The Round Six Podcast

“THAT’S WHY THEY PUT WHEELS ON TOOLBOXES.”

On episode sixty-seven, we head back in time to January at the 70th Grand National Roadster Show, and a quick session with Darryl Hollenbeck and Zane Cullen. It’s a paint all-star spectacular, and the conversation starts with a discussion of the Triple Gun Award of Excellence, and goes outrageously sideways.Great time at a great how with great friends. It’s a laid-back look at the industry through the eyes of two seasoned pro’s… And three podcast hosts just trying to keep it on the rails.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* Stuff we can’t air

* The Triple Gun Award of Excellence – The history of the award – Judging criteria – The three guns, Darryl Hollenbeck, Charlie Hutton and Zane Cullen

* Mickie Galloway’s design contribution

* Brian launches the idea of bringing the past winners to one display at GNRS – “The Triple Mom Award”

* Darryl’s AMBR win in 2016

* Roofies in the booth

* Multi-generational family businesses – Easing into the industry

* The recurring BMX theme as the gateway to hot rods

* Darryl on his Dad – Dad’s toolbox – Buying his Dad’s old work truck back

* First cars

* Many, many paint puns

* Many, many more nut jokes

* Paint technology

* Paint as a crutch – The collision shop atmosphere VS the custom paint shop

* The barrier between passion and investing time to better your skill set

* Brian makes the mistake of offering to go deeper

* On being a hot rod subcontractor

* Time management

* “You’re easy to squeeze in”

* “The Foose episode was nothing like this”

* A Tipper Gore refrence

* Influences/heroes– Westergard– Bertolucci– Art Himsl– Barris

* Starting your own business– Efficiency– A process of continuing improvement– Learning the hard lessons

 

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“THE PRINCIPLES OF ART DON’T CHANGE.”

On episode sixty-six, we’re joined by the legendary Kenny Youngblood. An automotive artist of the highest order, his early start in the funny car lettering field is where most will know him from. A man whose professional career has been spent around and working with legendary names like John Buttera and Don Kirby, the stories are practically endless.The Gearheads are joined by Round Six’s fourth man, Carson, and his interaction as a young kid with Kenny led to a long career in the industry. Kenny was cool enough to give a kid some lessons, and inspired him to take up the brush. A life-lesson in that example for anyone who sees the spark in the next generation to be sure. Please go and do likewise! Carson went from being a kid hiding in a corner watching, to becoming a skilled sign painter.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* Kenny’s influence on one of Round Six’s own, Carson– Painting cars at Don Kirby’s Custom Paint– Carson hanging around as a kid– The Barry Setzer Vega– From Medical School to sign painting

* Early art influences– Learning as a kid from his artist Mother

* Hand drawing blueprints

* Early racing efforts with an injected Hemi-powered dragster

* Tom Kelly’s busy schedule provides an early break for Kenny

* Creating isometric projection drawings– The “Fudge-O-etric” drawing

* Early Buttera cars

* The Bank of Ameri-Car

* Learning to letter race cars

* Kenny’s business advice: “Raise your prices”

* Passing work to the guys coming up

* How to grow your business as an artist

* The move from hand-painted to digital and vinyl– “I’ve had things blow up on the burnout!”

* The golden age of great-looking race cars

* The Youngblood-style grilles and headlights– The afro pick headlight technique

* “I could always tell how good an idea was by how often it was stolen”

* Early funny car names

* Nostalgia funny cars

* Pouncing with Butcher paper

* Carson and Kenny’s paths cross once more at Hot Wheels

* Making the shift from painting on cars to painting cars on canvas

* Motorsport Fine Art

* The dawn of the age of motorsport collectibles

* The Lions Drag Strip Museum

 

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“I WANT MY STUFF TO BE WHOMPED ON.”

Here on episode sixty-five, we sit down with ICON 4×4 and TLC founder and CEO Jonathan Ward. It’s a laid back, candid look at building cool vehicles in a very technology-driven world. A self-starter in definition as well as practice, Jon’s childhood acting days (from a chance shot in Peter Pan to Charles in Charge to a stalker incident) and an interest in restoring old tech and cars lead to starting a business. We explore the passion that drives ICON, the idea behind the brand, and the marketing approach.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* Industrial design meets entrepreneurship

* Raymond Leowy

* Avoiding the “theme” build while staying true to the vehicle’s character

* Steering clear of bad design directions

* Crafting a unique aesthetic

* Creating  brand identity

* Working to make a unique statement without turning down the bread and butter work

* The balance of loving what you do and loving the customer– When to fire a client

* Steering the client via renderings

* Nostalgia as a motivator in building a project

* The gender difference in styles/needs/wants– Women VS men with regard to needs and wants in a vehicle

* “Corrupted by the perversions of modernity”– A discussion on tech and obsolescence

* Being an “old school martyr”– Brian proposes the “Tune-ruining choke knob” feature

* Changing the mood and personality of a vehicle just through exhaust note

* A “rockabilly” bar cruiser Hudson Hornet

* “Build it like you’d keep it”

* The challenges of working with obscure vehicles– “It’s like the dot-com era for hot rodders”

* Working with technology like 3D printing and composites– The “pucker moment” when you need an impossible-to-find part

* Watching tech and changing attitudes toward old-school craftsmanship

* Research and design on the fly

* Getting stuck in a rut in your craft and not seeing the advantage of pushing forward– Looking forward at nanotech, hydrophobics and more

* Drawing inspiration from a wide variety of sources

* Passion builds versus assembly line product

* The first resto project: a ’55 Ford

* Meeting Mikhail Baryshnikov– Hitching a ride to a cattle call and landing a role in Peter Pan on Broadway

* The advantages of not having a board to answer to when working to preserve the passion and DNA of a brand

* Purity of execution working through a series of compromises

* Going international with SEMA Australia

* A discussion on the appreciation of vintage Americana

* A benchracing session complete with dream project ideas

 

THE ICON VIDEOS

 

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“PUSH THE ENVELOPE TO SEE HOW FAR THE CUSTOMER WILL LET YOU GO.”

We sit down with Bob Thrash to talk hot rods, a career in the hot rod world, and having worked alongside so many legends. From early influences and opportunities, Bob has always found himself surrounded by an extremely skilled team. It’s not often that someone learns among legends almost exclusively, but Bob Thrash is one of those guys. He learned to airbrush with Scott Sullivan. He cut his teeth in the talent-breeding powerhouse that is Rad Rides. He’s worked for and among the best in the business, and shares that path with us. Honing the craft on some of the highest-end cars in the world prepares you to go it on your own in a very unique way. We get into that and more here.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* Studying the work of those whom you admire

* Early days in the industry

* The Scott Sullivan influence – Inspiration found in his Nova at the 1979 Street Machine Nationals – Learning to airbrush with Scott –Todd Clark’s Bones Pro-Street Camaro

* Creativity in graphics

* Moving from Des Moines back to Chicago

* Landing a job at Jack’s Automotive (which became Rad Rides)

* The 1950 Buick Bumongous build

* A 1/4-inch thick steel floor in the garage

* The early days at Rad Rides by Troy

* The talent breeding ground that was Rad Rides – Nurturing creativity

* Leading a creative team in the shop

* Different cars over the years– Building Ritzow’s ’32

* Ridler builds

* Ring Brothers build involvement

* Motor Wheel Flys find their way to the conversation

* Current projects – The Joe Nichols Pontiac– The Camaro with the Hardy-built LT-4

* A discussion of the changes to the Al Slonaker Memorial Award– First-time shown VS showing build photos

* Ridler-level builds versus road-worthy cars– Working with the mechanical components versus covering everything

* A discussion of vehicle graphics– Being mentored by… Scott Sullivan– Overcoming fear and just jumping in to do the job– Learning the materials and techniques– Proof of time and practice making perfect– Starting in his 30’s, versus a lifelong hobby

* Brad and Brian’s “meeting Bob” stories

* Selling a creative idea to push a project forward

* Client blind faith versus vision

* Brian’s failed “glitter bomb” rendering

* The rising cost of materials– Neat ways to justify tape costs– The correlation of tape that stays on the car, versus what gets torn off and re-positioned

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“HE BOUGHT A LION.”

The Gearheads sat down with Joe Yezzi of Squarebody Syndicate to talk truck builds, lifestyle branding, making a huge splash at the 2018 SEMA Show and hot-lapping at Indy. If you’re into the squarebody GM truck scene, then you know the Squarebody Syndicate brand. What began as a hobby has turned into a serious player in the lifestyle brand scene, and is one of the most recognizable brands in the C-10 community. Joe and Rob Yezzi set the pace, building a killer truck a couple of years back (SS01) that debuted in the Royal Purple booth. This past year, they stepped-up their game and went over the top with their 1976 GMC Indy Tribute, SS02.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* Brian jumps right in like a teenager on Prom night

* The 1976 Indy Tribute truck– A brief history of the build– The road to SEMA Show 2018

* Building upon the success of Syndicate Series 01 from 2015

* A chance meeting with Doug Boles– The SEMA Indy 500 promise

* The Indy Truck reveal in the Royal Purple booth

* The t-shirt model car box– The Round Six connection to Squarebody Syndicate– Logos, renderings and promotional materials– Brian’s squarebody therapy adventure

* Defining “Yezzi Clean”

* It all declines into a brief shmooze-fest

* Fusing 1970’s hot rod influence with modern technology

* “What if you hear a gasp when the cover comes off?”

* Furthering the discussion of sidewall– Judicious use of the word “bulge”– The Gearheads nearly take the high road– It declines with a comparison of Scott Sullivan’s bulge

* Experiments and gambles

* Joe and Brian research and explore wheels

* The “Keystone Klassic Convo-Pro” that may have been

* Covering beautiful custom-milled wheels with wrinkle finish

* The episode goes all Tarantino

* The road to Indy– Thirty hours on the road with no plan

* Hot laps at Indy

* The Indianapolis 500 VIP experience

* Genesis of the Squarebody Syndicate brand– Organically turning a hobby to a business– Brian crafts a logo or fifteen

* From apparel to parts– Dakota Digital gauges– Squarebody Syndicate-branded AccuAir controllers– The Syndicate Series Roadster Shop chassis

* What’s on the horizon– The M2 Machines Squarebody Syndicate lineup

* – The creeper van– 4×4 market– The diesel market

* On staying relevant– The people are the Syndicate– It’s not a club, it’s a lifestyle

* Moving the brand into the future and the next generation

* The importance of making the lifestyle a family experience

HOT LAPS WITH THE INDY TRIBUTE TRUCK

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“WE HAVE A VERY UNIQUE FLAVOR OF BUILDS.”

The Gearheads were honored to jump a half day into the future and visit with Ziggy Sadler of Ziggy’s Design Driven. Joined by guest host Carson Lev, the talk runs  from SEMA involvement on Australia to four-door hot rods and historical race cars. Ziggy Sadler is directly involved with SEMA’s push to help develop the Australian aftermarket, and we explore that in some detail.Talk naturally turns to Carson’s passion for the Jocko streamliner, and this kicks a number of fun doors open. The gang explores racing history, a number of delicately-interconnected events and people, and even hatches a plan to tour the car in America once again.From humble, early days of sneaking into car shows, Ziggy parlayed that love for cars into a career. Eventually traveling to America in the late-1980’s, his exposure to builders like Boyd Coddington and Troy Trepanier and Chip Foose, he set a benchmark for the work to come out of Ziggy’s Design Driven.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* The wonder of time travel

* Australian passion for hot rodding

* SEMA’s involvement with the Australian market

* The deal with four-door vehicles

* The Commodore market

* Differences between Australian and American cars – Floor pan depth differences – Midsize track and wheelbase differences – Brian explores the exponential price differences in selling twice as many billet hinges and door handles – Trimming a four-door versus a coupe

* Asbestos removal on imported project cars

* Brian pitches The DelaHyundai, a pontoon-fendered Sonata swan song

SEMA AUSTRALIA, THE AFTERMARKET AND BEYOND

* The shortages in the Australian aftermarket, personnel-wise

* An exploration of import tariffs – The fifty-percent hike in price just in taxes

* The high level of fabrication skill abroad

* Working with what you have versus importing parts

* The “imprinting” of vehicles leading to a resurgence in the restoration/rest-mod markets – Early Commodores with LS swaps – The popularity of this has lowered price points to make the process affordable

* Regulations presently hindering the Australian aftermarket chassis market

* The push to change regulations to allow for more aftermarket parts production

* Challenges facing builders with regard to chassis swaps

* A market primed for innovation

THE JOCKO CAR

* Discovering a historic race car in a McDonald’s

* The story of the Extremeliner

* “The body flicks off out of the way, and the chassis finds it and lands on top of it.”

* The gang devises a plan to get the Jocko car to Pebble Beach

* The Don Garlits connection– Early aerodynamic explorations in drag racing– The blow-overs

* The Chip Foose connection via his Dad Sam having worked on the car

* The differences between a Top Fuel and Funny Car

* A discussion of aerodynamics

ZIGGY’S CAREER AND THE FUTURE

* Early influences

* The Spellbound VW as seen in Hot Rod Show World

“SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER AND PAINT COMES OUT…”

The Gearheads have some cool friends and colleagues, and all have some superhuman talent, making our relationships that much more incredible. Art Alvarez is one of those gifted people, and the gang finally found a few minutes where schedules aligned, and we get the full Art school treatment. One of the pioneers of the early-1980’s airbrush movement, Art Alvarez forged a path and a name for himself by pushing to learn the airbrush after seeing one in action at a car show. From there, it’s a legendary rise through the ranks, touring with Ed Roth. Where some may have been satisfied at that, Art continued, landing a gig at Disney, drawing custom big rigs, rendering amazing cars, illustrating children’s books and traveling the world as a Fine Artist. Oh, and that’s just a part of the story.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* It all starts with a love for cars and drawing in class

* Art’s brother’s ’55 Chevy Gasser

* Managing a Foot Locker leads to a career with an airbrush

* Growing up in San Ynez and Solvang

* Learning the airbrush on his own

* The venerable Paasche Model H

* Earning a living with the aibrush– Moving back home– Making it big at the La Mirada Swap Meet

* A chance meeting with Ed Roth– Touring with Ed

* A portrait of Jackie Gleason opens the door to Disney– Working on backgrounds for Beauty and the Beast– Learning how to brush paint

* Working with Badger to develop the Crescendo

* Rehabbing rides like Pirates of the Caribbean

* Using a dagger brush for all manners of line work

* Building a portfolio between the Disneyland gig and working as Eddie Young’s apprentice

* Getting a foot in the door by being driven

* Making the shift to digital

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“THE JONATHAN GOOLSBY…”

Jonathan Goolsby of Goolsby Customs joins the Gearheads for a very interesting episode sixty! We celebrate with talk of Dusters, late-model racing, red boogers and the only aftermarket wheel you’d really like to hug. A Goodguys Trendsetter for good reason, Jonathan talks early influences, development of a build style, and the value of not pigeon-holing a shop.The guys get into a talk about nostalgia, flipping trends on their ear, and under-car neon lighting. If you thought that you were safe from ever hearing about the Aquarius wheel again, well, find your safe space…

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* Episode SIXTY!

* The Kasper Duster– The interesting history behind the car– Taking design risks– Stepping outside of the comfort zone by using factory stuff on a custom car– “Not the typical Pro-Touring Car”

* Talk turns to the lack of an overwhelming new trend– Where things are going– The segmentation of trends– Subtlety and modernization are more popular– Drivability versus a show-stopper– Finding balance in the patina trend

* A discussion on horsepower

* Brian proposes the flipped trend: Fiero-bodied supercars– The Fiero 4M4, a mid-engine, crew cab concept is pitched

* The Lightning Round!

* Guiding a client on a project

* The ever-growing prices of G-bodies and third-gen Camaros

* Goolsby and the Funky Bunch

* Sticker Wars!

* SEMA Thrash talk– Scheduling, show floor visibility and passion collide with no time– The current “multi-car build for SEMA” trend– SEMA build horror stories– The multi-trailer standby backup plan– Brian pitches the “Build it on the Road TO SEMA” competition– Alex comes up with an interior so tasty you’d eat it

* Shop management– Building and maintaining a team– Having a team of eleven versus a one-man shop– Planning for expansion– Working within a talent pool

* Involvement with the Goodguys YoungGuys Competition– A discussion of the passion of the young guys– Young welders and amazing TIG welding

* Composite materials– Where to go after Carbon Fiber– Spot putty as a trend and re-hydrating bondo dust– Brian pitches carbon fiber teeth for Hockey and Boxing

* The rich racing history of Hueytown– “I enjoy it greatly”

* Asphalt VS dirt racing

* A line of Goolsby Customs parts?– “Your silence is very telling”– “Come cuddle my wheels”

* The Cobra Kai-fan wheel

* Glue huffing meets interviews gone awry

* “Drawing cars and making stupid puns”– “The Weeping Willys”

* A discussion on when we may see the first late-model Street Machine of the Year

* Things get sexy

 

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“THE STREETS WERE LINED WITH FUNNY CAR BODIES…”

Bert Quimby, the multi-talented, laid-back and very-hyphenated sign, lettering and graphics master from New Jersey joins the Gearheads here on episode fifty-nine! Bert was one of the guys putting down pigment on some of the most memorable funny cars of the golden era at Circus Paint, and has been a trendsetter ever since. The gang sits down and talks about the transition from paint to vinyl, and how to combine the two using modern techniques, as well as sharing insight on the technology and trends of the present day. Bert Quimby is one of the leading lettering, sign and graphics painters in the world, plying his craft in his shop, Bert Graphix in Riverdale, NJ.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* Early inspirations

* SignCraft Magazine

* Social media and putting work out there – Global versus regional reach

* The vinyl VS paint argument

* The $19 Badger airbrush sparks a career

* First steps in lettering race cars

* A foot in the door at Mr. J’s

* The days at Circus Paint

* Painting Top Fuel dragsters for Joe Amato

* The difference between East and West coast landscaping trucks

* The power of improvisation on a tight deadline

* The fickle nature of reactions to work on social media

* Bringing back the classic 1990’s dry brush graphic– Brad’s acid-washed jeans– Brian ruins his Dad’s garage floor

* Traditional lettering on a vinyl wrap

* Opinions on striping a Corvette

* “You can’t always tell what the public wants”

* Taking on jobs just to keep the lights on

* The unfair treatment of vinyl wrap installers

* On making a vinyl job look like paint

* Dennis Ricklefs

* The tale of 3,800 Schwinn bikes

* Lettering boats– Boat names better left unsaid– “I don’t want anyone’s Grandma mad at me”

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“IT’S SO… FLAMMABLE.”

Elana Scherr from Edmunds joins the Gearheads for an evening of laid-back conversation. From first cars to new cars, phone connectivity to all wheel drive buggy design and all points in between, this one runs in all directions. If you were a reader of Hot Rod Magazine over the last eight or so years, you no doubt recognize the name Elana Scherr from her byline and her occasional tales of daily-driving a classic car in LA traffic. We discuss careers in journalism, dog ownership to breeding Lamborghins, we go places so that you don’t have to. That said, buckle in an enjoy the ride here on episode fifty-eight.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* Covering races in Baja– Riding chase though the desert

* The gang pitches a new brand of motorsport– Elana goes full-size 1970’s car autocross with it– “Carts and Cones”

* Elana’s career– Sculptor’s assistant to composite fabrication– Working in PR– Freelance writing to Hot Rod Magazine– Current gig with Edmunds

* Elana’s humble hot rod beginnings– Didn’t learn to drive until twenty-one– The ’73 Duster that started it all with a starter

* The first engine rebuild– Marrying your engine builder

* The episode goes from Mexico to Canada, then to LeMans– Pantsless Germans and carnival rides, oh my– “What is the French word for Tilt-a-Whirl?”

* Crafting a career in Public Relations

* Networking and the .3-degrees of separation in the hot rod world

* Alternative career choices

* Brian pitches a passive-aggressive car magazine

* Elana’s daily driver troubles– Shredded belts and a howling rear end

* Alex suggests the banana peel fix for the rear diff noise– “Bananas and ninety-weight”– “Holistic hot rodding”

* Looking back on vintage new car reviews

* The “lens of modernity” with regard to old car reviews in the present day

* A discussion of new car features

* Talking new car impressions and opinion-changing test drives– Design and luxury versus cost– How cheaper cars “punish” the frugal

* Vipers and male attraction

* Working on the Prudhomme biography

* Talking Lamborghini Muira design beauty

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