Cover Car!

Thought I'd throw a hefty congrats to our build team on Resilience, as the mighty Buick grabbed a cover spot on the May 2010 World of Rods Magazine!

 How cool is THIS?! Way back when World of Rods was just a glimmer in the eye of its publisher, we were one of the first to advertise in the book, and it's certainly been through some changes, growing into a very serious book, covering all aspects of the hobby, and even beginning to fill the Custom Rodder gap in some ways, thanks to the efforts of Courtney Hallowell.

This issue, Resilience grabs the cover (with a pair of Circle City hot rods and local boy Craig Smith's Liberace Roadster!), and we're just stoked about the article and David Featherston's killer photography! Huge congrats to our build team of Tim and Carrie Strange, Shawn Ray, David Neal, and, of course, our great friends and prolific car owners, Erik and Paul Hansen!

Viva la Resilience...

More, as always, on my site at www.problemchildkustoms.com

One Lap T-Shirts!

How cool is this:

I get a call from James one afternoon, and he starts to tell me the story of his Camaro, and how he runs the One Lap of America event... and I immediately think "I know the car.... and this guy's nuts to do it!"

Long story short (I know... since when does Brian do THAT??! ...it's VERY busy in the mighty Studio, and I gotta get back at it), we talked for a while, and he asked if I'd be so kind as to whip up a t-shirt to help them promote their effort, and hopefully buy a few tanks of gas, as well as some road food for he and David, his co-pilot. Suffice to say, I was sketching before we hung up.

Anyway, that's what I came up with, and we think it hammers home the whole idea quite neatly... Here's a closer look at the artwork:

The front features the One Lap Camaro logo (as seen on the back in the artwork above) on the left chest... kinda like this:

They're VERY cool, and the reception so far has been nothing short of awesome. These are high-=quality, 6-oz. tee's, and are printed by one of the best-known, highest quality shops on the West Coast... And you can grab a few by simply firing off an email to the guys at: shirts@onelapcamaro.com, and letting them know how many you'd like, and in what sizes... The cost will be $20 for the shirt and $5 for shipping and handling (within the Continental US). Pre-orders will start today and they hope to have shirts available at the Run To The Coast event the first weekend in April (Goodguys Del Mar the weekend after at the latest).

All of the proceeds will go to feeding David and James for the week; your purchase will guarantee that they can enjoy as many as 2 meals a day at some of the finest establishments ever to grace the side of an interstate.

Thanks for checking 'em out, and for supporting some true grass-roots racing gone good!

...and hey.... if I can be of use to design YOUR next killer shirt, hit me up on the site at www.problemchildkustoms.com!

Grand National=Grand Times

It was a great time this past weekend as Pike, Swanee and I headed to Pomona for the 61st Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona. Beyond the fun of visiting with some friends, we were given unprecedented access to some incredible cars, thanks to some very good friends and talented builders...

We were honored with visits from some truly great friends, and given unprecedented access to some incredible cars, and hands-on tours of the build details by the fabricators, designers and owners!

To say the least, it was an amazing experience to pour over cars like George Poteet's Miller Hauler (HUGE thanks to Jack and Troy Trepanier Brian Stinger and Lawrence Laughlin for the in-display, close-up tour and insight!), The Rad Rides-built, Nancy and Roger Ritzow-owned Chrysler "Passion", a Jimmy Shine roadster (complete with a fantastic history lesson) and more! You'll be floored!

...figured I'd show a shot of the AMBR winner, too...

Look for our full coverage and some amazing stories soon at MyRideIsMe.com... or just check out some hot rod art and custom car design on my site at www.problemchildkustoms.com

More Nomad-ness...

...throwing some more fuel on what has become a month of updates.

We have a client car coming together at a secret location (more info on that later on), and we thought we'd share some in-progress shots of the fabrication work as it gets into high gear. Check out the killer air intake, which will be fed by a scoop in the front of the hood, which mimics the emblem crest from the long-gone stock days...


What's been great with the project has been the dedication to keeping the final treatments in tune with the original designs. Working from full-scale drawings, Dennis has fabbed every inch true to the look, and his detail-minded work has ben nothing short of obsessive!

...roughing in the peaked and extended front pan...

Lots more to follow... just thought we'd sneak a peek for you

Some whipped cream and salsa

Salsa?!

I like looking at things from a decidedly different angle, and am often inspired to seek out the inspiration behind a trend, or a particular style... I'm a fan of mixing and matching themes, styles, whatever...and an even bigger fan of just having fun with whatever I'm doing, and often seek out things that reflect this attitude. Whether in friends, books, movies, or music. Occasionally, this leads me to seek out stuff that's a bit off the beaten path. Such was the case here in the studio once again.

Anyway, I got to thinking, of all things, about Herb Alpert (not Marv Albert. That'd be weird.), and gave a listen to "Whipped Cream and Other Delights"... A far cry from what I was listening to a week ago, to say the least.... and by far much stranger cover art (if not quite risque', considering its 1965 release date):

Granted, this album was released before my time, but man... how cool were these cats? If you're not familiar with the Tijuana Brass, here's a quick history lesson:

Herb Alpert was a trumpet player who developed a unique sound that was a mix of south-of-the-border, mariachi and distinctly lounge-y sounds, probably best described as "Ameriachi" (as I learned from a few sources). If you're really lost here, think of the theme from the TV show The Dating Game, called "Spanish Flea", which was a Herb Alpert/Tijuana Brass tune, and you'll have an idea... or their version of "The Lonely Bull".

Anyway, the 'Brass cranked out a few albums in the '60's (even a cool Christmas album! Find a copy, and mambo your way through a Christmas Wonderland...)until Alpert called it quits, and took his (and business partner Jerry Moss') record label A&M, and signed some heavy talent, releasing a few albums of his own along the way (out-selling Michael Jackson in the late-'70's! Says a lot for that era, I guess), before selling the company to PolyGram in the late 1980's.

So what's this got to do with cars? Think traditional lowriders. Bellflower custom style(named after the city in LA county where the look spawned). A mix of the lowrider and custom car, and you'll see where I'm headed.

Consider Watson's Caddy:

It is the embodiment of the Bellflower look... the low stance, simple (if often ANY) body mod's, the bold, yet somehow understated paint technique (much like his T-Bird that came before), and those killer pipes. The East LA style, mixing elements from two cultures (like the Tijuana Brass did!), and coming out the other end with a clean, cool style. It's all about class, luxury, and style. Just like a lowrider, but with custom roots.

Lowriders embodied Mexican tradition. Crusing in a decked-out ride to impress the ladies, and show off your skills was more than just about the cars. Cruising may be traced back to the "paseo", where singles would walk around in the central plaza of the village, basically checking one another out. The idea here was to impress. Put these kids in cars, and it sure looks a lot like cruising... Which brings us forward a few years to the end of the second world war. Hot rodding was booming as young men returned from military service, eager to make creative use of their new mechanical skills. On the other end of the spectrum, the Mexican immigrants were making their cars look luxurious. It was style over speed... lowered stance, different hubcaps, an accessories like spotlights, skirts, pipes... many items shared in traditional customizing.

Fast-forward a few more years, and combine this look with the growing custom scene, and well, you got some clean, mild cars that made the most of the new styling coming from the factory... Apply it to a luxury car, and you're well on your way to a crossover look beyond compare. Imagine in late 1957 (coincidentally, the same year Bellflower was incorporated as a city), a young Larry Watson crusing into the Clock Drive-In in his panel-painted T-Bird...

I have a soft spot for this look... A couple years back, I sketched up a modern take on the look, combining it with the pro-touring look -- note pinstripe whitewalls on a 5-spoke as a nod to the classsic "Supremes and pinners" look (OK, and a mild chop, extended quarters, relocated and shortened trim...):

The idea behind the Bellflower look is clean lines, cool, vibrant and rich colors mixed with just enough chrome to keep your eyes happy...Make use of some 'flake or pearl, some striping... In other words, think mild custom, but dressed a notch higher. It's a fun style, to be sure, much like Herb's band of session musicians belting out "Ameriachi" cover versions. Take one thing, and spice it up with another influence, and man, you can't help but feel the vibe, and nod your head approvingly as you smile.

And that's how my mind works: From whipped cream to salsa, stopping in between for some quick history, and leaving you to consider mixing up some styles on your project... More hot rod and custom car design talk as always at www.problemchildkustoms.com

Sick Seconds Starting to Look Good

...and getting closer to the street, literally and figuratively.

The gang at ProRides, along with a dedicated team of close friends have been working diligently to get the '69 Camaro completed and ready for its show car circuit tour and also testing on the track. It is currently in Steve's garage and the gang has been working on it every night after work. The goal is to finish the car in April and start testing... We are even thinking about driving it on a leg of the Power Tour to test the street driving of the Camaro. Not bad for a six-second capable ride...

Bowler Transmissions wants to have the car in their booth at some Goodguys shows in the coming year, and Denny will also be working with Goodguys on making exhibition runs at their Indy event. Feel free to let Denny know if the car is needed for anything else during the entire season, as we'd all love to see the car not only running on the street and track, but also acting as an ambassador for the hobby and industry as a whole.

The car should be going to paint at the beginning of February, and look for many more pics to follow. We truly cannot wait to share some finished shots of the car. And check out the mounting of the Chiseled Performance intercooler, Be Cool radiator, B&M tranny cooler, ProCharger, and that fuel tank in the front.....not much room left!

...and if you're not yet familiar with the project, here's the rendering...

...and you can see the first updates, like machining the block to save weight, and building the chassis right here on the site! Look for more updates soon!

Running Low 10's!

...OK, a PCK Studio sticker is running 10's. On a killer car.

However, the irony is that since that little piece of adhesive-backed vinyl goodness was slapped on the rear glass, Blake's Firebird has run quicker and quicker. Coincidence? Yeah, more likely than not. But an opportunity to post new video of the mighty Poncho from Tejas? Fantastically correct indeed...

Check out the latest video here (the 10-second run is at the end.... but it's fun to watch this monster tear off of the line a few times, too.

Blake's mighty 'bird has been a stand-out in the PCK Studio stable of good friends' rides, and you may recognize it from both the site here, as well as the feature in PHR, where at the time, the mad Poncho was laying down mid-10's. Bear in mind, this is a home-built car that is show-worthy (having scooped up multiple awards at the Houston Autorama and beyond), and what's even cooler is that Blake uses the car for what it was built to do: HAVE FUN.

More stories and hot rod and custom car design goodness at www.problemchildkustoms.com