Hot Rods first appeared on the scene in southern California, historically speaking, when people began to race modified cars and trucks on dry lake beds of El Mirage and Muroc, way back in the 1920s. The movement had its fans but it was only post-WWII when things began to heat up and hot-rodding began to become part of the pop culture movement. More because many of the war veterans now came armed with technical know-how about anything that moved and could be stripped and reconstructed.
Today, a hot rod is any classic American car that has been “souped-up,” as in modified with larger engines and rebuilt for speed and quick acceleration. While most hot rods are made to race, some are made just because of how cool they are. And since a large part of American cars is pickup trucks, a large part of the classic Hot Rods today are trucks.
So here go some cool trucks that can be modified into incredible hot rods, with the reasons and examples why…
10 Ford Model A Truck Equals Incredible Hot Rod
The Ford Model A pickup truck became a bit different in the ‘30s, with a more rounded grille with horizontal slats, making it look different than the passenger cars of the time. It came with a side step bed at the time and is an ideal truck to be modified into a hot rod.
Here’s a great example of a hot rod, with a deliberately retro bodywork but with a more modern 4.4-liter flathead V8 engine from the ‘50s. This incredible Ford Model A hot rod now makes 224 horses and a cool 300 lb-ft of torque, not bad for a geriatric engine put inside a nonagenarian body.
9 1930s International Harvester Truck Turned Into Hemi Dually Hot Rod
When it comes to a hot rod, one of the most vital parts is the look, which comes with the body of the truck being used. Here, the owner seems to have a soft spot for the International Harvester truck, turning into a bit of a Frankenstein with the cab of a 1938 model but the grille from a 1946 model.
What makes this a spectacular hot rod is the 6.4-liter Hemi V8 topped by a supercharger in it, with stacked smoke pipes, 550 horses, and, of course, that unmistakable dually rear.
8 1930s Willys Truck Modified Into Iconic Hot Rod
Is there anything more that says American pickup than a Willys Jeep pickup? The precursor of everything Jeep, this 1936 Willys truck has been modified into an incredible, iconoclastic hot rod in red, that only looks retro. Under the hood is a very modern heart, an all-aluminum 8.2-liter Arias V6 mill.
Made by Missile Engineered Racing Components, the mill comes with a Hillborn intake with an EFI induction, making 800 stupendous horses. Obviously, the chassis, suspension, and everything else in this truck have been beefed up as well to handle that immense power of this Willys pickup hot rod.
7 1950s Chevrolet 3100 Truck Modded Into Stunning Hot Rod
We’d hate to take this to a race for fearing of muddying up that beautiful silver paint but this is a hot rod, made by modifying a 1957 Chevy 3100 and is an award-winning one, called Quicksilver. It has been recognized as “one of the finest custom truck builds of all times, winning the 2014 Barrett-Jackson Cup.
With an 8.8-liter V8 that jets 650 horses, it was built over 5 years, with a unique dash and Mercedes leather upholstered seats. No expense was spared on this one. But even if you are low in money, the Chevy 3100 truck can be modified into an incredible hot rod,
6 1940s Dodge Truck Turned Into Super Hot Rod
A 1940 Dodge truck is another cool pickup that can be turned into the best kind of hot rod for you, depending on budget and taste. This, meanwhile, is Valerie. Built by hot rodder Eddie “Hemi” Haines of Daytona Beach, Florida, it has been lovingly painted in a rich maroon color, and features in many in the hot rodding media.
It carries a 5.4-liter V8 that makes 700 supercharged horses, along with a racing cam, three carburetors, and a Magneto distributor. Valerie is ready to race, period.
5 1950s Ford F1 Truck Is A Lightning-Fast Hot Rod
No better truck can be modified into incredible hot rods than America’s darling, the Ford F-series, and especially the now extinct Ford F1 (later the F-100). Painted red, it looks stunning and what’s even more of a stunner is the John Kaase-built engine inside.
It’s a near 9.0-liter V8, further fed by a FAST fuel-injection system, with a custom 3-inch exhaust that jets an incredible 878 horses. Plus, this Ford F1 hot rod comes with a six-speed automatic transmission that is as far removed from a classic, as is Pluto from our solar system.
4 1950s GMC 100 Truck Makes For Alluring Hot Rod
Much like a Chevy of the ‘50s, the classic GMC of the time also came with great looks and plenty of reliability. Their sturdy bodies last quite a while which is why they make for a great hot rodding project. This is one such truck that has been modified into an incredible GMC 100 hot rod but was completely taken apart to be made into one.
It is powered by a Pontiac 5.8-liter V8 and comes with plenty of aftermarket performance parts to give it a characteristic growl when you rev. A lot of the metalwork has been replaced and freshened up to handle the extra power, along with beefier suspension and brakes. A blue hot rod to drive away from the blues.
3 1950s NAPCO Chevy Truck Rides High As A Hot Rod
This is a NAPCO style Chevy truck from 1955, and despite those perfectly retro looks, most of this truck is sourced and reengineered. So technically it's all-new, just with old looks. It's sized like a proper Chevy and also bears the same massive windows the Chevy Task Force trucks used to come with.
With rugged looks, this Chevy truck-turned hot rod also comes bearing a 350 horsepower, 350 lb-ft torque V8, running on a Borla exhaust system. The exhausts are like the ones on a Corvette C7 with baffles for two different engine sounds closed or open.
2 1950s Ford F-100 Truck Turned Into Sleeper Hot Rod
This looks like a perfect sleeper hot rod, like an old and dilapidated classic way past its expiration date, till you turn the ignition and get the surprise of your life. With a patina of rust and worn paint, this F-100 hot rod looks like it could not beat a kid on a bicycle, but it packs a 7.0-liter Crate V8 under the hood.
Ably tuned by Ford Performance, the sleeper mill makes for 450 horses and comes with Ford’s dependability. Matched with aftermarket performance parts, this truck could probably outrun a new Ford F-150, so make sure you know what beast you are challenging.
1 1950s Studebaker Truck Is an Incredible Hot Rod
Studebaker, as an auto company, managed to come out with some fairly innovative designs for their vehicles over the years, and yet, as classics, they don’t receive the same love as do other marques. But one hot rodder certainly liked the 1952 Studebaker truck and proceeded to turn it into a work of art.
Powered by a 4.6-liter Ford Nodular engine taken out of a Lincoln Mark VIII from 1993, with more parts taken from Ford Explorer and even the Crown Vic, this Hot Rod looks raring to go. And the flame paint job is another stunner of a Studie hot rod, belonging to another avid hot rodder.
Sources: autoevolution, FuelCurve, GMMedia, Mecum, Barrett-Jackson, MotorTrend, StreetMuscle