Dictionary of Hotrod Slang

(Jump to: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z )

 A

• A-400: A convertible two door sedan built by Ford prior to 1932
• A-bone: Model A Ford

 B

• B-400: A convertible two door sedan built by Ford in 1932
• Balonies: Wide bad ass tires, usually on the rear
• Bang Shift: To quickly shift a standard transmission
• Beast: A really ugly hotrod
• Belly Pan: Metal sheeting underneath a street rod, to streamline the bottom of a rod
• Billet: Aftermarket dress up components usually machined out of Aluminum
• Binders: Brakes
• Blown Engine: A engine that has a Supercharger or a engine that exploded
• Blower: Supercharger
• Blower Drive: The belt and pulleys that drive a Supercharger
• Bobbed: Shortened Fenders, sometimes applied to a shortened hood
• Boost: Intake manifold pressure generated by a Turbocharger or Supercharger
• Boots: Tires
• Bored and Stroked: Engines that have had their cylinder walls enlarged and the crankshaft throw modified
• Bottom End: Refers to the lower portion of a engine and usually includes the crankshaft, flywheel, bearings and connecting rods
• Box: The transmission, but can also refer to adding reinforcement to the frame
• Bucket: Rod with a Model T body also called a 'Bucket T'
• Buggy Sprung: Suspension based on front and rear solid axels and left over from horse and buggy days
• Bull Nose: Usually refers to a chrome trim piece for the top of a hood
• Bullet Nose: A Studebaker built in the late 40's and early 50's

 C

• Cam: Short for Camshaft, a engine piece that activates the valves
• Cammer: Usually refers to a single overhead V8 Ford engine
• CC-ing: The accurate measuring of each cylinder or combustion chamber to equalize the volume in high performance engines
• CCs: 39 Ford Teardrop Headlights
• Channel: The lowering of the body in relationship to the frame rails to reduce overall height of the vehicle
• Chop: Removing a section of the roofline horizontally to reduce its height
• CID: Refers to "Cubic Inch Displacement" of an engine
• Coupe: Basically any car with just a front seat
• Crank: Crankshaft but can also mean to go fast "Crank on It"
• Cruise: To drive in a laid back fashion
• Custom: Stock cars that have had extensive body modifications

 D

• Deck: Removing the chrome and handles from the trunk or 'Decklid'
• Deuce: 32 Ford
• Digs: Drag Races
• Dig Out: Accelerate quickly
• Digger: A Dragster

 E

• EFI: Electronic Fuel Injection (replaces the carburetor)
• E.T: Elapsed time - the time it takes to run a quarter mile drag
• Elephant: A 1964 or later Chrysler with a V8 and Hemispherical cylinder heads - a.k.a. 'Hemmy'

 F

• Fat: A over rich fuel mixture denote by excessive black smoke
• Fat Fender: Street rods with bodies manufactured between 1936 and 1938
• Fill: Filling body seams with lead or body filler to lend a smoother appearance to the car
• Five Window: A coup body that have 5 windows, not counting the windshield
• Flathead: A engine that has the valves in the body of the engine rather then the head - also refers to 1932 to 1953 Ford flathead motors
• Flamed: Graphic representation of flames usually starting at the front a working towards the back of a hot rod
• Flame Throwers: A device to ignite unburned gases leaving the exhaust system ( very cool)
• Floor Pan: This just means the floor of a vehicle -
• Fordor: Ford name for a four door sedan
• Four Banger: A four cylinder engine
• Four Barrel: A four cylinder engine or a type of carburetor
• Four on the Floor: Floor mounted shifter coupled to a four speed transmission
• French: Usually refers to recessing the headlights and removing the seam of the headlight trim ring, but can apply to other recessing
• Fuel Injected: A mechanical device that 'injects' or introduces fuel into a engine

 G

• Gasser: A modified closed car that competes at drag races, but could mean your friend drank to much beer.
• Gear Box: Transmission
• Ghost Flames: See Flames, only these flames are usually the same color as the body only a few shades lighter or darker
• Glass: Short for fiberglass
• Grab Rails: Handles mounted on the body to help passengers enter the vehicle, usually a rumble seat
• Grill Shell: A decorative trim that goes around the radiator usually on cars built in the early 1930's
• Grocery Getter: A mild street rod that is used for a run to the store and back
• Gutted: A rod with its interior removed

 H

• Hammer: Same as Chop
• Handeler: A rod that is easy to drive
• Haze the Hides: To spin and smoke the rear tires
• Header: Specialized exhaust manifolds that help reduce exhaust back pressure therefore increasing power
• Hemi: A monster high performance engine produced by Chrysler with hemispherical heads
• Hides: Tires
• Highboy: A rod with no fenders or running boards and the body place high on the frame rails
• High Tech: Rods that combine customized bodies with billeted or steel dress up parts
• Hot Rod: A vehicle that has been modified to improve its appearance or performance and most times both
• Huffer: Supercharger
• Hydro: Automatic transmission ( derived from the name Hydromatic, a GM transmission used in the 50's

 I

• In the Weeds: A really low vehicle or you have lost control of your ride and ended up in the ditch
• Igniter: The engines ignition system

 J

• Jimmy: Acronym for a GMC and can also refer to a Blower or Supercharger
• Jug: A carburetor
• Juice: Fuel, Electricity or hydraulic fluid

 K

• Kemp: A rod with a customized body
• Knock Offs: A special wheel system that is held in place with one large, quickly removed nut

 L

• Lakes: The dry lakes in and around Southern California where hotrodders raced their cars
• Lakes Modified: A radically modified racer designed for racing at the dry lakes
• Lean it Out: To alter the fuel mixture to improve engine performance and use less fuel - done to extreme will fry your engine
• Locker: A type of differential that helps prevent tire spin and distributes the engines torque evenly to the rear wheels
• Loud Petal: The accelerator petal
• Louvers: Vents or slots cut in and raised in various body panels especially the hood and trunk areas
• Louie: A left hand turn (see Roscoe)
• Lowboy: A rod that has no fenders or running boards that is lowered over the frame (channeled)

 M

• Mag: Short for a wheel made with a Magnesium alloy - can also mean Magneto, a self contained ignition system
• Mill: Engine
• Molded: Filling and reshaping body panels and seams
• Mood Disks: Flat aluminum wheel covers
• Mouse Motor: A small block Chevy engine manufactured from 1955 to present day.

 N

• NOS: Nitrous Oxide System - mucho big horsepower
• N.O.S: New Old Stock and refers to parts that are the original parts supplied by the vehicles manufacturer
• Nail Head: A 1950's Buick engine
• Nerf: Short for Nerf Bars - used to ward off tires in open wheel racing cars - also refers to little bumperettes
• Newstalgia: Refers to a rod style that mimics the 50's and 60's and employs modern power plants, components and body panels

 O

• Overbore: An engine block that has had its cylinder bore enlarge because it is badly worn or the owner wants more power
• Overwind: A bad thing and means to run an engine faster in RPM then its designed limits

 P

• Panel Delivery: An early commercial vehicle with two doors in the front for people and two doors at the rear of the vehicle for cargo
• Pearl: Paint with reflects'Mother of Pearl' iridescent colors or maybe its a little white object taken from an oyster
• Pit Pins: Quick release pins that hold body panels in place
• Phaeton: An open two or four door sedan manufactured in the late 20's to the late 30's, that had no roll up windows
• Phone Booth: A 28 or 29 Model 'A' closed cab pickup
• Pin Stripe: Long narrow painted stripes usually running the length of a hot rod. May also be done with narrow plastic (gulp) tape.
• Ported: Intake and exhaust ports that have been enlarged and polished to provide maximum flow through the heads
• Power Parker: People that arrive as early as possible to events and shows to get prime parking spots, usually frowned on by hot rodders
• Pro Street: A hotrod made to look like a drag racing car
• Puffer: A supercharger

 Q

• Quick Change: A rear end that allows for rapid changing of rear end gear ratios, or possibly a trip through McDonalds drive thru

 R

• RPM: 'Revolutions Per Minute' or how many rotations an engines crankshaft completes in one minute
• Rails: Refers to the frame side rails on cars before some idiot invented uni-body
• Raked: A rod that has been lowered in the front or raised in the back
• Rat: A Big Block Chevy V8 engine e.g.: 396, 400, 427, and 454 cid
• Reacher: A dependable street rod
• Repop: See Repro
• Repro: Reproduction parts to match or replace NOS parts
• Resto Rod: A street rod with a stock appearing body
• Roadster: A two seater to a 'Phaeton' - removable top and no roll up side windows and the windshield could fold down
• Rod: A short for Hotrod or Connecting Rod
• Rod Run: May mean an event open to pre 62 only or can refer to any pre-ordained driving route as in a "Poker Run"
• Roll Bar: A special cage made of round tubular steel and designed to protect the vehicles occupants in case of roll over.
• Roll Cage: See Roll Bar
• Roller: A chassis that is completed enough to be rolled around on its own. Can also refer to a type of camshaft that uses roller lifters
• Roscoe: A right hand turn (see Louie)
• Rubber Rake: A rake achieved by the use of big tires in the back and little tires in the front or possibly an unbreakable garden tool

 S

• Sano: A rod that is absolutely spotless (sanitary)
• Saw: See Chop
• Scallops: A graphic in the shape of a long narrow triangle usually starting from the front of a hotrod
• Scatter Shield: A protective enclosure at the rear of the engine to protect the driver in case a clutch explodes - also used on transmissions
• Scoop: A device mounted on the hood to force air into the engine at higher speeds
• Section: To remove a band of metal from around the middle section of a vehicle to reduce its overall height
• Sedan Delivery: A truck with two opening doors up front and one mother of a door in the rear
• Slammed: A vehicle or hotrod that is as close to the ground as humanly possible without actually touching
• Skins: Tires
• Skirts: Short for Fender Skirts which cover wheel well openings in customs and hotrods or a reference to the fairer sex
• Smoothy: A hotrod that has had all raised portions of the body removed including moldings and sometimes chrome
• Spots: Short for a spot light, also refers to disk brakes
• Stacks: Short for Velocity Stacks which are used on carbureted and fuel injected engines
• Steelies: Wheels made of steel or a marble made from knocking apart old ball bearings. Really Big old ball bearings
• Step Plates: Pads mounted on running boards or fenders to keep the paint or rubber matting from being scratched or getting dirty
• Stick Shift: A floor mounted gear shift lever
• Stone: A slooooow car
• Stones: Short for Firestone tires or an English Rock Band
• Stove Bolt: A nick name for a rod powered by a Chevy inline six cylinder engine
• Stroker: An engine equipped with a longer then stock crankshaft throw with modified length connecting rods
• Stuffer: Supercharger
• Supercharger: A mechanical device designed to force air into an engine at higher then atmospheric pressure

 T

• T-Bucket: A short, fenderless opened 'T' body hotrod
• TPI: Tuned Port Injection
• Tach: Short for Tachometer and a device to read engine RPM
• Three On The Tree: Refers to a column mounted three speed transmission shifter
• Touring: See 'Phaeton'
• Trad Rad: A street rod built in the styles of the 50's and 609's rods
• Tranny: Short for Transmission
• Tub: A touring car or Phaeton can also refer to enlarging the wheel well size to accommodate very large tires, usually in the rear
• Tubbed: To increase the wheel well size to accommodate very large tires usually at the rear axel
• Tudor: Ford name for a two door sedan
• Tuck and Roll: A cool style of upholstery or a new kind of music

 U

• U Joints: Short for Universal Joints and these are located on each end of a drive shaft
• Uncorked: Running without mufflers

 V

• Vicky: See Victoria
• Victoria: A sporty two door sedan body that featured a different rear body panel style

 W

• Wedge: A type of Chrysler engine with wedge shaped combustion chambers in the heads
• Wide Whites: Wide whitewall tires
• Wide Weenies: Large rear tires and I am not going there
• Wires: Spoked Wire Wheels
• Woodie: A station wagon with wood paneling and no I am not going there either

 X

• X Member: The center portion of a frame where the frame rails meet or cross

 Y

• Y Block: A cylinder block with deep pan rails

 Z

• Z'ed: Frame rails altered in a Z shape to lower the front of a hot rod
• Zoomy: A wild street rod with open exhaust pipes