We got a good start on the Checker Limo ,it had been sadly neglected in years past! The paint had been stripped and then was left out in the weather for years . Was this some sick endurance test?, If so the weather won!! The plugs also had been removed from the engine and rust had locked up the motor . It had been filled with Wd-40 , marvel mystery oil ,you name it we tried it but alas the little small block would not turn over!The pistons had to be beat out of the block and several of the lifters refused also to budge.I mean it was rough , and so is the body with rusted through spots on the floors ,roof and hood as well as the door bottoms so its nasty! Its been suggested that this P.O.S. just bee retired and not fixed well I'm sure there are better candidates for a build but few have such a storied past !Danny Cole the owner of the Checker has many cool stories of canoe trips and camp outs where the Checker was the mode of transportation.To see pics of the Checker in action visit the SHANTI restaurant in Collierville Tn.Heck stop in and have a big ole steak or some juciey pork chops ,shrimp,wings and of course a cold beer the let Danny tell you some tales ! The Shanti is a land mark eatery and every body has a great time there. great food, good service, and good times go see em! 901-861-7177

the mighty Nova

Mike and I are plugging away at the nova ,with the motor installed all the accessories can now be added.Mike will take care of that as I finish up the wet sanding an fix the small stuff that appears with close inspection .Then I hope to install the fenders to line up my tape stripes on the body as the paint job will be a two tone job with black on the bottom half and blue on the top.Then with the tape all equal and even i can start the paint process

I did have a major set back with the hood the last few coats of primer would not dry! I was given the wrong hardener and mixed it up with the 2k primer ,sprayed it and went to bed. The next day the paint was still wet ,the fix was to put paint stripper on it and strip it to the metal ,bummer !!Oh well its a learning curve I guess .

the 55 gets a little epoxy

After a couple of days blocking and conjuring up the body work gods ,the top and back of the cab gladly receive a few coats of Kirker epoxy primer.Now it'll take a bunch of strokes with a long block to smooth it all out level and some more primer probably of the 2k variety.I'm sure we will run into a few more issues with the top along the way the drip rails will need to be seam sealed or we may even use POR-15 patch in a tube to insure no rust creep.Our next step will be installing the brake petal system and master cylinder on the frame and making the access through the floor to add brake fluid.Then if the doors are fitted well and all is primed we will remove the body to pretty up the bottom side and paint it before we finish the frame.

da fixture recieves mo work

Well a little bit more metal was massaged and beat on ,welded, ground off,stretched and shrank then wiped with a magic elixir that Albert purchases from a troll in a near by county.The top is roughed in and so is the back of the cab.The cab doors are now being persuaded to fit better .My job now seems to be to remind Albert not to take short cuts that it will eventually get done and done right!I belive he could put the old ride together with duct tape and seam sealer and three zip ties!Hell it would probably look good too!

road trip

Hey another Elvis sightng on I40! It seems that super stars are attracted to other super stars and pay their homage when the public allows them space !I only hope the Enquirer doesn't want these shots of 'E' for some cover ,teamed with a title "aliens had my jock star baby!"
hey theres still room on that sign for your name jock, get busy!!!

Bobby Harris keeps a watch full eye over Helton's engine as they prepare to add the stud girdle, just to keep it all tight during the high revs .That dam big ass cam is gonna shake up every thing !And as usual we found Albert doing what he does best!....Supervising from afar , all those cubic inches just wore him out.

does any one feel a draft ?

Hey direct from the Helton speed shop,a baby blower for Alberts new 327 being installed in the orange thing!The old jeep engine was blue and Albert needed more orange on the ride,besides the rods were knocking ,so why not put a blown 327 in! Mike and Albert have been swapping more parts than Craigs list and E-bay combined , all the commerce between them might just fix the economy ,lets hope so.

lucky hanks

I am extremely honored to have this man spend a little time in my shop .Lucky Hanks is a fantastic car builder/ craftsman and any one whom has seen his work can attest to his skills,he has a gift that allows him to see how a problem can be fixed and done right!His attention to detail and his fabrication work has allowed him to build so many fine hot rods ,street rods and just cool driveable cruisers! I would love to be able to mentor under him and develope into a better builder! This man is the real deal!!!! Thanks Lucky!!

moe on da truck

da fixture has a fiberglass front cap that will tilt with actuators once the fab work is done.There has been 4 inches removed from the top and that's probably why Albert had a heart attack, he asked how many of these I'd done ....none was the reply !! But there was enough beer available so we dove in and only regretted it for a while! Some electric seats were donated recently and they will be really cool too ! Albert has a brand new bed for the truck and a custom made stainless fuel tank made by Gilbert's welding in Centerville Tn. This ride should be terrorizing your neighbor hood soon .

da 55 funky truck

Alberts making a little progress on the chop top 55, we sand blasted it roughed in some of the plastic filler and shot epoxy primer on " da fixture" man that big block "show"looks good between dem rails!Albert has boxed the frame and it has a 9 inch ford diff and mustang 2 front end with disc brakes to" whoo" the 460!Funny how a little primer helps the looks of a project .I hope the big boy will forgive me for not working on it for so long! Some times a little sabbaticle makes the heart grow fonder,so lets get busy... i still gotta mustang or 2 to do!

stuffing the pig with big block

The 427 is ready to stuff into the Nova, and it is kicking and screaming cause it doesn't want to fit !We are having a bit of a problem with the correct motor mounts the measurement of the stock frame mounts is 2 5/8 inch and the motor mounts are much smaller so on this night things were a no go!This left us all scratching our heads , so to the parts store we must go !! again!! It's been a constant battle between the engine shop and the body /fab shop.The engine shop guys are such primadonnas with such complaints as , you cant be sanding and shooting paint while I'm adjusting valves , stuff will get in the motor !! Such whining

the fab shop and the paint shop did a good job on the firewall all will fit nice and snug 1,but the motor shop sez ,heck we can just take a hammer to it if it needs clearence!!!!! Oh no!!