Wanna Be on TV? Arizona: Now’s Your Chance!
July 29, 2010 by pikesan · Leave a Comment
Casting Car Enthusiasts in Arizona!
You ain’t Chip Foose, but you can be on TV!
I was introduced to Tim Cooper, Associate Producer from True Entertainment down in San Fernando Valley by a great friend who’s always watching out for MyRideisMe.com. (Thanks Susan!) Tim told me about a show they’re casting to shoot, in fact, shooting NOW up in the north part of Phoenix. They said I was too good looking for the show, so Tim asked me to put out this message:
A new automotive show for a major cable network is looking for your classic car restoration story. Seeking hot rodders, muscle car fiends, and guys and girls with that almost finished classic pick-up truck. We’re looking for projects with a strong story behind them, be it a relative’s old car, a car your spouse wants finished NOW, a surprise graduation or wedding present, etc.
The program follows customers as they visit a salvage yard that WILL have that rare part they’ve been looking for to finish their project car. We’d like to see the happy ending to your quest to complete your classic. Looking for car guys and girls, of all ages, in the Southern Arizona area or willing to travel to AZ to get that part. The yard stocks any and all vintage domestic autos, so contact us, no matter how rare your ride!
Sounds like My Ride is Me, right?
If you’re interested in submitting a car to restore, need a hard to find part that just might be lurking here in Arizona or just wanna get your hands dirty helping a friend at the yard, get in touch with Tim. His contact info is below.
Updated 7/29: Any T-Bird guys out there?
Tim said:
Attention all Thunderbird Owners:
We are doing a shoot this coming Saturday, the 31st, with Thunderbird owners. It will be near our set in the Northern part of Phoenix, and any classic T-Bird owners are invited. If you know anyone who may be interested, please have them contact me for details.
Know anyone? Is it you? Please pass this info along to all your AZ car friends. Thanks!
Contact: Tim Cooper
Associate Producer
True Entertainment
818-391-5663
carshowcasting@gmail.com
Photo above features Notorious Ang. Find her at her Model Mayhem page here.
Hilarious Penalties for 24 Hours Racing
February 21, 2010 by pikesan · Leave a Comment
It was my first time to a 24 Hours of LeMons race. As soon as I could see the track, I knew I wanted to do this. How else can you race all day for so little money? With a set of not-so-serious sounding racing rules we told you about in a another post, there were some very serious safety rules in place at the track. Off-track excursions or spins were subject to penalties and that’s where the 24 Hours of LeMons style fun started. (click the picture to read)
The penalties for a track infraction are wide reaching. For the worst kinds of repeated offenses, including total disdain for judges, there were simple time penalties, but with a bribe here or there (of course bribes are legal!) you could get off with a written penalties like the ones above. I won’t guess the political affiliation of “Chief Perpetrator” Jay Lamm.
So what other kinds of penalties did I see? The top photo shows the tires of one team in the stands so they could, “watch and learn how to race.” Too funny! The car was on jack stands not far away.
For the rest of the penalties, I grabbed some video. First up is the “Ride the Whip” penalty.
Team Mohawk and their Dodge Neon enjoyed this ride. The lady drivers got into it! Here’s how it started:
Next is the “Cultural Revolution” penalty imposed by one of the judges and Jalopnik writer/editor Phil Greden. Phil explains how Mao thought his people were “insufficiently revolutionary” and needed a cultural revolution. “All hail the great helmsman!”
Finally, you’re treated to the Marcel Marceau (yea the French mime) penalty. Here you’ll see Jay explaining why it’s not OK to spin on the track or to drive in a race with one arm out the window. This is the “B Team” BMW we mentioned in the 24 Hours of LeMons driver’s story.
It was fantastic to see all the drivers and judges having a great time. There was no ill tempers and no excessive pride getting in the way. Maybe it’s cause there’s only $1500 at stake or maybe as one racer told me, “This is our time to not think about our real lives.”
Everyone needs that.
What car are you driving in the next 24 Hours of LeMons? I can’t wait to see it!
Only $500 for 24 Hours of Fun Racing
February 21, 2010 by pikesan · 2 Comments
I wrote about the 24 Hours of LeMons (yea, I spelled that right) in another blog about the “Strict Racing Rules”. I expected some easy going people out to have a great time. I found’m!
It took the “Eyesore Racing” shown above 6 months of weekends to put their 94 Mazda Miata together. The car, built for $500 or less by the rules, was made from 2 Miatas practically welded together in the middle. One car had front end damage and no motor and the other had been carefully wrapped around a tree with the front end intact. The engine, including the small rusty-wheeled turbo from a Mexico only Dodge pickup, was resurrected from 4 engines. Where would 24 Hours of LeMons racing be without Craigslist!
The team consists of neighbors and friends making up 4 sets of couples out of Long Beach, CA. In the Phoenix race, their 9th race, 6 of the 8 team members drive including “March Hare” Dave, “Tweedle Dee” Jay, “Tweedle Dum” Dan, “Alice” Sara and “White Rabbit” Sarah and my man, the “Mad Hatter” Kyle who helped with the details for this story. “Queen of Hearts” Caro and “Cheshire Cat” Kurt round out the team.
The combination’s working because team Eyesore won the Phoenix race and became the first every 2 time winner of 24 Hours of LeMons. They won at the Reno-Fernley race, according to this Jalopnik story, where they were all dressed like Elvis.
Don’t think they were the only team out having fun though… Let me introduce Team “Off Consistently”
I asked Tyler Irwin, what’s with that name? Duh… nobody beats off consistently!
This 1985 300ZX cruised in from San Diego, CA and is another Craigslist purchase. Tyler told me it came up on for $300, not running, and they picked it up for $200. They Finished 3rd.
I also found the “B Team”. Swanee and I couldn’t figure out what the black strip running down the roof was until we found their pits. It’s a Mohawk for the B (not A) team BMW. They finished 10th.
Dig team, “Lemon Martini”. Their 1990 Honda CRX. Money’s split between 17 and 20, but they finished 7th in Phoenix.
To show the real spirit of racing, fun that is, I’ll include this last picture.
The “Sac Indicator” tells it all.
Wrapping things up, here’s a video that shows most of the cars competing. Don’t hate the big 4 door Olds 98 you see cruise by. They took 5th!
MyRideisMe.com will be trying it’s hardest to enter this race next year. Who’s with me?!
How-To: Custom Bumper Guards on a 1950 Merc
May 7, 2009 by Hechtspeed · Leave a Comment
Here's a quick "before" snap of the guardless bumper. It looks naked doesn't it! All Ways Hot Rods will fix that.
All Ways Hot Rods, located near downtown Phoenix, was founded in 1999 by the Way brothers Mike and Randy. They help hot rodders build their dream cars. One of those dream cars you may be familiar with is a flawless 1932 3 Window Coupe that won the 2008 Goodguys “America’s Most Beautiful Hot Rod” award.
In this shoebox how-to we’ll take a look at how Gregg Grisham, a long time member of the All Ways team gives the custom touch to a ’50 Merc’s front and rear bumper by adding ’51 Merc’ bumper guards. Let’s listen in to the how-to instructions from Gregg: “This method will work for most combinations.
You can see the difference between the bumper profiles in a 1950 guard compared to 1951
I first used tig rod to copy the profile of the Mercury's bumper, then I decided on a starting point for where to trim the guard. Then I made a pattern of the inner area of the bumper, and after some measuring, traced that onto the guard also. Using a cutoff wheel I trimmed out the guard, and fit it to the bumper.
With an assortment of grinders and sanders I adjusted the fit until I was happy with the depth and angle the guard was sitting at. I then repeated the process for the other side.
I made plates to fit inside the guards, welded them in, and drilled the bumper in a semi flat area.
I held the guards in place, and scribed through the hole, onto the plate where I drilled and tapped the plate allowing one bolt to hold the guard to the bumper.
Now using a pair of rear guards which are slightly different than the fronts, I was able to use the front guards to determine the overall height of the rears.
I sectioned about 3 inches out of the guards and welded them back together.
I then trimmed them out to fit the bumper, mounted them like the fronts, and adjusted the fit to the bumper by building up weld.
I clamped a large section of copper inside to back up the weld where I had trimmed too much. Then I trimmed the inside of all four guards, and capped the open area at the top.
I need to mention that it is important to clean off the chrome and copper from where you are welding, and to make the surfaces of your welds as pit free as possible, and a good chrome shop like Kerr West can do wonders to finish off the parts.
Here’s a list of the Chop Shop Tools All Ways Hot Rods used: Rolloc grinder with various pads to clean chrome and grind for fit, 45 degree with cutoff wheel and burrs, as well as a reversable cut off wheel. The hammer and T dolly were used to adjust fit of sections when welding, and to tap out some of the dents in the guards.
Here’s a finished look at the front bumper. “No Way” these bumper guards are NOT originals, you say? Way dude! All Ways Hot Rods that is.
Check the gallery below for more of the finished and in progress photos, along with the tools used.
Go check out the All Ways Hot Rods website for more of their beautiful craftsmanship. Maybe you’ve got a project they can turn into your dream car too!
10 Nissan Cube(s) Stack into Scottsdale Car Show
April 29, 2009 by pikesan · 3 Comments
Someone asked me, “How’d you get 10 Nissan Cubes?” I said, “Well I broke the first Cube 9 times.” Figuring I didn’t answer his question, I continued… “I asked and they said yes!”
They is Nissan and they’ve got 10 Nissan Cubes being prepped for release to the media for evaluation, write-ups and sometimes criticism. That’s what the consumers read in print and online magazines like MyRideisMe.com.
For those of you lucky enough to live in Arizona, you’ll get a sneak peak of the new Nissan Cube. And.. if you haven’t seen one in person, check out the Nissan GT-R.
Except for inside national super-shows like the Los Angeles Auto Show where the Cube first occupied equal space on all side 6 sides last year in November, this is the first time the geometric, love-hate styled Econo-box (couldn’t resist) has been seen in the wild with other shapes.
Where: Scottsdale Pavilion at Indian Bend and 101
When: 4:30 to 9 PM on May 2nd, 2009 (This is a one-time only deal!)
What: 10 Pre-release, totally new Nissan Cubes, plus 1 rockin, bad-to-the-bone Nissan GT-R!
Since I haven’t driven it yet, I’ll have to let you know what I think, but I can tell you there’s a handful of creative features in the Cube not found in other Nissan. I especially dig the kooky, ripple-waved head liner. The mood lighting and accents are covered at length by everyone already, so I won’t go there.
Let me have my drive of the Moss Green 1.8L SL with all the “Sport” goodies and tell you what I think, what others, customers and non-customers think about and then you can love it or hate it for yourself. For my review, I’ll give you nothing but the oppisite over the adjacent side for this Cube and not go on a tangent.
Fine, criticize my writing… do you know Thesaurus.com has no words with similar meaning to geometric?
