If you get a chance…

…check out the April 2008 issue of The World of Rods. If not only for the killer profile on me that Rich Boyd was kind enough to assemble and publish (thanks again, sir!), but for your own enjoyment. The title gets better and better with each issue, and the quality of the writing and photography are a feast for the eyes and mind.

I had first come across the title some months back, and was astounded that what (at the time, anyway) was a one-man show, pretty much, could showcase such variety and quality, issue after issue. Not the thickest book on the stands yet, but growing every month, I’m stoked to see that it’s finding more shelf space (hard to find here in the Valley still!). I’m hoping that, as more people find out about this great title, that we’ll see manpower increase over there, and that, perhaps, a website could follow?
In any event, check out the magazine if you haven’t already, and even take time to drop Rich a note to let him know what a killer job he’s doing…. If this is the first time you’ve heard of the title, go grab it, and let him know we sent you. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised…

If you stop and think about it…

…there really is something inhrerently fun about cars in general. Growing up, I was always infatuated with cars. Toys, model cars, Hot Wheels cars, Matchbox cars… hang on a second…. quick moment of introspection here. Anyone else ever stop to ponder the difference between a Hot Wheels and a Matchbox car? I always felt (and I may be crazy here) as a kid, that the Matchbox cars were more “serious” cars. Replicas that were like the stockers running around town, while Hot Wheels were like the fun, rebellious cars… the hot rods of your town. Weird, perhaps, or maybe just right on track with their marketing idea… I just always played a little rougher with a Hot Wheels than a Matchbox. (oddly ironic is that, looking back, Matchbox cars always gave me some great ho rod and custom ideas… besides, they has some of the coolest colored windows… and when those boys busted out with a hot rod or custom-influenced car, they went NUTS with it.)

In any event, I was talking with the wife the other night about commercials, namely TV commercials for cars, and how they all just about suck. They’ve become serious, in a lot of ways… Granted, VW has their underlying humor, but, for the most part, the car commercials today all have a stodgy, buttoned-up feel.
We got on the subject of cool commercials, and by far, the greatest ever were the Nissan commercials from the nineties. Man, those were killer. Maybe it was a subconscious pondering of those commercials (which gave a solemn nod to the old Datsun days) that inspired me on a recent rendering to have fun, get loose, and throw a tip of the hat to their storied racing past… but there’s one commercial from Nissan that everyone knows and loves:

…and how can you not love it? It was fun, and really played up a great image. It was a grown-up look back at your youth, playing with cars, and just inventing bizarre scenarios (especially if you had a sister… their toys always provided interesting back-drops for toy automotive-induced mayhem…)
The follow-up to that classic was just as entertaining:

In any event, I guess that my point is that even as we “grow up”, we still hang on to the things that we enjoyed as kids, in some small way. While I may not have the toys I grew up with anymore, I have the memories, and I enjoy looking back on those times, as well as creating some similar memories with my kids, and taking that inspiration to the drawing board with me on each new project. I have fun doing my job, and hope it shows… Will playing with toy cars now have a similar effect on my kids? Who knows? Maybe they’ll grow to become car-obsessed hot rodders, or maybe they’ll just enjoy it for what it is, and go a different path with their interests (and take some cool memories along). The important thing is, we’re having fun, and that’s the name of this game. Go and do likeswise…

Over the course of twenty years…

…things are bound to change. Just about 20 years have passed (we’re about a month-and-a-half shy) since this photo was taken:

It’s my old Chevelle, and the pic was snapped as the car was being completed… this being roughly my Senior year in high school (note lack of tail pipes and trunk lock cylinder, among other important items). I bring this up on roughly the tenth anniversary of selling the car, after moving to CA in the late-90’s, and, surprisingly, after my father ran into the car once more in Pleasanton, the very grounds where the old girl was passsed to a new owner. In any event, it’s kind of funny to look back at the changes. I bought the car (with help from my parents… I had a very cool and supportive, hot rod-oriented mom… how killer is THAT?!) as a near basket case (here it is in progress)

…and with a ton of guidance and help from my father and a few close friends, brought it back to life (in the form of the lead photo). Fast-forward a few years, and things were shaping up on it, with some new wheels and aggressive rubber, all setting the tone of a late-’60’s/early ’70’s street machine (OK, with updated wheels… hindsight yells “shoulda kept the slotted mags!!”). The tall stance and big meats were part of it, as was the period cool crushed velvet interior:

It was a fun car… not the fastest, by any stretch, but respectable enough. It was a clean car that had a classic look, and looking back on it, was an amazing car for a late-teens/early twenties-age guy going to school.

It packed attitude, and that black paint was a constant source of pride (and time-swallowing detailing), and the monster even saw the first snow on one notable occasion. It was a reliable, almost comfortable car, considering the ride height…

Fast-forward ten years after selling the car to head back to school, and I get a phone call from my dad, at the Pleasanton Goodguy’s event. “You’ll never guess what I’m standing in front of,” he says. “The disembodied, floating head of Elvis?!” I ask, really wanting a picture… “No, you (expletive), your old Chevelle.” Very cool indeed… The old girl is alive and well. Granted, like any personal project, the new owner has taken the car and personalized it, as anyone might make something their own, creating a vision they can be proud of. The car has a new life, yet continues its rebirth, which is an awesome thing. See if you can spot the changes:

Rally stripes, new wheels, a front valance…

New seats up front (the rear remains!), updated gauges, speakers, and so on….

…but most amazingly, the black paint that was laid upon the car in ‘88 is still looking deep, shiny and straight… Seeing that work live on made my day. It’s testimony to spending time in the right places, and taking pride in anything you do… a lessson I’ve been trying to teach my kids in all they do, and was illustrated perfectly in a car none of the three are old enough to recall. In any event, long post, I know… But I thought it was cool to share a project that spans two decade, two owners and two very distinct styles, but shares the same basic foundation.

May all your first projects carry on as long…

More Maze Madness!

When last we left off, we were discussing the ‘57 Ford aptly named “the Maze” (scroll down to read it, if you missed out on part one… we’ll wait up!). A little digging unearthed some cool stuff, and really fills in some of the voids. The shots I posted of the car lat entry were of the car in its ‘57-to-early-’59 guise, and the query made as to when the front end was changed-up to the split bumper/molded pan…

No answers yet on that… and apparently, this was not the end of the restyling of this radical ride… far from it, in fact!

It seems that the car was wrecked sometime before early 1960, received a more radical body transformation, and, ironically, much more subtle paint. The front fenders saw the removal of ten inches from the front, effectively setting the upper headlamps deep in the body. A new grille shell and front pan houses more lights, and a pair of grille bars created from ribbed exhaust pipe (I built models like this as a kid!):

This round of custom work was done by Gene’s Body Shop in San Jose… anyone have info on them, or maybe any other notable customs? (how about Burns Upholstery while we’re asking? I swear, this thing is becoming an obsession! Any help is greatly appreciated.)

The car, in this version, has a style similar to the Trendero, built around ‘61 by Trend Automotive (in Lyons, IL!! See? Great midwest customs from the early days!):

Anyway, the Maze, by this time, had gold paint, and no longer wore a rear bumper, utilizing a rolled pan and nerfs that shared theor shape with the sloping “beaks” off of the roof scoops and tail lights.

Sadly, it’s another of those great customs that have disappeared. While we may no longer have many of these greats from the age of excess (although, the Trendero lives!!), we have the archives to study them from. Of course, seeking out info on this one car has led me through some amazing territory, and truly whetted my appetite to pen some late fifties/early sixties show customs… anyone up for something truly unique? Drop me a line…