Detroit Autorama Post #8

Still another example of a cool Pontiac Trans Am Concept

Wow! This Monte Carlo takes me back. I remember going to the Chevy dealer with my parents when they bought a brand new 1972 Midnight Brown Metallic Monte Carlo.

Mopar + Sublime Green = Cool.

Another Round from Detroit 2010

I'm very partial to '50 Chevrolets...and this woody wagon was absolutely incredible.

This little woody Estate Wagon pedal car was being given away to one lucky subscriber at one of the vendor booths.

The other day, I posted a couple of pictures of a "fantasy Trans Am". It wasn't the only example at the show. This Lingenfelter Trans Am Concept reminds me of the early '70s Trans Am one of my buddies had in high school.

Any time I see a retractable hardtop....it reminds me of the opening of the TV show "Happy Days". Which by the way...reminds me that Henry Winkler a.k.a. "The Fonz" was at this year's Autorama, signing autographs and greeting fans.

2009 Detroit Autorama Post #2

WOW! This little two-door woodie wagon was really cool! Wish I would have taken some more pictures of it!

You can't go wrong with a simple black 32 Ford!

No need for fancy graphics or wild billet wheels. Another fine example of a very simple car that looks incredible.

I've seen this car named "ShaBoom" at the James Dean Festival for the last few years, however, I've never seen the crazy looking Caddy (pictured below) that seems to belong to the same owner. (Sorry...the caddy is out of focus....another bumped "kodak moment").

O.k.....I'll admit it, I haven't seen the recent movie, but when I was a kid, I used to love to watch "Speed Racer".
Man....I wish I had seen this guy sooner OR saw him again during the show. This guy was walking around dressed like "Jake" from the Blues Brothers movies. If I would have seen him again, I was going to have my wife take a picture of us together, unfortunately, I didn't, so all I've got is this side shot over the top of my wife's head! :) It certainly made me chuckle and reminded me of a "simpler time". I've got a buddy that's over 6 foot tall and he and I dressed like the blues brothers more than once during our high school days.
This sweet little Woody go cart was being raffled off for Special Olympics. This will make any kid the envy of his neighborhood!

You can't beat the looks of a '57 Chevrolet!
I'm not a big Ford fan, but you can't deny the subtle metal work, paint scheme, pinstripes and lowered stance all work together to make this little Effie a VERY sic ride!

More pictures from the 2009 Detroit Autorama tomorrow!

Detroit Autorama 2009

Well, my wife and I made it back from another year at the Detroit Autorama. Let me tell you, this event doesn't disappoint. Lots of incredible cars on the main floor, and like last year, lots of sic traditional hotrods in the basement.

Even though there were cars from about every era, you wouldn't see too many shots of late model cars in the pictures I took on Saturday. If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know that I'm mostly "into" pre-1965 vehicles.

It was great to see some old acquaintances and to meet several folks from the Hub Garage. The Maynard's had their Mopar Mafia car there. It was kool that they had brought along a large bag of car hats that they donated to the Positive Behavior program that I've started at the middle school were I work. THANKS MAYNARDS! Wish we could have stayed around for the awards Saturday night, sounds like their son Kameron was going to be honored. Rumor has it that Chip Foose and Chris Jacobs from Overhaulin' were going to come downstairs and sign the dash of Kameron's car. Hope that worked out....very kool! (heck....maybe next year I'll just take Ol' Blue up and put her in the basement and stay all three days!)

Well, with every show, you always seem to learn something that you will probably do differently if you come the following year. The show starts on Friday, and I'm thinking that it would have probably been a lot easier to take pictures on the first day. Saturday's crowd got larger and larger as the day went on. Seems like every time you got ready to take a picture, someone would bump into you (see picture below) or walk in front of your shot. Nevertheless, it's always great to see so many awesome cars.

I really enjoy seeing all the "high dollar" cars upstairs, but what I really like about this show is the basement at the Cobo Center. I'll have plenty of pictures from the basement in the days to come.

O.k....my 2-year old son made his second annual trek to the Detroit Autorama. This picture is for him. :) Funny thing is, he gets a little freaked out when any "character" gets close to him. At the Indy Autorama, he was NOT amused with "Sponge Bob". At Detroit, he covered his face as we approached Diego and Dora.
The truly amazing thing about this year's event was getting to put faces with some of the folks that I've met through the Hub. I got to meet Larry from Singlefinger Garage as well as Jay and his son "Big E". The Hub had a nice booth set up and I ended up buying a "hub garage" hat...very kool. Jay was busy throughout the day filming some video clips that I'm sure will appear on the Hub. "Big E" had the awesome responsibility of spending the day with Chip and Chris. (where can I sign up for that gig!?!?)

I've got some 80+ pictures that I'll be posting this week from Detroit. I'm also hoping for some drier weather here in Indiana. I've got some new stuff for my car AND I need to get back over to Custom Metal Finishers to finish out my bumpers!

Getting Ready to Leave the Basement...

Here are a few more pictures taken from the basement at the Cobo Center during the 2008 Detroit Autorama. I really like this little roadster pickup!

I think this is the first car I've seen with metal flake scallops. This 1932 Ford Sedan was one of the last cars I checked out before we returned back upstairs at the Autorama. We still had 1/2 of the main level to visit!

I was very surprised to see this car. Last summer, it was on a trailer parked right behind us at the Aesthetic Finishers Customer Appreciation Cruise-In in Piqua, Ohio. At that time, the car was not finished. The owner had started his focus on the engine and engine "accessories" at that time. Last summer the car was not running, absolutely no interior, glass, etc. Nice to see that it's finished!

Can You Believe It? Still More from the Cobo Center Basement!

I feel in love with this truck the minute I saw it. This is an absolutely beautful Chevrolet. The stance is right, and the red steelies are complimented by the simple lettering on the cab doors. The ratfink bicycle in the bed adds an additional "fun" element to the overall look of the truck. The choice of color (which appears to be something close to vanilla shake), gives this truck a slick, unique, one-of-a-kind coolness.

I can't remember were the owner of this rod was from, but if I recall, he must belong to a club because several of the cars in this area all had hand-carved tikis on display. Just another great example of a traditional hot rod.

I thought this early Ford pickup was unique. The owner went with the fenderless, patina look with the body, but chose to use a more unique approach with the running gear. Narrow spoked rims up front, with wider spoked rims in the rear. The wide whitewalls along with the bright white powdercoating on the wheels really make them contrast with the patina of the truck's body.

Trucks Daddio!

I dig trucks! I learned to drive in my dad's '67 Chevrolet pickup truck out in the field. (Just don't ask my younger brother about the experience, his recollection is a bit different than mine!). I've always liked driving trucks too. One summer while I was in college, I worked on the summer maintenance crew at Taylor University. They had an old International Harvester dump truck and an old Ford 1 1/2 ton flatbed that we got to drive around campus. Both trucks were very "broke in" and were a blast to operate. The truck pictured above has just the right "unique" features to make it one of a kind and really "Suede and Chrome" worthy.

Those of you who are "veteran" readers of Suede and Chrome know that last fall I was trying to get an Old Navy truck. I had learned that Old Navy was getting rid of all of the "prop" trucks from their stores. I've been watching eBay and trying to find one close by. I even called the local Old Navy and spoke to the manager. At any rate, I'm still pursuing the idea. I couldn't help but wonder if the truck in the photo above is a former Old Navy truck. When I saw this truck at the Detroit Autorama, it was like someone reached deep into my skull and pulled out the vision I've had. If you've read previous posts, you know I really dig the look of blitz black (flat, suede, whatever you want to call it). Wide whitewalls are cool in my book too. I think the truck above looks "just right".

O.k....I do like the looks of most "rat rods", but where do you draw the line? This truck looks more barn fresh than this morning's grade A eggs! What do you think? Please feel free to comment.

Cool Caddies...

These cadillacs were tucked together in the back of the Cobo Center basement. I've always liked Cadillacs from the late 40's through the mid 60's. A guy can take one and easily turn it into something really slick. Both of these cars have a nice lowered stance.

Freak Show!

It's always cool to see a car with your own eyes that you've seen in a magazine. The only thing better is seeing a feature in a magazine of a car you've seen at a local show.

This car, affectionately named "Freak Show" by it's owner was pictured in the SEMA Show Recap article on pages 42 and 43 of the January 2008 issue of Ol' Skool Rodz.


I'm not sure, but I believe this rod came off the assembly line as a mid-60's Chevrolet or GMC pickup. Obviously, this thing has been through some seriously wicked modifications! I didn't have nearly enough time to fully appreciate all the custom details on this truck! I loved the flame job, suicide doors, leopard and white interior, and this INCREDIBLE "ghost" Aztec mural on the tonneau cover just to name a few.

Another "crazy" feature was the beer keg in the trunk! If you look closely at the picture of the interior, you can see the beer tap coming from the mouth of the skull mounted "conveniently" between the seats. This truck would certainly draw attention and would not be for the faint at heart!

Still Chasin' Rats...

Another view of a very wicked rod.

Crazy days this week have not afforded me time to log any new posts. I've had parent/teacher conferences on Tuesday night, then my bowling league...(Scruffy's no bowling "stud"...but I did bowl a 224, a 179, and a 156 after a few "rough" parent meetings!) Tonight it was a Building design team meeting, then church with the family. Tomorrow it's a Professional Development workshop then a Board of Education meeting. Friday I've got to chaperone a junior high dance. A principal's work is seldom finished when the bell rings and the kids go home for the day.

I enjoy seeing someone's ride that has made it uniquely one of a kind. I get tired of going to shows and seeing the same old 55 and 57 chevys, etc. (Not that I don't like these cars, just see too many! Give me something original!)

Just helped my 16 year-old with a creative writing assignment, and now FINALLY have some time on the computer before we need to start telling the older kids to get to bed, and putting the younger ones in bed. Thought I'd try to get a few new photographs posted this evening. Looks like several have stopped by the old blog, as my counter is up over 2100! (too cool!)

This little roadster definitely had an "attitude".

Still posting photographs taken in the basement of the Cobo Center at the 2008 Detroit Autorama. I really enjoyed the traditional rods and rat rods! I've already been talking about going to this event again next year!

O.k....I'm not opposed to a "shiny" paint job! This sic little Chevy is "done right". Nice white rolled and pleated interior, wide whites, shaved chrome, frenched headlights....very cool!

On a side note, got my tax return back from ole Uncle Sam last week. I've finally convinced the wife that it is "very important to my mental health" to look for a new project. I'm currently torn between the idea of finding a 30's or 40's truck cab (to build a slick traditional low-slung pickup), a Model A sedan to rod out, or just something big, long and lean (i.e. Edsel, Cadillac, Buick) that I could paint a nice suede, slap some Radir wheels and wide whites on and go. At any rate, I DON'T want to build anything that I would be afraid of getting some bug juice on, or a few rock chips in. DRIVE 'EM MAN...DRIVE 'EM!!!

Some emailed and said, "Scruffy can you post more bobbers?" Certainly...How's this tricked two-wheeler?

My biggest problem at this point in my life (as my first paragraph of this post indictates) I typically have almost ZERO hours in a day to devote to a project. Add in the fact that I spend 2 hours a day on the road round trip from school, and it leaves little time for the wife and kids, let alone something in the garage.

Love this "shop truck".

Hey...that's all I've got for you tonight! Time to spend some quality time with my 23-month old "future rodder". Have a GREAT night!

Scruffy

p.s....Anyone want to make Scruffy a great deal on a new project? :)