Happy Birthday Butch!!!

Happy Birthday to my oldest pal, Butch!!!  Hope your day is great....



Showing the youngster how to do body work, 1990.



40 Chevy pickup with a FORD 6 cyliner.  Traded for paint work on his 55 Fairlane



Peterson Automotive Museum



This was mine, and later traded to Butch.  He drove it from Santa Maria to Reno.  Used as much oil as it did gas...



Death of a mid 80's Regal..... almost...

I am not sure what it is about crashing cars, but for some reason, I enjoy watching it.  Most of the time it doesn't bother me, as most of what I build, nobody wanted.  That was why I ended up with it...



This is our driver.  She is almost as tall as the car.  And the roof lost and inch when I cut it to put the cage in... (note:  you will see why the trunk lid and quarters are creased in the next photos)



This is the good side

It folded up like a toothpaste tube, that is why it was pre-bent.  Frame rails are still pointed straight out.



It looks so nice in front of the house...

Still some distance between the waterpump and radiator.  It did shear the upper hose off the radiator, but I expected that.  Put it back on and we are back in business.



All in all, it did very well.  I anticipated that something in the drivetrain would give out as I have used everything for a few years.  I guess it has another round in it, as we drove it on the trailer, and I took it to lunch the other day.  The plan is to put another front clip on it, beat the rear around,  and use it next year.  Nobody can say we destroyed a perfectly good car for nothing.  I have showed it more love than the crusher would have...

Mohr's Chevrolet....

Was there a Chevrolet dealer in my family???

Rik Hoving Kustoms: The Jimmy Summers 1940 Mercury part II

Rik Hoving Kustoms: The Jimmy Summers 1940 Mercury part II: "In this second part of the three part story on Jimmy Summers and his 1940 Mercury we are looking a bit more into some other cars Jimmy built..."

Check out Rik Hoving Kustoms Blog...

It is rare that I have nothing to say.  And although this post appears that is the case, you would be wrong..  I have been following Rik's amazing photo collection for many years, and recently he started a blog.  If you are a kustom guy or gal, do yourself a favor and follow his blog.  Money back, if you aren't satisfied....

http://rikhovingkustoms.blogspot.com/2011/07/jimmy-summers-1940-mercury-part-i.html

My idea of a "muscle car"

There are various opinions of what a muscle car is.  Some people think that the mid 60's was the birth a muscle car with the Chevelle, Mustang, Barracuda, and Nova coming into production...  I dis-agree and feel that muscle cars actually started in the late 50's with the 348/409 Impalas, Max-wedge Mopars and 390/406/427 Galaxies...  Here are some "REAL" muscle cars...

My kind of Grocery Getter...

Here is an example of the real deal car.  It has something like 4,500 miles on it, all 1/4 mile at a time..  This car was for sale back in the 90's for about $70,000. 

This looks like Grandpa's Pontiac, but line up against the 421/4speed, and all you will see are tail lights...

Sleeper with a capitol "S"

Fastback Pontiac.....

Another demolition derby done....

Well, another demolition derby is in the books. The powder puff car I put together did pretty well. It was the only car that went out under its own power(and drove back on the trailer), but some how didn't win.... But that is another story... I think it is still good enough to run next year, just needs a left front corner.  The radiator is still a foot away from the motor, and full of water...  After pictures at a later date, it is too dark outside....

You must be at least this tall to ride this ride....

Little people do demo derby...  A new show that will be a hit...



Last minute details....

Due to some last minute preparations for todays events, I have to "phone in" todays blog.  It seems as if no matter how well prepared you are, when you are dealing with junk, small problems arise.  With any luck, my next post will feature photos of a very beat up mid 80's Buick.  In the meantime, you can stare at a beat up 64 Mercury...

Demolition Derby 2009

I have been a fan of the demolition derby since childhood.  My dad and I spent countless Sunday afternoons at the Ventura fairgrounds watching the derby.  Those were the days when pretty much anything goes.  I remember seeing car carriers with 10 or 12 cars lined up on them ready for their turn in the mud.  As I have gotten older, the spectator role has been replaced with participation. And within the last 10 years, putting cars together, mostly for other people.  The thought of my already beat up body enduring countless collisions, just doesn't appeal to me, like it once did.  I really enjoy being able to put thought into something, put it together, and not care whether my welds look good or the panels line up.  With that said, I still fight the urge to over think things.  For instance, today I was final wiring the car for this weekend.  I have all the wiring and trans cooler lines routed perfectly and was about ready to make clamps so everything could be cleanly bolted to the floor.  I had to stop myself, as I was about to spend a couple hours on something that will be cut out less than a week from now...  Here are some photos of a powder puff car I did a couple of years ago...  This car lives on, as I use the same engine, trans, rearend, and cage in every car.  I built another Regal for this year, for a very crazy lady...  If she is heading toward you, get the HELL out of the way....

This is the GOOD side.  Girls seem to obey the DO NOT HIT on the driver side rule.  The passenger side was beat beyond recognition.  Looks good for 2nd place...  If not for a broken trans cooler line, it would have won...

Another Kool Chrysler product....

I have had more cars in my lifetime than I can keep track of..  With that in mind, I have had very few Mopars.  I am not sure why that is, but they sure are growing on me alot.  Makes me wish I had kept that Dodge coupe I had...

Dig that Zephyr front end on a Mopar...

Another Kool Mopar....

I don't know much about this car.  I first saw it at the Primer Nationals a few years ago, but really haven't seen it much since.  I really like the Chrysler front end on this Dodge hardtop...

Shon's 62 Galaxie...

I have always had a soft spot for the odd ball cars.  For years, I have been a fan of 58 Fords.  (I am convinced I will have one some day.)  Another often overlooked Ford, is the 62 Galaxie.  Something about that "box-top" just screams for flake and panels, more so than a fastback or Starliner roof...  Here is my buddy Shon's perfect example of a well executed Galaxie....  It doesn't get much better than this for me...

My lovely wife's Bird and Shon's Galaxie....