5 Minutes with Andy Leach of CAL Auto Creations
We caught up with Andy Leach, founder of CAL Auto Creations in Bennington, Nebraska, shortly after the shop won the 2025 Al Slonaker Memorial Award with a brilliant gold ’33 Pontiac sedan built for Bill and Angela Barbato. This was CAL’s second Slonaker award in three years and another notch to go along with a Ridler, SEMA Battle of the Builders, Goodguys Trendsetter, and Custom Rod of the Year, just to name a few.
Andy is a self-taught fabricator, first learning to cut, form, and weld metal as a teen. He built his first car, a ’37 Ford, before he had his license. He set up shop in his parents’ garage with a few metal forming tools where he says he “destroyed nearly every ’49-’54 Chevy in the Midwest.” Today, he and his team of skilled craftsmen, along with the help of his wife Annali, continue pushing the hot rod and custom car envelope.
Goodguys: Do car owners come to you with a desire to compete for elite awards like the Slonaker, or does the build evolve into a contender?
Andy Leach: Some guys do. Some cars evolve. It takes the right guy to build one those cars. From a creative side, they’re a lot of fun. We talk with each client and determine the scope of the build and what they want to accomplish. My favorite builds are the ones where we build a killer car, and then they drive the wheels off it. Kent Matranga is a perfect example. He wants cars that look good and work. His ’62 bubble top that we built just turned 15k miles, I believe. That’s better than any award.
GG: Who were some of your mentors or heroes when you got started?
Leach: When I caught this hot rod bug, Boyd Coddington was in his heyday. I’d study every car Boyd and Chip did, especially Wes Rydell’s “Genuine” car. I was into those shoebox Chevys, so that was right up my alley. I started cutting Chevys up, destroying them while learning metal work, because of that car.
Then Troy and everything he was doing. Those guys continue to set the bar. I was lucky enough to work for Troy in the early 2000s. Learned a lot! Wouldn’t be where I am now without being under his wing for almost six years. He called and texted every morning to see how we were doing on the ’33 Pontiac Slonaker car. That meant a lot to me!
I also followed everything Dale Boesch did. Dale built that yellow ’32 Vicky called “Teaser” that had crazy body lines. I could not get enough of that car and probably annoyed Dale to no end in the early-’90s asking how he did all the metal work on that car.
Then Dan Webb – the master of everything! Dan is one of my favorite humans.
GG: What was the biggest lesson you learned working at Rad Rides?
Leach: Everything! I was 25 and very raw when I started at Troy’s. The biggest thing I learned was finishing. It’s one thing to make a cool part, and another to carry that level of detail and theme throughout the entire car. It reminds me of that old saying, “How you do anything is how you do everything.” Everything matters, even the stuff you can’t see.
GG: How important was it to win the Ridler Award in 2013 with Ron Cizek’s ’40 Ford coupe?
Leach: Honestly, I was at the right place at the right time. That was the first car I was calling all the shots on. My first employee, Erik Hanson, and I were just trying to build a cool ’40 Ford. It got us on the map quickly. Looking back, it’s crazy how that all worked out. We had no intention of that car making the splash it did.
GG: What do you look for when hiring a new team member at CAL?
Leach: Passion and chemistry! I’m always looking for guys with passion. I want the guys that you have to kick out at the end of the day to make them go home. Passion is the number one key.
GG: What’s your favorite and least favorite part of a build?
Leach: My favorite is the fab stuff, that’s where my heart is. But honestly, I love all of it. Each car is different with different challenges. It’s also fun at the end to see it all come together. The last-minute detail pieces are another favorite. That’s where the passion comes in, and all my guys have that same drive. My least favorite thing is wiring. I don’t do wiring and never will.
GG: Where do you see hot rod trends going in the next few years?
Leach: It’s fun to watch different body styles coming on strong. We did our first Wagoneer for Travis Lienemann, and now we’re doing one for Ross and Beth Myers. The 4×4 stuff is fun to build. We’re also doing a ’54 Maserati for Travis, a completely scratch-built car. It’s fun to do the different stuff and we’re seeing younger clients.
GG: You’ a self-taught tradesman. What would you recommend to a young person looking to get into building cars?
Leach: Find a shop that will take you in and learn – and learn everything! It’s the best way. Be versatile and willing to do assembly, mechanical stuff, etc. It will only make you better.
GG: How important is it to understand computer technology such as CAD, 3D printing and scanning, or CNC machining these days?
Leach: That has changed everything in the hot rod world. It’s how everything is done now. It’s also important to know that things can still be made by hand. Not everything has to be scanned and machined. It’s tiring to see cars that have machined and printed pieces that look machined and printed. These are old cars – make the parts look like they belong on the car!
GG: What’s the best advice you could offer a DIY enthusiast building a car at home?
Andy Leach: Ask questions! We all love cars and the build process. We’re all constantly learning and pushing, that’s what makes this fun. You never know who you might learn something from.
