Working Class Zeroes

Ride Through The Skull

2012-01-22T09:41:00.000+10:00

Literally.

Sometimes....

2012-01-09T16:16:00.000+10:00

....it all comes together

Huge

2012-01-07T20:40:00.003+10:00

That's one big bit of rotating metal. A friend Sam i used to work with sent me this current example of what he's working on for the University of Queensland. It's something to do with an experimental rocket that when it reaches outer space it get propelled by compressed oxygen and may one day deliver parcels slash humans from Australia to America in under a two hours......or so they say.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T20:38:00.002+10:00

F.T.W.

See You Next Year

2011-12-17T19:32:00.000+10:00

With a little luck.

4'S 4 Dave

2011-12-14T18:38:00.005+10:00

Thats all i got cause thats all we saw. All at Moon.

W.C.E

2011-12-11T16:03:00.003+10:00

WCZ Pick

2011-12-10T19:49:00.008+10:00

For me of all the amazing cars that were at the show this was by far my favourite. I like the fact its like a show rod but a full size car. The paint and build quality was amazing and all the gaps and panel work were as good as you'll ever see. Its actually a 1964 Dodge Dart believe it or not.

The most amazing part for me is the fore thought that must have gone into it, the builder must have an incredible minds eye. Truly the coolest car I've ever seen. This car was also Gene Winfields pick for best car.

Moon After Party

2011-12-10T19:18:00.006+10:00

On the Monday after the car show Shige holds a little get together for all the guests from overseas at the Moon cafe/workshop. Just a little BBQ, fun times getting to meet and chat with everyone.
I really liked this hippy inspired bike.

Chantelle, Shige, Mez and Josh. Goodtimes!

Two Wheel Freedom Machines (Under)

2011-12-10T17:23:00.008+10:00

Without over reacting if you said there was a thousand bikes parked underneath the main hall and 80% of them were Harleys you would have to be guessing on the conservative side. And the amount of Pans and Knuckles is more than you'd hope to see in a lifetime.
This dude is living the dream. The fabrication on this bike was awesome. I got a bad habit of closely looking at welds and being a harsh judge - 10 out of 10!

This girl was kick starting a Shovel with high heeled boots on and she was smoking hot! I wish i got a better photo. Its actually surprising how many girls ride bikes, and full tilt Harleys not scooters.

How good is this bike!

This was one of my favourites.

Two Wheel Freedom Machines (Outside)

2011-12-10T16:38:00.009+10:00

Just outside the main hall there's a driveway that becomes a cool spot to sit and watch the thousands of bikes blast by. There's two car parks one outside and another under the hall. These are the photos from outside.
So many Pans - this one ruled it. Not as many Ironheads as you'd expect, but a heap of Shovels.

The bikes outside where better than the ones inside!!!

Perfect!

Kulture with a K

2011-12-10T16:10:00.007+10:00

Man i hate that word anyways pinstriping, painting and cool art in general is pretty big in Japan.

Heaps of people pinstriping away at their booths all day and selling art.

And a helmet painting contest! Here's my two favourites

Two Wheel Freedom Machines (Inside)

2011-12-10T15:18:00.012+10:00

Inside the show there was around two hundred bikes at a guess. More Pans and Knuckles than anything else! and not as many Jap engined bikes as you'd think. This bike i thought that if you took all the crap off its actually a perfectly proportioned bike.

Split tank, the bars where cool too.

Not many Sidevalves around.

This pink bike was the pick for me inside. Nothing says get fucked like a pink bike. I got better photos angle wise but their a bit fuzzy.

Customs

2011-12-10T14:32:00.009+10:00

This is only a very small portion of the cars that were there. So many amazing cars that it was a little overwhelming, and there just wasn't enough time to take them all in like this chopped 58' Pontiac which you would probably be blown away by, but on the day we probably gave it a minute of our time. This Chev was another car that we walked passed but luckily doubled back to realise the chopped roof and pancaked boot was perfectly aligned. Painted in white primer I'm guessing a nice paint job is in order.

Wild paint was the order of the day.

The paint on these next two cars is a combination of about a thousand different colours, pearls and flakes.

This pickup was one of the cars of the show for me.

Rods

2011-12-10T10:51:00.009+10:00

One of the Moon employees built this and is still a work in progress.

Would have been good to see a few more finished off hotrods like this one.

I guess there's no speed bumps in Japan. After seeing build photos of this car years ago it was good to see it in real life.

Racecars

2011-12-09T22:48:00.002+10:00

Ok the show was the sunday. Its massive, probably a hall as big as four football fields plus a carpark underneath and outside with thousands of bikes.
So we gotta start somewhere so heres a few race cars.

Mooneyes SpeedShop

2011-12-09T19:10:00.016+10:00

Hhhhmmm beards coming along nicely. wasn't cold one bit. The day before the show we went down to the Mooneyes speed shop to check it out. They had a few cars out front for sale. I thought this little Crown ute was cool.
Neat little shoe box Ford hanging out outside the workshop.

Mooneyes speed shop bottom floor. Mainly Moon merchandise.

The top floor was where all the goodies were.

On the Saturday night before the show they had a little get together for all the international guys to shoot the shit and have a bite to eat. Oh yeah they fucking fed us and gave us beer! Unfortunately i was having too good of a time to take photos.

Outside i found a cool little rod when i went for a wander. Outside the main hall was a few Mooneyes shop cars.

I hope to one day measure up to this guy!!!

The Dice party.....These guys may or may not be from Mexico. Either way they ruled.

Banzai

2011-12-09T16:59:00.014+10:00

Man what a blast Japan was, I'm still trying to get my head around it all. Over the next few days I'll post photos of the trip, i gotta sort through 567 photos so bear with me.
The first day was spent in Tokyo with a bit of sight seeing.....You know Nazi temples and shit.

Kombi inspired something? hanging out in the streets of Tokyo.
After a day in Tokyo we headed to Yokohama. This is the view from our hotel in Yokohama!!! This place was five stars all over, they must have wondered what two tattooed losers were doing there??

Satan Is Real

2011-11-30T19:01:00.003+10:00

I know the old blogsies been lacking a bit lately, but really I've been so damn busy and getting nothing done except shit for everyone else. Anyways as of tomorrow the Mez and I will be calling Japan and the Mooneyes car show home for a few days and I've packed the camera to record the good, the better and the best of all our adventures.
So come back late next week.

J.J.

2011-11-30T18:55:00.000+10:00

Thought this was cool, maybe I'll make a spanner shaped one?

2011-11-26T20:56:00.000+10:00

There's No Place Like Here: Liberty Tool from Etsy on Vimeo.

Ya Fuckin' Shitin' Me

2011-11-19T22:02:00.003+10:00

Not even i have enough screws in my kit to block all those vacuum lines to fix a misfire.
Do you know the sinking feeling you get when you undo a sump plug and the thread comes out with it and end up with a shit box stuck in your driveway whilst you waste the best part of a Saturday running around to make 50 bucks. Yeah its not the best feeling in the world and any warranty on workmanship runs out at the end of the driveway.

New Caddy.....Maybe

2011-11-14T18:13:00.004+10:00

I saw this car for sale on Gumtree for $6,900 and thought 'fuck that's cheap must be missing a one in front of the six' for a rust free New Mexico car with good interior. So i called the number to see what was up and i get a guy who says wrong number. No sweat broseph, I'll just email in the off chance the persons lost their marbles, but i hear nothing back for 4 days.
Until today - Some "Doctor" named Abigale who works crazy hours and just left to go back to the UK needs to sell her low mileage, always garaged with full service history car thats GREAT on fuel ASAP.
Holy shit a Caddy that's great on fuel, with a 54 year service history! fuck me the stars are aligning Little Docco! The catch is it's in Sydney (even though it was advertised as being in Brisbane) but all i have to do is give my money to a trusted third party website, wait two weeks until i realise i got scammed and have a hot sensation similar to a red hot poker being prodded in my ass. This is going to be the best Christmas ever!

Double Fist Pump

2011-11-08T19:05:00.001+10:00

YYUUUSSSS!

Amazin Blaze

2011-11-02T19:11:00.001+10:00

What the hell did he just say?

Japan

2011-10-27T20:28:00.002+10:00

In 5 weeks.

Fancy Dress Party

2011-10-23T19:56:00.004+10:00

Constructed out of aluminium, computer chips and a pigs heart.
When i took off all the masking tape revealing the paint job, Black Sabbaths Iron Man came on the stereo as i looked deep into the beasts flashing eyes and it was probably the best moment of my life! Except that one time i saw a girls boob, that was awesome!

Seemed to go down a real treat, definitely something that has to be seen in real life to get the full effect and everyone was really positive about the amount of blood sweat and beers gone into its construction. Either that or everyone was real drunk, definitely the best party in living history. Oh and Happy Birthday Dee!

Nap Time

2011-10-22T15:52:00.000+10:00

So much awesomeness in one photo!

Par-Tay

2011-10-19T22:13:00.000+10:00

Just gonner leave this here.

Machine

2011-10-19T22:08:00.000+10:00

MACHINE from matt machine on Vimeo.

Turning Japanese

2011-10-18T20:24:00.003+10:00

Whoa what the fuck was that?

Pure Thoughts About Rock Music

2011-10-18T20:18:00.004+10:00

Moral of the story - part your hair on the right, and my letter box says No Junk Mail mother fucker.

Daryl's Last Day

2011-10-15T10:35:00.002+10:00

After 50 years as a fitter and turner, me old mate Daryl called it quits yesterday and retired.
By far and away the best tradesman i have ever had the privilege to work with. A real shinning light and example to what any tradesman should aspire to be, both on and off the job. A quiet fella who never once spoke shit or felt the need to impress anyone.
It's a huge personal loss for myself, i only hope after 50 years i can be half as good and inspire some other punk kid to try their best. All the best mate.

Eliminators Car Show

2011-09-25T19:35:00.002+10:00

I think those new fan dangled phones all the tech savy kids have these days take better photos than my shit camera. If you squint though they are very arty, I'm just a misunderstood artist....

I couldn't be fucked adjusting the settings for glare and gave up after these.

Psycodelic Tendencies

2011-09-25T19:15:00.003+10:00

I've said it so many times before - old cars, airbrushing and mind altering drugs go hand in hand. Don't care who you are, if your stoner mates car doesn't have a sweet mural its game set and match.
But it can be hard sometimes coming up with an original idea, i mean naked chicks, snakes and wizards have all been done to death. Just don't sweat it, skull wizards are cool on so many levels, so just bust one out like this guy! Add tribal tattoos a twirled moustache and some fucked up hands and your back in the stoner game.

Swap Goodies

2011-09-25T19:03:00.002+10:00

First time in a long time I'd got something worth while. Brand new chromed 39' Ford spindles with king pins. And an Arlen Ness book from the late 80's for an old mate who's a big fan.

Still For Sale

2011-09-24T19:28:00.002+10:00

$40G not bad. For the parts and body it seems fair.

Fan Shroud

2011-09-24T19:09:00.002+10:00

I'm pretty pleased with my little fan shroud i made up. The Valiant is getting a little warm when sitting in traffic, and before i entertain the idea of a thermo fan i wanted to see if a fan shroud makes much of a difference.
I just made it out of some scrap aluminium we had at work. It took me a lazy three hours and seems to pull alot of air through the radiator. I only wished now i didn't use scratched up aluminium and I'd put more thought and effort into the sides. All up though if it works i'll be happy.

Pickers

2011-09-17T20:30:00.003+10:00

A coming of age TV show about two homosexuals from what i can work out?
Fordson tractor tank fitted to English made tractors in the 30's, 40's. Has two compartments, one for petrol and the other for Kerosene, very rare Picked - $50 Valued - don't give a fuck, Profit - One big fuckin' ear to ear grin!

A geezer at TAFE where I'm doing my welding cert got talking to me about the hotrod he's building and i happened to spy my personal holy grail of fuel tanks sitting in the bed of his fibreglass 32' pick up in a photo on his phone.

Anyways he said he was going for the 'bullet hole look' whatever the fuck that means and said he was replacing it with something??? I don't know I'd tuned out when he said he wanted to sell the tank. But low and behold this tank is as mint as you could hope for and for $50 bucks I'm as happy as Larry.

I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane

2011-08-30T20:14:00.003+10:00

Plane tickets are payed for. Nothing left to do now but to ride through the skull and twirl your moustache into an agreeable style!

Daryl's Memoirs

2011-08-25T18:27:00.003+10:00

I left school when i was fifteen and started my apprenticeship in 1962. In those days you finished school after grade ten and went straight to work. Most of the time people got jobs through word of mouth or someone would vouch for you and say you were a good kid. There didn't seem to be as much of an age gap as there is these days. I guess people just grew up faster and by fifteen i was treated like all the other men.
A friend of my fathers got me a job as a Fitter and Turner for J.H. Stronman. I think my dad put the word around that his kid needed a job and that's how it came about.
The workshop was at Stones Corner but is no longer there. I think theres a radio station on part of the land where a section of the workshop was. I'm not sure i haven't been to Stones Corner in a lot of years, but most of the industry moved out in the 70's so its all different to when i remember.
In those days when you had a job interview it was normal for the owner of the company to come out to your house to meet your parents, have a chat and make sure your a good kid.
The year before when i was still at school i saw a pulse jet rocket in the window of a hobby shop on Adelaide street in the city. I can't remember why but the shop was closed on what must have been a Saturday. After looking at it in the window for a good while i figured i could make one myself without having to buy the kit. My dad always bought Popular Mechanics which was like a hobby book from England, and from memory there was a small article on pulse jets which helped somewhat.
The pulse jet i made worked, but didn't work real well. It had a spark plug when it should have used a glow plug and not having a welder i brazed the rocket together, and when it got hot it blew out the side. I never bothered with jets after that.
When the owner of J.H. Stronman came for the interview i showed him the pulse jet I'd made and i think that's what got me the job. I started the following Monday and got assigned to a fella named Tom machining rough castings to make winches for ships or making dies to stamp stainless steel plate into ash trays mostly.
Not sure what else there is to say. Hope that helps. Daryl

Is There A Doctor In The House?

2011-08-22T21:14:00.004+10:00

Stand aside I'm a welder. Did a first of many welding tests this afternoon and started off with what i know best to get the easy shit out of the way first and passed Advanced TIG welding straight up with flying colours!
The teacher seemed impressed and we got talking about getting a pressure vessel welding certificate when i get my trade papers, which may mean nothing to some people but for me that's like a PhD or doctorate in welding.

Which Side Are You On?

2011-08-20T18:33:00.003+10:00

Will you be a lousy scab or will you be a man?

Watch This

2011-08-19T21:27:00.002+10:00

Now i never watch movies, they just take time away from me trying to piece together where exactly my life went south but i saw this and thought it was well worth the lost time. The plots a little thin on in parts but the main character does a bang up acting job. 9 fist pumps out of 10!

The Wheels Are Turning

2011-08-16T19:10:00.002+10:00

Some day i hope to live up to that guy.
There's a certain pride that comes from welding. Its an art and its fucking hard to do exceptionally well.
For over four years now I've been working as a welder fabricator building fuel tankers and related parts and as a result the job has given me a good opportunity to learn to TIG weld. By most peoples standards i might be considered good but in my own i have a long way to go. Same goes with MIG welding.
I could easily leave it at that and keep working as a second class welder, I already did my trade as a motor mechanic many years ago and for most people that's enough. But..... I gotta live what i preach, and most importantly for me theres no pride without achievement.
So since the bosses at work weren't prepared or interested in helping me out, little Docco went out and helped himself. I talked to the TAFE college about it all and i have about 200hours training and testing i have to do before they can sign me off as a qualified welder. Most of that will be stick welding which i haven't done in a long time and will probably never do again after I'm signed off.
It won't be easy and will probably take over a year to complete but i can guarantee there will be a massive piss up when i get my papers.

Goner Run A Muck

2011-08-12T21:50:00.002+10:00

Who's in?

Look What I Invented

2011-08-12T21:40:00.003+10:00

Next time man. My life has always been one big awkward moment, and i'm stealing your ultrasonic idea as my own.http://blog.oldtimerworkshop.com/

More Style Awards

2011-08-08T13:16:00.002+10:00

There was a few cars at Greazefest that for me really stood head and shoulders above the rest. Just when i thought dressing up a dummy in a period correct Elvis jumpsuits was about the ultimate anyone could do, the whole "scene" takes a turn and makes me realise you can never second guess.
Best Use of Garden Waste aka The Cyclone Look
Its hard to pin point what it is about this car that makes it so rad. Is it the sweet jungle theme that's going on or the two thousand dollar price tag he had on it. For me it was when i realised the pain in the ass it must have been to tow it home slash dump. Best Munster Mobile aka Better Than a Dance Recital
Life is thirsty work. If your not wasting 8 hours a day being the bread winner and every Sunday trying to dodge the nag who wants you to take the kids to dance recitals, your trying to find time to build a sweet ride. And nothing says spare time well spent better than a radical Munster mobile. See it and weep bitches. As always judges decisions are final.

More Greazefest

2011-08-08T13:01:00.002+10:00

I'm well over rusty hotrods. The End.

Greazefest

2011-08-08T12:46:00.002+10:00

Robs flathead powered "Gasser" soon to be chopped. Robs the real deal and performs his own stunts.

Sweet little 50' Ford in mint original condition.

Not a big fan of garage names painted on doors unless you actually have a garage, but a cool truck still.

Little show rod will hopefully be finished for next year. I'd ditch the dirty old Clevo motor though, for me they never dress up nice.

Maybe One Day You Can Understand

2011-08-06T18:20:00.004+10:00

Sorry but I'm a child football star so it makes it hard for me to relate to you.
My son thinks everyones dad is a football star, he's to young to understand any different and i just try to teach him that its important to be humble about it all.
What was that? why yes that is the trophy for under 9 Best Back thanks for noticing, but did you see the under 8 and under 12 Best and Fairest trophies? It was nothing really anyone could have done it..... well maybe not you but someone with a lot of talent could have.

Gone AWOL

2011-08-05T19:36:00.002+10:00

Been real sick lately and not just the normal mental sickness i usually have. The dentist thought it would be a good laugh for me to get a few wisdom teeth out, which worked out good for a few days until i woke up with a little cough and a shit load of blood. Turns out a little blood vessel under the old tooth decided to squirt the wrong way and i about near painted the toilet bowl red with my crimson goodness.
Went back and the good dentist sorted out the problem, and i can honestly say the high light was when he had to cut the stitches to open up the wound and laser the blood vessel. I just wanted to stand up and high five everyone!
Anyways should be good in a few days, car show hopefully Sunday and back to work Tuesday. Haven't done much to the cars lately, I'll get back into it soon.

Soon...

2011-07-16T20:16:00.000+10:00

Part Six

2011-07-16T19:27:00.003+10:00

This really should be step five but i got ahead of myself.
If i had my time again i would have welded in the front crossmember before i did the kick up. It would have just made aligning everything up a bit easier. Measure, measure, measure!
Then measure some more. The front crossmember gets welded in on a 6 - 8 degree tilt back which sets the castor. I used a reproduction front crossmember and cut perfectly to size.

Everything is just tacked in place for now with a Mig. Since I'm a much better Tig welder than with a Mig I'm going to Tig everything at a later date.

Part Five

2011-07-16T18:51:00.004+10:00

Aka the walk like an Egyptian step.
After making the chassis rails to resemble stock Model A rails i wanted to make a kick up in the front to get the front end as low as possible without looking like a hacked up frame. For me the best way was to have the front sweep up like a 32' frame does.
To do this i cut a 7 degree Egyptian pyramid just in front of where the firewall ends.Then another pyramid behind where the front crossmember will sit to bring it back level. I've heard some people refer to this as a pie cut? Not sure why that is, pies are round where I'm from.

The end result of a 7 degree Egyptian pyramid cut will give a 3 inch drop over the standard frame.
And just trust me on the 7 degrees it was a major mind fuck to work that out.

Computer Crash

2011-07-10T13:15:00.002+10:00

Sorry about the lack of posts but my computer crashed and it gave everything to the all mighty computer gods. Which is good because technology really fucks ya life up.

Bath Time

2011-06-25T21:21:00.002+10:00

Me and washing cars go together like beer and icecream, but sometimes you just gotta do it.
As a daily driver the pot holes have been paved in gold so far, except even though i leaned out the carb as much as i can before running like a bucket of shit i can't get any better than 18litres per 100km.

The Awful Truth

2011-06-25T21:19:00.000+10:00

Good Things Come In Two's

2011-06-21T19:32:00.003+10:00

I just finished the second rail to a rough stage and sat the front crossmember in to have a quick look. Theres a good chance with the spring behind axle setup I'm going for the rails in front of the crossmember will either get reworked or cut off. Time will tell.

Part Four

2011-06-16T20:47:00.005+10:00

A.K.A the man in black step.
When i made my template i realised the full size template would be too big if i wanted to use the rolled edge of the steel so i made a template 7mm smaller so i can cut 7mm in from the edge saving the rolled edge. This means i can reduce the work needed to get a finish resembling the stock Model A chassis rail. And less working on hotrods means more time working on self improvment like exercise, meditation and maybe a little self reflection timeout. I tried to get China steel because of my half Chinese half Samoan heritage but was stuck with this crap stuff. Shit happens.
Scribe the line, cut the line

Weld the line

Walk the line.

Bad Timing

2011-06-16T20:10:00.002+10:00

"I brought an old gas analyser in yesterday to see if you wanted it but Scott saw i was giving it away and you'd already left work and he said he'd have it"
Fucking hell.......he drives a diesel

Now i gotta borrow the fucker and rig up some batteries because the battery shop "That has batteries for everything" said they stopped making batteries for these in the 70's. Hope it works still, this thing will be handy as hell.

Wintersun 11'

2011-06-11T20:56:00.005+10:00

This Chev was once a four door. I wish i took a better profile picture of the chopped roof, it's pretty spot on.
You don't see many unchopped Model A's. A little top heavy but cool non the less.

Cherry 36' Chev.

Was there ever a good looking Mopar built in the 50's? This ones as close as they ever got.

Sweet Hemi though.

This truck for me was best of show.

I'm not sure which guy made more sense.
Definately a good day out. A good mate, pocket beers and suprisingly a few good cars. What more could little Docco ask for. I took more photos but they turned out darker than these. My so called expensive camera sucks.

WCZ Style Awards

2011-06-11T19:43:00.003+10:00

Its that time of year again......whats hot and whats not. And the winners are.

Best use of extra doors A.K.A No fat chicks.
Sometimes during a project you can find yourself at a cross roads. Do i just paint my one tonner now or do i just spend every sunday for the next three years adding an extra cab. Its a pretty easy choice and the proof is quite clearly in the pudding. Not only do you save material on the ute tray but you get an easy back seat for your double leg amputee mates. Best use of food props A.K.A. Snack attack
You know when your at a car show and you see a car and think theres just something missing to make it really stand out. Now i'm not talking about the lack of fox tail aerial accessories, or making sure the period correct Betty Boop sticker is in line with the rear chrome mould, it's the missing x-factor. And BAM it's food bitches. Now every dick knows you can't just use any old food i'm talking gimme some mustard on that milk shake stat!!!
Best Trailer A.K.A Grim Sleeper
I'm almost certain the only reason girls won't sleep with me is because everyone knows to get a girl naked you need an old hearse. I mean nothing says "Hey ladies, wanna take a ride?" more than a car that had hundreds of dead people oozing dead juices all over the place. Now that's all well and good but what do you do when theres no room left for your black coat, top hat and fake fangs? Build a sweet coffin trailer that's what. This guy must be kicking goals with the ladies all over the place and not the desperate 4a.m ones i luck out on.

Best Mannequin A.K.A. Quit ya yappin
So you got outbid on a sweet hearse on ebay so there goes and chance with the ladies this weekend. Again. Don't worry homeboy grab the dummies and hit the road.All the fellas without hearses know the best thing about dating a mannequin is that they never talk back. Sometimes i just want to sit around in my Elvis jumpsuit and not worry about having uneven sideburns.

All judges decisions are final, congratulations to the deserving winners.

I Thought Two Lane Blacktop Ruled

2011-06-10T20:27:00.004+10:00

And i wasn't even stoned when i saw it.

I found this 55' on ebay, which is obviously an American import, but as far as 55' Chevs go i give this 8 throttle blips out of a possible 10. (2 point deduction for my dislike of 55 to 57 Chevs)

Will Trade Left Nut For Hanger

2011-06-07T21:02:00.003+10:00

Forget the car, check the old aircraft hanger in the background.
How much is a left nut worth these days anyways?

Makin' Bacon

2011-06-07T20:46:00.002+10:00

Toilet bacon is the best!

Hanger Hang Ups

2011-05-31T21:05:00.003+10:00

In 30 years do you think you'll ever see a day when a Holden Taliban or Toyota Al Qida 4X4 is parked in an R.S.L parking lot? Imagine how awesomely impractical an airplane hanger would be in your backyard and that little beetle that has lived in the old mop bucket for the last four weeks, you know the one? the little green one that attacks the welding rod when you poke him? yeah that one, what does he eat? theres only water in there and why is he still alive?

I 100% guarantee you this shit went through my head today. And I'm freeing that beetle tomorrow.

Cool

2011-05-31T20:57:00.001+10:00

But what is it? A sectioned Lincoln?

Macho Man on Coke

2011-05-21T19:48:00.000+10:00

Probably the funniest video i've seen in a long time. R.I.P. Macho Man

Dirty Jobs

2011-05-21T10:37:00.000+10:00

Got sent this.

Dude my high horse will never get sent to pasture and i have a team of mechanics to ensure my soap box is in ship shape condition at all times...

U.S.A. U.S.A...

2011-05-19T19:56:00.002+10:00

Bomb there towns and take there oil.

47

2011-05-17T19:35:00.002+10:00

I'm sure this would be fun to drive.

Part Three

2011-05-17T18:39:00.004+10:00

Aka The Dr Love patented Super Sweep 2000 or frame template for short.
Instead of forking out the going price of $400 and repairing and boxing up a rusty original Model A frame, i decided long ago i was going to fabricate my own.
Now i may be a border line cocktail lover but i draw my gayness in at a T-bucket frame. You know the ones, just two flat frame rails with an after thought crossmember.
So that being said i needed a template to mark out the shape of a Model A frame onto some 4x2 box. You can find chassis dimension drawings on the internet easy enough.
Now i work with aluminium every day so i cut a flat piece 4 inch wide and marked out the dimensions. Now the drawings don't tell you the radius of the swoop so i had to improvise a little with my patented super sweep. Here's what it looked like behind the smoke and mirrors. My patented bendy ruler technique gives a suitable radius to mark from. The actual radius in this photo looked bad when i cut it out so i started again and made a second one.

The final template is as shows. I was happy with the outcome but looking at the photo it looks a little off. Might be the angle of the photo i think.

Part Two

2011-05-10T19:36:00.003+10:00

< If you've been round long enough you'd know about the 39' ford we pulled out of the side of a creek next to a house made of ginger bread.
Well these are the brakes, and if completely rooted had a theme song these would need a full orchestra because there fucked.
The only salvageable parts are one backing plate and hopefully the two pretty worn spindles if i can get a king pin out of the second one.
There was too much effort gone into getting these parts to not try and use something.

Labour Day

2011-05-02T12:32:00.004+10:00

A day of rest for the people whose only productive asset is their ability to work. Enjoy it.

Car Show

2011-05-01T16:36:00.002+10:00

I don't even care no more.

Good relaxing beers though.

Dude!

2011-04-30T10:37:00.004+10:00

Seriously. I know were mates but what is this sitting in my driveway?
I feel like two extremely rich friends that play expensive practical jokes on each other, because it would take a good one to top this!!!
Its been alleged that this is a 51' Chev ute in need of full restoration or wrecking, but i think wires may have been crossed on the exact condition because it is so bad that seeing it in my driveway when i got home was actually hilarious.
Wheres the roof?

Does anyone have any idea on what diff this is? Was told it was supposed to be a 10 bolt but not like anything we've seen.By the way if anyone thinks they can use anything off it message me here or email docdewar@live.com.au

Tales From The Road

2011-04-26T12:07:00.004+10:00

The old folks are on the classic around Australia trip at the moment and have strict instructions to report back with any old car findings.
They sent me pictures of these two well worn cars found in the Northern Territory, but I'd only be guessing what they are.

How To Build A Hotrod

2011-04-24T19:06:00.004+10:00

A.K.A. Step 1- Turn this steel Slowly into

This chassis table
Ok how do i start this?

For the last two or more years I have deliberately stopped myself talking about the so called hotrod i was always going to build after listening to myself tell a friend about the hotrod i was collecting parts for.

I was having a moment in time when the words coming out of my mouth just sounded like a self professed wanker and seemed to be going against the code of- Do'ers and Gonna Do'ers.

Do'ers just shut up and build cars without all the fan fair and self promotion, whilst Gonna Do'ers just well.... shout the loudest.

So here goes. I'm going to post my exploits of building a Model A roadster both good and bad. I've never done this before, I'm just a mechanic that can weld a little, and in reality my little world was safer when i could just talk about building it instead of actually having to build it.

Don't expect updates every week but follow along at what I'm sure will be at a slow and steady pace to not having to shout anymore.

An easy way to make an adjustable leg for an uneven surface. Weld a nut to a plate and use a bolt and locking nut as the adjuster. Simple.

Gold

2011-04-20T21:08:00.002+10:00

Its a limited edition bitch. Cheer up, if she leaves that toy unopened for 30 years it'll be worth more than the used Toyota and who'll be enjoying the last laugh then toots.

Cringe Worthy

2011-04-17T20:32:00.003+10:00

In the words of a good mate "Have a fuckin go a ya!"
I'm definitely glad my girlfriend never agreed to do this show, it will be a visual shit stain on a t.v. screen.
The tattoo gravy train left the station years ago and the flogged horse died already.

F.E.D Friday

2011-04-15T21:08:00.004+10:00

Beauty follows function no better than a front engined dragster.

Dodgey Brakes

2011-04-11T18:29:00.002+10:00

I think i found the problem.

AutoSpectacular

2011-04-10T19:13:00.004+10:00

Some how found myself out at Willowbank Raceway today for a car show i thought would be really small but was surprised how many cool cars turned up. A lot of cars you don't normally see getting round at other shows where there just due to the relaxed atmosphere and no real rules on what cars can turn up. There was everything from a Manx buggy to a new Lamborghini. Here's just a few photos i took...... Perfect shape, perfect stance and even the chrome wheels don't look that bad.

Super straight body. It had some ghost airbrushed graphics on the boot but i didn't bother looking to see what it was properly. Airbrushing is not my thing.

A little hard to see but this Buick was dripping in red metal flake.

The best part of the whole day was taking the Valiant for a cruise out there for a test run. (no photos sorry) I'd planned to take the car for a solo run around my house today in case i broke down and had to tow it back but various circumstances meant i could have someone follow me to Willowbank and decided at the last minute to nervously try my luck and low and behold the old girl never skipped a beat....... well almost. More to come on that but the best part was a few thumbs up from fellow motorists and having a pink 55 Chev wagon pull out from the side of the freeway whilst i was hauling 80 miles an hour blowing out a few cob webs. Needless to say i just about shit myself. All and all very happy though, i even cracked a smile thinking about how far its come.

Cook

2011-04-05T20:05:00.002+10:00

What a nutter. VW motor direct drive and no flywheel cover from the looks, laying a black line at the old Adelaide International Raceway.

Got Emailed This

2011-04-05T18:17:00.002+10:00

Bent rod.

$590,000

2011-04-03T19:03:00.003+10:00

U.S. dollars. Can't blame a man for trying but I don't see it selling anytime soon.

Red Merc

2011-04-03T18:08:00.001+10:00

Red Merc and an early morning.

Why?

2011-04-02T20:23:00.003+10:00

Girls and plugs.... i don't see the relationship. By the looks this plugs too cold to run in most motors, probably made for an air cooled motor???? Because i know that's what you were thinking.

John Katsanis

2011-03-29T17:47:00.002+10:00

Better known as 'Chopper' passed away from cancer this morning. The man responsible for so many good car shows and cruises not to mention a true craftsman when it came to building hotrods and customs. He will be sadly missed.

35' Ford

2011-03-27T15:28:00.002+10:00

If there was an award or Australia's most beautiful roadster this would be it.

Sunday Swap

2011-03-27T15:19:00.002+10:00

These cab over engine (COE) trucks looked crazy but for almost 10 grand a piece i think the guy was dreaming. And those wheels are just jammed under there, theres no chassis or running gear for that money. This wagon is super ugly especially in pink.

But with a genuine 392 Chrysler i don't think you'd give a fuck.

Carby Goodtimes

2011-03-27T14:57:00.003+10:00

Scored these four carbs today for dirt cheap. Two Holey 94's and two Stromberg 48's. I was hoping the Stromberg 48's would be unmarked 97's, just due to the 97's having a lower cfm flow rate and smaller venturis which make them better for a multi carb setup, but since i got all four carbs for the price i would have payed for the two Holley 94's i can't complain. Check out the home made tunnel ram intake. Sweet! Turns out the 48's are pretty desirable in America at $100 a piece in rough condition. A lot more than i payed for them. I'll save them for a future project.

I think i have 15 Holley 94's now. How many is enough? I'll need to make six good ones for the Hotrod.

Crazy

2011-03-25T21:34:00.001+10:00

More Japanese craziness found from around the web.

Perfection

2011-03-25T21:05:00.002+10:00

These photos are rad on so many levels i just had to post them for keep sake here.

Sure

2011-03-25T20:59:00.001+10:00

I can understand that.

Tsunami

2011-03-23T17:53:00.003+10:00

What a fuckin mess Japan is in at the moment. Such a super rad country to visit, i had an amazing time when i was there a few years ago and was hoping to go back sometime this year.
Maybe not anytime soon now but we'll see. Anyways I got sent this photo doing the email rounds of a Japanese man who had his house washed away by the Tsunami and went back to find his bike had somehow survived.
It looks pretty banged up but i bet he's a little happier.

Dog Sack

2011-03-23T17:31:00.002+10:00

Also suitable for small children and nagging girlfriends, just don't get T-boned.

Dirt Drags

2011-03-19T13:45:00.001+10:00

I wouldn't mind checking this one out this year.

Cribs

2011-03-19T13:29:00.003+10:00

Ok i don't really know much about these faux T-Birds except something about some Swedish designer and a company called Viztech, and knowing me these things have probably been around for two years and are old hat.......but.......in a world full of 'retro' rides like the new Chargers, Camaros and the awesomely homosexual PT Cruiser this is one i would actually own. Especially if i was featured on MTV Cribs.
What?................. it could happen one day. They might wanna do a feature on a greasy bogan.