Going Down – Basement Best at 2012 Detroit Autorama

2012 Detroit Autorama – Basement’s Best Hot Rods

Bottom floor, everyone out!

In the far corners of the grand Cobo Center convention hall, escalators carried you down… Down to an area where mortgage size dollars were spent on… mortgages! It’s a place where hot rodders and their buddy who could weld hooked up with a dude from work who knew a painter then banded together to make a custom car they could all be proud of. Then Friday night, or Tuesday or whenever they’d terrorize the streets and strips. They’re loud, rough and built with the true spirit of, “My Ride is Me”.

Down the escalator, a birdseye view of the basement turned into a closeup of the “Voodoo Hellion” and the Voodoo Kings car club. In the trophy area, I saw a, “Best Car Club” trophy, so the area clubs bring out their best and put in the extra effort on the setup too… I got tired of seeing thin white rope-like barriers. Dig the custom machined pieces here.

Next door was the Brothers Custom display. Why this nasty black coupe (shiny paint and all) with a supremely detailed flathead wasn’t upstairs, I have no idea. I think the “Brothers” fit in downstairs and they could show their un-painted 49 Ford shoebox. (Click to see any picture full size)

Look closely at 49, you’ll see a display of models painted with Sherwin-Williams Planet Colors. The Brother Custom Facebook page has a way for you to vote for your favorite color for the low slung custom.

Another bunch of my favorites belonged to hot rod artists hanging out or selling some of their work. You couldn’t get past this slick, flat gold Rivi owned by Aaron Kirby.

Next to the Rivi was NotStock Photography’s custom Chevy van. Stunned by how cool and creative the van, and the photos John had for sale were, I didn’t manage to get a shot of the whole van… but you can see the roof and the interior. What better way to showcase your work? And… the van has been to all but a few states. Look for feature stories on Aaron and John’s art soon.

The next group of faves is always tops on my list… the race cars and gassers:

The blown altered was in a perfect place for photos and had a sinister looking model A next to it. What would a cacklefest sound like in a cement floored basement? Then the mighty Econoline pickup, the “Ford Freeway Flyer” and the warn and raced-altered wheelbase 1964 Comet gasser called “Armageddon” give you some idea of the cool race gear downstairs.

Finally, here’s the revised Model A hot rod of Voodoo Larry:

I shot up the six-pack of carbs, louvered deck and 1939 Dodge high clearance wheels for a feature story. That’s coming soon too. (I plan on not sleeping to get all this done)

The rest? Enjoy here in this gallery. If I shot your hot rod or custom, please give me a shout in a comment below.

Damn Great, but Not Great 8 – Detroit Autorama’s Best

2012 Detroit Autorama Not Ridler Contenders?

I took alota pictures at the Detroit Autorama. I had too…  at first, as I mentioned in the Great 8 Ridler Contender story, I didn’t know which of the MANY fine rides at the show were actually in the running for the big award, the Ridler. So… I snapped away. No harm done cause that gives me a great reason to highlight the Autorama’s “Not Great 8″ hot rods and customs and let you decide if they shoulda been included. That’d mean one of the chosen Great 8 cars would have to go, so you decide… Did the judges pick the right cars? Leave a comment if you have an opinion.

Keep in mind, if any of these cars have been shown before, they’re automatically out of the Ridler competition. If anyone knows specifically why one of the following weren’t included, please let me know. (I’ll speculate too)

As always, click to see the full-size photo.

Not Great 8 – 2012 Detroit Autorama’s Best

This 1933 Ford coupe owned by Gregg and Jodi Blackford was built, coincidentally, by Hot Rods by Greg (one g). I’m pretty sure this car was intended to be a Ridler contender from Greg’s website that says, “Caliber” is “Going for the Ridler Award in 2012.” No idea why it wasn’t a finalist, really… the only thing I could say is that the engine compartment wasn’t as mind-blowing as other contenders and maybe the judges were tired of this display. You’ll see it in three other cars featured in this story.

Dave Leisinger’s 1971 Chevy Camaro may be my favorite of the show. That’s strange for me cause I’m not a huge 2nd gen Camaro fan… But this pro-touring style, massive tire tucking bad-ass is too cool! Why didn’t it get picked? In another wave of total speculation, check out the engine compartment. I’m wondering if the judges take points/look down on a massive engine cover? I’m also submitting this tire/wheel combo to my “Top Wheels and Tires” story coming soon.

This trick 1962 Chevy Impala is called, “Last Date”. No idea why… where do the car’s names come from? Dig all the custom billet parts on this. I can hear the billet-haters now, but folks… no matter what’s your first love, don’tcha have to at least tip the cap to craftsmanship and innovation? Check out the interior and grille area parts. They’re all custom! Add to that a blown 502 with a push button 400 trans riding on air and what looks like one-off 17′s. Ridler?

Check out hot rod and custom car rockstar, George Poteet’s 1956 Chevy. I just featured his 57 Chevy from GNRS, then he rolls out this? Design, fabrication and paint was handled by Kemp’s Rod & Restoration and the fine interior comes from my buddies at Rad Rides by Troy. The only reason this car wasn’t a Ridler contender is George didn’t want it. He’s already won the Ridler in 1996 with his 1937 Roadster, so this car was on display in Pomona at the 2012 Grand National Roadster Show.

When’s the last time you saw a customized 1934 Hupmobile Cabriolet? According to the show card, “As of 2007, this is the only remaining Model K421. There were 1,066 of this model manufactured at the original price of $995. Far from it’s origins now, owner/builders Butch and Donna Downs of Colona, IL stuffed a 5.7L Hemi hooked to a 5-speed automatic to motivate the old Hup-ster. Congrats on taking an ultra rare car and turning it into a hot rod! Why no Ridler? Maybe a lack of trick display? Got me…

Ron Hall’s Z “O” 55 sat proudly in the front row of the Detroit Autorama. The trick dash and custom grille treatment were outstanding and the colors worked perfectly together. You barely notice the shaved handles and extended fender flange trying to take the whole car in. Why no Ridler? The engine’s covered on this one, and it’s a fairly common LS-1. Compare that to the ZL-1 big block riding in the 55 Chevy the judges did select for the Ridler. Points from me though for hammering gears through a 6-speed Tremec. Hot Rods gotta row gears!

I don’t know much about Gary Zaborowski’s 1932 Ford Coupe. Score points for insane paint and color. I also thumbs up for the name: “Boogie Man’s Candy Coupe”. Why no Ridler nod?

By now, I’m jamming my own, hot rod focused, opinion into the cars I’m showing here. It was a toss up between a 1932 Ford Phaeton and this, somewhat simple looking, 1934 Ford Coupe with a little old 1942 Flathead V8. I’m also saving this engine for my “Best Engine” story cause if I hadn’t read the show card, I wouldn’t have known this is a twin turbo flathead making 300+ horsepower while looking only slightly warmed-over. The turbos are completely outa-sight, but push air into the bottom air cleaner just as tidy as could be.  Jack Stirnemann calls this three window black-beauty “Flat Earth”. Even without the crazy detail of the Ridler cars, this coupe does have a super unique engine setup and makes my list… where as the phaeton had a SBC or maybe an Olds motor…

For those of you scoring at home, this is #9. Since it’s 2AM and I’m running this site, I say show Gary and Flo Garman’s 1955 Chevy pickup. The pale green paint coupled with the bright red interior does kinda bring a watermelon flavor to the palette, but under the hood is where the true treat is…

Now you know why Flo’s smiling in the shot above and why every other man, woman and child did the same as they caught a glimpse of the sweetened small block. Except for not being seedless, this shoulda been a Ridler contender!

Agree, disagree… your opinion counts! You don’t have to be a member to comment, so let me hear it! Downstairs is next… Best of 2012 Detroit Autorama Basement

It’s the Great 8 – Ridler Award Contenders 2012

2012 Detroit Autorama Ridler Award Contenders

More fun than the republican primary! Vote for your favorite below.

Can’t get enough of the Autorama? Check out these other stories:
– Here’s the winner! Skip ahead and see the Ridler Winner
– Damn Great, but Not Great 8 – Detroit Autorama’s Best
– Going Down – Basement Best at 2012 Detroit Autorama

It’s about time. I’ve been grabbing photos from friends for long enough. It’s time for a personal account of the hot rods and custom cars that make up the Detroit Autorama, especially the best of the best, the Ridler cars. For the 60th Anniversary of the Detroit Autorama, the competition is extra tough… Fact is, I couldn’t figure out what cars were the “Great 8″!

Rules for the Ridler are pretty simple: The cars should show: Creativity, Engineering and Workmanship. (What they don’t mention is that the winner typically shows all three of these in a way, most likely, never seen before or done in a way that’ll cause mouths to hit the floor) Just a few other rules, the Ridler contenders must be showing for the very first time and must run, drive and stop in a basic way.

What’s not in the Rilder Rules? Body style, year or anything specifying what kind of car it is… Love that! So let’s mix it up here and see if we vote the same as the judges for the 2012 Ridler Award:

Enjoy the pictures and for any shot, click to see the full-size photo.

Great 8 Ridler Award Contender #1 ~ 1967 Shelby GT500

If you’ve ever seen me at a show, I’m runnin! Media gets in at 9AM so I’m shooting everything I can before the crowds pour in. My plan? Shoot the Ridler contenders first. No problem except the “openess” of the Ridler rules allow a bunch of cars to enter. With so many cars to review, the official Great 8 cars aren’t announced until noon. Still, I had my eye on a few and shot’m up right…

First up is the 1967 Shelby GT500 of Carol and Gordon Phillips rolling in from Quesnel, BC, Canada. I’m going on record now: This is my pick for the Ridler Award.

Built by JF Kustoms, this Mustang has every detail imaginable nailed. After JF Launier nailed it, he chromed it and polished it! The list of one-off details on this car starts with the wheels and the steering wheel, but dig that grille! “Kardiac 500″ is custom machined in by Mike Curtis, designer and fabricator of the billet goodies. Why Kardiac? Part of it is how Gord’s gen-u-ine Shelby gives purists heart palpitations, but the rest? You’ll have to read my feature article coming soon…

Great 8 Ridler Award Contender #2 ~ 1955 Ford Thunderbird

Like the Shelby above, I was drawn to this 55 Thunderbird. Why not? The lines on 55-57 ‘bird are pure sex. I shot a few pics and nearly kept going until I saw the engine. Twin Turbos anyone? Listed only as a 1150 HP Gale Banks Engineering 6.0 liter, I gotta know what this thing sounds like… I’d also recommend some titanium “oh shit” handles since this car can’t weigh much more than it’s stock 3200 lbs. This is one of the few super-cars in Detroit I saw connected to an automatic trans.

Owned by Dwayne Peace and built and designed by Johnathan Peace, it sounds like a family affair. Greening Auto Company kicked in on the build too and handled the paint work and some machining duties. Execution on this car is fantastic. Check the bottom right shot for the way everything fits together. This 55 T’bird’s another winner.

Great 8 Ridler Award Contender #3 ~ 1933 Ford Roadster

The owners of this American Speed bodied 1933 Roadster are no strangers to the Detroit Autorama or the Ridler Award.  The “A Bros” as listed on the license plate refers to Larry and Mike Alexander. In this Custom Rodder Article, they’re called “Custom Car Legends” and with good reason. They’ve won two previous Ridler Awards, one for the original 69′er and another for the Deora that we all know from Hot Wheels fame. (Where they allegedly got no credit.) They also built the “Silver Saphire” better known as the Beach Boys’ Little Deuce Coupe. This hot rod’s got a pedigree!

Looking at “Vision 33″ the custom touches are everywhere and overall the Chip Foose penned concept flows one to the next. The rear end treatment shown and the custom, LED lit wheels centers are two of the best example of how this hot rod shows the Alexander Bros haven’t lost their custom touch.

Great 8 Ridler Award Contender #4 ~ 1932 Ford Coupe

Wicked stance. That and tons of “XS Cash” are what it takes to build a 1932 Ford Coupe to Ridler standards. This sinister stanced 1932 highboy is owned and built by Dave and Joyce Emery of Rochester Hills, MI. I flipped through the build book and found more custom details than imaginable. Try over 300 custom fasteners and covers to make even the spark plugs shine and dazzle! Then, four unique hundred dollar bills were used on the custom gauge faces by Classic Instrument. This deuce is definitely a contender!

If you’ve already selected your favorite, vote now, otherwise…

4 More Great 8 rides are on the next page… Page 2 below the poll…

2011 Ridler Winner -50′s Ford Wins

2011 Ridler Winner – It’s Official

Picture by: Dan Baker of Alumicraft

Well if you were watching Facebook, you’da found out 30 minutes early, but the results are in and this 1956 Ford Sunliner Convertible owned by Bruce & Judy Ricks of Sapulpa, OK is the Ridler winner for 2011 from Detroit Autorama.

I couldn’t agree more and, in fact, I picked this car to win it on Friday night!

Here’s what we know about this bad Henry Ford from the Oh-kay:

In the custom engine compartment, there’s my favorite, the 427 SOHC. Why’s it my fave? Have you ever heard one? They rev-up nearly instantly and make a sound like no other. (There’s a 60′s Sunliner running around Phoenix with one that I need to do a story on!)

According the the build card, this is an original 427 SOC “Cammer” motor. (Thus the name, “Suncammer”) Sitting on top of  a one-off, custom made, cross ram intake manifold that even has a “Ford prototype” casting number on it (super cool touch!). Feeding fuel are these rare of rare Autolite inline four barrel carbs.  Back in the 60′s when SCCA Trans-AM racing was hot, Ford wanted to stretch the “single four-barrel” rules some and line-up all four barrels to equally distribute fuel to each cylinder.  These race only carbs (some without an idle circuit!) were dead with the racing program by the 70′s.

Needless to say, this trick engine must have rev’d this car to the top amidst some great contenders.

I’ll ad more info as I get it, but here’s a few more details about the “Suncammer”:

• Interior by Gabe’s
• All nickel plating by Jon Wright Custom Chrome Plating
• Custom mixed Dupont Hot Hues
• Tremec TKO-500 transmission
• Tiger Quick change reare axle
• Baer 6 piston disc brakes
• Air ride by Ridetech
• Custom Schott performance 18′s and 20′s with Pirelli 225 and 295′s
• Body Mods: I’ll need more room… here’s what Dan from Alumicraft said:

Man there were so many unnoticed mods on this car, from being pie sectioned from zero at the rear wheel well to 4″ at the front fender, custom rocker panels, custom made CNC milled side trim, a “One off” custom made cross ram style intake complete with experimental Ford part numbers, firing order and the Ford logo cast into the intake. Custom made grille to match the reworked grille opening, both bumped rec’d a nip/tuck/flip. This car just “worked”

Well, if you agree or not, I’d like to hear… but this is the 2011 Ridler winner.

Vote with me or against me here: 2011 Ridler Award Contenders – You Vote

Anyone got pictures of this car outside? Please email admin@myrideisme.com

2011 Detroit Autorama – I’m Psychic

2011 Ridler Winner?

Picture by: Megan Boyd

Join hands now as we call upon the spirits of past Ridler Award winners to psychic-ly or maybe psychotic-ly choose the big winner for the 2011 Detroit Autorama.

Hear me now great and all knowing Chip Foose, here me wise-one, Mr. Troy Trepanier… are you there? Is that you Tammy Ray? Help me Obi-Wan Don Ridler!

I see a Ford. It’s AMAZING! It even has a Ford engine in it… an original 427 SOC “Cammer” motor at that. Thus the name, “Suncammer”. On top of a one-off cast intake manifold sit equally rare Autolite inline four barrel carbs. Fantastic!!

From there, add interior by Gabe’s, all nickel plating by Jon Wright Custom Chrome Plating and custom mixed Dupont Hot Hues and I see our new champ!

I give you the 1956 Ford Sunliner Convertible owned by Bruce & Judy Ricks of Sapulpa, OK.

Agree?

Vote with me or against me here: 2011 Ridler Award Contenders – You Vote

I was right!

The “Suncammer” took home the Ridler Award and from the comment left by “Grilleguy” over in the voting story, it sounds like the clear winner:

The winner 1) The ‘56 Ford Suncammer. Man there were so many unnoticed mods on this car, from being pie sectioned from zero at the rear wheel well to 4″ at the front fender, custom rocker panels, custom made CNC milled side trim, a “One off” custom made cross ram style intake complete with experimental Ford part numbers, firing order and the Ford logo cast into the intake. Custom made grille to match the reworked grille opening, both bumped rec’d a nip/tuck/flip. This car just “worked”

What do you think?

I could use more pictures of this car if you have them… please email admin@myrideisme.com

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