Customer Reviews

Hot Rod Garages

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was extremely disappointed with this book. You would think a book called "Hot Rod Garages" would have lots of photos of ... uh hot rod garages, right? Well, not this one. It's mostly dull interviews with guys who run pro shops. Most of the photos are detailed close-ups (and not particularly good ones either) of cars (again, not garages). Where are the garages?! I was expecting photos of regular folks with their unique set-ups, not a bunch of sterile pro shop layouts. There are a couple "real" garages here, but not enough to make this book worth purchasing. No vintage photos either. The only good thing about this book is the cover (which is actually a shot of a hot rod garage). This is the worst Motorbooks publication I've ever seen (and I love most of their output). Great concept for a book, but it sure as hell wasn't followed here.

I first saw a copy of Hot Rod Garages when an associate showed me a copy signed by the author. All it took was a quick scan to know I wanted my own copy. Who knew seemingly random shots of shops and equipment could be so fascinating, or useful, for that matter? Out of the corner of one photo, I got an idea for a chop saw stand,solving a problem that's been bugging me for some time.

This is an exceptional book by Peter Vincent. Contains a lot of real class photos and some of the best hot rod shops I've seen. This is a highly recommended addition to your collection

Great source of ideas and photograph second to none. My only issue is the way the book is bound. After multiple throne readings, it tends to fall apart. Now I have two. One for show. Maybe it could be bound in the USA?

A great book on the people we all admire in the sport of hot rodding. From dusty floors to hospital clean they are all in here. From diamonds in the ruff to the slickest rods you have ever seen, they are all here. Just wish I had been smarter in days gone by to save some of the stuff I knew about. These guys did it. You will not be able to put it down. The second time you read it is even better.

This book was not very interesting. The title suggests hot rod garages but it was more like a discussion about friends of the author. It did not show interesting workshops or home garages with a hot rod theme.

The book is a great look at a few successful builders in this segment of auto restoration and modification. I really thought the photos were fantastic (I'm a photo enthusiast and a part time/semi-pro photographer). I did not go through the entire book myself as it was a gift. But I was impressed with the book, the layout, the images, the color and what looked to be a very interesting piece on the genre. Since the gift was for my father I had a chance to hear back from him and he was very enthusiastic about the subject in general. My feeling is that this book would appeal to those who are into Hot Rods or even general mechanical aspects of cars, as the garage theme and people behind the garages run throughout the book more so than specific hot rods, though they are also well covered.

Peter Vincent is a prominent photographer and writer whose specialty is American hot rods. In Hot Rod Garages, he profiles a number of men who build hot rods, both prominent, award-winning constructors like Steve Moal and Roy Brizio, who work out of large, professional shops, as well as men like Pete Eastwood and Cole Foster who create their custom cars in backyard garages.

Hot Rod Garages is an attractive, small coffee-table book with short profiles of eighteen men who build hot rods. There are a number of photographs of the shops the builders work in as well as some examples of their finished products. A number of these talented body, paint and chassis men have Bonneville connections and have built cars that have competed for records on the Utah salt flats, which are known to the initiated as "the big, white dyno." These men thus build cars that are not simply intended for Sunday afternoon cruising, but vehicles that must be constructed in order to perform safely at 200 miles an hour.

The profiles are brief and not terribly introspective as the author's aim is to summarize the builder's career, to describe how their shop spaces came into being and what types of rods they create. Because the author comes from Idaho, a number of the hot rod craftsmen profiled come from the Northwest, far from the sport of hot rodding's Southern California origins. This is a welcome aspect to the book, because many of the car magazines tend to be Los Angeles-centric. There are some veteran Los Angeles rod builders covered here, as well as a few from the San Francisco Bay area.

The entry on Steve Moal, an exceptional craftsman from Oakland who grew up in the coachwork business, was guest-written by Michael Dobrin, and it is the most thorough and best-written chapter in the book. I would have preferred that fewer men were profiled and that all of the entries were of this length. Some of the constructors like Moal clearly deserve a book of their own. There is also a nice chapter on the Rolling Bones shop in New York, which includes a series of images of the construction of an all-metal '34 Ford "Three Window." This is an excellent photo essay, as it shows how a hot rod is constructed in the "old school" way.

Another suggestion that I would have for a future volume, if Vincent plans one, would be more of the builder's views on shop set-up and equipment, as based on the title, this book is devoted not to the finished hot rods but to the spaces in which they are created. Also, with the "rat rod" movement, there are a lot of younger men getting into rod building and they too deserve coverage. Despite the uneasiness some conservative, middle-aged car enthusiasts have with the tattoo culture that accompanies the Rat Rod movement, in an age in which industrial arts has all but been abandoned, where the idea of masculinity is under assault and where fewer American-born men can build anything at all, we need to encourage men who have constructive hobbies, especially ones that can turn into careers.

To summarize, this is a welcome book, for it is important to see not only beautifully chromed and painted completed hot rods, but the men who construct them and where they are created. It's nice to see a focus on smaller builders working out of spaces many readers can afford rather than just the lavish dream-shops of men like Troy Trepanier or Boyd Coddington, who produce the complex, sophisticated rods that are most often seen in magazines and on television.

this is a good book. if i had a hot rod, id paint it flat black and make it loud as hell. id speed all over town scaring old ladys and revving up the motor. id put grease in my hair and get tattoos all over my arms. people would see me and say 'here comes that son of a b*tch again...'.

but id need a garage like in this book to build such a beast.

this book shows alot of cool stuff and cool garages. excellent photography and the cover of the book is even cut out like a garage door. its cool.

this is a good book. buy one. hopefully hot rod garages part 2 will be out someday. ill buy that one as well.

Length:: 1:31 Mins

Here is a detailed look inside this book -