Well I survived my vacation. Mainly went boating and finishing some honey-do jobs around the house. It does sound like you are a busy guy covering all those different types of catagories. Do you personally go to different events or do you sort out the stuff as it is brought in to you. There is a big car show coming up this weekend at the local Arby's. This one usually draws in about 150 cars. Some of the local stuff is really done right as well as some of the real Rat Rides. There are quite a few that come out that the guys have just purchased that are rough,but then next year even if it has only got to the primer stage you can see progress and where it is headed. I saw an idea in a mag. about cutting down a pickup and making a rod out of it. A friend and I are going to try it with an '88 Ranger extended cab. It sounds and looks like it will be a blast,just another project. I should have the Comet done by the end of July so that will leave me with only the '83 Dodge pickup for my son and this project for the winter. That should be enough to do for the 5 month period.  

Welcome back! Did you enjoy your vacation? Im not taking mine til' October. I am going to New York for a week. I cant wait, its the first time I have ever been so it should be exciting. Were gonna go to ground zero, central park and all those fun places. were still trying to get a list together of all the sites we want to see for sure.

Yea i am a pretty busy guy over here, between managing all the sites and all the lil things here and there that come up, it keeps me pretty occupied during the day. I usually go to the local events and evey now and then ill travel to one. Most of the time its the editors that go to the out of state shows or just northern California shows. They usually just send me pics and some stuff to put on the site since i cant be there to do it personally.  

Stocking up on the projects huh? thats a good idea, its like stocking up food for the winter months  

Yeah I like to make sure I have something for my wife & I to do. We both become antsy if all we have to do is sit and watch TV or play crds and such. A project gives us the moving around we like plus I really don't relish the idea of looking for a project vehicle in the winter around here. Although it is neat to ride around after the leaves fall because I can see what may be lerking in odd places in yards , field etc. I have found many on the rural roads and there are still a lot in the places you would not expect if yu just take your time and look.  

Yea its never fun just sitting around or playing cards when you know that there is a good project somewhere that you should be working on! Hows yours sons truck comming along?  

The truck is coming along slow at the moment pulling it apart and documenting the parts is tiring but he's sticking to it(with some help from Dad). We hope to start the real work by next weekend. It is really cool to look out and see him sitting behind the wheel day dreaming of when it is done and running. I have seen him doing it a couple of times but don't say anyhting because I remember doing it to when I was young, OK maybe with the last one I built, but sometimes that's when some of your greatest ideas come out for a cool thing you would not have thopught of other wise. I don't know if you ever did it but try it once and you will see what I mean. Imagining you are driving it brings ideas for something different in the interior disign from your original thopughts as well as stance and so forth.  

I totally know what you mean. It help you think, get the feel for the car and maybe gets you some good ideas. Do you reead any of my other mags? You should check out Custom Classic Trucks and Classic Trucks. I also run the websites for those and it may help you with some ideas.


http://www.classictrucks.com


http://www.customclassictrucks.com  

No I haven't read any of the truck mags, but my son has been after me to byt a couple and see some of the ideas they have. I have noticed that going to the car shows lately that there is becoming a smaller gap in the way each goes about building the vehicles. Truck seemed to almost always be jacked to the clouds with the biggest tires, but know I see more and more being lowered and streeted out with 4 link suspentions and all the other goodies you see on the cars. The big thing at the moment is my son wants to remove 2-3 inches from the roof height. I done it several times but it's been a while. At least a truck is a little simpler than a car. I will check out a couple of those mags and see what ideas they have to offer.  

You should check them out, either on the websites or swing by a place and pick them up. There are all kinds of cool trucks and ideas. I enjoy reading through it when i get a fresh copy on my desk every month, and im not just saying that cuz i work here


I had a lifted truck but i just recently sold it. I loved that truck but the gas was killing me. I can appreciate a lowered truck as well as a lifted one though. I think if you remove 2-3 inches it will look real good. Your son has quite the eye for truck building  

He has really surprised me because the first time I said about doing a truck he asked me if I was nuts. Now since he has got his creative juices flowing he thinks a truck like this one s going to be cool. My Comet is finally ready to prep for paint, going Candy Apple Red with a pearl clear coat. I think it should look good on that body style,I guess I find out in a couple of weeks. I have to find a rear windshield for it though the one that was for it met with an untimely disaster. Somehow I don't think I want to try to glue it back together. I will say this a '63 custom hardtop window is not the easiest thing to find but at least it gives me a good excuse for hitting the swap meets.  

Oh my... what happened to it? How did it meet its demise haha.  

I'm not real sure. I had the car on jack stands up at the front spring purches for the rear leaf springs and came in the next night and the window was one big shattered mess.I could understand if the car was not tied in on the undercarriage to strengthen it, I would have blamed it on body flex. The car is ridged with the frame that was put in it, in fact it has been raced without any flex. Just one of those thing I guess.? Other than that the rest of the project is going good.  

Dang... thats crazy.  Well im glad to hear that the project is going good besides that.

So Where are you from?  

I am from Alliance, Ohio, thats about an hour southeast of Cleveland. I've lived here all my life except for about 2 years I lived in Clearwater, Florida. I missed my family so I moved back. I am a gearhead for good reason, my grandfather and Great Grandfather had one of the 1st car dealerships in this area. They started off with Essex and then went to Hudson while selling Indian motorcycles out of the same place. I keep telling my wife if ever I may need a transfusion tell the doctor my blood type is Valvaline SAE 40. Sometimes she thinks I'm nuts, can't believe she's finally figuring me out.  

Haha, my girlfriend doesn't get me either. Im still pretty young and she thinks its hilarious how i turn my head to look at a bitchin' car rather than turn my head to look at a pretty girl or something. She is starting to point cars out to me now and ask me what they are.. so i think she is getting used to the fact that im a car guy myself. Living here in so cal there are alot of classic driving around. Especially down by the beach where i live. You always see them cruising up and down Pacific Coast Highway  

When I first got married my wife coundn't figure out why I liked to drive the country areas in the winter. Teh leaves are off everything and it is surprising what you can still find out in a field or wooded area. Noe anytime we go someplace she is pointing out an old car if she sees one. In fact just a wwek ago she noticed a '68 Stang coupe behind an old barn, thats her favorite 64 1/2 to '69 Stangs. So we had to stop and see if it was for sale,it was but the guy wants too much for it. It has no motor or trans the interior is toast but the body is straight and not very rusty but I'm cheap and don't want to spend 4 grand for it. If he still has it this spring I'll stop again to see if he rethought the price.