James Hetfield's 1937 Lincoln Zephyr Speechless. Hetfield showed two amazing rides at the 2012 Grand National Roadster Show. This is one. Unlike the photos I usually take, when I review them, I'm not moved like I was seeing the car first hand. Not, NOT true with this piece from photographer Tim Sutton with finishing by Coby Gewertz (of Church fame). Even more amazing? They were giving these away! Did you get one? So I asked Coby about the poster and how it was made. (Alert! Learning opportunity here...) Here's what Coby told me... Transforming a Hot Rod Photo: Rick Dore called and said he needed someone to design a poster for James' Zephyr in a hurry. I agreed to do it after hours from my day job under the condition that he had decent photography. It needed to be done in 3 days so they would have time to get it printed in time for the GNRS. He sent me 3 pics Tim Sutton had taken for Rod and Custom and away I went. I retouched all the reflections out of the car, added a new one, changed the...

51 Chevy Custom SoCal Cruiser Two staples of Southern California are its top notch custom car scene and its abundance of sun-drenched females with golden hair. So what better way to showcase one of SoCal’s most recognizable custom Chevys, Ian Berky’s Minor Threat, than with quintessential SoCal Beauty Tara Studinger. With several famous early 50's Chevys produced in SoCal where the culture’s roots spawned, owner/builder Ian Berky has managed to redefine what was possible and raise the bar for any post-war era Chevys that follow. Even more impressive, this was Ian’s first crack at it! Imagine what any future builds may have in store... The Chevy was a Christmas gift from Ian’s wife, proof that yes, there are still good ones out there to help fill the garage, not complain about whats in it. When she bought the car the roof had already been chopped, but Ian would soon learn the chop was a hack job and the work that lay ahead would have caused most to throw in the towel. Eventually coming to the realization the top just was not replaceable, Ian tracked down a few parts cars...

Flat Black 51 Chevy Deluxe Cruiser Author and Photographer: Mike Harrington We have all heard the expression. “I'm going to beat you till your black and blue”. I don’t know about you, but anyone I’ve ever seen with a black eye or a serious bruise, the bruise looks more black and green. Kind of like this here ‘51 Deluxe custom owned by Dead Sleds member Crow and his wife Adrianna. Now before you splatter your drawers thinking “not another black primered car!” Throttle back for moment and take our word for it... This suede sleds body work is smoother than a velvet Elvis under a black light while puffing a cigarette packed with Mexican hay. Many times a black sled will be bathed in apocalyptic black to hide the flawed body work. However, during the construction process of Crows blacktop bruiser he and club member Cepe spent a year massaging the metal on the ’51 Chevy bringing her back to life. That massaging came in the form of shaving all the prickly protrusions from the body of the Chevy. Some prefer to call them emblems and door handles, we’ll...

Custom 1947 Chrysler Royal Coupe With the world of customs dominated by GMs and Fords, it’s always a nice surprise to see a builder venture outside of the “norm” (yes I know – somewhat of an oxymoron in regards to customs) and build a car from a lesser known and recognized platform. Its even sweeter when the gamble pays off and comes out looking like Phil Bell’s 1947 Chrysler Royal Business Coupe. Back in 2005, Phil put the word out that he was in the market for a late 40’s model Mopar. A call soon came in from his friend and fellow Farm Boys C.C. member, Shane Taylor. Shane located a 47 Chrysler Royal Business Coupe in Burley, ID that he thought might foot the bill but it would take more than just a general restore – this one needed a resurrection. Phil took a look at the car and initially passed, but a year went by and nothing had captured his interest. So he went back in April of 2006 and $800 bucks later, was the proud new owner of a rusted out, windows busted, 47 Coupe that...

Gene Winfield Faded Kaiser Custom Sick. Wild. Ground Breaking. Fantastic.  All of these, no doubt. But the coolest thing? HOME BUILT! Download this picture as a desktop image (BIG ONE) - 1951 Kaiser Kustom Desktop Photo If you're into customs, you've probably seen this car in Hot Rod Magazine or over on the HAMB. I've been following the car since I first saw it at the McDonald's Saturday car show over in Scottsdale, AZ. That's when I got to know Keith Charvonia. Believe it or not, Keith's not a full time builder. He's a designer now working with Airaid, the air filter folks designing, well... anything he wants to based on this Kaiser! I've been twisting Keith's arm to let me profile this car, and the build on MyRideisMe.com, but Keith's held out for a good reason... Rodder's Journal called and they want the story. Got it. I'd be wandering around with a tube of modeling cement in one hand and moonshine in the other if I thought we could trump Rodder's Journal. I get that... so I wish Keith all the best and every accolade for his hard...

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...

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...

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...

1940s Chevy Coupe - West Coast Style Deep in the Heart of Texas Richard Donham, better known to his friends and around the traditional customs scene as “Burl” is a true to heart Californian that somehow was misplaced into the hot and humid metropolis of Houston, Texas. His roots and style are deeply seeded in skating and surfing; evident by the number of boards that line his garage and patio. A long-time member and treasurer of the Los Cochinos Car Club of Houston, TX he’s happy to extend some Texas hospitality in the form of some fresh gulf shrimp chased with an ice-cold Tecate with a lime and salted rim; something yours truly is on the hook for on the next visit to Houston. Always up for a cruise night or cruise by the boardwalk and beach in Kemah, a suburb of Houston, we hopped in this pristine custom with Burl and headed straight towards the beach. With Houston’s long history in the oil and gas industry, there's no shortage of high-end euros, Maserati’s, Porsches, etc. lining the streets. But take one Gambino Kustoms built, traditionally styled 1940 Chevy...

51 Mercury Coupe  Charlie Runnels, better known throughout the kustom scene as Mercury Charlie, has a background as unique and colorful as his world famous ’51 Mercury coupe, the elegant "Sweet Nadine". Growing up on the wrong side of the proverbial tracks in rural Oklahoma, Charlie’s early days in the car scene began with him hustling to stock pile as many tri-five Chevy parts as he could get his hands on. Before too long, drag racers, kustomizers and repair shops alike came to know Charlie on a first name basis as he always seemed to have those hard to find pieces. Fast forward several years and lifestyle changes and Charlie found himself in Austin, TX appraising properties and working side jobs in the real estate business. While appraising a foreclosed property near the University of Texas one afternoon in 1987, Charlie would meet the lady he would spend the next 25 years of his life with. As he walked the property Charlie noticed an old abandoned car out back resting below a pecan tree. Upon closer inspection, the old car turned out to be a complete ’51 Mercury....

Custom 1953 Studebaker Coupe Altered Into A Fastback Studebaker folks are unfailingly interesting. So when I met John Saltsman at the 2011 Grand National Roadster Show this past January standing by his amazing Atomitron, a highly customized 1949 Studebaker pickup, I wasn't too surprised to hear that he had other Studebaker stories to share. However, when he produced the few pictures in existence of the 1953 Studebaker Coupe he modified as a teenager, I couldn't believe what I was seeing! The first unbelievable thing about this custom... It was built by John while he was still in high school! The year was 1970 and Fastback Mustang's were all the rage. He liked 'em, but couldn't afford one. What he lacked in cash he made up for with a wealth of car building knowledge in his family. Looking at the lines of the  '53 Coupe he figured it could be built into a fastback all his own. The main modification was creating the fastback. To do this, he took the trunk out of a 1949 Cadillac and covered the whole trunk section and back window with it, integrating it into...

Viva Las Vegas 2011 Car Show - Best of Show   Sonny Vasquez and his 1949 Buick custom have both been around for awhile. But when a car looks this good and has the amount of hours in it that a custom such as this requires... I'm happy to see it named Best of Show at Viva Las Vegas.     Because there was SO much going on at VLV 14, (see it here) I didn't make it to the award ceremony. Honestly... I didn't even know they were officially awarding a "Best of Show" car. At past VLV car shows, I've seen various clubs give out awards but don't remember there being an official "Viva Award."     So when I walked up to this Buick to check out this stunningly original dash, I was surprised to see the "Best of Show" plaque sitting inside. I was even more surprised that the car's owner, Sonny, was standing nearby!     Being the modest guy that he is - he said he was just as surprised when they called him up for the award. When he realized the only...