Pinstriping Everything at 2014 Grand National Roadster Show     The Grand National Roadster Show brings in the best of everything in the hot rod world... and dead smack in the middle of hot rod culture is art. In this case, it's pinstriping!     If you wandered down to the far end of the Main Hall at the Pomona Fairplex, you might have seen these "artists" at work. Artists? I'd say yes.  Big hearted, generous and talented should also be thrown out! The pinstripers are here for a charity auction to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Great deals are had on one of a kind pinstriping pieces, or if you're not that committed, come get your phone, sunglasses, camera - whatever!! Pinstriped for a donation.   Pictures here are a few of my favorites. I love metal flake paint, as you can see, so I'm a sucker for the combo of flake and pinstriping. Plus... the pinstripers can be "colorful" with their language and sometimes their subjects!   Reminds me of my dad! I once complained my automatic equipped car wasn't shifting from first to second... he said,...

  Traditional hot rods and customs just aren’t complete without traditional pinups accompanying them either on the street, at the track or at a great indoor show like Retro Rewind which is happening in Dubuque, Iowa January 11 and 12, 2014.   Retro Rewind is another great show creation from the mind of John Wells who has found great success with his Midwest-bred Torquefest and Iron Invasion events. This first ever indoor event promises to not only bring out the best of traditional hot rod culture, but give both participants and spectators alike an incredible range of great entertainment.     A pinup contest will highlight Saturday’s event schedule and quite a number of young ladies, sporting only the best traditional style, have already committed to be part of the festivities. But, you might ask, where did pinups come from? Who came up with this crazy idea of hot rod babes dressing up the iron and leather of the custom car, truck and vintage bike crowd? Need we explain?   The term pinup girl was coined in the 1940s, but its beginnings were a whole lot earlier when female...

Hot Rod Art and Motorcycle Helmets The Barber Motorsports Park Vintage Festival draws thousands of two-wheeled enthusiasts each year who are excited to see not only the old, but also the new. Larry Gardinier decided it would be the perfect spot to display and sell the work of artists who could paint on, what else? Motorcycle helmets! “I’d seen a video of a helmet show out on the west coast,” Gardinier explained, “and thought maybe I should try something like that myself.” Gardinier is a 20 year veteran automotive artist and admits he’s always ready to try new things. Painting on helmets seemed a natural.   “Of course I had someone ask me why I didn't organize a similar event on my side of the country,” he says. “I couldn't think of any good reasons and Skull Canvas was born.”  Plans are already underway for the third annual 2014 Skull Canvas display and Gardinier is excited to pull together another group of great artists who can show off their talents…and sell some creative helmets.   The 2013 Vintage Festival featured 27 artists, including Gardinier, who exhibited an incredible display...

Hot Rod Artist Larry Gardinier Shares His Passion     I can remember sitting in junior high school (yeah, we called it JUNIOR HiGH back then…what of it?) with a friend who was really good at drawing those Ed Roth style hot rods with the weird driver poked through the roof, slobbering all over and looking nasty. We loved it and thought “maybe someday we’ll just sit around all day and draw cars for a living.” Uh…didn’t quite work out that way.   Tons More Stories about Hot Rod Art (will open in a new window)   Larry Gardinier, on the other hand, probably dreamed of the same kind of life, but until he lost his “real” job as an architectural illustrator, there was little chance he would actually swing his legs off the bed every morning and go…draw cars! Gardinier sees his good fortune as fitting him perfectly. “I’ve always been an automotive artist,” he says. Since “going professional” in 1990 Gardinier says he’s been able to take this crazy car passion to new levels. “How could I not love it?”     Gardinier may have come by this...

Hot Rods & Race Car Photography from the Bonneville Salt Flats     Don't know about other amateur photographers, but I've learned tons from studying other photographer's work.   I learned from my friend Chuck Vranas' hot rod photography and shared some of his work from years of shooting for magazines like Street Rodder. He's also become a good friend.   Ever heard of Peter Vincent? Vincent is also a well known automotive photographer, and we're in luck! He loves Bonneville Salt Flats, just like we do! I carefully sort through Vincent's work too... I don't want to copy what he does, but observe the style and composition of the photo. I politely ask myself... "What makes this guy famous!?" and know that it's something he's doing better than I am.   It's great to be able to find some many pictures in one place to quickly learn from one of the best! To help announce his new book, I asked Peter Vincent for his thoughts about why he made this book. Here's what he had to say:   "This book was important to me for so many reasons....

More Favorite Flake Roof Photography   (Click on any photo to see it full size)   The LA Roadster Show's about as good as it gets for finding customs and hot rods. Nobody argues that SOCAL was where it all started. Among all the cool rides Brian (from problemchildkustoms.com) and I saw at the 2013 event, we collected just a few of our favorite "Flaked Roof" examples to continue on what's been a popular story: Metal Flake Roof Dazzling Photos. So here goes... Which one's your favorite?           Turns out this is Eric Conner's custom 1950 Chevy Deluxe. I shot Eric's old truck at night and was really happy with how it turned out: Night Shots - Long Exposure (no, I'm not stalking him... The Fellas Socal are doing it right! Bo Swan's a Fellas too.)               I guess I'll close with this shot. This all black sedan had a crazy rainbow flaked roof. I shot the palm trees, then turned the photo around 180 so the trees weren't growing out of the sky. Kinda like this one, so I...

Hot Rod Art: Hand Painted and Lettered Old Truck Doors   As soon as we stepped into the swap meet at the 2013 LA Roadster Show, we found Gary Crisp and his custom painted doors.   In a time where patina is IN and faking patina is about a common as the real stuff, Gary’s work is tough to beat! Who knows what condition the doors were in when he got them, let’s figure they were rough… but the end product is outstanding! The lettering and art, even up close, look to be good’n old.   Gary’s a custom painter by trade. Mostly hot rods and bikes from what he told me, but now he’s just having fun painting doors. As you can see, he’s fairly successful at it with a few of the doors already marked as “sold” and I heard an order for one happening as I waited to say hi.   Get your own custom doors by reaching Gary by email. He’s a little old school when it comes to computers, so give him a few days to respond. Thanks Gary!...

Artist's Eye on a Model A Hot Rod   Which do you prefer? The real thing or Haropcat's drawing? Check out the "real thing" in the feature story I did on Voodoo Larry's Voodoo Psychosis! from the Detroit Autorama.     The engine shown was featured as a "Top 11 Hot Rod Engines of Detroit" and it was very cool to meet Larry down in the basement of the Detroit Autorama.   Check out more of Harpocat's cool drawings in his garage at MyRideisMe.com. Then, get your...

Custom Inspiration for your Ford Falcon Brian Stupski's got a custom eye for anything with wheels, and wouldn't ya know it? This time he turned his styled eye on one of our favorites, the Ford Falcon. I've got a 1963 Ford Falcon wagon I'm working on now. Maybe I can swing some of these custom tricks to apply to my Falcon. How about you?   For more Falcon fun, check out my own project: 1963 Ford Falcon Wagon Build   To have Problem Child Kustoms trick out your car, get in touch with Brian at ProblemChildKustoms.com Until then, drool over these great ideas for one trick Falcon! Stay tuned, we're trying to reach FineLine Kustom and Restoration in Onalaska, WI to get some periodic updates of the Falcon build. Yep! This car is under construction now.   Here's a shot of the interior Brian did... your basic two-seater...   Under the hood? Nothing special... check this out! Last, you need to see some renderings of the final car build. This is gonna be one amazing car!   To get your dream car drawn, contact Problem Child Kustoms...

Hot Rod Art by One of the Best!   All artwork by Brian Stupski at Problemchildkustoms.com   Brian from Problem Child Kustoms Studio is a good friend and and a great artist! Feel like learning about his style and even how to draw cars? Then check out his garage at MyRideisMe.com. You can add your own artwork and how-to's just like Brian is. Then, add him to your crew so he can see some of your work. It all starts with Joining MyRideisMe.com.   So Check out the NASCAR inspired Ford Thunderbird above, with the title An Alternate Flight - and see more in the May 2013 issue of Street Rodder.     Next up is Brian's tutorial about how to draw this Chevelle. Dude makes it look easy!!     And finally, Weaving a Tale With Cars: Hot Rod Art With a Twist - How he does it and why. (Even I learned something! So check out Brian's garage and let him know what you think. He's gifted artist and can tell a story...

How do you draw the perfect car?   All artwork by Brian Stupski at Problemchildkustoms.com   How does he do it? An amazing car modified in ways to be described below, but then, in this drawing, it FLIES off the page. Love it!   As a bonus to the 45 Pictures of Poteet's Radical Torino Talladega I shared, here's the drawing that inspired the car. Brian works closely with Rad Rides by Troy to detail the lines and final shape. Rad Rides then transform the art into real metal shapes. Poetry! So here's the details on what went on... followed by some other choice drawings by Problem Child Kustoms.   (Click any picture to see it full size)   Can you pick up on a few ideas that didn't make it to the final design? I found a couple!       Well? What you think? How to draw the perfect hot rod? Let's ask Brian to put it on paper while asking George Poteet to dream up something...

Adventures of Losing Your Brakes in a Classic Longtime readers may remember when I lost the brakes in my 1955 Studebaker...while I happened to be wearing a swimsuit (headed to the local pool) and ended up jumping from my moving vehicle. You read that right. Now's your chance to enjoy the story retold, in retro comic book form! For more on brake loss, figuring out how to fix things, and other crazy car adventures - you can always visit me on...