Got a Good "Barn Find" Story?If you do, your story could end up in a book. We've heard a thousand old yarns about somebody finding a cool old car sitting unmolested for several decades in the hay in some barn or under a tarp in someone's garage. We always thought all these stories would make a good book. That's what author Tom Cotter thought too, and now he's writing one, to be released by Motorbooks International sometime next year. Tom is in the process of collecting stories and photos for possible inclusion in this book and is asking for help from ROD & CUSTOM readers. If you have a great "barn find" story you'd like to share with the world, contact Tom Cotter online at tomcotter@earthlink.net or via mail at Barn Finds, P.O. Box 2260, Davidson, NC 28036. He needs to hear from you by July 1, 2004. Submission of a story does not guarantee that it will be included in the book, but all photographs and other material will be returned.
Searchin' for SpradlinHot rod artist Greg Spradlin contributed some great concept illustrations to the "Styling for Speedstars" story in the April issue of R&C, and we repaid him by publishing his Web site URL incorrectly. For a wild eyeful of some of Greg's best "horsepower for your walls," pay a visit to www.gregspradlin.com.
Natural WondersHot rods and custom cars may be considered rolling art, but first and foremost they're transportation. Reader Steven Sorg recently reminded us of that.
We met Steven and his '50 Ford last year at the Goodguys show in Charlotte, North Carolina. He'd driven up from Florida and we drooled over the mild custom all weekend, giving it the ROD & CUSTOM Pick at the event. Steven told us that he drives his Shoebox everywhere. He later sent us several photos from a trip he made to Back to the '50s in St. Paul and then on to his daughter's home in Bozeman, Montana. "In all," he says, "I drove the '50 a total of 5,900 miles in three weeks and had a great time doing it."
We're sharing Steven's letter and this photo taken at the Badlands in South Dakota, as a reminder of how much fun you can have with your rod or custom. Get out and drive 'em!
Cyber Roddin'Three more cool stops along the info superhighway...this month we visit famous motorsports heroes, a familiar favorite artist, and one man's personal hot rodding history. Go see.
Motorsports Hall of Famewww.mshf.com
The Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum in Novi, Michigan (near Detroit), is dedicated to virtually every type of automotive racing, including drag racing, stock cars, sports cars, IndyCars, open-wheelers, and trucks and is a great place to stop during a summer road trip. If a visit to Michigan isn't in your future, make a trip to the Web site instead. There you'll find features on historic and contemporary race cars, based on museum exhibits. Our favorite spot on the site is the Hall of Fame Inductee List, featuring 137 of motorsports' greatest contributors with a photo and short biography on each.
Doc & JoLeen's Bikes and Carswww.inficad.com/~moneymanager/docsbikes.htm
Don't ask us how we ever ran across this site. It's a personal Web site for an investment advisor named J. Michael "Doc" Hall and his wife JoLeen, a real estate agent. Sounds fascinating, right? Hang on-turns out "Doc" is a lifelong automotive nut. Click on the pages "Doc's 23 Bikes" and "My 102 Cars From Day One" for the story of the cars and bikes he's owned, complete with some great photos. Seems like "Doc" has owned everything: bikes from '48 Indians to '04 Triumphs and cars from a '34 coupe to a '27 T-bucket A/Modified roadster, to customs and street rods, musclecars, and virtually every other type of ride. It's like watching the history of hot rodding through one lucky guy's eyes.
Featured Artist: Keith Weesnerwww.keithweesner.com
This month's Cyber Roddin' hot rod artist is Keith Weesner. You've seen his work all over hot rodding magazines, including his cover illustration for Hop Up issue three. You may also have seen his booth at shows with drawings of traditional rods and customs. His loose style reminds us of the artists and illustrators from the late '50s and early '60s but has a definite current look to it as well. It also shows the influence of numerous American painters (we got that part from reading the site) and his work has hung in galleries. In addition to the gallery, this site has pages offering Weesner's work on T-shirts and signed posters.