The difficulty in building a classic-style hot rod comes in knowing the code. The difference between a garden-variety clapped-together rat rod and a "patina'd" hot rod with $50,000 worth of engine parts is about being familiar with what's rare and desirable. We got our first taste of that difference two years ago when we chatted up Bill Jagenow of Brothers Custom Automotive about his rod. These days, on a steady diet of Autorama and Billetproof, we're culturing our classic hot rod palette and find some of the Dream Cruise cars here to be quite tasty. Incidentally, Bill's rod is the one with the 24-stud Flathead.
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