Hot Rod Road Trip

If you know much about Coker Tire, then you know we are 100-percent in favor of driving your classic car or hot rod. Drive it hard and drive it often--it's the reason we spend so much time getting them running and driving properly, so you might as well take advantage of it! A guy by the name of John Gilbert is doing just that with a wickedly-chopped Model A coupe, and he decided to stop by Coker Tire along the way. [caption id="attachment_2784" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Looks comfy![/caption] John is a freelance photographer and writer and does a lot of work for Street Rodder magazine. He has been around hot rods, motorcycles and classic trucks for many years, and he has a great time doing it. His most recent adventure involves driving this Hemi-powered Model A coupe from Florida, and high-tailing it to Reno, Nevada for the Hot August Nights event, and then motoring home to Southern California. He actually didn't buy it--his boss, Henry at Newport Classic Cars bought it on eBay and flew him to Saint Augustine Beach to pick it up....whew, what a job this guy has! On his trip, he wanted to swing by our place to put some new tires on the car, and rest his neck for a few hours, so we put out the welcome mat and gave him the grand tour while his car sat in the shop! [caption id="attachment_2783" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The Model A looked awesome with its Firestone bias ply tires, but John wanted to swap to radials for a smoother ride.[/caption] The car had a set of our Firestone Deluxe Champion bias ply tires on it, sized at 6.50-16 up front and 7.50-16 out back. John wanted to keep with the same sizing and the same traditional style, but he wanted a radial tire for better all around performance. The perfect tire for the job is the Excelsior Stahl Sport Radial, which has the looks and sizing of a bias ply tire with the modern guts of a radial. [caption id="attachment_2786" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Keith Brown installed the Excelsior Stahl Sport Radial tires.[/caption] So, we put the car on the lift, and swapped his tires to the new radials. He kept his wheels, but installed a set of ribbed trim rings to give the black steel wheels a bit more pop. During his time in Chattanooga, we sent him over to the Honest Charley Garage, where the crew gave the car a once-over and gave it some fresh Champion oil and a new filter. By 3pm, we sent him on his way, and listened to the ol' 331 Hemi fade away into the distance. He's still on the road right now, and we wish him the best of luck on his hot rod road trip! [caption id="attachment_2788" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Check out these cool dudes![/caption] [caption id="attachment_2789" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Now this thing is ready to hit the road with its new Excelsior radials!!![/caption]