Hot rod fink thumbsup plus#
I've always liked them-they're very intriguing, mechanically, and they're easy to work on, plus they're cheap (which is probably really why I like them so much). I've always thought of VWs as VWs and by that I mean, specifically, Bugs. I'm pretty proud of the whole R&C package between '88 and '93.
If we hadn't, Petersen would have killed it again. Even as a bi-monthly, in less than a year we got the circulation within 10% of Street Rodder's. campaign for the relaunch of the mag, and got articles about it in several big newspapers and so on. She was the one selling subs and T-shirts, while I was out covering the event and photographing cars. Any of you who came by the R&C booth at the Nats or other events know her. My wife, Anna gets a lot of credit for helping to get it back on its feet. But when I heard it was coming back, I had to beg them to let me do it. I don't really know who finally said yes. When I begged them to do it before that, they said no. I can't take credit for bringing it back in '88. Getting it going again and making it a good rod and custom magazine. What is your greatest achievement while you were with Rod and Custom Magazine? But I don't care much for "Rolex Rodders."ģ. Bottom line, the more people who buy hot rods, the better, because that allows builders to build them. But some of his car-collecting buddies that he tells "You need a hot rod in your collection," don't and shouldn't,īecause they don't know what they are or appreciate them. Bruce Meyer doesn't turn wrenches on his rods or race cars, but he is very much involved in hot rodding-supremely. Involved in the pastime and its culture/history. To me, a more important criterion is whether the buyer/owner of a hot rod is But if a hot rod is bought, someone still has to build it, and hopefully that person knows what he/she is doing and likes it.and gets paid. As I just mentioned, hot rodding is built on doing it yourself. And the fact that Detroit/Europe is finally realizing that these types of blowers are simpler and work better than turbos is something hot rodders could have told them several decades ago. That hot rodders could take these off GMC 2-stroke diesels and do with them what they have done is phenomenal. If I had to pick one product, I think it would be the Roots-style supercharger. I don't think there's any argument there. It is the quintessence of do-it-yourself American invention. What is the greatest invention/product in the hot rodding world? This is Part 1 of the interview so stay tuned for more!ġ. Too much you say? Ha! From his work at Rod and Custom(still that magazines best era), to the Rodders Journal, Pat tells all. More pics when The Fink is ready to ride.Pat Ganahl is the greatest hot rod/custom writer ever. with this project, and he did a great job of trying to help turn some sketches and goofy ideas into reality. I haven't ridden SS since last fall when I hung gears on the Punisher, and I honestly miss it. Self-indulgent? A "purty bike?" Sure, but who said this whole thing shouldn't/can't be fun? I'm pretty stoked about how it all came out, and as mentioned earlier I look forward to getting it built up and on some singletrack. Roth's trademark character (for those not familiar) was a big green rat called "Rat Fink." The idea behind the graphics and the overall look of the frame was to blend together my love of classic hot rods (the fade flame paintwork), my admiration of Roth's work (the Rat Fink), and a touch of the rat-rod vibe by leaving the back half of the bike in raw Ti. I've always been into hot rods and drag cars, so the bizarre car/monster art of Roth was something that I found particularly cool. Lots of examples of her work on her website here.Īlthough he was in his hey-day a little (only a little) before my time, I was always fascinated by the art and designs of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. She was a pleasure to work with and seemed to readily understand the goal and overall look I was after. I saw some of her work on other custom bikes here at MTBR and contacted her when I decided that this project could benefit from some of her fine work.
Jen Green is indeed the maker of the nice headbadge surround. I'll build it initially with the rigid and swap on a Fox F29 80mm sometime this summer to give it a whirl. It's not as tall as it appears in one of the pics, but it is indeed suspension-corrected for an 80mm WB/Fox. The custom unicrown rigid fork is steel, with some nice Wright dropouts fillet brazed on to pick up on the flanged/hooded slider drops at the rear of the bike. The " Punisher" frame that Scott built me last year was an all-raw-Ti finish, I wanted to do something fun with this one. Hope to get it built up this weekend if everything comes together. OK, since gearless let the cat out of the bag, here's some more pics of the frame.