Hot rods and pinups are like peas and carrots, so I’m starting a new feature at MyRideisMe.com called Pinup of the month.  I’m lucky to have the lovely Kim Falcon as our first for the month of August.

In Kim’s own words and from her website kimfalcon.com

“I Love music. Pin-up modeling, Photography, ROCK-N-ROLL!! Vegetarian food!!, Driving around town in the 64 Cadillac Hearse listening to the Misfits, My children! Love Rockabilly!!!! Love Tiger Army! Absolutely obsessed with roses!!!! I love to travel the world.”

What she doesn’t say (pure modesty, I guess) is that she’s super cool and all over the place in the world of pinup modeling.  She was mentioned as #6 amoung modern pinups by a cool site I just found called Askmen.com.  Here’s a link: Top Pinups; that list includes all my favorites like Zoe Scarlett, Heidi Van Horn and Dayna Delux.

Even cooler?  She’s also the proud owner of this 1962 Ford Falcon.  A Falcon girl too?  Damn!  Can she get any hotter?  I guess I’m warped or, like I said before, have an extra W chromosome (I dig wagons…) Here’s a link to a blog about some Hot Falcons at MyRideisMe.com.

Do about this photo.  It was shot for Moon Eyes 2005, their Christmas party (I’m guessing) by pinup photographer Mitzi Valenzuela with MUAH (makeup and hair for those of us who don’t do modelling!) by Angela Warrick.

So please enjoy this picture of Kim with this sit’n low custom.  To me, this pic epitomizes pinups.  She’s hot, the car is cool and you wonder if you messed with her if she’d drop that cig and kick your ass.  Bring her home to mom, maybe not… but for dad, he’s slipping you an extra couple bucks for gas money.

Get more Kim Falcon at her myspace page or at her other project Funeral Classics Clothing.

Courtesy of Mitzi Valenzuela MUAH by Angela Warrick

The first-ever SEMA Pinewood Drag Race sponsored by Fellers and DUB Publishing, was held July 25 during the SEMA Installation Banquet and Gala Fundraiser in Irvine, Calif. The benefactors are kids! SEMA combined a fun way to get SEMA members doing something they love, racing, and at the same time, give back to some important charities.

All proceeds from the first SEMA Pinewood Drag Race are to be generously donated to Childhelp, a charity home for abused and at-risk kids (click here to donate); and the Victory Junction Gang, a camp developed by NASCAR racer Kyle Petty for kids with health-care needs (click here to donate).

As you know, Pinewood derby racing has long been a part, for me a critical part of the Cub Scouts. I remember building a car with my dad and racing against what seemed like a million cars… when I was just a kid. We had that car flying with, probably illegal, anti-seize compound used to lubricate my highly modified wheels. Through the first couple rounds, we did great. Then, when it really mattered, a volunteer, trying to help (I think) soaked my wheels in graphite, the normal lube of choice, and created a sticky mess. My car barely made it to the end of the track!

SEMA made it easy to race. Two high-tech tracks were donated from the Light-Truck Accessory Alliance (LTAA), then, SEMA provided the kit needed and all the rules. All you had to do was build it! The kit included a 7-inch racecar and all the pieces needed to put together a complete Pinewood Drag Racer. The three classes of competition called for stock, modified and unlimited or you could say mild (basically no mods) to wild (unlimited mods!) depending on how much you wanted to push the envelope. The track was cooler then any track I had seen! Dig the finish line of this track! We never had a digital timer!

Even cooler? You didn’t even have to attend the Gala Fundraiser to join the fun. You could build up your racer then send it to SEMA and expert “drivers” would send you down the track. You can also get together with the SEMA gang and teams of industry people to build cars with kids from both charities. Another cool way to give back and help out kids in need.

I didn’t make it to the race, but SEMA was kind enough to supply all these pictures and Franco Ganino, the VP or at Alliant Insurance Services Inc. sent over his recap. Thanks Franco!

What a great event supporting these incredible charities. The Specialty Equipment Insurance Alliance car was fueled by the passion and spirit that motivates the SEIA team to serve SEMA members on avoiding risk and saving money on their commercial insurance. Knowing we were up against some of the greatest minds in the industry to compete against we first burned some sage to set the mojo straight on our pine tree which found its fate to become our race car. With the smell of fresh cut pine and the after scent of sage in the garage our imagination was running wild. Like an insurance contract, we read the rules inside and out to ensure Mike and his crew wouldn’t prevent us from being in the big show and weighing in at exactly 6 ounces it was clear that our transam racer was born the perfect weight for flight..On race day we joked about the feeling of jitters similar to what we feel like on a normal race day, but this time it was mixed with a child like exuberance (o/k I have to admit, real cars, toy cars, its the same spirit, regardless of the era the body is in or the car being raced). Having lead our first two heats and setting the track record for the stock class this little fire bird wanted the gold cup to match its golden wings. Unfortunately, hitting the finish line under 4 seconds consecutive times took its toll on our high flyer when striking the make shift sand box at the end of the track (aka: the pillow), forced the rear axle to dislodge from the car. Our excitement turned to nervous energy as our pit crew had no experience with this repair and only a short time before the final race. Cool, and Confident the car was made true and the final race was had and a solid second place was all we could hope for, yet left wondering what could have been done differently. Could we have taken the car to a shaman instead of using a Native American approach toward cleansing the car of its demons. Should we have taken the car to one of our dearest clients in Dan Gurney’s All American Racers to have it tested in their scale wind tunnel where the most famous birds of them all were hatched in the American Eagles or ask one of our other clients Dynatrac to work with our pit crew on tactical axle configurations. In the end we too have to take Ricky Bobby’s words to heart that, “if we ain’t first, we’re last”. Which is enough motivation in itself to pull out the band saw instead of the welder to support SEMA and these great charities and of course act like kids on the outside again, but if for only a day!

Then Margaret Testuccia froma SEMA’s Exhibitor Service Specialist had this to say about their race.

‘With SEMA’s Big Daddy and his Girlz busy working the pits, Lucky Abbi from Victory Junction Gang stepped up to the track and ran ‘Pink’. Abby’s excitement and furious cheers brought the crowd to their feet and our underweight racer into third place, unlimited division.

Look out guys! Big Daddy Tim and the Girlz — Margaret, Karen, Susan, Sol, Nina, Denise ,Cher, Arlene, Helen, Wendy will be back next year !

After the race the two 48-foot racetracks were donated to the two charities, Childhelp and Victory Junction; so the kids (big and small, apparently!) will be able to enjoy them for years to come. The racers were also encourage to donate their cars as well.

All the pictures I have from the race are loaded in the Picture Gallery. Any more? I’d love to hear from more of the racers. Thanks to everyone from SEMA for helping with this story.

Here’s the list of winners. Count on seeing MyRideisMe.com on this list next year!

BlueovalZ's highly modified, Ford Powered 240Z

When I had the 289 CID motor in this car, engine oil temperature was not a problem and at times it ran cool. The installation of the 383 (stroked 351W) changed all of that. Any extended driving or repeated hard acceleration would push the engine oil temperature up to 240º, and sometimes to the end of the gauge at 250º. Water temperature appeared to be stable, and no more than a couple of degrees warmer than with the smaller motor, so it appeared I had to remedy an oil temperature problem.

Some of the options for mounting the cooler were:

1) In front of, or behind the radiator which created problems directing the oil supply hoses to and from the cooler. The design of the car has the engine radiator sealed by body/hood panels to ensure forward motion air pressure is forced through the radiator with minimal losses around it. Attaching the oil cooler to the radiator would require cut or modified body panels, extended lengths of hose, and the general dissatisfaction of having a cooler attached to the radiator through the fins using the typical plastic fasteners. The biggest issue? How effective would the cooler be on a hot radiator, or how much would a hot oil cooler decrease the effectiveness of the radiator to cool the motor with this arrangement?

2) Place the cooler in the front corner of the car, on either side, which would require opening the body panels on the front surfaces of the front end. I did not want to cut into any conspicuous portions of the exterior body panels. This option also required a lot of extra oil hose to and from the cooler. Lastly, the risk of oil cooler damage existed from trash (pebbles, etc) thrown at the cooler from the rotating tires (no wheel well panels) behind the cooler.

Neither of these options had any great appeal, so my final solution was to mount the cooler horizontally, in the base of the radiator intake scoop, under the radiator intake shrouding, immediately under the radiator. (check the drawing)

Oil cooler location shown with radiator

This option allowed a unique solution to many of my concerns. With this solution, a lot of extra hose was eliminated because from this position I could simply unhook the return hose from my remote oil filter, and attach it to the cooler without any hose or fitting modifications. This way, should something happen to the radiator, or it needed to be removed later, I could simply reconnect this hose back to the filter assembly and be done with it. The first photo shows the original (pre-cooler installation) arrangement of the oil hoses going to the remote oil filter. The top hose is the return line back to the engine, which is the hose used to insert the cooler (thank goodness it wasn’t the lower hose). Then, the lower photo shows the post-cooler install hose arrangement. Comparing the two, you can see how I was able to use the top hose, curl it under and attach it onto the cooler without any shortening or adding a new, longer hose. Why is this so important? If I should ever need to remove the cooler, I can simply remove the upper hose off the cooler and reattach it onto the filter assembly just as it was prior to this install.

The original (pre-cooler installation) arrangement of the oil hoses going to the remote oil filter.

The post-cooler install hose arrangement

This solution also provides plenty of fresh air, yet does not require any new openings on the front of the car. To provide plenty of air flow, I cut out a square in the floor of the radiator intake duct to allow the pressure from the forward motion of the car to force the air into the duct and out through the oil cooler. The under side of the body has a slight negative pressure due to the design of the front dam, which will assist air flow from the duct, down through the cooler, and out the bottom of the car. Though this opening will require cutting of a body panel, it will be much less conspicuous than if the opening was on the front of the body. Check out the photos below:

The opening for the radiator (and new oil cooler)

The duct floor, under the car, with outline of the oil cooler location

Once the location of the opening was determineed, I cut and trimmed the opening to match the cooler size and proceeded to mount the cooler.The last concern I had about the location of the cooler was the actual method of mounting. If you’ve ever driven a car with the hood off and watched hoses and wiring move around as the car tansverses bumps and curves, then you’ll immediately recognize that a rigidly mounted part is essential. This location for the cooler allowed me to fabricate a mounting system that will hold up to any challenge. I was able to weld 1/8″ tabs onto the lower core support to hold one side of the cooler (theaded for four 1/4″ bolts, and fabricate an aluminum angle bracket that would bolt onto the steel tube body extenders on the other side of the cooler. Below are photos of the cooler mounting.

The aluminum bracket attached to the cooler, the cut out hole shown from underneath and the entire assembly mounted under the hole.

Since this installation, I’ve driven the car as sustained moderate speeds (70-80 mph) during 101º temperature weather (no telling what the air temperature was just above the pavement), and the max temperature was 209º verses the pre-cooler temperatures of 245º-250º.

I should have called this “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly” as I update everyone on the MyRideisMe.com 1963 Falcon Wagon build. It no doubt I drastically underestimated the work needed to get ready for paint! Also, my plan for the Falcon changed from a quick paint job to, “I might as well do it right” which of course is the right way to go. I’ve made some good progress on the body work even though Arizona’s held 100-plus degrees making it damn hot in the garage. It’ll be another 20 days before it cools down, so waiting’s not an option. Damn! I’m writing about the weather!

Want the good, the bad or the ugly? OK, bad first. Remember the blog when I showed off my skills filling the back-up lights in the tailgate. Please disregard everything I said! I screwed up that tailgate beyond reasonable repair, at least for me. Luckily, I have Mr. Freeze, (my buddy Rob) backing me up with another tailgate on hand (and rust free!). The original tailgate was repaired (another big pile of manure the previous owner didn’t mention) and had some pretty thick filler in it, so it’s just as well. This big pic shows the tailgate after I filled the backup lights and the Falcon trim piece above the window crank. Then, here comes the ugly, somehow it warped so bad, I couldn’t believe it! The filler required to make it straight was unreal! I ground it all off just to show how bad it warped. Those red arrows show the 1/4″ of gap. (click on the picture to see it bigger) Bad times. I decided to punt. I want to know what the heck happened, so for that, I went back to Doug Jerger from Squeeg’s Kustom. I can’t say how lucky I am to have a professional painter like Doug available to help. He’s already been a big help and doesn’t make me feel like a dumbass for asking simple questions. Doug said that when you weld up a hole like the backup lights, the panel will warp no matter how careful you are with heat. The trick is to manage the warp as you go. Not sure how to do that yet, when I figure that out, I’ll pass it on. (Any advice to add? Leave a comment please)

Call me a sellout, but for the next tailgate, I’m keeping the backup lights and I’m gonna use that Falcon trim piece too! [By the way, did you know that wagon's and Ranchero's use the same tailgate? Makes sense, right?] By looking at the new tailgate, you’d say I’m lucky, and I am, but that’s not the original paint, so this piece too had a few hidden treasures. This tailgate became my mission. If I can’t get this thing straight, I better punt on the bodywork all together!

The good: I did it. Here’s some things I learned making this tailgate straight. I wish I had planned better, or you might say, “I wish I knew what the hell I’m doing!” Moving forward, I’ll apply all these lessons to the hood I started on and the rest of the car.

What I learned: Bodywork 101 continued..

Mixing and applying body filler in Arizona’s heat is tough. I even tryed putting the filler into the refrigerator before I start working. Not sure if that’s helping. Maybe. I’m constantly battling - Not enough hardener vs. Kicking too quickly. Alot of that has to do with my filler spreading skill. I’m slow and sloppy. I’ve pretty much decided to mix fairly small batches of filler and apply it several times. It sucks for productivity, but it’s better then throwing away a huge batch of filler cause it’s kicked. Also, once it does start to firm up, quit spreading. It’ll be a mess, believe me! (learned the hard way)

Next, I started out chasing dings and dents in the tailgate. I think this might be an OK way to start, but at some point, as Doug said, you have to apply a thin coat of filler over the entire panel. Otherwise, you make new low spots filling in other dents near spots you already filled. Makes sense now! In these two pictures, you can see the dent filling and then the full cover I did. I also used some guide coat so I knew where the low spots were as I sanded. The goal is no black spots showing low and now bare metal poking through as high. (Actually “high” usually means there’s low near by) You might say there’s alot of filler on there, but not really. It’s on thin and after sanding, it’s almost see through in most places.

Make sure to clean out any trim holes unless you can reach them from the back. Doug told me after spreading to clean out all the holes then drag the spreader around all edges to clean them up too. You want to let the filler go over the sides a little. The tailgate was low right next to the edge, almost all the way around. If you wait until the filler gets hard, you’ll need to sand it off cause I found that trying to break it off will make it chip off where you need it. Bummer.

Finding high or low spots has really been tough for me. I guess some people feel better with their strong hand and some with their off hand. Really? I think I’m learning, but it’s tough. To check a panel, hold your fingers tightly together, then I run my hand across the panel fairly quickly. I also look away from the panel so I’m not distracted by the color variations from several coats of filler. If you feel anything (vague enough?) there’s probably something wrong. This is a pic of the tailgate ready for primer.

Then finally, the order of your work is important. I want to use Squeeg’s primer because it’s does not shrink like other production primers and offers the best rust protection. Looking back, I would have followed this plan: 1) Strip paint (either by sanding or preferably media blasting) down to metal or the original primer. 2) Paint 2-3 coats of Squeeg’s primer, then 3) Do the bodywork on top of the primer - this is another advantage of Squeeg’s primer. But, before I asked Doug, I started doing bodywork. So, I’ll follow this plan: 1) Same as above - strip paint, 2) do bodywork, especially the roughest parts, 3) shoot 4-5 coats of primer. Then, for both plans, that’s all followed by tons of block sanding to get it totally straight.

I better quit here before I start sounding like I know what I’m doing! I do feel like I’m getting better. Last weekend, I spoke many words kids shouldn’t hear and I felt like I’d never get this done. Now, I’m optimistic.

In closing, one more bit of wisdom… Doug Jerger asked me, “So how much time do you have in that tailgate?” I said, “Damn, I don’t know, alot!” He then said, “That’s why a paint job costs so much.” I get it now. To get a perfect paint job like the ones he does, you need high quality people and alot of labor. There’s no shortcuts.

Click HERE: All the Falcon Wagon Project Build Blogs.

Thanks to my current sponsors:

• Heat and sound insulation from Auto Insulation
• A great new steering wheel, a stock one from Cesar at Vintique Inc.
• Doug Jerger and Squeeg’s Kustoms for the Epoxy Primer Filler

More sponsor opportunities available!

…and a trade that rocked the world.Twenty years ago this week, the Edmonton Oilers traded Wayne “The Great One” Gretzky to the LA Kings, marking the day that Hockey stood still. August 9, 1988 is a date that still elicits a response in any Hockey fan, and for good reason. I’ll throw in another date: December 12, 2000, the day that GM announced that they were pulling the plug on Oldsmobile. Two very different events with very different outcomes… yet, they share a few key things in common, and a valuable lesson that a carmaker could have learned from a Hockey player.Consider the impact that Gretzky had on the game (if not a community): 1851 points… 200+ points in each of four seasons… 92 goals in ONE season! (hell, being a Sabres fan, I have to point out that Alexander Mogilny came close once… at 76 goals in the early ’90’s) Take a moment to fathom that, then, consider that his record has stood since being set in the ’81-’82 season. The man’s photo should appear in the dictionary under the word “Hockey”. I could spout off stats here, but you can find those easily enough… Suffice to say, he dominated the game on the ice. Yet, what he did OFF of the ice would forever change the game as well.In 1988, the Great One was traded to the LA Kings.The deal was monstrous to begin with, but the terms were astounding in their own right: The Oilers gave up the league’s reigning superstar for $15 million, three number one draft picks, Krushelnyski, McSorley, and negotiating rights to minor league defensemen, along with LA’s Jimmy Carson (a recent pick who just put up 55 goals).Take a second to drink in that trade.Not only was that big money in ’88, but it broke up a team that had “dynasty” written all over it… If you’re a Hockey fan, then you know all about the Oilers of that era, with Grant Fuhr, Jari Kurri, Mark Messier… Man, I remember collecting cards and stickers of those guys like they were gold (in some cases, they were… Remember the gold foil stickers?). To take Gretzky to LA?! What were they thinking?Granted, number 99 in Los Angeles wasn’t the ticket to a cup victory (or a dynasty) on ice… But what the deal did for the sport itself?! Far-reaching and dynamic are two words that scratch the surface… Barely. Here was an uber-talent, wrapped in a marketing dream. Great personality, incredible with words, and a look that could move product. His assimilation into US pop culture was the stuff of legend. Consider: If, like me, you grew up in the ‘80’s, you knew Gretzky (even if not from Hockey) from ads for Campbell’s, Coke, Ford, American Express, an action figure, hell… the guy even had a Saturday morning cartoon with Bo Jackson and Michael Jordan! (remember “Pro Stars”?) Add to his clout an ambassador status, bringing the game to numerous new fans… A fact to ponder: When Gretzky hit US soil as a player, there were 15 franchises of the NHL in the US. Today, there are 24. Talk about opening a market!Back to Oldsmobile for a spell here… Consider that in 1897, the carmaker was forging ahead, pushing design and technical innovation to create a dynamic new car. It was to become GM’s shining star, the brand that pushed innovation for the corporation. Being GM’s “innovation brand” meant that other carmakers would often study their products, and attempt to mimic them. Not only was Oldsmobile the first mass-produced car (the 1901-1904 Curved Dash), but was the first with an automatic transmission (1940 – the Hydromatic), the first overhead valve V8 (’49 – also leading the way with a hardtop and wrap-around windshield that year!), the first turbocharged engine in an American car (’62!), the first front wheel drive car in America (the ’66 Toronado), and so on… Ponder this: in the 50’s and ‘60’s, makers like Mercedes would buy and dissect Oldsmobiles (and other GM cars) to see what made them tick. At the time, there was truly no substitute for an American car.Oldsmobiles were the choice of the techie crowd… they had the advanced features, and appealed to the more technologically hip consumer. Olds and GM capitalized on this for a bit, but then lost the vision somewhere along the way. Rather than build on a success (see Gretzky above), GM stuttered, and down-graded the brand to compete with foreign cars on their own level. Rather than push the envelope, and allow Oldsmobile to bloom into the leader in technology and design for GM, they pulled funding from the coffers for projects like Saturn, among other things. (don’t get me wrong here— Saturn is a fine make, and having worked for Saturn, I am grateful for the food and shelter my career there provided… just still suffering the “WHY??!!” over pushing Saturn into Oldsmobile territory, and giving the little plastic-clad cars all of the cool advancements) GM dropped the ball, and took what should have been a bright Oldsmobile future, with great new cars that would have rivaled Lexus, BMW and their ilk, and let it slip into the old folks home of the corporation. One notable exception was the Aurora (I have a very soft spot for the first-generation units… Remember the first time you saw the ‘95’s… Man were those cool when new!), which led the way 20in innovation, and sat at the crossroads for a trek back to greatness… yet, sadly, it seems that the higher-ups were too busy looking into overpriced, oversized SUV’s to haul fat-ass suburbanites around the mini malls. By the time that last Alero rolled off the line on April 4, 2004, the fire was definitely gone. The rocket was more of a lawn dart, sadly…Adding insult to injury, GM decided to kill off more jobs and cars with potential to concentrate on… Trucks.At the start of a new environmental awareness, the good General concentrated on big old SUV’s, targeted at vacuous housewives who have no clue how to drive them. Another well thought out plan. Rather than attack the future and hold an upper hand, doing some good for the entire brand, they concentrated on one small niche, which ironically, has become the proverbial Achille’s heel of a car-making giant. Presently, they have no true marquee in brand that does what Olds once could. Who’s to say that Oldsmobile may have been the leverage point for GM in the escalating hybrid wars? I’d like to entertain that notion. Had they stayed on path, who knows? We may have seen George Clooney cruising a Cutlass versus a Prius.Consider the effects of the Gretzky trade, when applied to the Oldsmobile (and subsequent GM) debacle: While Edmonton sacrificed a pillar of their team, they still managed winning seasons and a Cup victory, and gained a fairly stable ground (player-wise, not so much owner-wise) to build on. Bigger than that, Hockey itself won, big time. By allowing a great talent to continue down a road that he himself forged, great things happened all around. Had number 99 stayed in Edmonton, I have no doubts that we’d have seen a number of Oilers Stanley Cup years… it’s a given. Yet, what that trade accomplished for the future of the sport was incredible. Am I suggesting that had GM invested resources into allowing Oldsmobile to progress on the brand’s original course that it may have had a similar effect on the corporation at large? You bet your ass I am.All told, I’ll bet that there will be a moment of silence this week as Edmonton fans and residents recall the day the Great One left the Great White North… and that, at the same time, a few tears will be shed by GM shareholders as they look back on the rocket ride that could have been…Need more insight and opinion? Just want to look at cool pictures and hot rod designs? Head on over to PCK Studio at www.problemchildkustoms.com.

If you have ever been to a large auto swap meet with commercial vendors or flipped through a car catalog that offers automobile collectibles for sale, then you’ve probably seen the art of George Trosley (Troz). Troz started his career the traditional way by attending Hussian School of Commercial Art in Philadelphia, PA. After schooling, he landed several well paying commercial jobs working for various studios. But Troz felt that something was missing in his life. Illustrating commercial products was boring and tedious. Taking a big chance in 1973, he threw it all away to chase his dream of becoming a freelance cartoonist. He soon began drawing for CARtoons magazine where he would later create a couple of the best loved characters of the magazine known as Krass and Bernie. Originally Troz wanted to name them “Crash and Burn” which were the nicknames for his brother and himself growing up. They received the nicknames from all their crazy mini-bike and go-cart stunts.

Being the hard worker that he is, Troz refers to himself as an “art prostitute”; he is not scared to draw anything for anybody. His work has appeared in a variety of magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post, Saturday Review, National Enquirer, and New Woman. But he is best known for his car related cartoons in magazines like Car Craft and Street Trucks plus his regular cartoon appearances in Hustler magazine. Because, as Troz says, “Girls and Cars. What else is there?” Troz has branched out from magazines now and you can find his art on everything from t-shirts to signs. You can even get old Krass and Bernie cartoons and How to Draw CARtoon Cars on CD. One of the things I really love about Troz is he will also create a cartoon of your ride any way you want it and for a reasonable price. He has drawn several for me already and each one is better than the last! Be sure to visit his website (http://www.georgetrosley.com) for information on all his great stuff.

But Troz doesn’t just draw cars, he drives them. His current ride is a ’39 Ford Sedan. It is powered by a 400 Chevy Small block pushing an automatic transmission and a 9” Ford rear. Up front is a Mustang II front suspension setup. Topping it off with a killer Alpine sound system makes this car a real cruiser.

Want to hear George Trosley tell many of his humorous stories about starting out? Check out the 7/13/2008 podcast from “The Mighty Sabo … and Son!” on Talk Shoe.

Written by Bubba Harmon (bubbastoybox).

Photos and artwork provided by George Trosley and used with permission.

It’s a long haul from Arizona, but I wanted to tell you about a great cause, a great man and what looks like a really fun event. It’s the Iowa SuperCruise & SuperShow’n Shine in Des Moines benefiting those suffering from spinal injuries, disease, and paralysis in coordination with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation (CDRF). Joe Kelly, the organizer and chief promoter, contacted me to see if I’d help spread the word. Of course I will, this is what hot rodding’s all about!

For the past ten years Joe has suffered and survived the crippling pain associated with spinal injury, disease, and permanent nerve damage. So it’s no wonder he’s got his heart and soul behind this show. He credits his beautiful wife and three wonderful children for his strength to continue when his own pain, at times, leaves him unable to care for himself. I’m inspired by his courage. It’d be easy for any of us to give up to the pain, but not Joe.

Held August 30th, the Iowa SuperCruise & SuperShow’n Shine is an all-day event consisting of a cruise around metro and the surrounding suburbs of Des Moines, Iowa. The cruise is open to Hot Rods, Choppers, Custom, Antique, Exotic, Import, Original, Street, Rat Rod, Tuner, Low Rider, Roadster, Monster Truck, Lead Sled, Bagger, Bobber, Softail, Rigid, Cruiser, Auto, Truck, Motorcycle, or any custom vehicle. I think that’s everything on wheels, right?! The owner/driver gathers sponsors who will donate $1 for each mile driven in the SuperCruise. It’s like a walk-a-thon on wheels!

Utilizing the interstate highways 35/80 and the by-pass highways of 65/69 and 5, participants will then circle the entire metro and surrounding suburbs of Des Moines exiting only at predetermined stops at fundraisers and mini-shows held by local businesses. At these events, the cars will be on display and show attendees will be join in and learn about the CDRF.

The show will start at Kelly Insurance Agency, chief sponsor and Joe’s business. From there, you’ll have fun at: Plaza Lanes Family Sports Complex / Trophy’s Bar & Grill / Volley’s Sand Volleyball Center/Johnston Station. Kelly’s Business is the starting point on the route of the SuperCruise while Plaza Lanes will hosts the SuperShow’n Shine where all vehicles will be eligible for trophies, including a best in show.

The funds raised from this event will go to support our nearest spine center the Twin Cities Spine Center at Abbott Northwestern Hospitals in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Joe Kelly Spinal Surgery Foundation, as well as several Pain Control Centers across the Midwest with concentration on contributions to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation (CDRF).

Joe’s looking for help in contributing to all of these worth causes. You can get involved in a variety of ways: We are seeking the donation of parts and accessories for the build of our 1950 Chevrolet Custom 2 door Sedan we have named The “Go Forward” 50 named after the “Go Forward” slogan of the CDRF. Utilizing the color scheme of the CDRF Logo we hope to design a lead sled styled custom. Any donation of parts and accessories to this project would be greatly appreciated and all parts sponsors will be listed in all advertising and promotional materials when we tour the country with this Super Custom! Your support and assistance in any form is greatly appreciated.

To get involved, get in touch with these guys… you’ve already met Joe, shoot him an email here: (Email Joe). You can also contact co-promoter and proprietor of Nutlugs.com a cool website and MyRideisMe.com friend, run by John Shelton: (Email John) I hope to update everyone on the show’s success at the end of August and share some pictures from the event. Thanks for contacting us Joe!

I got in touch with Noddy Watts the man behind “Beach Hop” New Zealand’s #1 Nostalgia festival. I’m saving my pennies (ok, quarters!) to attend this show. He’re what Noddy had to say about it:

“New Zealand is a small country with just 4 million people at the bottom of the South Pacific. Is Hot Rodding known in this island paradise? Hell yeah! One of New Zealand’s biggest Festivals just happens to be the “Beach Hop” - celebration of the 50s & 60s. Over 100,000 people attend the free 5 day event - that is 2.5% of the entire population! A highlight is the 1300+ entered Hot Rods and Classic Cars that take over the town for the week with non stop cruising and car shows - amongst stunning South Pacific coastal scenery - blue seas and white sands. Take a look at www.beachhop.co.nz

Held in the popular seaside holiday resort of Whangamata, the fun never stops with music, kulture, fashion, more music, hot rods, motorbikes, dancing, dragsters, scooters of this golden era. With 100,000 people attending, this is one of the largest events of its kind in the world! Then just to top it off, all proceeds raised are donated to emergency services in the area.

Hundreds of visitors make the 3 hours flight from Australia each year to enjoy the Kiwi hospitality. The organizers want to now encourage visitors from North America to come to one of the most beautiful countries on the planet while being amazed at the thriving car culture down under. Some visitors from the USA told us this year “You can forget every other car show on earth - there is nothing like the Beach Hop!” So the crew have come up with marketing plan for the USA…

Hot August Nights is a “sister” festival so a crew from the Beach Hop will be flying to undertake an exciting challenge. They’ll be arriving at the swapmeet with just their bare hands. 24 hours later they will have built a Hot Rod that they can drive away using parts and tools purchased at Swapmeet. It won’t be a show car and will be traditionally styled. Who knows what they will come up with….. The entire build up will be filmed for a 30 minute documentary on Fox Sports.

Following Hot August Nights the crew will work with a local Hot Rod Shop to get the car ready for a run on the Bonneville Salt Flats during Speed Week. They’re not after a record, just want to experience what it is like to drive a car at the holy grail of land speed racing. Next up, they’re heading for the HAMB Drags at MOKAN for some tire frying action. The Krazy Kiwis will then take the car on a road trip back to California visiting every Car Show they can. The car will then be shipped to New Zealand where it will be auctioned live on the internet at Beach Hop 09 (26-29 March).

So keep an I out for these Kiwis and make sure you say hello - they are a real friendly bunch!

Speed Week for sure. Car number “6942″ - the “Kiwi 24 Hour Hot Rod Challenge”

Look for a follow up to this story as soon as I can get one. Thanks for the lead Noddy and good luck building a car in 24 hours!

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If you haven’t figured out what MyRideisMe.com is about, maybe this story will help. In speaking with Kai, also known as falconizer_62, I found out he’s having a few kids from a local church’s youth group help him with (you guessed it) his 62 Falcon Wagon Project.

Kai’s written a few blogs in his garage. Did you know you can do that? He’s quite the craftsman, or maybe as you’ll see, all the credit goes to the kids! I’ll let Kai tell the whole story, but just so you know where his heart is, I’ll give you a piece:

One of my favorite things about building a car or taking on any project of that size is the community that is created around the construction of it. When you work on a project of this magnitude and with as many high school kids that have stepped foot into the garage, every step along the way and stage of the project has significant and specific memories of conversations and people. Many of you probably do not know, but I have bilateral nerve damage in my arms, and lost the use of both my arms for about five years. During this time, I could do nothing, so I ended up helping my wife with the youth group at our church. What a cool experience to get to know other people’s teenagers :-). Most of them actually listen when they’re not yours. However, it was sad to see so much potential in those kids, and not a whole lot of output.

To read the rest of the story, please CLICK HERE to go to falconizer_62’s garage then click on “My Blog” to read it. Thanks Kai!

Visiting MyRideisMe.com you’ll notice that it’s pretty heavy on Hot Rods. What can I say? That’s what I like most, that’s what I photograph most and hot rod shows are my scene. But… MyRideisMe.com is NOT limited to any one type of car. Not at all. It’s more then a URL, My Ride is Me is the theme of the site. What is it about your car that describes you? It’s always something! You didn’t just HAPPEN to like lifted Jeeps or 1970 Chevelles or 64 Fairlanes. There’s a reason you say, “That’s my ride.”

Case in point for this blog is Lowriders. I dig’m. Would I ever own one? Maybe not, but so what! I can still appreciate them as sweet custom cars that at times have the most intricate paint to be found on any car. Whatever your opinion is, there’s no doubt that the owners of these rides love their cars and they no doubt tell you something about who’s driving them.

I haven’t had a chance to photograph many lowriders, so I turned to my new friend Jae for these shots. He’s an avid poster at flickr and he’s got more shots on his myspace page. But to find out more about him and the photos he takes go to his Wordpress blog at Jaebueno.com. Jae doesn’t just shoot lowriders, although he’s obvious got a great eye for them, he shoots whatever strikes him and does some sweet photoshop work to make the shots really pop! I’m a fan. By checking out other photographers and how frame the car and what they do with colors or custom frames, it’s a great chance to learn. I know I’ve learned alot from looking at Swanee’s pictures.

So to Jae and his buddies and all the low rider owners out there, please stop by and check out MyRideisMe.com. I’d like to know what you think. I’d also like guys in that scene to blog at MyRideisMe.com instead of free bloggers like Wordpress and Blogger. Anyone interested? Please contact me! Leave a comment and I’ll know who you are.

Until then, Jae’s got alot to see for lowrider show coverage:

Scrape on the Lake

Together CC Azusa Car Show

Imperials & Techniques

Then, until we can get some lowriders here, you’ll have to search out Flickr. here’s a couple I found: bob merco & Kid Duece

I hope to see some lowrider members soon. If MyRideisMe.com ain’t your thing, let us know what you’re looking for, maybe I can swing it.