Finding Your Dream Texas Hot Rod

When Tom Wolfe sat down to try and describe hot rods and the car customization culture of the 1960s, he ended up with the beloved essay (and later book) entitled There Goes [Vroom! Vroom!] Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby -- a lengthy name that encompasses the spirit of hot rods. Hot rod building is about self-expression and building something completely original and unprecedented, an ideal that's touched on with such a title. This culture began with gearheads, unsatisfied with current car capabilities, who decided to take cheap vehicles and tear them down in order to build them back up bigger and bolder. They cut out the excess weight, swapped in a better engine, and gave the whole vehicle a crazy paint color (like tangerine-flake) to set it far and apart from its production model brethren.

At Customs & Hot Rods of Andice our team is proud to continue this tradition, albeit with our own flair. Are you interested in taking part in this Texas hot rod culture? First things first. You need to pick out just the right car for modifications. The following is a quick look at a few of our favorite and oft-recommended classic car picks that are ripe for transitioning into that perfect Texas hot rod:

Build Your Dream Texas Hot Rod: 4 Cars to Start With

• Ford V8, 1932-1953. The Ford flathead V8 engine ushered in a whole new era for American cars and, due to its affordability and simplicity in design, inspired and transformed the era's hot rod and customization culture. Over 25 million Ford Flathead V8s were installed in vehicles between 1932 and 1953 - -so today's hot rodders wanting to bring back a touch of history have many options to choose from. The first of these was the 1932 ford V8. These cars 1932-1953 all make great Starting points for cool Hot Rods and Customs. Weather we rebuild and soup up the flathead and do a traditional build or replace the Flathead and suspension with custom modern components we have built stunning cars from these platforms.
• Lincoln Zephyr. The Lincoln Zephyr might be more rare and expensive, but since the '37 Zephyr is one of our shop favorites, we had to list this car on our top Texas hot rod list. The Zephyr boasts the curves and sleek lines emblematic of classic cars and has an interior that is ripe for customization. Early models aren't easy to find, but if you do manage to get your hands on one, the possibilities for hot rod modifications are incredible.
• Clasic Trucks. 1926- 1972 pickups are some of our favorite vehicles to build. We love pickup trucks and have built a variety of pickups. We can take the Hot Rod look approach on these builds or we can take a sophisticated custom truck approach and end up with some very fine examples of trucks with great details and as always excellent fit and finish.
• First-generation Chevy Camaro. If you want to go old school with your Texas hot rod project, then a first generation Chevrolet Camaro is calling your name. This is a car that simply has the perfect muscle body for customization. In fact, our team is currently reassembling our own '67 Camaro and loving every minute of it.

For more information about these models or for starting with your own Texas hot rod project, contact us at 512-843-5890.