It was a rusted old heap, if I’m not mistaken, a ‘49 Buick fastback. My heart raced as I tried to process the sight before me. I rubbed my eyes in disbelief figuring it was exhaustion getting the best of me. The sky was the color of gunmetal and just when I was thinking of turning around for the long haul back…I saw it. I swear this vegetation is so thick and wild you’d think this area has never been treaded on by man but in this day and age I’d imagine that’s not possible.

I was in a part of the woods I’ve never been to and by this point only navigating by compass. It was about four hours into my hike when my knees were screaming and my backpack felt like it was stuffed with lead instead of apples and power bars. The automotive Holy Grail! These are the kind of things that only happen to Jay Leno…for the rest of us its an unobtainable pipedream. In it, along with a lot of useless crap there’s and old Studebaker in cherry condition with only 7,000 original miles on it…original chrome and paint still gleaming. You hear stories of these rare “barn treasures”…you know, some old lady in Pasadena finds the keys to her barn that she hasn’t opened since her husband died a half century ago. If only such an unusual vehicle would just land in my lap like the Dodge A-100 did. I mean, I’m good at what I do, but I’m no Chip Foose. That’s the thing about ‘32 Deuces and ‘57 Chevs…they’re so common at car shows nowadays the only way to attract attention is to do something phenomenal with them. Took them to shows but no one gave them a second look. Later I refurbished a ‘32 roadster and the year after that a ‘57 Chevy Bel Air.

That old Dodge was good to me right up until some hoodlums stole it from my garage when my wife and I went away on vacation. I chopped it a bit, gave it a suped-up Hemi, racing slicks and a bitchin’ root beer sparkle paint job…made a real dragster out of it! That sucker could do the quarter mile in 9 seconds…won a bunch of awards at car shows too. He let his son borrow it and he and his girlfriend drove it all the way to Indiana with no gear oil…seized the whole engine right up and that was the end of that. But a few years back I was lucky enough to take on my brother’s old Dodge A-100. Finances are tight, so I can’t exactly blow the whole wad on Ebay or craigslist looking for classic cars. I’ve had some moderate success refurbishing cars…when I can get them. I’d love to make it a career, but as life has it, you need a job a little more reliable and humdrum to support the family. What I really like to do is refurbish old cars…you know, customizing old junkers, turning them into hot rods, that kind of stuff. Mostly I just write for the sake of doing it…to jot my ideas down even if usually they’re not all that brilliant. I also do a little writing…I’ve been published and made a few bucks here and there but nothing major. What else can I say? I hike to clear my head. I go on these long hikes through the woods to clear my head…plus Doc says all the exercise is good for my health, though my knees and tired feet usually sing a different tune.

Chip foose paint jobs