In this WebRidesTV.com exclusive, the lovely Amber Goetz got a chance to talk one on one with the Hot Rod legend himself, Boyd Coddington. Amber found him sitting at the Magnaflow exhaust booth, signing autographs for his recently released book, “American Hot Rod Story”.
He and Amber discussed the car he brought to the show, and what he’s going build next. His contribution to the show, a 1931 Model A Ford pickup truck was a 6 week build for Widecap Construction Supply.
Sitting in a solid cherry red with highly polished chrome accents, this simple looking but gorgeous truck really stole the show. A polished and lacquered wooden plank bed and simple red velour interior really accent the early simplicity of the Model A while still giving it sex appeal. In the pipeline, Boyd and his crew are building a 1957 Chevy 2-door hardtop for Rally Auto Parts. Coddington grew up in Rupert, Idaho, where he got his first car (a 1931 Chevrolet truck) at age 13. He attended machinist trade school at Idaho State University and completed a three year apprenticeship in machining.
In 1966, he moved to California building hot rods by day and working as a machinist by night. He soon became known for building unique hot rods and in 1977 he opened his own shop, Hot Rods by Boyd, in Cypress, California. His first customer was Vern Luce who’s car (a '33 coupe) won the Al Slonaker Award at the 1981 Oakland Roadshow.
In 1988, Coddington founded Boyds Wheels Inc to manufacture and market custom automobile alloy wheels made from billet aluminum. In 1997, Coddington (along with his then chief designer Chip Foose) was inducted into the Hot Rod Hall of Fame. Coddington has been a hot rod industry legend for over 40 years, and cars like the 31 Ford Pickup from the show is classic Boyd design. His show, American Hot Rod, showcases the kinds of cars the Boyd is famous for, as well as the drama. His life is full of interesting twists, including the fierce rivalry with Chip Foose, who used to work for him.
