The Scott’s Hotrods ’N Customs shop truck is a killer 1966 Chevrolet Suburban. Of course it has the full spectrum of Scott’s components, including a bolt-on IFS kit and four-bar rear suspension, and it’s an attention-getting marketing tool that draws people to the Scott’s booth at 20-plus car shows per year. The Scott’s Hotrods ’N Customs shop truck is a killer 1966 Chevrolet Suburban. Of course it has the full spectrum of Scott’s components, including a bolt-on IFS kit and four-bar rear suspension, and it’s an attention-getting marketing tool that draws people to the Scott’s booth at 20-plus car shows per year.BY Tommy Lee Byrd 
Photography By The Author
Fabricating Custom Frames and Suspension Systems
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cott’s Hotrods ’N Customs is a full-service shop that builds killer custom vehicles and components, with an intense focus on classic trucks. The shop got its start in 1996 when Justin Scott Padfield took a leap with a 1,200-square-foot shop in Ventura, California. Specializing in fabrication, Padfield hustled to keep projects in and out of the shop during the early years, but eventually grew the shop into a larger building in Oxnard, California. As more employees were added to the force and more projects were brought into the shop, Scott’s Hotrods ’N Customs jumped full force into the parts business, fabricating custom frames and suspension systems for street rods, classic trucks, and more. Fast-forward to 2018, Scott’s moved its operation to a giant shop in Knoxville, Tennessee, allowing for more products and more projects.
Through the years, Scott’s has built high-profile cars that have taken home awards from the SEMA Show, multiple America’s Most Beautiful Roadster awards, and inclusion in the Great 8 at the Detroit Autorama. The builds are certainly a big part of the business, but Scott’s works hard to fabricate components for custom builds around the world. Custom independent front suspension kits, four-bar rear suspension kits, and complete chassis systems have become a key element of the company. Scott’s also offers a full line of billet aluminum components, from hood hinges and door handles to A/C bulkheads and taillights. You’ll also find that Scott’s is a dealer for Aldan American, RideTech, Wilwood, and more. Scott’s does a great job of balancing custom builds and component fabrication.
Many of Scott’s components are cut using this giant Wescott HD plasma table powered by Thermal Dynamics. It offers precise, repeatable cuts for many items, big and small.
Scott’s prides itself in metal fabrication for structural applications, like chassis and suspension, but it also goes the extra mile when it comes to sheetmetal. Here, Kenneth DeKiserre is massaging the quarter-panel on a 1965 Oldsmobile Cutlass.
Scott’s has multiple chassis jigs in its 20,000-square-foot facility. Chassis construction is a big task, but Scott’s has it down to a science. With a mandrel bender, radius bender, iron worker, Pullmax, and other heavy-duty machinery, the shop is well-equipped for fabrication.
Scott’s has three 3-axis CNC mills, two CNC lathes, and one 4-axis CNC mill for all types of metal. These machines are used primarily for Scott’s line of products. Ian Kinzler is the lead CNC programmer.
This 1967-1972 Ford F-100 chassis has a mockup engine in place for proper engine and transmission positioning. It features 2×4-inch mandrel-bent framerails.
Building a chassis from scratch is a labor-intensive process. The extensive jigs help keep things consistent and square from one build to another. Justin Ogle is the lead chassis fabricator.
Every suspension component available from Scott’s features high-end materials. Scott’s CNC machines every tubular control arm and four-bar setup, using 1 1/8-inch-diameter, 0.250-inch wall seamless DOM tubing.
This 1967-1972 C10 chassis is getting the finishing touches. This one has the body mounts already in place, as well as accommodations for a torsion splined sway bar.
Jimmy Ferrell’s 1967 Chevy C10 is one of the many projects at Scott’s. The C10 is riding on a full Scott’s chassis with RideTech coilovers on all four corners. It will be powered by an LS3 engine.
Massaging sheetmetal is a large part of each build at Scott’s. Whether it’s perfecting panel gaps or making subtle body modifications, the team at Scott’s takes great pride in its metal finishing.
This 1965 Oldsmobile Cutlass is getting the full Scott’s treatment, with a custom GM A-body chassis. Currently in bare metal, it still has hundreds of manhours remaining, but it’s a cool piece that will get a lot of attention.
Ken Sency’s 1951 Ford pickup is in the midst of the sheetmetal work. It had all of the common F-1 truck issues, but Scott’s has the front fenders repaired, mirror holes filled, and many other fabrication tasks completed. Of course, it’s rolling on a Scott’s chassis with IFS and four-bar rear suspension.
Dodge trucks rarely get the attention they deserve, but this D100 is getting a wild makeover at Scott’s. It features a custom chassis, a Hellcat engine, and tons of body modifications.
John Whitworth gave Scott’s full creative license on his 1984 Dodge D100, and it’s going to be a wild machine. With reshaped wheel openings, tweaked roofline, and many other body modifications, this thing is sure to be a showstopper.
On the subject of unconventional projects, this one started life as a 1976 Rolls-Royce and will eventually be an over-the-top custom. This car has a logged a tremendous amount of fabrication time and has many more hours to go.
This 1966 C10 panel truck is ready to be slammed, judging by the big front wheeltubs. Scott’s builds a chassis that it calls the SuperSlam, which gives customers the ultimate super-low stance. 
Jami Schnakenberg is seen here fabricating a custom panel for the 1984 Dodge D100 build. 
One of the key tools used in Scott’s chassis builds is this Baileigh mandrel bender. This allows for smooth bends on rectangular tubing, such as the 2×4 steel used for most of Scott’s framerails.
This Ford F-1 chassis is in the process of having its suspension, engine, and body mounts TIG-welded onto the framerails. Rob Kalthoff is man behind the welding helmet.
Scott’s Hotrods ’N Customs moved to a 20,000-square-foot facility in Knoxville, Tennessee, back in 2018. The new shop has allowed for more equipment and more production, and it allows for quicker shipments to many of Scott’s customers.We recently had the opportunity to visit Scott’s Hotrods ’N Customs in Knoxville, so take a look at the highlights of the shop’s current projects as well as the tools, machinery, and staff that makes Scott’s so successful. If you’re in the market for custom components or a full build, visit Scott’s website to find out what they can do for you.