Saturday 24 July 2010 at 10:46 pm
Our hobby has lost another legend, Larry Watson. Watson's career began when he opened his own shop as a mere teenager in L.A. During the next decade, Larry changed the way we paint hot rods, customs, & motorcycles. Larry's iconic 50 Chevy, known as Grapevine was done about the time he graduated High School. It was an instant hit at the Bellflower Drive-In, despite the fact that everybody thought that Von Dutch did it. Nobody believed Larry was the artist, until Harvey Budoff dropped off his 50 Ford in the Watson driveway.
Watson invented many of the custom tricks that rocked the 60's show car scene. Techniques like paneling, cob-webbing, & lace painting were just a few ideas that sprang from his fertile mind.
Larry departed the custom car scene to pursue an acting career in TV & movies. Larry ended up in something like 140 different shows, such as MacGyver, Columbo, and Mission Impossible.
More pics & stuff in our
Forum.
Friday 02 July 2010 at 11:02 pm
The price of FREEDOM is dear. This day is a tribute to our fore-fathers & those that showed our fledgling country the way forward into history. We need to re-read this profound document often & compare it to today's events. We should ALWAYS remember to be thankful to be born as Americans!
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. - Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
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Saturday 19 June 2010 at 11:40 am
As if we needed another damn-good reason to say the hell out of Ohio...
Last week, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that police in
Ohio can legally issue speeding tickets if they THINK a driver is speeding.
In a 5-1 ruling, the court said "a police officer's unaided visual estimation of a vehicle's speed is sufficient" as long as the officer is sufficiently trained and experienced in estimating speeds.
DRIVERS BEWARE, as any cop's guesstimate or SWAG (Scientific-Wild-Assed-Guess), have now become punishable under the new OH law. What kind of UnAmerican, Commie, Big-Brother, Bullcrap is that, you ask? Well, folks, it's all in the name of
State REVENUE. Property Taxes are going down & they want to fill the void in their coffers. Many County Mounties (like Wayne County, MI) have been told that their raises & bonuses are now based on the number of tickets that they write.
You say that you don't think it's fair? Well, get used to it or start bitching to your State Reps. This IS a new & insidious form of taxation, all neatly cloaked in the guise of "protecting the public roads".
See more in our Forum:
Traffic Stops
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Saturday 12 June 2010 at 08:03 am
Corporate Advertising Department: The place where "free-thinking, window-licking, shortbus riders" convince guys in expensive, over-stuffed suits that the Emperor really DOES have new clothes. Whereupon, these helmeted-warriors are then chartered to foist some ill-conceived advertising plan upon the general public, while keeping their fingers crossed in hopes of creating a blip on the sales trend charts, which earns them praise, accolades, & promotions. (unlike the rest of GM).
The system works well enough until the "Suits" attempt to lead these Ad-monkeys via corporate memorandum(s). Inevitably all hell breaks loose. Remember how well it worked with the
Volt Dance??? (OMG) In Thursday's paper, the NY Times called out Chevy Marketing Vice President Jim Campbell and Alan Batey, VP of Chevy Sales & Service for a remarkably dumb marketing proclamation. It read that GM'ers can no longer use the Chevy nickname in communications, they must ONLY use the full & proper name, Chevrolet.
What the hell was that all about??? Are bits of Zarrella's old GM still lurking the halls of the Ren-cen? Who cares what the customers call the company, as long as they are calling. (Sheesh)
GM's response to the commotion:
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Friday 14 May 2010 at 07:08 am
U.S. SENATE RESOLUTION DESIGNATES JULY 9th AS "COLLECTOR CAR APPRECIATION DAY"
A mere 100 (plus) years since the invention of the automobile, after years of crafting laws against the auto industry, Congress has FINALLY gotten it right! Thanks to the tireless efforts of our own lobbyists @ SEMA SAN, the hired help on Capital Hill are starting to understand the importance of the hot rod & collector car hobby to many voters. Senate Resolution 513 (S. Res. 513) may only be a well deserved "pat on the back" for our hobby, but it's still nice to be recognized.
This resolution is important to us rodders, because it helps us understand who on the Hill is willing to support the hobby. Some may say it's only good campaigning in an election year, but I'd like to think that they really see the impact our hobby has on the US economy.
Thanks SEMA!
See more in our FORUM:
link
Sunday 25 April 2010 at 11:43 pm
Hot Rod, the monumental book written by Henry Gregor Felsen, is about to be re-released! HOORAY!!!
If you had a kid-hood like mine, you remember sharing the lone, well read copy of Felsen's Hot Rod book with the other gearheads in school or at the local library. I thumbed through the well-worn copies of all of his tales of fast cars & hot rods from the 1950s. These books are sadly missing from library shelves today, but thanks to his daughter Holly, teenagers today will have an opportunity to read the stories we loved as kids.
Holly Felsen has confirmed that her father's 1950 book, Hot Rod, will be reprinted and re-released in May, after an absence from bookstores of more than 30 years. After posting on various websites, Holly quickly learned that many guys & gals are still enamored of her father's books. " I've been amazed at the number of fans who have contacted me. I didn't realize just how many people he touched through his books. "
H.G. Felsen wrote about 60 books, many about hot rodding, often about the dangers of fast cars & poor judgment that some teenagers use with them. These books have become highly collectable since the series went out of print decades ago. Holly Felsen said that if she sees enough interest, then re-publication of the rest of HG's of the books would be a possibility after the re-release of Hot Rod.
For details on the re-publication of Hot Rod, send a mailing address to hfwelch@me.com.
Saturday 03 April 2010 at 11:33 am
Bill Mauldin was a hero to most of the guys that fought in WW2, because his cartoons evoked the often dark sense of humor felt by Infantrymen across Europe. This young kid's characters, Willie & Joe, made the "grunts" feel that their voice was heard outside of the trenches & even back home. His 1st of 2 Pulitzer Prizes came in 1945 for his work in Stars & Stripes.
Now his efforts are being memorialized by the US Postal Service on a new 1st Class stamp. The stamp, designed by Postal Service art director Terrence W. McCaffrey, shows Mauldin in uniform and helmet sketching, based on a photo taken in 1943 in Italy by Life magazine photographer John Phillips. Mauldin’s image is looking toward his Willie and Joe in full combat gear from a cartoon that is now in the 45th Infantry Division Museum in Oklahoma City.
More on Bill, Willie & Joe in our Forum
Twenty million of the stamps will be produced in self-adhesive sheets of 20. Buy 'em for Dad or buy 'em for Grandpa, they'll probably tell you some great tales from the time they spent abroad.
Saturday 06 March 2010 at 12:36 pm
We'd like to introduce you to a killer new magazine that just hit the market. Throttle Gals.
Doni & Trish are two of our pals that have been bustin' it to make their dream a reality. This mag is all about the women in the hobby that ride & wrench, written by women that ride & wrench. Every month featured gals show off their bikes, bobbers, rods, vintage cars, etc.
Encouraged by friends & family, driven by boundless energy, these 2 chicks have found a hole in the magazine market & have a put together a product that covers topics that the big guys always miss. The articles are 1st rate, the photos make the featured girls shine, & the topics cover many aspects of the hobby. Few others have had the guts to do what these two chicks have done.
The Singlefinger crew will proudly sponsor each month's "centerfold", so get your copy & check it out!
Singlefinger Store
Congratulations to Doni & Trish, we wish you much success!
Get more Info in our Forum
Thursday 18 February 2010 at 07:40 am
Peeking through the fencing in the basement of a NYC apartment building, tenants were treated to the unusual sight of 36 vintage Corvettes quietly collecting dust.
These cars have a rich history as the Grand Prize in the VH-1 cable network's huge giveaway to announce the new cable network to the world in 1989. The winner of that contest promptly sold the lot to pop-artist Peter Max, who shuttled them from LA to NY, where they have languished since.
Max is currently in the process of restarting his vision to use these icons as the canvas for his next series of paintings.
More info in the
Singlefinger FORUM.
Friday 29 January 2010 at 08:11 am
There's always a danger to being #1, because everybody in the schoolyard dislikes the the kid that's biggest, the best, the braggart, but it gets worse when the kid is a liar & a cheat. We've always said that Toyota has been BS'n consumers for years now, telling them how their "World Class" Engineering & Manufacturing is superior to the rest of the world. The last few months have taught the gullible world just how much "horse-hooey" that statement was.
We also have to question the credibility of the much lauded Consumer's Reports magazine, which has never mentioned the fact that Toyota's junk keeps suffering through recall after recall. CR never said a word about the acceleration issue until traditional media outlets, like the Detroit Free Press made it headline news. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Consumer Reports Automotive Editor Rik Paul is STILL defending Toyota in interviews yesterday. (YIKES!!!)
We've also learned that the pencil-necks @ NHTSA have been bungling this major safety issue since 2004, when it 1st was brought to their attention. (HOLY CRAP!!!)
Many US customers have found out that the transplants can't make a decent truck either, as owners have had to suffer through LOADS of recalls & even a SILENT Buy-Back Campaign on early Tundra trucks.
Drive American, for Quality & for Safety!
You'll find more info posted here:
Toyota Sh**boxes
