For 46 years now, the LA Roadster Show brings the best topless hot rods to the Pomona Fairplex on Father’s Day weekend. 2010 LA Roadsters Show Southern California, no doubt the Father and birthplace of hot rodding, knows how to pack in roadsters for a show. As I’ve mentioned before, this show also packs in every other kind of vintage ride cruising LA’s overcrowded and bumpy highways . Walking what I’ve call the “proper” LA Roadster Show grounds, I shot these pictures. More shots of what’s outside the show are coming. Utilizing the golden morning sun that finally peaked out of the morning haze, I shot this roadster. Maybe it was parked in the swap area, but it woulda easily fit inside. While not offering a lot of shade, these palms offer a sweet California backdrop for this dark blue deuce roadster. I’m shooting what I think are the best detailed engines at the show. That’s why I noticed this black roadster with traditional style flames and wires. From there, I started thinking of my kids and how I’d haul them around in these roadsters… hey, it’s almost Father’s...

Hot Rod & Custom Car Show Pictures 2011 LA Roadster Show coverage available now! Shiny and finished roadsters from 2011 LA Roadster Show Line-up of LA's finest roadsters in Pomona, CA What to get the father who has everything and likes it? The LA Roadster show in Pomona, CA. 2010 LA Roadsters Show Arriving at the Pomona Fairplex, we were row 7 of 8 waiting in lines almost a quarter mile long to get into one of the best swap meets you’ll find. Maybe not the biggest swap, but in terms of the hard to find and rare items, this swap’s got you covered. Expect to pay a fair price though, buyers come from all over the world to take part in the LA Roadster Show events. Vintage gauges and gauge panels anyone? This swapper had several complete sets to choose from or finish your set with the extras he had on hand. After you check out the swap, the vender area’s not disappointment. Brookville steel deuce body anyone? I also found the steel roadster bodies made by our friends at American Speed Company. A few years ago, their...

Words and Pictures by Nick K. When you think of a "swap meet" your mind all of sudden makes you think "flea market" which in turn will redirect your mind to used tube socks and old 80's VHS tapes. But, if you are a gear head or for that matter a hot rod enthusiast or just an owner of one, a swap meet is like rodders Christmas for a day. Swap meets are a virtual hodgepodge of old car parts not readily found at your local Pep Boys. From original to repo's, new to rusted, "rodder's Christmas" parts lined the "dust bowl" (aka Candlestick Park's alternative parking area) for the 2nd Annual Hood Rats Car Club swap meet. The car parts in the swap weren't the only rusty things... The Hood Rats filed in with some of their own rust rats along with some old school bombs from the Midnighters CC, also out of Nor-Cal. Being that it was a hot day in the city... yep I said, "hot day" in the city... I cruised into the show early morning and made my rounds rapping with some of the...

I can't let another day go by without sharing about my amazing past weekend! Yes, I was at Gene Winfield's. Yes, I learned a gazillion metalworking tips from a legend. Yes, I even did my very first burnout. Let me start at the beginning though... Early Saturday morning I stumble out of bed, grab a cup of coffee, and jump in Stude for the hour and a half drive up to Mojave, CA. My Dad makes the trek there from Vegas and we meet at Roadhouse Mikes - just the sort of greasy spoon you'd expect in a small desert town. With full bellies we head eight miles down the road to Gene Winfield's. We're signed up for Gene's bi-yearly metalworking workshop. By 9 o'clock Gene is busy acquainting all 10 participants with the various tools around his shop. Among the tools are a slip roll,  english wheel, beverly shears, pipe anvil, bead roller, and dozens of hammers, dollys, and dies. Soon Gene is fully absorbed into teaching us about various metals, chopping customs, gas welding, breaking an edge, and hammer forming metal. (You'll have to come back for how-to articles!)...

We featured Kathy's 1961 Comet back in March.  Kathy and the Comet were invited to the 2010 Fresno Autorama.  You know, the Blackie Gejeian Car Show.  It's only his 51st show.  Only!?  The Fresno Autorama is considered to be THE finest indoor car show in the States.  Kathy hooked us up with Jerry Burt and his photos on JBurtPhotos.com. First, let's see a couple pictures of Kathy and her Comet, along with Blackie Gejeian.  Check out Kathy's BIG smile.  Friends and hot rods makes for some Good Times! Wow, what a cool experience to have your hot rod invited to the Fresno Autorama by Blackie Gejeian.  Congrats Kathy and the Full Tilt crew. That deep purple paint on the Full Tilt built Comet is a sight to see!  Just gaze into the purple hue under the lights at the Fresno Autorama.  Heaven!  ha ha In this photo by J Burt, the tan leather custom interior is poppin' real nice.  The suicide doors help bring attention to the interior too.  But, its hard not to notice the low down air ride and injected powerplant. Now, on to some of my favorite...

Custom 1959 Cadillac from D'Agostino The Grand National Roadster Show is truly the "Grand-daddy of them all" when it comes to hot rod and custom car shows. Where else would you find two super-custom 1959 Caddy's?  Finished to near perfection, take your pick of the "Custom Restoration" '59 Cadillac (story here) or this latest 1959 Cadillac custom from D'Agostino.  Put your hands together for "Elvis II" built for David E. Walters. Unlike the custom-restoration 1959, this is a true Biarritz. The full name is a mouthful: 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible. Deserving the long name, the Biarritz marked the top of what was already a very expensive ($7401 in 1959) and extremely luxurious ride. With the 3x2, 345 horse Q-code Cad motor standard for the Eldorado, the options separating the Series 62 from the El-do include a host of cosmetic tricks in the grille, taillights and interior, but also include air ride from way back in the 50's! What's old is new as just about every custom you see these days is on air. Even with it's superbo-delux-ness right from the General and limited 1320 production, I'm glad to...

I think its safe to say that there's a little bit of everything at Viva Las Vegas. So instead of just bringing you back pictures of all the cool stuff we saw at VLV13 - Pikesan, Swanee, and I thought we'd give ya'll a chance to put in your own two cents. So time to VOTE! MyRideisMe's first official, Top 11 Viva Las Vegas Car Show Favorites! We're each including our top three picks (plus one from my Dad, plus Pikesan's added a 4th) ...making for a varied and diverse choice of 11! Leave a comment and vote for your choice! From Kristin & her Pops, Picks and Pics: #1 Suede 1953 Chevy Custom with fade... #2 Suede Ford Pickup with Green Flames #3 (another) Suede 1936 Ford 3 Window Coupe #4 Custom ?? From Pikesan, Picks and Pics: I'm cheating and making it the top 11. Never conform, right!?  I would have ended up with all customs (and what's with the orange theme?) so I picked a pair of hot rods to contend! #5 Pike's Pic of the 1953 Chevy Kustom with fade... (sorry GreaseGirl! This is probably...

Sometimes you get lucky. I'm not talking about your chances with MyRideisMe's April "Pinup of the Month" Notorious Ang, I'm talking about getting sizzling hot rod pinup shots like this one. (Click on any pic to see it full size) Swanee and I hit the 2010 Viva Las Vegas with one goal.  As #13 in a series, Viva's a show for hot rods and customs with a strictly vintage feel, so we wanted to shoot tons of great hot rods and pinups.  Done! Ang hooked us up with poses that flat MADE the shots. Girls looking for posing lessons, take note. We later found out the beautiful custom she's posing with is owned by Cart and Indy car racer Paul Tracy. We interviewed Paul and asked about his near Indy 500 win and his killer rides. More on that later... Luck was with us again at Viva Las Vegas when Ang graciously snuck away from her shoot with Ol' Skool Rods to shoot with another well known car guy's car, Bo Huff: This 1957 Ranchero's easily one of my favorites from the show. Clean, low, wide-open-beautifulness. As Pinup of...

We're HERE! After an uneventful drive through the Nevada desert we hit Vegas in the daytime. Not quite as exciting as the nighttime skyline, but who cares! We're here for the hot rods, customs and pinups that make Viva Las Vegas a must every year. Vote for your favorite here. Sunset's a great time to catch photos, even for a hack like me, but my man Swanee's doing his thing for this picture. Several beers later and with a dead cell phone and wireless that doesn't work, we're still getting these pictures and tons more up in the next few days. One of the best parts of the Viva Las Vegas is the pinups. The show's a gathering of all things hot rods, music and vintage clothes wearing girls with bright red lipstick, a flower in their hair and some great expressions on their faces! I'll try to catch this lovely lady's name at the show today. Update... didn't see her again on Saturday. Anyone know her name? Please leave a comment below. I hijacked what looked like a professional photographer shooting another lovely young lady in front of...

Today's Day #1 of Viva Las Vegas - the yearly weekender when hepcats and hotrods invade sin city. Not wanting you to miss out on any of the action, here's a sneak peak! People from near and far are descending in droves. Even more will descend upon the massive car show hosted here yearly by the Shifters Car Club on Saturday. Last year saw some 500+ vehicles show up. I rolled out of bed in the wee hours this morning to meet up with the Throttle Kings for the ride over. Los Angeles to Las Vegas is usually a pretty boring trip. Not when you're on the way to VLV 13 with the Throttle Kings! Great people, a long string of cool hotrods, and making new friends at every stop along the way!! We managed the trip over with only one very small mishap (someone's throttle got stuck...go figure these are the Throttle Kings!) We even got to kick off our weekend party with a pit stop just past stateline -- after you're in Nevada you can  crack open a beer in the parking lot with no worries. Arriving...

Custom 1959 Cadillac Photos by Paul "Swanee" Swanson I think I just coined a new term for cars: Custom Restoration.  Why? I guess we could just say "custom" because this 59's been customized front to back. On the other hand, the builder's shop, Xtreme Restorations out of Rhode Island, suggests his specialty is "restoration".  So somewhere between full custom, resto-mod and restoration, I introduce to you: Custom Restoration. What better start than a 1959 Cadillac!? Standing back, trying to take in the 225.0 in (5715 mm) length that is 1959 Cadillac, the first nod to "restoration" over pure customization has to go to the color choice.  Not a factory color, but also not the typical red or black; PPG supplied a Soft Yellow and Vanilla Shake to gracefully compliment the flowing lines of the Cad. I think it works perfectly and gives a taste of understated modesty to a car that makes a quite a statement! Back to a custom nod then, check out this interior! Bold yes, but as you can see it works! As outrageous as you might think it is, it's a factory ORIGINAL color on Cadillacs in...

Are you a "do-it-yourselfer" (DIY) hot rodder?  Do you wrench on your own cars?  Well, this is a DIY'er to the max.  I came across pictures of Jared Drinkwater's Mitsubishi Evolution on NASIOC.com, a Subaru enthusiasts forum of all places.  I'm a huge fan of the Mitsubish Evo for sure, but I was blown away at Jared's engineering and build skills.  Jared is like the ultimate do-it-yourselfer.  He is a Mechanical Engineer by day, by night he engineers parts for his Evo, which he races on road courses.  Jared makes his own aero parts, race seat rails, fire extinguisher mounts, rebuilt his own engine (with a stroker kit and bigger turbo) and more.  Dig these pics of his ride and Binary Eng parts you can buy for your own Evo. Jared's "Binary Engineering" Mitsubishi Evolution in his new race livery.  Of course, he designed and applied these decals on his own.  Dig the front aero package, designed and built by Jared using lots of aluminum sheet and carbon fiber. This was the stock front bumper.  Jared has added a tow hook (just in case he needs help getting out of...