Layin’ Frame

Some Basics On Slamming Your Ride

So you want to go low, huh? Ok, well there’s “just a few inches” low and then there’s “pavement pounding” low. Both are cool and have their place on certain vehicles, and while a modest drop in suspension does go a long way in terms of appearance, nothing compares to laying your car or truck out on the ground. Granted, there is quite a lot more to take into consideration if you’re interested in the latter option, but if you’re serious about taking your daily or show vehicle to the next level, it can be done, no matter what you’re driving. 

Asses the Situation

All vehicles are different, which means that the modification process to get said vehicle on the ground varies as well, as does the list of parts needed. Clearance plays a big role, especially with modern cars. With only so much available space at the front and rear, you may just have to get creative and pay close attention to tire selection as well as important wheel specs (width, offset, etc.). Every half of an inch counts, so do be sure to examine just which parts and pieces will need to be trimmed, relocated or cut out altogether in order to clear a path for adequate suspension travel. Classic cars in general have lots more room to work with at both ends, so take that in mind when deciding how to move forward with your project. 

Trucks, on the other hand have much more clearance space to play with at the rear. With only a bed floor standing in the way of axle and chassis clearance, there are just so many more options. Chopping up the bed is a necessity when ‘bagging a truck, with the easiest solution being to either cut out a portion of the floor that’s in the way, essentially. From there, you’ll have to decide to leave the area exposed, build a covered “bridge” or raise the entire floor up to keep a “stock” appearance. There are lots of ways to get the rear down on the ground with a truck, which makes this particular scenario mighty interesting. 

Equipment

If you’ve never ‘bagged any of your vehicles before, there are a few key components you’ll have to familiarize yourself with while prepping your ride for lower lows. Assuming that you will be ‘bagging your car or truck since hydraulic setups aren’t all too common these days (but they are out there), the air system is only as complicated as you make it. Air management systems have come a long way since the days of having to individually piece every single component out when building an entire air setup. 

The airbag itself is an essential component of the system, but it is not the most important (or even the most expensive). You’re going to find out quick that quality air management systems are worth every buck, as many of them have all the system’s ECU, valve manifold, and pressure and height control (in some premium packages) all built right into a small and convenient, easy-to-mount unit. From there, you’ll need to select an air compressor (or two) to keep the system supplied with enough air at all times. Figuring out air line plumbing can be a tedious process, but one that can still allow for creativity. Once everything is wired up and checked for problems, accessing this orchestration of components is made simple though a programmable controller, or if equipped, an app installed on your phone. 

The airbag itself is an essential component of the system, but it is not the most important (or even the most expensive)…

While that does sound like quite a bit to worry about, it is—to an extent. There used to be much more involved, but there are lots of plug-n-play type units that helps simplify installation. 

Alterations

Cutting and altering the chassis and other factory components (depending on the vehicle) is essential when it comes to “laying frame”. While it’s a big step to take, it’s important to not take these steps lightly, and ensure that an experienced person take the lead, even when it comes to simple rear frame notches. Using a plasma cutter, cut wheel and drill all require some know-how to deliver the best results (which includes your safety). Always remember the golden rule when working with these tools—measure twice and cut only once!

Half and Full Frame Packages

A lot of classic muscle car and truck projects have the luxury of a wide selection of well-crafted front, back and full chassis systems on the aftermarket. These take a lot of guesswork out of building the best air ride setup possible. Since the existing frame on vehicles of a certain age can be “iffy” at best, selecting these options could really come in clutch. These types of setups do offer far more than the ability to go up and down, as optimum ride quality is the ultimate objective with these, which will only make your project better in the long run. These kits do run on the high side when it comes to suspension components, but they are definitely worth the dough. 

‘Bagging your ride is a big step, that’s for sure, but once it’s done and all the kinks are worked out, it really is worth the effort. Nothing gets more attention on the road than a car or truck that can change the height of their ride with a simple push of a button. Even at rest, there’s nothing quite as cool as a vehicle resting on the ground with the wheels and tires tucked far into the fenders. Your ride will definitely catch all the attention in the parking lots at work, at the grocery store, as well as at any car show you take it to. 

Nothing gets more attention on the road than a car or truck that can change the height of their ride with a simple push of a button…

Don’t fall into the trap of investing only the minimal amounts of money and time when slamming your vehicle. You definitely get what you pay for as far as parts and components go, and there is no such thing as “cheap” quality labor (unless you’re doing the work or have a friend or relative willing to help out).

You Bought A New Track Car – Now What?

Essentials for Hot Laps on a 5k Budget

So you’ve taken the plunge and bought yourself a dedicated track car. You did your research, found what you were looking for in sound mechanical condition and not already so far from stock that you’d have to rip everything out before doing it the way it should have been done in the first place, and you’re eager to get it prepped and put some laps on it. But you’re not made of money, and your meme stocks only got you into low earth orbit instead of to the moon, so you have a $5,000 budget for everything you’re going to need. 

Some hard choices will have to be made, because every dollar spent in one area means a dollar less to spend somewhere else. Here’s how we would allocate those 50 Benjamins most effectively – while your priorities are going to vary from ours, having a plan is the difference between a car on the track and yard art on jackstands for another year because you ran out of money and motivation.

Helmet – $350 ($4,650 Remaining)

Yes, we know you already have a helmet you bought off Craigslist. Yes, we know you are the one driver who will never, ever crash. This is still non-negotiable. Every reputable track day event organizer will insist on an ‘in-date’ skid lid that meets an accepted testing standard. Most often this is Snell SA or its equivalent – some sanctions will accept a Snell M-rated helmet, but the DOT-only models are almost always not considered good enough, for a reason.

Helmets designed to meet the SA and similar ratings have features that make them better suited for automotive use, where sharp impacts with objects that can penetrate the shell are more likely than the types of forces involved in motorcycle crashes, and they’ll have a fire-resistant liner. The “in-date” part is important too; the impact-absorbing liner has a finite lifespan, which gets shorter the more it is exposed to temperature extremes or solvent and gasoline fumes. 

While it’s possible to get an open-face helmet that carries a SA2020 tag for as little as $160, we recommend a full-face model, and as the list price goes up you’ll also get better fit and finish and improved comfort, which is important when you’re trying to concentrate on-track. Throw in another $40 or so for a fire resistant head sock (also good for comfort, as well as keeping the liner of the helmet cleaner) and $350 is a reasonable starting point for this critically important item.

Tires/Wheels – $2000 ($2650 Remaining)

We’re assuming that if you’re limited to a $5k overall budget for track car upgrades, you’re probably not going to trailer to and from events. We’re also going to assume that you will want a separate set of wheels and tires so that you’re not burning through expensive high-performance tires daily driving on them (though mad props to you if you are hardcore like that – we’ve been there ourselves). Like everything else on this list, wheels aren’t an area where you want to cut corners, but it’s entirely possible to get into a set of four new, quality wheels from a reputable manufacturer for around a grand. For that price, you are looking at cast rather than forged wheels, so the tradeoff is slightly higher weight for a lower price, as well as not being as forgiving or repairable when tweaked during inevitable encounters with debris or curbs.

Like everything else on this list, wheels aren’t an area where you want to cut corners, but it’s entirely possible to get into a set of four new, quality wheels from a reputable manufacturer for around a grand…

Tires are consumables, and depending on how hard you run them and what your level of compromise is between grip and longevity, these may have to be replaced several times a season. Fortunately, it’s often possible to find a well-heeled fellow enthusiast who always has used tires that have ‘gone off’ for full-boogie competition purposes but still have plenty of laps left in them for less serious use, so we’re compromising and putting a cost of $250 a corner out there to give some wiggle room for that initial set. Like always, your experience may vary, and cars with uncommon fitments or really big meat will tend toward the more pricey end of the spectrum. 

Brake Upgrades – $1250 ($1400)

Here’s another area where there is a wide range of possibilities – if your track car has decent stock brakes, all that may be necessary for anything less than full competition use might be a change to a different brake compound, braided stainless flex lines, new rotors, and a fluid flush and bleed. On the other hand, most cars of interest to the track day crowd have a lot of bolt-on options at surprisingly reasonable prices. If you don’t go totally nuts, our budget should at least cover a front caliper upgrade in addition to the other things mentioned above, plus a spare set of pads to be bedded in and brought with you if you’ve chosen a soft-but-grippy compound and a tight course to run on for a mid-day swap.

if your track car has decent stock brakes, all that may be necessary for anything less than full competition use might be a change to a different brake compound, braided stainless flex lines, new rotors, and a fluid flush and bleed…

Suspension upgrades – $1400

We’re going to take the last of our remaining budget and allocate it toward suspension. On the less expensive end of the scale, a complete, properly engineered and matched set of quality replacement springs, dampers, anti-roll bars, and polyurethane bushings can set you back as little as $750, while the sky is the limit for a complete competition-spec coilover conversion with multi-way adjustable dampers. We’re splitting the difference here, but odds are you will come in either substantially above or below our average estimated price. Depending on what kind of tracks you prefer, you may prioritize suspension above brakes, or the other way around, and adjust your spending on these last two categories accordingly.

One thing you absolutely do not want to do under any circumstances is to cheap out here; there are a lot of janky ‘lowering kits’ and coilover conversion setups with suspiciously low price tags and brand names you have never heard of, but spending any money on components of dubious quality and unclear origin can only lead to disaster. 

That Money Went Fast…

As you can see, it doesn’t take a whole lot to blow through $5k getting your new toy set up properly, but going into it with clear expectations for the cost and effort involved can keep your dreams from dying before you ever get to the track. Keep in mind that this is just a start, and in order to keep your racing fun sustainable, it’s a good idea to set aside money for every event you attend in some place where you won’t spend it, to be used for future consumables like tires, brakes, and maintenance items. Budgeting is never fun, but it makes the fun stuff possible, and helps you to drive more and dream less. 

Hot Swaps

Engine And Chassis Combos Limited Only By Imagination

Engine swaps might seem like a recent thing, but OG hot rodders did it back in the 1950s, putting the then-new small block Chevy V8 into Ford Model T chassis, and when Cadillac created a long-stroke 500ci version of their corporate big block in 1970, wrecked Eldorados became a prime target for drag racers looking for as many cubes as they could get. Today, despite tightening regulations that threaten to make any kind of automotive modification illegal, let alone a complete motor swap, mixing and matching cars and drivetrains has never been more popular. Let’s look at some of the most common types of hybrid chassis and engine combinations (and we mean that in the cool way, not the electric motor ‘hybrid’ sense) and the reasons behind them.

All In The Family

In terms of sheer numbers of completed swaps, updating (or backdating, in some cases) a particular car with an engine from the same manufacturer takes the top position. In the import and sport compact world, the most common swaps involve upgrading Hondas with more powerful engines – the trend began with taking lightweight Civic or CRX shells originally equipped with fuel-sipping but low-output D-series four cylinder engines and replacing them with more powerful B-series engines from models higher up on the price and performance ladder. With the introduction of the even more powerful and versatile K-series, those became the donor engines of choice, despite being somewhat more complicated to swap due to the necessity of changing transmissions as well. The extra effort is worth it, though; 200 horsepower or more from a completely stock engine in a late-90’s Civic that tips the scales at under 2,400 pounds makes for very entertaining performance at an affordable price.

In terms of sheer numbers of completed swaps, updating (or backdating, in some cases) a particular car with an engine from the same manufacturer takes the top position…

Honda engine swaps have become so popular that you can find ready-made components like engine and transmission mounts, headers, and ECU adapters for pretty much any reasonable (and more than a few unreasonable) combination of engine and chassis. With the trailblazing handled, potential compatibility issues have all been sorted out by somebody somewhere. It just takes a bit of research to come up with a proven recipe to follow, and entire books have been written on the subject covering every last detail.

Another common form of swap involves putting an engine not available in the US market into a chassis that was sold here, with the first example that comes to mind being the Nissan 240SX. Known in Japan as the 180SX and Silvia, when the company brought this fun little RWD coupe to America, they decided to replace the JDM CA and SR series turbocharged engines with KA series naturally aspirated ones. This decision was likely based on the fact that the KA engines were already “federalized” for US emissions regulations and would be less expensive than bringing in a new powerplant without an existing approval. Though well-suited for mainstream buyers, since these engines had previously been used in Nissan’s Hardbody line, they were derided by some as ‘truck engines’ unworthy of the car’s sporty image.

Of course, enthusiasts care not for things such as EPA regulations, and many CA and SR engines got strapped to pallets in Japanese wrecking yards and shipped to the west coast to be reunited with S13 and S14 240SX models here. Some particularly ambitious souls went as far as to cram RB26DETT twin turbo inline sixes from the JDM Skyline GT-R (among other applications) into that chassis as well.

Speaking of legendary Japanese turbo sixes, let’s not forget the Toyota 2JZ-GTE. This engine powered a whole generation of the company’s flagship performance models, but only came to US showrooms in the Mark IV Supra Turbo. This engine has found its way into a number of different swaps, including both Lexus IS300/GS300/SC300 models as a replacement for its naturally-aspirated sibling, the 2JZ-GE, as well as other non-Toyotas with engine bays long enough to accommodate the sizeable inline six. 

Could Have Had a V8

Don’t think this is just limited to import brands, either. When Ford ended production of their classic pushrod 5.0 liter V8 engine in the mid-90s and replaced it with the high-tech overhead cam Modular family, it was only a matter of time before those engines started to find their way into Fox-body Mustangs and even classics. One of the disadvantages of overhead cam cylinder heads in a V-configuration engine layout is that compared to pushrod designs of similar displacement, they inevitably end up larger in width and height. Adding cams and timing gear to the top of the cylinders makes them inherently taller than engines that simply have to accommodate rocker arms beneath the valve covers. In a bit of irony, older muscle cars with their large engine bays have more room to accept Modular V8 swaps, making them somewhat easier to work on than modern factory Fords with cramped under-hood layouts. 

While Ford was breaking ties with their previous engine architecture, GM took a less radical path, introducing the first LS-series engines. These successors to the original small-block Chevy V8 and its follow-on “Gen II” LT replacements are in many ways a “what might have been” look at the direction Ford could have taken with their own small-block pushrod architecture. Though the Gen II engines had a lot of problems including a notoriously unreliable optical ignition pickup and were widely panned by gearheads, the Gen III/IV LS family turned out to be a huge success.

Lightweight, powerful, durable, plentiful, and cheap, they quickly replaced the venerable SBC as the engine of choice for GM swaps. Like the aforementioned Honda engines, a huge aftermarket has developed to make putting an LS into an older car easy, right down to complete kits that handle ignition and carburetion should you choose to go old-school and ‘downgrade’ from EFI. Another factor that led to their popularity was that they were manufactured in both iron and aluminum block form, so that those in search of an inexpensive and bomb-proof bottom end could simply grab a low-compression iron block truck motor from the local pick-a-part and feed it a decent amount of boost or nitrous without a lot of drama.

Cross Breeding

While mixing and matching engines and chassis from the same manufacturer often makes things somewhat easier because of shared mechanical and electronic components, taking an engine from one maker and stuffing it into another company’s car has been popular forever as well. As we mentioned before, early hot rodders who started out by putting Ford Flathead V8 engines into Model Ts embraced the original small-block Chevy with great enthusiasm as soon as they started turning up in junkyards. Today, purists will howl in outrage about LS-swapped Fox Mustangs, but a dispassionate look at it shows this is the same kind of thing gearheads have always done. Mustang engine transplants aren’t limited to just Chevy engines either – Most famously, the notable 2006 documentary film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift included a 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback with a Nissan RB26DETT as a ‘hero car.’

Today, purists will howl in outrage about LS-swapped Fox Mustangs, but a dispassionate look at it shows this is the same kind of thing gearheads have always done…

Like Honda swaps, the popularity of the LS Fox combination has led to an entire range of aftermarket parts to make the process close to turn-key, and all the information necessary to make it happen successfully is easily accessible online and in print. In fact, there has been a strong “LS all the things!” movement in the enthusiast world, with practically every rear wheel drive platform becoming a candidate for a Gen III/IV GM V8 swap. It’s even reached the point where a backlash has occurred against it – many people see the commonality of the LS as a detriment to the originality and creativity of Pro Touring builds, preferring original or at least period-correct engines. Odds are that any SEMA resto-mod build that isn’t intended to specifically highlight another engine will have some flavor of LS power, to the point where it’s become a running joke among writers and photographers.

Regardless of one’s feelings about LS engine transplants, they’re going to be with us for the foreseeable future, and not just in cars. They’ve become the weapon of choice for inboard-powered boats of all kinds, as well as aircraft and even homebuilt helicopters. But eventually something new will come along, and it’s entirely possible that we may one day see all-electric powertrains with ‘universal’ designs developed to simply drop in place of an internal combustion engine and transmission. While one-off attempts at this have come and gone, as the hardware becomes standardized for OEM use (and thus also becomes more affordable) and battery technology advances to increase energy density, peak output, and cruising range, garage mechanics who want something completely different under the hood will embrace these swaps as well. 

About the Author: Paul Huizenga is a California-based freelance contributor who has owned, raced, and written about everything from Subarus to Mustangs to Corvettes over the last two decades. He is currently studying the feasibility of an LS4 engine and transmission swap into a Fox-body to convert it to Chevy power and front-wheel drive, because some men just want to watch the world burn.

Hot Rodding’s Alive and Kicking at Detroit Autorama 2020

In the years immediately following World War II the hot rod and custom car scene boomed across America as returning service men and women enjoyed newfound prosperity with money to spend on cars. Magazines, car clubs and car shows exploded across the nation especially in the rust belt where the winters were long and the snow was deep. Nowhere was this auto-enthusiasm more evidenced than in the Motor City—Detroit.

In 1952, the Michigan Hot Rod Association (MHRA), that had formed the previous year with 22 clubs and 400 members, held the first Detroit Autorama car show at the University of Detroit Field House. Ostensibly, the profits were to build a dragstrip. In 1956, the MHRA hired a local, professional promoter, Don Ridler whose expertise grew the show quickly until there were funds for the Motor City Dragway that opened in 1957.

Sadly, both the Motor City Dragway and Ridler are gone but his name lives on in the annual Don Ridler Memorial Award established in 1946. Presented by Meguiar’s, the Ridler, with a cash prize of $10,000, is the highest accolade at the annual Detroit Autorama, now in its 68^th year.

Over the years, everything from a Corvette to a ’57 Chevy to a ’65 Impala to ’59 Cadillac wagon have won—it’s an eclectic mix. From the dozens of contenders, selectors choose the ‘Great 8 Finalists’ from which the eventual winner is chosen.

This year, the Great 8 comprised the following:

George Conrad’s 1966 Ford F100 Custom Pickup

Jeffrey Hess’1956 Oldsmobile 98 Custom Convertible

Frank and Debbi Hinmon’s 1955 Cadillac Coupe DeVille

Jerry Logan’s 1934 Ford Altered Pickup,

Bob Matranga’s ’55 Chevy ‘Brute Force,’

Brad, Brady and Cory Ranweiler’s 1963 Chevy Custom Wagon ‘Impressive’

Tim Wheeler’s 1969 Camaro Pro Touring

Greg and Gail Wilson’s 1929 Ford Model A Woodie pickup ‘Driftwood,’

Of course, seeing the Great 8 surrounded by the not so great is a little disconcerting as you contemplate all the blood, sweat and dollars that went into those unsuccessful builds that didn’t quite make it. Also, one is nagged by the question, “What do you do with it now?” High build show cars are by definition extreme, over the top, caricatures almost and as such hard to get the groceries in. They’re more art than car but rather than wall hangings they are more wall flowers. All the more reason, therefore, to venture down the escalator to ‘The Basement’ where there is a vibrant, alternative show full of old original and recreated racecars, some ratty and some not so ratty rods, customs with a k and a spattering of weirdness and the just for the heck of it. The basement has a totally different, lively vibe that’s missing from the floor above where it’s tangibly more serious.

“The Basement is not the showcase for your home, but it is where you keep things you value and the place only your best friends ever get see.”Larry Erickson, Designer

One of the fun parts of The Basement show is the celebrity picks where automotive stars such as designers Chip Foose, Camilo Pardo, Larry Erickson, and builders Roy Brizio, Josh Shaw and Gene Winfield among others pick the basement cars that appeal to them. It’s a diverse selection that give this particular group of participants a chance at the trophy that they wouldn’t normally get. It’s great fun, not taken too seriously and rewarding. Designer Larry Erickson, said, “This is the Midwest, so The Basement is not the showcase for your home, but it is where you keep things you value and the place only your best friends ever get see.  Participating in the pick is good fun.”

All too soon we escalated back upstairs to the main floor of what was Detroit’s Cobo Hall to what is now TCF for the awards ceremony. Bob Matranga’s ’55 Chevy ‘Brute Force’ was the odds-on favorite but as Barry Meguiar of Meguiar’s made the announcement the trophy went to Brad, Bray and Cory Ranweiler of New Ulm, Minnesota, for their family-built ’63 Chevy wagon ‘Impressive’.

Built upon an Art Morrison frame, Impressive is undoubtedly impressive in its build featuring a home-built 409 bored and stroked to 509 cubic inches producing 615 hp with Hilborn 8-stack electronic fuel injection. However, what makes Impressive so different is that it’s actually a two-door wagon created from a four-door wagon there being no two-door factory ‘Nomad’ wagons that year. Whether the distinctive body mods were the clincher is only for the judges to know but it was, nevertheless, Impressive and a well-deserved if un-expected win.

Whiskey Runner –
ZZ Top’s Billy F Gibbons’ ’34 Ford Coupe

If you click on this link, you can watch ZZ Top’s official video for the song ‘I Gotsta Get Paid’, and, when I checked, it had 31,715,798 views—that’s a lot of views. Of course, for many, the band, comprising front man Billy F Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard (the one without the beard) are the stars but for many the cars are the stars and the star car here is a bare bones, bare metal ’34 Ford 3-window coupe known as ‘Whiskey Runner’.

While the ’32 Ford ‘Deuce’ is always regarded as the quintessential hot rod as in ‘Lil’ Deuce Coupe’ the 1933-34 Model 40 was actually a vast improvement over the ’32 being three inches longer, somewhat lower and powered by a better, more powerful 90 hp flathead Ford V-8 in ’34.

When the coupe first arrived at Chapouris’ SO-CAL SPEED SHOP, Pomona, CA, designer Alberto Hernandez was given the task of conceptualizing an homage to Billy’s first hot rod the ’33 Ford coupe Eliminator that helped put ZZ Top on the map when their 1983 the album of the same name sold more than 10 million copies. Hernandez’ interpretation was Candy red coupe with flowing Z-form 3D trim that bisects the ’36 Ford louvers set into the ’34 hood sides and sweeps down across the door towards the rear wheel. It’s a nod to the original Eliminator graphics and according to Billy, “Getting that swoopy Z ‘jus’ right’ was one of the most challenging parts of the build.”

No doubt the most unusual and even eccentric feature of the coupe is the 24V aircraft landing light mounted under the right side of the hood. At the flick of a switch, the light rotates up out of the hood to illuminate the road ahead—two more mini-headlights are hidden behind the grille. Under the hood resides a prototype 331 ci Cadillac engine that Chapouris’ had in storage for more than 20 years. His father worked at Clayton Dyno and the engine had been one of three used in a development program with GM’s Ed Cline.

“Getting that swoopy Z ‘jus’ right’ was one of the most challenging parts of the build.” Billy F Gibbons, ZZ Top

As far as body language goes, the coupe has a heavy, five-inch top chop with the windshield laid back in the style of Alex Xydias’ famed So-Cal Coupe. Knowing that eventually the car was going to be painted, Mick Jenkins of Micks Paint gave it a shot of grey primmer highlighted with copper trim and purple underpinnings. The chassis is basically stock ’34 Ford complete with transverse buggy springs, however, it has been updated with a Winters quick-change rear axle and SO-CAL tubular shocks. The wheels are vintage 16-inchers shod with 5- and 6-inch tires.

Inside, the coupe is as simple as it gets with an aluminum bomber-style bench seat with the obligatory Mexican blanket, a gold painted dash from a ’40 Ford and a column shift and steering wheel of the same era. More modern is the shifter, which is a helicopter control stick that Billy found in an aircraft surplus yard.

Unfortunately, Chapouris passed away before the project could be completed and so the baton was passed to Jimmy Shine, Chapouris’ protégé of Shine Speedshop in Orange, CA. One of the first things Shine did was ship the coupe to England for the Goodwood Festival of Speed where Billy was to perform ‘Sharp Dressed Man’ at the Duke of Richmond’s private party. Sadly, it rained that weekend and Shine only managed one run up the Duke’s driveway so few photographs were taken.

Since then, the car has been earning its keep being used in photo shoots and videos, however, plans are afoot to finally give the coupe a coat of real paint and designer Jeff Allison Design has been working closely with Billy and Jimmy to develop a paint scheme fittingly unique.

“My first thoughts,” said Jeff, “were that it should be something like the root beer brown fade rendering, because that is the color of whiskey and the Chrisman Bros.’ coupe. The color would fade to black at the lower side of the body for a touch of custom, yet still be traditional lakes hot rod. I designed the wheel covers with that same logic in mind and utilizing the wheels already on the car, with the funky bolt bosses.”

“Billy, meanwhile, wanted a wilder paint job over a pearl white base so I did up the second concept thinking about 60s Watson-style paint. That idea also incorporates an electrified paint product under the pearl white that, when turned on, illuminates in purple graphics.

“We’re not quite there yet. We keep exploring ideas and Billy has a purple and green ‘ribbon’ in his head that we have been trying to extract, so the next batch of ideas are what I did. The asymmetrical smoke/flame look is where we have left off and that one is pretty close to what he wants. We shall see….”

Mooneyes Over Yokohama

Anybody who has been around the motorsports industry knows the name Moon or at least the Mooneyes logo, which is one of the world’s most recognized logos. The company was founded right after World War II by Dean Moon who ran moonshine as a teenager and bussed tables in Pop Moon’s Café among the oil rigs of Santa Fe Springs, California.

Like all kids back then, Dean was enamored by automobiles and after a stint in the Air Force as a photographer he opened his own shop and began making parts for the hot rod fraternity. His first products included fuel distribution blocks for multi-carb assemblies, aluminum fuel tanks, gas pedals in the shape of feet and Moon discs that found their way onto racecars from Bonneville to the Indy Brickyard.

Back then, Dean was all about the industry.

The discs, made of spun aluminum and held on with Dzus buttons, or screws, are an aerodynamic aid that actually works—I’ve tested them in a wind tunnel—and they are still the wheel cover choice for land speed racers.

Back then, Dean was all about the industry. The very first Shelby Cobra was built in his shop in 1962. He was one of the founders of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and in 1964, became its second president. He was also instrumental in helping establish European drag racing when he sent his Mooneyes dragster to compete in England in 1963.

Dean passed away in 1987 and the company languished until Japanese enthusiasts Shige Suganuma and Chico Kodama purchased it in 1992. Shige and Chico have been exemplary custodians of the Moon brand restoring the original facility in Santa Fe Springs, putting all the original product back into production, developing thousands of new products and hosting some of the best car shows on the calendar.

Now, almost 30 years old, their one-day, yes, one-day Hot Rod & Custom Show in Yokohama’s Pacifico Exhibit Hall is Japan’s largest indoor car show attracting car builders from around the world including Indonesia, Korea, and the U.S.

“There are no lines to divide us or define us, simply a great appreciation for the custom culture of any time and place.”Bobby Green, Old Crow Speed Shop

At the most recent event celebrities included bike builders Roland Sands, Shinya Kimura, Ryan Gossman, Hawke Lawshe, ‘Dynamite’ Joe Kerivan and many others. Car builders included Bobby Green of Old Crow Speed Shop, Victor ‘Reno’ Sevilla, Coby Gewertz, and Jack Fields and Edgar Hernandez of Starlite Rod & Kustom.

As you would expect, besides a huge array of cars and motorcycles there’s a wide range of entertainment from live bands such as the El Caminos, The Minnesota Voodoomen and Jackie and the Cedrics. New this time was a Pinup Girl contest that proved very popular along with the annual pinstripe extravaganza where artists were asked to decorate frying pans. It’s a little different from a skateboard and therefore all the more challenging.

There are parties galore from welcoming parties to the farewell “Thank You” bar-b-que. And I’ve never met anybody who went who didn’t have a great time. Indeed, Bobby Green said, “The Mooneyes Hot Rod & Custom Show is so much more than its name implies. There are no lines to divide us or define us, simply a great appreciation for the custom culture of any time and place.”

Besides the big, one-day bash in Yokohama, Mooneyes also host a lot of other shows both in Japan and the U.S. For more information on the Japanese shows visit: https://www.mooneyes.co.jp

For information about the U.S. Shows such as their Xmas party at Irwindale Speedway visit: www.mooneyesusa.com

McLaren F1 Designer Peter Stevens Takes His T Black

What do you think the F1 designer of the amazing 240-mph McLaren F1 drives? It would surprise you to know that he mostly drives a Model A Ford and at weekends races his 1925 Ford Model T.

Supercar designer Peter Stevens grew up in England in his grandparent’s house with his uncle Denis “Jenks” Jenkinson who was a British motor racing journalist and most renowned as co-pilot of Sir Stirling Moss in the infamous Mille Miglia race in Italy. Pete’s father was an accomplished painter and Peter attended London’s prestigious Royal College of Art (RCA) where later he would become a professor in charge of the school’s acclaimed automotive design program.

Peter couldn’t help but become a gearhead and he loves it all, from off-roading to the local English pub, down the River Deben in his Jeep, to Le Mans, to land speed racing at Bonneville. After college, Peter established his own design consultancy and worked for Renault on the Alpine, Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR), and even did work for the Brabham Formula One team.

In 1985, he became Chief F1 Designer at Lotus Cars where he worked on the Excel, the Esprit, the Elan and for outside companies such as Isuzu, Cadillac, Triumph, and Chrysler. However, in 1989, he worked with TWR on the design and development of the Jaguar XJR15 that remains one of his favorite designs and endures as a very collectible supercar. Only 53 were built and they command prices approaching $400,000.

Ron Dennis of McLaren saw Peter’s potential and hired him to design the then-new Mclaren F1. Design credit usually goes to Gordon Murray but while he was the engineer Peter actually did the design work.

When the F1 project was complete Peter worked for numerous clients including Audi, Lamborghini, Benetton F1, BMW Motorsport, Hyundai, IPN Indonesia, McLaren Cars, Nardi SpA, OZ Wheels, Prodrive, Panoz, Reynard, Rolls Royce, Subaru, TAG Electronics, Toyota Team Europe, Virgin Atlantic, and TATA motors. His impressive body of work resulted in numerous awards including the U.K.’s Autocar magazine Designer of the Year.

“The right pedal is the brake, the center pedal is reverse, and the left pedal is low, neutral, and high. The throttle is on the column—got that?”Peter Stevens

In the year 2000, Peter became the Director of Product Design for MG Rover and worked on the MG TF, the MG Z-Cars, the MG SV and the Bonneville MG ZT wagon. It was on that project that we were able to finally work together as I worked at So-Cal Speed Shop in Pomona, California, where the racecar was built.

But why a wagon for Bonneville, you may ask? Well, deep down Peter is a hot rodder as were members of the MG board and at the time MG was developing a line of V8-powered vehicles powered by Ford-Roush engines. The aerodynamic wagon seemed a natural, especially when powered by a 700-hp Roush NASCAR engine. The wagon eventually exceeded more than 230-mph but sadly MG Rover collapsed in 2005 and the project was shuttered.

Peter, meanwhile, continues to design for a wide range of clients and works on a lot of eco-friendly, mass-transit projects as well as some alternative-fueled supercars. He also judges Concours events around the world, lectures and gives his time to numerous educational projects including the prestigious REVS Institute in Florida.

However, his first love remains hot rods and Ford Model Ts in particular. Over the years, he has owned several T speedsters but his current ride is a barely shiny, Henry Ford “Any color as long as it’s black,” 1925 turtle-deck roadster. It’s called a turtle deck because of that add-on trunk bolted to the back of the roadster body.

…his current ride is a barely shiny, Henry Ford “Any color as long as it’s black,” 1925 turtle-deck roadster.

Peter purchased the T from the U.S. sight unseen on eBay and works and on it himself at home in his studio or his barn in Suffolk, England, about 100 miles northeast of London. The chassis is a narrowed frame from a later, 1929 Ford Model A right down to the lowered buggy spring suspension and rod-actuated brakes.

Thankfully, it does not have the quirky Ford T pedal arrangement. “The right pedal is the brake,” said Peter. “The center pedal is reverse, and the left pedal is low, neutral, and high. The throttle is on the column—got that?”

Power for the black beast comes from a mildly hopped-up Model B four-cylinder engine fitted with a Winfield cylinder head, an Ansen intake, a Mallory distributor and a Stromberg 97 carb that is made just up the road in Waldringfield, Suffolk. Over the summer, Peter’s plan is to install a hi-lift cam from H&H Antique in La Crescenta, California.

Peter is well experienced at driving these funky old cars. He not only drives them on the street but also races in such events as the Pendine Sands Hot Rod Races in Wales where we caught up with him, at the Rømø Motor Festival in Denmark, and at other European venues. It’s a far cry from the McLaren F1 but to Peter, “They’re all hot rods to me.”

For more information about Peter visit his website or follow him on Facebook.

Chevy C10

The New Lil’ Deuce Coupe

There are certain vehicles that at some point in the earth’s rotation of the sun catch the public’s attention: The ’32 Ford, the ’55 Chevy, the ’64-1/2 Mustang, the ’67-’71 Chevy C10 trucks. Wait. Chevy trucks? Yes, the ’67-’71 Chevy C10 trucks are hot, in the spotlight, getting their day in the sun. Right now they’re killing it.

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when, how, why and where this trend kicked off but certainly Delmo and Holley Performance Products were right there at the beginning. Canadian Del Uschenko’s Delmo’s Speed and Kustom in Prescott, Arizona, got his start in the hot rod business working for the likes of Troy Ladd’s Hollywood Hot Rods before branching out on his own saying, “I built my own C10 in 2010 and suddenly, it took off and I’m building trucks for a string of customers.”

Patinated, bagged in da dirt—Delmo builds the lowest C10s—and fitted with Del’s signature smooth “Delmo” wheels. “I built the first set from some old CenterLines and factory caps,” said Del. “But now I use Intro Wheels while Mike Curtis Design makes most of my other parts that include coil re-locators, engine kits, and valve cover adapters.” Two of Del’s most popular products are his replacement billet aluminum doors handles and his new inner fender panels.

Recently, Del moved from Burbank, California to Arizona, saying, “There’s a great truck scene here. I have a lot of friends and somehow it’s less competitive than L.A. We help each other rather than fight each other.”

Likewise in 2010, but two thousand miles away in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Holley initiated their own ’67 small-window, C10 “shop truck”. According to Holley CEO Tom Tomlinson, the shop truck featured an LS3 engine and Holley’s HP self-learning, EFI fuel injection.

At that time, that was one of the first aftermarket injection systems for the new aluminum LS3 engine that had been introduced on the Corvette in 2008—it was, at the time, the most powerful base Corvette engine in history. The engine featured big-block Chevy-style, coil-pack covers, and a dual-snorkel air cleaner and, of course, EFI. Tom said, “We wanted to show people that you could have modern reliability and drivability with that vintage look.”

The great stance of the Holley truck was in part due to the six-pin, Halibrand-style knock-off wheels by Mike Curtis Design. To see the Holley truck in action, check out the episode of Jay Leno’s Garage.

“We wanted to show people that you could have modern reliability and drivability with that vintage look.”Tom Tomlinson, Holley CEO

There’s a lot of enthusiasm for GM’s LS-series of hi-performance engines that, despite their ugly coil packs, can be made quite attractive albeit with a lot of makeup. Today, there are several versions including the LSA, a factory supercharged 6.2-liter, along with a host of aftermarket speed and dress-up parts.

For example, we spotted Louie Atilano’s white ’65 at Mick’s Paint in Pomona, California, where they were installing an LS3. “We didn’t start the build or paint Louie’s truck,” said Mick, “However, we are doing final assembly which included the installation of a full tubular front suspension and brake kit from Classic Performance Products. It was a straight forward install and the LS swap is a simple one that we have performed on a lot of sixties vehicles.”

GM began production of the C/K line in 1960 with C standing for 2-wheel drive and K for 4-wheel drive; however, it’s the second-generation 1967 to ’71 trucks that are the most sought after. GM called them the “Action Line” when they began improving comfort levels with coils springs up front and leaf springs in the rear. They were also known as “Glamour Pickups” but that is not to say that the models either side of the ’67 to ’71 sweet spot are not popular, they are an increasingly so.

Production numbers for the ’67-’71 golden years are approaching 1,500,000 total units with just under 300,000 being produced respectively in 1967 and ’71, more than 400,000 in 1969 and just less than 400,000 in 1972. There is a staggering number out there to choose from but as they were built primarily as workhorses, many have suffered. That said there are replacement parts galore from companies such as Brothers Trucks, Classic Parts, LMC Truck, and many more. United Pacific, for example, has nearly 70 items for the ’67 truck alone. The problem is not one of availability; the problem is one of deciding from all the available options. For example, Truck and Car Shop has separate 150-page catalogs for 1947-’59, 1960-’72 and 1973-’87 trucks.

Complete frames and chassis are also available from companies such as Art Morrison, Pro Performance, Roadster Shop, Speed Tech Performance, and Scott’s Hotrods ’n Customs. Kevin Tetz of Paintucation chose a chassis from Schwartz Performance for his latest project “C-Tane” that can be seen on his show “Hands on Cars” on Amazon.

“They’re plentiful, not too expensive, there are plenty of parts available, and they’re easy to work on.”Michael Hope

One young guy starting out in the hobby is 19-year-old Michael Hope who crews on Ron Hope’s AA/Fuel Altered Rat Trap. He’s also the ‘fly-in’ guy for Bobby Hilton’s AA/Fuel Dragster and Tony Lombardi’s 7.0 Pro in NDRL. His ’84 short bed is his first real build and it will be used to support his grandfather’s racecar. “These trucks are a great place to start. They’re plentiful, not too expensive, there are plenty of parts available, and they’re easy to work on,” commented Michael.

Rather than a new frame, Michael decided on Ride Tech tubular A-arm front suspension and No Limit four-link in the rear with Viking coil-overs all round. “The stock frame is strong enough,” said Michael. “I just wanted it lower to look more like Thom Taylor’s rendering.”

The stock power train has been replaced with a Chevrolet Performance 350 crate engine and a 700R4 trans. Still, under construction at the time of writing, Michael plans to hot-rod the motor with Holley’s Sniper EFI assembly including the Sniper ignition system and long-tube headers. “Holley has done all the engineering,” said Michael. “I don’t need to mix and match parts.”

Pre ’67 trucks are likewise popular and we went to check out Dave Keister’s stack injected, gasser-style ’65 being built at Jimmy Shine’s Speed Shop. Up front, it has a drag-style straight-tube axle with power from a Crower-injected 572 ci Dart big-block with a giant Currie rear end and gold anodized American Rebel wheels.

An interesting “concept” truck coming together at Steve Strope’s Pure Vision Design in Simi Valley is a ’67 for Bob Florine of ARP Racing Products. Steve’s what-if question was, “What if Chevy was building their own shop truck and used parts from a 427 Corvette? We found all the right parts including a 427 block, L88 heads, ‘Snowflake’ intake and Tri-power, a date-coded Muncie 4-speed and the ’Vette independent front and rear suspension. It’s even going to be painted Marina Blue by Mick’s Paint.”

In Huntington Beach, California, designer and “Overhaulin” TV personality Chip Foose took a similar but different “what-if” approach with his own ’67 C/28. It began when he found an original Z/28 Camaro 302 engine date-coded to the day to match the ’67 C10 he already owned. Chip then explored what the factory might have done had they dropped the Z/28 302 into a C10.

The 302 was ported, polished, and made to work in a modern environment while the stock chassis was upgraded with Hotchkis suspension and brakes and a unique set of Foose five-spokes.

You can tell, there’s a lot of activity in the C10 world and prices are beginning to creep up. However, at the Kennedy Brothers in Pomona, California, there were three C10s: a ’69, a ’72 and an ’86, all for sale. There was also a ’72 Blazer that belonged to Jay Kennedy’s wife. “She drove it all the time with the roof off,” said Jay. “Now I have to freshen it up before the summer.” 2WD Blazers, especially the ’72 model, is, of course, sought after as the front-end changed dramatically for ’73.

I have too many friends who have made purchases only to find that the “other” side of the truck, the side not shown in the photographs, is not up to par, sometimes not even there.

We came across numerous classic C10s both customized and stock as we drove around Pomona. As you would expect, prices are across the board according to the condition. The first thing to check before you buy is that the truck has a title. Often, these trucks have sat for many years without being registered. You need to know that it has a title before you make the purchase.

There is an I.D. plate riveted to the doorpost that states the vehicle’s gross weight limit (weight of truck plus it’s maximum allowed load) plus stamped digits that give the assembly plant year, size of the truck, month built, and sequential numbers as it came off the production line. These plates are necessary for positive vehicle identification and in some cases registration.

Another thing to beware of is the long bed that has been hacked into a more valuable short bed. That’s not to say that it hasn’t been done properly but you have to get under there and take a look. Obviously, being primarily a work truck you have to consider the condition of the bed and what it might cost in time and trouble to restore or even replace.

Many of these working trucks are being pulled out of the snow belt because they are usually cheaper than trucks from the dry Southwest—many of which have already been picked. Examine the truck all over and especially underneath for signs of rust or hasty repair.  Yes, it’s all fixable and the panels are available, but at what cost? Also, beware of a freshly painted truck or a truck in primer as a primer can cover a multitude of sins, especially if the seller says, “Oh, we were just getting ready to paint it.”

“It’s better to buy a rougher truck that has original paint and even original rust,” said Mick Jenkins of Mick’s Paint. “At least you can see what you’re buying.”

My final piece of advice for a would-be C10 purchaser is to beware of buying a truck sight unseen off the internet. The internet is a great way of finding a vehicle but beware of the unscrupulous seller. Go and look at the vehicle and take a friend for an unbiased, second opinion. I have too many friends who have made purchases only to find that the “other” side of the truck, the side not shown in the photographs, is not up to par, sometimes not even there. Caveat emptor—buyer beware.

Chip Foose’s Hemisfear

I’ve known designer extraordinaire and TV’s Overhaulin’ personality Chip Foose for 30 years since he was a student at the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Art Center is one just a handful of automotive design schools in the world and being close to Hollywood it has also produced a number of movie designers and even designers who transition both worlds.

At the time I met Chip, in 1990, he was working on his final graduation project which was sponsored by Chrysler to design a niche market vehicle. Chip took a bit of an unorthodox spin on the concept, he didn’t want to design for an existing market, he wanted to create a new one. With its unique flair, Chip’s 1:5 scale model of the Hemisfear (photographed by John Thawley) gained significant recognition and was even featured in the April 1991 issue of HOT ROD magazine.

It also may have helped inspire the Plymouth Prowler, as careful study of the two indicates some design similarities particularly in the “double bump” decklid. Incidentally, the Prowler debuted six years later in 1997.

After Chip graduated, he eventually went to work for Hot Rods by Boyd Coddington where he worked on numerous creations for Boyd. I joined him there for a little over a year and it was a very educational and inspirational experience for me working alongside Chip and watching him design everything from watches to wheels to sports cars—all seemingly effortlessly—he never appeared to be stuck for an idea.

It also may have helped inspire the Plymouth Prowler…

It was while he was working for Boyd that Chip began work on the chassis for what would eventually become “Hemisfear”. Unfortunately, there was never enough time to complete the project even though Chrysler had contracted engine builder Dick Landy to supply a stack-injected 426 Chrysler Hemi. It too was relegated to a corner of the shop with the chassis.

The project sat until 2005, when Chip, who had since opened his own shop and design business in Huntington Beach, California, signed a die-cast toy deal with RC2 Corp. that also included seed money to complete the Hemisfear build. The original scale model was digitized and all the data was fed into a computer so that a full-size version could milled out of foam on a five-axis mill.

The foam was then used as the buck from which a mold was made for the limited production of just five carbon-fiber bodies made by Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters in Fountain Valley, California. Incidentally, that buck hangs from the ceiling of Chip’s shop. Meanwhile, John Hotchkis of Hotchkis Performance worked with Chip on the design of the racecar-inspired, fully-independent suspension with rocker arm-actuated coil-overs mounted behind the grille shell in the front and double wishbones in the rear.

The Dick Landy Hemi was ultimately replaced by a different 392 cubic-inch Hemi fitted with electronic Hilborn fuel injection and carbon stacks. The engine is mated to a ZF five-speed transaxle similar to that used in a DeTomaso Pantera. Of course, it rides on Foose-designed Nitrous two-piece, five-spokes.

Hemisfear, also known as the Foose Coupe, was introduced as a limited edition vehicle at the 2006 SEMA Show when two vehicles were unveiled, the pre-production lime green car which is Chip’s personal car and the first production model in black. Chip’s car made the cover of the July 2007 issue of HOT ROD but soon thereafter the economy went into recession and there were not many buyers for a $300,000 open-wheel hot rod.

Jump ahead a dozen years to the 2019 Grand National Roadster Show when Chip is honored with the Builder of the Decade Award and out of his closet comes Hemisfear. Looking just as tough and yet as beautiful as ever it was not difficult to persuade Chip to take me for a ride and let me drive—a little.

It gets your attention like sitting in a Top Fuel dragster when they fire it up.

The interior is snug and the quilted champagne leather cockpit tapers down into the narrow foot box where ribbed and logoed billet aluminum pedals mirror the steering wheel and instrument cluster that were all designed by Chip. It’s comfortable and the carbon doors have a reassuring “clunk” as they pull too.

What really gets your attention is pushing that button on the dash and hearing that 500 horsepower Hemi burst into life right behind your ear. It gets your attention like sitting in a Top Fuel dragster when they fire it up. You know there’s a fire-breathing monster back there and the only way to escape is to snap it into gear and get outta there.

The clutch is an easy push and the linkage to the ZF axle smoother than expected. The peak of the grille is low and it’s a little difficult to see the wheels so we ease out of his shop onto the street. All the while that engine is sucking air like an angry pitbull.

My biggest fear of driving anything as outlandish as Hemisfear is, well, fear, fear of all those idiots on the road who are on their phones trying to snap pictures and not watching what they’re doing. Thankfully, it’s an early weekend morning and traffic is light. We turn out of the industrial zone and head north on Pacific Coast Highway towards Seal Beach. It’s a nice stretch of open road but ‘cop-ulated’ so best be careful.

Nevertheless, I squeeze down on the throttle and we rocket along the coast, lifeguard huts flashing by like mile markers, those big Pirellis humming along like an 18-wheeler. It’s a blast and what traffic there was shrinks away in the side mirror.

This is the true definition of a hot rod…

All too soon, we’re in Seal Beach looking for a place to U-turn. Hemisfear is longish, low and wide and I’m uptight about damaging it. Chip is as nice as he appears on TV but you don’t want to be the guy remembered for shattering his dream car.

Soon enough, I get it turned around and head south thinking this is so much more than the sucky, underpowered V6 Prowler it progenated. I drove a lot of those and this is not that. This is the true definition of a hot rod—a lot of power in a lightweight body.

For more info on Chip Foose and his projects visit: chipfoose.com

The Vault

Originally opened in 1994, the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California recently underwent a $125 million makeover and reopened on December 7^th, 2015. The exterior of the building, an old Mid-Century department store, is stunningly wrapped in 100 tons of stainless steel ribbon but there is no obvious entrance. I guess they don’t expect you to miss it, located on the junction of Fairfax and Wilshire Boulevard in what is called The Miracle Mile section of Los Angeles.

Originally the brainchild of the late Robert E. Petersen, founder of HOT ROD Magazine and dozens of other publications, the “Pete” as it is affectionately known is, nevertheless, a world-class museum well worth a visit even if you are not a complete car nut.

Within the stainless shell, there are 300,000 sq. ft. divided into 25 galleries that house about 100 vehicles depending upon specific exhibits.

…well worth a visit even if you are not a complete car nut.

However, below the stunning, if controversial exterior, there is 60,000 sq. ft. containing another 250 or so vehicles in the Petersen Vault. Unfortunately, getting into the Vault is, as you might expect a bit like getting into, well, a vault.

At the time of our visit, the Vault was undergoing some refurbishment so some of the vehicles were in disarray. Usually, they are parked quite closely together. There are no ropes but you cannot take photographs and you are not allowed to wander away from the guide, but that is understandable as many of the cars are rare and quite valuable and not all are owned by the Petersen.

We got to see everything from an original Model T Ford to one-off concept cars to movie cars to celebrity-owned vehicles to a number of winners of America’s Most Beautiful Roadster Award.

Perhaps one of the most impressive cars is Mr. Petersen’s unique Art Deco ‘Round-Door’ Rolls Royce of 1925. It is the pinnacle of that era’s coach-built automobiles and in a way, the jewel in the crown of the Petersen. And right now, like many other cars, it can only be seen on the Vault tour.

…the jewel in the crown of the Petersen.

There are two types of guided vault tours and both carry a premium in addition to the cost of general museum admission which is $16 for an adult, $13 for seniors, and $8 for children 3-12. A 90-minute introductory tour is $23-25 extra and a 120-minute, so-called, world tour is an extra $30.

There are other rules too:

• Tickets are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged once the order is placed.
• NO children under 10 permitted on Vault Tours.
• NO backpacks, food, or drink allowed in the Vault.
• NO photography or video in the Vault.
• Online ticket sales close out on the morning of each date.
• Visitors must refrain from touching the vehicles and stay together with their guide during the tour.

Tours are not conducted every day so be sure to check the website and make your booking before turning up and don’t forget, parking is another $15: petersen.org/vault

Hollywood Movers and Shakers

A recent cover of SEMA News featured the face of Troy Ladd, owner of Hollywood Hot Rods, under the headline “How Famous Builders Grow The Industry.” Indeed, there are few more famous builders than Troy who recently moved into a new space and continues to garner accolades with his own take on traditionalism.

Unlike most hot rod builders, Troy began his second career after studying business and obtaining a Bachelor’s degree from Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California. While he enjoyed building cars in his spare time, he was not happy in a white-collar corporate job and consequently took the plunge in 2002 to hang up the white collar and open his own shop in “Beautiful Downtown Burbank”.

Naming it Hollywood Hot Rods was all part of Troy’s big plan as he knew that selling T-shirts and other merchandise containing the word Hollywood made marketing sense. And, he was right. His shirts were the number one selling brand in the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

Troy’s first shop in Burbank had an unassuming facade located on a small street that ended at Interstate 5. Unfortunately, that building, like so much of Los Angeles is slated for redevelopment and Troy spent has the last couple of years looking for a suitable building to buy. Eventually, he found a 4,300 square foot facility not too far from his old shop at 2617 N. San Fernando Boulevard, Burbank.

Troy first came to the public’s attention when he won the 2005 Goodguys “Rodder’s Pick” with “Big Sister” a ’32 Ford built on the Rides TV show. Two years later he was a finalist in the Grand National Roadster Show’s America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) competition with “Respect Tradition,” a Hemi-powered Deuce Roadster. The copper lowboy went on to win the “Best 1932 Ford Roadster” award at the Goodguys Del Mar Nationals.

The somewhat untraditional traditional roadster was followed by a string of projects that just continued to enhance the reputation of Hollywood Hot Rods.  One that garnered attention was actually a full-size version of the Monogram “Black Widow” plastic model kit.

This is not a mere hot rod; it is a true coach-built car.

Several more roadster pickups (rpu) followed including the road-race inspired, Ardun-powered “El Correcaminos” (Spanish for The Roadrunner) and the stack-injected, Coyote-powered rpu giveaway car for Raybestos Brake Corp.  That went on to win the SEMA “Showstopper Award” in 2010. Other significant Deuce roadsters included the “Platinum Bomb” and the “Brooklands Special”.

Besides the more traditional hot rods, Troy has also built some notable later-model customs including a ’63 Mercury S-22 Comet convertible and a ’60 T-Bird called “Hammered”. Also to show the shop’s versatility there was even a late-model Mustang convertible powered by a 700 hp-x engine. It was a supercar designed for the track yet retained all of the comforts of a streetcar.

In 2012, Troy was named the LA Roadsters’ “Builder of the Year” and, the accolades didn’t stop. Check the list and he received a significant award almost every year up until last year when the ’36 Packard convertible he and his team created for Bruce Wanta won a string of trophies including the AMBR Award, the Custom D’Elegance Award, the Sam Barris Award and the Goodguys Del Mar Street Rod D’Elegance Award.

2017 was a busy year for Troy as that was the year he finally found a building and moved shop, however, it was Wanta’s “Mulholland Speedster” that became a game changer from its hand-fabricated chassis to it’s retractable, cantilevered top that folds down into the trunk. This is not a mere hot rod; it is a true coach-built car.

The new Hollywood Hot Rods is compact but there’s room enough for offices and meeting space above the workshop that accommodates about eight cars. We’ve visited several times recently and there’s always cool stuff to see and Troy welcomes visitors. All of the projects are interesting but I particularly liked the Italian-bodied tribute to Edsel Ford’s 1934 boat-tail speedster.

Both had more tricks than a magician.

Four cars share that space and they include a Hemi-powered Model A roadster and a highly modified ’32 3-window with a split-windshield. In the adjacent shop found a chopped ’57 Plymouth wagon having its roof pancaked 1-1/2 inches. Attached to the workshop is a well-equipped machine shop containing lathes, a mill, a plasma cutter, and more.

At this year’s GNRS, Troy displayed two very distinct, bare-metal roadsters that were an Art Deco-Steampunk mashup with lots of hand-formed brass accouterments. Both had more tricks than a magician.

As if that all is not enough, Troy recently teamed up with the original host of Overhaulin’ and Power Block on Spike TV, Courtney Hansen, for a new build show called The Ride That Got Away. It’s a feel-good show that builds and reunites deserving people with their lost ride. It’s airing now. For more information visit: hollywoodhotrods.com

Driving Miss Astor

I’m not sure if it’s the same for people born in the U.S.A., but for those of us born on the small, crowded island of Great Britain, there’s a romance surrounding long-distance road trips across America. My first trip was in 1973 and we rode choppers from LA to Oregon and back. Two thousand grueling miles on a motorcycle with minimal front suspension, no rear suspension and my wife on the back. It was a long, sorry-ass trip.

Since then I’ve driven back and forth many times in cars, motorcycles, trucks, trucks with trailers towing racecars and in hot rods and I have to say that driving a hot rod on a long road trip is, without doubt, the most fun. My problem is, I tend to fall asleep, even if I’m driving. Consequently, I usually get relegated to the passenger seat and made to do directions. That’s easy now that we have the internet but in the days of the ‘M-ap’, it was not so easy. Nevertheless, it’s always fun and often quite eventful.

Example. I recently got a call from my friend David Steele, Executive Director of the American Hot Rod Foundation who, in passing, said, “I’m driving Henry Astor’s ’32 Ford Roadster back from Indianapolis. You remember Henry? He was the first director of the Foundation.”

“Really?” I replied. “Can I tag along? I love road trips.”

“It’s an open roadster and has no top.” Responded David.

“Sounds good,” I said.

“I’m driving straight through. I’m stopping to gas and piss is all.”

“Perfect. See you in Indy.”

I took the red-eye and David picked me up at the airport. There’s no parking in the white zone. I looked at my phone. It said: Drive time 1 day 4 hr, and that’s if we didn’t stop for gas or a leak. Having been awake all night I leaned my head against the soft Naugahyde and dozed off. I woke up in St. Louis as we passed the Gateway Arch. It’s the tallest in the world but looks like half a McDonald’s sign. It was 7:16 AM and cold. I hunkered down under the dash and went back to sleep to the comforting hum of a tri-powered, small-block Chevy. Next stop, Kansas City. 

I was awake now, having slept for half a day. Unfortunately, Kansas is a whole lot of nothing. Just mile after mile of flat earth confirming the world is not round. Somewhere around Salina, David got a phone call. I couldn’t hear because of the wind noise but at the next pit stop, I heard that we’d been invited to join the Cobra Owner’s Club in a little jaunt around Zion National Park. Sounds good to me.

We pressed on. Bugs kamikazed into the windshield until you could barely see through the splatter. No wipers on a hot rod. It was 0-dark-thirty when we pulled into the Majestic View Lodge near the entrance to Zion. The big topic of discussion concerned Marty Langsam whose genuine Cobra had burned to the ground the day before. Marty had entered the Mount Carmel Tunnel and had an electrical fire. Unfortunately, due to the volume of traffic in both directions, the fire trucks could not reach him before the car burned up. Or, is that down? Either way, it was done to a crisp. When asked if it could be rebuilt, one smart-aleck replied, “We can build two.”

At that point, David did a deal with our friend Roger Morrison to swap rides. He would take the Deuce and we slipped behind the wheel of his original 289 Cobra. In a way, a Cobra is not that dissimilar to a ’32 roadster. Both have buggy spring suspension front and rear, both have a brutish power-to-weight ratio, both are open to the elements and both are a lot of fun. We found out how much fun ripping along two-lane blacktops to the north rim of the Grand Canyon and back.

All too soon, our time in the Cobra was over and we headed back on Interstate 70 towards I-15 and the road to Las Vegas. We could taste home by now so it was pedal to the metal. We ripped through Sin City in the dark stopping only for gas and the usual wondering what nefarious deeds were being done at that early hour. Somewhere south of town, we hit the inevitable construction zone but we were on a mission. Didn’t even see the cop until our world turned blue. He pulled us over. Thankfully, even though it wasn’t our car, the paperwork was all in order. We were doing good, I thought, until I asked, in my best Beatles accent, how old he was. He looked all of 14. Well, he wasn’t 14 so I asked why he hadn’t shown much interest in the roadster. Wasn’t like you saw one every day doing 80 in a 50 zone. That’s when he pulled out his ticket book. Poor David.

Back on the road, all was quiet. David didn’t say much so I went back to sleep. Woke up in Los Angeles. Job done.

The In-N-Out Hot Rod 70th Celebration

There is no better way to describe the California hot rod culture than cruising out in your custom roadster and getting some In-N-Out burgers. However, in order to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of both In-N-Out and Hot Rod Magazine, the only place big enough was the home of the NHRA. This is the In-N-Out Burger and Hot Rod Magazine 70th Anniversary Celebration at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, CA.

It’s burgers, it’s burnouts, it’s classic and historic drag cars, it’s the 70th Anniversary of two California icons: In-N-Out Burger and Hot Rod Magazine. It’s amazing to think that both are reaching closer and closer to 75 years in existence. Both companies were created in 1948, with the burgers frying for the first time on October 22, 1948 by Harry and Esther Snyder, and the first edition of Hot Rod Magazine flying off the shelf in January of 1948 with Robert Petersen in charge. Hot Rod is now a part of Discovery but In-N-Out is still headed by Lynsi Snyder with 342 locations in the West of the US as well as Texas and Utah.

What a celebration it was, too. There were so many amazing hot rods, roadsters, and classic custom cars packed on the paved lot beside Auto Club Raceway’s drag strip. From the tally, over 2,200 hot rods and race cars showed up to celebrate. Through the day, many of these cars would take runs down that strip, too. Nostalgia Funny Cars and classic drag cars would fire up and blast down for fun. No trophies, just a fun run in a 200+ MPH funny car. Old Hot Rod feature cars were displayed under the tent while classic music from the era was played live on the main stage.

At sunset, a dozen of those cars would gather in the pits for Cracklefest, where those open-header drag cars would fire up and run to delight the aural senses for just a few minutes. However, In-N-Out would serve those fresh burgers that have made them famous for those 70 years all day long.

However, the show cars that arrived were some of the most spectacular outside of the Grand National Roadster Show. 40s Fords, 50s Chevys, 60s Dodges and everything in between came down to show off. It was restorations, resto-rods, rats, lowriders and customs. This was one show that wasn’t going to disappoint as it had something for everyone in attendance.

This might have been a once-in-a-lifetime celebration, too. Many of these classic and historic Hot Rod feature owners and getting up there in age. This may be the only time all these people would have gathered in one place to celebrate the culture they helped influence and create for the generations after them. Tell the stories of their legacy before they move on from their mortal coil.

The saying, “if you missed this, you missed out” gets tossed around by journalists covering an event like Halloween candy. However, this one will most likely ring true. While it’s sad to think about, it’s not what should be. These men and women were celebrated for who they are, what they created, and with their stories that will live on for generations longer. There’s nothing sad about that, it’s worth the massive party that In-N-Out and Hot Rod created.

El Mo

Even the most ardent motorsports fan might never have heard of El Mirage Dry Lake or, El Mo as it is known to the cognoscenti. 

El Mo is located about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles in the Mojave Desert. Used to be, it was way out there, nowadays the townies are creeping ever nearer with housing tracts, strip malls, and the inevitable traffic. Nevertheless, the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA), formed in 1937, continues to sanction land speed racing events every month from May through November except August when they go race at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah.

Unlike Bonneville, which is a salt lake, El Mo is a dry lake of alkali dust. Most every winter it rains and levels out the bed, more or less, to form a long, flat race track. Every spring a hearty and hard-working band of pure volunteers arrives to lay out a 1.3-mile course that runs arrow straight West to East.

At each event, several hundred racers face Mecca and try to break a record. The fastest car so far on the lake is the Leggitt-Mirage Blown Fuel Lakester, an open-wheel device driven by Paul Prentice to a speed of 312.100 mph. There are plenty of records in excess of 200 mph that puts you in the ‘Dirty Two’ club. The fastest motorcycle is John Noonan with a speed of 252 mph.

I’ve made the pilgrimage to El Mo many times, even raced a car there and every time I drop down onto that dirty, dusty, hotbed of activity I, like so many others, get a chill from walking where the founding fathers of hot rodding raced in the ’40s.

I currently hang with ex Shelby employee Steve Hope and his crew Jim Alvaney, Chris Thoman and driver Jere Teepen who race an FWD ’84 Dodge Charger. Scott Harvey began racing the car in 1984 when it was new and when it went 142.85 mph. Now, with sponsorship from Capautorecon.com and USAutomotive.co.uk, and running in the 2.0-liter Blown (turbo) Gas Coupe class it has gone over 206 mph at Bonneville, however, they were unable to confirm the record. Meanwhile, driver Jere holds the class record at El Mo at 190.587 mph but as yet the team been unable to break the ‘Dirty Two’ mph barrier.

To experience land speed racing and watch all this amazing machinery you just have to pay the Bureau of Land Management $15 for entry to the lake bed (per day). To learn more about the SCTA and to get a schedule of race dates, visit scta-bni.org or visit their Facebook page @SCTASouthernCaliforniaTimingAssociation

Mooneyes Open House

The Mooneyes Open House was an intimate gathering for those who love nostalgia. Everywhere you looked around the Santa Fe Springs, California shop, you saw incredible cars, motorcycles, and the tools used to manufacture their unique products since Dean Moon opened the location in 1962. You could see the history, feel it, and hear it, thanks to “The Hot Rod Trio” who were jamming rockabilly tunes during the show.

The many traditional hot rods, customs, and 2 wheeled works of art fit right in with the vintage speed parts, and memorabilia that occupy every open space available. It’s amazing to see a working shop that doesn’t use computer-controlled machinery or automated processes. The Mooneyes shop still utilizes manual machine tools and skilled operators like they have for over 60 years.

Founder Dean Moon was right in the thick of the Southern California Hot Rod scene. He and his Brother Buzz built hot rods and worked on customer’s cars from a small garage behind his father’s café. Too young to enlist during World War II, he still spent time in the South Pacific as a Merchant Marine towards the end of the war. Years later he got his chance to serve in the Air Force during the Korean War where he learned photography. He used his photography skills in the many articles he contributed to automotive magazines. His articles helped to spread the word about his products. Dean was also instrumental in helping to form SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association, and served as the second president in 1964. Dean developed several products that addressed fuel delivery, throttle linkage, and ignition systems to make cars go fast. After acquiring Potvin Cams in 1962, the company had many high-performance parts available for racing engines like intake manifolds, valve covers, gear drives, and supercharger accessories.

One Moon product that was just plain cool, was the barefoot gas pedal. Anyone who grew up in the 60’s or 70’s is familiar with the cartoonish gas pedal design that looks like a bare foot. You can find them in hot rods, VW’s, Mini Trucks, even boats. Extremely popular to this day are the spun aluminum wheel covers, and gas tanks that the company produces. They look fantastic but are also strong, and lightweight. The spun aluminum wheel covers were so iconic, that any spun aluminum wheel cover was known as a “Moon Disc.” The smaller covers were called “Baby Moons.” The distinctive Moon logo could be found on everything from speed parts and dress up items to clothing of every type. You could even get Mooneyes fabric by the yard, and make your own clothes. The unique Moon logo was designed for Dean by a Disney commercial artist and became a worldwide sensation. 

The company’s offerings were successful and extremely popular for decades. After Dean’s passing in 1987, the company was in somewhat of a limbo without its leader; that’s when Moon dealer and family friend, Shige Suganuma entered the scene. He purchased the company and changed the name to Mooneyes USA. Suganuma continued to run his locations in Japan and put Chico Kodama in charge of USA operations. Kodama was a great fit. A racer and mechanic, he is a land speed racer with the Eliminators SCTA Club. Together, Suganuma and Kodama have continued to grow the Mooneyes brand; capturing a whole new generation of fans.

The Mooneyes open house demonstrated their mass appeal with fans of the brand from several generations. It looks like the distinctive Moon logo will continue to be an icon in the automotive world for decades to come. The intimate setting at the shop did not allow for many cars, but those on display were stunning. For those who want more, the annual Mooneyes X-Mas Party Show & Drag on Dec. 8th at Irwindale Speedway in Irwindale, California is a much larger venue and will have tons more cars on display.