MATCHING THE PERFECT KNOB TO A CAR

A lot of nice cars made it to the Grand National Roadster show this weekend. Unfortunately, I did not. But  for grins, I took the liberty of matching some knobs from our inventory to my favorite car at the show. If nothing else, it gives you an idea of how a custom knob can integrate and/or compliment a car. Of course, if all one wanted was a maroon ball, we can easily accomodate that, too. Or a maroon sparkle or pearl. With or without shift pattern. Sheesh, you get the drift. 

VICTIM ONE:

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If we can help you find the right knob for your car, you know where to find us.

Here's a link to our customer gallery.

TBD

IN PRAISE OF FIBERGLASS

Leave it to the gents at Speedway Motors to come out with a fiberglass body I'd actually be proud to be seen in. It popped up in the February 2011 issue of Street Rodder. This car, available in kit form, does a damn fine job of looking like a cool traditional ride, IMHO. Am I going to scrap my roadster in lieu of this car? Well, I won't go that far. But I've gotta give some serious props where I think they're well deserved. If you're intersted in reading the article, have at it. And if the article captures your attention, check out the kit on Speedway's website.  Now back to the metal dreaming.

PICKING THE PERFECT SHIFT KNOB

It's a small detail, really. A knob. That little doo-dad that resides at the very top of your shifter stalk. But for all the thinking the average gearhead puts into their ride, it's often the one thing that gets overlooked. That's what led Debbie and I to start HotRodShiftKnob.com a couple years ago.

Our goal was to offer the largest selection of shift knobs found anywhere, and we're certainly getting there. But when you have that many choices, what do you run on your personal ride? Well, my Dodge Magnum seemed to get a new knob every month or so until just recently.

I think I've found the perfect knob, thanks to my thoughtful wife. I now run a knob with sentimental value.

When my dad passed last year, we got a small box of his keepsakes. As my dad was a very practical person, it was mostly little functional trinkets. Paper clips and Chapstick and Tic Tacs and nail clippers and such. But in the midst of all those useful items was a little medal medallion. Was it a coin? A charm? Something he got a long time ago in Korea while on R&R? I have no idea and probably never will.
But knowing I quite liked that little trinket, Debbie embedded it in a marble red knob and it is one-of-a-kind and wonderful. I immediately screwed it onto the Magnum and now I think about my dad every time I drive.

It makes me happy, having a small piece of my dad's life, still part of mine. And that, as far as I'm concerned, is what makes for a perfect shift knob. Love you, dad. Hope you're watching the play-offs
today.

DRAWING ON INSPIRATION

Back when I was in the planning stages of building our Houseospeed shop truck, I invested some cash where I never had before. Into my vision. I reached out to a talented artist and described what I had in my head and asked him to he capture it on paper. 

That talented artist was none other than Brian Stupski of Problem Child Kustoms, and the concept drawings above are what he sent me. To say I was blown away is an understatement. Simply put, Brian flat out gets it. The concept drawing Brian did of my Suburban actually propelled my dream forward. While commissioning it wasn't inexpensive, it was some of the best money I ever spent. In fact, I'd highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see their dream visualized before they spend untold thousands making it happen. I'm going to be reaching out to Brian to discuss my concept for the '29 roadster, and see if he's up for doing a little magic for me again.
I'll post an update. 

WHY ISN'T "FAT LUCKY" FAT?

I first met Sean Johnstun of Fat Lucky's seven years ago. He was an up-and-coming upholstery whiz, working out of his Austin home. From there, Sean co-founded Austin Speed Shop, where he continued to ply his formidable stitching chops for years, thus becoming a legendary upholsterer in his own right. Of course, he'd be embarrassed by that assessment, but anyone who knows him, and what he's accomplished over the past several years, would be hard-pressed to quibble. So here's the skinny on the "fat" thing. Years ago, Sean had a dog named "Lucky". Yep, a fat dog. Sean loved his dog. Hence Fat Lucky's was born. And that folks, explains why Sean isn't fat at all. Just humble and supremely talented. With a little luck, I may be able to convince Sean to do some work on the roadster's interior. Fella's allowed to dream, right? Below are some samples of Sean's work, including the interior of the HouseOspeed.com shop truck, which Sean had a big part in.

Sean used original style barkcloth on the door panels.

White glitter vinyl is one of Sean's many fortes.

Sean even made seagrass mats for the interior.

Greg's Mercury truck. One of my favorite interiors ever.

Check out the headliner. Stitched like pin striping. Bada-bing.

The interior of Dr. Dan's epic 55 Chevy. Off. The. Hook.

Tasty and restrained. A period perfect look.

Ryan Cochran's gorgeous interior (owner and creator of the HAMB).

More of Sean's trademark stitching.

CRAFTY-B, HOT ROD METALSMITH

Over the course of researching guys who could make shift arms to display our knobs at shows, I came across "Crafty-B".

Crafty-B fabricates some of the tastiest hot rod parts you'll fine anywhere. When the time comes for me to get the instrument bezel for my roadster, Crafty's handiwork will definitely be in my consideration set.

Don't miss looking at his gas caps, they're about as badass as they come. His shifter arms are also awesome, to say nothing of his headlight and taillight bezels. As you can see, Crafty-B builds some damn fine rides, too. Check it out