Ryan Cochran is the owner, founder, and sole proprietor of The Jalopy Journal and the Hokey Ass Message Board, or HAMB, a thriving Internet bulletin board dedicated to the gospel of traditional old school rods and customs. At 28 years old, Ryan has become something of an Internet icon, with thousands of gearheads around the world logging onto his site daily to get their latest dose of info, gossip, and tech advice. In fact, Young Guns is not the first group to recognize Ryan for his contribution to the hot rod world. The Kustoms of America recently gave him the KOA Lifestyle Award, which recognizes individuals who are working to improve the hobby and further the traditional custom way of life.
When we first read the spec sheet Ryan sent in on his car, we were rolling on the floor laughing, so rather than trying to interpret the info, we thought you might enjoy reading exactly what he wrote. Here's an excerpt:
Make of car: Ford
Year: '38
Model: Deluxe Coupe
Cost to build your car: More than a deuce grille shell on eBay, less than a large bar of gold liberated from South American mountains.
How often is car driven: The car is driven rain or shine, but not when it's too rainy or the sun is too hot. And never on the anniversary of Hank William's death.
Frame: Special TCI frame using space age titanium originally created for the Gemini program and later declassified for my use.
Make & year of rearend/suspension: An Art Morrison triangulated four-bar using steel cut from the chassis of the Mysterion and machined by an Amish man named Peter on a lathe turned by the legs of his wife Mary. The Strange 9-inch is hung by coilovers with emotional issues.
Make & year of frontend/suspension: Front suspension is an owner-fabbed Mustang II using control arms that were blessed by a Russian medium channeling the spirits of Joey Ramone at his grave site in New York. Car is sprung with Firestone airbags that were cured in a mixture of monkey blood and olive oil for 10 years while sealed in a container and buried next to my dog Jean Pierre.
Brakes: All four wheels come to a screeching halt via Willwood discs brakes--rotors turned by Germ himself.
Wheels & Tires: Hurst cheater slicks (I cheat better than anyone) spinning on 15x8 rears. Firestone fronts on 15x5s once used on the set of the musical Oklahoma!
Engine details: Race-bred Rehyer Morrison 424ci small-block Chevy used by Dale Earnhardt when NASCAR (they almost cheat as well as I do) fixed Daytona a couple years back. Detuned for the street.
Transmission: Muncie four-speed taken out of a wrecked '65 Vette found on the far side of dead man's curve.
Body: Stock Henry Ford (Monogrammed HF on the left chest) stolen in 1946, but recovered in 1998.
Paint: Bob's Big Boy black lacquer sprayed by a young Catholic girl in the '40s.
Interior details: Gangster pinstriped mohair with dash insert carved from Jim Morrison's thigh bone. Stewart-Warner gauges.
Misc. Details: Nothing special. Just a bare bones hot rod built to go fast and catch chicks. It worked, too. I got a girl to say yes in the passenger seat. Marcie and I got married in December...
As the official November Young Gun of the Month, Ryan will receive a $400 gift certificate redeemable with this month's sponsor, Wescott's Auto Restyling. With an entire catalog full of body panels, parts, and accessories, we're sure Ryan can find something he can use to spruce up his bitchin' fat-fendered flyer. Congratulations, Ryan, and thanks again for building such a cool place to hang out!