Back in 1980, Len Legere Sr. bought the remains of a ‘71 Javelin from a wrecking yard, and took it from a forgotten mess to the ISCA National Championship. The car had a HUGE impact on me almost twenty years ago, and still brings forth that teenage awe that it did when I first laid eyes on it at the Clutch Artists AutoRama in Buffalo, NY. Before we get too deep into it, dig on some video caught by my father those many moons ago (pardon the low quality– time has been harsh to the old VHS tapes, and his transfer was decent, but moving it online has degraded it a bit more…).
The car absolutely jumped off of its turntable that March day, and drove deep into my psyche. Here was a modern custom car… a contemporary take on the radical customs I was already obsessed over as a kid, but oh, so much more! That stance was aggressive, and not typical at all of a custom car, it had billet rollers, and those proportions, man!! Chopped and sectioned, and channeled just right over that custom frame… This was a 1:1 version of the models I was building! I can’t begin to count the hours I spent studying the car as it went ’round and ’round that weekend, but know this much: I was taking notes.
As a junkyard-trolling individual, I recognized the (then)late-model Monte Carlo headlamps, the Fairmont tail lights… but the specifications were branded into my brain: roof chopped 2.5-inches, body sectioned 3-inches, floors channeled 5-inches. I stood there, imagining the car sitting on the ground… how it would have looked, a whole, what… 40 or so inches tall? Awesome.
Anyway, I bring this car up following a week of finishing off a couple of pro-touring style car renderings, and a late night of pondering where that whole movement will go next. After all, custom cars grew to become milder versions of their former selves, save for a few notable examples like we have here, and pro-street became, well, pro-touring… Yet, almost 20 years ago, Len Legere created a car that would easily meld the custom and pro-touring camps, and left an indelible mark on my design sense. Since that day in the Buffalo Convention Center, I’ve worked to add styling cues to my designs that honor that pivotal moment, and have enjoyed the hell out of it all. Here’s hoping you’ll do the same, and thanks, as always, for peeking in….
I have an upcoming artist feature in the relatively new Benchrace Magazine, an online publication geared toward the hot rod community, and loaded with absolutely killer feature articles each month, and I’m pretty stoked, as this is really the first online ‘zine to include my work.
Cover of Benchrace #9
Weighing in at nine issues (when the new one hits, anyway), the magazine has already nailed some killer content, including stuff from guys like Jim “Jake” Jacobs, Tom Fritz, our good pal Jimmy Smith, Dan Picasso and more! Hell, it’s even had the great Reverend Billy Gibbons on the pages! Good times indeed!
Suffice to say, it was cool when Robert threw the idea out there to feature my art… I’m always stoked when anyone takes notice of my stuff, and it was a good experience! As part of the fun, I was asked to offer up a print as part of his monthly prize drawing, and I’ve obliged, offering up on of my signed/numbered and limited-edition pieces, the Mahi Mah-T:
Show rod artwork by Problem Child Kustoms Studio-- Win it!
Add to that (by golly, it just gets better and better, huh?) the chance to win a free set of wheels, compliments of Real Rodders Wheels, just for subscribing (it’s FREE, by the way), and the icing is on the cake:
Win a set of Real Rodders Wheels by registering at Benchrace Magazine!
If you get a chance, check it out… I think you’ll enjoy it.
Like a Hollywood starlet, the mighty Camaro is mill dieting… think of it as a “crash diet”, but on a CNC machine. The goal is 2700-lbs, and by golly, we’re not leaving anything to chance.
Project “Sick Seconds” is racing toward its debut at the SEMA Show (see it live in the Gear Vendors booth!), and a big part of the assembly process has been removing things… namely any pesky poundage. As a testimony to the serious approach being taken in this respect, imagine looking at the engine block and thinking “yeah, we can lose a few pounds there, too”, and then milling 40 lbs. from the brand new piece? Denny and the rest of the gang at Pro Rides had this thought, and that’s just what the gang at LSM Systems Engineering did, chiseling with fine precision at the outside of the block, working toward the valley tray:
A mechanical work of art!
As KMP Performance and Machine (the engine builder) said, “It’s almost too nice to use!”, and I think you’ll agree with the photos here!
Weight loss in action.
You can read more in the June 2009 Popular Hot Rodding Magazine, and be on the lookout for this monster on the show floor, the track… and even the street! The Camaro will be running 1,200 miles between tracks as part of Drag Week, so you’ll have plenty of time to check it out in full race set-up, as well as street guise, wearing a set of absolutely killer Bilet Specialties wheels (16×16-inch beadlocks on the strip, and massive 20-inch rollers for street use) on Mickey Thompson rubber! More updates coming soon over on Studio PCK…
…or at least the dust left behind by this monster:
I think I could handle this buzzing around in my garage...
When the AMC Hornets were new, the ads read with slogans like “If you think it looks good, wait’ll you feel it perform!”, “It’s not our strong guarantee that makes our Hornet a tough little car”, and “It’s beautiful when you fill it up”… Taking those sales pitches waaaaayyyy out of context bred the bright yellow beast above.
Right out of the box, I wanted to play up the automaker’s legacy, by using some references to Wisconsin, naturally, and then just say “screw convention”, and mess aound with a largely forgotten car… Thus, we have an AMC, some Green Bay colors, and, uh, well… that’s about it, aside from the crappy “cheese” line at the start.
Moving along, I’ve had this sick road racing-inspired ride “buzzing” in my head for about two years, and have played with the drawing on and off over that time span. I had watched The Man With the Golden Gun some time back, and it re-kindled a love affair with all things AMC (even if it would have been better had they used Alice Cooper’s song of the same name… but that’s another story for another time). When the master, Steve Stanford played with some AMC concepts last year, it re-kindled my interest in the idea, and after seeing just how dedicated the AMC guys are, I finally got all of the sketches into one place.
The concept: A ‘74 Hornet built with a nod to the Mulholland road-race crowd of the ’70’s. A tube chassis with a 9-inch center section IRS and Corvette-based front suspension allows the car to sit right on the ground, and the full ‘cage helps everyone insode feel safe as the world rushes by in a blur.
Speaking of “rushing by”, motivational power would be via a twin turbo 360, backed by a six speed… no LS-motors or otherwise… this baby would be an AMC through-and-through.
Body-wise, a late-model Challenger hood would donate its center, while retaining the stock Hornet hood peak and emblem recess, as it looks almost natural that way. The factory parking lamps would hit the swap meet, and air inlets installed to feed the mighty engine. While we’re up front, let’s drill out the heavy front bumper, add some driving lights, and then lightly tuck it to the body, and rework the fenders for a flush-fit look. A chin spoiler and splitters further play up the idea, and help to cut through the night air.
Side-exit exhaust just looked so damn cool, and sitting as low as this thing does, it made sense, too. Out back, I’m seeing a pair of ‘89 Mustang LX tail lights (nothing personal, just never liked the stock units), and a notched rear bumper to show off the rear belly pan.
Just wanted to share one of the little “side” projects that always seem to be floating around the Studio, and show a little love to the hard-core AMC crowd. Hope you dig it.�..
And you know, that song has been stuck in my head for weeks. It’s been years since I first heard the Kinks’ song “Do It Again”, and it kind of slid its way into the soundtrack of my life… What made me bring this up is the recent train of thought I’ve been on, with respect to my work, art and life in general. It seems that as things drift closer and closer to the absurd, I’m finding my inspiration in the very stuff that got me into this in the first place, which, as it turns out, is just absolutely beautiful.
Consider a few things, if you’ll humor me (on what has become a long-ass post):
Like anything you find an interest in, eventually you move forward from that original starting point, and hopefully improve upon it, build your skills, and in some instances, find new inspiration someplace else. For me, my interest in art started with comic books, the MAD Magazine and CARtoons Magazine, finally leaping to fine art, namely surrealist paintings and Op-Art. While attending college, I majored in Fine Art, painting and drawing, and was thankfully exposed to a number of different styles, techniques, approaches… and I’d say that just about 90% of it was shit. Somewhere, it seems, craftsmanship was replaced by some rote technique, and “trendy” found a home in the one place it should have never been allowed.
My answer to that? I drew cars again. With the art world pandering to any two-bit hack with a brush, there was a certain peace in sketching hot rods and customs. I moved along with the times, bringing the digital tools into my work, and have continued to push the combinations of organic and electric. But every now and then, I slip into a comfortable routine, and just hit “auto pilot” for a bit… Yeah, I feel kind of guilty about that. I become the very thing that makes me rebel in the first place… And you know what? It’s good. It brings about some good, I should say!
What’s truly unique about this particular moment is that I have, for the first time, combined a lot of those early influences into my work at the same time. It’s been amazing, and only getting better! The point here, though, isn’t so much about what has BEEN inspired, but more WHAT has inspired.
I looked back at my more artsy roots, and recall the first time I saw Victor Vasarely’s work “Vega-Nor”, an Op-Art (“optical art”) piece at the Albright-Knox.
Op-Art at its finest. Photo taken @ Albright-Knox Art Gallery, ca. 2002
This painting warped my young brain… not surprising, as that was its intent… After all, the point of Op-Art is to toy with one’s perception, using color and line. I really learned more about using line quality from that piece than anywhere else! It was later in life, while working on a rendering that I stopped to consider just how much depth you could create on paper just with line pressure… up until then, I had a pretty good idea, but the process and idea just seemed, well, natural. Vasarely, mind you, was well ahead of his time. Granted, this whole Op-Art movement was set in motion by the German mathematician (and artist!) Josef Albers, who experimented in the ’30’s with color, working to create spatial effects, but Vasarely moved it forward, working to create work that all could enjoy and take part in… kind of an anti-agenda, if you will… and as for being ahead of his time? Consider that in 1953, the man stated that “In the future, we will attend projected exhibits by contemporary artists. Two days will suffice to send a large show by envelope to any point in the globe. And in the attached letter, as in some sort of partition, in cyphers and terminology, the artist will present the initial and true conditions of his creation.”
Holy (expletive) premonition!!
Continuing this thought, he added that “from now on, the new technologies are here to diffuse art instantaneously to the masses.” Ponder this…. the man essentially predicted email, and the use of a means to reach millions in moments, using art coupled with technology. Thinking about this over the past few weeks, it hit me that truly, I was, like the Kinks song mentioned earlier, getting back to where I started! (definitely “lost between tomorrow and yesterday, between now and then”!) Here I am, playing with technology, and bringing in the old techniques. How cool is THAT??! (of course, to keep my cred with the artsy camp, I could point out the irony of using a pop band to illustrate an awakening based in art itself… that should buy some time and sound deep, too)
Over on the opposite side of this note, we have the unseen forces that make it all happen… Beyond the lines and colors and techniques, we have the almost intangible combinations of things that inspire a work to begin with. It’s that collection of inspirations that bring us to grab a pencil to begin with… all of those thoughts and items that begin to form a mental image. Each piece, no matter how insignificant on its own adds to the total. By concentrating on these smallest parts, a bigger picture forms… On that thought, I suppose that this is why I’ve always held a certain disdain for the Nihilistic approach, as it make no sense at all. Everything has some value, it has to. Victor Hugo made the point that “There is no such thing as nothingness, and zero does not exist. Everything is something. Nothing is nothing.”
So, I suppose, it’s remotely odd that I’d look fondly upon Op-Art and Surrealism so fondly, when either could, at any moment fall over the edge into Nihilism, and eat itself. Perhaps that is what makes it so damn fascinating to me in the first place” Walking that very fine line, and doing its’ own thing for shits and giggles. It’s the same reason that I enjoy the whole “Theater of the Absurd” movement (and its relevance to modern life)… it takes something so necessary for communication (language), and places complete distrust in it, opting for an alternative to illustrate a point…
It’s no different than customizing a car, really. You simply have to look beyond what was placed in front of you (the stock car), and find a new way to express an alternate form from it. Consider that, in linguistic terms, having the same car as everyone else would be, by nature, a cliche’. While the Theater of the Absurd attempted to show an audience through an onslaught of cliche’s, overly-technical jargon and essentially unconventional speech that they could elevate their communication by seeking more authentic means, and thus communication more clearly, customizing a car communicates non-verbally, and far more effectively that we are all individuals. It goes light years beyond the spoken or written word (which is why, most likely, that the photos in car magazines are so big compared to the text!) And perhaps that’s a scientific explanation of why a mild custom works so well… there is beauty in simplicity, and by golly, when applied to a car, it transcends art.
What’s also neat about this whole Theater of the Absurd/Op-Art/Brian’s listening to the Kinks again deal is how there really is no conflict when done right… much like designing a kick-ass custom. Flow is everything! Consider this video (a visual version of “Bulbous Bouffant” by the Vestibules, a long-time favorite of mine)… Consider the communication… odd, not a lot of sense, but it entertains, and finds a rhythm:
Like any good design, it drags you along for the ride, enjoying the flow, and really not asking for a hell of a lot in return. And that, my friend, is a magical thing… When you can combine a couple of things, and just make it “happen”, it’s icing on the cake. Here’s hoping you’ll stay tuned and enjoy the ride! To say the least, I’m pretty stoked about where its all heading now, and the clients I’ve been fortunate enough to have are right along on this ride, making it even more fun. Like the song at the start of this entry says, “day after day I get up and I say I better do it again”, and that takes us, literally, back to where we started…
…after months of long days, longer nights, and nothing short of extreme dedication from some absolutely remarkable, talented and great friends, Resilience hit the floor of building 5 of the 60th Annual Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona! Erik and Paul Hansen’s “Strange Buick” more than lived up to its name, and stuck it out through what looked to be some bleak times in the past few weeks, and pulled off a strong finish! I’ll spare the heavy details for after the show, but wanted to put up a few words and photos to share he excitement with you. If you can, grab a copy of the new Rod and Custom Magazine, and check out the original rendering for the car…
At the 60th Grand National Roadster Show
One-off wheels
The mighty copper-colored Buick will be in Sacramento this weekend at the Autorama… stop by and say hello if you’re in the area… and stop by the website at www.problemchildkustoms.com for more on the car, as well as the Hall of Fame Luncheon videos!
About a year ago at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, I met with Tim Strange and the Hansens, Erik and Paul, to discuss a project that we had been kicking around. I was absolutely floored by the way we all just meshed with ideas… the creativity that morning just flowed, and there was an incredible amount of collaboration. It foreshadowed the great time we’ve all had on the project… Tim’s incredibly long days and nights notwithstanding.
In any event, the big Buick project began moving forward, and true to its name, “Resilience”, it’s shaping up to be one amazing custom car, with a ton of classic and modern touches that reflect not only the golden age of the craft, but the personalities of everyone involved. I’m stoked about this car like none before it, and can’t say enough good about the way it has progressed from paper to steel, and hope you’ll enjoy it, too when it hits the floor at the Grand National Roadster Show.
You may recognize Tim’s name from, well, everywhere… and the Hansens from their 2005 AMBR-winning “Sedeuced”. While I can’t give away too much here, I did want to thank some of the great and talented folks involved so far in making the car come to reality, and share a sneak peek at the killer induction…
A Caddy mill for a Buick custom...
Thanks to Carrie Strange (keep sneaking the Rockstars in Tim’s soup!), Dave Neal, Shawn Ray, Jim Decrane, Chuck Heerde, Dan & Betty Strange, Jesse Greening (and his crew at Greening Auto Works), Mark Rolen, John Loveridge, Tucci Hot Rods, AutoRon’s, Classic Instruments, Air Ride Technologies, BF Goodrich, Dynamat, Flowmaster, Hot Hues by DuPont, Iwata Spray Guns, Kicker Car Audio, Motorhead Design House, Pearlcraft, Advanced Plating, and supportive families, significant others, and energy drink and coffee suppliers from IL to AZ to CA…
As a wide-eyed kid, I’d flip open the latest car magazines and drool over the works of my hot rod design heroes… Guys like Charlie Smith, Thom Taylor and Steve Stanford were (and still are!) the guys I looked up to, hoping to one day at least meet these giants among men. They, and other artists like them were my inspiration to head out and do what I love. Never did I dream that I’d be able to make a career of it, but the world works in an odd way… That, along with long days and longer nights paid off in allowing me to do something I love for a living.
Along the way, I have been beyond fortunate to have made great friends, and meet guys I read about in books as a kid, and all have played a great role in making those Math class dreams a reality. One such friend has been the immensely talented Dwayne Vance, a guy who cranks out work that continually makes my head spin, and who has contributed hours of enlightening and entertaining conversation over the years. When Dwayne called and asked for some samples of my work for a book project, I was floored… When he mentioned the names to appear in it, I was speechless… He rounded up Randy Ricklefs, John Bell, James Owens, Eric Brockmeyer, Michael Miernik, Max Grundy, Jimmy Smith, Justin Chin, Thom Taylor, Larry Wood and Steve Stanford! A veritable Who’s Who in our industry… and he had asked me to be a part of this… Amazing. Just amazing! To walk amongst giants like this, well… I still have no idea what to say, except “thank you, man”. Absolutely priceless.
A peek inside!
…and speaking of priceless, the book will be packaged with an instructional CD by Dwayne to accompany the outstanding look into how he does what he does! Hopefully it finds a spot on bookshelves all over the world, and becomes just what it should be: A valuable resource for countless wide-eyed kids drawing hot rods on folders in classrooms everywhere, gearing up for the day when we “old timers” can read THEIR incredible books.
The book is available for pre-order HERE, and after the official release, you may also order it on my site, as well as a number of other retail sites and stores… Thanks for checking it out.
…go ahead… say it out loud a few times… faster now. It just sorta rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?
I was beyond stoked to get the phone call from Denny Terzich regarding the latest bad-boy project getting underway at ProRides… It was an honor to talk with him and make a new friend to begin with, but even sweeter was that his call was the result of another referral… Nothing makes my day like knowing that a client thought enough of me to “tell a friend”! Suffice to say, it’s another drag car, and shares that killer stance and blistering performance we’ve come to expect after their 2007 Drag Week harbinger of speed ‘67 Camaro.
The rendering!
After accomplishing a major record in Hot Rod Magazine’s Drag Week 2007, ProRides is about to embark on a new level of performance never seen before.
Not only did ProRides head to Drag Week with the intention of beating the old record (think mid-low 8 second 1/4 mile times!), but to finish the event, driving 1,000 miles while pulling a trailer. While the bets were being placed that the clean black Camaro wouldn’t even finish the week, the car shook the hot rod and race world by posting a first pass E.T. of 7.64. Truly the pass heard ’round the world! Granted, the ProRides team was as surprised as anyone, and the venture served to underscore the positive results that come from combining great companies and partnerships with a thorough process.
Chassis construction!
After talking to Rob Kinnan of Hot Rod Magazine at this year’s Drag Week, the ProRides crew had the idea of building a 6-second ET capable car to drive the grueling 1,000 mile Drag Week course. Imagine…. a 6 second ET vehicle driving 200-300 miles per day while pulling a trailer!!! Unheard of, and a true torture test for the components involved… While many have claimed they have a street car that is very fast and even some that state in the 6 second E.T. range, it’s obvious that anyone can idle around at a local car cruise or show. The true test is actually driving the car on the street. This is the reason why the “Fastest Street Car in America” can only be crowned at this event.
Coverage of the build will be inside of Hot Rod Magazine’s “Project Garage” section and on their website. ProRides is also working with Scott Killeen of the BuildBook series to document the entire build… and if you’ll be at the show, check out the rolling chassis at PRI, in the SunCoast Racecars Booth, # 363 South Hall. And of course, look for more updates, as well as that crazy grin plastered to my face…
I had received a call from Nick Licata (via our friend Steven Rupp) a little while back, regarding a rendering, and behold, it’s on shelves now as a part of Super Chevy’s “Chevy Classics” Annual! This is great, not only because I get the chance to show some forward-thinking ideas, but being a part of the whole Super Chevy history is HUGE to me personally.
Look for it on news stands now!
Growing up, the first magazine I had a subscription to was Super Chevy, and it fueled many a dream car in my imagination, most notably tri-fives! Obviously, I’m stoked to share my vision of an alternate take on the Projext X theme (which, ironically, is the cover car!) with some very modern and traditional ideas thrown in for some ‘56 Chevy stew. Grab a copy before 11/4, when they leave the shelves, and thanks again, Steven and Nick…
I thought I’d share the unedited version, along with the full tech specs here…. just to see if it strikes anyone the right way, and, who knows, maybe inspires a new project car. Have at it!
The spec sheet:
Chassis/Driveline:
All-aluminum 409 W-block based, blown and injected, running E-85
Toroidal Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT)
(not only can we launch and stay right in the optimal powerband, but “shifts” would be imperceptible, there’s almost no power loss, and we gain fuel efficiency!)
Chris Alston’s Chassisworks FAB9 rear end
Each rear wheel is fitted with a regenerative braking electric wheel hub motor
(approx output is 100Kw, or about 100 HP per wheel)
Chris Alston’s Chassisworks Eliminator 4-Link
Wilwood 6-piston front calipers and 14″ rotors, rear braking via wheel hub motors
Chris Alston’s Chassisworks VariShock ShockWave’s, 4×2 A-Arm crossmember
Billet Specialties Altered front wheels (19″ one-off’s), and one-off Apex-G’s out back (20″) for a retro gasser look, on Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/R tires.
Exterior:
Shaved emblems, handles and locks,
Front bumper, pan, vertical and lower grille bars removed
Carbon fiber hood, front fenders, doors and deck lid
PPG yellow pearl and black two-tone
Vent windows removed
Interior:
Lightweight materials replace factory dash and trim,
Full ‘cage,
Corbeau GTA low back buckets
Full Simpson harness system
Fire suppression system
Full AutoMeter gauges
It's yellow and black, but still "green"...
What I have is a take on a Project X-like ride…. After seeing so many G-Machines in the dream Car pages of different magazines, I thought “how about the kind of car that got most of us into this in the first place…. a bad street machine?”
Let’s REALLY play up the “Dream Car” aspect, and use some emerging and existing technology to create a technological wonder.
Our fictional 1956 Chevy 2-door sedan will be named “Project W”. It’ll run a 409-based W-block, all aluminum, blown and injected, running E-85. The idea is an environmentally-friendly, rocket-like street machine.
The techno-fun kicks in with a CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission), which’ll keep us right in the powerband, in a state of almost constant acceleration. Off the line, we’ll be assisted by a pair of electric wheel hub motors, which’ll provide some extra torque off the line, and re-charge on braking.
Retro touches, certainly… it’s a nod to the Project X, but a very modern, extremely engineered piece… Sitting on a full tube frame, the body is angle-channelled over the rails to exaggerate the rake, and runs full modern suspension. The look here is a drag strip refugee bred with an evil street car from the ’60’s, with pure attitude oozing from every pore. Removing the front bumper, pan and lower grille bar allows extreme lowering, and we’ll even knock out the vertical grille bars, just for kicks.
A light shave eliminates handles, locks and badging, and Carbon fiber doors have lost the vent windows, and a carbon fiber hood and deck lid keep the lightweight theme in check. Bright yellow paint hints at the Project X-like heritage, while the black two-tone shows that this eco-friendly bruiser has a darker side.
Chris Alston’s Chassisworks Varishock system up front, Eliminator 4-Link out back, with one of their Fab-9 housings swinging away. Big brakes are a must, and we’ll powder coat any exposed parts black to keep everything stealthy. behind the Billet Specialties custom-sized wheels. Why different fronts and rears? A nod to the gasser days, grasshopper. We’ll set this thing on some meaty M/T rollers out back, as we’ll need as much traction as we can find.
A full interior is a must, with power NOTHING… hey, this is a street machine first and foremost. Buckets, a floor shifter, and full gauges are all you need. We’ll keep the front windows operational, should any passengers get whiny and need “air”.
