Cool Fords From The Shades Of The Past Hot Rod Round Up

Every fall, over 1,000 hot rods (all 1972 and older) converge in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, at the Dollywood’s Splash Mountain amusement park for the Shades of the Past Hot Rod Roundup. This year, the event took place September 6th and 7th. Beyond those thousand or so hot-rods, several thousand more line every road side parking spot in town along the famous “Pigeon Forge Strip.” This year, the show was also the refuge spot for Fords escaping Hurricane Dorian’s wrath at Mustang Week in Myrtle Beach. Of course, we were there in search of the most beautiful Fords we could find. Check out what we found below in our gallery, as well as one sweet hot-rod that helped coin the term!

As the sign says, this is where it all began. These were the days before you could order a custom tune via email for your Coyote, or a supercharger, all at the click of a button. Before all of that, people modified cars with what parts were out there. There were certainly other sharp hot-rods out there, a few even before this one, but it’s hard to argue the fact that the 1932 Ford certainly started a ton of hot-rod dreams!

This 1932 is full of cool. Just check out the modification list from donor vehicles, never mind the aftermarket parts. In traditional early hot rodding fashion, this '32 is an amazing mix of upgraded factory parts along with the few aftermarket parts that were available, much like we would modify a Mustang today. Where we might source a Boss intake for our Coyote, these guys needed a Mercury crankshaft to wake their flathead up. Fox Mustang guys search out used Tremec transmissions, but back then, it was a search for a set of Lincoln gears for the rearend. This '32 is a nice reminder that even though things have changed a lot over the decades, the basic principle of hot-rodding remains!

Check out our gallery filled with our favorite Fords from Shades of the Past 2019!

Photo gallery

VIEW FULL GALLERY >

About the author

Jeff Southard

Growing up with a dad who loved Corvettes, I was destined to be a gearhead from day one. Beyond that, my dad owned an auto parts business for over 25 years. There, I learned the automotive basics as a child, then began my professional career working there after high school. From Corvettes and Superbirds to Hemis and Cobra Jets, my dad has owned a little of everything over the years, so I've had my chance to get some quality seat time behind the wheel of some rare, unique, and sometimes, just odd automobiles. I have owned my share of toys, including over 20 Mustangs. I guess to make a long story short, if you look up "car crazy" you will probably find my photo listed pretty close to it!
Read My Articles