[poll id="3"] These pictures are a look back at my first year of blogging at MyRideisMe.com.  I've met some cool people and made memories that mean a lot to me personally.  This poll is a cool way to remember my favorites from the year.  Take a look at the pictures below and vote for your favorite.  Don't forget to click on the images to see them Full Size!  Check the links for the full stories as well. Bonnie's Bonneville Homecoming at Speedweek 2009.  The first roadster I've ever ridden in.  What a blast!  This beauty shot on virgin salt will stick in my brain for years.   Hilborn Injectors from Larry Volk's '29 roadster project.  This Hemi powered Model A will be an epic project that I plan on writing more about in the future as Larry builds his dream ride. The Hot Rods by Dean '55 Chevy at World Finals blew me away when I saw it waiting in line.  One of my favorite cars I shot all year.  Nothing like a stock bodied car with great stance!  Nick Hoesing's ex-Galaxie Custom and his buddy's 5 Window Coupe from Nebraska.  Cruising...

Diesel Powered Hot Rod at Viva Las Vegas   Photos by Swanee Diesel Rat Rod blowing pure Cummins smoke!   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 1928 Dodge 4 Door Rat Rod   Case in point, is this “Diesel Rat 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...

After doing the Volk '29 Roadster story last week, I was way into traditional hot rods.  But, knowing that my daily driver/hot rod needs to be more practical, have a heater and a back seat, 1960's rods make more sense. My parents were up visiting from California and of course, poppi and I talked cars.  He had a 1964 Mercury Comet Cyclone for about 15 years or so.  I've thought many times I should do a tribute Comet, black just like dad's, high revving 289 ci or 302 ci and a modern 5 speed.  The problem is, Comet's are hard to find clean.  Plus, they're a little bigger  than I typically like.  I'm a small car kind of guy.  The Ford Falcon is the Comet's baby brotha from another motha. I was doing my usual daily classifieds browsing on Craigslist and found this 1964 Ford Falcon Futura with a V8 and 4 speed trans, front disc brakes,  and a straight body already being used as a daily driver. Typically what I do when I get hooked on a new "Car of the Week" is I go straight to Google Image searches.  My...

Interview with Austin Coil about drag racing today Click to read it... 12th ANNUAL JFR HOLIDAY CAR SHOW A HUGE SUCCESS (story starts below) Press Release from John Force Racing: 12th ANNUAL JFR HOLIDAY CAR SHOW A HUGE SUCCESS YORBA LINDA, CA (December 6, 2009) --- Mother Nature and the people of Southern California cooperated to make the 12th annual John Force Racing Holiday Car Show one of the biggest in the events history. Ominous clouds made brief appearances over the 14-time champion’s shop but a comfortable breeze was the only weather variance all day as thousands of toys were dropped off making a mountain of memories for children this Christmas season. From 10 a.m. until well after 4 p.m. today toys, stuffed animals and games poured into the John Force Racing shop as fans filled the streets. Tens of thousands of people wandered through one of the largest collections of vintage cars, trucks and street rods. In addition to the hundreds of car club vehicles a number of specialty vehicles were on display including the Force Borthers “Nightstalker,” Funny Car which returned to competition this year in a...

Every once in a while when cruising Youtube, you find gold. I found it five times with these 5 videos from the "Big Go" the US Nationals from Indianapolis, Indiana from way back in 1969 when they just called it, "The Nationals". Called the "Tournament of Champions" and presented by Hurst Performance Center you'll hear the late great voice of drag racing Steve Evans narrating.  The videography's cool too. You'll have no doubt, this is the late 60's! Even cooler for me is that these are from 1969! The year I was born and like me, they're about to have their 20th birthday, again. I haven't heard a single drag racer, especially the current pros, mention any other race ahead of the US Nationals. This is THE race of the year and it looks like it has been for 40 years. Enjoy these 5 nostalgia drag racing videos from before corporate sponsors and big dollar teams. The 4-speed bang'n, the tire smoking, the love of drag racing shows clear. Here's part 1: Featuring the intro and credits. Don't want watch the first minute of this one, then skip on...

The BringaTrailer.com website is home of the Internet Barn Find.  You guys and gals need to check this site out!  It's the best of the best in cars for sale on the web.  No, we're not talking the best deal on a used Hyundai, this is the hidden treasure that makes you want to expand your garage and put off that family vacation for one more summer. Take a look at the BringaTrailer.com About Us page : "We put together BringaTrailer.com because finding great vintage cars online has become too much of a hassle. There is no need to keep sifting through hundreds of hopeless projects or overpriced dealer inventories to find that one car you’ve been looking for. We pick the winners and save you the trouble… the best bargains, the best dream cars, and the best rarities." Gander at a few of my favorites from the BringATrailer.com site.  It gives you a sample of the quality you'll see.  You can search the site by various categories like American, Japanese, British, Under $20k, Project Car and Race Car and so on. As you know, we here at MyRideisMe.com have Salt Fever.  I give you...

This 1962 Ford Galaxie 500 was easily one of my top 3 favorite cars from Speedweek 2009.  I first noticed it in the pits then saw it again while Pikesan and I were cruising down the Long Course after the drivers meeting.  We sort of cruised the rest of the Long Course along side Nick and his Gal' then turned onto the Return Road back to the pits. Almost 7 miles from the start, we spied some pristine, undisturbed virgin salt and decided to make a detour for some salt-throwin' pictures Craig's '27 T, Nick's Galaxie and Nick's buddy's 5 window Coupe you see in this picture above. Here's some more shots of this Mild Custom! I love this car!  That red satin paint against the bright white salt is rockin'. I dig the long lines.  That stance is perfect with its Air Ride Technologies 4-way system with electronic controller. I dig this shot with Pikesan's roadster in the background. From Nick: "This car has been a great driver for the past 4-1/2 years. It originally had a 390/auto and I decided to swap in a 302/T-5 and 3.70...