American Hotrod on Quest
Discussion
The deadline thing was probably all made up, when you get a top line shop to build you a car, you just leave them to it pretty much.
The whole Charlie leaving thing, I see it another way.
You have to understand that winning the Ridler is just about as good as it gets - any slight imperfection will be found and you'll be marked down because of it, same for anything that just doesn't quite look right. The level of detail and perfection required is immense.
So to be involved in the build of a car is probably one of the highest achievements a car builder could make. Charlie was given the chance to paint a car that would have a good chance of winning - so you'd take it right ? Thats what Charlie did.
Here are a few details from impression. Foose's signature is smoothness, I've heard him use the "de-ugly a car" before. The ridler cars take this to another level. Underneath you will see no bolt heads, panel gaps underneath are better than any production car..
This is impressions engine, from the same family as a Monaro/VXR8 engine:
Looks good ? well, not good enough, so after some hand fabricated pieces..
The chrome piece between the exhaust and the starter motor? thats the lambda sensor
Panel gaps:
To give you some idea of effort made, this is a car called terracuda that Foose built
After the bumpers were re-made to fit as you see them they got chrome plated. Chrome plating when done properly involves 3 stages - copper coating, nickel coating and then chrome. For good chrome you need a good surface to work from, the smoother the surface the better the result. I've seen an interview with foose where he explains they finished the bumpers, then had them dipped in copper, then block sanded them - just like you would paint.. they repeated this process between 12 and 16 times.. you're probably talking something in excess of a month of work in the bumpers..
Impression was a one off - the body was fabricated by Marcel Deley to chips design, its based on the '36 Ford but there are countless alterations and changes. It was a continuation of his work with Stallion (2003 Ridler winner) and Grandmaster (2005 winner).
This picture is something Foose drew, it shows the original car used to build the Grandmaster, shaded areas are the metalwork that was kept..
pictures of that car can be found here: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/602721/2005-chevrole...
2008 Ridler winner, "Ferrambo". Take a 1960 Dodge Rambler and a Ferrari 360 donor car (yes, really). Ship both to Divers street rods and this is what you end up with:
more here: http://www.diversstreetrods.com/ferrambo
Whilst Boyds shop was building high end cars they were a world away from Ridler cars. As I've said before check out www.radrides.com
The whole Charlie leaving thing, I see it another way.
You have to understand that winning the Ridler is just about as good as it gets - any slight imperfection will be found and you'll be marked down because of it, same for anything that just doesn't quite look right. The level of detail and perfection required is immense.
So to be involved in the build of a car is probably one of the highest achievements a car builder could make. Charlie was given the chance to paint a car that would have a good chance of winning - so you'd take it right ? Thats what Charlie did.
Here are a few details from impression. Foose's signature is smoothness, I've heard him use the "de-ugly a car" before. The ridler cars take this to another level. Underneath you will see no bolt heads, panel gaps underneath are better than any production car..
This is impressions engine, from the same family as a Monaro/VXR8 engine:
Looks good ? well, not good enough, so after some hand fabricated pieces..
The chrome piece between the exhaust and the starter motor? thats the lambda sensor
Panel gaps:
To give you some idea of effort made, this is a car called terracuda that Foose built
After the bumpers were re-made to fit as you see them they got chrome plated. Chrome plating when done properly involves 3 stages - copper coating, nickel coating and then chrome. For good chrome you need a good surface to work from, the smoother the surface the better the result. I've seen an interview with foose where he explains they finished the bumpers, then had them dipped in copper, then block sanded them - just like you would paint.. they repeated this process between 12 and 16 times.. you're probably talking something in excess of a month of work in the bumpers..
Impression was a one off - the body was fabricated by Marcel Deley to chips design, its based on the '36 Ford but there are countless alterations and changes. It was a continuation of his work with Stallion (2003 Ridler winner) and Grandmaster (2005 winner).
This picture is something Foose drew, it shows the original car used to build the Grandmaster, shaded areas are the metalwork that was kept..
pictures of that car can be found here: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/602721/2005-chevrole...
2008 Ridler winner, "Ferrambo". Take a 1960 Dodge Rambler and a Ferrari 360 donor car (yes, really). Ship both to Divers street rods and this is what you end up with:
more here: http://www.diversstreetrods.com/ferrambo
Whilst Boyds shop was building high end cars they were a world away from Ridler cars. As I've said before check out www.radrides.com
Edited by Crafty_ on Wednesday 6th July 20:51
te at Boyd's, didn't they? If only the customers could see underneath the bodywork. Crafty and Skotan are both on the money. I have been heavily involved in the hotrod world since the mid 70’s; hence my PH name and first met Boyd back in the late 80's and early 90's. And over the years have always gone to visit him whenever I have been in LA.
As had been said Boyd has had a huge influence on the hotrod world for the last 25 years and along with Lil John helped create the whole Billet industry which is now worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year in the US and around the world.
He was a good guy, opinionated yes, cantankerous on occasions but a man with a singular vision.
His customers loved him in general and his close employees were loyal, but he did hold grudges which he could not shake off.
Charley and he were best buds; Boyd treated him almost like a son. When Charley decided to take up Chips invitation to paint the Ridler car Charley was genuinely surprised at Boyd’s reaction. But it was an opportunity he could not turn down.
Charley was always going to set up his own shop, he had told me so on a number of occasions, and it was only a matter of when. The Chip situation only accelerated the move.
As for the show, it was a show. As has been mentioned the time scales were fabricated for effect. If you look in the backgrounds during the show you will notice a number of cars that were supposed to be delivered to customers on certain dates still hanging around for ages. That’s because these dates never really existed.
Anyone who has every built a hotrod will tell you they are never really finished. They are constantly being finessed. The very nature of a custom build makes it almost impossible to build to a strict timescales or price.
Again as has been said the old guard are now dying off, but the next generation of young builders are if anything better than what has gone before. Thankfully the ability to use a body hammer and an English wheel to form metal has not been lost. The future looks good.
As had been said Boyd has had a huge influence on the hotrod world for the last 25 years and along with Lil John helped create the whole Billet industry which is now worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year in the US and around the world.
He was a good guy, opinionated yes, cantankerous on occasions but a man with a singular vision.
His customers loved him in general and his close employees were loyal, but he did hold grudges which he could not shake off.
Charley and he were best buds; Boyd treated him almost like a son. When Charley decided to take up Chips invitation to paint the Ridler car Charley was genuinely surprised at Boyd’s reaction. But it was an opportunity he could not turn down.
Charley was always going to set up his own shop, he had told me so on a number of occasions, and it was only a matter of when. The Chip situation only accelerated the move.
As for the show, it was a show. As has been mentioned the time scales were fabricated for effect. If you look in the backgrounds during the show you will notice a number of cars that were supposed to be delivered to customers on certain dates still hanging around for ages. That’s because these dates never really existed.
Anyone who has every built a hotrod will tell you they are never really finished. They are constantly being finessed. The very nature of a custom build makes it almost impossible to build to a strict timescales or price.
Again as has been said the old guard are now dying off, but the next generation of young builders are if anything better than what has gone before. Thankfully the ability to use a body hammer and an English wheel to form metal has not been lost. The future looks good.
The problem with the Ridler now is that it has become a victim of its own success. The likes of Foose and Troy Trepanier have raised the bar to such a height that the cars are now nothing more that pieces of art. Even Foose admitted that it would actually be a shame to try and drive Impression; it’s got leather suspension gaiters for goodness sake. Also chrome brakes discs don’t work.
Also the costs are getting out of control
Also the costs are getting out of control
Lol I noticed the cream leather suspension gaiters - beautiful.Even the tyre treads are stunning on that car - are they custom made for Ridler cars?
At Boyd's you'd see Charley touch up any scratches in the paint with a touch up pen quite often before it was trailered off.
What do you do in the case of a Ridler car when you can't touch it up? Whole panel respray? What if it's part of the chasis rails - are they really going to dimantle the whole car again and respray it all?
At Boyd's you'd see Charley touch up any scratches in the paint with a touch up pen quite often before it was trailered off.
What do you do in the case of a Ridler car when you can't touch it up? Whole panel respray? What if it's part of the chasis rails - are they really going to dimantle the whole car again and respray it all?
Show cars are nothing new - most of ed roths stuff didn't even run, look back at 50s kustoms and you'll see upholstered wheel arches, engine bays and so on.
It kind of amused me that the "rat rod" scene was meant to be an uprising against cars that were trailered to shows and not driven.. pretty soon there were plenty of undriveable rat rods that were being trailered to shows because they were undriveable!
Both Grandmaster and Stallion get driven and have been for several years, there is an old episode of "rides" where the two cars met in so-cal and drove to a goodguys show (I think Phoenix? can't remember), fair play to those guys.
I should of mentioned the pics of impression above are from www.wallesdator.com - far as I can work out the guy must of worked there.
Ridler cars, especially winners are usually tied to a contract for 2 or 3 years to go on the show circuit in the USA, you wouldn't get chance to drive it because they get shuttled around all over the country. One of the cars that rad rides built was up for sale as an unfinished project at one time, it wasn't eligible for Ridler, but had a 3 year contract for show appearances. As far as I know it didn't sell and was completed, soon after it was mysteriously stolen, never to be seen again...
It kind of amused me that the "rat rod" scene was meant to be an uprising against cars that were trailered to shows and not driven.. pretty soon there were plenty of undriveable rat rods that were being trailered to shows because they were undriveable!
Both Grandmaster and Stallion get driven and have been for several years, there is an old episode of "rides" where the two cars met in so-cal and drove to a goodguys show (I think Phoenix? can't remember), fair play to those guys.
I should of mentioned the pics of impression above are from www.wallesdator.com - far as I can work out the guy must of worked there.
Ridler cars, especially winners are usually tied to a contract for 2 or 3 years to go on the show circuit in the USA, you wouldn't get chance to drive it because they get shuttled around all over the country. One of the cars that rad rides built was up for sale as an unfinished project at one time, it wasn't eligible for Ridler, but had a 3 year contract for show appearances. As far as I know it didn't sell and was completed, soon after it was mysteriously stolen, never to be seen again...
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