I was talking to Steve and he mentioned that some of his friends had purchased new cars from Missouri. I do know that Missouri is a hot bed for Deuces and I was eager to see the cars. Both cars came from the same owner, who was thinning out the heard, as we all do when age becomes an issue and we realize that we can’t drive them all. Sometimes purchasing someone else’s car is the way to go. You save money and more importantly — time. Building a car today not only cost more than they used to, but they also require much more time as you constantly change your build plan along the way. It seems the business is still booming and newcomers want to join in on the movement.
I was looking a The Roadster Shop’s site last night and noticed the cars they are building are almost all of the later vintage such as Mustangs, Tri-Five Chevrolets, and Mopars. While this is not new news to many of us who attend events on a regular basis, it does show the interest and demographics have changed over the past ten years or so. NSRA and Goodguys both changed their business model to attract some of the younger automobile enthusiasts to their events. Judging by the attendance I think they made an excellent decision. In our area, Del Mar and Bakersfield still seem to attract huge crowds and cars even though they are not all pre 48 cars. I don’t limit myself to just pre 48 cars and trucks, even though those years are my roots. I also enjoy looking at the later models with modifications and the excellent craftsmanship you see in today’s quality hot rods or modified cars. The skill level of the younger generation is far superior to my era in many ways. Technology has made this possible along with professional taught courses in all areas of building a hot rod. I am self taught with lots of guidance from the masters through my association over the years but I really never achieved the level of perfection you witness at today’s seminars.
Bob-O and I did some garage crawling yesterday in one our favorite areas and observed first hand the quality of work being done by shops like — Waldens Speed Shop, TCI, Kennedy Brothers, SO-CAL and other notables in the Pomona area. Skilled workers, hi-tech machines and parts inventories that didn’t exist in the 50’s & 60’s were evident . The investment required to operate a business like this requires a market that will sustain the overhead for many years. The business owners who don’t change will not be in business for long if they don’t read or create a market for their products. SO-CAL’s, Pete Chapouris, started with a dream and kept building on the popularity of the Deuce. His marketing ability and skills have allowed him to continue to focus on a very niche market despite the changing landscape. SO-CAL is a brand that has been revitalized and is a household name recognized world wide.
In conclusion, the yellow roadster shown below, was built on a SO-CAL chassis with a Brookville body using store bought parts and skilled workers. Both companies are highly regarded in the aftermarket field as leaders who made a difference. Lets hope this trend continues to keep “The Flame Burning”.
Make something happen in your garage.
Stay Tooned!
Lynn
Bruce purchased this beauty from the same fellow and now has a very nice roadster for the warm weather being promised next week.
John has a new deuce to go with his roadster. The Central Coast Roadster guys need sedans on cold days like today.
SO-CAL Speed Shops all over the country sell quality products and all have the signature Deuce roadster on display. This is the Las Vegas store. (Steve’s photo)
From the initial signature Deuce, came several more built with quality components tested on the mule for many miles.
The investment to stock a store and maintain the overhead requires a strong market demand for products.
Bobby Walden and his team build some of the nicest cars being built today. He holds seminars and always welcomes visitors to view his facility and projects.
He built one of the first UPI 5-window coupes which is shown above. Metal work is flawless inside and out.
Like P&J and SO-CAL he has his line of parts to build your own in your garage or have him install the parts.
The Kennedy Brothers build my style of car. Using talent learned from working in their father’s shop they know traditional hot rods better than most. Two of the nicest guys around.
They love the 5-window and have built several for customers and their own use.
Not a fancy place but more than adequate for doing the work. Here is a rare B-400 being readied for paint.
B&E is our local shop operated by Bobby and Eugene. They always maintain a squeaky clean shop and well organized.
Eugene is the painter. He keeps the paint booth and surrounding area as clean as you will ever see.
The body shop area is also immaculate with quality tools to handle any job.
When you have your engine rebuilt you want the work area to be neat and clean such as this area at QMP.
The Hot Rod Garage in Sand Springs, OK built their signature Deuce roadster a few years ago and it still is one to follow for a clean build.
Michael had Roy build him one of their signature roadsters with the best red paint I have seen since Henry Dana’s Red.
Friday’s Fun
The reason we build our hot rods is for a day like this in beautiful St. Inez, CA at a fellow enthusiasts ranch and car collection.
Roy has driven all over the country in a roadster but also enjoys his 5-window he obtained from Bubba. A day on the road in one of your creations is most gratifying. His shop has built over 300 cars for some of the super stars — so know he does good work.
While not quite finished, it is still fun to drive around and enjoy the back roads. Apple Green wheels screams 70’s!