hot rod projects

Up coming car shows

2011-09-13T18:51:00.000-05:00

Ahh ,as summer winds down the shows start to pick up a bit . September is a good month for these activity's, starting with the Collierville police show at Central Church on Saturday the 17th, a great show with a good variety of cars and it is very family friendly. The same week end Friday - Saturday in conjunction with the Smokin Aces BBQ contest Koss MOtorsports presents their professional style show with drifting and an abundance of classes to fit all cars. This show awards money along with trophys.Both shows have their merits and will be fun for all !
The Memphis Street Rods ,Delta River Crusin is a must see! This is the 12th annual it, is a great show with a lot to do and see ,Sept.23-25 . Sams Town Casino host this gathering so get lucky and come on down .

Nashville GoodGuys show video

2011-08-21T18:56:00.010-05:00

Hey Hey we had a really nice time at the Good Guys show at Titian's stadium , we found some shade and enjoyed a nice breeze off the river.Tons of cars ,plenty of activities,road racing and a few cold ones
Our friend Gregg was selected as one of the top 50 ,and won a nice trophy from Billet Specialties for top muscle car!!! By the way here is a link to a Youtube video in which Mike's Nova and Gregg's Camaro both appear in so Click on the Title and enjoy!

classiccardisasters.blogspot.com

2011-08-21T18:43:00.013-05:00

Got another blog for folks to check out. This blog is for those who have had trouble with builders, equipment, products and such.This gentleman obviously poured a lot of money into a Camaro, with a so called Pro-builder, and was burned !Just my opinion but its sad! Click on the title to view.

I'mmm Back !

2011-08-21T18:37:00.000-05:00

Been away from posting for a while now, because of shoulder surgery. Wow I did not realize how painful and just how long recovery would take.I.m just now to the point were i feel like doing a few things, and am on the road to recovery hopefully.Still have some issues and have not been released to full duty at work, so time will heal me up! Hope to have some posts soon!

Jonesboro Carshow

2011-05-25T23:08:00.006-05:00

The Jonesboro Lions club puts on this show as a fund raiser each year for their great work !It's an indoor show held in the ASU arena what a nice spot !Mike and Sindy invited Jill and I to go, and it was a really tough time for me because i was still in pain after surgery,and not sleeping well ... I know quit ger whining huh !
The "Lil"Nova did well and raked in a First place award which made it all better !Think Jill found a Mustang she wanted to have ,ha ha !

Goodguys Auto cross

2011-05-25T22:46:00.005-05:00

It was a blast watching the Auto Cross at this show , its basically a closed course with tight turns marked off in cones in the parking lot. Any participant could race their car or ride along with pro drivers from many of the sponsor cars such as Ride Tech and Spectre .The cars blast around the track with tires smoking and brakes too!,while the clock records their times. Mike and I begged and pleaded with several drivers to get Greg Duncan in one of the cars as they were gonna shut down early because it was soon to rain. Well we made it happen and he had a fast ride in a slick 68 Camaro,it had to be a thrill ! All types of cars and trucks raced from the "Ring Brothers" bad assed Mustangs to a crazy dude with a 30 model ford that was set up to drag race !

Goodguy Show Nashville

2011-05-25T21:37:00.005-05:00

Hey all! Recently returned from the Goodguys Auto show in Nashville .Traveled with Mike Helton and we trailered his Nova. We were invited to stay with the Krueger family in Centerville, which was a lot of fun! Albert took his CJ Jeep to the swap meet in hopes of a quick sale. but it seems the economy is still holding many people back!The little Jeep is a cool ride, complete with a stout 327 and custom paint job.Someone is going to get a great deal on this 4 x 4 ! The show was great my estimate on the number of cars was 1000 to 1500 perhaps.
While at the show we met up with fellow Memphian ,Greg Duncan the owner of the "Blue Devil" a killer 69 Camaro show car . This beauty is absolutely fantastic,and attracts tons of attention!,and although it appears to be a trailer Queen ,Greg drove the car to Nashville,as he has to many events !We were not at all shocked when Gregs Camaro was selected as one of the top cars in the show, and was honored with a trophy from corprate sponsor,"Billet Specialties" for top muscle car.So congrates to Greg for being in the winners circle,or as he referred to it as the Weinners circle! What a cut up he is,and I believe he spoke to every person at the show!

37 plymouth update

2011-02-19T09:56:00.005-06:00

Well Ive been down with a torn rotator cuff and cant do much , so Ive been watching others work ! Mr.Lucky sure has been busy on the old Canadian Plymouth , yep this is an extreme Yankee car ,ha ha . The body has been mated to the frame,the engine is running ,the cool dash is mounted and the wiring is done .
The dash has been wood grained and part of it looks like a small log with growth rings on each end, how creative.Here's Lucky,Kinny and Olivia checking it all out .

winter wheels

2011-01-27T12:35:00.003-06:00

Kinny and his son Clayton were at the show having fun, and smooth talking Kinny smooged his way into sitting in a sprint car ! Ya think he could drive it ? well I do he is a hell of a drag car driver and a former Super Chevy winner ! You know it hurts me to say Super and chevy in the same sentence ! ha ha

1937 plymouth

2011-01-27T12:14:00.004-06:00

Hey here are a few pics of the latest project from Mr. Lucky ! it got a 318 chrysler motor, power steering ,air and disc brakes ! It will have cool interior with two tone colors, wood grained trim and has to be a really nice driver .Lucky has done all the work to this ole clunker , he hand built the dash board and the running boards . Other nice touches that would probably go un noticed are the frenched tail lights and custom filler panels between the body and bumpers .Plans are for all the interior trim and dash to be wood grained,Lucky does that really well !Hope to be able to ride in it.

disappearing doors !

2011-01-13T12:31:00.004-06:00

Wow check out this link to see these wild disappearing doors installed on several cars ,how cool! Video @ FLIXXY.COM

Winter Wheels

2011-01-11T11:53:00.004-06:00

Hey all we had a good time at Crusin South car and bike show at the Southaven Arena Miss. on January 8th. Particapants were treated to a nice party Friday night with drinks and door prizes ! Saturday 60 or so cars and 20n bikes were on display and the band , “Tom-Dick and Harry rocked the house , Man those guys are great !I’m gonna have to find them in the bar scene soon ! There was a wide variety of rides from choppers to top fuelers ,monster trucks to sprint cars. The judging was not the old first ,second third stuff , but rather they just picked the top five cars . I am happy to report Mike and sindys Nova was a top five winner , congrast kids !
This is the first time this show had been put on and I hope it continues thanks to … Crusin South

Winter wheels car/bike show at Southaven Arena

2011-01-05T08:23:00.005-06:00

Jan.8th. don't miss the Winter Wheels show at Southaven Arena , sponsored by Crusin South Magazine .This will fill a void in this area for a indoor show in the winter , it will feature Bikes, Cars, and Race cars too. Mike and Sindy are taking the Nova,and I'm gonna take it all in early , cuz Miss Jill is taking me to a wedding Check it out ....http://www.cruzinsouth.com/event-gallery

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!

2010-12-24T11:47:00.002-06:00

I wish every one a wonderful Christmas, and hopefully a great new year !Ive only been a little bad so I'm looking for Santa tonight .Im a little gimpy right now ,got a bum shoulder /collarbone so i have not been able to do any more work, just trying to heal up !Any way be safe and hug the ones ya love !

New art panel

2010-12-23T11:58:00.000-06:00

Been working on a aluminum panel as a gift for Lucky Hanks ,Lucky is a source of inspiration for me he is so knowledgeable about building cool cars and fixing stuff the right way .The panel was cleaned really good then a grinder was used to rough up the surface in no particular way . I then shot several coats of clear urethane paint on it and then sanded it smooth. My design starts with transfer paper smoothed out on the edges drawn out then cut out with razor blades. Now the fun , spraying some candy color over the panel and when it drys I"ll pull off the transfer tape to reveal the design .the ground metal effect reflects light in different directions even under the candy paint which is transparent Then I'll apply the gold leaf lettering and the pinstripe and finally a bit of clear and shes done until i buff it out .Thanks Lucky ;Merry Christmas !

Ronnies Hot Rods

2010-11-24T12:46:00.004-06:00

Got to check out some of the cool rides built by Ronnie's Hot Rods , they are located in Senatobia Miss.and the quality of his cars are great ! Ronnie was a featured builder at the NSRA show in Louisville KY. this year,something Ronnie explained to me was a huge honor for him as well as his shop .Hope soon to go tour his shop and see the projects in progress !Check out his web site ...http://www.ronnieshotrods.com/imageview.aspx?id=22and he is on facebook also !

Fitzgerlalds car show

2010-11-24T12:02:00.006-06:00

WE had a good time at this show put on by several car clubs and sponsored in part by Comp Cams and Ronnie's Hot Rods .The show was a good one for Mike and Sindy as they received a top 50 award and Ronnie's Hot Rods top pick award, which was a huge honor because Ronnie builds fine hot rods!I was impressed with his "stuff",and they had several cars on display .The first night we ate at the Fitz buffet and got to see, Uncle Kracker play there also ,good show !Saturday the weather was much nicer,warmer and more cars showed up.We'll go again I'm sure !

The ole 55

2010-11-06T12:35:00.003-05:00

Got a chance to help Kinny and Mark work on a 55 Chevy ,a tree had fallen on the roof and broke the window out !Mark is now the owner of this 55 he acquired it from Kinny ,I'm sure there is plenty of work to go around. A new 300 hp. 350small block and 3 speed trans had been recently installed by Mark, I'm sure it will be a neat car,a simple little cruiser , Mark already has a bad lil 55 4 speed with a 355 cu. in. small block , and a few other projects also in the works more pics soon !

Thats cool !

2010-11-06T11:16:00.008-05:00

Hey all , I'd like to congratulate Albert Kruger and Mike Helton for both being winners in two different car shows recently. Alberts win came at the Centerville Tn. Auto show, his Jeep powered by a small block Chevy won the 4 x 4 division .we had a lot of fun building this project with Curtis , Albert's son !
Sindy , Mikes wife took their Nova to the Comp Cams sponsored show at the casinos in Tunica . They won best in show and the Mayors award ,the top two awards ! Not too shabby guys

Crusin the coast

2010-11-02T11:43:00.007-05:00

Well we had a great time ,the weather was awesome,the beer was cold ,our women were great!The whole premise of the cruise lead us to several areas around the coast .At each of these stops when we arrived there was a car show, bands ,food and fun . We danced a little,cruised a bunch ate great seafood and relaxed a bunch !The crowds on Friday night were a bit wild , they line both sides of highway 90 coaxing the drivers of cars to burn rubber , and there was plenty of that !

Cruisin the Coast

2010-10-02T11:42:00.008-05:00

We are heading to "Crusin the coast", in Biloxi Ms. Oct.3rd.-10th . This is the 14th annual crusin and will be my first trip to this show . Ive heard its a blast and cant wait for a little down time and some good sea food too. The Helton clan and Jill and I are going to cruise in the mighty Nova all over the coast , Mike has a real nice enclosed trailer to haul the beast in and our pop up tent to hang out on the beach !Ill take some photos of Mike and I in speedos !! ha ha It could happen with enough beer and some bubba teeth!

Edgar Winter

2010-10-02T11:15:00.003-05:00

hey all as many of you know I'm a huge Edgar fan and as life leads you in strange ways , I got a chance to meet him this Saturday at the airport in Memphis ! The band was traveling thru Mempho on the way to Phoenix Az.They were very nice and excited about playing the show in a theater that was in the round .Edgar was cool and laid back dressed in black that contrasted strikingly with white his hair. Jock Copeland and I met him and later we both could not figure out why we did not take any photos !! But i did get the autograph !just like a little school girl!

Delta Crusin @ Sams Town Casino

2010-09-23T11:29:00.002-05:00

We had a great time at the Delta Crusin, held in the parking lot of Sam's Town casino in Tunica Miss., The weather was hot and so were the cars .This was Mike and Sindys debut with their 69 Nova and it went well, the car was a hit with Southern Crusin magazine asking to take photos to put in an issue, and some mention of using the car for their annual calender! That's great for a first time out !900 cars were in attendance and its a well run show with plenty of activities for all ages .I'd like to thank the Memphis Street Rodders Association for a great time ! Plan to attend next year !

The end is near

2010-08-15T00:02:00.005-05:00

Well the end is near ...no I'm not some nut toting a sign on the street announcing the end of the world ! ha ha !I'm talking about the Nova. It's all details and the buff out now .detail, details ,details!the beast will soon hit the streets . Been kidding Mike and Sindy they need to go ahead and buy a new set of rear tires because all Sindy wants to know is how fast it will go !,and when can she hit the nitrous button !SO we started driving it and tuning on her its sweet and sounds nasty too !

NSRA in Louisville

2010-08-10T11:31:00.003-05:00

Hey yall got a few pics from the NSRA ,the weather was nice and the cars were cool !Met some nice people and walked all over the place for a day and a half and still did not see it all !Just wish it was closer to home ,drove for seven hours to get there .

Total Cost Involved parts

2010-06-11T11:35:00.007-05:00

I've owned a 66 Mustang convertible body for some years now and its time to get busy with that thing. This week I received a truck load of parts from Total Cost Involved. This includes a Mustang 2 front end set up with coil over springs 2 inch dropped spindles,and sway bars. The rear end set up is coil over also and sub frame connectors with a three link. Soon I plan to take the original suspension out and put it on the rotisserie for sand blasting and assembly.

Spent gasses Leave the Nova

2010-06-11T11:24:00.003-05:00

Mike and I are finally getting around to putting the exhaust under the beast!He opted for a three inch tube and Flowmaster mufflers, the parts came from Jegs. It is a really a nice set up that fits good too !It want be long now till the bruiser will be cruising at a show near you !You ought to see how hard Mike is working me I think he's ready to ride !!, me too !

Goodguys Nashville show

2010-06-03T10:59:00.003-05:00

Jill took me to the Goodguys show in Nashville I was surprised that they were able to get it all cleaned up so fast after the floods. The show was really nice ,and at the gate they were collecting for the flood victims plus the Goodguys Organization were going to match the total !, what a great gesture .We spent the whole day wandering around checking the rides and watching the g-course racing that was cool some of those guy could really get around twisty turns fast with lots of tire squealing going on .So many of the cars were really so high end and sooo bad assed !Ok so now back to the real world .

Hot BBQ team

2010-06-03T10:04:00.007-05:00

I got a chance to help out the CMP BBQ team they are a new team with a nice trailer.The spare tire needed a cover ,so I welded one up and smoothed it out and painted some true fire on it with their logo in gold leaf and a bit of pin stripe ! Charlie Peri ,the "P"in CMP was happy with it , he says it will set them apart from other teams and catch your eye. I'm glad he's happy ,it turned out well maybe I'll get some BBQ out of the deal!Randy GIbson printed their tee shirts up off of a design i was able to come up with and he did a great job on them .Randy does such cool custom work even on some small orders,he's easy to work with .

Alberts Dusty Beast

2010-05-17T12:10:00.005-05:00

Well after the F-100 show we were a bit excited about the ole dusty truck. we pre fit the fender extensions ,running boards and did more body work on the cab. I started block sanding the beast to make it flat and straight. I learned from Curtis Krueger at the truck show,that a car with bad body work with that wavy look is called a parade car because it" Waves "at you!! I thought that was funny ,we dont want Alberts ride to "wave" !

F-100 super nationals

2010-05-17T11:46:00.002-05:00

Got together with the Krueger boys and went to Pigeon Forge Tn. to the F-100 ford show ,It was a good time but the show was a little smaller than usual. there were plenty of trucks and cars but not as many vendors in attendance I feel the bad economy sure is affecting this hobby /industry .We were able to see the whole show in one day,including the vendors which in the past it took two days.The people were very nice and the quality of the workmanship on the trucks was superb ! Albert and Curtis were a lot of fun and we got a senior citizen discount for lunch thanks to big Albert ,ha ha !!

Fishing with the experts

2010-05-09T12:06:00.003-05:00

Got a chance to go fishing with the Helton brothers on their home lake , fantastic!These boys know their stuff and in the short time we had we caught some nice crappies . All fish had to be over 12 inches and we were very conscious of this as to not get fined. Mike was our guide on the trip and Jackie and I provided color cometary . In other words if Mike took us to a spot that looked good but we didn't catch fish we would bitch until he moved OH YEAH it happened ! Had a great time ,,Thanks Guys !

mikes nova

2010-05-07T12:33:00.006-05:00

Gettin a bit more done on the Bruiser ,started on the console and its coming around rather nicely.I had a problem with the new brake lines i had made up the flares were leaking, seems my tool is making bent flares for some reason , time for a new tool or I'm gonna find me a Snap-on dealer and get me some warranty . We'll fix it some how, it always happens.I think Mister Helton is gonna fix this problem on the Chevy 2, that stands for fix it twice ! ha ha!Also got a new wiper motor installed and wired, its a nice piece from Detroit speed and has 3 intervals and 2 speeds makes it a bit more modern .oh yeah we also got the glass installed !

66 mustang convertible

2010-05-01T18:44:00.002-05:00

Been buying a few parts for our 66 stang ,started out with a Total Cost Involved IFS front end kit with adjustable coil/over shocks and added their trick rear end kit with all the frame stiffing gear .This will give the old pony some new tech, a lowered stance and a much better ride too.Disc brakes are going to be a plus also , it should corner and brake like a Cobra. I cant wait ! Jill is going to be the primary driver on this ride , and I know she likes to press the limits a bit so shes gonna get the good stuff !

Lucky's wood

2010-05-01T18:15:00.002-05:00

Got a chance to see Mr.Lucky Hanks work his magic on a really nice chevy pickup truck that he had built some years ago. He applied his particular style of wood graining to the dashboard and the window trim .Lucky seems to make everything look easy,and his wood graining is no difference .It looks so rich and real,and really woke up the dash on the cool little truck,dont ask how to do it cause its a trade secret !! ha ha ! Thanks LUCKY , you da man !!!!

New guitar projects

2010-04-24T12:00:00.003-05:00

Got a couple of guitars to share with ya !the first is Garret my nephews his design features a white telecaster with grey to black fogging around the edges , to be followed by a airbrushed rose on the front. He did a great job for his first spraying !! I'm proud of him !
The second is a quarter scale strat copy done in graphite black, with the art work in color shift paint that change from green to silver very cool , and it will be for sale !!

Todd Rundgren

2010-04-24T10:26:00.004-05:00

The Runt put on a great show at the New Daisy ,with his new tour Todds "Johnson ", he is doing Robert Johnson music and blues mixed with his older stuff,Man it was great!The bad thing was it was on a Wednesday and it held the crowd down .But it had the feel of a private party , and the beer was cold !

Nova -Pain

2010-04-06T10:52:00.007-05:00

For some reason the ole Nova is causing us much strain and discomfort ,on each little detail it is fighting us tooth and nail !I told Mike that the poor car spent so much time abandoned in a field that now that it is sheltered in the garage it just doesn't want to leave for fear it will be returned to the field ! We've now decided the rear wheels are the incorrect size they are too tight a fit in the wheel wells.A 7 inch wheel will replace the 8's along with some what smaller tires !
Our latest endeavor has been the designing of the console, I'm just scared its gonna look too homemade !, but To the rescue is Mr. Lucky Hanks and he help guide the design to a smaller scale that looked much better and will appear much more custom with an aluminum or stainless metal top . cool !

Electric Front Cap

2010-04-05T09:45:00.003-05:00

the look on Alberts face is priceless, but it really works well

More work on the 55

2010-03-30T11:39:00.002-05:00

We spread more mud all over the old 55 Ford truck and got the inside insulated . I was able to lay out the dash drop down for the ac ducts and controls, Albert had previously mounted the ac unit and it tucks under nicely.The details are killing us now , just kidding there are so many small things that have to be done to finish and get to paint.The plan is to get it all put together and check all the fit and clearance issues and make sure all the welding is done. Then blow it all back apart paint the underneath side of the cab and the bed . The frame will be taken apart painted then assembled plumbed and the shiny wheels will be mounted up . Hopefully we can remember how to assemble it all ! P.S. the acuators on the tilt front end work great !

68 camaro

2010-03-19T11:42:00.003-05:00

Got a chance to go to test and tune at Holley Springs Motor sports park ,and help Al Richards , Kenny , Doug and Mike with Al's bad alcohol injected small block. At the end of last season the car blew a tire and hit the retaining wall and had a lot of damage , consequently the first time out the car was pulling the wheels high and turning right hard ! The guys checked all the chassis and made ladder bar adjustments and have helped the problem a bunch. the little yellow 68 Camaro still has some details to work out but this crew will figure it out , and soon we will make it all shiny again !For me its just a lot of fun at test and tune without the pressure of racing rounds ! A few 6.04 E.T.'s in the eighth weren't too bad for a car that wasn't hooking up . In the off season Al built a bigger motor and with a ton of compression and all the expensive goodies. Couple that with a new ignition and new slicks the Camaro will soon be flying !

Dashing Nova

2010-03-17T12:03:00.003-05:00

The dash is now installed and wired up and the gauges look really cool . Next we need to make braces for the stereo head unit and get it wired and rockin! Can't wait to hear it cranked up to a little Johnny Winter, Still Alive and Well !!! Hell yeah ! The plans include building a console between the pro car buckets and paint it gloss black ! That 'll be a first for me it will be a challenge to try and make it not look to home made or goofy . We keep getting closer to the finish line. With the trunk area completed and wired up next the glass needs to be installed then start tying up all the little loose ends and run it some to check out the engine and set up the tune up !

Little added fluff for the nova

2010-03-17T11:42:00.005-05:00

Got a good start in the trunk area making covers for the battery and wheel well areas. The battery side will have two separate pieces , one for the battery and one for the stereo amp mount. Both of these were made by building a frame work and stretching tee shirt material over it then fiber glassing the shirt much the same way speaker enclosures are made.After that drys more glass and mat are added then a little bondo to smooth it out. It really did not have to be to smooth because we intend to carpet it all. On the drivers side Mike is building a cover with a small storage unit in it that will be carpeted as well. Then the fun of wiring up the stereo begins !

the ole 55 gets some attention

2010-02-27T12:16:00.005-06:00

Well we got a bit more work done on Albert's truck, and its been a while since we last gave it some love ! Our attentions were first aimed at the one piece front cap, the hinges were welded on and then the cap was stiffened by the addition of some wooden bracing that were fiber glassed in using mat and resin first , to be followed by woven glass cloth. While I toiled away at the glass ,Big Al hit it hard fabricating the power brake booster and master clyinder mounts , this was a bi #%@*&!!!! but as usual Albert completed his task ! it worked out nice too. The cab mount had to be cut and sectioned for the unit to fit into and a sheet metal brace was fabed to be welded to the frame , that Albert is a stinkin genius ! The steering column saw a little action too, all the measurements for the shaft and joints were made after the rack was installed .All we need now are a few more borgison joints and a support stand.

The front cap was remounted after the glass dried and metal plates were made to mount electric actuators to it and mounts to the frame measured out and viola , we now have a magic front cap that opens and closes at the touch of a button ...Man it is soooo cool ! And to top off our weekend a little POR -15 was smeared inside the cab of the truck , all this thanks to Curtis (da main) , Mike( my mustache is bigger than yours )Albert and Willie , we had a good time !

1936 Fordson Sedan delivery

2009-12-24T19:15:00.004-06:00

These are a few shots of my English Fordson sedan delivery , it is quite an unusual car it was registered in London in 1936 to a plumbing company, Although used as a commercial vehicle it is tiny by today's standards due in part to the fact English roads were so small .Fordson was attempt by Ford motor company to build cars in England they partnered with a tractor builder from England and used a 8 hp. motor ! Its really cool and very rare, I have been told by a English car club they feel like it may be the only sedan delivery in America .Sadly I may have to sell this bit of history, anyone know Jay Leno ?I think he.d be a great owner for this car!

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!

2009-12-24T19:09:00.002-06:00

We wish you all happy holidays and may the Lord bless your familys with peace , love and prosperity in the new year !

The nova bruiser is awakened

2009-12-03T10:56:00.005-06:00

Well thanks to Albert and Mike we've made a little progress on the Nova .The front cap is now installed including the grill and bumpers that took a little massaging to fit well. Got quite a lot of the wiring done too , and we got to hear it fire up for a short while but it was getting late !None of us realized it was 11:30 when we finally cranked it off with open headders and let it rip while we tried to adjust all those little things!,...Well we were soon to find out quickly that the time was late cause we woke up my mom who was rattled out of bed by the old rumbler!We all had a good laugh bout that!The big block sounded good and I was happy to smell a little smoke !We might have a small issue with the steering column ,it was a column shift and I ground off the shift lever and filled the subsequent hole but it seems to have a lot of slop in the action of the switch , even with a new switch.I'll take it back apart and give it a once over !

Happy birthday Betty

2009-12-03T10:44:00.002-06:00

Happy b-day to Mom! Funny , but i thought she was 39 not 79, my how time flys when your having fun ! Betty has spread a lot of joy in her life as a Mother, wife ,den mother, sunday school teacher, co-worker! Always a person that was willing to help others with out question, and do more than her share too!I want to thank her for all she has done for me and our family, as well as my friends too! We all love ya !!!!!!!!!!

Memphis Rodders Reunion

2009-11-20T14:35:00.004-06:00

Glenn Martin and his son ,Chris took me to the rodders reunion in Memphis .It is a gathering of folks who have raced , hot rodded ,or who like a good time . Dinner is served and the proceeds go to the Shriner's burn center , such a great cause and the camaraderie was nice too. This year the honoree was Hooker Hood ole 99 ,"The Tennessee Tornado ". A cool multi media show presented his career and he was interviewed by several folks close to the racing operation.

Exhibits of photos were at a couple of tables and slide shows were randomly being shown of old cars and drag racing as well as dirt car stuff . Money had been raised by the Classic Chevy club and the Memphis Street rodders to give to the burn center as well ,it was a special evening and so cool to see all these people helping others as well as recognizing the accomplishments of a great racer. Hooker raced for many years and thousands of people enjoyed watching him tear up the dirt tracks across the south , heck he raced well into his 70's !!We also got a treat by being able to sit at the same table with Jeff Swindell the current points champion in the World of Outlaws, what a class act !!

Another guitar

2009-11-12T16:22:00.004-06:00

The pics that follow are a Gibson copy that I painted for a friend. the paints are all House of Kolor and the flames are gold leaf with green kandy over them , the dragon on the back was kind of a after thought but it turned out well .Sorry for the pic quality it was shot while the clear was real wet and looked a little funky !

kennys 55 pro street

2009-11-05T12:25:00.005-06:00

Well as promised here are a few pics of the pro street 55 in Kenny's garage . we started this a while back and it has been in storage a year or more because of various reasons. Hope to work on it this winter and finish mounting the body and build motor mounts and plate.Its a bit far off to project a paint color yet. It will probably have an aluminium floor and tubs and a big block .I really think a stroked out 460 FORD would be nice !Kenny will have a heart attack when he reads that he's more of a brand x guy!

big time go cart racer

2009-11-04T12:30:00.004-06:00

Jill was the big winner at the indoor go cart racing this week at the incredible pizza ,we feel now that it will only be just a matter of time before some Nascar team gives her a call. We are going to call her Miss Talladigga !!Hey she always had great reaction times when we drag raced so hopefully they will call soon !

The Recipe

2009-10-31T22:52:00.003-05:00

Well we did it again , got a lot of hot sauce cooked up and appeased the pepper gods ! This was a very odd year because we were missing some very key elements!!! , Richard Sealey, Bill "Waysack"Snider and Bill" The Grand" Diehl ,all three past away this year and it's been tough on the families and friends. Lucky for us all three were looking down on upon us to guide us through the rough spots ! We are sorely gonna miss our dearly departed brothers in the Peppers !!We made about 87 gallons and its good stuff too !

wheel spacing

2009-10-31T22:03:00.005-05:00

We had a bit of an issue with wheel and tire clearance on the rear. Part of this might be miscommunication with Mike and I or just the fact Mike loves to buy the shiny stuff !! Ha, Ha ! That aside we needed more room for the tire clearance, and with the car now painted this was a problem. Enter the Eastwood tool Company, they have some cool stuff and we purchased a tool to stretch the fender wells slowly. It worked , it was a bit of a learning curve and we felt like it could have some more adjustments and that was because we were learning the tool. Any way it worked well and the problem is much better now, so lets try and "get er done ."

The next little detail was to get a drive shaft made up , we turned to Fleet Pride in Memphis ,they handle truck parts ,U-Joints and stuff like dat! The machinist Jeff was a very knowledgeable guy who helped us decide on which options would be best for the power the Nova was gonna make , and Bing-o the next day we had a nice shiny drive shaft! P.S hey Mike where'd ya get those Chinese eyes?

Amsoil at Sema

2009-10-06T18:42:00.003-05:00

Many of you are aware that for several years I've been a Amsoil dealer .I started out to be able to just buy the products at a reduced rate and slowly began treating it like a small business ,and while it often is not the focus of all my attentions it is always available to me. These products are the very best quality and have proved themselves superior in tons of independant test . this year Amsoil will agian be at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. Sema ( specialty equiptment manufactures association ) is a huge show the exposes all the cool things in the automotive related feilds.Check out this link to Amsoils sight to learn more about SEMA !http://amsoilupdate.blogspot.com/2009/09/anticipation-building-for-sema-2009.html And hopefully if you are interested in Amsoil prouducts or might want to become a dealer contact me ! Thanks Willie

taking a break

2009-10-02T13:43:00.007-05:00

Well it's been a while since I last posted , took a bit of a break . Mike and I decided to go fishing which we used to do with a little bit more regularity. This was a special trip it was Mikes bacholor party !,no not the wild party ya'll have in mind just two friends enjoying all nature has to offer and talking about the past and future .It sure was nice !,and at the same time a little weird ,the first time to stay at Mom and Dad's cabin since his death.

The weather was great as was the company, but the fish catching lacked a bit of luster! As usual Mr.Helton gave me a bit of schooling, on the fine art of fishing !!! I am known as a fisherman , Helton on the other hand is a catcher !!

We saw a couple of bad boats one smll block powered V-Drive flat bottom that showed off for us with perhaps a couple of 70 mph. plus runs, he said it would do 90mph. but that remains to be proven!!!Two other fountain boats one i took a pic of was a beautiful multi colored twin big block, that was awesome! Anyway congrats Mike and Sindy hope life is sweet for you both !!

interior upgrades

2009-08-30T17:29:00.006-05:00

Mike and I have been hard at it with the little time we have to work on the beast! This week we got the trunk finished up along with the package tray area and the back seat too.The door panels are almost in ,and the side glass and door rubbers have been completed .Next the carpet and wire it all up .

AJ'S JAK'ED UP PICKLES

2009-08-24T21:19:00.005-05:00

Joey Kelly has some mean pickles he makes !, if you've never had any, you should try them.He makes a hot version as well as mild ,both are sure to please!

Joey also has a catering service that specializes in great catfish and all the fixings. He'd be glad to give you an estimate to serve any party,corporate event ,wedding or shindig that you may have a need for his delicious fish ! So call chef Joey at 901-569-1992.

Hub Garage flicks

2009-08-23T21:03:00.002-05:00

check out the cool videos on Hub Garage they got some neat ones from NSRA in louisville !http://www.hubgarage.com/hubtv/channels/17/videos/334

Great Party

2009-08-23T16:50:00.005-05:00

Jill and I attended a real nice party in Eads Tn. at a beautiful home there was barbeque with all the fixins. keg beer and drinks.The Mid-South Mustang club had a show on the grounds with probably 20 cars in attendance, they had completed a poker run earlier in the day.There were some really nice Mustangs and cool people , one of which was Russ Hurley with his nice red convertible . It's a 88' with only 55,000 on the odometer, really well kept ,Russ has not had the ride long but he and his wife were enjoying the cool weather with the top down ! The "ON The Move " band really put on a good show !,and had a few dancers that shook it down ! OTM played a great mix of hit songs, all the members are very talented , hey they're for hire for all types of events . Alan Fulbright is a neighbor of our host and he was impressed with the band also.It doesnt get much better a nice cool night , good friends ,cool cars free beer and fantastic music . thanks to all !

More shiney stuff

2009-08-19T22:03:00.007-05:00

Here's a little look at the new chrome master cylinder and brake lines and the new braided stainless lines with "AN" fittings from Godman racing. The wheels are polished tork thrust from American Racing wheels ,pretty nice ,huh ! Mike has been wiring up the trunk area and the carpet for it should be finished soon ,well let's get busy !!

HUBGARAGE.COM

2009-08-17T14:28:00.003-05:00

Hey all ! when i met Charlie Hutton at the Louisville N.S.R.A nationals he turned me on to the Hub Garage, I describe it as a Face book for car guys.You set up your own garage which is your home page , and you invite and accept buddies that you can ask questions of and learn from !If your interested check it out at www.hubgarage.com/mygarage/willie56 .There are some really cool cats from all over the nation on the web !

some of the softer things

2009-08-17T14:15:00.006-05:00

Had a little visit from the head liner fairy recently ! Mr. Ernie Drake owner of Pleasant View Auto Upholstery was kind enough to come to the shop and install the headliner, he does good work on all types of cars, carpet ,seats convertible tops etc. Check him out if you need good service, at 901-388-1599 , nice man .I also had installed jute mat in the trunk area and had cut carpet for the trunk and Ernie is binding the edges for me ,it's gonna look sharp !next stop interior shop and windows .

KENNY GAINES

2009-08-09T18:20:00.005-05:00

Top local racer , Kenny Gaines of 2 Bobs racing, graces our presence checking out the Nova. We work well together and have hoped to do more projects in the future . Kenny has 2 projects of his own ,both 55 Chevys the first a tube chasssis pro street that we put together and have yet to mount the body to .The second a street type driver with a 6 banger dont get me wrong both will be nice ! We'll get a look at these soon !

Nsra in louisville

2009-08-09T16:17:00.010-05:00

Man it was cool ! we were wore out and probably did not see but a third of the cars . We walked for miles it seemed like and then rode the shuttle around to get a scope of the size of the place,. Then went into the many buildings where the vendors set up .Chip Foose was signing autographs for Mothers Polishes, and had such a long line , I could not stand there and be able to see more in the one day we had ! But I did get to meet one of my hero's , Charley hutton the painter /body man from the Boyd Coddington shop. Man this guy is so cool , nice , and approachable ,He was very open about his process and his product preferences , PPG and Iwata guns cannot express how nice he was, and he now has his own shop !, would love to have a Charley ride !!I'll post a few pics !

STREET ROD NATS.

2009-08-03T17:03:00.005-05:00

Jill and I are going to make a world wind tour to the NSRA street rod nationals in Louisville .This is a very nice event with thousands of pre 1948 cars of all types .There will be tons of vendors and a huge swap meet.Normally the vendors put on tech seminars that are really cool, and I've seen a few celebrity's attending too!The NSRA also has neat give aways for registered members ,so check it out !

squirtin some blue

2009-07-29T00:48:00.007-05:00

Well we finally got the House of Kolor ,Oriental Blue shot and it looks tuff ! Took a long day of work to get it all squirted but the effort paid off.This will be a very visually striking car,and we all have put in a ton of work on it , but as the home stretch is in site we can't let up ,just gotta finish!I did have some issues with the paint ,most of which was human error, and some dealt with not having just the perfect place to work!

To date we have assembled most of the rear of the car,bumpers ,lights ,trunk and quarter glass.This week I'll polish most of the car and do the door rubber and the the ominous task of wiring her up,and finishing the air con and dash

stripes,embelishments, or what ever !

2009-07-28T18:21:00.000-05:00

Got the stripes, laid out and sprayed. I used a silver base and scuffed it up with steel wool and scotch bright pads to give it a roughed up aluminum look.Then i added some kandy blue streaks and some transparent black shading just to give it some volume.I think this looked a little bit better than just plain silver stripes separating the two colors , it added interest and a custom touch. We will decide if it needs pinstripping after the blue is done and cleared.

Insulating the Nova

2009-07-28T11:26:00.002-05:00

A little bit of insulating is now the job at hand .We are using a product that is used in the airconditioning industry to insulate ducts . The big boy Albert found it and it works great looks like Dyna mat . It has a sticky backing and a foil side to help sound and temp .We use two layers and it really quites it down .Also you'll notice the battery in the trunk and the NOS bottle for a little more umph !He'll need it for all those hungry Mustangs that will want a piece of him. After the paint is on we will paint the inside of the trunk and carpet it also.

Metal Mike

2009-06-13T16:37:00.005-05:00

Mike "Metal"Marek ,owner of Auto Ac Hose Repair did an outstanding job of helping with the air -conditioning install .Mike has all the equipment to form hard lines as well as making up the high pressure hoses , and his service is mobile which makes it super handy.I really admire his work and eye for what will be ascetically pleasing to the eye so the job looks really well planed out .Mike does plenty of custom work as well as just making hoses for every day cars so give him a call for your needs @901-542-0509.While we had him in the shop ,Helton opted to have the heater hoses made by Mike also and they were then polished and threaded to the nice billet bulk head fitting in the firewall, below that is the cool looking billet areomotive fuel regulator to keep the fuel pressure right .

Smart flix

2009-05-19T11:15:00.005-05:00

I've been looking at the great selection of instructional dvds at Smart Flix. They have a bunch of how to custom painting dvds, but are not limited to just auto stuff. I've rented fiberglass, and welding stuff. Also they were prompt and the quality has been good. Here's a link for the paint stuff, check it out...Painting.

Dash board

2009-05-19T09:55:00.008-05:00

Mike got the dash and gauges all wired up nice and neat. He used a super good looking bezel that is carbon fiber and white faced gauges to set it off. Now all we need to do is find the time to re wire the whole car with the 21 circuit Ez-wire harness ,it will replace the 30 year old harness so Mike can drive another 30 years with out problems . Yeah right... it's a Chevy hopefully it'll make it a year or two .This will all look great with the freshly painted dash and the new dash pad.Just throw in some fancy interior work and we got a hot rod!

F-100 Nationals in Knoxville

2009-05-18T21:35:00.006-05:00

Well we made a whirl wind tour of the all FORD F-100 Nats. on Saturday May 16th . Tommy Donald and I spent Friday night with the Krueger family and we all left at 6 am to drive 3 plus hours to Chillowee park in Knoxville.The weather was terrible ,raining hard and windy but we pressed on wondering if we were doing the right thing.The weather broke up as we arrived at the show , although it was some what cloudy and humid most of the day. The show was nice although we all felt the number of trucks was way down ,as well as the vendors in participation.I was excited to talk to the "Fat Man "himself , of FAT MAN chassis company.HE was very accessible and more than willing to help and answer any questions I really hope to do business with him soon .The 66Mustang convertible is really needing a updated front end....bring money $$$!I feel like the saddened economy was the cause for less participants , but I'm not taking part in the recession feeling that if i ignore it maybe it will go away!Albert and his son bought parts for some of their new projects and we all dreamed a bit , man there were some sweet rides there !

up coming events

2009-04-18T21:17:00.008-05:00

Hope to go to Super Chevy here in Memphis, although being a FORD guy I really don't see anything really Super about it !But its good to see what the comps up to! Just ragging you poor old orange motored guys, there will be plenty of bad boys out there.

Other shows I hope to attend this year would be the NSRA STREET ROD NATS. in Louisville Ky.,the Bowling Green Ky. drag races featuring the Hot Rod Reunion and the Cackle fest !I hate it but will miss the 45Th Mustang celebration at Barber Motorsports in Birmingham , if anyone attends it please tell me about it !Then lastly hope to see Nhra Nationals in Memphis Motor sports park and the Nmca races there also , heck hope to see ya'll too! bye me a beer !!!

fuel system upgrades

2009-04-07T18:47:00.007-05:00

Well we anticipate the big ole 427 might need a lot of high test fuel, so the new fuel tank had a sump welded in and braided lines are run to the filter and pump. The 1/2 inch aluminum fuel lines run up to a 4 port regulator and then on to the very hungry 850 Demon carb ,all this octane is pushed by the 220 gph. fuel pump. This is all in symphony with a big shot of NOS ...just in case!!! I'm not gonna tell how much NOS hit was installed maybe you'll know after he smokes ya on the street! Mike will be spending a lot of time at the tire store buying back tires, maybe he can buy them in bulk !

bling bling for the big block thing!

2009-04-03T20:20:00.006-05:00

Some really nice parts have recently been acquired for the 427 . You just can't hide money ! ,thats what Albert tells Mike constantly .Billet March serpetine pulleys and brackets support the chrome alternator and power steering pump . Wow they look great ! The chrome small Sanden A/C compressor will fit nicely too . Once we have big Mike "Metal " Marek ,who owns Auto Ac Hose Repair ,build us some really cool hoses and hard lines for the A/C system, we will get it all charged up." Metal "Mike does really great work making up special custom hoses for A/C systems . His truck is outfitted with crimping tools and tubing benders and he is mobile so he goes to the job site .More on Mike's business later .

Albert is always thinking of ways to make the mighty Nova project better .We both felt the addition of a Ford emblem on the valve covers , as a joke ,could not be passed up .Albert taped the emblem on the valve cover and awaited the owner's disgust.

lil playing with words

2009-04-03T20:01:00.005-05:00

Mikes Nova is a true SS ! , and it's a rat motored SS ! , so using a bit of artistic license i decided it really was a ....RATS aSS !! The glove box seemed like a great spot to declare this truth , so Mike and passenger could not forget this little factoid !!

Little Color on the Nova

2009-03-14T11:26:00.009-05:00

Well got a little color squirted on the nova, started with HOK black sealer and then black base coat and followed that up with 3 coats of Uc-35 clear from HOK. By the way the title of this article may be misleading ,is black a color or is it a shade ?Oh well i digress.Also been playing with different effects to use on the silver stripes that will separate the black from the candy blue, may use the brushed aluminum look with a little blue candy misted over it .Just want something different to make it not look like a plain silver stripe.Gotta settle on something soon and get busy ,spring is here and Mike's already talking about the Hot Rod Power Tour !
Seems like there never enough time ,still got to finish insulating the car and build a console and wire it all up! if i did not have to sleep and work at the stupid airline job i might finish !!

Smart Flix

2009-03-04T22:17:00.012-06:00

Hey guys I found a cool site for you to check out - SmartFlix.com How-To DVDs rentals .These are not entertainment videos , they are educational such as; welding , painting, and metal working. All the neat stuff we hobbyist can use to improve our projects. The subjects aren't limited to automotive, there are hundreds of different tittles. Please go see what it's all about and pick up a little "smarts"!

Going Green

2009-03-02T14:01:00.003-06:00

Hey all, I've been playing around trying to learn about Internet marketing and thought the first product might be about a topic that relates to a buzz word we all hear a lot about these days, Going Green .While it may not be related to hot rodding ,rational people these days will see the need to conserve energy and hot rodders are always looking for cool projects , and ways to soup stuff up !This fits that slot, it allows the user an opportunity to become less energy dependant by building their own solar panels to generate electricity,which in turn will pay them back in energy savings ! A great way to build something that's high performance and practical ,so check it out at...... greenenergysolarpower.com

2009-02-26T19:57:00.005-06:00

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

2009-02-20T10:35:00.005-06:00

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

2009-02-20T10:09:00.007-06:00

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

2009-02-20T09:41:00.005-06:00

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

2009-02-05T08:42:00.002-06:00

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!!!

2009-02-04T22:09:00.005-06:00

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 ?

2009-02-04T21:49:00.004-06:00

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

2009-02-04T21:34:00.002-06:00

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

2009-02-04T21:05:00.006-06:00

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

2009-02-04T19:52:00.005-06:00

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

2009-02-04T16:43:00.006-06:00

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!!

2009-01-08T21:07:00.015-06:00

This guitar was done for a good friends son .Brad said his son was wanting to fix up this axe a bit and suggested perhaps some sort of eagle ,well i could not just stop there and added some flame design also.The orion silver base has black art work over it and the chanti candy was shot over that.Heck i liked it with out the candy,but it did give a cool effect

little art work

2009-01-08T19:43:00.007-06:00

These hoods were done for Central Church in Collierville, they have made their youth room to look like an old garage and wanted some hot rod art to hang up on the walls.Mrs. Anne Clay was nice enough to allow me free reign on design except they wanted "252" on one that reflects a bible verse that happens to be the theme of the class.I enjoyed the design work and process throughout.The blue hood was completely covered in water drop effects and featured triabal flames /scallops and gold leaf crosses.The black hood has silver flames with streaks of different candy colors on them as well as shadeing.I hope to find time to do more for them !

happy new year to all !

2009-01-08T19:27:00.005-06:00

Well we took a little time off to celebrate with family and friends,but now we're gonna hit it hard!Hot rod air has been taking their sweet time getting all the parts to us for the air and heat system ,This week we have mounted the heater box and are putting the hose block on the fire wall, its a nice billet piece that's going to look great surrounded by HOK oriental blue .I got a test panel shot for Mike to approve the colors and design for the stripes,hope he likes it!

Mike has been trudging away at the big block and will soon have it all buttoned up,then we will slip it between the fenders. Not to say there have not been a few stumbling blocks along the way,getting the right parts have been a big problem,and the second is keeping Albert out of the bottle, just kidding !!

Albert's Jeep (lite)

2008-11-19T09:20:00.005-06:00

Well proving that guys can't leave well enough alone, Albert has decided to redo his jeep project and make it ....( Green! )so he's getting rid of the V-8 and is powering it with air !! Something he is full of ,hot air !This baby is really light, now it just floats through the mud.

installing the front cap

2008-11-12T19:46:00.006-06:00

Here we go installing the fenders and hood for its trail fitment .It seems as if these parts have a mind of their own one side fits well but the other is jinxed !these parts often times have to be removed and installed several times to make it all correct and make the gaps on the doors and hood appear right!The L-88 hood is a steel one that will really make the nova bad ass!!Once all the ftting is done we'll blow it all apart and then i'll paint the fire wall so we can install that beasty 427!

nova undercarraige and assembly

2008-11-12T19:04:00.007-06:00

Well lets get back two the big Nova Ive, finally got the front sub frame and under carriage painted with POR-15 and their chassis black product.It is a nice satin black, similar to the factory look.I got all the new ball joints and control bushings installed and painted,and got all new brake parts.Mike and I installed all of these and it looks sharp! The big boy also sprung for the good Russell stainless steel flexible brake lines a really nice touch , no more spongy rubber lines! The rear mono leaf springs were re-arched and new big block coil springs , so the pig will ride nicely.Mike decided to get rid of the 10 bolt rear axle in favor of a 12 bolt with a nice posi -unit and he just had to have nice shiney c clip eliminators to help make it safer when applying gobs -o-torque .Now some new shocks to round out the whole picture and soon we will have a roller again !In between all of this mike has been trying to insulate the trunk floor with a rubber foil backed material .

Drag racing @ Memphis Motorsports

2008-10-10T11:33:00.003-05:00

A cool time was had by all at the NMCA races in memphis ,we saw some Bad boys and Gals ! The event draws cars from all over the country ,its really good for this area and the track.Memphis Motorsports just recently hosted the national NHRA event so the track was in good shape.Muscle cars of all kinds dominate this show and although speed is the issue here, most cars could compete on the show circut too .Watching all this racing gives me the itch !,maybe i can con Jill into giving me a ton of cash to step up the program and put the "PONY" back on the track.My hats off to all the participants here cause i know they spend a lot dough to have their fun!!

Mike's 427

2008-10-09T21:32:00.006-05:00

Well its about time the lil Nova got a bit of motavation,the transmission a turbo 400 was built by Bobby and has been awaiting a meeting with the big block! This motor is reciving a lot of nice goodies such as a BIG...BIG..cam w/roller lifters, roller rockers, forged pistons and Arp bolts to tighten it all up.A nice big Moroso oil pan will hold a bunch of Amsoil to slick it all up, Mike got all of his oil and atf from his friendly neighborhood Amsoil man ...ME! And you can too !e-mail me through this blog .All the machine work is done and now it just awaits the attention of its builder!

Custom Engine Service

2008-10-09T21:02:00.005-05:00

Just a brief shout out to my ole bud Glenn Martin owner /operator of Custom Engine service in Dry Ridge Ky.Glenn and crew build fine motors for most any calling ,street rods, drag cars ,mud boggers , truck pulling you name it he's built it! Chevys ,FORDS,Chrysler it don't matter ,from mild to wild just build em right !!Custom Engines has a great reputation for quality and customer satisfaction, so think about them for your next project or rebuild!!Hey they have a bunch of core motors ,cranks,heads to build up or sell as is,and most of the time he has several motors built for sale ,or can custom build one for ya! Glenn also has quite a nice little speed shop set up for all those little goodies like cams , intakes ,etc,and he sells stuff on Craigs list also.Glenn introduced me to Amsoil many years ago and he also sells a bunch of it, ....but most people would rather buy it from me!! ha ha ! Give Custom Engines a call @ 859-824-9727 .....Thanks