Tim Strange's Hot Rod Reality TV  Season 2 Update Back for season 2 is Tim Strange's take on reality TV car building. Tim's a unique guy not short on opinions and always telling it like it is. Sound like every other TV car show? It doesn't to me. I caught up with Tim and asked about Season 2 and the first build of a 55 Chevy Handyman Wagon. To catch up from Season 1, check out our other interview with Tim Strange. Since I'm late getting this story up... watch the build of the 55 Handyman Wagon here Heading into season 2 what was the biggest lesson learned from season 1? Probably the amount of time it takes to set up the shots and set lights. I still get a little crazy when we're trying to get a project done in four weeks, but we sometimes have to stop and set lights for different angles. In the long run, it's worth it when the show is all done. Also the amount of film they record and what they use. Each build gets almost 400 hours of film and edited...

Tim Strange's Hot Rod Reality TV with at Taste of Arizona Saturday morning's got a new hot rod TV show and it's always fun watching since I know Tim and I've heard some of what's going on backstage at the show. One thing I know we're missing is the details of Tim's work. If they spun off that show and only showed the building parts, it'd still be a hit. I met Tim through Brian Stupski over at Problem Child Kustoms in Gilbert, AZ or just a few miles down the road from MyRideisMe.com headquarters. Brian's hot rod art was featured on the show helping out with a 1967 Ford Mustang. Take one look at the art and you'll know why this was no gimme for a friend... Brian's work is top notch. Here's Brian's take on the build and his part in Search and Restore: Having the good fortune to have made some incredible friends over the years is one of those things I'm thankful for every day. Nothing compares to being able to call one of the most skilled builders in the industry as a friend, or...

26 Year Old Robbie Azevedo from Pacific Coast Customs Pacific Coast Customs built 1948 Chevy Panel truck (or at least it was) called "Impression" MyRideisMe.com picked up this press release from the kind folks at RodShows.com: The 61st Annual Kragen O’Reilly Sacramento Autorama, happening February 11-13, 2011, is proud to announce “young gun,” Robbie Azevedo of Pacific Coast Customs, as the 2011 Builder of the year. The event will feature Azevedo’s great work in Building C at Cal Expo in Sacramento. Already a decorated and deserving builder, at the Sacramento Autorama Azevedo has won awards such as the Sam Barris Memorial Award (2006), the Manuel Arteche Memorial Award (2006) and Best Paint in WMBC Class (2006). Others include Goodguys Early Truck of the Year Finalist (2006), MOTHERS SEMA Excellence Choice Award (2006) and, at the Grand National Roadster Show, Best Engine in the, AMBR Class (2008). Robbie has had 3 invitations to Blackie's Fresno Autorama and won numerous Best of Show Awards. Pacific Coast Customs projects have been lucky to land on 3 covers of national publications and have been featured in over 10 national magazines. The hard working...

Roundup of Best Engines of the 2010 SEMA Car Show in Las Vegas: SEMA Engine: Twin Turbo Viper: The most outrageous racing Viper in the K&N booth at SEMA 2010 SEMA Engine: Fuel Injected LS Chevelle: Unique Stand-up Hilborn Injection on an LS Motor at SEMA 2010 SEMA Engine: Ford DOHC 4.6L in a beautiful custom Fastback Mustang: Every Detail NAILED Perfectly on this Mustang at SEMA 2010 SEMA Engine:  SEMAPure Vision built Boss 502 Fastback Mustang: The cleanest execution of a Boss Mustang Fastback ever at SEMA 2010 SEMA Engine: Blown and Fuel Injected Front Engine Dragster: Time for some nostaglia drag racing at SEMA 2010 Not a SEMA Engine, but hot enough to show off in this roundup: Best Hot Rod engines at the LA Roadster Show: Hot Rod Roadsters all polished up: Here's the...

Vintage AC Parts from SEMA 2010 Growing up in California, the custom cars I knew didn't have air conditioning.  Pop's cars were always fast... that was the focus and it felt good trying to hold my head straight as the G-forces threw my head back as he rowed through the gears. Good times.  Plus, let's face it, California doesn't need air conditioning all the time... Now I live in Arizona. It's a totally different story! You name the ride here in Arizona, hot rods, muscle cars, most vintage cars are running air conditioning. Mid summer, the temps can hit 120+ (over 45C for everyone outside the USA) so AC keep us from melting! Like the Mustang, GTO, 55-56 Chevy and Covette air conditioning we're featuring here, my Ford Falcon Wagon will have some strong, COLD AC! That's where Vintage Air comes in. Cruising SEMA 2010, I wanted to find AC parts that would be easy to install, last forever and come with great support. The guys from Vintage Air fit the bill.  The first thing I asked is: How will I control the AC? My Falcon didn't have AC...

Casting Car Enthusiasts in Arizona! You ain't Chip Foose, but you can be on TV! I was introduced to Tim Cooper, Associate Producer from True Entertainment down in San Fernando Valley by a great friend who's always watching out for MyRideisMe.com. (Thanks Susan!) Tim told me about a show they're casting to shoot, in fact, shooting NOW up in the north part of Phoenix.  They said I was too good looking for the show, so Tim asked me to put out this message: A new automotive show for a major cable network is looking for your classic car restoration story.  Seeking hot rodders, muscle car fiends, and guys and girls with that almost finished classic pick-up truck.  We’re looking for projects with a strong story behind them, be it a relative’s old car, a car your spouse wants finished NOW, a surprise graduation or wedding present, etc. The program follows customers as they visit a salvage yard that WILL have that rare part they’ve been looking for to finish their project car. We’d like to see the happy ending to your quest to complete your classic. Looking for car...

The Hot Rod Industry BMX Challenge (HRIC) is just a few weeks away! Tim and Carrie Strange from  Strange Motion Rod & Custom sent over this info about the 2nd Annual BMX Challenge held at the massive Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, KY, August 5-8th. (More info about the Street Rod Nationals) Here's the BMX Challenge Info: We are really excited about the BMX Challenge this year - we have changed the rules just a little - for the HRIC you must be a participant or vendor at the Street Rod Nationals - the BMX race is once again FREE of charge for you to participate in BUT to mix it up a little and to help give you guys and the spectators a better show we challenge you to "get sponsored". We will be running a Pro/Am mixed in with the Hot Rod Challenge and in order to bring in the "big guns" we have to show them the money! So we challenge you to get a sponsor for your race.  Along with your name being announced during the race your sponsor will get some plugs as well! ...

Bonneville Salt Flats: Race Car Recreation Stromberg headquarters—Stromberg is pleased to announce their valued participation in the recreation of Phil Remington’s stunning 1941 lakester. Stromberg is proud to announce their participation in the recent unveiling of the recreation of Phil Remington’s 1941 lakester. Unveiled at a special party honoring Phil, who will be 90 this year, at the NHRA Museum in Pomona during LA Roadster weekend, the blue roadster was an exact recreation by Burton, Michigan’s Dan Webb. Webb hosted the party for 400 of Phil’s closest friends, including Dan Gurney, Stu Hilborn, and more. Built in 1941 and raced at the lakes from 1946-1948, the roadster consistently ran over 130 MPH running a 21 stud Ford flathead fed by two Stromberg 97 carburetors. As Dan Webb wanted this to be a perfect recreation of the beautiful lakester, he needed to look no further than our reissue of the winning Stromberg 97. Though the new Stromberg 97 looks exactly like it did almost 70 years ago when Phil chose them on his ground-breaking race car, internal improvements have been made to eliminate leaking, warping of the body and other...

Stromberg Headquarters—Kookie car clone wins the ultimate accolade and more running genuine Stromberg 97 carburetors at the 2009 Detroit Autorama. Stromberg is pleased to announce our involvement with the new “Kookie” car clone, owned by Detroit’s Ron Kregoski and built by Reno Rods and Customs in Oklahoma City. Featured in hundreds of magazines and a highlight of the 1950s television series 77 Sunset Strip, driven by Edd “Kookie” Byrnes, the original Kookie car is one of the best known hot rods of all time, originally built in the 1950s by actor, artist and hot rod legend Norm Grabowski. Running a hopped-up 1952 Cadillac engine with four chromed Stromberg 97 carburetors, Ron’s clone is as accurate as possible to the 50-plus year-old hot rod. He contacted Stromberg back in 2008 because their new and improved 97s are faithful in every detail to the original 97s Grabowski bolted to the Caddy’s rare Horne four-carb intake manifold. The Genuine Stromberg 97 bowl and airhorn castings, stainless steel linkage and miscellaneous screws and fittings were all shipped to Advanced Plating in Nashville, TN, for chrome plating or polishing, then shipped back to Stromberg...

On August 8th, the Saturday evening during the NSRA Street Rod Nats in Louisville, Tim & Carrie Strange organized and put on the First Annual Hot Rod Industry BMX Challenge race at Derby City BMX. The idea was hatched this past winter while Tim was traveling the show circuit with a 1952 Buick, he had his BMX bikes in the front of the trailer at Detroit, when during tear down of the show, Dave Tucci from Tucci Hot Rods grabbed the bikes and started riding them. Carrie thought "we should put on a BMX race for Hot Rod Builders". Knowing that a lot of the younger generation of builders used to race, or ride BMX growing up, some have moved on to road bikes or mountain bikes for a hobby outside of the hot rod world. Well, Tim and Carrie are still familiar with and into the BMX world, as they both not only race but also run and support a team on the circuit through the Hot Rod shop. They discussed with different people that wanted to ride in it, "where do we put it on and during what event?",...

As much as we love our home-built cars that we’ve poured blood, sweat, and sometimes tears into – most of us recognize we don’t have the skill or talent to produce cars along the caliber that greats such as Boyd Coddington, Ed Roth, Harry Bradley, and the Alexander Brothers do. Which is why its such good news that coming this September we all have a chance to own one of these “Icons of Speed and Style”. Yep, that’s right. Nearly 80 cars, all from a single-owner collection, will be up for grabs in a no-reserve auction billed “Icons of Speed and Style” held September 26, 2009 at The Peterson Museum in Los Angeles, California by RM Auctions. Whether its speed, style, or history you’re into, this well-rounded collection offers it all. Legendary cars such as the famous Dodge “Little Red Wagon” wheel-standing drag truck, the dominating Ray Allen LS6 Chevelle Convertible, legendary “Big John” Mazmanian’s Corvette gasser, the original “Road Agent” show car by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth as well as famous customs from the Ayala Brothers, Sonny Mazza, the Alexander Brothers, George Barris, Daryl Starbird and Boyd Coddington...

Someone asked me, "How'd you get 10 Nissan Cubes?" I said, "Well I broke the first Cube 9 times." Figuring I didn't answer his question, I continued... "I asked and they said yes!" They is Nissan and they've got 10 Nissan Cubes being prepped for release to the media for evaluation, write-ups and sometimes criticism. That's what the consumers read in print and online magazines like MyRideisMe.com. For those of you lucky enough to live in Arizona, you'll get a sneak peak of the new Nissan Cube. And.. if you haven't seen one in person, check out the Nissan GT-R. Except for inside national super-shows like the Los Angeles Auto Show where the Cube first occupied equal space on all side 6 sides last year in November, this is the first time the geometric, love-hate styled Econo-box (couldn't resist) has been seen in the wild with other shapes. Where: Scottsdale Pavilion at Indian Bend and 101 When: 4:30 to 9 PM on May 2nd, 2009 (This is a one-time only deal!) What: 10 Pre-release, totally new Nissan Cubes, plus 1 rockin, bad-to-the-bone Nissan GT-R! Since I haven't driven it...