Dictionary

fat fender: Street rods with bodies manufactured between 1936 and 1938.

fat: An over-rich fuel mixture denoted by excessive black smoke.

FF layout: A vehicle that has its engine in front and has front wheel drive, such as the 1948 Citroen 2CV, and the 1959 Mini.

fill: Filling body seams with lead or body filler to lend a smoother appearance to the car.

five window: A term meaning a coupe body that has five windows, not counting the windshield.

flame thrower:A device to ignite unburned gases leaving the exhaust system.

flamed: A graphic representation of flames usually starting at the front a working toward the back of a hot rod.

flathead: An engine that has the valves in the body of the engine rather than the head; also refers to 1932 to 1953 Ford flathead motors.

floor pan: A term describing the floor of a vehicle.

fordor: The Ford name for a four-door sedan.

four banger: A term to describe a four-cylinder engine.

four barrel: A term to describe a four-cylinder engine or a type of carburetor.

four on the floor: A floor-mounted shifter coupled into a four-speed transmission.

four wheel drive: Vehicles with four wheel drives have engines that can drive all four wheels. Four wheel drive is also referred to as four by four or 4x4.

FR layout: A vehicle that has its engine in front and has rear wheel drive, such as the 2003 Cadillac CTS and the 2005 Pontiac GTO.

french: A term usually referring to recessing the headlights and removing the seam of the headlight trim ring; can also apply to other recessing.

front wheel drive: In automobiles with front wheel drives, the cars’ motors drive the front wheels.

fuel injected: A mechanical device that "injects" or introduces fuel into a engine.

gasser: A modified closed car that competes at drag races.

gear box: A transmission.

ghost flames: A term describing graphic flames that are usually the same color as the body, but a few shades lighter or darker.

glass: Fiberglass.

grab rails: The 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 1930s.

grocery getter: A mild street rod that is named for "running to the store and back."

gutted: A hot rod with its interior removed.

halo vehicle: A halo vehicle is a specially designed car developed to demonstrate the talents of a given auto manufacturer. While halo cars, such as Corvettes, are offered for sale, they are also used as a marketing tool to bring in people to buy less expensive cars and to change or improve the public’s perception of the company.

hammer: See chop.

handeler: A hot 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 that can increase power.

hemi: A monster high performance engine produced by Chrysler with hemispherical heads.

hides: Tires.

highboy: A hot rod with no fenders or running boards and the body placed high on the frame rails.

high-tech: Hot rods that combine customized bodies with billeted or steel dress-up parts.

horsepower: One horsepower is a term that is used to describe the power and output of engines, in this case, the power that is needed to lift 550 pounds one foot off of the ground in one second. Horsepower is also used to measure electricity. 746 watts is equal to one horsepower.

hot rod: A vehicle that has been modified to improve its appearance or performance.

hot rods: Older cars that have been modified by changing the cars’ appearances, changing or modifying the cars’ engines, or by changing both the appearances and the engines of the cars.

huffer: See supercharger.

hybrid vehicles: Hybrid vehicles combine combustion engines and electronic motors to help the engines run more efficiently and use less gasoline.

hydro: A term for automatic transmission that is derived from the namehydromatic, a GM transmission used in the 1950s.

igniter: The engine’s ignition system.

in the weeds: A really low vehicle; also a slang for when you have lost control of your ride and ended up in the ditch.

internal combustion engine: An internal combustion engine burns fuel and air in a chamber, creating high temperature and high pressure gases, which, when expanded, cause the movement of the engine’s parts.

jimmy: Nickname for a GMC, but it can also refer to a blower or supercharger.

jug: Slang term for a carburetor.

juice: Slang term for fuel, electricity or hydraulic fluid.