The world wide web is truly world wide! So far, for the 6 days in October, MyRideisMe.com has been visited by 45 countries. Even Kazakhstan! No joke! The countries that visit us most from outside the US in October are the Netherlands, Australia, France and Germany, so far. I think our friend Dirk Behlau from Germany (pixleyle.de) has been helping us spread the word and I hope Mark from the National Association of Street Clubs will help us get some more members from the United Kingdom. You can see Mark and his wife Yvonne's garage here.   For our first full month of operation, September, we had 66 total countries visit us. The tops were the Netherlands, Canada, France and Finland.It's great to see what's happening around the world for hot rods and bikes. It's cool that some styles are universal and carry over, but there's always something different to be found when innovative people use what's available. Check out this ride from Hamburg, Germany. It's from our friend Ralf over at Chromjuwelen. He's taken1972 Pontiac LeMans Coupe and transplanted a Toyota Supra (7M-GTE) engine! Here's his garage. His...

Courtesy of Eddy a.k.a. Midnight While studying suspension modifications for the CB900F I found a Dutch motorcycle enthusiast on CB100F.net who has completed (and documented) some of the most unique mods I’ve ever seen on these bikes. His user name is Midnight and he started this project at the end of October 2005 like most of us do, finding a reasonable yet leaky and rusty specimen of CB and getting to work. I usually write too much, so I will let his pictures do the talking. Within a couple of months he had cleaned up the rusty frame, painted the engine, mounted a 900rr swingarm and wheel with a CBR 600 F2 front wheel. Around mid-April 2006, about 6 months after starting, his bike looked like this! Aside from a couple of comments regarding the ride height of the front end, everyone loved the finished product. Now, another thing about Midnight is his uncanny ability to obtain parts for these old Honda’s that are practically unobtainable. Chalk up another first for this guy. I’m not entirely sure who makes that rear end, but it’s pimp. Here is what it...

After selling both the Nissan 240SX race cars he had owned and saying, "I'm not getting another race car..." Brady Dohrmann of Tempe, AZ picked up this race prepped BMW M3. I work with Brady, so it was only natural to make him the first officially sponsored MyRideisMe.com race car! It also helps that with his previous cars, Brady pretty much won every event he raced in and was featured in a couple of magazines. He won his class at the 9/22-23 Track Day at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) and was 3rd overall. It's a big responsibility being Brady's sponsor. We had to show up late and bring 3 cold Burger King Whopper Jr's. With backing like that, I'm sure Brady will continue to be successful. To see more pictures of Brady's car, check out his Brady's garage. To see all the pictures I took from the race, go HERE: If anyone would like the high res photos, please get in touch. There yours...

Ever wondered what it looked like inside the cylinder of your favorite hot rod or sport bike? Check out this video: High Speed Video of 4 Stroke engine   SORRY! The video was made private....

Courtesy of Lincoln Electric TIG WELD 4130! The Lincoln Electric Company, Welding Services. June 2000 Yes, you can TIG weld 4130 tubing up to .120" wall thickness easily with the techniques and procedures described in this bulletin. Answered are the top ten most frequently asked questions about TIG welding 4130 Chrome-Moly. These attached procedures apply to typical sporting applications such as experimental airplanes, racing car frames, roll cages, go-carts, bicycles, and motorcycle frames. The suitability of these techniques and procedures must be evaluated for your specific application. Q. Can I weld 4130 using the TIG process? A. Yes, 4130 Chrome-Moly has been TIG welded in the aerospace and aircraft industries for years. As with all welding, proper procedures and techniques must be followed. Q. Do I need to pre-heat? A. Thin wall tubing (< 0.120" wall) applications do not typically require the normal 300ºF to 400ºF pre-heat to obtain acceptable results. However, tubing should be at room temperature (70ºF) or above before welding. Q. What filler material do I use? A. Although there are several good filler materials, ER80S-D2, is one you should consider. This filler material is capable...

My man Mr. Freeze out of Gilbert, AZ is a friend to MyRideisMe.com. He's just purchased this Chevy Cab over engine (COE) that's got a 455 Olds Toronado FRONT WHEEL DRIVE powertrain under it. This is going to be good! Check out Mr. Freeze's garage for a look at the work he does. He's not a full time builder but he spends alot of time out in the garage. Can't wait to see it come together!   The truck's built now... check out some pictures and a keyless ignition install here....

Plasma Cutting: Determining if it's Right for You and What to Look for in a Machine Introduction Do you need a cutting tool for occasional repair and maintenance work? Have you recently embarked on a new project that requires higher cutting volumes? Or, are you looking for a new alternative to your current mechanical saw? All of these scenarios provide great reasons to investigate plasma cutting. With the cost of machines on the decline, smaller-sized, portable machines flooding the market and technology offering increased benefits and easier usage -- it may be time to take a serious look at plasma for your cutting applications. The benefits of plasma cutting include ease of use, higher quality cuts and faster travel speeds. What is Plasma Cutting Technology? In simplest terms, plasma cutting is a process that uses a high velocity jet of ionized gas that is delivered from a constricting orifice. The high velocity ionized gas, that is, the plasma, conducts electricity from the torch of the plasma cutter to the work piece. The plasma heats the workpiece, melting the material. The high velocity stream of ionized gas mechanically blows the...

How To Successfully Weld Aluminum with a Compact MIG Welder from Lincoln Electric By Jim Harris®, Product Manager, The Lincoln Electric Company and Frank Armao, Group Leader, Non Ferrous Applications, The Lincoln Electric Company When it comes to welding aluminum items around the home or garage, there are a few misconceptions we hope to clear up: 1) That you need to invest in a $4,000 welding machine and be highly skilled to have success; 2) With no practice you can make excellent welds the first time the wire feed welder is taken out of the box; and 3) You need an expensive spool gun suited for aluminum. The truth is that with practice, the right equipment and proper set-up, a compact MIG welder will be able to tackle occasional aluminum welding jobs. Using your MIG welder, you will be able to work on a variety of items around your home and yard, such as grills, railings, backyard furniture, boat docks and even decorative elements. Compact MIG welders, such as the SP, Weld-Pak or Pro models from Lincoln Electric, are available at distributors and retail outlets. A Word About Aluminum...

Check out the art and design of MyRideisMe.com member Brian Stupski of Problem Child Kustoms If you’re like me, before you even purchase a car, you’ve made the plan in your head. After buying the car, the next step is usually trying to find the parts you need to start building your dream, but that's not how big time builders do it… their next step is always a concept illustration ala Chip Foose on Overhauln’. When your dream takes shape on paper, you're miles ahead to getting what you want... You’ve got a real plan. That’s where Brian at Problem Child Kustoms comes in. How sweet is this illustration! This car concept drawing has been updated! Click here. Brian’s a hot rod and custom car designer that actually builds HIS dreams when time allows. He grew up on the standard Hot Rod and Car Craft magazines and got the drawing bug from MAD Magazine (Mort Drucker’s his hero) and from CARtoons magazines. Now, after hard work refining his skills, Brian’s been published in the mags he grew up reading like: Hot Rod Magazine, Street Trucks and Custom Rodder, not...

2007 Billetproof Rocked! Here's the pictures we have. We still have about 350 to add including a bunch of bikes. If you like what you see, please join! MyRideisMe is like a great party at 8:30 PM... the band's setting up people are on the way... have a beer and enjoy until the music starts! Click HERE to see all the car pictures. Click HERE to see all the bike...

Hot Rod Semi - More than a Rat Rod Imagine yourself at a traditional hot rod show like Billetproof, enjoying Antioch California’s cool morning breeze when you smell diesel fumes. Billetproof isn’t the kind of show where you can trailer your baby in, so something’s not right. Then you hear the whine of a giant turbo just as this beast rounds the corner: Behold the 1950 Peterbilt owned by Michael Leeds. The name for this Hot Rod Semi is up in the air, but “Sneaky Pete” is the front runner. Michael comfortably cruised about 100 miles from Santa Cruz, CA thanks to the inline 6 Cummins turbo-diesel hooked to a 12 speed automatic transmission spinning highway friendly 2.92 gears. Michael guesses 12 to 20 mpg but driving range is no problem since he’s hauling 105 gallons in the polished aluminum fuel tank out back. This baby’s read to travel, even weighing in at about 7000 lbs. Michael’s no stranger to giant scale projects. Ever heard of Blastolene? Michael designed Blastolene which was later purchased by legendary car collector Jay Leno. Blastolene’s got an M47 Patton Tank engine that’s 1800...

The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum raffled off a 1953 Vincent Black Shadow to benefit the museum. The lucky man from Tempe, AZ bought 5 tickets for $25 and walked away with a legendary bike. It's good to know that it went to a guy who really knew what he was getting. He is a Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructor, has attended almost every AMA & MotoGP race at Laguna Seca in the past 10 years and even took a trip to the Isle of Man. Next year they will be raffling off another 1953 Black Shadow. Go buy some tickets!...