5 Tips For Choosing a Hot Rod Designer

Car Drawings vs. Hot Rod Design

Over the last decade, we’ve seen explosive growth in the hot rod and custom car industry and hobby as a whole. This can be attributed to the popularity of television shows like Overhaulin’, American Hot Rod and others, as well as Powerblock TV, the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Events, and of course, access to great personalities like Chip Foose, Stacey David and others. This brings in new enthusiasts, and naturally, more project cars!

Not since George Barris snapped thousands of photos and wrote hundreds of articles promoting the hobby back in the 1950′s and ’60′s have we seen so much attention on our hobby, and it’s amazing to witness. Yet, while there’s all of this excitement, many of these new fans and participants are feeling lost when starting a project. It can be a daunting task to say the least, but when taking those first steps, having the right footing can make all the difference in the world.

Naturally, any success in a project requires a plan, and building or modifying a car requires very careful thought at this stage. I’ve often heard guys say “I just build as I go… no plan, just what feels right”, and sadly, it certainly doesn’t look like it must feel in many cases. Disjointed design, half-assed “fixes” to make parts fit, and often unsafe “engineering” (“engine-beering”, most likely) have sent many a project to an early grave.

The best advice would be to bring on an experienced designer to help guide you along. As a professional hot rod and custom car designer with over twenty years experience in the auto industry (from parts and service to body and after-market accessories), as well as training in design and fine art, I’m here to offer some advice on taking those first steps.

The importance of having a vision on paper, especially when working with shops and others on a team, can’t be overlooked.

The end goal of selecting you car designer is:

• A vision of the finished product for everyone to work from
• Avoid gaps, mis-communications and errors in describing idea
• Get what you want for your custom car dream!

When it comes time to shop for a designer, keep these 5 must items in mind:

5 Things To Consider When Hiring a Custom Car Designer:

1. Pick a Designer Who’s Style You Like

Not only are you hiring someone to assist in laying the groundwork for your project, but the designer must also be able to convey your ideas and tastes, as well as create a piece that will inspire your build team.

You’ll want some “wow” factor, but also be sure that your designer draws with proper scale and proportion! Taking a cartoon-like image or shoddy “Photochop” to an experienced builder will get you laughed out of the shop. The kid you hire in a forum might make that ’58 Edsel bumper look like it fits your Monza in the drawing, but in reality, would it? And, are you looking to blow your budget on wild changes before the car even hits primer?

Look around, and study the artist’s styles and prior work.

Much like you choose a car that excites you, be it for nostalgia reasons, a certain feeling it gives you, or just the fact that you liked it overall, you’ll be miles ahead by selecting a designer in the same way. When the car is torn apart and looking bleak, the artwork will serve as an excitement generator.

2. Find A Designer You Get Along With

Spend some phone and email time talking with designers. Do you, “get along”?  Can communicate freely? An open exchange with your designer will pay off in a HUGE way during the project.

Look for a custom car designer who:

• Can help guide you
  • if asked, but also take an idea you have and run with it.
  • simply hiring a “wrist” to make some lines based only on what you say is boring, and will leave your design “flat”.
• Is a good listener!
  • Nothing can be more disappointing than a guy who doesn’t listen
  • Is the designer looking to create a portfolio piece on your dime?
• Is more than just a talented artist
  • Doesn’t simply re-hash the same 3D model their last 40 customers got (but with different paint and wheels) because, you’ll get, well, the same car as those other 40 guys!
• Can follow your budget
  • Make your budget known and understood

Make it an open exchange where ideas can flow freely, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised how an idea can grow or be refined to mind-blowingly cool in the right hands.

3. Understand The Designer’s Terms

• Get the terms and details of the design ironed out immediately.
• How many revisions will you receive?
  • What’s the cost for additional revisions?
• How will the work be delivered?
  • Hard copies? (one for you, the shop, and maybe for promotional purposes?)
  • Digital copies for magazine ink? (how about sponsorship proposals?)
• Can you use the artwork to promote the car?
  • Who owns the Copyright?

A professional designer will provide a contract explaining these important terms allowing for worry-free design time. Pay attention from step one, and you’ll avoid starting over when your forum buddy disappears with your PayPal payment.

Understand, too, that “you get what you pay for” applies with car designers.   If you want your designs quickly (or just on time) and at a high quality, be prepared to pay a bit more, and respect the time required to perfect a design. Much as you wouldn’t rush a surgeon reconstructing your body, give your car-body the same consideration for equally functional results!

4. Don’t Be That “I’ll know what I want when I see it” Guy

That guy is the enemy of designers, and it translates to “headache” to any pro. Have an idea at the first consultation, even if it’s vague, and ask for direction/advice if needed (see step 2). Know what you’d like to do with the car. Will it be restored? Modified? A combination of the two? Something wilder? A professional designer will offer examples, and throw ideas around with you, hitting on your likes and dislikes before pencil hits paper. Many great cars develop during these “bench racing” sessions, and you’ll save a ton on revisions.

Communication is your best friend here. Simply jumping from style to style will burn you and your designer out, and close doors on really creative ideas.

Research the hell out of your project and ideas. Go to shows, cruise nights, rod runs… Pick up magazines, books, videos… Look around at what’s been done, and find a style that you like.  Sites like MyRidesisMe.com offer custom car “garages” and show and race picture galleries that are great resources for ideas.

Make a list of things that you enjoy about cars and save pictures that remind you of those features. Perhaps you enjoy good handling, or maybe straightline performance is more your thing. Maybe it’s all about the look of the car, and you’re after a show car that’ll make people stop and drool.

It’s during this hugely important stage that you and your designer will determine a “direction” for the project.

You should have a list of your dreams for the car, as well as a list that is more realistic, taking into consideration the reality of the car you’ve chosen. Approaching a professional designer with these  ideas in place will save time, frustration, and above all, help to nail your “perfect” concept.

5. Don’t Fall Victim To Trends

If you’ve seen a teal green and gray car with a tweed interior and 15-inch billet wheels lately and thought “wow… the 1990′s called, and they want their car back”, imagine what response a car built in a trendy style today will elicit in ten or fifteen years.

Simply shopping at the “popular kids” table will, inevitably, breed you a cookie-cutter car. Simply saying “oh man, that car that won Street Machine of the Year had a cool hood, so I want THAT hood, and the same wheels, and the same paint, and then that car that won the year before had those seats… I want THAT interior…” and so-on, will not design or build YOUR dream car.

Much as you may have enjoyed looking at Alyssa Milano on TV, did you marry her? Chances are, you found someone who fit your life, who matched that often undefinable set of criteria that just “did” something for you. This project car should be no different. It should be a unique reflection of YOUR style, and a talented designer will help you to make that happen.

“Build to YOUR taste, not someone else’s” is my credo in the studio.

Seek out a designer who understands the style you’re planning to build your car in, and can offer unique approaches to design problems that not only make your eyes pop out, but will prevent your hard earned dollars from doing likewise from your wallet.

Approach modifications tastefully, respectfully, and with the thinking “how does this change affect the rest of the car? What purpose does it serve?” If it makes sense, do it. If it’s questionable, question the hell out of it!

That said, head on out and explore… look at work, compare styles, and talk with designers. Your decision should go beyond price, and be the RIGHT FIT for your project. Seek out a designer that can listen, offer ideas, and above all, nail your design. After all, simply setting sail on the ocean might take you SOMEPLACE, but is it where you WANTED to go? Hiring a designer will help chart that course AND reach the end of the journey.  When plotted correctly, your designer will have you itching to hoist the sails again, and that’s what this whole car thing is all about anyway… feeding that passion.

Brian @ PCKStudio

12 wrenches are better than 1: Falcon Strip Party

1963 Ford Falcon Wagon Project Start

A lifelong family friend told me, “The funnest part’s over.” On Saturday 6/7, I had a “Strip Party” at my house. Sounds more fun than it was cause we were stripping a 1963 Falcon Wagon. Including me, 12 guys took apart this wagon Overhaulin’ style. (Chip, are you seeing this?)

Imagine a guy with big dreams about a cool cruising wagon that can carry his family to cruises and shows in style. That same guy has said family out of the country, in Japan, for 7 weeks. What to do? I got the idea to invite my buddies and fellow MyRideisMe.com members over for a party to kick-off the disassembly of the wagon. I supply beer and pizza and my friends, new and old, got to

dive into some 45 year old dirt in my garage. Sound like fun? Then you’re in the right place. This is My Ride is Me at it’s finest.

The tear-down thrash started when my friend Mike Schnur showed up. He was early, but I was thrilled to see him over. Mike’s the undisputed “Falcon God”. In case you forgot the car we’re working on, here it is in my driveway after a good cleaning… The car was a running, driving 4 door wagon with a later model 200 6 cylinder and the original Dagenham 4-speed. It’s got some pretty nasty black primer on it right now from the previous owner. He used to spray it down with Armor All to keep it shiny. Don’t do it. It eventually turns into a black paste that just won’t come off! That’s what you’re seeing in the darker streaks in the picture. (Click on it to make the picture bigger). I drove the car into the garage for Mike and I to get to work.

Since Mike’s owns a flat-out bitch’n 1960 2-door Comet wagon and has removed and replace more trim (sounds like the start of a bad joke) than anyone else coming to the party, that’s where he started. We still need Mike to add that Comet to his garage (CLICK HERE) so he can say more about. But, it’s easy to see, Mike knows Falcons, Comets and no doubt, wagons. Here’s Mike getting started. It’s about 1PM. The car could have easily taken us to buy the many-many ice cold beverages we had ready to quench the Arizona heat building up in the garage, but instead, I choose to tear it apart. Mike handled the delicate work while I chipped in with photos… not really, I did get into the mix too with some of the bigger items. I’m an engineer and son of a Ford Mechanic, so I can mix it up a little in the garage too. Here’s me triumphantly holding the first piece I pulled off. The not-so-good bumper. It’s still early in the day so the glassy-eyed-ness is just a special camera effect.

Not too much later, more of the crew showed up. Brian Stupski is there chipping away at the window with Mike lending a hand. That stink’n window did NOT want to come out. Chances are, I’ll have to replace it cause of some fairly deep scratches from a missing wiper blade (insert nails on a chalkboard sound here) but still, I didn’t want to bust out the hammers, not yet. Luckily Brian’s a patient guy. He has to be to turn out the sick designs he does. Dave Kiesel’s also hard at it. If you’re a Division 7 drag racer, you might know that name from his runner-up in Super Street at this year’s Fontana race. He busted out by 0.054s to the other lane charging at 140+ mph. He was that far away from a Wally! (Dave’s garage) Dave’s a mechanic at heart, so he got to work pulling the engine and trans. Rob Zoller, my partner for the drive to the LA Roadster Show this weekend, also jumped right in. (Rob’s Garage) Rob and Mike have turned out some sweet suede Falcons over the past few years. Between Rob and Mike, we had our Falcon knowledge completely covered. The windshield finally came out, but Rob thinks we missed a spot. My left over “Christmas Jack” is riding shotgun.

Before the engine could come out, of course the radiator and all that came out, but rather than trying to wrestle the engine and trans out together, Dave got good and greasy with the leaking 4 speed underneath.( Believe it or not, this is Dave’s good side!) One of the coolest components going back into this car is the replacement Dagenham 4 speed I have. My new trans has some history! The Hurst competition shifter with the semi-rusty stick and scratched white shift ball are staying right where they are. If that ball could talk… (Oh no, another start to a bad joke)

This next shot almost puts things into perspective. 6 buddies all making short work of snatching out this engine. Dave Young and Joe Nagy fellow Nissan tomodachi‘s and Joel Nelson from 1320designs.com are in this shot. Dave and his lovely wife came over for some moral support before heading to a (surely more sophisticated) graduation party. Cut Dave and he bleeds A/T fluid from all the trans rebuilds he’s done. The end goal of the “Strip Party” was to get the engine and trans out. Little did I know that we were just getting started!

Things were going great. Time to ramp up the consumption. With this many guys helping, the front and rear bench seats came flying out. I had the guys take a garage tour driving our imaginary wagon. (Or was that a magic school bus ride?) At this point, it was still light out, but we’d already gone past what I thought we could do in one day… And, some heavy hitters had just arrived.

Without a doubt, the coolest part about starting MyRideisMe.com is the people I’ve met. Last week in Michigan, I stopped by American Speed Company and grabbed a shop tour (blog’s on the way!) and before that, I had stopped by Squeeg’s Kustom in Mesa, AZ to write a blog about them. Doug Jerger was putting the finishing touches on his AMBR contending roadster when I was there. He didn’t win, but that is a world- class hot rod. I invited Doug and his crew to my house to help, mostly to give advice on the project, and to have a few coldies. Doug along with Sammy and Moose from his shop and Melissa Jerger, his wife, all arrived at the same time. Doug in his bad, slammed dually and Melissa in her wicked black 32 roadster. Melissa’s launching a new line of apparel for women rodders call, “Hot Brod”. I’ll be running a blog on that later.

Doug had just returned from picking up a Woodie in California, so when he asked how he could help, I told him to just relax. He could see we had already made alot of progress. I asked a few paint questions and he helped out like the pro he is. Then, not 20 minutes later, Doug let me know he’d had enough of standing around watching without pitching in. Now I had guys from a professional shop tearing off the front fenders just cause they are hard workers who dig hot rods. As I said in Squeeg’s blog, these are the people you want on your next project.

Finally, Mike, the first guy there, wrapped up the tear down by removing the under-dash harness. Wow! At this point, only the 4 doors and the tailgate shell remained on the rolling car. I’m glad I caught this picture of Devin Squire (Devin’s garage). Devin and I had only met briefly but he showed up and did alot of work nobody likes but needs doing including tidying up and making sure my tools made it into a single pile. This is about the time when I realized what a big can of worms I opened. Here’s what was left.

Don’t worry! This isn’t the end of the story. I’ve got more blogs to write, so I better keep working. I’ve already finished the all important Project list and even finished a few projects! I’ll be featuring the folks who help me in each blog. Want to get involved? Own a Falcon Parts shop? Let me know! Leave a comment and I’ll see your email address. For now, special thanks to Mike and Kelly from Auto Insulation Specialists Lo-Buc-Rod. Much more later, stay tuned!