’s parking lot in southern Utah transforms into a hangout gone 50’s where area hot rod builders and collectors show off their beauties. Here in a pictorial spread conceived by Tammi Swanson, we take a look at a few of these fine fabrications. woman
jack pettit Cars got into Jack’s blood when he was still a tween. He found some old Model T goodies on a farm and the lady said he could go ahead and have them, they were junk. He kept with it and got his first “real” car when he was 13. He served in the Army during the Vietnam War and came home minus both legs – and his hobby became his lifeline. He learned he could still work on cars and it kept him going. Jack stays with the older cars, mostly 1928 to 1932, and his forte is the body work. His wife, Karen, helps him with his cars – she has her own rebuilt 1937 Ford Pickup – and fellow car nut Bob Hamilton helped him with his roadster. “It gives me something to focus on besides my disability. The guys have been a great help.” above: 1928 Ford Roadster - Bob Hamilton helped him put in hand controls for it. right: 1927 Model T Coupe
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JANUARY thru FEBRUARY 2011
Photo by Kyle Lauman.
kyle lauman
Kyle is a self-proclaimed junkie. Ever since he got his first Hot Wheels, he’s been into cars. He is a metal fabricator, an artist – and cars are the perfect medium where he can apply his art and make some money. He is one of the few guys in the area who can build a car from nothing or fuse parts together to make a new whole. He makes his living doing body work in several different shops, but his passion is building custom hot rods in his personal shop – something he’s able to do more of as word of his skill gets out. “It’s what I was born to do.” left: 1940 Mercury Flathead Motor – They stopped production of flatheads in the 1950s. The two carburetors on the engine are speed equipment from the 1960s. above: 1941 Plymouth Business Coupe – It only has one front seat and was designed as a men’s commuter car. Still has a flathead straight motor and 3 on the tree.
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1932 Ford Roadster. The first piece purchased for the restoration of this hot rod was the mother of pearl dash insert which is actually a pickguard off of a Fender guitar.
bernie bank Bernie always loved cars but it was his father-in-law, Bob Hamilton that took his admiration for hot rods to an entirely new level. “He taught me how to restore these vehicles from the ground up.” Together the men have taken on restoration projects that bring cars back to their assembly line specifications or have rebuilt them to a point that the car is considered all original. “The amount of time and effort that goes into the process is what provides such an emotional attachment to the car when you are done with it,” says Bernie. A semi-retired investor/entrepreneur, Bernie discovered building hot rods was a way to relax and unwind. Although talented enough to build cars for others, its not something he would do. “It would take me years to do this for someone else. Some days I am in the shop for hours, other days I may find I am only patient enough to handle about five minutes in there. But I certainly have an appreciation for what it takes to give these classic cars new life.”
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JANUARY thru FEBRUARY 2011
Bob met his first Roadster when an enlisted man at the base where his father was serving in Guam took him for a ride in a Model A Roadster. It was love at first drive. He has passed on his love of cars to countless teens; he taught High School Industrial Arts for 27 years and building hot rods was one of his favorite projects. He does everything on the cars and has helped with specialty projects like the hand controls on Jack Pettit’s Roadster. One of his cars even won a prize, taking first place in its class at the prestigious Grand National Oakland Roadster Show. And while he has worked on a historic timeline of cars, motorcycles and buggies, he always goes back to his first loves – the Model A and Model T Hot Rods. “It’s just a lot of fun. Putting it together is so rewarding.”
1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe. Considered the Holy Grail of hot rods. This car was the first vehicle you could buy a V8 engine and the hood and fenders were easily removed when it was time to race.
bob hamilton
1952 Ford F-1. This truck has been restored to match the original specifications straight off the assembly line. It has a straight-6 engine, three on the tree transmission, and is Bernie’s daily driver.
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Dave Lefler of Dave’s Barber Shop.
Steve has a few things in common with Dave Lefler - they are cousins who both love hot rods. But instead of working with sheers as Dave does, Steve has a welder in hand. Steve built his first car at 13 and believes his ingenuity for mixing things up on his hot rods came from building model cars. “I was a bit of a rambunctious kid so when I had to do some time-out, I would build model cars. That’s when I discovered that I could change out the various pieces between the cars and create something not so traditional.” Combine that creativity with the fact that Steve spent a lot of time with his dad who worked in a steelyard and you have the making of a hot rod builder. “I’m not a poser. I do this because this is what I really do for a living - its art on wheels that generate a lot of horse power but are also safe to drive.”
Photo by Kyle Lauman.
Both of Steve’s grandfathers served in WWII. “It isn’t fair what they have had to live with. Nightmares...guilt...we just don’t show our veterans enough respect.” When Steve’s good friend, McKay, a Ranger in the Army, took a shot directly in the forehead and survived, it further inspired. “I am working on a project now that would be in honor of McKay and benefit the various veteran’s funds.” The project: a live build on Freemont Street in downtown Las Vegas. “We just built a 1932 Ford in five weeks under a tent in the Red Rock Harley Davidson parking lot here in Vegas. I wasn’t sure how difficult it would be without the luxury of my shop, but we did it. We’d get crowds that loved watching us build it. Now to do it for a cause would even be better.”
top left: 1928 Dodge - As seen in countless hot rod magazines, Steve’s “Diesel Rod” is a highly popular showpiece. The 1928 Dodge boasts a twin turbo Cummins diesel engine, 1800 ft-lbs of torque, 750 horse power, turbo 400 transmission, copped and channeled to a mere 4”, and is all hand & custom built. left: 1932 Ford - Built on location in five weeks, this 1932 Ford runs a twin turbo 4 cylinder Cummins diesel, turbo 400 transmission, 400 horse power, 1000 ft-lbs of torque, 9” rear end, and is custom built.
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JANUARY thru FEBRUARY 2011
steve darnell
Photo by Curtis Joe Walker. woman
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