Online Hot Rod Magazine and Custom Car Pics

Best of the Best at SEMA 2011 Each year, SEMA brings 1000s to Las Vegas for the most complete aftermarket automotive show on earth. I can give you the numbers, but it's still hard to describe how huge SEMA is. Start by imagining that it fills up all of the 3.2 million square feet of the Las Vegas Convention Center. SEMA 2012 had over 100,000 attendees and 2,000 exhibitors. With this much going on, SEMA is the place to find the newest cool products and cutting edge cars! Since this event isn’t open to public - MyRideisMe was there to get the inside scoop for you! Best New Products With the abundance of companies exhibiting, you can find about anything you’re looking for at SEMA. Since I’m still a novice mechanic – my “best of” reflects things I would be excited to add to my own car. Edelbrock E-Street Fuel Injection System I know EFI systems have been around for awhile to convert your carbureted engine to fuel injection - but not until I saw the newest offering from Edelbrock had I ever considered one for my own car. This E-Street Fuel...

Hot Rod & Custom Car Photography Photos & Text by: Mark Stacks of Tin Woody Photo - Click on any image to see it full size Like the last two galleries we've put up lately, the California Hot Rod Reunion and the LOWTECH Hot Rods, Mark's got a style all his own. He was kind enough to share some of his favorites with us as part of the "Best of" series I'm doing on folks like me who want to improve their photography overall, and have a passion for hot rods! Custom street rod at the October 2011 Golden Super Cruise In Mark's words: I'm a hobbyist photographer that really loves cars and their culture.  My goal in taking photos of car is to tell a little a bit of a story of the car, show some of its character, and maybe include a little mood or emotion. It may be a pipe dream, but if could have a viewer thinking they smell the gasoline or the rust...well, that would awesome! I go everywhere looking for cars to photograph, shows, rural farms, industrial areas, back alleys, if there is...

Custom 1960 Cadillac 1960 Cadillac Shot at the 2011 Goodguys in Scottsdale, AZ (Click on any pic to see full size) What's eight and a half Coors Light cans tall and a mile long? This 1960 Custom Cadillac built by Scott's Insane Chops in Lake Havasu City, AZ for owner David Hoekstra. It's got to be obvious by now, right? I shoot and publish stories about cars I like. You've probably seen I have an, arguably un-natural, hankerin' for wagons, but I also like what's more mainstream too... if you call 225 inches of laid out Caddy mainstream!   Need more evidence Sic Chops knows custom Caddillacs? Check out his latest, a chopped 1959 Cadillac Convertible. With 'bout 2300 cars packed into West World for the 2011 November Goodguys show, it takes a special bling to stop you in your tracks. This 60 Caddy did it so well the 'guys moved this car to front and center for all to see. Makes for great visibility and crappy photos with heads poking out all over the place. Still, the graceful elegance of the now 44 inch tall bad-to-the-bone Caddy woulda...

Traditional Hot Rod & Custom Car Photography Casny Coupe The entirely home-built model A coupe of Chris Casny on the way to the HAMB BBQ. Photos by Marc Woeltinger - LOWTECH Garage Photography Recently I've had a few people ask me, where do you get the stories and photos for MyRideisMe.com? The answer really is, all over the place! That's been most true lately as fantastic photos pour in from new friends on the web. I missed the Hot Rod Reunion Drags at Famoso Raceway, but thanks to Tim Scott's photography, we all get to see it. Same goes for these shots by Marc Woeltinger. From Switzerland with an eye for vintage steel, Marc's been holding a camera since he was 10 years old, but says he, "started getting really into it in 2008. Winfield Mercury This old leadsled is sitting in the Mojave desert in Gene Winfield’s back yard. Now working in the advertising industry, his knowledge of color and style is paying off. In his words: American car culture is my passion. I love to shoot traditional hot rods and customs and try to capture the stories...

Hot Rods & Nostalgia Drags at 20th Annual California Hot Rod Reunion Shooting with a vintage 1953 Zeiss Ikoflex twin lens reflex camera, Tim Scott captures the beauty of the hot rods and nostalgia diggers at one of the coolest drag races on the planet! Dig the warmth of these photos as Tim takes photographic demons of the past out for little ride... (Click on any picture to see it full size) Photos & Story By Tim Scott - Scott Photo Co. - www.scottphoto.co This was my second year attending the Hot Rod Reunion at Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, CA. October 20-23 were the dates of this amazing event for 2011, and this year certainly didn't disappoint. See, I'm not much of a car show guy. I love vintage cars, motorcycles and speed, but I really don't care for the attitudes that often come with car or motorcycle cliques. I don't care if you're a Harley Davidson or an import bike rider. I don't care if you're a "rat-rod" fan or a custom fan. If you work on and ride/drive your toys – respect. Just leave the attitude at...

Truck Puller's Unite with Sled Pull Power! What's better than 1000's of Foot-pounds ripping up a dirt track pulling a couple tons of slid to the delight of everyone? Almost nothing! Edge Products Announces Title Sponsorship of 2012 United Pullers Series United Pullers Unveils 2012 Edge Pulling Series OGDEN, UT —Edge Products is pleased to announce a partnership with United Pullers to act as the title sponsor of the series for the 2012 season.  The Edge Pulling Series will include all of United’s events held in the Rocky Mountain region.  Weekend on the Edge will become an official United Pullers event in 2012 and will serve as the flagship national show within the Edge Pulling Series. “The opportunity to partner with United provides us with numerous opportunities to support the diesel community and to participate within a growing sport together with our end users and dealers.” said Joe Dussol, Director of Marketing at Edge Products. Dussol continued, “Aligning our brand with diesel enthusiasts is a key element for our long term success. Given the proximity of United’s events in the region, partnered with their reputation in the industry, we...

Wes Coleman's '49 Ford Shoebox America's fascination with aviation during World War II would bring about a paradigm shift in automotive styling that would produce some of the most iconic designs in history. Bold styling cues inspired by fighter planes such as the P51 Mustang and P40 Warhawk quickly found their way onto design boards and eventually onto the assembly lines of Detroit. No where were these brazen new styling cues more evident than on the redesigned 1949 Ford. Known throughout the kustom kulture as the "shoebox" Ford, the 49 - 51's were an instant favorite with early customizers and have remained arguably the most popular kustom since. The popularity of the shoebox Ford would eventually reach Wes Coleman of Arlington, TX in 2003. Always a fan of classics and custom cars, a meeting with his now good friend and fellow Lucky 13 car club member, John Bumpus ("Bump" to his friends), would solidify Wes's next project - a custom '49 Ford.  Soon after, Wes located an original owner '49 Ford Tudor Sedan with minimal rust that would serve as a canvas for the project. Bump introduced Wes to renowned customizer and member of the legendary Beatniks Car...

Best of Custom Cars SEMA 2011 1969 AMC AMX - Project AMXess - OWNER - Jimi Day - Grafton, WI - BUILDER - D&Z Customs - Kewaskum, WI SEMA always brings in the best. From the smallest, trick little nut or bolt you didn't even know you needed to these, full-tilt, no expense spared custom hot rods and pro-touring rockets... SEMA's the place to be for anything automotive. Chances are, if you're reading MyRideisMe.com, you already know that, but this is the 2011 SEMA kickoff to show you just one taste of what will be there and let you know we'll have lots more! For your SEMA-tease, here's AMXess. Our buddies over at Centerforce Clutch leaked this picture and info. You know we're AMC fans since we ran this 1974 AMC Hornet concept drawing. "AMXess" as it's called, is a full on pro-touring AMX designed for the street and the track.  We've meshed the best of both performance and design by maintaining the iconic AMC heritage lines while updating the entire drive train and suspension package with todays state-of-the-art components. AMXess runs parts from Centerforce Clutch, of course, but...

2011 John Force Racing Charity Car Show - December 4th This was the results last year when John Force, his family and his team get together to make a bunch of SoCal kids' Christmas alot merrier. Not only did the 2010 Car Show bring in this huge-mongus pile of toys, you could also see Jay Leno’s 1955 Buick Roadmaster custom, a Bugatti Veyron and a bunch of cool custom cars and hot rods. Get on down to the show to meet the team and do your part for charity. Thanks! Pikesan From John Force Racing: The EARLY BIRD registration deadline is fast approaching for the 14th annual John Force Holiday Car Show – Sunday, Dec. 4th (10am-4pm). If you haven’t already sent your entry form in yet, I encourage you to do so TODAY. Entries for this year’s show are coming in at a record pace, so don’t delay in getting your registration form if you want to be a part of this huge show!!! Let your friends and club members know about the show also. If you have already sent in your entry, you will be receiving your...

Fall Fiasco: The Best Small Car Show of the Year This time every year the Swanx car club holds their Fall Fiasco car show. It signifies another successful Northern California car show season is nearing the end. Usually you would think it would be a big shindig with all the trimmings. Maybe a show so loaded with clubs that it would be SRO. Perhaps a plethora of vendors flooding the parking lots or even a band list that would resemble a 1978 Day on the Green. Not so... Rather than going out in bright lights and flash. Like every year, the Swanx Fall Fiasco, number 12 of it's long reign. went out in comforting style. Held at Allen-Simmons in Cordelia, CA, a quaint little area tucked back in the city's southwest side right next to Interstate 80's big billboards and other freeway propaganda perfect for pictures. I wanted to get to the show early this morning and drop off MyRideisMe.com swag and some cool pics I had matted for the raffle. Upon arrival I met up with Swanx car club guru Gunar Hansken to drop off the raffle goodies....

1960 Ford Falcon Project I recently pulled my Ford Falcon into the garage with plans of figuring out what’s going on with it. This weekend I dug in and really enjoyed myself! For years, most wrenching days have had a deadline. When Studie was my only car I had to get things fixed right away, which meant some stressful times in the garage. This weekend’s job was nice and relaxing (albeit dirty!) Here’s what I did… I began with a good solid de-greasing of the engine. Boy was this a messy job! Every inch of the engine and oil pan was covered in oil and grime. One can of engine gunk, one can of brake clean, a good amount of Purple Power, some wire brushes, a scraper, and a roll of shop towels later… The engine was clean but boy was I greasy! Once the engine was clean, I figured a good place to start was the plugs. Not knowing the history of this engine, I have no idea what’s been done to it! As I pulled the plugs things didn’t look too bad until I got to spark...

Custom Car Gathering at Winfield Watson Car Show 2011 In the world of Customs, Gene Winfield is a legend. So what better place to have a custom car show then at his place? Gene's shop is located outside of Mojave, about 2 hours from Los Angeles. Originally Gene Winfield and Larry Watson started this car show and now Gene carries it on - assisted by the Rod Tossers Car Club. It isn't a huge car show in terms of numbers, but people from all over the world come into town just to make this show! Me and my fellow Gasoline Girl, Lori made the trek out to the show together. Sometimes its nice to get out of the congested LA freeways and onto the open road! Upon arrival, there were all sorts of cool customs - Not to mention all of Gene's projects. Inside one bay, was this very cool rebuild of a custom van. This van looks more cartoon than real - I love the mouth-like offset grill. Walking around outside was like being in a candy store - Bright colors and an array of custom details everywhere...