El Diablo – Adam Hartley’s 1963 Chevrolet Impala Wagon

A lot of adjectives come to mind when describing Adam Hartley of Las Vegas, Nevada … Eclectic, unique, maybe even a bit odd. Not that this is anything new in the custom car world. Not only is he the father of three, but he’s also a heavily tattooed car builder with quite the collection in his stable. He’s built quite a few rides in his past too including a ’94 Toyota pickup, a few VW’s, and an ’87 Astro van, which lead to the purchase of the ’63 Impala you see here.

We do mean that literally too. Adam was cruising around a Tangelo Orange pearl Astro van around Vegas everyday with a little “For Sale” sign in the corner of the window. While cruising around town he ran into a dude with a ’63 Impala wagon, also Tangelo pearl, that was selling his car as well. The ’63 was juiced, laid on 14” wires, and even appeared in the pages of Lowrider back when the car was in Hawaii. A deal was struck and Adam traded his van for the Impala, straight across.

Even though the car was “done”, it wasn’t the style that Adam was going for. It was a good start though for a custom low-rod, and that’s exactly what he had in mind. He turned to his good friend Joe Musso of Musso Motorsports, and they mapped out a plan of attack. The goal was the Sema show, 2002, just 8 months away.

The car was stripped down to the bare essentials to be rebuilt. The bodywork was first on the list. Off came the handles, the mirrors, fender emblems, lower rocker moldings, the roof rack and the factory antenna. Between Joe Musso and Tristan at T-Creations in Las Vegas, the car was shaved, blocked, and straightened out. Next it was time for the paint, and Adam had a sick plan in mind. He wanted lots of scallops, flames, and some old-school pinstriping to give it a real custom touch. Ryan Evans & Joe Musso did all the work, painting the car using all House of Kolor products. The car was painted Persimmon Kandi with orange flake from the windows up, and flames were added in Tangelo Pearl. The rest of the car was painted Tangelo pearl also, with scallops and flames in the same Persimmon pearl that the roof was painted in. The car was then pinstriped by Ryan with other various House of Kolor products.

While the outside of the car was being built, Adam sent off the interior to Friend’s Upholstery in Las Vegas. Since the car is a factory 9 passenger model, there was a lot of work to do. The seats were previously wrapped in white vinyl with gold plated buttons. Adam took a few hours to strip the gold from the buttons, and repainted them to match the brown vinyl that Friend’s Upholstery used to wrap the seats. The headliner was redone around the same time, as well as the door panels.

The dash, however, is a whole other story. The original dash pad was removed and the holes were shaved, then the dash was sprayed with Tangelo pearl with a gang of flake. ACC Carpet provided a brown carpet kit for the car, and Colorado Customs hooked him up with a Paradox steering wheel to match his rims. A B&M floor shifter was mated to the tranny, and a custom shift boot was made at the same time. When it came time to do the stereo, Adam went to Dave Rayna at Audio Xcellence in Las Vegas. Since he didn’t want to hack up the factory dash to fit a din-mounted stereo, Adam made a plate in the glove box to fit a Panasonic CD player. An Eclipse component set was installed into a set of custom kick panels that were painted Tangelo Pearl as well.

Two things were out of the way, now it was time for Adam to tackle the engine bay. The previous owner of the car had rebuilt the stock 283, and bored the motor over .030.  Adam did add some dress up items though, as well as a few performance goodies. The motor now sports a HEI Distributor, Hooker Headers, Coolflex radiator hose kit, Edlebrock carb, Mooneyes valve covers, and a one-wire alternator. Adam decided to rebuild the Turbo 350 that was in the car for extra reliability. He really had it easy with the paint work there too, since it was already Tangelo Pearl. The finishing touch was a yellow top Optima battery.

The one last thing on the list before SEMA was the suspension. First on the list was replacing the worn out factory bushings. Out came the cracking rubber bushings, and in went an Energy Suspension bushing kit. Adam wanted to lay the car out, and with the help of Joe Musso, he made it happen. First the factory front and rear springs were tossed in the trash and replaced with Firestone 2600 airbags. The whole system was plumbed with ½-inch line and ½-inch Parker valves. A plexiglass switch box with 10 switches was wired up, and Adam was out of nosebleed status just like that. The 14’s weren’t really a low-rod look though, so he bolted up some 20” Colorado Custom Paradox rims with 255/35 Pirelli PZero Rossos.

8 months and $10g’s later, Adam had a cruiser to be proud of. He’s not done with it either. Since this shoot, Adam’s car has changed up a bit. The Colorado Customs were exchanged with some 5-spokers, and disc brakes were added on as well. The 283 blew up along the way, so in went a crate 350 with all the trimmings. Adam still drives this car every day – well, unless he’s driving his ’63 Nailhead Riviera, but that’s a whole other story.

Props go out to Kevin Books, DJ Rolly Polly, Joe Musso, Triston from T-Creations, Dave Rayna, Colorado Custom, Pirelli, House of Kolor, Energy Suspension,  ACC Custom Carpet, B&M, Mooneyes, Musso Motorsports, Audio Xcellence, Bigtime Threads, Friends Upholstery, and the homie Boogie from Customatix.

On the Racetrack at SEMA 2009!

Today I left the hub-bub of Las Vegas and SEMA to head out to Spring Mountain Ranch racecourse. In preparation for Saturday’s Optima Invitational, myself and the others from the auto-blogging crew got a chance to get behind the wheel ourselves. Spring Mountain Ranch is almost like a country-club for speed seekers. People who are members get use of the track. In addition, they have certified race-driver training programs. While we didn’t get the whole training program in one day, we did get the opportunity to go very fast in a few different situations.

The day started out with the road course. If you’re not familiar with racing (like me) think of the video game “Grand Prix”. After a short orientation we headed out to driving machine #1: the Lotus. Although I may have been a little jittery that I would do something wrong – it was surprisingly easy! As we followed our guide, Rick, around the racetrack things got faster and faster. After the first few 1.5 mile laps I began feeling comfortable with the car and trusting of the squealing tires as I rounded a turn between 40 and 60 mph.

It wasn’t until my second time out that I encountered a little issue. As I was preparing to turn out of the main straightaway, my car did a full 180 degree spin! At first I was stunned at what was happening, then I had a slight second of fear, and then I realized everything would be fine. For the most part my Lotus stayed on the track and I just readjusted and kept on going. The spin really cemented the feeling that this race course was really just an adult go-cart track… and I say that to mean that it was really, really, really fun!

Once we had the Lotus’ parked it was on to the Radical Sportscar. These aren’t as user-friendly as the Lotus, so these we didn’t drive we just rode in. With your butt practically on the ground and no windshield, speed can really be felt in these babies. Reaching  130mph only added to the speed-bug I caught while at 2009 Bonneville Speed Week this year.

As if all this speed wasn’t enough, the group then headed to the autocross track. Autocross is the track full of cones that you navigate in a competitive time. Looking at the course I had no faith in my driving abilities. But once I sat in the seat of my supercharged Mini Cooper I felt ready to tackle the road ahead. I felt that this course was like practice to be a really slick, kick-ass driver on the everyday road – and I loved that it was timed, bringing out that competitive edge in all of us. Running the track twice, I improved upon my time by over 2 seconds on the second run – leaving my time just above 50 seconds.

(You can also watch the instructor doing a lap along with some directional commentary here)

Getting a chance to drive the course today makes me all the more excited about tomorrow…theOptima Ultimate Street Car Invitational. Cars from the SEMA show will get to prove their stuff out on the track at Spring Mountain Ranch… the same tracks I was on today. Part of me is a little curious how my own 1955 Studebaker would handle on that autocross track. With a little more work it could be a fun and interesting experiment. Who knows, with all the info I’ve learned at SEMA maybe Stude’s ready to raise to a higher level of driving. Only time will tell.

Don’t miss our coverage of the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitation Race! What car would you love to take out on the autocross???

Please leave your comments below.

What you’ve been missing at SEMA 2009…

As promised, we want to keep you guys in the loop of what we’re seeing at SEMA. Scroll down for a view of the SEMA 2009 convention experience as well as a few videos I was able to shoot! This post will be brief, expect much more content and explanation to come later!!

Check out the engine compartment of this Factory 5 + Amp=D 1933 Roadster…!?!

I think maybe this car goes fast, what do you think?

Me learning all about the unique design of Optima Batteries.

After 5+ years stretching out the life of my old converse, I knew I finally needed to break down for a new pair. How weird it is putting on brite whites!

The “most expensive rims in the world” That’s right, for just $2 million dollars you can be rolling on these ruby encrusted beauties. And for more bling action, minus the gigantic cost, check out the next video…

One advantage of being one of the only “girls” around…for once in my life the men’s toilet had a line and the women’s did NOT!

Cool product…this company runs a line of metal-flake like powder coating! Not only could my engine block be pink, it could also be glittery! Sweet!

The coolest booth gimmick ever… House of Kolor custom-painted foot massagers. After walking miles of convention space, Becky Sue and I didn’t want to leave these chairs!

And like I said, this is just a tiny little glimpse into what Craig and I have been up to here at SEMA the past few days. We’re excited to bring you more details about what we’ve seen and learned! And for me… the show goes on. Friday I’ll be out at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch for some hands-on racing activities followed by the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational race on Saturday.

Keep em rollin’ my friends!
Happy Trails

SEMA for Beginners

Most everyone in the auto world has heard of SEMA. For those who don’t know, SEMA is a yearly convention for the auto industry…and its massive, completely filling up the Las Vegas Convention Center. Basically everything you can imagine having to do with a car is here – from new concept cars on down to aftermarket parts of every sort imaginable. 

As many car lovers never get to make it to SEMA, Craig and I are on the scene to bring you all the most interesting car stuff and stories! Thanks to Optima Batteries, we’ll be spending the rest of the week here at the show as well as attending the Optima Invitational race out in Pahrump, NV on Saturday. (And as I hear it, I may even be able to learn a little race-car driving on Friday!) It’s my first time here, and although I’m a little overwhelmed I’m beyond excited to learn a ton! Right now I’m headed down to the main floor to hit up some car specialists and have them download on me some of their vast knowledge.

To start off, here’s a few pictures to give ya an idea of what we’re dealing with here…pretty cool stuff! Check back often for our updates (we’ll also be making some videos!) and if any of you MyRideisMe.com members are here at SEMA 2009 leave a comment so we can meet-up! 

K&N race car…this baby will be on the track at the Optima Invitational on Saturday!

…another cool car at a booth! This one sponsered by DC Sports.

Ford has a huge display here. This pretty little flathead needed to be photographed…

Not only a nice looking rod, it also proves not everything here is shiny!

Gettin’ Girlie at Viva Las Vegas

So I know ya’ll are dyin’ to hear what the ladies were up to during Viva Las Vegas 12. If you had the privilege of being present, you already know that Viva Las Vegas was swarming with some of the purdiest ladies you ever did see. While you fellas might’ve been out merely lookin’ for ladies – I was lookin’ for fellow Grease Girls.

Being that the car show at VLV draws one of the biggest grouping of home-built cool traditionals, customs, and rat-rods – I was hoping I’d find a few of those “builders” who also happened to be ladies. As Stude (my own 1955 Studebaker Champion) and I arrived on the lot Thursday evening, many other cars had already arrived, but we were the only girl-owned car so far.
By the time Saturday rolled around the entire lot reserved for the VLV 12 Shifters Car Show was full, with ample stragglers in The Orleans parking lot.

As soon as I showed up on the scene Saturday morning, I wholeheartedly began my search for fellow car ladies. You’d think finding other lady car owners wouldn’t be too much work – but with so many people, things to do, and pin-up models mulling around – finding anybody is a challenge! The first couple of ladies I encountered were local Las Vegans. One had a Metropolitan Nash – who even though she’d owned it for 17 years had never needed to do any work on it – she did tell me she’d managed to stuff all of her young grandchildren (11 I think) in there at once! Another was a 61 Mercury Meteor Mama, while she was a pro at pin-up girl hair as she coiffed her daughters goldy-locks, it sounded like she hadn’t gotten too greasy under the hood of her ride.

The day was beginning to pass by and I still hadn’t found another woman who did any work on her car. I did hear elusive rumors of the presence of a couple girls car clubs – The Vixens and The Fender Skirts – but never managed to nail down any of them OR whether they had cars present!

Just when I was losing all hope, I ran into not just another lady – but another Studebaker owner! Pinkie drives a 1958 “Pink” Studebaker Wagon. She spent 2 years restoring this baby which rolls with the original Studebaker V-8 engine. Just like me, she didn’t know much about cars when she got into this and has kind of learned along the way. But she learned enough to do the needed body and engine work – with some help from friends. She’s had the Stude for 12 years now and enjoys going to various car shows, sometimes with her fellow members of the Sequoia Chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club, where she loves to see people’s reactions and delight in response to her bright pink baby!

Glad to have found at least one fellow Grease Girl, I headed over to catch up with the Pin-Up Angels (article’s on the way!) when I ran into Becky Sue and her not just one car, but two! The first car, a 1952 Packard, was her VLV 11 project. Her first classic, she got it just a month before the show last year. Within that time, she and boyfriend Matt of Department of Customz(matt@docustomz.com), completely restored the Packard to a nice and clean (with some fun details) classic. The only thing they didn’t get to within that tight time-frame was the headliner. In it’s place they painted the interior roof white and leave it open for new friends to leave their mark with Sharpies (myself included!)

As if the Packard wasn’t enough, Becky Sue’s car for this year is a 1963 Comet. This one didn’t require too much work from them – as it’s in super-terrific original condition as-is. What I love about Becky Sue and her car’s is that they’re fun, driven often, done with style, originality, and her own hard-earned sweat.

I was glad to meet the ladies I did – and hope that next year more will come out of the woodwork – I mean, er, engine grease. Who knows…since Becky Sue and I are both in So Cal there’s already been mention of a car club forming. Whose name is exactly what I pondered as I made the drive back across the desert to home sweet home.

This year’s Viva stood up to it’s reputations. Cool Cars. Purdy Women. Plenty of Pabst and Lots of Music. Stude and I will be back next year – and ladies, I’m planning on there being more Grease Girls represented – so start gettin’ your hands dirty now! If I missed any fellow Grease Girls at Viva – leave me a comment and let me know about your ride. All you ladies out there who call So Cal home, drop me a line, I’d love to set up a gathering! Viva la Grease Girl!

greasegirl@myrideisme.com
Visit Grease Girl for even more!

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