Battle of the Builders: Behind the Scenes With Jeff Kinsey

By David Hakim

	With his ’32 Ford, Jeff Kinsey was named a top-10 finalist in the inaugural Battle of the Builders competition during SEMA Ignited at the conclusion of the 2014 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

With a personal passion for classic cars for almost 40 years, Jeff Kinsey started Hot Rods by JSK back in ’96. He was named a top-10 finalist in the inaugural Battle of the Builders competition during SEMA Ignited at the conclusion of the 2014 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, bringing a hot rod that had already gotten its share of attention at many high-profile custom car shows earlier in the season.

Kinsey and the crew at Hot Rods at JSK worked tirelessly on this ’32 Ford, and the result is simply stunning. For starters, it uses a traditional Ford 312" Y-Block V8 engine that runs Hilborn injection. To ensure this creation is ready for some long-distance rod runs, Kinsey also installed an electronic ignition on this older engine design.

One of Kinsey's outstanding achievements on this build was how he modified the body, removing the B pillar to showcase the tricked-out interior. He accomplished this by integrating the B-pillar structure into the leading edge of the rear suicide doors. This was just one example of the imagination and ingenuity that Kinsey and the folks at Hot Rods by JSK had produced. They have won numerous awards around the country, and now they can add being named a Top-10 finalist in SEMA’s first Battle of the Builders competition.

Battle of the Builders will return to SEMA Ignited this year, and builders with a display, feature or booth vehicle at the 2015 SEMA Show are encouraged to compete against some of the top builders in the country. Open to all market segments, including trucks, hot rods, street rods, off-road, motorsports, sport compacts, luxury exotics and the like, builders can enter to be a part of the competition at www.semaignited.com.