Steve Caballero's Coupe

Steve Caballero's old model A, built by Steve and Alex Gambino. This is just one of those hot rods that looks fun as hell to drive.

Salinas Olympic Coupe

The funny thing about this pic is it sucks. No matter, though, the car speaks for itself.

I'd only seen the Cole Foster built '36 Ford for Kirk Hammet in pics on the internet and in magazines. When I came across it a few years back at the Hot Rod Reunion in Bakersfield, it wasn't in display in the car corral with the other cars. I had jokingly asked a friend if the car was ever going to show again and he told me, "It's here."

It was in the pits with the trailers and vendors, and it stopped me dead in my tracks. I don't recall staring at a car as long as I stared at the Salinas Olympic Coupe. The lines are pure perfection. That's saying a lot as '36 Fords are perfect from the factory, yet somehow, Cole topped perfection.

'53 Chevy

This '53 Chevy has always been a favorite of mine. Once owned by Todd Gravelle of Salinas Boyz fame, later by Rob Fortier, it has an early '50's vibe, a heavy, yet stylish chop (a roof swap from a '49-52 Chevy sedan, so I'm told), and one of the best tail-light treatments ever!

Pic of the Day

I'm starting something new for Suffocation Nation, a pic of the day post. The main reason is to go through some of my old stuff that I may have forgotten about or some of my favorites and bring them to light again. Some may be historical cars, some of great importance within our culture, or some that are just cool. I'm sure this idea will evolve, so watch for updates and send me some feedback on what you like.

The Sam Barris Merc is going to start us off. This car is an obvious choice for me as it's probably the most historic custom of it's time. It's widely regarded as the first chopped Mercury (although many debate the Quesnel Merc was chopped first), but that's not why I'm putting it up here. This photo represents something more. The restoration of the car was completed by Brizio's shop just in time for the West Coast Kustoms show in Paso Robles, 2007. The Daryl Hollenbeck paint-job was so fresh the vapors could be smelled when approaching the car and the tail-lights and interior had yet to be installed. This was one of the greatest moments in recent custom history as the younger generations had the opportunity to see what started it all, yet it was also one of the worst as it marked the last Paso. The show has continued in Santa Maria, but much of what made Paso special is gone forever.

So take a close look at this picture, marvel the profile of this beautiful 1949 Mercury and the mile-deep paint, but also check out the background....the Paso Robles Inn and the people tell a story as well.

Bring The Noise

Or don't.

My new Canon 40D in action at the 2010 California Hot Rod Reunion...







I definitely could put a fixed and a better zoom lens to work, but I'm pretty stoked with how these turned out.

Full coverage from the event coming later this week.

Payback

"Their solutions are our problems..."

"They take away our freedom, in the name of liberty..."

"They make us feel indebted, for saving us from hell. And then they put us through it....it's time the bastards fell!..."

"...don't be bitten twice..."

- S.L.F.

I Hate My Car

Well, not exactly...I hate it in it's current state.

Something happens when you put paint or primer on a car. It's not just that the highs and lows show up, it's that it starts to become the sum of it's parts. A whole.

No longer are the new tail lights a focal point. The bare metal spots cease to be noteworthy repairs. The chopped top doesn't stand out. The frenched headlights just become part of the fenders. All of this fine, in fact it's the point we builders strive for, but it all had better work. And the color better be right, which in the case of this '51 Chevy, it is not.

I made this realization after we sprayed it that late Wednesday night before the show in Santa Maria. Yesterday I made the realization why.

Cole Foster, famed custom, hotrod, and motorcycle builder, wrote something several years ago that stuck with me, "...customs are spooky bad guy cars."

Here it is, April, 2010...


May, 2010 at Santa Maria...





Spooky it is not. The words that come to mind are safe, industrial, nice, and innocent. Yeah, no. It must be dark.

More from Cole, "...and dosent make me want to build cars to please the masses, or I would build some tangerine double bubbled fagsled, it makes me want to park them across the street from the show. I had a great time, saw my friends, show was steller and even got a 2 dollar trophy, not bad."

That basically summed up my weekend at the show, minus the trophy.

Aaron's Tank

Check out these pics of Aaron's new tank...






Props to Blue Moon Kustoms for this bad-ass layout and flake-job. Can you imagine how many layers of tape this took?? This bike is gonna rule.