It seems every sport or hobby has its own lingo you know, its own special language and terminology. And if you don’t know it… it sure sounds foreign. Following is a “dictionary” that includes many of the terms used by hot rodders… high-performance enthusiasts… sport compact tuners… you name it – all in the name of speed. Now keep in mind, some of these terms go back to the roots of high-performance cars, so they may sound dated ,but go to any gathering of performance enthusiasts and hot rodders and you’ll hear a lot of these terms still in use today.
"A"
A-bone – a Model A Ford
All show and no go – a car that may look great, but is lacking in the performance department.
"B"
Bad – good
Balonies – big, wide tires, usually on the rear
Bang Shift – quickly shifting a manual transmission, as in – “banging through the gears”
Belly Pan – bodywork underneath a car to streamline the bottom
Bench Racing – when “performance enthusiasts” sit around talking about how fast a certain person's car is, or discussing who could beat who in a race
Billet – aftermarket components machined out of aluminum
Binders – brakes
Blown Engine – means an engine that is supercharged; can also mean an engine that exploded
Blower – supercharger
Blower Drive – the belt and pulleys that are used to drive a supercharger
Bobbed – derived from the verb – bob – means to cut short or reshape; in referring to cars, “bobbing” means shortening the fenders or hood
Bone yard – an automotive junk yardBoost – refers to the amount of intake manifold pressure generated by a Turbocharger or Supercharger
Bored and Stroked – refers to an engine that has larger cylinders and a longer stroke than a stock engine
Bottom End – refers to the crankshaft, connecting rods and bearings located in the “bottom” of an engine
Burn Rubber – means to spin the tires, creating tire smoke
"C"
Cam – abbreviation for Camshaft – the part of an engine that controls the opening and closing of the valves
CC-ing – refers to accurately measuring the volume of each cylinder or combustion chamber to equalize the volume in a high performance engine
Channel – physically cutting out a portion of the body so it is lower in relationship to the frame rails to reduce overall height of the vehicle (typically only done to older body-on-frame vehicles)Chop – removing a section of the body to lower the roofline
CID – refers to the Cubic Inch Displacement of an engine
Crank – refers to the crankshaft, can also mean to go fast – ex– “Crank on It"
"D"
Deck – to remove the chrome and handles from the trunk lid
Deuce – a 1932 Ford
Digs – slang for drag races
Dig Out – to accelerate quickly
Digger – a dragster
Dragster – a purpose-built vehicle for drag racing; typically refers to Top Fuel dragsters, which are the fastest class of vehicles
EFI – stands for Electronic Fuel Injection
E.T. – stands for Elapsed Time, which is the time it takes to run a quarter mile drag race
"F"
Fat – refers to an over-rich air-fuel mixture, denoted by excessive black smoke
Fill – filling the body seams on a car to create a smoother appearance, typically done with lead or body filler
Flathead – a side valve engine design in which the valves are in the body of the engine rather than in the cylinder head; also refers to 1932 to 1953 Ford flathead motors
Flamed – graphic representation of flames
Flame Throwers – a device added at the end of the exhaust system that ignites unburned gases as they leave the exhaust pipe [NOTE: this may be illegal in some states]
Floor Pan – the floor of a vehicle
Four Banger – a 4-cylinder engine
Four Barrel – a type of carburetor that has four intake chambers
Four on the Floor – a 4-speed manual transmission with a floor-mounted shifter
French – refers to recessing the headlights, removing the seam of the headlight trim ring, or any other recessing
Fuel Injected – a mechanical or electrical device that 'injects' fuel into an engine; replaces the traditional carburetor
"G"
Gasser – refers to a modified car that competes at drag races and runs on gasoline (as opposed to dragsters that run on nitro-methane)
Gear Box – Transmission
‘Glass – short for fiberglass
Grocery Getter – a mild street rod that is used for short trips
Gutted – a car with its interior removed
"H"
Handler – a car that is easy to drive
Handler – a car that is easy to drive
Haze the Hides – to spin and smoke the tires
Headers – specialized exhaust manifolds that help reduce exhaust back pressure therefore increasing power
Hemi – a high-performance engine with hemispherical heads
Hides – tires
Highboy – a hot rod with no fenders or running boards and the body place high on the frame rails
High Tech – a car that combines a customized body with billeted or chrome appearance parts
Hot Rod – a vehicle that has been modified to improve its appearance and performance
Huffer – supercharger
Hydro – refers to an automatic transmission (derived from the name, Hydromatic, a transmission used in the 50's)
"I"
In the Weeds – either a really low vehicle or a vehicle that has lost control and ended up in a ditch
Igniter – the engine’s ignition system
"J"
Jug – the carburetor
Juice – fuel, electricity or hydraulic fluid
"K"
Knock Offs – a special wheel system that is held in place with one large, quickly removed nut
"L"
Lakes – refers to the dry lakes in Southern California and Utah (the site of the Bonneville Salt Flats) where drivers attempt to set speed records
Lakes Modified – a radically modified racer designed for racing at the dry lakes
Lean it Out – to alter the air-fuel mixture to improve performance and use less fuel
Locker – a “locking” differential that helps prevent tire spin by transferring power from the wheels that slip to the ones with grip
Loud Petal – the accelerator petal
Louvers – vents or slots cut in and raised in various body panels
Lowboy – a hot rod that has no fenders or running boards and is lowered over the frame
"M"
Mag – short for a wheel made of magnesium alloy – many of today’s wheels are called “mags” but they are made out of aluminum alloy; can also mean Magneto, a self contained ignition system
Mill – the engine; can also refer to “milling” the cylinder head, which is where material is cut away to raise the compression ratio
"N"
NOS – Nitrous Oxide System – injects nitrous oxide into the engine to boost performance
N.O.S. – stands for “New Old Stock” and refers to parts that are the original parts supplied by the vehicle’s manufacturer
Nerf – short for Nerf Bars, which are used to ward off tires in open wheel racing cars; also refers to small “bumperettes” on a car
Newstalgia – refers to a rod style that mimics the ‘50s and ‘60s yet employs modern power plants, components and body panels
"O"
Overbore – an engine block that has had the cylinder bores enlarged to replace worn pistons or to generate more power
Overwind – running an engine faster than its design limits
"P"
Pearl – paint that looks like “Mother of Pearl” with its iridescent colors
Pin Stripe – long, narrow painted stripes
Pinks – means to race for pink slips – i.e. “lose the race, lose your ride”
Ported – intake and exhaust ports that have been polished and/or enlarged to improve the flow of gases in or out of the cylinder head
Poser – a car that looks fast, but is really stock underneath; often includes oversized exhaust outlets, body kits or rear spoiler
Pro Street – a hot rod made to look like a drag racing car
Puffer – supercharger
"Q"
Quick Change – a drive gearset that allows for rapid changing of gear ratios
"R"
RPM – Revolutions per Minute – i.e., how many revolutions the engine’s crankshaft completes in one minute
Rails – refers to the frame side rails
Raked – a car that has been lowered in the front or raised in the back
Reacher – a dependable street rod
Repro – reproduction parts to match or replace N.O.S. parts
Resto Rod – a street rod with a stock appearing body
Roadster – a two-seater with a removable top and no roll up side windows
Rod – short for hot rod or connecting rodRoll Bar – a special “cage” made of round, tubular steel and designed to protect the driver and occupants in case of roll over Roller – has two meanings: a chassis that is completed enough to be rolled around; it also refers to a type of camshaft that uses roller lifters
"S"
Sano – short for “sanitary” which is a car that is absolutely spotless
Scatter Shield – a protective enclosure around an engine or transmission to protect the driver in case of a failure
Scoop – a device on the hood or body to force air into the engine or brakes at higher speeds
Section – to remove a band of metal from around the middle section of a vehicle to reduce its overall height
Slammed – a vehicle that has been lowered close to the ground
Skins – tires
Skirts – short for Fender Skirts, which cover the wheel well openings in customs and hot rods Smoothy – a car that has had all raised portions of the body removed
Spots – short for spot lights, also refers to disk brakes
Stacks – short for Velocity Stacks, which are used on the intake track to increase intake velocity
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 manual transmission gear shift lever
Stone – a slooooow car
Stroker – an engine equipped with a longer than stock crankshaft throw with modified length connecting rods
Supercharger – a mechanical device designed to force air into an engine at higher than atmospheric pressure
"T"
T-Bucket – a short, fenderless, open 'T' body hot rod
TPI – Tuned Port Injection
Tach – short for Tachometer, a device to monitor engine RPMs
Tranny – short for Transmission
Tubbed – to increase the wheel well size to accommodate very large tires
Tuck and Roll – an old-school style of upholstery
Tuner – a person who modifies a car – this person lives, eats and dreams cars and does performance mods before appearance mods; also refers to a vehicle that has been transformed from stock into a “street racer”
"U"
U Joints – short for Universal Joints
Uncorked – driving without mufflers
"W"
Wires – wire spoke wheels
"X"
X Member – the center portion of a frame where the frame rails meet or cross
"Z"
Zoomy – a wild street rod with open exhaust pipes
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