-RESTORATION IS A LABOR OF LOVE-

One of the outstanding examples of craftsmanship was a 1950 Buick Woody from Scott Pruett featured at SEMA. Apparently, another Scott Pruett passion is restoring vintage American cars in addition to his stellar racing accomplishments.

A few details that went into the Woody was a Mocha Pearl paint and what appears to be burlwood panels on the outside is actually hand-painted to look like burlwood. The same treatment was applied to the original metal dashboard inside the Superwagon.

Select Maplewood pieces were used for the roof and sides. The bumpers got a special treatment before being plated and polished by the team at Ogden Chrome. Cadillac bullets were welded to the front bumper and the rear bumper was modified to fit the exhaust pipes. Living up to its superwagon status, underneath the hood is a 485 horsepower Ramjet 502 crate motor from GM.

Perhaps one of the most show-stopping hot rods on display at SEMA was this '37 Packard built by the crew at G3 Rods. The company specializes in hot rod, custom and muscle car builds and is based out of Rapid City, South Dakota.

The Packard is sitting on an Art Morrison chassis with AccuAir suspension underneath. The body has been chopped, channeled, and shaved. It features custom hood sides, running boards and a lot of other subtle changes that were made to the body.

'39 Chevy headlights and taillights are frenched in as well as a custom interior with all-white leather and a custom gauge cluster.

The '37 features a 383ci stroker for some added power coupled with a 700R4 transmission. An Inglese eight-stack injection controlled by a FAST programmer marries the look of tradition with the modern accuracy of electronic fuel injection.


The Packard puts out about 450 horsepower. A Ford 9-inch is the final piece to the drivetrain rounding out one of the most reliable and tried-and-true setups in the hot rod and custom world.

The paint is one of the most eye-catching shades of gray at the 2014 show. The clear coat was pristine, but the gray itself had a milk-like shade that was simply rich. The base color was originally a Ferrari shade that was experimented with. It almost has a greenish-gray tint to it that showcases the show chrome of the front grille from the team at Ogden Chrome.

The root beer-colored wheels were a fine compliment and the overall look of the '37's color scheme really lends itself to the identity of the G3 Packard. When you see a car that is built on subtlety and you can spot it, wherever that may be, you know the builders have done a tremendous job.

Started life as a 1950 Chevy. Then came to Weaver Customs where the transformation to a badass 2 seat roadster happened!

Every panel has undergone major surgery. Weaver Customs of West Jordan, Utah has built some of the coolest cars anywhere, and this speedster is another fine example. The car features a roadster profile, one-off speedster-style windshield, modified hand-brushed nickel grill, splitter style front pan, custom rear-end treatment, live quarter ducts and more.

A supercharged 383 motivates this ride while an Airlift Performance Suspension is responsible for its attitude. The hand fabricated dash and center console accent an interior filled with Kicker audio components.