'52 Chevy Gettin' Ready For Road Tour

It won't be long till we see the 2009 AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour criss-crossing the Continent in another eight-leg adventure led by the ever enthused Jerry Dixey who seems specially anointed for this task. Dixey, who's company Classic Automobilia features pedal cars and other nostalgic wares, somehow manages a remarkable quantity of details in assembling travel routes and station stops for the Road Tour. The kickoff for this year's tour is just a month away.

Street Rodder magazine is the host of the Road Tour, with AMSOIL title sponsor. The first order of business each year, even preceding destinations and travel routes, is selecting the year, make and model of the car that Jerry Dixey will drive as leader of the pack. For 2009 it will be a 1952 Chevy and as you can see from the photos, it is coming together nicely.

Some have asked how Street Rodder decides what car to build each year. There are several considerations in the decision. First, the editors are always trying to expand the street rod universe. Certain vintage cars have received so much attention that it is near impossible to break into the rodder scene with these cars because they're priced beyond reach, or impossible to find in their "raw" condition.

The choice of this year's 1952 Chevy was designed in part to give the editors a feel for learning how to work with newer cars. This selection also opens up a new breed of affordable, fun cars, pushing the envelope and opening new horizons.

From the initial conceptual drawing (below) to completed build there has been a lot of excitement being generated for this year's lead car in the 2009 AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour.