NSRA National Safety Director’s Rides
Roger Barnhill’s street rod life style started back in 1978 with a ’46 Chevy coupe that started rough, but was ultimately road ready running all the parts off of a ’72 Nova that Roger could scrounge. Proudly on display at a local show inside the mall, I love the JC Penny sign in the background.
Interestingly, though this sweet little ’31 Ford pickup is technically Roger’s second build, it’s where he started his story and I get it. He got this rod piece by piece, fenders here, body from that guy, frame from another dude, a lot of swap-meet stuff, and a trip to the Street Rod Nationals in OKC. The rod was his first chop, his first foray into hardcore bodywork, his first fully custom chassis, and his first pre-war street rod.
Everybody needs at least one T-bucket, but I did notice this was Roger’s only open ride. His ’23 had all the T-bucket standards like a tunnel- rammed small-block Chevy, big and littles, too much brass, and no luxury at all.
Roger went through a Chevy coupe phase in the early ‘90s and cutting-edge billet wheels and Covette tuned-port power were the norm. He bought this car as a project from a guy who had torn down a museum restoration and then couldn’t finish the rodding part.
In the mid-to-late ‘80s Roger traded for an unfinished ’34 Chevy coupe he finished off in Chrome Yellow wearing McLean wires with a nice slammed-to-the-ground resto rod stance.
66 APRIL 2026
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