Tag Archives: Restomod

Rutledge Wood’s 1953 Plymouth Suburban

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plymouth-suburban-odyssey-sema-2014-profileThis 1953 Plymouth Suburban was looking minty fresh at the Odyssey Batteries booth at SEMA 2014. It belongs to Rutledge Wood of Top Gear (USA) fame and was built in partnership with Summit Racing. The build was done at Kenwood Rod Shop in Sharpsburg, GA.

Although it looks showroom new, this classic Mopar is anything but stock. Under the hood is a 408 cid V8 from BluePrint Engines with FAST electronic fuel injection and Summit block hugger headers. It is coupled to a T56 six-speed transmission with a McLeod clutch and a Quick Time conversion bellhousing. The whole thing is wired up with a Painless Performance wiring harness.

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1981 Chevrolet Camaro NastZy LS9

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There was an abundance of second-gen Camaros at SEMA, but this one had something special about it. Perhaps it was the $22,000 LS9 crate engine under the hood! Or maybe it was the ultra-deep 20″ rear wheels. Whatever the reason, I paused for a moment to check out this car in depth.

A small sign indicated that this 1981 Camaro Z28 was built by Classic Performance. It did not mention where their shop is located or who owns this car, and I was unable to find that information after searching online.

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1969 Ford Torino Talladega GPT Special

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It should come as no surprise that when you combine some of the biggest names in hot rodding with a lot of money and a three-year build time, the results are going to be nothing short of amazing.

This 1969 Torino Talladega is not just another resto-modded muscle car with big rims. This car is Babe Ruth hitting three home runs in Game Four of the 1926 World Series. This car is Jimi Hendrix on stage at Woodstock. This car represents a team of builders (led by Troy Trepanier) who have perfected their craft. These guys are at the top of their game and pull off miracles that other builders can only dream of.

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1930 Cadillac Coupe LSA Swap ‘Ruby’

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There’s quite a trend in the hot rod industry to pair up an old car with a new engine. Most folks are doing this with 1960s or 1970s cars and modern crate engines. The guys at Rooster’s Rod Shop in Gaffney, South Carolina have taken the concept a bit further. What they’ve done is dropped a Supercharged 6.2L V8 engine from the Cadillac CTS-V into this 1930 Cadillac coupe! How’s that for a resto-mod?!

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1965 Mustang ‘Blizzard’ Ringbrothers

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The year 2014 is a special one for Ford Mustang enthusiasts because it marks the 50th Anniversary of the car’s introduction. For the past 5 decades, the Mustang has been America’s pony car. But can you really improve upon a classic design? Yes, you can.

Mike and Jim Ring are brothers and co-owners of the aptly-named shop Ringbrothers. They are one of my favorite build shops right now, and I have featured a few of their cars on this site before. You may recall their Ford Fairlane 500 “Afterburner” and the Mustang Mach 1 “Dragon” I spotted at Barrett-Jackson.

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1950 Studebaker Champion by Kicker Audio

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There are certain vehicles which, for various reasons, are labelled as “gangster” vehicles. From the 1964 Impala to the Lincoln Continental, these cars have a definite “bad guy” image that people crave.

One car I would never have considered for a mobbed-out gangster mobile is a Studebaker. But, I suppose that’s what makes me different from the guys at Kicker Audio. Their booth at SEMA 2013 featured this evil 1950 Studebaker Champion.

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