Retro-Future Meets Kustom Meets Robot

I figured I’d post a view of the new tee’s I designed for Max over at Bio Kustumz (motto: “We Suck Less”)…

Max had requested something robotic, with an early-1950′s Cadillac, and machinery. I rolled with that, and came up with the artwork above, incorporating a robot customizer putting the finishing touches on his custom Caddy, while his sidekick offers up some potential ornamentation. Sadly for him, the little pooch is being waved-off on the fuzzy dice. I threw in some mixes of retro-future and fictional machinery, along with a ton of killer little details.

The shirts will be hitting soon, and this is the first in a planned series of “artist tees”, and will feature some big names like Max Grundy, Dwayne Vance, myself and others! …so get to Bio Kustumz’ site and snag a few!

... and hey-- if I may be of service to design YOUR next killer te, hit me up on my site at ProblemChildKustoms.com. Thanks!

New Summer Tees at HUGE Savings

We have a limited number of our well-received (and obviously popular!) Art Ragz series of t-shirts, and in sizes from small through 2XL (adult sizes only). What's great is that, for under ten bucks, you get a THREE COLOR (yeah, 3 colors!) design, printed on the back, and our logo up front... all on a lightweight tee that's perfect for Summer. Even better: with the low price, you won't live in fear of messing it up in the garage, shop, studio, environmental disaster, using it to choke a hippie, pie-eating contest, whatever.

These are Gildan Ultra Blend tees,and the printing is light enough (and has enough open space, too) that you won't get that dreaded "sweaty back" feeling... And, as if that weren't enough, we threw in some 'flake, too... because, after all, what's cooler than THAT?

Here's the front, BTW:

You can buy some tees in our online store... As we said, limited quantities remain, and Summer's here, so grab 'em while they last... And, as always, thank you for the support!

Two Cranks, Four Cylinders...

…and eight pistons.


While it sounds remarkably like a first-time engine build gone awry, it was actually a development engine from Ford, designed and built by Eugene Farkas.
In the 1940’s, Mr. Henry Ford was experimenting with lightweight, tube-framed cars, attempting to create a structurally rigid, but overall simple-to-construct car. And what better to power such a car than a very unique powerplant. Understanding Ford’s mindset of simplicity is key in the development process (even if this seems a bit extreme for only seeking to eliminate some engine vibration!). You see, the world was changing, and getting more and more complex. Ford wanted to retain the simplicity of the Model T, but create something powerful, efficient and reliable to work in then-present day America. The four cylinder engine illustrated this simplicity, but it lacked the balance of a V-8 (far less torsional vibration, even in a solid-mount configuration). In his quest for a vibration-free engine, this twin-crank eight was born...

Granted, it’s technically a four cylinder, but with two cranks and eight pistons, each moving in the opposite direction on combustion, thus balancing either side of the assembly. The engine had an overhead-cam, with a chamberless design (leaving the the actual combustion chamber in the block), running 1.5-inch valves. At 83 cubic inches (2.25-inch bore, 2.625-inch stroke), and running such a short stroke, this design would’ve been great for some high-RPM action, but, sadly, suffered from poor crank design (the billet cranks had no counterweights on the cheeks, thus exposing the center mains to some heavy abuse, consequently deforming at higher speeds). The cranks, incidentally, were geared together via herringbone gears (a pair each of left-and-right-hand helical gears per side), which were as quiet as a standard, single helical gear, but suffered no thrust issues. A large idler at the rear of the assembly acted as the flywheel, with the pressure plate (from a V-8 60) bolted to it. Furthering the quest for low vibration, the driveshaft speed was low, as the idler tgransferring power spun at roughly on-half of engine speed. A simple design engineered to arrive at the solution!

Another interesting fact is that this engine was constructed mainly of cast iron (aside from the aluminum oil pan). At the time, almost all of Ford’s experimental powerplants utilized aluminum. This considered, the assembly only tipped the scales at around 260 lbs, and looked pretty slick, too:



Looking back, a simpler solution, such as rubber motor mounts, isolators, etc, may have been the more logical, stop-gap answer, but Mr. Ford had sought perfection in design, and running a solid-mount would have reinforced that notion. Besides, it was a pioneering effort like this that makes for such a great story…

As always, I invite you to check out my website at www.problemchildkustoms.com for more stories, and plenty of hot rod and custom car design.

"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.

"If life were fair..."

...Johnny Carson once said, "...Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead."

It's a pretty deep thought. It's a fitting one, too, as originality seems to be a dying art at times. I fell into a creative funk recently, and began to look at a late crop of cars, and thought "wow... another car on a set of aftermarket rims. How progresssive." (keep in mind that the cars in question were presented as some "Hot, new!" and "ground-breaking!" rides, and a few were flowing from my pen, seemingly keeping the envelope flat and tidy -- no pushing allowed!) It appeared, during that spell, that true automotive personalization was dead... That, just maybe, we had gotten to a stagnant point in the hobby where every car had to adhere to some set of rules to be "cool"... it was high school all over again, oh no! And just when I thought it was, along came a brilliantly conceived idea, and I'm honored to take part in the design process. Suffice to say, a client approached me with his genius take on a truck, and it's lit a fire, so to speak... In fact, that fire spread quickly to a new piece for a magazine, that I knocked out in record time... (not a truck, but an over-looked car that suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks) The drive was back, and with a fury... My eyes were opened to a whole new set of possibilities... it was like re-discovering cars. I dug through my notebooks and sketchbooks, and began reviewing them with a new-found purpose. I have set out on a journey, the road paved with unique cars, and seemingly endless possibilities.

Talk about timing, too... Some time back, we took in the "Curves of Steel" exhibition at the Phoenix Art Museum, which, despite its small size, packed an unexpected punch. It was a great time, just taking in some design work from true masters. Classic forms, many mixed with function light years ahead of their time, all leading to one thought in my mind: I love what I do. I create, literally, passion on paper. It's not a job, it's creation of passion. It's taking an idea and running with it. It's not something you wake up one day and say "I'm going to design custom cars." It chooses you, and while it makes you work at it endlessly, it gives back a million times over in satisfaction. Simply put:

If I were approached to design a hot rod, custom, pro-touring ride, whatever, I'd want to bring out every aspect of the car's potential, and tie it with the owner's personality, not just create another ho-hum car that wears the right "uniform" for its genre. Granted, certain ideas work well, and have an established following... an early generation Mustang or Chevelle, for example, on 18's and 19's and sitting low looks good, it's a given. However, simply adhering to one look closes so many doors, creatively speaking, that you rob yourself of exploring the car's full potential. It's far too easy to just plug in a formula to achieve a certain look... Of course, there are always budget constraints and whatnot, but this is where careful, creative planning in the earliest stages can make any car into a unique, personal statement.

Obviously, if you like a style of car, you should go for it... I'd never suggest change for the sake of change. Don't just plop a heap of "different"" on top of an over-used motif just to stand out... To stretch the metaphor, if a singing impersonator is good, a fire-eating, sword-swallowing, contortionist skydiving crooner may not always breed better results.

Break the formula where you can, and stretch your imagination, but keep good taste in mind. All it really boils down to is that if all cars were built using the "formula method", every car would simply mimic another, and, in effect, be just another Elvis impersonator. And that's just not fair...

Ingenuity...

...is defined by Webster's as "skill or cleverness in devising or combining : inventiveness, or: cleverness or aptness of design or contrivance".

It's been a word that has spent an unholy amount of time bouncing a

round in my brain lately. I find it to be a powerful word when applied to our hobby/industry of hot rodding in general, as it's really the backbone of what we do. Consider an engine builder, working to tweak every last ounce of power, Sam Barris chopping the first Merc roof, or the first guy to conceive the idea of using lace to create killer patterns in custom paint. Hell, each day I'm confronted with the challenge of bringing unique ideas to a project, and in some cases, finding ways to stretch a budget, and draw in some wicked little details to set a car over the top. It's a matter of using what's there in front of you (and occasionally what doesn't exist!) in a new or different way, and then getting it all to flow.

A recurring theme here in the old blog has been that of cool details and inventive use of materials on a project, and this entry brings in some really neat stuff. First off, time had shot over some pics of his new, self-made planishing hammer.

Confronted with pre-made units that maybe had the power but lacked the throw he needed, or even vice-versa, he did what any hot rodder might do: He made his own. 

Pretty slick, indeed, and a great illustration of the point here. The human mind is capable of solving problems with amazing agility at times (there's even some grace in banging a sheetmetal panel to shape over a 2x4 when it's in the right hands!), and when it comes to creating tools to aid in work, provide convenience, whatever, it's always cool to witness. 

Speaking of ingenuity, a recent side trek on the web, seeking more info on Sam Barris' Merc led me to a video highlighting a car that's always kept me fascinated (and, amazingly, another Barris-constructed car -- I say "constructed", as the majority of the innovations on the car were those of the owner), the Golden Sahara II, from the ingenuity (see a theme here?) of owner/designer Jim Skonzakis (aka Jim Street). Every inch of this car is loaded with ingenuity, and inventive, if not a step beyond state-of-the-art for its time (this was pre-1962!)... Man, consider that this was the FIRST car to have a TV in it, much less every other technical marvel thrown in. You may know this '53 Lincoln Capri from the Jerry Lewis movie Cinderfella:

or even the old Rob't. Williams "Leadsleds" poster (it's there in the original incarnation, anyway), too! In any event, over on YouTube is the following video... take a peek, and we'll pick this back up in a few: 

How absolutely freaking cool is THAT??!

...and those light-up tires? Dig this:

In the '60's, Goodyear toyed with translucent polymers to create pastel-colored, illuminated tires! More likely than not, they were to be marketed toward women (color matching everything was in fashion, after all), yet the material proved to wear too quickly, and they never made it to market... 

Ponder the thought that went into this car, the forward thinking, the sheer inventiveness... the INGENUITY. Granted, there's a lot of gimmickry going on here, but isn't this car just the perfect illustration of the times? That whole "world of tomorrow" kinda vibe going on, and all wrapped up neatly in a pretty slick custom.

 
I had shown this to my kids, and they flipped that the car had a TV, a remote... and then they said "they had TV back THEN"? Illuminated tires, whoopie.... TV? Amazing to kids. Go figure...

Going to the movies...

…as a kid was a big deal. We didn’t do it often… it just wasn’t in the cards. But when we did go, man… it was a total experience. I enjoyed any film we’d see, but I always held a special fascination with the theater lobby, namely the movie posters. Looking back on it, aside from cars, a few notable children’s books and assorted product packaging, movie posters were my first real exposure to design. (as a side note, after seeing Jason and the Argonauts as a kid, my obsession with stop-motion animation and film was ignited… Ray Harryhousen permanently warped my fragile young mind!) To say that there was an impact in that would be an understatement… I was floored by the graphics, the layout… the ability of an artist to convey the general scope of the story, to excite moviegoers into plopping down their cash for a ticket (in many cases, anyway— some just stunk up the joint) was, consciously, anyway, my first real understanding of print design as an emotional trigger.

I grew up on kung fu/horror/fantasy movies...and you wonder why I mash different topics together like I do...

Fast-forward a few years, and my interest in movie posters and film itself was still growing. I loved movies almost as much as I did cars, and my friend Joe was a total movie nut, namely horror films. The guy knew literally every horror film, director, production house… he was a walking encyclopedia of the genre (as well as sci-fi films… not so odd that he’s gone on to write some great books!). This was in the heyday of VCR’s and video rental houses, and what made it great was that we had access to so many movies, as the classics (meaning both “great” as well as just “old”) were being released by the dozens. Companies like Vestron (they essentially revolutionized video distribution, and pumped out roughly 3,000 movies on videotape between ’83 and ’95… there’s some more useless trivia that clouds my brain daily), MGM/UA, Embassy, AIP and more were releasing tons of independent, low-budget, B-grade and major releases… From The Stuff andBlade Runner to Revenge of the Living Zombies, Basket Case to Xtro, man, we watched a TON of VHS-format celluloid. We’d try to seek out some great films, and it was in doing this that I was introduced to the work of Hammer Films, a stand-out among the many great (and not so great) productions we’d watch.

What made the Hammer films so great was the way they told the stories, and the era they came from! Their horror and sci-fi boom was ’55-’59… Coincidentally, the golden age of custom cars… hmmm… Anyway, Hammer’s horror films were more “gothic” in nature (monsters, based more in terror, with a back-story that makes you feel a bit for the players), and they often re-told classics like Dracula, The Mummy and Frankenstein (sixFrankenstein films from’59-’74, no less). Great actors like Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee were regulars, and man… they were just tremendous entertainment, even for two kids discovering them almost 30 years after their release. The films had a great look, but, again, what infatuated me was the cover/poster art! Tom Chantrell was the wrist behind many of the great designs, and just had a knack with not only killer art, but amazing layout and design. I think that a lot of my color work is influenced, be it unconsciously or otherwise by the man’s work. Keeping a loose yet detailed feel in my work is directly attributed to Mr. Chantrell’s influence, as well as that of Saul Bass (whose mantra was “Symbolize and Summarize”—how insightful is that? Spare yourself four years of design school, and just repeat that… then send me the money you saved. OK, half. More on Mr. Bass later… and I mean Saul, not Lance. Although, I may have a great way to compare him with cars. I’ll think of it.). Bold, direct, powerful. You’d know Bass’ work anywhere:

My infatuation with movie posters continues to this day (although with three young kids, my serious collecting days are some time off, yet). As a kid, the work of Drew Struzan was everywhere… remember the posters for Indiana Jones? The Goonies? Technical brilliance! My tastes fall somewhere between the amazing portraiture of Struzan, the expressionistic and detailed style of Chantrell, and the bold graphic statement of Bass… All have been a profound inspiration in my design and illustration work. It’s still a point of fascination for me when we go to see a movie… I wander around, and check out the new posters. However, it seems as though the true art of the movie poster is falling to the side of the road, as far as mainstream movies go, anyway. Independent films have always had kind of cool (and occasionally bizarre) poster art, but lately, it’s as though the fine art has gone away. The new Indiana Jones film brought back a spark of life, though… Struzan nailed it again! …and the new Batman flick?! Man…. Great stuff, and the two versions, each with the burning bat symbol (one of Batman, one of the Joker) are great, and really play up the menacing undertones (and overtones, let’s be honest here) of the movie. Would a hand-painted or rendered piece have been better? I submit that in this particular example, it could not. There’s a time and place for almost every style and technique, it would seem.

Does it get any better than this?

In any event, I bring up the movie poster art topic for a few reasons… One, you may not have been aware of the things covered here (Hammer horror films, the posters, the designers), and I enjoy opening up a new subject for you to head out and experience; Two, I had wanted to answer a few questions that I’m often asked (“where do you get inspiration from?”, “how did your style develop?” and “what the hell are you talking about?”); and three, hopefully, to inspire new designers who are trapped into relying on software and computers to draw for them to seek out what makes design and art so damn fun to begin with: creating it by hand! We’re already inundated by computer-generated, “cold”-feeling works that lack that human personality that shines through in all artwork. Now get out there, watch an old b-movie, seek out some wild inspiration from beyond the automotive sphere, break out the pencils and raise the bar…