That’s it for post 1 of the show coverage. Click any of these photos to see the entire gallery. As the week goes on I will go spend some more time editing a few of these and I’ll re-post the results. Enjoy the coverage and buy a print by clicking on any image then hit the Buy button. The Galaxie made it there and back but will need some repairs that you can help me accomplish so I can take more photos at other shows for you! If I can raise $75 in profits this week I can take the daily to the NSRA in OKC this coming weekend.
I really like the turnout at the Lonestar Roundup when it comes to Kustoms & hot rods.
Here’s Alex Gambino’s 54 Chevrolet
My 63 Galaxie 500
Friday evening I headed over to Austin Speed Shop
Jesse James’ hot rod.
Then it was of to Giddy-Ups to catch Pushrod.
Saturday at the show my friend and caravan companion Jerry got the Deadend Magazine award
Later in the evening it was off to the Poodle Dog Lounge for the Strugglers CC. party. My boys Pushrod took the stage at midnight but before that we hung out in the parking lot checking out all of the rides. Big Ken’s truck looks good in any light.
Sunday morning it was time to head home.
I was passed by a few kool rides as I had to stay pretty low on the speedo due to a vibration in the Galaxie’s drivetrain.
Even with an ailing ride, I enjoyed the 635 mile drive.
Thanks for going along for the ride with me, the coverage starts tomorrow morning!
Part 2 of the trip was with a small group and we went from Denison TX to Austin TX. not a lot of photos from the day, but some fun ones.
Texas shaped waffle maker.
We met up at Atlas Speed & Custom Then we were off! One of the cars in our group was Arturo in his shoebox We stopped at the Meatheads BBQ on the way That’s basically it, I have more photos but they are not uploading for some reason. See you at a show! Travis
The trip started off a bit weird. My Galaxie was at Chaotic Customs to get some TLC, so yesterday I needed a ride from home almost 2 hours south to my buddy Jack’s house where I was crashing for the night. Once we arrived and unloaded all of my boxes of shirts, hats, posters, video camera, clothes…where’s my camera bag? It’s still on the couch at home. Damn.
I laughingly explained to Jack that I would get the car and drive home, get my camera & then begin my trip again, fully prepped. Jack told me “phooey!” (not an exact quote) “Take my truck and go get your bag.” As he handed me the keys, I headed out the door, filled his truck up with gas and headed back north. 2:30am I was back at Jack’s and heading to bed.
The next morning we went over to Chaotic and picked up my car.
After some hanging out it was time to head south. After leaving Mulvane I headed to Arkansas City, KS to see Jeff Myers and see a new project in his shop. Then it was off to Oklahoma! The day was a bit long due to snow, sleet and rain all through Oklahoma. Add to that a malfunctioning cell phone and I had a few moments of less than happy thoughts.
After a rainy drive I finally got to Atlas Speed & Custom in Denison, TX. After hanging out a bit it was off to the hotel. More on the trip tomorrow!
In The Domino Effect Pt. 1 I explained the basic principle, what started as a simple upgrade with parts I’d already purchased became a much bigger project. It’s gotten worse… and finally it’s gotten better.
The brackets that I ordered up all came from CVF Racing. I did not get them as a kit, but individually.
For a few days I poured over the internet, the car was not at my house so instead of going out and looking at the pieces in the car I went online. An online parts store listed the factory Galaxie power steering pressure hose as a 3/8″ inverted flare fitting, another listed the saginaw pump as a 5/8″ inverted flare fitting. Where was I going to find an adapter??? Turns out you don’t need one. The 3/8″ and 5/8″ referred to the wrench size, they threaded right together with no problems. (I should have known that or I should have at least tried to fit them together about a week before I did)
So after fighting through a few fitment issues we created some shims, we shave down some spacers that we made all the brackets go together and mount it only took 10 or 15 times of taking everything off of putting it back on to make it work.
Then I took the car down to my friends at Chaotic Customs who finished up a list of items that were over my head or out o my time budget to fix. I picked the car up and drove it home the weekend before LSRU.
A vibration that I had been feeling in the car above 60 mph was the next problem. After a couple hours of looking and driving I couldn’t find the issue. So on Easter Sunday Chris at Chaotic said to bring the car back down and let them take a look.
The crew busted their butts and went way beyond good service to get the car road worthy for the LSRU. A new crossmember was built for the trans since the one fabbed & put in by my old mechanic was not up to the task.
Chaotic Customs made this Lonestar Roundup Trip possible. From the bottom of my heart thank you guys for caring enough to do what it took to get the car on the road!
Go check out all of the Mad Fabricator videos featured on their Youtube page.
You can even see a little glimpse of me in the background of the segment where Bob Bleed is walking around the 2011 Hot Rod Revolution with a camera talking about the cars that he digs.
Check it out, buy it, support independent hot rod and kustom filmmakers.
2012 was my 2nd trip to the Lonestar Roundup. This time I figured I’d take my camera to Congress for some kool night shots. Great idea on Thursday, too many people on Friday or Saturday. Anyways here are some of my favorites from that experiment, all hand held shots, I should have taken the tripod!
It’s been awhile since I’ve released a new video. I have the footage shot for 2 more but I’m waiting to time their release with those vehicles feature articles in magazines. Until then and for the new people here are the first two.
Episode 1 is all about the car that is featured in the Limited Edition Poster #1. Episode 1:Jack Marinelli tells the story behind his historic hot rod. A 29 Model A on 32 frame with a 46 drivetrain, this hot rod was build in the mid 50’s and sits today almost exactly the way it did then. This car is no enclosed trailer princess that sits in a museum, it is driven, and driven like it’s stolen. Music by Pushrod www.pushrodengage.com This episode sponsored by www.straykatkustoms.com
Episode 2: Jeff Myers (owner of Premier Body & Paint in Arkansas City, KS) takes us for a ride in his Custom 63 Galaxie and tells the story of the car and it’s build. Music by The Rumblejetts www.rumblejetts.com
More videos on the way as the vehicles near their publication dates! Stay tuned and I’ll see you at a show!
First off, I’m not going 🙁 booooooooooo! I did attend in 2010 and overall I liked the show. For those that don’t know the show, it’s Viva Las Vegas. Held every year on Easter weekend in Vegas at the Orleans Casino. I’m guessing it’s too late for you to go but I’m sure that there will be plenty of coverage floating around by Monday, I’ll get some of my favorites and share them with you. When I went the crowd was intense both in numbers and in the literal meaning. Sooooo many people who were more into the rockabilly than the car show, but hey that’s kool as long as you respect the cars and the people who build/own them. The plan this year was for a massive caravan from Wichita to Vegas for Viva then to Austin for the Roundup and back… now it looks like I’m rolling to Texas solo where I will meet up with some friends and finish the trip to Austin.
Somewhere around 2010 I decided it was time to get the AC in my 1963 Galaxie 500 charged up for the summer. $100 later it was ice cold and working like a dream, I was a happy camper. A month after that I flick the switch and wait for the refreshing cool air… it never got cool. I was not a happy camper. What could I really expect? The 1963 AC system to be still fully functional? My expectations were high apparently. The compressor was leaking out of both ends, badly. So I decided that one of these days I’d get a new compressor and the system would be good to go again.
Somewhere around that same time I noticed that on any reasonably hot day, as soon as you got under 30 mph, the temp gauge would just climb. A new bigger badder, 6 blade agressive fan and a partial should were added to the car along with a new radiator cap after the old one blew a seal. It helped, a bit, the car was still running hot in stop and go traffic and it was still slowly creeping up at low speeds. A trip to a friend’s garage revealed that the radiator was only cooling 5 degrees from inlet to outlet, it was apparently partially plugged. So last September I ordered up a Speedway Universal Ford Aluminum Radiator…. and it sat in my living room until I had time to tackle the job of replacing the old one.
But the domino that started this chain of events was neither of these. On the way home from Jeff Myers’ Premier Body & Paint in Arkansas City, KS I noticed that the generator light was on. A couple of quick checks told me the generator was not doing it’s job. Since I had plans on installing a nice sound system in the Galaxie eventually I decided to upgrade to a Tuff Stuff 1 wire alternator.
So about a month before my planned trip to the Lonestar Roundup I took the car out to my Dad’s heated garage for what we both envisioned as a weekend long job. You know what happened next. The Domino Effect took hold. While test fitting the radiator, we figured out that this universal radiator was nice, but it just didn’t fit. The bottom connection on the radiator was exactly where the power steering pump pulley was wanting to be. Sure it could be cut and rewelded and such but there just isn’t time for someone like me to learn how to TIG weld. A friend or two offered to help but they live an hour trip away and there just hasn’t been time to get it done. Add to that a new Champion Radiator is fairly inexpensive and a direct replacement to the original and it was time to order a new one.
Okay, so I’ll set this radiator aside for a future project and get a Champion direct drop in radiator, no problem this is going to go fine. It was just about the time we said that when Dad noticed the shaft of the power steering pump looked a bit odd. It was shiny right in front of the front bearing. He grabbed the pulley and gave it a little push, it wobbled…badly.
The power steering pump which was 3 or so years old was shot. After some online research I see a lot of people complaining that even after a rebuild this style of pump could fail fairly quickly. Many suggested upgrading to the venerable Saginaw pump… yup a GM part on my Ford, heresy. The alternator is also a GM 1 wire! Right about here the domino effect starts picking up steam.
The saginaw pump won’t work with the factory power steering pump bracket. The alternator requires new brackets as well. These brackets are built for a 65 or newer water pump… I have a 63. Okay so while I’m at it, a new high flow water pump will be ordered too. If I’m going to do this, it’s going to be done right and once. A little digging on the website of the company that builds the brackets shows that they also sell one for a sanderson style AC compressor for the Ford FE. Well since I’m doing it, I’m gonna do the damn thing all the way, ordered that bracket too and a new Sanderson AC compressor after a conference with a mechanic friend that assured me that it would work with the rest of my system.
Dad elbow deep in my Galaxie, thanks for your help Pop!
So all of the parts were ordered, all the brackets were ordered, it was sit and wait for the Santa in the brown truck to bring all the goodies to my door. Everything showed up and it was time to head back to the garage to start putting this thing back together.
Next up comes the fun part!
That’s it for the lead up, tomorrow the tale of how it all went together.
Now to be honest, I can’t make it as I’ll be in Austin for the Lonestar Roundup, but if you can get to Salina you should be there! I’ve been able to attend twice in 2010 and 2012, check the slideshows below to see some of the show through my eyes.
2010
2012
If you can make it, go! Enjoy the show, take some photos to share with folks that couldn’t and if you have a good time make sure people know you did, that’s how we grow these shows, that’s how we grow this hobby/lifestyle.
This car was for sale, and for a reasonable price. Click the photo to go to the full gallery where you should also find the list of details on the car if you are interested.
Bare bones. nothing extra added… at all.. I mean…damn boys!
I’m kinda getting to where I dig these body style trucks more and more.
This gives you some idea of the crowd alllllll day long. It was difficult to take photos because of the crowd, but that’s a good thing. A big crowd means more people that might be inspired to go home and build something of their own.
We had a great location for watching the vehicles coming and going.
Loved this kool 36
Fantastic flames
I need one
and one of these.
Who wants to buy 200,000 shirts so I can get a new mobile home like this?
Last time I was at this show I shot a couple of photos of this car, before I got home it had suffered some intense damage in an accident on the freeway. It’s good to see it back to life and looking good.
Too much patina?
On my wishlist
$8500 is not a horrible price for this almost there hotrod.
Great looking business coupe
Nice work by Hatfield Restorations
More to come tomorrow! Click any of the photos to go to the entire gallery.
Okay, so you know the drill. Every once in a while I’m just gonna show you some of the kool build threads going down on the H.A.M.B. to see more of them just use the search function on the blog here for “build thread” and you should get to see them all.
That’s it for this time, use these as inspiration to go build something kool and take it to a show, take a kid for a ride and inspire them to take part in this hobby, that’s how we make this thing stick around.
Gas is expensive these days. Okay so you all know that. The goal of this post is not just to whore out some of my Royboy Gear, but to let you know why you should buy something. Not only do you get something kool, but the profits go directly to cover travel expenses to bring more car show coverage to you!
So last year I created the small 7″ sq. book Instagram Hot Rods Vol. 1, the plan was to release a Kustoms edition shortly after that. It didn’t happen. But now is the time!
The new 7″ sq. Instagram Kustoms Vol. 1 is full of 40 pages of kustoms from the Royboy archives that have been posted on Instagram. The book is available as a soft cover, hard cover, hard cover with a dust jacket or as an ebook. Your choice!
From time to time I find myself with some extra…time… kinda wrote myself into a loop there. Anyways with that extra time I usually fire up the editing software to make some adjustments to a photo or two. Sometimes the goal is to make an image more of an art project, sometimes the goal is just to clean it up.
Big Joe’s Ford Truck
This Merc looked great but there were a few distractions. Here’s the edited version
And here is the Original
This shot of The Toad from the Starliner show in Wichita, KS just felt like it needed a vintage vibe to it.
For only $15 shipped you can get the Limited Edition Poster, less than 20 remain!
Well, it’s been a whole week since I’ve been to Texas so it’s about time to head back. This time it’s a trip down to Texas Motor Speedway for the Goodguys 3rd Spring Lone Star Nationals. The show goes down March 15-17 so get yourself out there and check it out. Here are some photos from my last trip down to this show two years ago for the first one.
My buddy Jeff’s ride, shooting it soon for a feature.
Check out the entire gallery as a slide show below or click on any of the photos above to see the entire set.
Guest Blog! My buddy Dan Podobinski is a photographer based out of Indiana, he attends a lot of the same type of shows that I do. Since I can’t be everywhere at once, Dan was nice enough to share some of his images from the 2013 Detroit Autorama with all of you through the blog here. Okay class now all together say “Thank You Dan!” You may have seen some of his work recently in Car Kulture Deluxe Magazine, or on the HAMB. You need to go follow his page on Facebook here and buy some prints of his great photographs! And now on with the show! ______________________________________________________________________________
’13 Detroit Autorama…
The Best of the Basement…
By Dan Podobinski
Detroit Autorama, the very words are enough to excite many a hot rodder, filling them with anticipation of what wondrous creations wait within the walls of Cobo Hall. This is especially true when it comes to the Autorama Extreme, an area dedicated to traditionally styled hot rods and customs as well as the amazing art that is inspired by them. It only seems appropriate that this part of the show is located in the lower level of Cobo Hall, away from the glitz and glamour of the indoor show circuit. This is where the real, honest hot rods are. Not that these cars are not nicely finished or held in high regard by their owners. They are, but these cars are driven, often hard and without mercy. With all of this in mind I present to you my very own “Best of the Basement” from the ’13 Detroit Autorama…
1. Larry Tucker’s 1934 Ford Pickup. In typical Jason Graham style it is an exercise in extremes. It’s delicate wire wheels and subtle brown paint stand in stark contrast to its 6-carbed, blown 454 Chevy.
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2. Brian Wisniewski’s 1950 Chevy coupe came from New Jersey to join the fray. It’s fully dressed 6-cylinder , chrome reverse wheels and killer paint gave it the “look.”
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3. Gene Winfield’s old 1935 Ford shop truck, now beautifully restored and residing with Gary Hatfield in Canton, Texas is an obvious choice.
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4. Jim Richmond’s glorious tribute to the historic Pierson Bros. coupe is another obvious choice for inclusion on my list.
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5. Chad Folkema’s fantastic A coupe on ’32 rails has been a favorite of mine since I saw it in its unfinished state at the Relix Riot show a couple years back. The flathead Lincoln V-12 and outstanding fit & finish make it a stunner.
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6. Dave Gray is the lucky owner of the newly finished “Chemical City Coupe” 1932 Ford five window. With Buick Nailhead power and details galore, the Jokerr Fabrication built menace is pure evil on wheels.
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7. Everybody in the hobby knows the name George Poteet and his Bonneville inspired 3-window Ford is a thing of beauty…stance courtesy of the boys at the Rolling Bones shop.
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8. Jeff Watkin’s 1956 Buick Special is another looker. The satin black is offset by the wild, 60’s style red flake with all kinds of neat tricks buried in it.
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9. Steve Gilmore’s 1963 Ford Unibody pickup is the kind of clean, simple daily driver we all dream of owning.
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10. Mark & Ryan Rogerson’s 1955 Chevy is as pure a 60’s style street bruiser as you will find. A very stout, high winding small block backed by a Muncie 4-speed and a Pontiac rearend sporting 4:88 gears ensure that the stoplight to stoplight action will be a thrill!
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11. Kerry Sitar’s 331 Hemi powered A on ’32 rails is just mean, and that’s enough.
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12. My last pick, though not in the basement, would have fit right in. This wild, 60’s show rod styled 1934 Ford 5-window coupe belongs to Beau Boeckmann of North Hills, California. Take a moment to bask in what was the excess of 1960’s show rods!
