The tunes of these rock & roll crooners echo through the eatery's outdoor speakers, accompanied by the baritone burble from the engines of classic cars that coast through the parking lot and find a space near the grill to show off their horsepower and chrome.

For the past several years, during the warmer spring and summer months, the parking lot at the eatery becomes a hot spot for hot rodders and classic car owners and those who just want to be part of the scene.

The atmosphere is lax and contented, and the conversation is always about cars, road trips, cars, adventures in hunting for parts, cars, horsepower, paint jobs, and cars. The banter is punctuated with rod jargon: "... It's got a hemi ...", "... It's a Ford, but it's got a 350 Chevy engine ...", "... I had the flames painted on awhile ago. ..."

One classic car owner contributing to the banter is lifelong Willow Glen resident Clif Inman, owner of a 1933 Ford Victoria replica with a license plate that simply reads VICKY 33. He's had the car about five years and has revamped it with power windows, air conditioning and a 350-horsepower Chevrolet engine. Some parts were custom made, and the body is fiberglass.

"The hardest part was making the chassis," Inman said.

For some the hardest part of getting into hot rodding is the economics involved with the hobby.

"To get into something like this, expect to spend between $35,000 and $50,000," Inman said. "But it's worth it."

For some guys, the appeal of a classic car is more than just owning it and showing it off. Some guys like to buy them—others like the prestige of owning one or more. Others prefer making them, while some enthusiasts just like driving them. Inman enjoys all aspects of the hobby, from building the car to owning and driving it.

Skip Menzie of San Jose has owned a 1932 Ford two-door sedan for 32 years. It was in pretty rough shape when he got it, he said.

"I kept it in the garage for a few years and pecked away at it until I was able to pay the house off and get my kids through school," Menzie said. "Then I figured it was time for me to play."

Willow Glen resident Larry Block has also returned to a hobby he loves. He brings his dark green 1937 Ford four-door sedan to the local hot rod events. He's only had the car for about five years.

"Rods are something you have when you're 18 or 20. I got out of it to raise my family," Block said. "I got back into it 40 years later, but I've always hung around the hot rod stuff."

Block's been attending Graffiti Nites since its inception a few years ago. The gatherings started when a couple of guys began frequenting the eatery, then called the Burger Barn. They brought their rod-owning friends on Tuesday nights so as not to conflict with the rod run at Happy Dayz Diner in San Jose at the intersection of Union and Bascom avenues, which meets Thursday nights.

A weekly tradition was born, and occasionally the parking lot will be filled with just hot rods and classic cars, especially when the owners of the Big Dog Grill offer to host a barbecue.

The barbecue has never been precisely scheduled. It just seems to happen at least once a season, said Ingrid Vilona, who co-owns the eatery with Lloyd Augustine. They're happy to take on the grilling duties but they don't make much more money those nights than any other Tuesday night.

"It's a lot of fun, and everybody has a great time," Vilona said, "but it's an extreme amount of work."

"But they're a polite, nice group of guys," Vilona said. The rodders are primarily guys in their 40s, 50s and 60s. "So there's not a whole lot of attitude. If you go to some of the other places" that have rod gatherings, "they get the young guys that have hot rods that want to spin out."

Spinning out is driving in a tight circle, leaving tire marks scorched on the pavement.

The Tuesday night group of rodders here also use their cars to help. Fliers are distributed or posted on the eatery's windows for shows or events that raise funds for charities.

However Graffiti Nites essentially remains a boys' night out.

"These guys don't bring their wives, and almost all of them are married," Vilona said. "The women would probably get bored. Listening to the guys talk about cars probably isn't their cup of tea."

Maybe not, but ask rodders about their cars and they're more than ready to share stories about the extraordinary amount of time, money and energy they put into transforming old cars into sleek, high-powered vehicles. Glossy paint jobs give these cars their pristine appearance, and their opened hoods reveal the heart of the hot rod. The polished steel blocks and stain-free tubing signify that these are not mere cars but fine examples of engineering. These are symbols of mankind's defiance of the elements, harnessing raw, untamable power housed in a steel chassis, where the furious chaos of gas and spark are brought to order with valves, gaskets and pistons.

Rain seems to be the only threat in their existence. When the sky clouds over these cars need to get home to a covered garage pronto. Apparently, rainwater can play havoc with a custom paint job or a rod's undercarriage.

A recent Tuesday was the first in recent memory a Graffiti Nite ended early because of rain.

"This is the first time my car's been wet in years," Block said with a self-conscious chuckle. "I've cleaned it by wiping it down or waxing it, but this is the most wet it's ever seen."

The rain cut short this one Graffiti Night, but the guys will be back next week.

"This is their season," Vilona said. "Guys with cars like these love showing them off and getting together to look at other cars. They can talk about cars all day long."

And for these guys the drive is always worth it.

"You know what the best thing is about these runs?" asks Block. "It's people coming up to you and simply saying, 'Nice car.' "