Wednesday on the ARP/Street Rodder Shades of the Past Road Tour really showed what makes street rodding great; talented builders and good friends. For the talented builders part of that equation we started our day at the shop of Will Hudson in Strawberry Plains, which is about 20 miles north of Pigeon Forge. Will is a perfect example of the talented young builders who have really breathed some life into street rodding. While not a huge shop, Hudson Rod & Custom has some fantastic builds to their credit and we got to see some others that are well on the way. The level of their metalworking talents is evident in the projects under construction. They also have a complete upholstery shop housed in the same building as the fab and construction facility. It was a great morning at Hudson Rod & Custom. Talented young builders like Will and his team ensure that our hobby will be alive and well for many years to come.
Our next stop was at the shop of a builder who has been part of the rodding scene for many years in the Knoxville area. Larry Griffey and the craftsmen at Larry Griffey’s Hot Rods have been responsible for many quality vehicles since starting the shop in 1982. When we arrived we were greeted by Larry, wife Robbie, and shop manager Kevin Riffey. There were a number of examples of their talents parked in front of the shop when we arrived. The detail on the cars on display was amazing. Also parked in front was the fantastic 1954 Corvette owned by Larry and Robbie that made it into the prestigious Great 8 finals for the Ridler Award this past winter. The craftsmanship on the Corvette is incredible. We all enjoyed some great sandwiches and a tour of the facility and the project underway. Many thanks to Larry and Robbie.
In the evening our destination was the home of Bob and Sandy Millard. Bob is the retired president of the International Show Car Association and has been a part of the show car community for many years. Bob and Sandy invited us to their beautiful home for a wonderful evening of great food and comradery. The time we spent at Bob and Sandy’s on Wednesday evening was a perfect example of the fact that our street rod hobby is more about the people than it is about the cars. Many thanks to the Millards for a fantastic evening.
We are getting closer to the 35th edition of the Shades of the Past Hot Rod Roundup. Before the gates open on Friday we have an early morning visit to make at a gas and oil collectibles swap meet and a stop at one the most recognized names in street rodding: Lokar. Stay tuned, we are almost at the Roundup.
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