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WTF Friday: Mack Rod

By
DaveT
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2

While on Reddit I ended up getting sucked into r/RatRod . There I discovered super_88s current project the Mack Rod. The Mack Rod is his way of using up left over parts from other projects. Almost like a dish made up from left overs and presented as something new.

The cab comes from a Mack garbage truck and the front end is largely custom metal work done by the builder using sheet metal.

Out back the bed is from an s10, a first gene judging by the lack of curves. The fenders are from a Task Force (late 50s) era Chevy truck.

The chassis is the equally loved and hated s10 chassis. S10s are under so many hot rods these days it’s almost ridiculous and if you frequent any hot rod forum you can see people arguing about their use.

Some people say it isn’t a good frame to use. Others say it is more cost-effective. Choose your own adventure is the best course of action.

In this case a back half has been added to support the air suspension, as well as a few stiffening cross members to the center section.

From a visual perspective, the truck is 100% unique.

A fellow Reddit user suggested a chop top and section to make the vehicle lower are around, and I’m inclined to agree that it would make the vehicle look better.

The owner however has stayed true to his vision for the vehicle and left it as he saw fit. As you can see from the photo below it does lay out fairly hard at 0psi.

Inside the vehicle shows its service truck roots with switches and gauges nearly everywhere. But for a bit of hot rod flavor the seat has been covered in a “Mexican” blanket.

There’s no build thread or anything for the truck unfortunately If you want to see more a few clicks through r/RatRod will get you where you need to be.

Theme Tuesdays: Recently Viewed – January 2018

By
DaveT
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2

Better late than never with the first “Recently Viewed” Theme Tuesday of 2018. I’ve been watching an eclectic mix of old and new videos this month, many from the usual suspects.

If there’s any channels that you think I absolutely must follow for 2018 be sure to add them to the comments below.














The Beauty In The Struggle Of Building Cars

By
DaveT
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3

Despite often being depicted as such building a car isn’t easy. This is a reality that I have become intimately familiar with as I fumble through of my own build, Project Why Wait.

No matter how you slice it building a car is a form of skilled labor, and there’s a learning curve to every new task. How-to articles and YouTube videos have made these learning curves smoother, but the road from idea to execution is by no means straight.

It’s full of switchbacks, hair pins, forks, cliffs, dead ends and everything in between. Say nothing about the number of roadside distractions (life, other projects, etc) that appear along the way.

The challenges one encounters during a build are virtually endless and frustratingly, not all of the challenges are fun. Some are even downright stupid –s10 motor mount engineer I’m looking at you– but each offers a teaching moment.

Be it how to do a specific task, or just another lesson in being proper planning and patience.

In moments of frustration it is important to remember that every project hits peaks and valleys. From the best of the best, to the weeknight, or weekend warrior. Everyone finds more rust than they expected, more damage than they thought possible, and more fitment issues than they care to admit.

All these unexpected ‘gotchas’ come with building a car because, well, that’s just what comes with building a car. The saying “if it were easy everyone would do it” might be cliché, but it’s true.

As an amateur builder I spend lots of time drooling over the fabrication talents of those with skills that far surpass my own. Mike O’Brien, Rob Ida, Nigel Petrie, Keith Charvonia  and Gene Winfield, are just a few of the people who make up a long list of builders I admire.

At face value it might look like they each have some sort of superior deity given talent, but, while it’s true there is such a thing as mechanical inclination, they’ve each hit the limitations of their skill at some point.

The key is they’ve pushed through.

They too also all look up to builders they admire. Everyone strives to be better, and often the best way to learn is to observe those who are better.

Creating anything, from a car, to a business involves overcoming a series of challenges and struggles and there’s beauty in that struggle.

Each bloody knuckle, burned through panel, or outright failed approach offers a lesson. Some of these lessons come at the most inopportune times (as I’m sure anyone who’s had a failure at the track can attest) but persevering through them is where the magic happens.

Through the darkness of blown deadlines, depleted budgets, and late nights of limited productivity there is a light.

So next time you toss a piece on your scrap pile in frustration. Or find yourself stumped, remember in the end you’ll know more than you had at the beginning. Not one person who knows what they are doing today knew what they were doing when they started.

When you are done and it’s just you and your creation doing what you built it to do it will all be worth it.

That is of course until you tear it all apart to start again.

WTF Friday: 28 Cars In One

By
DaveT
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0

Any Simpsons fans reading this likely remembers The Homer. A vehicle Homer Simpson designed using styling cues and features from other existing vehicles. The car was shockingly unique, but didn’t have much visual cohesion.

The same description could be used for this car. Made up of 28 different vehicle components in total, the car looks about as good as you’d expect a vehicle made up of 28 different vehicles to look.

A full list of the cars and components that brought this vehicle together is at the end of this post, but here’s a quick rundown.

The hood, fenders and grill come from a 1939 Chevy. Though they might not look it, the doors are from a ’71 Pinto. Despite the reworked openings they retain functioning factory glass.

All opened up the car resembles some sort of bird of prey more than a car. The interior borrows from a ’64 Thunderbird, and ’84 Firebird.

If building a unique car was the goal then this car delivers in spades.

Power comes from a small block Chevy, with matching transmission. The rear axle is from a ’72 Pontiac, and there’s no mention of whether or not it is a posi unit.

Cadillac suspension and brakes are used all around The rear end is make up of Cadillac components as well, fins from a ’61 and a trunk lid from an ’85.

Shockingly straight –considering the combination of parts used– this car is still not going to be everyone’s cup of beer. That said there’s no denying it took some sort of evil genius to pull it all together into a functioning vehicle.

The current asking price is $25,000 USD, and the car hasn’t been driven any length for some time. According to the seller it needs some shocks and a thorough once over before it’s truly ready to hit the roads.

Everything that went into creating this unique number is below:

  1. ’85 GMC 350 Truck Motor
  2. Chevy Caprice Electric Windows
  3. ’72 Pontiac Rear Axle
  4. ’64 Thunderbird Slide Away Steering Wheel
  5. ’72 Pinto Doors
  6. ’39 Chevy Hood
  7. ’39 Chevy Grill
  8. ’39 Chevy Fenders
  9. ’64 Thunderbird Interior
  10. ’72 Pinto Fuel Tank
  11. ’84 Firebird Seats
  12. ’82 Chevy Transmission
  13. ’82 Cadillac Front Brakes
  14. ’82 Cadillac Suspension
  15. ’61 Cadillac Rear Fins
  16. ’85 Cadillac Seville Trunk Lid
  17. ’73 Ford Sunroof
  18. ’85 Olds 98 Electrical System
  19. ’85 Olds Electric Dash
  20. Ltd. Headlights
  21. Ltd. Front Turn Signal
  22. Ltd. Rear Brake Light on Roof
  23. ’72 Javelin Tail Lights
  24. ’58 Buick Front Bumper
  25. ’58 Buick Rear Back Up Lights
  26. ’32 Chevy Rear Bumper
  27. ’92 Chevy Electric Cooling Fan
  28. Keyless Entry between the seats

The car is however street legal and comes with a ’39 Chevy title. I highly suspect that the builder either owned, or had access to, a fairly large domestic Junkyard.

Theme Tuesdays: Jeep Rods

By
DaveT
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0

Building a hot rod –and arguably any car for that matter– should be about creating exactly what you want. If you’ve got the tools and skill to build the car that won’t stop running laps in your mind then by all means do it.

And if that car is a Jeep crossed with a hot rod then more power to you. Just don’t expect everyone to like it.

Jeep Rods , like the Volksrods (and like the smaller Porscherod segment) typically cause a knee jerk reaction.

The reaction is usually love,  or hate, with little in-between. Because of this, if you’re a Jeep,  Willys, or Powerwagon purist this post likely isn’t for you.

But,  if you’re the type that loves a bit of everything and believes there are no rules to hot rod building then this post is for you.

This ’48 Jeep was the subject of a previous WTF Friday titled Pleasantly Surprised, and it’s a great way to kick things off
The hardest part of a ‘Jeep Rod’ seems to be getting the proportions sorted. Some vehicles take pushing the axle in front of the grill quite well. Others look varying degrees of exaggerated,  like this ’52 M37 Dodge Power Wagon – via Tenwheel.com
The extremely stretched wheel base on this build probably produces interesting handling characteristics. The military theme throughout is pretty rad though – Via Off Road Extreme
This chassis, while still stretched, comes off much more naturally when compared to the two above
This particular vehicle was built by an off-road enthusiast using parts he didn’t use for his off-road builds, including the ‘off fire’ v6 – Via Fourwheeler.com
Not over the top, with a splash of deep purple accenting, this Jeep Rod is quite solid.
Given that this car is probably lower than the door handles of most other cars (at ride height no less) the plate is probably fairly valid
I really dig this one low slung, classic color palate, and nothing looks exaggerated
This 1970s Willys boasts a 420HP small block – Via: topclassicsforsale
This Japanese build might be the odd man out in this post, but it’s too cool to leave out.
It’s cool to see an SR under the hood too
It looks like this might be a little out-of-place at the event it was pictured – Via: Autoevoloution.com
Fuel Tank has a ton of wicked features, like this Willys hot rod build  from Thialand – Via: Fuel Tank Mag
The ‘Iron Rat’ is a great looking 1UZ powered Jeep Hot Rod A full rundown of features can be found on Super Street – Via: Super Street

Twin Turbo 454 YJ, well alright then!

@rustanddust at h2o

He clearly has some great taste!

A little (or a lot) of Hemi power never hurt anyone…

Motor Monday: Plot Twist

By
DaveT
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1

Don’t judge a book by its cover is a slightly cliché term that is often easier said than done. Assuming that a 4.3 Vortec v6 was under the hood of this Chevrolet S10 Extreme was easy.

Bagged on chrome 20s, with heavy flaked clear over a custom blue, at best I expected a mildly cleaned up bay.

At worse I expected an excessive use of plastic blue wire loom.

Poking a head under the the hood revealed how wrong my assumptions were. The factory 4.3 was history, replaced by a small block 350.

Better still, that small block has been done up traditional hot rod style for an interesting contrast.

A red block, and finned valve covers starts the story, and a six carb trio with Offenauser speed equipment parts finishes it.

Unfortunately I’ve never seen this truck again, but if I do I’ll be sure to grab the owner’s ear for a minute.

With a unique swap like this, I know there’s more story to be told.

Store Update: Scraping is Half The Battle

By
DaveT
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0

The first of several 2018 product releases has dropped in the Stance Is Everything web store!

Printed on quality Gildan cotton Scraping Is Half The Battle, pays homage to a certain Sunday morning cartoon. Laser fire free the shirt is available now for $25 Canadian.

In addition to the new shirt release there is a new bundle in the store called The Mystery Box.

A Mystery Box includes two shirts from the SIE store along with two stickers. One from myself, and one from a site sponsor. Priced at $32 it’s currently the best deal in the entire store and available in limited quantities.

Check out all of the products, and like always, thanks for the continued support!

WTF Friday: What The F Body?

By
DaveT
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2

When it comes to really nailing a replica vehicle chassis selection is important. The closer your donor is to the vehicle you are emulating the better the result.

The Fiero, despite its factory faults, is a great base for mid engine replicas. Heck even the seventh generation Toyota Celica can be made to look like a Ferrari with enough effort.

Third generation F bodies though? Well… if the car below tells the tale, maybe those should just remain the humble Camaros of Firebirds they left the factory as.

Known as the “Fire Arrow” this car is currently for sale on Hemmings Classifieds. Listed as a replica the car takes styling cues from Ferrari and perhaps a door stopper.

The F body donor car shines through via the front end and wheels. Overall the car looks a fair bit shorter than an f body ought to be, thanks to the 1.5″ square tubing chassis it rides on.

The positive camber all around is indicative of some shenanigans but the rear camber is especially curious.

Gone is the factory straight axle rear end replaced with the trans axle from a Chevrolet Corvair.

Under the engine cover is an aluminum Buick V8. These motors are known more for their light weight than power, making roughly 145 horse power brand new.

Weighing in at 2500lbs this car isn’t a speed demon, but it does boast a 50/50 weight ratio.

Inside the interior is a rather jarring combination of hold out Camaro bits and hand formed riveted together sheet metal.

A show winner this car may not be but, it could make a pretty cool Chump Car. The ad says please inquire so it might be hard to scoop up for the limit but there’s no harm in trying!

 

Theme Tuesdays: The Dodge D50

By
DaveT
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0

Do you remember the Dodge D50? No? Well, honestly, I don’t really remember it either. Released in the height of the minitruckin’ era they are very similar in size and shape to the Mazda B2200 or Nissan hard body.

Being so similar to those imports, one would assume they have an equal following, but this doesn’t seem to be the case. In fact I’d say they have little following at all (sorry D50 fans)

I’d never really thought about doing a Theme Tuesday dedicated to the D50 but that all changed when hot rod artist Chris Pisctielli sent me the truck below.

Wearing vintage Enkei wheels and classic 80s livery the truck is 100% period correct
It’s really shame this segment of truck no longer exists

This truck quickly sent me hunting for more like it and, unfortunately, they are not the easiest vehicle to find modified examples of.

Especially today after Photobucket nuked so many photos from aging forums.

This mid 90s style truck comes way of Cardomain, its been sold and is presumably no longer with us
This retro styled D50 was shot by Shaw McCann, looks like a rider owned truck too
Drag spec D50 via the surprisingly still up mightyram50.net
OG minitruckin at its finest – Via: layitlow.com
This is actually a Plymouth Arrow, one of several different names this truck went under

This is probably one of the most famous D50s, it has a 4G63 under the hood, aka a first generation eagle Talon motor – Photo: Truck Trend
It was used for Drifting, but I don’t think it is around any longer –  Photo: Truck Trend

“Street Smart” is a fairly well-known D50, perhaps the only one featured in Truckin’

Enter the Mighty Max

When I uncovered that the D50 was actually a re-badged Mitsubishi the search for cooler examples became a bit easier.

This Mighty Max isn’t uncommon to see crusin’ around Ontario, it’s owned by Norther Showdown’s own Will Salazar
With phantom grills these trucks look really, really, similar to Mazda B2200s
Truck Trend has the feature on this beauty truck
And finally, perhaps the most famous D50 ever, the Six Shooter
If I remember correctly this truck is now in a museum

 

Winter Wednesday: Ol’ Half Ton

By
DaveT
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0

The F-100 that I posted recently in the ‘Five cars I want to shoot in 2018‘ looks great anywhere you park it. Even in the snow.

Obviously this truck isn’t winter driven. But, it’s seen a bit of snow now, which makes it a great pick for the often neglected Winter Wednesday series.

If you have some pictures of your car in the snow, send it through to [email protected], tag me on instagram, or post them in the comments below!

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