Isky Racing Cams Reveals 75th Anniversary Dennis Taylor-Built Hot Rod Roadster Tribute

By Tara Hurlin

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Updated
December 19, 2024

The talk of this build began a year earlier at the SEMA Show, while Alex Taylor of HOT ROD Garage and Dennis Taylor of Hot Rods by Dennis Taylor were in the Isky booth considering what kind of build would be the best to celebrate Isky’s 75th anniversary. The project came full circle at the 2023 SEMA Show with the reveal of Dennis Taylor’s Ed Iskenderian tribute car, which embodies the iconic hot rod that graced the cover of the June 1948 issue of HOT ROD Magazine.

Known as the cover car that started it all, Ed’s hot rod roadster was built from a ’23 Model T back in 1937 during a time when the phrase “hot rod” was mostly unheard of. Today, the car is one of the greatest hot rods of all time, built by one of the greatest hot rodders of all time.

After discussions and researching the history of the original build, Dennis decided to equip the tribute car with a modern Godzilla engine while still giving the hot rod a period-correct appearance. Of course, he would build it from scratch, including custom casting the valve covers and flying skull, replicating the same process used in the 1930s.

The “Tribute T” used a ’23 Model T for the base of the build. It was in rough shape, but Dennis crafted a flawless body and turtle deck out of the salvaged body parts using measurements from the original roadster. All the work was completed in less than eight months to be ready for the SEMA Show, with help from friends. Speedway Motors supplied the Godzilla engine with other necessary parts. The rear end was sourced from David Freiburger. Joe McCollough from Speedway Motors provided ample historical information and spent much time on the phone with Dennis’ wife, Debbie Taylor, assisting with the build.

The valve covers, being the center of attention on the build, ended up being one of the most difficult details. They had to be perfect, closely resembling the originals while fitting on the modern setup. After some trial and error, Nick Taylor of Nickky Bobby Inc., designed an adapter and the valve covers to fit on the Ford Godzilla engine using 3D printing, which perfectly portrayed the scripting provided by Megan Taylor. The 3D printed pieces were used as molds for casting. Once casted, countless hours of polishing ensued.

The tasteful Tribute T combines old school style with new school technology and was well-received at SEMA 2023.