I just don’t get it, people should get down how they want to get down and that should be the end of it.

Both setups have advantages and disadvantages and sure people on air can raise their car now and again to get over obstacles but is that worse than having an entirely different car to drive daily or turning your coils down at or before a show?

For this weeks Theme Tuesday I contacted the guys at Air Society for a little help hopefully getting a few static fans to at least appreciate what is over on the “dark side”.

Classics

Trucks

Imports

Euro

If you never been over to Air Society I recommend checking out their forums where a number of cool builds are going down including my friend John’s widebody Mazda 3 which should be on air really soon.

I stumbled across this s10 Blazer with a c10 front end when I was pulling together this weeks ‘no shine’ Theme Tuesday and thought it was worthy of a post of its own outside of that due to how unique it is.

This front end manages to be a huge departure from the standard Blazer front end but not look entirely out of place once you get over the initial shock.

The work looks fairly sound too.

Keeping the body lines was a great touch, and they look pretty straight

The rear lights look different too C10 as well?

This > Phantom Grill

Apparently this truck belongs to someone named ‘Lil B’ and was spotted at Rollers Only in 2009.

Contrary to the title at this point I am pretty sure I want it.

That post was made up of mostly black cars and with a couple cars switched out it could have easily passed for a ‘murdered out’ Theme Tuesday.

This go round I took a little more time picking out the cars to include and pulled together a wider variety of cars including modern, euro, and the cars mysteriously missing from the last post, classics.

Basically every form of flat other than natural patina (another future post) is here.

Modern

This car got infinitely more bad ass once it got wrapped

I guess not really all that modern but not quite a classic yet

Flat orange is pretty damn nice

Jon Sibal's Challenger is honestly one of my favorite cars right now

The real flames under that wrap are sick but this is 1000x better

All business

Basit's Ifest 6

I'm still a little RWB overload but here is one you might not have seen 10000 times

Euro

This car reminds me of Grimace, not a bad thing

One the fence about the headlight covers but I like everything else

Initially I wasn't a huge fan of this car but after reading the build I changed my mind

One of maybe five Things posted here.. this one is painted in Hot Rod Flatz

Minty fresh

e30 m3 can never lose

USAF scheme (or at least I think it is USAF)

Classic

Thinking I should do a post about the style of paintwork seen on the roof of this car...

That is one clean garage

Maybe I should have called this I like mine with a little shine...

This Merc is another reason why you should check out the H.A.M.B forums

Lead sleds, so killer

This trucks got everything done right, might have to look for more of it

This is an AMAZING flat paint job

Tales of journeys to and from work or the farm, first dates, and perhaps a trip to a hospital for a child birth (or two) are nothing out of the ordinary of a truck this vintage.

Dragging frame from from Ajax Ontario to Ohio though? That is a little less typical and a welcome turn of the page in the history of this awesome 57 Chevy 3200.

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Open 1024px version in a new window

With several award winning custom builds under his belt Blair Taylor of Taylor’d Customs picked this truck up as a side project completely stock in August of 2011 and three short months later had it laying in the weeds at Dropt and Destroyed October of 2011.

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Open 1024px version in new window

Behind a grill that has swallowed its fair share of country mile now sits a freshly rebuilt ‘low horsepower’ Chevy 350 motor.

Low horsepower is of course a matter of perspective because based on his other builds and the impressive growl audible in the video recently released on the Talyor’d Customs Facebook page this truck could probably put vehicle or two to shame while leaving a trail of sparks in its wake.

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The 350 sits on top of a Heidts Mustang II front end with custom lower control arms, and the 57 three speed transmission bolted to the back of it is mounted to a lifted cross member.

The original bed, which used to carry lord knows what, has had it’s floor removed to clear the massive 8 inch notch and custom triangulated, square bar, four link suspension necessary to get this truck to lay out completely flat.

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Open 1024px version in a new window

When the time is right to get up and go slam bags at all four corners are aired up with dual Viair 444 compressors.

Static fans don’t fret this truck doesn’t ride high and park low, it rides low and parks lower.

Exterior wise Blair kept this trucks character intact by not removing the multiple layers of paint on the exterior, instead he took just a little bit of sheen off with a buffing pad giving it a very nice looking patina that doesn’t look forced.

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Open 1024px version in a new window

The only modern addition that can be found on this trucks exterior are the 20″ Foose wheels that spend most of their time buried in the fenders.

Inside a 61 Chevy Impala bench seat keeps occupants in place while the rest of the interior, save for the floor mats, are factory 57.

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Open 1024px version in a new window

Big thanks to Blair and Kristina for letting me put together this feature and inviting me to check out the shop which I will be doing in the next few weeks.

I really look forward to seeing what else Taylor’d has in store for 2012.

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Modification List

Drive-train

• Freshly rebuilt 350
• 57 3-speed standard transmission
• 2-piece drive shaft
• Stainless Gas Tank

Suspension/Chassis

• Heidts Mustang II front end with custom lower control arms
• 5-bolt conversion
• Custom triangulated square-bar four-link suspension, 8-inch C-notch
• Slam Bags (all four corners)
• Lifted transmission crossmember
• AccuAir manifold
• Dual Viair 444 compressors

Interior/Exterior

• ’61 Impala seat
• 20” Foose wheels

Photo Credit: Kristina Doyle – Taylor’d Customs

taylordcustoms.com
Taylor’d Customs on facebook
Taylor’d Customs on Twitter

Outside of Pedro’s car (who is local) and the EuroProjektz build I don’t think I have posted any other A3 quite as much.

Every time I see new photos of this car I just can’t seem to help myself.

Obsessed? Maybe.

Just a gorgeous stance

If you are on board with fitment like this then you agree this looks... perfect

megusta.jpg

Best looking A3 ever?

Via.

If you are wondering it didn’t snow this week so no Winter Wednesday, hell it is 5 degrees out right now.

Hammered to the floor via air ride and sitting on simple hub caps with white walls this car has got stance for miles, which is just about how long it is.

Some cars all you need is low and this a perfect example.

Looks like it was meant to sit like this

Rocker, meet floor.

The air management probably doesn't even make a dent in the trunk space

Ridiculous.

and if aqua isn't your color...

More of this.

Yesterday while giving the thread one last read through the following incident randomly jumped from the recesses of my mind.

Since it happened in 2009 I forget the exact chain of events I read at the time but the pictures do a great job of filling in the blanks.

The following is what happens when you acknowledge you have a gas leak but then proceed to do nothing about it and continue to drive around aired out.

Well there is your problem right there someone cut a hole in the bed.

Maybe the thinking here was once he put it in drive he could outrun the flames

Laying frame with a second gen front end and a Colorado headlight conversion

all for not...

Was anyone reading at Spring Fling that year? Is the story really as cut and dry as the photos make it out to be?

More photos on Drop Jaw Mag.

Site Updates

Some of you may have noticed that I tweeted the following picture a couple days ago.

For those who are not nerds that is a design on the left screen and source code right

Yes, I am working on giving the site a refresh, finally.

There is still quite a few things left for me to do before I throw the switch but things are going quite well so far.

No official launch date yet but it shouldn’t be too far off.

Flashback Friday

Level One in 2010 shot by Gawa. After a successful 2011 I wonder what these guys have in store for 2012?

The first part of two posts looking back at the events of 2011 is coming later today!

Intrigued I set out to find the original photo and more on the car.

After tracking down photographer Scott Kroeker I was able to not only get permission to re-post the photos but also obtained the contact information of the builder Brent.

The Chevy before Brent tore into it

Both Brent and Scott were on board with running the photo set here but things got really interesting when I asked Brent if he had a build thread for this bad ass Chevy.

One page into the build thread I was absolutely blown away by how much work had gone into this car.

The build is just as interesting as the final product.

Cut up...

...and put back together

On the first page of the build Brent made made chopping and sectioning the car look like child’s play.

Further along his creativity and perfectionism emerged when he worked and then re worked the rear window of the car until it flowed perfectly. When he was finished with the rear window for the second time he turned to the front of the car where he extended the headlight buckets so that he could use Olds headlight rings.

A this time he also fabricated front and rear bumpers from a combination of Oldsmobile and Chevy bumper and grill pieces.

At this point many 'professional' body shops would throw in the towel

Ya... it snows a bit in Manitoba

One of the more interesting small details to this build sits in the grill. Holding the two signal lights is a polished aluminum baseball bat that has been cut in half,  not sure where Brent got that idea but it is pretty unique.

In the midst of doing all of this fab work Brent also figured this platform would be the perfect candidate for his first air ride install, so he did that as well.

The bags were a great choice because it’s new slammed height has a lot to do with why it ended up here.

Polish underway... I love the fact he ended up keeping it bare.

After the body was polished and the car was running Brent had his friend Ian Kroeker come down and do all of the pin striping on the car including simulated rivets.

The final product shot by Scott Kroeker is below:

No paint - still shinin'

Everything about this shot just seems right

Desktop, poster, postcard, worthy

Christine?

Perfect.

Brent took a car that the earth was trying to claim back and turned in into an award winning masterpiece using his own two hands and the respect I have for people like Brent is immeasurable.

I can only hope that when the time is right for me to really build (not assemble) a car I will be able to do so with even half as much skill.

Unsurprisingly Brent also has his own custom shop in Manitoba called Halfass Kustoms.

Photo Credit: Scott Kroeker
Build Thread: Projects 50 Chev chop/section

Today is the the day I change that.

Quite a few of these trucks are fat fender Chevys or squared up C-10s but don’t take that as a sign of me being a Chevy over Ford guy.

I just happened to be searching for a particular Chevy when I came across most of these pics.

Yep, that is how I am starting this one.

Looks like that bumper takes care of any debris that might be in the way

Super smooth 55

Similar vintage of truck not quite as shaved or painted

Perfect what I assume to be static drop

52 Chev in original patina

I picked up a LOT of c-10s

I think seeing this truck laid out on an even surface would do it even further justice

This looks pretty rad... but please do not do it to a late model car

Look at the size of those tubs... ride low park lower!

You just know the owner of this truck gets asked if he would sell on a weekly if not daily basis

Found on road...slammed?

Step side > Fleet side with most 50s/60s trucks

Extended cab short bed?

Does this remind anyone else of the cab from Who Shot Roger Rabbit? Still sick though

Snub nose fans this is for you

For those who say lowered trucks lose all their practicality...

It is an absolute must that I attend a Good Guys Event

So the picture I was looking for is this truck hitting a pylon driven by a guy with a big beard, can someone find it?

Local Taylor'd customs killin' it

I might do vintage (pre 50s) trucks in the near future, along with a follow up to this theme.

….I might be a Chevy guy.

Kind of unavoidable given the color these wheels are painted, but custom orange finish aside the concave of these 18×9.5 wheels suit this ‘dub well.

Though a car this low and clean you could probably slap Ronal Bears on it and I might like it.

Even though this is a square setup the camber out back really makes it look staggered

My retinas are burning... but it is a good burn

Killer profile

www.3sdm.co.uk or sales@3sdm.co.uk for more info.

Currently not available in the North America as far as I know.

I had felt like as though I was lacking some classic metal in my life so I took to crawling the H.A.M.B.

That Hokey Ass Message Board always delivers the goods and this ride built by Skoty Chops is no exception.

Triangulated rear suspension, borrowed parts from all over the place (including office chairs), an awesome suicide shifter, and that classic hot rod ‘feel’ are just a few of the reasons why I love this.

“People perceive my car as a rat rod I don’t believe it’s a rat rod, rat rods are unsafe and just slammed together vehicles…this car is put together well. People perceive it as a rat rod because of the no paint and the rust look to it but that is just how they did it back then”.

- Skoty Chops

Automotive art at its finest, Skoty is on facebook if you want more.

Photo Credit: VJPhotography and Lorryson

This truck is a great example of the extreme measures people were (and still are) willing to take to get their ‘perfect stance’.

I remember a lot of things about this truck (the extreme body drop, the fender humps, and the Fiero wheels) but a couple of the other details completely slipped my mind.

For example I forgot the owner had to build a tube frame for the truck because he drug the previous frame to smithereens, and most surprisingly I somehow forgot that the whole rear clip of a Fiero was thrown out back making it a mid/rear engine truck.

It’s a good thing the hilariously dated 2004 tripod page detailing the build is still live and while the pics I pulled from it are postage stamp sized you get the jist:

Makes more sense to get in through the roof than the doors

Tubular A-Arms, fuel cell, flip forward front

Fiero rear clip, wedged between a slightly widened Blazer rear

No need for a roll man when you have no bumper

Tucking almost every lug up front

Tucking... every single lug out back

The proportions look quite odd with that much of the bottom missing

I have no idea if this truck was ever finished, or if the Fiero motor ever moved it so to the older minitruck guys reading this if you know what happened to this truck or have pictures please share.

Site Updates

Lots of user submissions again this week, going to sort through them on the weekend and figure out how to incorporate them all.

Hopefully something cool from Japan next week as well in addition to another upcoming feature that will probably close out the year for features.

Finally as it’s Black Friday today followed by Cyber Monday I’ve added a discount code of ‘BIGDEAL‘ to the store which will get you 30% off anything currently in stock, good enough for you Mathew?

Flashback Friday

Since I am talking about trucks anyway here are some JDM Minitrucks.

Still sick

I should go hunting for these again.

Oh if anyone is hitting the Rally Of Tall Pines this weekend with an SLR shoot me an email. Not sure I will be able to make it out.

But what if the end product is a combination of function and form comprised of parts only from reputable manufacturers, then what?

Well then you have a car like today’s Mustang, one that provokes conversation and stands out amongst its peers.

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Open 1024px version in a new window

Phil started this build right where the Ford factory left off by installing a group of go fast modifications to the already supercharged Cobra from manufacturers such as: BilletFlow , JLT, Bassani, Steeda, LFP  and Innovative.

Now the car now puts down a healthy 480 or so horsepower which means that the same people quick to share their dislike for this car on other blogs and forums secretly wish they could run with it on the highway.

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Open 1024px version in a new window

Suspension wise the home built, no corners cut, Accuair/Ride-tech air install is sure to not only satisfy the ‘moar lows’ crowd but also please those who live by the phrase built not bought.

This suspension, which is the most recent modification done to the car, was carefully researched before hand to ensure that it both looked and performed better than the Cobra coupe suspension that preceded it.

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Open 1024px version in a new window

Finally the aptly named CCW Classic wheels are sure to keep the wheel aficionados at bay because the timeless design of these high polished wheels suit the car perfectly, and the 275/295 tires that wrap these18x9 and 18×11 inch wheels are a direct nod to this Cobras performance roots.

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Open 1024px version in a new window

If this car were described only by it’s stand out features, the CCWS, air ride, and boost would a Mustang be the image most conjured up? Probably not.

Does that make this car any less impressive? Definitely not.

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Open 1024px version in a new window

Phil’s desire to head somewhat off the beaten path while still creating a car that is very much functional is exactly the type of thing that keeps this hobby interesting and I for one welcome more people willing to challenge the norm.

I would like to thank Phil for not only giving me the opportunity to feature his car, but also for being a long time reader, and putting me in touch with talented photographer Jeremy Alan Glover who handled the lens work for this feature.

Modification List

Interior/Exterior

• GG&G “F*ckin’ Fast” shift knob
• Innovate G3 Air/Fuel ratio gauge
• Paint-matched CDC lightbar
• Bullitt Mustang side scoops
• Cobra grille emblem
• Black vinyl bumper letter inserts

Suspension/Wheels

• Accuair e-level air suspension kit with touchpad
• 5 gallon tank
• Dual chromed Viair 400C compressors
• RideTech CoolRide bags and plates
• Maximum Motorsports front Strut Tower Brace
• Kenny Brown Performance Extreme Matrix Subframe System
• CCW Classic 18×9.5 front with 275/35R18 Nitto INVO (post shoot)
• CCW Classic 18×11 rear with 295/35R18 Nitto INVO

Motor

• JLT Carbon Fiber CAI
• Stock TB and plenum ported by Stiegemeier
• 2.76″ BilletFlow blower pulley and 100mm idler
• Bassani stainless steel catted X-pipe
• Steeda stainless steel catback
• LFP Dual Pass Heat Exchanger
• LFP Supertank intercooler reservoir
• Innovate LC-1 wideband O2 sensor
• SCT XCalibrator2 with custom tune
• MGW short shifter

Which just so happens to be a great way to describe Bryan’s Pink DC Interga that sports a completely custom and fairly subtle all metal wide body.

Being able to keep things clean while rocking such a bright color can be tough but Bryan has got it down to a tee.

Helping set this car off in addition to the body mods are CCW 16×9 wheels and air pistons providing the low on all four corners.

Bryan has got a few things planned for the car that I won’t spoil but hopefully sometime between now and completion he sends over a few more pictures, in the meantime you can check out his previous feature here on Air Society.

Photo Credit: JGODIN and Rob Langelier

With a lot of my favorite cars and trucks riding on air I don’t really buy into the idea that static is anymore hardcore than air.

Take Jeff for example, I heard him scraping his way down the road to Oktoberfest before I saw him and on the way out he didn’t raise his car up past stock height as many would assume, he kept it hammered and left the same way he arrived.

Shortly after I posted the coverage from that event Jeff mentioned he didn’t have any high res photos of his car at ride height so I took a second pass at the photo photos I posted from that event along with one I didn’t and another from the United We Stance Coverage.

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Ride low, park lower.