Traditional to Wild Custom Paint at SEMA 2012 (Click to see any picture full size) Click for everything @ 2012 SEMA Show from MyRideisMe The SEMA Show's all about custom. One thing there's never a shortage of is custom paint. Pictured about is my buddy Keith Charvonia's 1951 Kaiser. I already posted about it here, The New Sick: 1951 Kaiser Kustom and Speedhunters.com took some pretty amazing pictures here: Drag'n Kaiser. In case you didn't read either of those, this "fade" paint job was applied by customizing legend Gene Winfield. The lights of SEMA, outlined by the casino-like red carpet set off the paint, but to really love it, you have to see it in the sun! Stepping up or maybe to the side... with some custom airbrush work: Wow! Everyone's seen skulls painted on just about everything, but here's a new take! In view here is the Terminator skull, a Japanese devil call "Oni", the gas mask dude, barely visible, the viking skull, bird skull and Friday the 13th skull! It's all laid out on a pale blue flame-like background. The other side's just as impressive. Here on the...

1968 Cadillac Coupe de Ville at SEMA 2012 (Click to see any picture full size) Click for everything @ 2012 SEMA Show from MyRideisMe Ever heard the saying, "A postman doesn't go for a walk on his day off"? Well, the owner of this 1968 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, Tim Johnson, is a painter by trade.  Tim's Caddy is a three year build. The long road to SEMA started in early 2010 when his soon-to-be wife Jacquelyn (he wisely married her 2 year ago) picked it up for him as a gift. He's been driving it for the last couple years, dodging (unsuccessfully) rain, puddles, sprinklers and every other kind of moisture due to the bare metal finish. With so many thumbs up for the swirly finish, and cause the Caddy was in such good shape to start with... Finally, just two weeks before SEMA, Tim decided to clean it up one last time to leave it metal with clear. I'm glad he did. Don't mistake this for any "Rat Rod"... The interior's finished and tight, stitched up by his buddy Eric Hunsaker over at Advanced Mobile Electronics in Las...

1963 Ford Galaxie at SEMA 2012 (Click to see any picture full size) Click for everything @ 2012 SEMA Show from MyRideisMe Outside near Ford's drifting exhibition sat this purple-ish beast of a 1963 Ford Galaxie. If you're a Ford fan, when you see, "Holman Moody" your curiosity peaks (or it probably should). Here's a quick summary of the Holman Moody evolution... John Holman moved from the sun of Cali to North Carolina to run Ford's NASCAR team in 1956 and teamed up with Ralph Moody. Soon after, Ford begins to dominate NASCAR amid rumors of cheating. By 1957, still winning, Ford and other OEM's pulled out of racing after the AMA (Automobile Manufacturers Association  banned auto companies from using race wins in their advertising. Seeing an opportunity, John and Ralph formed the "Holman Moody" partnership in 1957, then Moody, with refinance money from his airplane, spent $12,000 to buy up Ford's surplus racing gear. $12k!! Assembling the, eh... leftovers, Holman Moody Fords won their first two races in 1957. From there, with a shop on the Charlotte Douglas Airport they started making all parts needed for race cars, later selling those parts to other racers. Eventually, they...

Best and Worst of SEMA 2012 In many ways, the picture above symbolically tells the SEMA show story... Especially the last day. I shot this Ford Mustang giving one lucky passenger the ride of their lives! Maybe, like the passenger, there was a little bit of, "Damn! I'm glad it's over!" I've spun around, everywhere, my head's a smoky haze of friends, new and old connections and feet-tires worn out to the belts! Yet I know... like every year... come next November, I'll be ready to do it again! It's SEMA! What is the SEMA Show? If you're reading this blog, you probably already know... but for those of you stumbling onto this page from a Google image search, let me explain: SEMA's nearly everyone and everything automotive on the planet jammed wall to wall, believe it or not, into the 3.2 million square feet of the Las Vegas convention center. It's massive! All mixed together, you've got nearly every car and truck represented. You'll find OEM's like Ford and Chevy with their custom creations and new models mixed in with the best custom car builders like Chip Foose,...

Super Clean 1960 Falcon Ranchero   Did you see the race car version of this car? When I saw this Ford Falcon Ranchero Race Car at Bonneville, owner Alan Moss said he's got another Ranchero, and it's for sale! Check it out:   1960 Ford Falcon Ranchero: Completely sandblasted inside and out, patch paneled (welded) running a 302 small block Ford with flat top pistons, a mild cam, balanced, a 500 cfm AFB. In total, there are 12,000 miles on engine and trans. It's got an AOD 4 speed auto with A+ od servo, .6:1 OD, shift kit, with updated clutch packs. It will hold any gear.   Out back, there's an 8" Ford rear with five lug Ford pattern, 3.50 ratio, open. With the 3.50 gears it is very lively in traffic but with the .6 od fourth gear it goes down the highway nicely.Up front features a Mustang II front end, disc brakes on five lug Ford Mustang II rotors, manual rack and pinion steering, 205/60x15 tires on 6x15" steel wheels.     Inside, there's a tilt column from a Cherokee, 60x40 seats from a Ranger pickup.  ...

280Z powered Falcon Ranchero Race Results   Remember this car? Just looking at it's low, built-for-racing stance, it was easily one of my favorites from Bonneville - and that's before I saw under the hood. With a Nissan 280Z inline six suppying the power, I had to ask the owner to keep me posted on his first year racing results from 2012 Bonneville Speed Week. If you need to see so more pictures, check out this 1960 Falcon Ranchero here.   Here's what Alan Morris out of Montrose, CO had to say about the first time out with his Ranchero:   "I apologize for not replying sooner. I've been busy cleaning the car, removing the engine and assessing the engine damage. Plus I needed a rest. I have thrown most of my energy at the car for about two and a half years. At 70 years old I don't seem to have that much energy anyway.   The first run (the maiden one for the car and me as well) they only want you to run to the two mile mark and pull the parachute. They don't want you to...

NorCal Hot Rods and Custom Car Show Pictures Words by N/Koljian with photos by N/Koljian, John Lemoine & Alan G It starts out in Ocala, FL in March and moves its way across the map hitting cities like Michigan and Washington ‘til it arrives in Antioch, CA for the grand finale. This year’s Billetproof kept up to past standards by being the blowout show to end a great Northern California car season. Being that it’s the last big show of the year, Alan Galbraith and the boys from the Dragoons Car Cult set out to make this a show to remember. With a car count of 850 plus and a spectator total exceeding 3000, well, you do the math. We showed up early, and I mean early, to catch the roll in. The sun was just peaking over the hills of Antioch and there was already a stable of rods 2 to 3 city blocks deep and MyRideisMe.com captured all that went down at the 16th Billetproof in 2012. (Skipping the story? See all of the photos from 2012 Billetproof right here: MyRideisMe.com's 2012 Billetproof Antioch Pictures - Or...

Photos by the great Peter Vincent Amazing Bonneville Salt Flats Streamliner Set to Run 550 mph   Five-hundred-fifty miles per hour. Yes, you read that right! This air-slippin' hot rod's set to demolish the "fastest wheel driven, piston powered" car record by 100 mph.   Here's a few details to wet the appetite: Does it look long? It should. It's 43 feet long. (13.1m) and only 3 feet high (0.91m) Frontal area is an anemic 8.61 square feet (0.8 square meters) with an included angle of 1.5 degrees Power comes from two Dodge V8 Hemi's boosted by Whipple Superchargers Fueled by alcohol, there's 2500 horsepower on tap... EACH. Power is applied by two B & J 4-speed transmissions - shifted simultaneously- by steering wheel controls   This is the Marlo Treit and Les Davenport "Target 550" streamliner. A Few of the Crew   Marlo Triet the project coordinator and from what I can see, the "ring master". On the salt at Bonneville Speed Week 2012, Marlo was tough to corner as he answered questions from curious racers, spectators and media. As I took pictures, Marlo was being filmed. From the "Crew"...

Bonneville Racers and Hot Rods on the Salt Have I said it enough times that people found on the Bonneville salt are just cool? Each year I come away from Speed Week with a few more friends. That's sort of amazing since I run around like a wild man shooting pics and trying to get feature stories... but I try, every once and a while, to kick back, have a beer and try to enjoy it all.   This year, I got to know Holly Martin, mostly through her photography. I like to study the angles, the light and the subjects of other photographers to learn from them and hopefully add something new to my own shots. I'm dig'n Holly's work!   Click here for all of MyRideisMe.com's Bonneville Salt Flat coverage.   So I asked Holly to share some photos and she generously did.  I then asked her to write about her Bonneville experience... She was shy about sharing it, but I think it came out more like poetry than a bio. Get to know Holly a little here: (and let her know what you think of her shots!)  ...

Hot Rods and Custom Car Show Pictures from Skoty Chops Custom Showcase 2012 Words & pictures by Nick Koljian - CLICK to zoom Alameda, CA has a little old place called the Forbidden Island. It's a well known tiki lounge right in the heart of the historical Bay Station shopping district. It’s quite the retro oasis and has been a staple in Alameda since April of 2006. Many compare the dreamy decor to the Enchanted Tiki Room in Disneyland from the glowing puffer fish to the tiki statues and Tahitian velvet paintings. The Forbidden Island also is well known for serving up award winning, world famous and classic exotic cocktails and for the past 5 years serving up a little diddy known as The Tiki Car Hop. So let the gang from MyRideisMe.com take you on a little Polynesian treat where tiki island tradition meets mainland hot rod culture. Grab yourself a scorpion bowl, relax and enjoy East Bay Sinners CC Tiki Car Hop @ The Forbidden Island in Alameda, CA. This being my first trip to the car hop, I didn't know what to expect. Outside the Forbidden Island vintage rides...

Cadillac's Top Model - Eldorado Biarritz When I saw this sexy Cadillac for sale at Auctions America Auburn Fall Auction - sorry, we missed it, it was Labor Day weekend... I immediately thought of a couple other Custom Cadillac Biarritz stories I did. Before we get to that, what's up with this award winning "Champagne Iridescent" Caddy? The experts predict the sale price at $80-100k. Here's what that gets you: By the 1960s’ Cadillac had claimed its supremacy as the flagship line for General Motors and bested the rest of its competition in the luxury car segment. Although the Eldorado line was heavily equipped with many luxuries that were standard on most models, it is worth mentioning the accessories that complete this outstandingly restored Biarritz. This particular car includes all power steering, brakes, windows, seats, top, antenna, plus Cadillac Air Suspension, cruise control, air-conditioning and much more. It is finished in Champagne Iridescent with complementing gold leather interior and black vinyl top. It is powered by a 390-cid V-8 with a Hydra-Matic Drive transmission. Most importantly, this example benefits from a no-expense spared restoration and is the recipient of an...

Hot Rod Pinup Kelly Lindahl Continuing to get to know hot rod and pinup model photographer Trent Sherrill, let's get to know his girlfriend, pinup model, hair stylist and makeup artist out of New York: Kelly Lindahl. Describe the best date you ever had. My Best Date was when my boyfriend Trent, flew into NY then took me to Yankees Stadium, (which I've never been to a baseball game ever) but we got sushi. then we walked around NYC even though I live/work here it was nice to spend time with him and show him around a bit. How about the worst date?  One time I was on a date and the guy I guess "googled" my parents name, I guess he got their names off my Facebook , he thought he found out what they did for a living, it was creepy, never saw him again. What's your favorite car ever and what's your favorite that you've actually owned? I like 1964 Impala's, really anything that’s a lowrider, or I really like low, big kustom cars. For my favorite car I’ve owned, it has to be my Jeep. It...