Wishing you all a happy, healthy, safe holiday season and a prosperous New Year. We look forward to sharing more of this crazy custom journey with you in 2014. From my family to all of yours. - Fritz & Carrol

Fighting the Clock

The "Baja Bandeeto" is basically done except for a few things. It still needs to get wired. The good folks at "Rebel Wire" set me up with a nice kit to do the job! I did some free hand stripe work, but put it on hold so I could spritz three gas tanks for the International Motorcycle Show in Novi, Michigan next month, Jan 3rd, 4th, and 5th. If you are in the area stop by the Progressive Insurance booth and say "Hi". I'll be pulling lines and munching on soft pretzels! Sorry there isn't much to post, but with the holidays, and trying to catch up on work, I don't have much free time handy. I'll try to keep ya posted on the gas tanks I'm painting, I got one started tonight. Get out there and keep the welding light burning. FRITZ

D-Day (done day) for the "Baja Bandeeto"

I am coming out of turn four, and heading for the finish line gang! I asked my boss "Jason" if I could take a week off to try and do as much as I could to get The "Baja Bandeeto" done, and he was sympathetic to my cause. I had a lot of time consuming little jobs to do, make a gear shift knob, install the albino Wookiee fur, make a lens and light socket set up for the 1958 Ford hood ornament. As I type this I am between paint coats on the rings for the bubble. I still need to wet sand and polish the body, then lay out some pin stripes. Show season will be here in less then 40 days, and I don't wanna disappoint you cats that have been waiting to see this ride in person at yer local show. Something else for you motorcycle guys, I will be prepping three sportster tanks to paint and stripe at the International Motorcycle Show in Novi, Michigan, outside of Detroit this January. Look for me in the Progressive Insurance booth! I know its getting cold out, but crank up that wood stove or little kerosene heater, and get out and the garage and build something, Build something crazy!

Body & Chassis Together Again

It was a good weekend Gang! Got the "Baja Bandeeto" body on the frame and all bolted up! I wanna Thank Zim, Casey and his Dad, Brett and Bradon "The God Father", for coming by, and helping get the Body installed. I still have lots of stuff to do, polishing some assembly work, pin striping, installing the Whookie fur, etc. I think The car looks Fantastic! I have already gotten a lot of interest from show promoters so I hope I have a full show season this winter. I hope I get to set up at a show in yer town! That's It I'm gonna get back out in the garage and build!

Clear for the "Bandeeto"

Been a while, a hard while for me. I took time off from work here and there. I was burning the midnight oil while emptying beer cans after the day job, and every weekend, to get this thing to where it is now. My air compressor took a shit, had to replace two start up capacitors (thanks Bryan), but here we are! The last coats of clear. After it sets up and cures I'll be wet sanding and polishing the body, and then plopping it onto the rolling chassis. I have a bunch of crazy stripe work to do, but that'll come later on. I did get a "Bandeeto" slobbering monster on the nose, and "Our flying eyeball of Guadalupe" (Named Courtesy of Jimmy Smith) out back on the engine cover. All in all, I am real happy with the way the "Baja Bandeeto" turned out. Mucho Thanks to my Homies at "House of Kolor" for being a part of this project and Artist "Jimmy Smith" for letting me build off his rad art work! I included a pic from the outside looking in, for all you guys that are like me and work in a small two car or smaller garage. You can do it guys! It doesn't take much space to make it happen. I push my bike outside, and some other stuff, to make room, and roll it all back in when I lock up for the night, but I make it work with what I have, and you can too. Just get out in the garage and build something!

Junkyard Gigolo - Inner Primary Issues

I wanted to bolt up the inner primary on the Junkyard Gigolo but ran into a few snags. Its a nice factory piece, but it had the abuse of an owner that did not maintain their ride. The drive chain must have gotten wore out and sloppy, and was slapping the primary under the starter housing boss. It was welded once before, not a great job but you'd figure the idiot would have stayed on top of a problem . . . not a chance. I had to have the same spot built up with weld again, and the drain plug was a bit of a brain teaser also. What do you do when you strip the threads of the drain plug? Well, ya just stick it back in there, and pile up silicone around it, and hope you never have to take it out again! Well gang, what I did was just drill it out to 1/2 inch, and machine up a little piece of aluminum stock to fit with a shouldered flange. Then I drilled the I.D. and made new threads for the drain plug. Jason at work was kind enough to do all the fantastic aluminum welding for me. Old skool Harley guys we don't throw nothin' out! Get out in the garage and build something. Fritz

Margarita Drinking Paint Huffers on Milk Duds!

I have been hard at it working on the "Baja Bandeeto" paint job. I wasn't really sure what to do, but sort of had ideas of what I wanted. I did not want anything that looked like Ed "Big Daddy" Roth painted it in the early 60's (pearl white with panel work). I love the man, and he is a hero, but I wanted this to be "MINE" and only my work. A few years ago, it all started with a drawing that "Jimmy Smith" did of a fantasy car. I wanted to work with someone on this project as I usually work alone. Someone to share ideas and bounce thoughts back and forth with. I had some input but the basic Idea was all Jimmy's. The paint job is all me. I miss the days when I used to sit with my friend Paul Cox and go over paint work for the Indian Larry choppers. Paul always had great vision, a very talented artist on many levels. I was looking to grab that Larry and Paul vibe, and put it into four wheeler mode, on a bigger canvas though. This paint job is far from being done, but the basic lay out is there. I still have 500 sheets of red variegated gold leaf to burn through, and miles of pin stripe work to brush on. if you think this is over the top, you have not even come close to the top shelf liquor yet gang. It will get better! For those of you guys on Facebook look for me and like my page at spritzbyfritz.com for instant fast crazy updates! Get out in the garage and build something! FRITZ

New Orleans Extra Shots

I've been busy painting the "Baja Bandeeto" gang, so I kinda lost track of blogging for a bit.While taking pics with the camera, I see a few of cool signs and stuff from New Orleans that didn't get posted. So I'll throw them up now, just some neat stuff that I like and hope you will too. I will post some good pics of the "Bandeeto's" paint work in a day or so. I have been posting some spy shots on my face book page spritzbyfritz.com, friend me there and see some of the action that happens in the garage when I get home from work.

The Big Easy . . . Who Dat?

This blog post will have more to do with the "Church of Rusted Souls" than anything else, and the 'ol Reverend Fritzie is gonna lay it down the way I see things in Life. You're gonna Die . . . from the day you are born you start to die. I don't mean to set a black morbid cloud over your head, just the opposite. Do you really need a doctor in a white lab coat to tell you that you only have so much time left on this here earth? If you found out you only had a year or two left, would you start making that bucket list? Why wait? You should do it ASAP!!!!!!!!! Cram as much shit in as you can, and die with yer boots on! Too many of my friends have died to early of cancer, bike wrecks, drug OD's, etc. I'm 49 now, and for the longest time I always wanted to see the French Quarter in New Orleans, ever since I went to Disney world and rode "Pirates of the Caribbean" as a kid. Two years ago, I did the ISCA car show here, it was good, but I had to work the show and only had one day to myself to walk around and see the sights. This year my wife and I came back. Just to walk around, look at art, listen to jazz, and drink Hurricanes. Besides this being a cool "Pirate" town, with loads of great history, one of my favorite things is all the wrought iron metal work and iron casting that abound the city. Like NYC it has many cultural charms, in food and tradition, but I love the metal work. I took a bunch of pics for you to look over in hope that you can get out of the garage and get inspired to build something! Sell off that vintage intake manifold collection that will probably never get used. Do you really need to impress people with that stuff? Are they worth all that money you invested? Its just stuff, you can get more. After you croke, your 'ol lady will sell it all off, and probably use the cash to go to New Orleans like you always promised. Why not just do it. I needed a little break, and look forward to getting back to the garage and color sanding on the "Baja Bandeeto." Just do it you deserve it! P.S. you can like me on facebook at www.facebook.com/spritzbyfritz.com

Laboring on Labor Day

It's been a long time coming, "PAINT". I started the "Baja Bandeeto" a long time ago and have now just gotten the first passes of color on this weekend. When I started the project, I was all rocket fuel and crank, 'cause I wanted to make my "How to build a Fiberglass Body at Home" DVD that a lot of you guys have bought,(thank you). A few of you have been toiling away elbow deep in plaster and digging it as much as I do. There was some down time, as some of you know, when I sliced my left arm to the bone, and did a lot of damage. That put me out of work for 6 months. After that, there were months of catch up work, and staying on top of other things. See this stuff just doesn't happen over night for me either. We all struggle to "get that project done", ya just have to stay with it, look at it like a bunch of smaller projects, and not one gigantic overwhelming project. You will get there. This splash of gold paint is the light at the end of my tunnel. The last chapter of the "Bandeeto" book. I based the car out in white, then put some silver and white pearl into an inter coat clear, and shot the cove panels. After that was set up and dry, I masked off the coves, and sprayed solar gold base down on everything else. Then I did two passes of clear with silver, bright gold, and dark gold mini flake, and also red and gold dust pearl. And then, two coats of straight clear. Now I will let it sit and cure for a while, for a few days or a week. After that I'll start wet sanding again, so I can do some crazy art work, and maybe some lace! You'll see. I have been posting some "as we go along" pics on my face book page, you should check it out spritzbyfritz.com on face book. Til' next time gang. Get out in the garage and build something. Fritz