Canadian Hot Rods Inc. - Building On History

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August 25 2018 - Tappen BC Canada, Canadian Hot Rods Inc.

If you have been madcap enough to take an old rusty wreck of a car and think you can make it new again, you must know the challenges ahead of you. Cars were made first to go together once, not necessarily to come apart and put back together. Time and weather form a ticking time bomb of destruction - body mounts rust through, bolts fuse together with nuts and holes, and things are never the way they used to be. Crusty parts pose a dilemma - do you restore the original, replace with OEM/NOS, or go aftermarket?

The variable answer very much depends on your car. If the car is rare - good luck finding parts, period. If the brand does not exist today, chances are probably worse. The most popular old cars - VWs, Chevs, Fords, Dodge have legions of parts makers - especially for Bugs, Mustangs, trucks and muscle cars. If you can find the parts, you still have an old kind of car that spews fumes, leaks on command and eats fuel and fluids like bacteria. Compared to modern cars, there is not so much compelling reason to dial back to carburetors and ashtrays (and no cupholders).

While individual parts are one thing and another, a Canadian company has been manufacturing complete chassis components for frame swapouts on popular classic vehicles. While any kind of custom frame would be possible, Canadian Hot Rods Inc. has focused on some of the most popular types of car considered for restoration, including:

1948-59 Chevrolet/GMC Truck Chassis

1948-60 Ford Truck Chassis

1953-62 Corvette C1 Chassis

1955-57 Chevrolet Chassis

1958-64 Chevrolet Impala Chassis

1960-72 Chevrolet/GMC Truck Chassis

1935-40 Ford Car and Truck Chassis

1978-88 G-Body Chevrolet Monte Carlo

Owner Wayne Booth began his motive career building high-end boats. Due to ever shifting markets and opportunities, he moved off the water and drove the same philosophy of premium quality products and service into the underserved hot rod industry. The original market focus on bare reproduction frames led to development of fully dressed custom chassis with top shelf brakes, suspension, rear end, engines etc. In response to other restoration services needed by their cutomers, CHR has taken a shine on building complete cars by order from the ground up.

This stunning 1955 Pontiac Safari has been completey redone ground up starting with CHR's pioneering Tri-5 Chevy frame. While you can buy almost any part (made in China) for a 55-6-7 Chevrolet, Pontiacs do not have the production number of cars on the road or subsequent fanatics following today. Build a custom car and that becomes less a problem - how about something special that no one else has?

Being able to drop a nice old car on a new frame with modern components is rejuvenating for both cars and humans. Managing one shop to build your dream car is more of a good thing than you can predict or emphasize. Canadian Hot Rods Inc. has the roadmap to get you and your ride where you want to git.

Canadian Hot Rods Inc.

Story and Photos by Randy Berg