Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Flames for Dad

I have been playing catch up in my garage trying to get a bunch of little jobs and favors done so I can get my new show car project The "Baja Bandeeto" back in and work on it. One of the jobs is painting a set of Harley FXLR tin for my Dad, Yeah He's 73 and still rides, so now you know where I get it from! I painted a blue base with left over paint and shot the marina blue metal flake. Then I gave it a wet sand and cleared it again, but with a dab of Sherwin-Williams blue pearl in the clear. The pics don't do the work justice but it really "glows". The flames are pretty traditional. Shot a white base with House of Kolor Sunshine Yellow and Tangelo Orange over it. I'm thinking a slime green pinstripe will really be killer on it. One neat thing I like to do is, I took the front fender rivets out and welded the fender right to its mounting bracket, it gives it a clean smooth look!





I have been picking away at the junkyard gigolo a little at a time also. I polished up the lower legs on a baldor buffer I bought a while back. They came out really nice. There are some gouges here and there, but this isn't a show bike, I want a street beater. Got the frame sitting on a milk crate as I dig through the small boxes of parts I got with it, and blast and paint the stuff to bolt it all together. This superglide project is kinda like my therapy. I don't have to do it, I like to do it!



Get out in the garage and build something! Fritz

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Bubble Dome Madness - Cosmotron

I get up this morning , make a pot of coffee, and sit down at the computer to read my mail and check up on the world news. Well gang, the best news I got was in an e-mail from England! Seems that about a year ago, Paul Bacon bought my "Build a fiberglass Body at Home" DVD and did just that! He built one bad ass awesome little bubble cruiser. This is the stuff I love, e-mails from fellow garage rats showing what they have going on in their own shops. The crazy projects they do for fun! I'm gonna post his letter also for you guys to read. Like I always say "I think anyone can do this stuff, you just have to try"
Now get out in that Garage and build something!
Fritz


"Hey Fritz,
Thought I'd send you some pics of my project. I started it about a year ago, I bought your DVD and it gave me great inspiration although I used polystyrene to build up the bulk of the body then good old plaster to form the details. The whole thing is based on a BMW Z3 so it should be pretty fast when its finished and I'll stay cool under the dome with the factory air con, mind you over here it rains a lot so I don't know how much I'll need it or how much traction I will get from the cross plys, but hey they look cool so who cares!. I'll send you some more pics when its finished, I got your paint DVD too so you just know the paint is gonna be wild!"
Lovin the blog and all your work,
BIG MESS BIG SUCCESS
Paul Bacon England



Thursday, April 5, 2012

San Antonio, Texas ISCA show

Sorry, I have been a crappy blogger these days. Been on the road doing the indoor car shows and I am just getting to play "catch up" now. Here are a few pics from the San Antonio Texas ISCA show. I was really digging the crazy tie dye style paint on the "Summer of Love" front engine dragster. It was in a vintage drag strip display complete with tower truck and other drag cars, including the "Mexican Revolution" and a "Jungle Jim" flop body car!!!!! As far as the motorcycles go, there were a bunch of new bikes : ( but I did spy a nice shovel chop and a neat little jap chopper also! I have been cleaning up my garage, putting stuff away, and getting things ready to work on the "Baja Bandeeto" again. It's been to long, waaaaayyyyyy to loooong! I still have to knock out a paint job for my dad's FXLR. The guy is like 73 and has 5 of these things! Greaser Mike will be sending me his Triumph chopper parts to paint up. So, I have a bunch of catching up to do, not to mention I have been side tracked with the 77 super glide I bought out of a junk yard here in Missouri.
What have YOU guys been doing? I'd love to see some of your bike paint jobs & crazy fiberglass projects from the guys that have bought my DVDs.
Now get out in the garage and build something
Fritz







Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Remembering "Big Daddy"

Ed "Big Daddy" Roth Passed on this day in 2001 March 4, 1932 - April 4, 2001
Everyone has a story, everyone loves "Rat Fink". Like most, as a kid I dug building those slobbering monster models. I loved their out of proportion hot rods, the bubbletop model car kits, and those crazy t-shirts! We all did it.
As I got older and moved into building choppers good Ol' "Big Daddy's" Influence was still in there, and just as strong. One day it all just kind of "POPPED" for me. Something in the cosmos triggered a switch in my brain, and I had to build a car Just like "Big Daddy Roth". So, I built the "Roswell Rod". He was still with us when I started, but not long after that, my little project became a tribute to my hero.
"ONCE A FINK ALWAYS A FINK"
I am pretty sure Ed would tell you just as I do and on this day more then ever,
get out in the garage and build something.
Fritz