There’s a 75-foot-tall statue of an oil worker in Tulsa, Oklahoma called the Golden Driller that serves as a monument to the importance of oil in this state and this region. Bruce Ricks, who lives just outside Tulsa in the city of Sapulpa, can attest
Can a small-town hot rod shop race its way to success while also creating stunning Great 8 finalists? The answer is a resounding yes. You just have to look at Smitty's Custom Automotive in Tiffin, Ohio. Owner Chris Smith’s father was always a hot rodder and
When we worked together at Pete Chapouris’ SO-CAL Speed Shop, Bobby Walden’s 1963-vintage Yoder power hammer was backed up against my office wall and I’m certain that whenever he saw me go to my desk he would turn that sucker on and pound metal until
There may still be some cold days and long nights of winter to contend with, but the promise of springtime and warmer days ahead seems more and more realistic as we work our way through the early months of 2021. Don’t worry – the time
Retirement has its benefits. For Jim Crets, the extra time found after stepping away from his full-time job has translated into an acceleration of hot rodding pursuits. Having multiple workshops and a good group of car enthusiast friends who like to stop by and help him
What do several drive-through coffee shops and a walnut farm have to do with launching a successful shop that has built its reputation by producing a string of eye-popping pickups and SUVs? If you’ve met Sean Provost of Provost Motorsports in Woodland, California, you already know
It takes a village. The above photo shows a portion of the Brute Force build team, from left to right: Bill Brakman, Ryan Rivers, Paul Hattrup. Chris Brown, and owner Bob Matranga. What does it take to build an elite-level custom vehicle in today’s hot-rodding environment?
Got the post-holiday winter blahs? Yeah, we know the feeling. And we know one thing that helps to boost our spirits when the days are short and the weather is cold: garage time! With COVID still wreaking havoc on indoor events around the country, this
Overnight successes almost never tell the real story. Sure, every now and then a true overnight success pops up in sports, entertainment, or building high-end hot rods and customs. In reality, though, it’s usually years of behind-the-scenes hard work that give birth to what’s outwardly
It’s not entirely accurate to say we’re heading into the “off season” in terms of car shows and events, considering that so many large car gatherings did not happen in 2020. But we are getting to that time of year where many of us are
