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When you own a custom hot rod building company called “Attitude Hot Rods” in Parker, Colorado, your attitude about hot rods and kustoms had better be right on. As a matter of fact, your next build better have more attitude than the last. There’s an old saying that “one cannot live on past accomplishments,” and Dennis Summers knows that very well. There is yet another expression along the same line that is often used: “You are only as good as your last build,” meaning no matter how good your builds were in the past, everyone is focusing on your latest build. Dennis’ latest, with plenty of attitude, is the 1931 Model A sedan featured here.
We caught up with Dennis at GoodGuys’ 18th Annual event at the Ranch Complex in Loveland, Colorado, sitting next to his Ford. The car actually glowed under a tree on that warm September day, and the purple paint screamed “look at me.”
Colorado’s Hottest Hot Rod
The Model A is a brand-new build for Dennis, completed just in time to make the event. Dennis told us the upholstery was finished a week before the event. He had to make certain everything was working well in order to get it to GoodGuys’ event, and the attitude of his Model A was rewarded with a “Hottest Hot Rod” award.
From the stars cut into in the wishbones to the internally stock Hemi, this Model A hot rod is ready for the road.
Dennis started with a ’32 Ford frame, then added a 9-inch Ford rearend. Up front he used custom star-cut front axle and wish bones. Front and rear Wilwood brakes were added, and the car was set up on four ET wheels, 16×10 in the rear and 15×5 fronts. Motor mounts for the internally stock 1956 Desoto 330 cubic-inch Hemi were added, and then the engine was dropped in. On top of the engine sits a custom intake with Demon six-pack carbs to give it that “hot rod” look. He decided on a six-pack instead of a blower 
because he said, “I like multi-carbs but everyone’s afraid of them. I’m not, and I like the look better!”
To scavenge the exhaust, he added Sanderson headers with stainless steel glass packs. Lots of TLC went into the engine and a heap of shine was added after it found its way home. A vintage 1960 “Surfer style” scoop was painted to match the body color which enhanced the look of the six-pack carbs. A 700R4 transmission was hung behind the engine to make it highway friendly.
The Attitude Is Always Present
Dennis owned Summers Auto Theft Repair for 13 years, specializing in fixing stolen cars that had been vandalized. He was the first guy in the state of Colorado to be certified to do air bag replacement. In his spare time, he built a few cars for friends and one in particular he still owns. Originally finished in 1997, his vibrant Candy Red ’55 sedan delivery complete with a 402ci big-block Chevy.
After finishing that one and taking it to several shows/events, people started asking Dennis if he’d build them a car. That gave him the impetus to open a hot rod shop, a place he could devote to his passion of building cars. Married to wife Jennifer for 21 years, Dennis has two daughters that have grown up around car building and car shows.
In 2004, Dennis started Attitude Hot Rods in Parker, which is just south of Denver. Attitude Hot Rods has built several award-winners over the past 11 years. The last build being a striking ’54 Chevy sedan that was built for a local customer. That Chevy has already won quite a few awards, including the GoodGuys’ “Flowmaster Thumper” award. Winning the “Thumper” award backs up his shop motto, “It’s all in the attitude.”
Attitude’s Latest Hot Rod
That brings us back to his latest, the purple Model A Ford. Dennis said he’d worked on it off and on for three years before deciding to finish it this year. Once the frame was finished, he set the body on and chopped the roof three inches in the front and two inches in the rear while adding Victoria windshield posts. He then welded in an insert from a 1950 Ford 2-door sedan.
A custom firewall was inserted, and around back the taillights were molded into the belt line. A third brake light was set in with custom rear lower body corners fashioned to complete the look. A gas tank, complete with a 1970 Dodge Charger gas cap was set into the rear of the frame. Finally, four-inch wheel tubs were added to accommodate the 16 x 10 rear wheels and the Diamondback whitewall tires. Not liking the stock door setup, Dennis decided on a final body modification. The car needed suicide doors with hidden hinges to bring that attitude that his builds are known for.
An AMC dash faces the drive while a Con2R wheel takes care of the steering. Interior is done in all white.
The interior was upholstered in white vinyl, proving you don’t need an all-leather interior to win awards. To add the final finish to the car, Dennis found a ’32 Ford grille shell and added the “A” from an Austin. Most people comment on that, wanting to know where he found that piece. The car was coated in a custom PPG mix, “Old Faithful Purple” as Dennis calls it, then pinstripes were added by Joe at Speedway Graphics in Loveland, to accent the car.
Dennis doesn’t take on several builds in his shop, instead he concentrates on one car at a time and builds only one or two cars a year. Dennis’s first car was a 1957 Chevy that had been hit hard in the front. At the age of 16, he fixed it up with the help of his Dad and then sold it to buy a 1923 altered T from his uncle.
That experience led to his “build-one-car-at-a-time” philosophy. Needless to say, he’s been building cars that way ever since. His shop has only one employee but he stated he’s always looking for talented help to build his team.
If you have an unusual car or vehicle you want done, he’ll take on just about anything, and his shop does everything on the build except upholstery. That includes paint and bodywork. Dennis’ latest is a ’69 Chevrolet Nova, which will debut at the Crème de la Chrome car show in Denver this November 27-29, 2015.
For more information, contact Attitude Hot Rods at www.AttitudeHotRods.com
