Full Tilt Built Comet Street Rod

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We were sent this story and being Comet/Falcon lovers, we had to post it.  Anytime I hear or see a Mercury Comet, I smile.  My dad owned a ‘64 Comet Cyclone.  ‘61 Comets are not your typical hot rod platform, but you wouldn’t know it from seeing this particular purple rod.  It was built by Full Tilt Street Rods in Grand Junction, Colorado, and they had this to say about the project on their website:

“Clay and the Full Tilt Crew started with a bone-stock 1961 Comet, tore it down to the frame and installed a couple of tons of the finest street rod parts available.  The ‘61 features Full Tilt’s complete Hub-to-Hub Mustang II IFS and Full Tilt’s Parallel 4-Bar rear with ShockWaves.  Full Tilt also did the body work, applied the dive-in-deep “Full Tilt Purple” base coat/clear coat paint and fabricated the custom upholstery.”

Of all the views of this rod, I like this rear 3/4 shot.  The painted bumper, custom frenched tails and the big 335/35/17 meats give this ride the perfect street rod stance.  Super low and the just the right amount of rake.  Too bad Mercury designers didn’t give the rear window a little more angle. 

Can you believe the custom hood scoop is made from front fenders?  Rad!  The painted bumper street rod look works great for the look.  Dig this front view yall.  Very nice work from the Full Tilt crew.

This front 3/4 view gives us a better look at that custom hood scoop hiding an injected 351 stroked and poked Windsor.  Also dig those early 60’s rear fins.  Why doesn’t detroit bring back the fins?!  They could make a killer stealth fighter inspired hot rod don’t you think?  I personally like the dual horizontal headlight look of the early to mid 60’s Mercs.  Gives it that wide purposeful look

One more beauty shot before we hear the story behind the Comet.  Check that injected V8.  Boom!  Custom leather upholstery on stock seats and suicide doors make this a comfy cruiser.  This shot was taken at the 2009 SEMA show. 

Now on to a history lesson…from Kathy, the original owners daughter.

In 1961 Warren & Beverly Jones purchased the Mercury Comet.  As the family grew, the Comet went everywhere, even pulling a teardrop camper.  In 1991 I ran into Kathy, her saying to me “you don’t remember me do you”? She was our newspaper girl. I married the girl next door.  While telling Kathy, the Comet would make a great street rod, whenever the subject came up, her dad would say, “When we bought the Comet, the salesman told me it would do 80 mph”!

Behold the humble beginnings.  Ha ha, I’m sorry.  Is that even the same car?  You betchya!  All I can say is nice work Full Tilt Street Rods for resurrecting/reincarnating this family haulin’, grocery gettin’ Mercury.  Another example of how some wheels, stance and paint can transform almost any car (I know there was much more put into it than that, but just sayin’).

As the years went by, the Comet was fading into a dull, lifeless car. My wife was diagnosed with a brain tumor; the tumor was operable, and a success. I knew I had a promise to keep.  I headed for Full Tilt Street Rods with the Comet. Clay Mullis listened to my story. Clay and his men worked tirelessly to finish the car for SEMA, a lot of it on their own time.  We lost Kathy’s dad unexpectedly during the project, but we all believe he can see it and is smiling.

The Comet made its debut at the 2009 SEMA Convention. Kathy was brought home in the same car 46 years ago to the day.

Vehicle was built at:   Full Tilt Street Rods, Grand Junction Colorado

Condition of vehicle at purchase: My father bought the car new in 1961.  Purchae Price:  $1600

Frame: Custom by Full Tilt

Rear end: Strange Engineering, posi, narrowed with Strange 4:11.  Custom chromed four link with air ride shock waves in the rear and a Mustang 2 style custom front end with pro shocks on air ride bags.  Brakes are GM discs in front and ford racing discs in the rear.

Wheels are Boyd Coddington 17×7 fronts and 17×10 rears

Tires are 215/50/17 BFG’s, rears are 335/35/17 Dunlops.

 

I love these in process shots like this.  Hours and hours of grinding, welding, wrenching.  It’s the heart of the hobby.

Engine:  Mid 80s 351 Windsor bored, stroked and balanced and runs Imagine Injection, Crane cam, TRW pistons and rings, Crane crank, Cloys rods and timing chain.  9.5:1 compression with Edelbrock RPM heads, a March pulley system and Flowmaster muffs.  Spark comes from a Compu-tronix unit and makes about 500 horsepower.  All engine work is credited to BC Engineering.

To put all this power down on the old Merc’ hot rod is a Full Tilt built  Performance Transmission and trans cooler with a 3k stall converter, Drive Line Industries (Grand Junction, CO) driveshaft.

Man!  These 2 engine bays can’t be more different. 

Body work includes suicide doors, front tilt hood, cut and filled bumpers, steel hood scoop made from 2 front fenders and custom guage cluster on the bell housing.  Paint is a custom purple hue and was completed by Full Tilt.  Lights are stock with billet aluminum housings, custom frenched turn signals in the front and rear bumpers.

Interior uses ultra leather vanilla, stock customized seats, EZ wiring harness and Dakota Digital instruments.  Steering gear is a Water Fall Flaming River unit with B&M paddle shifters and the always trusty Vintage Air a/c.

Kathy emailed this note.  “Tho’ the comet has great sentimental value to our family…. we never dreamed anyone else would have an interest. Nor did we ever dream she’d come out so cool.”

Thanks to Kathy for sharing her Comet story with us.  It definitely came out COOL!

What a cool tribute to Warren Jones, original owner of the Comet!  I think he’d be very proud.

Full Tilt Street Rods

Diesel Rat Rod: Blowin’ Smoke

Photos by Swanee

SEMA 2009 proved to be an extreme mix of automotive genius and variety.  Rat rods are becoming part of that creative pool. Rat rods, in general, are built solely from old parts and pieces that are deliberately left raw and natural.  Additional trinkets are added, leaving their patina to show.  The surge of this style of building is gaining support by a recent article by Car and Driver Magazine.  Check it out: Car and Driver Top 10 Favorites from SEMA

Case in point, is this “Diesel Rod”, a 1928 Dodge 4 door body, rusted and abused beyond restoration, was chopped and channeled onto a hand built frame.  Stepping way out of the box and into the next field, a retired 1998 Dodge pickup donates its motor, a Cummins 12 valve mechanical diesel engine.  The diesel motor produces plenty of horsepower and torque plus gets 20+ MPG.

The diesel rod is the imagination of Steve Darnell, owner of a fabrication shop aptly named, WELDERUP. www.welderup.com

Steve has been around cars all his life. Finding old cars is his reason for living, even better when he can drive the beauty home!  Steve’s daily driver is a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, left in its original condition.

Steve and his crew build rolling works of art.  This diesel rod has so many features that every time you see it, the more it pops.  The trim around the body is a bandsaw blade, a chainsaw blade surrounds the cowl. Brass screen mesh, from a gold mine, has been recycled into interior door panels. The dash is sheet metal from an old piece of farm equipment.  The rear bumper is two pistons from an excavator engine and the steering support is a connecting rod from the same piece of machinery.

This entire project, as well as others, is based on the recycling of old parts. Sheetmetal, handles, gears, chains and endless other parts come from salvaging in the backfields of the farm and ranch community.

Steve jumps at any chance to cruise the streets and enjoys all the attention he gets riding in this rat. Burnouts at every stoplight baby!   Fire from the propane injection and smoke bellowing out from the single exhaust pipe.

No trailer queen here, the diesel rod was built to be driven and enjoyed by everyone.

The diesel rod has been featured in a variety of magazines; Diesel World, Diesel Tech, Diesel Power, and Hot Rod. This rod brings the diesel heads together. Rebel Rodz teased the rat rod community and overseas e-magazines like, El Diablo (Spain) by featuring this rat and Mattblackrat (England) http://www.mattblackrat.com/ found the diesel rod to be an interesting ride.

(This is a picture of the hand crank starter. About half a turn is all you’ll need, believe it or not, to fire this thing up. I watched him do it and couldn’t believe how easy it was.)

What is next?  ENJOY IT!  Welderup is based in Montana but, the crew isn’t scared to drive all over the U.S…  Be on the lookout as the “show” rolls into town!

Alan57

http://www.alan57.com/

Six Ways to Malfuntion at the Optima Ultimate Street Car Challenge

We’ve never figured out why, but for some odd reason humans are always transfixed at the tragedies of others. Its why car accidents cause so much traffic havoc – we all have to stop and look as we drive by (grrrrr)! Racing is no different. When something goes wrong on the racetrack we all wanna have a look.

So for your viewing pleasure, I thought I’d just highlight all malfunctions that went on during Optima’s Ultimate Street Car Invitational 2009. For starters, there was Hot Rod Magazine’s Factory Five built 1933 Ford Coupe, which I’ve already covered in: Hot Rod Magazine 33 Hot Rod Coupe goes down!.

Next there were some problems with Hot Rod Jim’s 1957 Chevy Pickup. It sounded like the tires were just a little too big for their own good. A problem that would’ve gone on with many-a-car on the SEMA showroom floor.

Then we had an exciting show when this 1965 GTO built by Barry White of Wrecks to Riches fame blew a radiator hose of all things. It might not have been so cool – but it happened just as the big heavy GTO was heaving itself around the autocrosses’ 360 circle and resulted in a mess of steam and fluid dumped onto the race course.

After that we had the mysterious control arm breakage on the 0-60-0 acceleration/braking course for this 1972 Charger. A suspicious occurrence for this event no doubt.

At the same event, and we can’t exactly call this a malfunction (the car was all right.) But for some reason it just couldn’t handle doing 0-60-0 in the allotted space this run, running it right off the course!

Last, but definitely not least, was the even more mysterious occurrence for K&N Filter sponsored Nissan Infinity G35. After a full day of racing, on it’s 2nd to last curve around the Road Course we see something fly and a cloud of dust. Was it a bird? Was it a plane? No, it was all 3 control arms snapping and the rear differential blowing out!

All this excitement in one day and nobody got hurt! For plenty o’ pictures of all 51 of the competing cars in the Ultimate Street Car Challenge, check out the MyRideisMe Event photos and for more on this exciting event click on over to some other stories!

2009 Optima Street Car Invitational

Whoever came up with the idea to put on an event that would demonstrate the performance capabilities of the cars being showcased at SEMA was a genius! And that’s exactly what the Optima Invitational is all about. Happening the day after SEMA ends, it gives people a chance to put their “money where their mouth is” so to speak. 2009 was just the second year for this event, and the fellows at FM3 made sure that it was pulled off without a hitch.

This year there were 38 vehicles competing for the Ultimate Street Car title along with 14 other cars under the “exhibition only” category, making for 51 beautiful cars out at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch on race day. What goes into an Ultimate Street Car you ask? You might say it needs to be well rounded. At this invitational race they competed in 4 catagories: Road Course, Autocross, Acceleration/Braking, and Styling.

Having driven the course the day before, I had an extra appreciation for what these cars and drivers were doing. Not surprising to many, Bruce Cambern’s 1966 Cobra took the cake in three of the four catagories. On the Ride Tech Autocross it got time of the day (by at least a second I believe) of 39.546 seconds. In the Baer Brakes Speed Stop it did 6.7 seconds.

Everyone was quite surprised however when they tallied all the scores to designate the winner of “Ultimate Street Car.” It wasn’t the 1966 Cobra but last year’s defending champion “Bad Penny.” This announcement surprised most at the awards ceremony since the Cobra had done so well. When I’d talked to Bad Penny’s driver, David Pozzi (who also does work building the car), earlier in the day he said he was disappointed with the performance of Bad Penny and was expecting better results. In races like this though, it’s consistent performance and split seconds that separate a winner from a loser…so Bad Penny, congratulations!

Bad Penny winning wasn’t the only surprise of the day, a few cars went down throughout the day in some very interesting ways. For details (come on, we all know crashes are the most exciting thing!), check out my article on that. And roll on over to the MyRideisMe gallery page to see pictures of all the cars in action, including some really cool Hot Rods such as a 1927 Tucci Roadster, 1933 Factory Five Ford Coupe,  Hollywood Hot Rod’s Model T Roadster Pickup, and even a 1957 Malibu Wagon!

1 Painless Way to a Roadster Pickup

At SEMA, it’s easy to find a great car, they’re in almost every booth!  But like the 70 Chevelle with a Duramax diesel motor, it’s a the different and sometimes unique builds that really get my attention.  That’s what I found in this “Painless” Roadster Pickup.

This style of roadster pickup, also called a “Truckster” was penned by well known hot rod artist Thom Taylor back in August of 2007 for Rod and Custom Magazine. The concept  is simple, but you’re gonna get to know a sawzall and grinder real, REAL well to get it done. You take 50-70’s pickup, then chop up the cab and the bed until proportions of a hot rod. Easy for Thom to say!

I saw a Thom Taylor sketch in the pickup bed of this truck, so I’m sure he had a hand in the proportions, color and stance that make this truck one of my favorites from SEMA.

So what is it? It started as a 1978 Ford Pickup. Recognize it?  From there, the cab was narrowed 16 inches, then the top and A-pillars were chopped off and the remaining cab shortened 8 inches. The reassembled jigsaw puzzle and newly created “roadster” body was then channeled over the frame. The rest of the body includes a 1938 Dodge grille and believe it or not an MGB windshield with 4 inches cut off each side.

Up front you’ll find a mix of wholly (or is it Holy?) traditional 1952 Merc flathead topped by a pair of Stromberg 97 Carb-like fuel injection bodies complete with, of course, Painless Performance Products wiring. Clean, simple and brand new! The owner and Executive VP of Painless, Dennis Overholser, told me they barely had time to tune it before SEMA.

The tough stance is courtesy of 18 and 20 inch Dayton wire wheels. Straying from the traditional on the wheels like they did is a nice compliment to the fuel injection and adds to the, “What is that?” stares at the show. I guess those folks don’t read Rod and Custom?

On the inside, you immediately notice the perfectly weathered dark brown leather that’s straight from the actual “King Ranch” in Texas. Everyone’s heard of King Ranch from the Ford pickup option package, but this is more than just a name.  So now will rodders be on the look out for patina’d paint and leather? Interior is custom work by Eddie’s Rod Shop. The gauge is a one-off from Classic Instruments that features the name from 2007: “Truckster”

Finally, the shift knob is an old friend from Mad Magazine, Alfred E. Newman. Hand made by Bob Boudreaux, I believe it’s one of a kind.  Bob also gets credit for the PPG “Hot Wheels Orange” paint. (Click on any picture to see it full size)

SEMA brings out just about everyone in the car world, and if you’re Chairman of SEMA’s Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) then you probably know most people, like Dennis Overholser of Painless. Follow closely because another Dennis,  Dennis Gage from the show “My Classic Car” dropped by and I snapped a picture of the Dennis pair test fitting the Truckster.

So there you have it, 1 Painless way to make your own roadster pickup. Will we see more?

Special thanks to Optima Batteries for the trip to SEMA.

Bummer! 33 Ford Coupe Goes Down at Optima Invitational Race

One of the first things I saw Saturday morning as I arrived at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch was this Factory Five built, black 1933 Ford Coupe. I was worried it would be all about Camaro’s and other muscle cars during the Optima Invitational Ultimate Street Car Challenge – but seeing this smooth coupe roll across the pit assured me I’d have someone to cheer for this race day.

I can’t tell ya all about the long list of goodies it had – but let me assure you it was long. And being built by Factory Five means its some serious business. After the few laps around the Road Course that all of the cars took, Lucky #13 was just the second car for its chance to prove its stuff in this segment of the race.

To the dismay of everyone watching, as it began its second lap of the track, pulling past the first curve we saw a big cloud of dust. What we’re all asking now is what came first, the break or the accident? I guess Lucky #13 was not so lucky, it’s front suspension snapped right in half. (edit 11/30/09 – Check below. Hot Rod’s editor Rob Kinnan’s setting the record straight)

We were all disappointed to see this baby sponsored by Hot Rod Magazine get put on the sidelines…but here’s hoping it’ll be back next year!

2009 SEMA Show Stopper- Ring Brothers’ 64 Fairlane

1964 Fairlanes will always be one of my favorites. At one time, Pops owned a Blue one, Mom’s was white and mine was my high school driver called, “The Highway Bitch”. Red, white and blue, we loved our 64’s. Pops still has his and is done up Pro-street with a small block Ford and big-fatties in the back.  The C6 went south so it’s been sitting for a while, but here’s a pic so you know what a “regular” 1964 Fairlane looks like.

The not-so-casual viewer will notice this is a 2 door post model just like the factory race cars Ford built known as the “Thunderbolt”.  I’ve seen Pops work his butt off on this car and we’ve had alot of fun times in it.

Not to be outdone by the factory Thunderbolts, allow me to introduce, “Afterburner”

If you’ve seen any of the Ring Brothers’ builds, you know they set the standard and I’m not the only one who thinks so. Goodguys named Ring Brother’s cars “Street Machine of the Year” for and unprecedented 2 years in a row. First with their “Reactor” 1967 Mustang and then with the 1969 Camaro known as “Razor”. Don’t kid yourself that these cars aren’t drivers either.  Proof’s in the video embedded at the end of this story.

Their website, Ring Brother Homepage, says, “We sustain above industry standards in quality throughout all of our work.” Add humble to their list of qualifications because it’s tough to find a car that’s more custom and more detailed from top to bottom than a Ring Brothers car.

I’d like to answer the questions  you’re probably asking yourself as well: “Why this car?” Then I’d like to ask the owners, “What about this car is, My Ride is Me?” That’ll have to wait. Until then, check out these detail photos and the video interview from our friends at Street Legal TV. (Click on any picture to see it full size)

Those are real carbon bumpers, front and back, made custom for this car. It’s amazing how old and new are blended together as an original looking grille is used up front and the original taillights are retained.

Details. The one thing that describes a Ring Brothers car more than anything is the details. Look closely at Pop’s Fairlane and you’ll see what the original C-pillar trim looks like. This one off “Afterburner” piece is no doubt custom, just like the hood pin pieces.

Continuing the carbon theme, the only side trim remaining is the Ring Brothers’ take on an original Fairlane piece. It sets off the body shape well and gives it that high-tech look from any angle.  Then the hood is beautiful and functional. The video explains how the radiator heat is sent out through the hood vents instead of into the engine compartment. Look carefully and you’ll see the other common trait with the original Thunderbolt: 427 cubic inch power, but this time, it’s not Henry, its Jack (Roush).

Here’s a video with a little more info:

Then, as promised, here’s the Ring Brothers “Reactor” 1967 Mustang Video. Yea, their cars get driven and hard!

So what is this car? A hot rod? A street rod or street machine? I guess. Is it pro-touring or some other kind of race-car-like creation. Yea, it’s that too.

Special thanks to Optima Batteries for the trip to SEMA.

Let us know what you think with a comment below.

2009 SEMA Trend-Mega Torque Diesel Hot Rods

Cruising what I call the main hall of the SEMA show, it’s fantastic to see the great rides that make SEMA, the parts show, become SEMA the car show. Featuring the best built cars and timeless classics, it’s a mix of some of the best rides in the country. I stayed close to “Hot Rod Alley” to find the booths of manufacturers I used and wanted to check out. Seeing the Mustangs and Camaros that are no doubt classic SEMA favorites was cool and will be featured here, but I’ve always like something different.

Big power and stupid amounts of torque aren’t different to the folks at Duramax performance discussion forum TheDieselPlace.com, but what about in a 1970 Chevelle? This is one of two cars I spotted at SEMA running a diesel and starting a new trend in hot rodding?

Instead of choosing from from several small block Chevy’s you’ve already seen or even throwing cubic inches or the tech of LSX in, Mike Racke of Fullerton, CA stayed with the General, but in the form of a 403 cu. inch LLY Duramax.  This beast runs a mostly stock block with aftermarket turbos and heads to make an unbelievable 950 hp and 1,700 lb-ft of torque.  Just so you know diesel hot rodders as dedicated to tire shredding performance as their gasoline counterparts, there’s more performance to come when they add the nitrous system!

Finding a diesel under the hood makes this Chevelle worth stopping for in a SEMA hall littered with great rides, but the engine’s only part of a total package that makes you glad you noticed the “SS Duramax Diesel” badges discreetly revealing why this ultra clean street rod is in the PPE (Pacific Performance Engineering) booth at SEMA. The overall construction is top notch, as you’d expect from the incredible detail and plumbing under the hood. (Click on the pic to see it full size)

While not parked inside the show, I found another example of classic meets diesel power in this 1965 four door Caddy parked near unsuspecting tuner cars and lowered pickups.  The flat black paint might make you think “rat rod” but this was a clean ride.  Add contrasting red metallic paint on the roof with wide white walls and original style Cadillac hubcaps and this smoothed out more-door is already a great cruiser. With the power and, gulp, fuel economy of a Cummins diesel, now you’re talking about a truly unusual, but sweet long distance highway mofo.

I found a video on Youtube that shows this car in better light. Owned by Jason Livingston  and dubbed the “Poor Boy Cadillac” the 12 valve Cummins motor runs a slew of ATS parts including the intake (unfortunately requiring a big hole in the hood) and giant turbo.  The video shows the gnarly black smoke pouring out of the 4 inch or so exhaust exiting out of the passenger side fender. Check it out:

So is diesel plus hot rod the new thing? Or is it simply the continuation of hot rodders putting something that don’t belong into their rides simply to be different and go fast? Either way, I dig it.

Special thanks to Optima Batteries for the trip to SEMA.

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

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