Significant Parts At The NATS

A lot of time and effort are expelled each year to develop new products. Some of the new products solve problems, others are cosmetic enhancements, and still others slow your car down or speed it up. 

But one of the things we noticed in this sea of new products was that there are varying degrees of newness. Some products are truly new and innovative while some are merely variations on a theme, and in some rare cases, the product is only new because company XYZ had never made one (or worse yet, imported one) before. So we took some time to visit the products and look at them long and hard to find a group that we thought had enough new factor for you. Here we present 27 new products from the 150 products on display that we felt were significant pieces of design to make a street rodder smile. Now, we’re not suggesting that these were the 27 best products, only that they’re 27 products that we felt like sharing with you. So sit back and enjoy some of the new offerings that are bound to make your street rod life just a little bit better.

LOKAR LIGHTING

Lokar brought these great-looking lights to the Nats and walked away with the Best New Safety Product of the Year award. The lights incorporate ample lens area, making them easy to see and easy on the eyes. Here at AMERICAN RODDER, we’re always looking for ways to build safer street rods, so this was a significant product this year. Contact Lokar at 865/966-2269 or lokar.com.

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT

When it comes to significant products, there is no doubt that the new all-steel Deuce coupe body from Brookville Roadster simply blew us away. The beauty of an all-new three-window coupe stamped in faithful reproduction of the original product is a thing of beauty. Stamping steel is expanding our hobby, so get on the list for your new body at Brookville Roadster. Contact them at 937/833-4605 or brookvilleroadster.com.

OUTRAGEOUS RAMS

Speedway Motors really wowed the troops at the Nats this year with their all-new stainless steel exhaust manifolds for the ever-popular small-block Chevrolet engine. The best-looking manifold ever built for that motor hands down, these polished beauties should be flying off the shelf at Speedway Motors. Contact them at 402/323-3210 or speedwaymotors.com.

TRUCK WIPERS

One of the most popular trucks on the entire hot rod scene is the ’40-‘47 Ford pickup. These great-looking trucks are coming out in huge numbers, so it was good news to see that Bob Drake Reproductions came out with a dual-wiper kit for these trucks. This is important since factory trucks had but one wiper. Get a pair from Bob Drake Reproductions by calling 800/221-3673 or visiting bobdrake.com.

GOOD NECKS

Fighting rust in the fuel system has long been a battle for hot rodders. While new gas tanks have come on the scene, you are often relegated to using the old rusty filler neck pipe, and if you were unfortunate enough to not have a filler neck, then your problems were even worse. Well, Bob Drake Reproductions came to the rescue this year with gas filler necks for the ’37 Ford pickup and ’41-’48 Ford passenger cars. For more information, contact Bob Drake Reproductions at 800/221-3673 or bobdrake.com.

IT’S COOL TO BE RARE

Okay, so the sliding rear window option for ’35-‘39 Ford trucks is no longer rare, but it is cool. Yes, this optional sliding rear window for truck cabs has been around since the ’30s (and you thought it was introduced in the ’80s), but finding one is the real chore. But it is easy now since Bob Drake introduced this reproduction kit. All cabs have the required mounting point, so just bolt this slider in your cab and let the air flow through. For more information, contact Bob Drake Reproductions at 800/221-3673 or bobdrake.com.

TOOLS FOR YOU

Let’s face it; a guy just can’t have too many tools. Now you can wow your friends and stop crushing glass with your bare hands by simply buying a bulb-removal tool from Bob Drake Reproductions. Anyone who has ever removed a bulb from a ’39 Ford taillight will love this tool. For more information, contact Bob Drake Reproductions at 800/221-3673 or bobdrake.com.

NOT YOUR EVERYDAY AXLE

Dropped and drilled bring thoughts of a beam axle, but for traditional hot rodders looking for a tube axle with holes, you need only contact Borgeson. The sleeved holes in this tube axle look great. For more information, contact Borgeson Mullins at 860/482-8283 or borgeson.com.

LIFE’S LITTLE UPS AND DOWNS

You know, lift-off tops are cool, but after you lift it off, you have to put it somewhere. It’s a small wonder that the original designers of roadsters offered a fold-down top because, well, you could fold it down or fold it back up. Now you can get a brand-new fold-down top for your Deuce roadster from C.W. Moss by contacting them at 714/639-3083 or cwmoss.com

WIRE YOU WAITING FOR?

With the continued surge in traditional-style hot rods, there has also been an increased interest in the vintage good looks of wire wheels. However, many of the older wire wheels were based on 15- and even 14-inch wheels. Since most high-quality modern tires are based on 16-inch or larger sizes, the new wire wheels from Dayton Wire Wheel are perfect for the modern yet traditional hot rod. Now you can get your wire-spoke wheels in modern sizes from 16-20-inch diameters, which begs the question…why are you waiting? Order yours today from Dayton Wire Wheel at 800/514-0728 or daytonwirewheel.com.

QUICK FIX

Dick Spadaro Early Ford Reproductions introduced a cut-to-size driveshaft for your closed-driveshaft early Ford rear axle. Inside the torque tube is a driveshaft, and that shaft will have to be cut to size when you install a different motor or a quick-change rearend. Now, everything you need to do the job is available in one easy-to-use kit from Dick Spadaro. Get yours by calling 518/861-5367 or visiting dickspadaro.com.

QUICK CHANGE

The quick-change rearend was pioneered for the early Ford axle, but with the passage of time, it has become increasingly difficult to find all of the parts necessary to convert an early Ford axle to a quick-change rear. That problem was solved by the kit from Dick Spadaro Early Ford Reproductions. It includes everything you need for the conversion, and it’s all brand-new. For more information, contact them at 518/861-5367 or  dickspardaro.com.

POWER FROM POWER

When you talk about fresh, innovative ideas introduced at the NSRA Nats this year, the new electric power-assist steering from Flaming River comes to mind. True power-assist steering is available in this new kit. No more hoses or pumps, just use the power your alternator makes to assist your steering. For more information, contact Flaming River at 440/826-4488 or flamingriver.com.

STOP BLINKING

We’re seeing more and more steering columns that simply don’t have room for a self-canceling turn signal switch. There is no doubt that these columns look great in a traditional hot rod, but there is also no doubt that riding down the road with your turn signal blinking for 20 minutes is not cool. Haywire introduced a self-canceling turn signal kit that turns off that blinker with a timer. It’s a problem-solver from Haywire, so contact them at 417/623-7239 or aywireinc.com to find out more.

ANY KNOB WILL DO

Lokar shifters look great, work flawlessly, mount to virtually any transmission and include a great safety feature with the pushdown locking feature in their shift knob. While Lokar offers several good-looking shift knobs, now you can use any shift knob with their new conversion kit. Make your own knob if you’d like as this kit will allow it to work on the Lokar shifter. Contact them at 865/966-2269 or lokar.com for more information.

HOT SPARKS FROM A FLATTOP

MSD introduced a new flattop distributor for the venerable small-block Chevrolet motor. Good looks, very hot spark and precision control are all wrapped up in one great-looking package. Contact MSD at 915/857-5200 or msdignition.com to learn more.

NEWS AT A GLANCE

This new gauge cluster from MSD combines analog gauges so you can quickly check the needles, and it also incorporates bands of light that move up and around the gauges to indicate rpm, temperature and pressure. When any measure exceeds a reasonable limit, the light band turns from blue to red. It’s an awesome display of information from MSD, so contact them at 915/857-5200 or msdignition.com.

MODEL A CLEAN WIPE

The good folks at Newport Engineering continue to come up with problem-solvers for popular cars. The Model A Ford is a mainstay in hot rodding, and now you can have modern dual wipers on your Model A. The complete kit will let you drive safely in the rain. It’s available now from Newport Engineering by calling 800/829-1929 or visiting newportwipers.com.

HOLDING OUT FOR A MANAGEMENT POSITION

Painless Wiring now has a management opening for you and your car. It’s as simple as ordering their new kit for high-performance management of the popular LS-series motors from GM. This complete kit includes a camshaft and everything you need to electronically control the motor and make more horsepower in the process. Contact Painless Performance at 800/423-9696 or painlessperformance.com.

THE TRADITION CONTINUES

Real hot rodders never tire of seeing a set of gauges in an engine-turned panel. Parr Automotive brought their new Auburn-style dash insert to the Nats, and it was a big hit. Of course, you can order the panel with or without gauges from Parr Automotive by contacting them at 405/942-8677 or parrautomotive.com.

SOLVING PROBLEMS

Some great new products are big, flashy or covered with chrome, and they are well-engineered solutions to problems that all rodders face. Pure Choice brought a series of banjo fittings for Ford, Mopar and Wilwood master cylinders that solve the problem of plumbing brake lines. For more information, contact Pure Choice Motorsports at 928/505-8356 or purechoicemotorsports.com.

RELAY THE POWER

Ron Francis introduced a new stack of relays that solves the problem of energizing high-draw accessories. The relays handle the big power for you, and they’re simple to install. Contact Ron Francis Wiring for yours at 800/292-1940 or ronfrancis.com.

JUST HIT THE BUTTON

With just the push of a button, you can now turn off all of the power to your car. This new kit from Ron Francis allows your key fob to deactivate the main power to your car. Leave it to Ron Francis Wiring to develop such a convenient product. Contact Ron Francis Wiring at 800/292-1940 or ronfrancis.com for more information.

RETRO COOL

Remember when many of the cool cars came with optional A/C that hung under the dashboard? Many of those under-the-dash units were Mark IV units, and now Vintage Air has a faithful reproduction of that classic unit. Hang it where you want as it provides cold air in a vintage package. Contact Vintage Air at 800/732-3460 or vintageair.com.

PARTS FOR BUILDERS

For those of us who love building our own street rods, a whole new line of precut brackets is now available from Welder Series. Here’s how it works: The brackets are all precut but require some bending and welding. You purchase the brackets and mount them to your chassis where you want them. Their new transmission mount is but one of many brackets from Welder Series. For more information, contact 877/467-8662 or welderseries.com.

HARDWARE MADE EASY

Wescott’s Auto Restyling brought all kinds of new hardware to the Nats, including all of these very hard-to-find pieces for GM convertibles. Chevrolet, Pontiac, Olds and Buick owners can now find brand-new hardware for their ragtops from Wescott’s Auto Restyling by calling 800/523-6279.

ALMOST SMOOTHIE

We really liked the smooth-face vintage hubcap from Vintique. The hubcap is basically a ’47 Mercury hubcap without the Mercury logo. The three lines around the outside of the hubcap add vintage flavor, and of course, since they’re stainless steel, you’ll never worry about rust. For a logo-free hubcap that looks right on any make or model, contact Vintique at 714/974-1940 or vintiqueinc.com.