On Memorial Day I went to a Local car show.

It was all most a normal car show, friends of the club won 99% of the awards.I have a room full of trophy hardware so  I was not surprized. At this show I was blessed in another way.I was setting there injoying the day when a stranger reached out his hand and thanked me for haveing been in service and said my son would have liked this car. He took a deep breath and said He was killed in 2007 in the war. This was a strong Father that still held a lot of anger towards his Sons killers. This show was to honor all our vets and their family. When a stranger lets you into his life and takes the time to thank you for bring support to the troops Iam humbled and proud. This man understood what  I was doing there and why. For this I thank God!

Winter procects

Flight Plan

As most car shows go, it’ not always the best car that wins. Not only does your car have to compete, you end up trying to find the right class to enter. In the Hell Cat’s case they don’t have a right class. If it’s a small town show, you usually have to compete with what I call the “friends of the family”. So with about  200 shows under the Hell Cat’s wings, I look for a  good show  that will be done right, with attention to detail. It doesn’t take long to figure out what it will take to win or the integrity of the people running the show. Having said that, one car show on a very nice town square with lots of friends of someone elses family was to take me on my first unexpected journey. I was sitting at the back of my car chewing on my cigar and trying to enjoy the day. The “friends”, were busy exchanging car show entry numbers and, as usual, the Hell Cat was drawing a crowd. Just then, a woman ran out in front of the machine gun area at the front of the car. She said, “I get it, I know what you’re doing.”  I was in shock…speechless. I had no idea what she meant or why tears were running down her face. My awestruck look must have been what made her finish the exchange. It seems she had two sons that had just entered into service (this was post 9-11). She thanked me for the tribute and support for our troops. As I wiped my eyes ,I thanked her and she left as quickly as she came. The “flight plan” was  to win a trophy, unfortunately, I didn’t. It did open up a whole new vector which I hadn’t seen before. The goal from that day on, was to seek the people who “get it”. If they look at my car, instead of the $200,000 car next to it, they hopefully understand. It’s not about how much money goes into it, but how much of your heart you’ve invested for something you believe in. Now that you have heard just one story do you GET IT?

Diamond Plating

If you’ve seen the ”Hell Cat” (my 1950 Studebaker), then you know that one of the materials I use for modifications is; diamond plating. I am often asked how I am able to cut and shape it into unique pieces that create a hard, edgy feel while maintaining the integrity of the theme. After a lot of trial and error, and going through numerous amounts of jig saws with plastic gears, I’ve discovered that you really have to use a higher quality jig saw with metal gearing. What’s even more interesting, is that I’ve tried using blades that were designed specifically for cutting metal, and they always fill up and burn up before the project is complete.

One day, as I was using a metal blade and the teeth melted. Going to my toolbox to look for another, I discovered that all I had left were wood cutting blades. It was a shot in the dark, but when the creative process is flowing, it’s hard to stop. Reluctant, desperate and willing to try anything to keep the project going, I inserted a wood cutting blade. Oh! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The new blade was working immediately and effectively. What a great discovery! In my mind, there was no limit as to the shape of things to come. I spent the rest of the evening cutting, shaping and modifying the Hell Cat.

So the next time you want to take on some “heavy metal”, just remember: get a good jig saw with metal gears and a wood cutting blade, the rest is up to you.