How-To: Bullitt Gas Cap On A Late Model Mustang
July 6, 2009 by Hechtspeed · 16 Comments
Leave a comment below… Why should you win? That’s all there is to it!
Want to add a little “Frank Bullitt” style to your late model Mustang? AmericanMuscle has just the accessory for you! The slick looking aluminum Bullitt gas cap is the first modification you need before you start jumping your ’stang on the streets of San Fran’ a la Steve McQueen.
MyRideisMe.com provides the installation guide of a Bullitt gas cap on a 1994 Dark Green Mustang GT (McQueen would dig it!). The Mustang you see here might look subtle but it packs a punch at the dragstrip, with its horseman banging the gears to a best of 12.85 @ 106mph on 8″ slicks and stock motor and cam. This Bullitt gas cap will let those Camaros know this is no ordinary pony.
Follow along as we take you through the installation. It’s very straight forward and can be done by a novice with simple hand tools in about 30-45 minutes.
Step 1: Open the box and make sure everything is accounted for and in good shape (nuts, studs, lock nuts, washers, magnets, cap and ring). AmericanMuscle is pretty good about getting you a good unit if yours happened to be damaged or missing a component (ours was missing one of the magnets).
Step 2: Here’s the tools you’ll need; T-20 Torx bit, 7mm wrench and socket/ratchet, allen set and a file/sandpaper/dremel.
Step 3: Remove the 2 Torx head bolts from the stock cap which attach the cap to the body and you’re ready for the Bullitt cap.
Step 4: Using the allen wrench, remove the investment cast hooks from the bullet cap. They’ll need to be turned around 180 degrees and reinstalled onto the car/cap. Our hooks required very minor deburring of the castings where the pins eject the part out of the mold.
Step 5: Remove the “bumpers” with the T-20 torx bit, trim the bumpers just above the bolt head as seen in this picture (cut or grind about 3/16 ” off the end).
Step 6: Slip the unit into place, put the studs in stock holes and re-attach the cast aluminum hooks and tighten with the allen wrench.
Step 7: Install stock gas tank cap plastic lanyard first, then a washer, followed by the nut, then the lock nut using a 7mm socket /ratchet.
Step 8: Finally tighten the lower stud using a 7mm wrench. This takes a minute or two because there’s limited access. Just take your time here and patience will pay off shortly.
The install is short and sweet and gives your Mustang a slick, purposeful look. Steve McQueen would be proud! Get your Bullitt gas cap at AmericanMuscle today.
Hechtspeed
5 Tips for Building a $5000 Pro-Touring Mustang
May 29, 2009 by Hechtspeed · 6 Comments
“I bought a 1966 Mustang Fastback out of a junk yard for $400. Thought I would challenge myself to build as exotic a g-machine as possible for $5000. ”
It sounds impossible, anti-Pro-Touring even. MyRideisMe.com asked Ron Schwarz, owner/builder of this Grabber Blue beauty, to share his 5 Tips with our readers. He tells it like no one else can. This guy is hilarious! There are some killer classic quotes here. Stick to these 5 Tips below and you too can build your own budget dream ride.
1. Choose The Right Car
Your car has to be affordable, but still turn you on. If it doesn’t keep your interest it will be just another project that doesn’t get finished. Choose a car you can get cheap parts for, period.
2. Do your homework
The mods on this Mustang were done with factory (Ford and GM) parts from performance models/sports cars. The front suspension is all C5 Corvette parts; great handling, big brakes, relatively cheap, and fairly easy to come by.
3. Choose The Right Drivetrain.
Find a drivetrain that meets your horsepower goals and doesn’t need an expensive rebuild or power adders. Instead of the original 4.6L Mustang mill purchased, Ron ended up with an LS1 that had been in a fire for $300. In fairly stock form the LS1 can easily reach Ron’s goal of 400HP. The purists hate it, but it fit the budget. Best bang for the buck!
4. Use All The Deal Finding “Tools” Available
The “tools” are Ebay, Craigslist, Racing Junk , trade and barter, your buddies “take-off parts”, etc. Network with car buddies, see who is upgrading. “Take-offs” can be picked up cheap. The barter system is alive and well. The tires on Ron’s ‘Stang were traded for a wine cooler.
5. DIY=Do It Yourself!
This is the hardest of the 5, but its also a MUST to meet your budget! The more you cut, weld, grind and paint the better you get and the more money you save! Books are good for learning fab’ skills, but we learn more from being around true craftsman. Don’t be scared to screw up, you can fix it.
Let’s see how Ron used the 5 budget building tips on his own Pro-Touring Mustang Fastback:
We’ll let the Mustang out of the Corral and tell you that Ron didn’t quite make the $5000 budget he set, but who cares! He did do it for under $9000 though, which is amazing. Here’s the parts and cost rundown to see how he pulled off the impossible using his Top 5 Budget Tips.
$2750 Car and Rolling Chassis
Ford Blue
Engine/Transmission $500 + trades
Suspension
Body
Ron’s Classic Quotes Continued:
1965 Mercury Comet Caliente Pro-Touring Build
May 7, 2009 by Hechtspeed · 7 Comments
Pro-Touring? Does this sound like grandma cruisin’ Route 66 in a Mercury Marquis? Try Again! For those hiding out in your garage working on your own hot rod in the last 5 years, Pro-Touring cars are classic muscle cars modified to be driven hard with modern hot rodding technology.
Call it Pro-Touring or G-Machine, everything on these tricked out rides is upgraded and modern: Late model or aftermarket suspension, big horsepower engine, and body mods to fit those giant wheels with low profile tires and big brakes. New school muscle with old school style. Buckle up.
OK, let’s have a look-see at Josh Martin’s 1965 Pro-Touring Mercury Comet Caliente then shall we? A few magazines are planning to feature this track day-ready Comet, but the details are not set. In the meantime, MyRideisMe.com delivers the latest and greatest in hot rodding. We say, why wait? Type in your email address over on the left and you’ll receive stories like this right to your inbox.
Filling you in on the Comet build then, meet car owner, Josh Martin.
MyRideisMe: All dream cars start with just that, a dream. Personally I’m a big fan of the Comet. Tell us about yours and why you built a Comet?
Josh Martin : I chose the 1965 Mercury Comet after seeing the 1996 movie “Swingers.” (”Baby, that was money! Tell me that wasn’t money!”) I loved the look of the car in the movie so I researched and found out it’s a ‘64 Comet convertible. Then I saw a 1965 2-door hardtop and it blew me away. It was the best looking car I had ever seen, and I knew that this was the car I wanted.
MyRideisMe: Once you knew you wanted the Comet, what were your plans and why?
Josh Martin: I researched shops, and talked with a few before choosing Woody’s Hot Rodz in Bright, Indiana. Woody’s started from a small operation out of a garage and grew to a shop doing multiple high-end builds. I also knew that I wanted to do a Pro-Touring build, using the original Comet body, but upgrading everything with new parts (chassis, engine, brakes, interior, etc.). Woody’s was doing pro-touring builds based on the Art Morrison Max G chassis. So, Woody’s was a perfect fit.
Super Rod and other Buckaroo Buildoff-published magazines and they now tout customers such as Jeg Coughlin (2008 Prostock World Champion), Herschel Walker, and Carlos Beltran. Woody's owner Chris and partner Ryan are a couple of good guys, and they really know how to build a car the right way.]
MyRideisMe: Now, one of the coolest parts of this build is that Shelby GT500 5.4L Supercharged V8 shoehorned into that small block Ford bay!
Josh Martin: Right, we originally had planned on a 4.6L mod motor. After the build was already under way, I saw the GT500 5.4L engine. I called Woody’s and we went over all the potential problems, like, how do we get that wide/tall engine to fit, how do we control it (brand new engine not sold with a wiring harness), and is it too heavy for balanced handling. We decided that it was worth the headaches given that there really wouldn’t be many (any?) non-Mustang cars with this engine. And, once again, Woody’s came through. We located an operation that could sell us the engine, harness, and a programmed computer. Finally, a few modifications to the hood and engine bay and it slipped in.
MyRideisMe: Let’s take a look at the rest of the build. What else makes this car stand out?
Josh Martin: Both Woody’s and I would come up with ideas, and then we’d talk them through. For example, we didn’t like the original Comet mirrors so Woody’s came up with the idea of using bullit style Mustang mirrors. Since the Comet was a stable mate with the Mustang, the mirrors fit without any real modification.
Woody’s also came up with a number of original design features. The original 1965 Comet had three plastic front fender badges. We liked the general look, but wanted to update them. Woody’s came up with cool metal badges. Woody’s also added a center rear brake light between the trunk and the rear window that sits flush with the surface of the car. Custom LEDs now reside in the taillights. Check out the modern take on A/FX hood scoops too.
Woody’s also took the old grill emblem (which was red, white, and blue) and changed it to a black and silver “GT500″ emblem. I think it’s cool because we removed all the name badges from the car (it actually does not say “Comet” anywhere on the car). As for the interior, Woody’s has been using Barry Langdon Interior for years, and Barry did a great job using black leather on the seats and a really cool center console design.
MyRideisMe: Wow! I really dig the custom touches Josh. Here’s the Comet’s quick spec sheet:
Engine - 5.4L supercharged Ford SVT engine from the new GT500.
Transmission – T56 six-speed (modified).
Chassis – Art Morrison Max G (frame with pass-throughs for exhaust, Morrison IFS suspension, Morrison triangulated 4-bar rear suspension out back)
Exhaust – Borla kit (includes 2.5″ diameter stainless tubing, two Turbo XL mufflers, and two Phantom tips)
Brakes – Wilwood six-piston calipers squeezing 13 inch front and 12.1 inch rear rotors
Wheels/Tires – 18″ Bonspeed Quasars on BFG g-Force KDW 255/45/18 Rears and 225/45/18 Fronts
Gas tank – Stealth tank from Rick’s
Gauges – Classic Instruments, 6-gauge set, All American Series
Steering – Ididit shorty column, Budnik Famosa wheel
Josh Martin: We set out to create a car that looks like my favorite old car but that performs like a new performance car. It has been quite a journey (three years) , but we got to where we wanted to be. I could not have done it without the help of people on the Pro-Touring.com Forums, whether it was ideas, opinions, or just encouragement. The relationship I’ve formed with the guys at Woody’s Hot Rodz has been awesome, and I’m sure it will last a long time. I can’t wait to get the Comet on the road and to the track, but the journey itself with all of its ups and downs has been a huge part of the fun.
Thank you Josh and Woody’s for sharing your Comet story with us at MyRideisMe.com. All photos have been courtesy of Woody’s Hot Rodz. Not really enough room to showcase each custom touch, but you can see all the build photos at Woody’s Hot Rodz Project page and get all the details of Josh’s Comet build on the Pro-Touring forums.
Whether its traditional hot rods, rat rods or Pro-Touring cars, its all about making our Rides our own and that’s exactly what MyRidisMe.com is all about!
Layton, Utah Burger Stop Car Show
April 26, 2009 by Hechtspeed · Leave a Comment
Local small town car shows and cruise-ins are at the heart of the American Hot Rodding hobby. Layton, Utah is a good example. The cars at this show cover the gamut of usual suspects along with some nice surprises.
This show is a monthly event during the summer months and is part of the JC Hackett’s Rock-n-Roll Cruisin’ Oldies car show tour in northern Utah and surrounding area. The 2009 Calendar can be found on the site in Excel.
I hope you dig these photos. Check out the gallery below. I was toting around my 3 sons (ages 6, 4 and 2), so I didn’t get to stop and talk to any car owners and get more info on my favorites. Gotta pass on the hot rod blood, right!?
Have you gone to a local cruise in spot or a big national hot rod event yet this year? If so and you took some pics, let us know about it. We’d like to see what the hot rodding scene is doing in your neck of the woods.
John Force Racing’s Charity Cruise Night Schedule
April 17, 2009 by pikesan · 2 Comments
YORBA LINDA, CA (April 2, 2009) — John Force Racing, headquartered in Yorba Linda, Calif., will be expanding its tradition of giving back to the community beginning April 25th when the first of seven John Force Cruise Night Car Shows will be held.
Participants and spectators at the John Force Cruise Night Car Shows are being encouraged to bring a can of food that will be donated to the Orange County Food Bank. For each can donated a raffle ticket will be distributed good for a chance to win a 52″ Sanyo Flat Screen TV. If participants bring one can of food they get one ticket if they bring twenty cans of food they get twenty tickets or chances to win. The raffle will be held on Halloween at the final John Force Cruise Night Car Show of the season.
“In December we have built up a tradition of giving toys to kids in need with the John Force Holiday Car Show that benefits the California Highway Patrol’s “CHiP’s for Kids” program. 
During these tough economic times we felt that we needed to do something for our community right now, and tying in with our fans at the John Force Cruise Night Car Shows just seemed like a perfect fit. Our goal is to collect as many cans of food as we can, and help make an impact on the community.
We are asking everyone to get involved whether they are a participant or a spectator,” said Craig Hoelzel, John Force Racing – Director of Special Promotions & Car Show Manager.
“The Orange County Food Bank is excited to team up with John Force Racing. The needs of the community are growing during these tough times and we really need the food,” said Kristin Kvesic, Orange County Food Bank.
A special award will be presented at each Cruise Night for the “Most Food Given.” Cruise Night Car Shows will be held from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the John Force RaceStation. At each Cruise Night Car Show there will be family fun, food and entertainment for all ages.
2009 John Force Car Show Schedule All John Force Cruise Night Car Shows will be held at:
John Force RaceStation
22722 Old Canal Road
Yorba Linda, CA 92887
For More Info: www.JohnForceRacing.com or (714) 921-1651
Schedule: (All shows are from 4PM to 7PM)
- April 25
- May 30
- June 27
- July 25
- August 29
- September 26
- October 31
Protect your Ride – Collector Car Insurance Review
Take a glance at the table that summarizes each company’s policies and requirements. I hope this is helpful for everyone when you’ve finished your project and it’s time to put it on the road.
Whether your ride is a street rod or an antique ragtop, you know that specialty insurance is your best bet for coverage that you need at a price you’re willing to pay, that also takes into consideration the unique needs of a car that may be on display as much or more than it’s on the road. The question, then, becomes “where do I get this insurance?”
While there are many affordable insurance companies that handle special lines – everything from vintage autos to modern muscle cars, to elite performance vehicles – there are several that really stand out. Here’s a comparison of their basic offerings, followed by a brief rundown of each:
Click on the table to see it FULL SIZE (so you can read it…)
Summary of each Specialty Car Insurance:
American Collectors Insurance (www.americancollectors.com)
Headquartered in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and underwritten by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida (except in Minnesota, where there is a different underwriter), American Collectors bills themselves as an industry leader, in part because of their thirty-year history in the business, but also because of their professional demeanor and use of the latest technology.
While American Collectors policies are all based on agreed value, they also have a TLC program that goes beyond most collector car insurance by including a tow package, roadside assistance, emergency lockout service, and even reimbursement of non-refundable car show and hotel fees if a mechanical issue prevents you from showing up on time.
American Hobbyist Insurance (www.americanhobbyist.com)
Dedicated to serving auto enthusiasts and collectors around the United States, American Hobbyist pitches low rates, agreed value coverage, and best of all, no restrictions on mileage. They also pride themselves on a staff that is brimming with expertise and customer service skills, even in the claims department.
Unlike many such insurers, American Hobbyist covers all sorts of collectible cars, from exotics to street rods, and antiques to kit cars – the latter of which makes them very special.
They believe that their clients are among the safest drivers on the road, and that classic autos are “among the most cared-for vehicles,” and that their low rates are directly related to that trend.
Classic Auto Insurance (www.classicins.com)
Classic Auto Insurance accepts the usual array of classic and antique autos, street rods, replicas and custom built trucks (as well as racecars and exotics) but with a twist: instead of an age standard on the vehicles they insure, they require all clients to be at least 26 years old. In addition, they have three levels of annual mileage allotments rather than one figure. Clients can buy policies that allow 1, 3, or 5,000 miles/year, with no restrictions on when or where said driving must take place.
This company also offers collision and uninsured motorist coverage, so that you can drive on the street from time to time, and they use both agreed value and actual cash value to determine your rate, depending on what car you’re insuring and how you plan to use it. Recently, they’ve also begun to offer motorcycle coverage.
Finally, Classic Auto Insurance offers discounts to car club members and owners groups.
Chrome (http://www.anpac.com/products/p_c/chrome/default.aspx)
Chrome is a specialty insurance product offered by AnPac, but it’s also an acronym, with each letter representing a type of vehicle the company will insure, as in:
• C – Classic or antique cars, restored to their original state, and a minimum of 25 years old.
• H – Hot rods and street rods, modified, but must have been built prior to 1949
• R – Replicas and “kit” cars – many specialty insurers won’t even touch these.
• O – Original – any un-restored vehicle at least 25 years old.
• M – Modified and/or custom cars built after 1948, but no fewer than 25 years ago.
• E – Exotic, rare or unique vehicles with appraised values topping $50,000.
Chrome coverage includes a roadside assistance/towing package, a mileage restriction of 10,000 miles/year (extremely generous) and agreed/stated value coverage basis.
Grundy Worldwide (www.grundy.com)
Our major line of business is our Collector Car Insurance Program.
Grundy is different than the other classic car insurance companies in that they have the highest claims rating and the most experience in the business. Mr. James A. Grundy started the business in 1947; he insured his father-in-law’s collector cars. His father in law, Colonel Sam Baily owned the first-ever collector car: a 1909 Pierce Arrow that James A. Grundy, Jr. (now President and CEO of GW) owns. This is a family-run business that has grown to insure of 1.5 million collector cars through leading A++ and A+ rated carriers. Their rates haven’t been raised in 40 years because they trust their policyholders. As hobbyists, they understand the special care hobbyists give to their collector cars. Their Agreed Value policies are highly competitive, with premiums that are often half that of competitors.
Their insurance plans include:
• Agreed value
• No limitations on model years
• Unlimited mileage
• Full Windshield
• Trip Interruption
• Towing and Labor (and no extra cost)
• Inflation Guard
• Auto Show Medical Reimbursement
• Spare Parts Coverage
• High liability limits
As well, once you have coverage with them for one car, you get a month of automatic coverage on any other collector cars you acquire.
Hagerty (www.hagerty.com)
Hagerty has the reputation of being the premiere specialty car insurer, and their level of service certainly supports this consensus. In addition to all the expected services, like basing coverage on agreed values, and offering several different deductible options, they have in-house claims adjustors who are trained in collector cars, and they also have a roadside assistance program. As well, they have a special “private client” line, for collectors whose cars are worth more than $250,000 (or who have collections worth more than half a million dollars). Hagerty also has special programs for international touring, and offers auto-related resources, like contact information for advocacy groups, and other member organizations.
Quotes are available online or by phone, and their process, they say, takes about 90 seconds to complete.
Leland-West (www.lelandwest.com)
Leland-West specializes in exotics, but if your car is a high performance vehicle this may be what you want. As with other specialty insurers coverage is based on agreed value, and there are some restrictions. Specifically, to qualify for a Leland-West policy you must have:
• Nine years of driving experience
• A clean driving record (as must all licensed drivers in your househould)
• Another properly insured vehicle for daily use
• A fully-enclosed locked garage for when the car isn’t in use (and in some cases a hidden transmitting alarm system may also be required.
In addition to covering “all makes and models of exotics,” Leland-West covers any model of Porsche and some Mercedes 300SLs but only if the owners belong to certain motor clubs / owners groups, which are listed on their website.
Leland-West offers instant quotes and online applications, but you can also call, and speak with a live person.
Motorsports Insurance Services, Inc. (www.motorsports-insurance.com)
Los Angeles-based Motorsports Insurance Services doesn’t offer much in the way of information on their website, but that’s because they tailor each policy they write to each client’s specific needs.
Unlike most specialty insurers, Motorsports focuses on racing vehicles as opposed to those that are merely on display, offering race insurance and commercial (track) insurance, as well as individual coverage.
Application forms are available online, though instant quotes are not, but clients can also call the Motorsports offices in California.
Sneed Insurance (www.sneedinsurance.com)
In business since 1957, Sneed Insurance offers polices for collectible street rods (which they define as pre-1949 with or without modifications), antiques (25 years or older), collectibles and exotics. They do not offer policies on modern vehicles for daily driving, but they do sell auto/home bundles to help their clients maximize their insurance dollar.
Tennessee-based Sneed has been the exclusive insurance administrator for the National Street Rod Association (NSRA) since 1973, and also maintains close affiliations with Corvette, Impala, and Miata enthusiasts clubs.
Like most specialty insurers, Sneed requires that their clients be experienced drivers (minimum age 25) with insured daily-driving vehicles and clean records, as well as requiring insured vehicles be stored in locked garages.
Sneed offers online quote requests.
All of these companies have policies for any scale, ranging from individuals with one really special collector car, to collectors with stables of cars, to enthusiast clubs looking for group discounts.
If your ride is an extension of your personality, shouldn’t you make sure you have the best possible insurance to keep it safe?
Car Drawings or Photos? You choose.
October 12, 2008 by pikesan · 8 Comments
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the European hot rodders that have made their way to MyRideisMe.com. This story is about a new member, Alan Brightmore from Manchester, United Kingdom. His member name is Slammed56 cause he’s added an in the weeds 56 Volkswagon Panel Bus. Not long after joining, I found out Alan’s quite an artist, or is he a photographer? Look closely at the image to the left. Is that a picture? No. It’s an amazingly realistic looking pencil drawing!
What follows was written by Alan about his work. Please say hello in Alan’s Garage and add him to your crew.
Ok, brief history first of all and you could say I got into the artwork ’seriously’ kinda by accident. Having always had a natural talent for drawing from an early age (left school at age 16 with a grade A in art/photography) I just drew for fun really and never even entertained the idea that I could actually sell some of my work. Well, years went by and the artwork eventually became secondplace to ‘real’ jobs and spare time didn’t exist anymore.
It wasn’t until a good friend of mine (who got me into VWs) had the idea of drawing a couple of bugs and buses, making prints, and taking them to a show here in the U.K. to see if they would sell. I had seen some cool artwork before around the Volkswagen scene but most were of the ‘toon style which is why I guess mine stood out as something ‘different’ and to my amazement – they sold!!
What a feeling that was to have somebody part with their hard-earned for something I had created. Ok, they were only £5 each at the time but to me that’s the biggest buzz of all, not the cash (although very welcome!) but the compliments, the comments, the looks on peoples faces when they realize that they are pencil drawings and not black and white photographs.
It’s been around 10 years now since those first sales and I have a pretty big portfolio of work, from those early beetles and buses to the cars I loved as a kid – big noisy American muscle. I even tried my hand at something a little different and drew Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page for my brother’s birthday last year!
Aside from selling prints of all of my drawings, I do take commissioned work drawing customers own cars which over these last couple of years has helped me improve my technique and given me the opportunity to try out new materials. Although I do charge more for these original pieces as some can take 30+ hours, It’s still the buzz to this day more than the money when a customer calls or emails after they have recieved their drawing and says ‘Wow!’
I have enclosed a couple of work in progress shots on a drawing I did not so long ago. Although not a commission, this one was just something I saw whilst browsing the internet one day. Being a big muscle car fan, it was one of those pics that just stood out and shouted ‘draw me!’ – great looking car, cool angle.
I could look at 100s of photographs but to want to make me draw it, It has to be an interesting angle – no side on shots! different cars have their own ‘best side’ I find, and this for me works for the Mustang. Once I have a good quality photo of the subject I then go about sketching roughly the outline, wheels etc with a light pencil (H), this can take a while gradually getting more and more exacting until it looks spot on. I have my own method for very tricky bits like highly detailed wheels but a magician never gives away his secrets…
Outline done, my first area I tend to start work on is the furthermost left of a drawing, this may seem natural to most anyway but it also serves the purpose of not leaning over what’s already been drawn – keeping the paper clean and tidy. Working on small sections at a time helps not to rush a drawing which can happen, kind of thinking of it as a patchwork quilt being sewn square by square. The darker areas of the drawing which give it depth are created by using soft pencils, I use up to a 9B for the darkest of shadows. An important part of the drawing process I find is actually not drawing, just sitting back and looking at the piece compared to the photo reference helps a heck of a lot. Unlike cartoon style pieces where you have a good degree of artistic license to run wild, realistic, highly detailed drawings need to look like the real thing so spotting mistakes is important.
With the Mustang drawing, I knew what areas would be difficult to reproduce, mainly around the front grill area and radiator, lots of straight lines together are a pain in the ass to draw and looking at it now I think they could have been better. As it took up most of the A4 sized piece of paper, I didn’t want to detract from it by putting in a detailed background so went for a kind of simple sky/distant mountains look which again I think could have been better but that’s the goal for each new drawing, to be better than the last!
I’ve also included a couple of shots of a commission I did finish this year for a guy in the US, he owns a cool early VW bug and although it took me a very long time to draw, he was totally in awe of the finished piece which even I look back at sometimes and think ’shit, I really drew that?!’
Thanks Alan. There’s more work to see at Alan’s Deviant Art gallery, including some photos he’s done. To contact Alan about a commissioned drawing, it’s best to go to his web site Aciautoart.com.
If you dig his work, be sure to share it with a friend and encourage them to join or at least visit, MyRideisMe.com.
Cruise’n on Main St. – March 2008
For more information on the November 8th, 2008 Memories on Main Street cruise, go to the Mainstreet Garage.
While most parts of the US are still half frozen, Mesa, Arizona launches the first big cruise of the year (and first minor sunburn). Brought to us as, “POP’s Memories on Main Street” by the Prostate Checkup All Sports Foundation, it was a good time had by all and we had near perfect weather for it.
Cruising between Country Club and Mesa drive with parking on Main Street and in the several nearby city lots, for the $5 per car donation, I think everyone had a place. I was expecting a few more cars, but there was no lack of quality. Main street was lined with lawn chaired folks cheering for the next guy to, “light’m up!” I’m pretty sure Mesa PD did just that cause most burning rubber was followed closely by howling sirens. For the most part though, I think every had a good time enjoying their cars and making new friends. I know I did.
Here are a few of the cars I especially liked. Most of the pics I took are in the MyRideisMe.com picture gallery. CLICK HERE to visit the Main Street Cruise gallery. I’ll be featuring a few of these rides. If anyone sees there car and wants the high resolution image, let us know.
First off is my man Mike’s newly finished (or the first time I’ve seen it) 2 door Comet Wagon. This smooth cruiser is the cousin of the Falcon wagon and rare to find, especially in this condition. I’m a sucker for wagons. Mike’s also got a garage here at MyRideisme.com. I’ll be loading the other pics I took of this wagon soon. Click here to visit Mike’s garage.
(Click on any image to see it full size)
Sticking with the wagons theme then, dig this one. I was lucky to meet the owners and hear their touching story. This will definitely be a feature story since it hits so close to home for me. How many people got into hot rodding or car building because of their Pops? Don’t let the badges fool you. This 2 door Chevelle wagon sports a big block and a 5 speed! They’re new members of MyRideisMe.com too! Click here to visit their garage.
Next up is a SUPER rare Boss 351 Mustang owned by Craig Fackler. He bought this car new in 1971, then sold it and was able to buy it back! Guess what? He’s keeping it now! I’ll be featuring this Mustang too.
I see this 1956Buick Special all over town and I love it every time. Ed finally gave in and joined MyRideisMe.com too. I wheeled this baby out into the open to take a few pics for Ed. This car’s smooth from every angle so even “Shakey” here can get a good shot! I’ve got more pics Ed! Click here to visit Ed’s garage.
Last but not least, I want to share a few more pictures of Corporal Foster’s newly redone Camaro. He was out proudly cruising his new ride with Lance Baker from the 1st Generation Camaro club near by. That Viper blue paint they used really pops in the sun. If you didn’t get a chance to read the heart warming story of this car and the soldier it was built for, CLICK HERE to read the story.
Obviously, there were more than 5 cars there so here’s some thumbnails of my favorite pics. Remember, all of the pics I took are located in the Gallery. CLICK HERE to see the complete gallery.
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