R ecalling the 56th NSRA Street Rod Nationals prompted me to write this edito- rial about the significant impact trends can make. In my 50-plus years involved in rodding for a living, I’ve seen trends come and go, as they nor- mally do, but none has grown larger or faster than the current truck market. (I gave up the truck ver- sus pickup battle.) What makes this trend some- what unusual is the fact classic trucks have always been popular within the rodding ranks, but admit- tedly that popularity’s growth waned after the ’56 Ford F100 glory days. Some of our history’s great- est builds have been trucks, and in the early days the Model A and ’32 Ford were most popular, fol- lowed by the ’40 Ford and eventually ’48-53 Chevrolets. The popularity of these trucks resulted in huge support from the aftermarket industry and were some of the first, entirely-reproduction, steel replicas and, best of all, repair parts for all the rust- ed hulks out there became available. If you were around in the early ‘70s when T- buckets were a raging trend they were kickstarting the rodding world we experience today. Thanks to NSRA’s large gatherings of rodders traveling from across the U.S. trends spread like wildfire. Enthusiasts saw what others were doing and could- n’t wait to get home to build their version. T-buckets were the perfect ‘starter’ project, being a build any homebuilder could accomplish, parts were readily available, and they were a blast to drive! As trends go, some are long lasting, while oth- ers come and go in a flash. T-buckets, although one of the earliest trends in street rodding, have proven to be a trend that is now woven into our fabric. Soon enterprising rodders realized the fiber- glass method used to make T-bucket bodies could be expanded to include all sorts of reproduction bodies and parts. This kicked off the steel vs ‘glass wars but as the trend continued, fiberglass allowed outstanding phantom styling to become a trend that resulted in some of the most beautiful rods and customs on the planet. A Century ago, some of the first customizing took place and it quickly caught on. At the time the latest trends were simple, maybe some lowering, skirts, custom caps and exhaust tips, but the trend continued, and the collective results are one of man’s greatest accomplishments of combining art with mechani- cal craftsmanship. The above examples were trends in their time, A Trendy Gathering
and they have survived all these years later, repre- senting creators who built their vision, not follow- ing someone else’s. A long list of trends over the years comes to mind and in street rodding Resto Rods, Traditional Rods and Rat Rods lived short lives as trends, but still move forward as a large part of our fabric. The Fat Fender trend expanded rodders minds to the possibilities of later models as parts and prices for early cars were rising and get- ting scarce. All these trends, while not remaining the talk of the show, carry on because they were all based on having fun with cars. Early this Century NSRA opened the years of participation at their events to 30-year-and-older vehicles. New and exciting builds started popping up around every corner and trends spread like wildfire. As a result of this change many of the par- ticipants are now younger and the era of ‘50s clas- sics and ‘60s factory muscle cars began rumbling into NSRA events. Additionally, ‘70s eco-sedans when slammed are stunning, ‘80s boxy designs have attracters and the ‘90s usher in the electronic era. Although it’s impossible to supply all the parts needed for these 30-year-and-older builds overnight, they will continue to keep the aftermar- ket busy as they grow with their customers. As the truck trend fuels our excitement and cre- ativity as it weaves its way into the fabric of our rodding lives, Broncos and Blazers have become hot commodities. With updated chassis, modern powertrains, concours paint and loaded leather interiors, they represent a sizzling hot trend for 2025. If you’re anxious to see all the latest trends in 2026, be sure to make your way to the 57th NSRA Street Rod Nationals, August 6-9, in Louisville, Kentucky. Tom Vogele tomvogele@verizon.net
8 OCTOBER 2025
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