Welcome to the New Hot Rod Barn: A Hurricane-Rated Home for Every Hot Rod Rescue
At Hot Rod Donkey Ranch, we’ve always believed every forgotten project car deserves a second chance, a place where old steel gets new life, creativity meets craftsmanship, and the rumble of a revived engine means another success story. This year, we finally built the space worthy of those rescues:
our brand-new, hurricane-rated Hot Rod Barn.
And yes… Pancho and Cisco supervised every step.
Seven Truckloads of Concrete (Because We Don’t Do Anything Halfway)
When we build something on the ranch, we build it to last. The foundation alone took seven full truckloads of concrete, creating a rock-solid base ready to support our growing fleet of hot rods, drag builds, restoration projects, and the occasional “what even is that?” rolling chassis we drag home.
The slab is engineered to handle heavy equipment and all the rest of our beasts.
Built for Florida Weather… and Florida Heat
The barn is fully hurricane-rated, built with reinforced framing and engineered roofing to protect every project during storm season. While the walls are open, the roof is fully insulated, helping keep temperatures more manageable during scorching Florida summers and giving us a cooler workspace when the humidity tries to melt you.
It’s not air-conditioning — but in Florida, every degree of heat you can keep out matters.
A Structure Built for Storage and Hot Rod Rescue Projects
This barn isn’t a mechanic shop with lifts — it’s a purpose-built storage and staging space for our growing collection of hot-rod rescue projects.
- Main building: 40' wide x 50' deep
- Side lean-tos: Two 15' covered wings for additional covered parking, parts storage, and shade
- Ceiling height: 20 feet, giving us plenty of vertical breathing room for taller vehicles, trailers, and future organizational space
With its size and layout, the barn gives us room to safely store new project acquisitions, organize parts, protect vehicles from Florida weather, and keep every rescue ready for the day it moves into the build queue.
The New Headquarters for Hot Rod Rescue Missions
Inside this new space, you’ll soon find:
- Classic hot rods waiting for revival
- Vintage racers getting their second chance
- Old drag strip legends becoming street-legal
- Oddball junkyard or barn-find treasures most people would scrap — but we can’t resist
If it once rolled, raced, smoked the tires, or made us stop and say, “We have to save that,” it now has a proper home.
Approved by the Ranch Crew
Pancho and Cisco — our miniature donkey duo — have taken their role as project managers very seriously. Cisco’s loyal little white bird is still riding around like a foreman on patrol, keeping an eye on progress while the donkeys supervise everything we unload into the new shop.
What's Next?
Now that construction is complete, we’re moving in lifts, tools, lighting, and the first wave of rescue vehicles. Soon, you’ll see more build videos, behind-the-scenes progress, and the transformation of forgotten cars into road-ready machines.
Follow along as we fill the new barn with stories, sparks, horsepower, and a little donkey-powered charm.
