Street Rod Horror Stories

Street Rod Horror Stories is a compilation of 80 stories given to the author by owners of street rods. Street rods are hot rod cars that are primarily driven on the street. These modified old cars generally have later model engines than the ones that came with them originally. Changes have been made to the steering, brakes, suspensions and frames. Owners primarily build and modify the cars themselves. Sometimes they do not make the changes according to rules of safety and longevity and thus the cars are involved in accidents, such as fires and crashes, as well as situations such as being stranded away from home with failed brakes, steering that came apart, or lights that would not come on when needed. The stories include those about hot rods, street rods, customs, trailers and motorcycles. There are tales about shop fires and the flooding of the parking lot at a major car show. Attention is given to the National Street Rod Association and their Safety Program which features free inspection of any car 30 years old or older. Many of the stories end with a lesson learned by a street rod owner or advice given to the reader for their use if they build similar cars.