Building a Street Machine

...can be a wonderfully rewarding experience, and even one of those great bonding experiences between family members or friends... Or it can become a completely maddening and disheartening ordeal that wrenches family and friends from you. What is often the deciding factor is in the planning, and that's where Mr. Bryant's book excels.

What you get, page after page is a modern look at the classic performance build primer. Building the newcomer's knowledge, system by system, the book takes a straightforward approach to explaining the basics, and suggesting methods of implementing a plan to create the car of your dreams. While many folks today simply look at automotive forums and websites and build whatever is trendy or worse, rely on some group approval method (which normally involves a ton of mis-matched bolt-ons) for design and, uh, "planning"... This book gives concrete examples of how to plan, budget and simply get the work done, using the author's own Buick project as a case study.

From the simplest explanations ("What is a street machine?") to more advanced topics (driveline swaps, suspension and steering controls to power-adders), the book is a great read, and is easily understood. Where technical jargon is needed, it is backed-up with plain-English explanations and illustrations, again, making this the ideal book for the first-time builder or enthusiast in your home or circle of friends.

What's really great here is that it's loaded with tips that can be applied to any genre of street machine, and not just another niche-book, which centers on drag race-inspired or pro-touring style cars. And while many "blanket" type books fall short, this is one title that will be on our "recommended reading" list for any clients embarking on their first car building adventure. It has some great reference material between the covers as well, making this a solid investment for both the studio and garage, and a great gift idea, too!

How to Build a Killer Street Machine
MOTORBOOKS WORKSHOP
Jefferson Bryant
Illustrated. 191pp
Softcover
Motorbooks
$29.99

Grab your own copy here and save over $7.00 in our Book Store!

That Rare Barn Find…

…may be just around the corner from where you’re sitting as you read this. Proof of such finds, as well as some stories that put the occasional “right place, right time” story to absolute shame will have you turning the pages of Tom Cotter’s book The Cobra in the Barn — Great Stories of Automotive Archaeology with what seems to be never-ending excitement.


This is, of course, the all-new paperback version of Cotter’s book, originally released as a hard-cover in 2005, and the first of his “In the Barn” series (which also includes Hemi in the Barn, Vincent in the Barn, and the forthcoming Corvette in the Barn). The book takes the approach of the classic bench racing topic of that one rare, hidden or forgotten gem that someone always seems to find in the back of a barn, or tucked behind years of junk in a garage, and backs up the exciting premise with true stories of such finds!


From stories of pure chance finds, like the ‘40 Ford Woody found when a hunter sought refuge from the rain, to tales of utter compulsion and persistence (years of phone calls and visits simply to purchase a long-term project), and everything in-between, the book is a true page-turner, no matter what your automotive tastes. From cars found literally around the corner, to travels almost around the globe, you’ll find yourself wrapped-up in the cars, people and stories.


Like so many of the people featured in the book, I can certainly agree that there’s a thrill in the chase, and occasionally, we learn that once the prize has been captured, it’s simply on to the next hidden treasure… While for others, the cars and their stories become a part of their lives and heirlooms in the process. This was the first automotive book I’ve had in the studio that just grabbed and fascinated everyone who happened to pick it up! Even my wife read the book, cover-to-cover, and has made it a point to seek out the other titles in the series.


As the press release states, “Author Tom Cotter uses his engaging writing style in telling the tales of found Cobras, a rare Delehaye found disassembled in Czechoslovakia that eventually won Best in Show at Pebble Beach, a Ferrari racer found in a California wood chip pile, and several more. Cotter traces the early histories of the cars, how they were discovered, and where they are today.” I’d like to add that the book also stresses the importance of research, and the struggle for some to decide between restoration or updating and personalizing these finds… And having the ability to learn from others with just a simple flip of a page make this book a treasure all its own!

The Cobra in the Barn
Great Stories of Automotive Archaeology
Tom Cotter
Illustrated. 256pp
Paperback
Motorbooks
$19.99

Grab your own copy here and save a couple bucks!

"Dooz" and donuts...

...and coffee, too.

Got into a great conversation with a friend recently over a few donuts and some coffee, and talk turned to historical cars that offer inspiration from a variety of standpoints.... and it tied in perfectly with what's going on in the automotive industry... especially with American companies folding. This kills me, as there seems to be absolutely NO RESPECT for the advances made by American car companies, or their impact on technology and the economy at large.

As you may already know, I have a deep fascination with all things Ferrari. The sheer elegance of design, combined with the amazing heritage and utter lust for performance that these machines elicit in one's mind... hell, one's soul, even, is the stuff of legend. Yet, surprisingly, for a guy who talks a lot, I've never touched on another great car to come from not Italy (although we'll touch on that later), but from right here in the US, the mighty Duesenberg.

How can one deny the sheer excitement of any of the company's offerings? Hell, even the history of the marque is filled with the stuff of legend. Two brothers, both self-taught engineers (think about it, isn't every hot rodder somewhat of a self-taught engineer?) set out to build sports cars. August and Fred built cars in the '20's that had features you might find on today's cars: four valves per cylinder, dual overhead cams, and even juice brakes!

Anyway, the history of the marque is readily available with some minimal research skills, so we won't waste time on chronology here. What interested me most about the Brothers Duesenberg, was their use of superchargers and other go-fast goodies that seems, well, kind of strange, given the years in question. We're talking cars in the late '20's that had 140 MPH capability! An American, coach-built car (hell, by the time a wealthy owner got done, these things weighed tons!) that could run 0-60 times in roughly eight seconds! Again, that's PRE-1930! If that's not engineering and hot rodding at its finest, well, grab some stronger coffee, sir, and wake up.

Moving along, an interesting point was brought up regarding the partnership of one Virgil Exner and Fritz Duesenberg (son of August) on the Stutz Bearcat.... here was the prime example of Chrysler design, working with the heir of the genius that was Duesenberg. Sadly, this was a doomed marque (but sure made creative use of domestic offerings from Delta 88's to Grand Prix's!) One begins to wonder what may have been, had this partnership been at a more opportune time. In a way, there's a lot of inspiration to be found in there.... the use of existing, perhaps not-so-inspirational cars to begin with, to create a coach-built car with performance, all while giving a nod to this golden age.

Sadly, we're at a point where the political agendas and underlying turmoil have destroyed the industry, and are stripping the historical significance of our storied past, and leaving with it a revised version, loaded with controversy. At it's most basic level, this is an industry that is dynamic, exciting and loaded with great stories of great men and innovation, and to not be inspired by any of it leaves one to consider anyone's dedication to it in a much brighter light.

We're in an age now (in the hot rodding hobby) where we have talented builders following on this original path, and creating incredible cars from almost nothing. While it's exciting to witness, it just seems altogether more interesting when compared to a historical reference point, and one draws out some inspiration from two brothers who simply wanted to build fast cars... Ahh, the good old days.

Stenciling in some time...

Lately, it's been rough finding a few hours here or there to do anything, much less create some art on the side... but somehow, some way... I managed to sneak in a minute or two per day, and nail down some visions that had been trapped in my head right where they belong: On paper and canvas!

The piece to the left here began some time ago as a digital work, and if you've been following along since 2004 or so, you'll recognize the basics here... I had wanted to throw in the '40 on the first Disturbingly Kool tee, but opted at the very last second to incorporate the Valley Custom-style creeper... This time around, well... it needed to be the '40, and I broke out the Mylar, frisket and tape, and began the process of creating stencils and masks, oh my!

I poked around the studio and garage for a few days as well, rounding up texturally interesting items, and a piece of expanded metal called to me, as well as some bubble wrap... and pretty soon, I had the background texture flying! Mixing paints, inks, and then mixing different mediums into those paints, I began to just go on "auto-pilot", letting the layers build themselves. I'm stoked about the result, and hope you dig it, too!

Next up was the painstaking task of cutting the stencils and masks, and figuring out a good system for layering them all, as I wanted to get this as detailed as possible, and have as much depth as I could, but still retain that flat, stencil look that brought this whole project on in the first place...

If you check out the detail shot to the right here, you'll see what I was after, as well as a slight shift in the stencils, a product of a very late night, but one of those "happy accidents" Bob Ross used to speak of. I learned a LOT about creating work in this manner, and will DEFINITELY do more... it's a blast, and really is a ton of fun to put down the stylus and mouse, and just attack materials with an X-Acto knife, some brushes, an the trusty Iwata twins... There's just that almost Zen moment when David Lee Roth's voice is drowned-out by the hum of the compressor, and the paints manage to somehow eek out of the air brush, loaded with extenders and matte and gloss medium. It's almost crazy to think that it had been so long since I created anything without the aid of computers, and shocking how different of a tan you get between a momitor's glow, and the lighting out in the shop!

I hope you dig this piece, as it's one of my favorites! (so much so, in fact, that I had it scanned, and am offering limited-edition print of this monster over on my site at www.problemchildkustoms.com) If you get time, please check it out, and if the mood strikes, pick up a print so that I can buy some more supplies!

Thanks again for checking it out...