F Bombs Auto Club

Tramp Hammers

2012-02-08T22:55:00.000-08:00

We love the Tramp Hammers. They invited us by there workspace.

First post in a while. Not for lack of activity.

2011-12-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of activity in the shop.

Billitproof

2011-08-20T07:07:00.000-07:00

F-Bombs H.Q.

2011-08-20T06:26:00.000-07:00

Misfires Groundhog Gala

2011-03-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a while between posts but not for a lack of activity. This club of ours has a bit of a routine and "went to this show", "hung out", bla bla bla , isn't always blog worthy. We're havin a blast but it doesn't always translate. Anyway, blog worthy or not, we headed over to Orlando for the annual Groundhog Gala, put on by the Misfires. There were a lot of changes this year, and all seemed for the better. First of all, an obvious club name change. For the most part, all the same guys but now with a little more of a local flavor. I bought a shirt. Next, a whole new venue. This place was real comfortable. It had plenty of ground for a car show and included a great stage and restaurant bar. This was the first car show I've been to where the entertainment was not only paid attention to, but was a viable part of the show. Ultimately the best part of a car show is getting to hang out with folks you don't get to see everyday. Great job guys.

Billetproof Drags!

2010-10-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

This event is the greatest. We had a fear this year that this thing may have lost its magic due to the increase in attendance but that was not the case. Car guys in our circles always talk a good game. They use terms like "back in the day" or "traditional" with absolute fervor, but it always seems like we're trying to convince ourselves more than anyone else. I'm probably talking out my ass when I say it but, this event is the closest thing to old Hot-Rodding you can get. Car clubs, friendly rivalries, loud motors, guys working on cars trying to make them a little faster.....You get the point. It just really feels absolutely authentic. Anyway, thanks to Alan and the Poorboys for putting this thing on. It was better than last year, and I don't know how that's possible.

Here's a video we put together.

F-Bombs Auto Club hits Billetproof Drags from Coco Menendez on Vimeo.

Don Garlit's Rats N Rods

2010-10-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

We hit Rats N Rods this weekend at Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing. We did what we normally do, we found some shade, and enjoyed the day. We met some good folks, sold some junk, bought some junk , looked at cars, and had an after-party at Ella's with Big Jeff Special. This show always has some surprises including an original 50's custom making it's first appearance after 44 years. Check out the post over on The Hawk and Buzzard. http://thehawkandbuzzard.blogspot.com/

We also got a lesson in power-parking from an ambitious father introducing his son to the exiting new world of rat-rodding. Thanks to Don and Altered Iron car club for another successful show.

Afterward we all headed over to Ella's, for an after party. A good time was had by all and entertainment was provided by Big Jef Special. If you haven't seen them, check them out here: bigjefspecial.com

Down but not out.

2010-07-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

Here in Florida, show season runs from around October to June, witch is perfect because bad luck and mechanical gremlins really beat us up this spring. We've been keeping a low profile , but we haven't been lazy. It's a long road back but we're on it.

Sometimes bad shit happens.

2010-04-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

"Hey John, it's Dallas. Just wanted to let you know, if you want to come down here and watch my car burn to the ground I'm at the corner of Nebraska and Palm. Talk to you later man."

Don Garlits Rats n' Rods

2010-03-23T22:23:00.000-07:00

Don Garlits had his first annual Rats n' Rods car show at his museum, and we had another excuse to take a ride in an old car. The weather was perfect, the cars were above average and the mood was all laid back. We hung out under the trees and shot the shit.

Billetproof Florida 2010

2010-03-01T06:29:00.000-08:00

Well we never miss an opportunity. We road out at 7:00 AM and it rained from door to door till 3:00. For some reason, a good time was had by all anyway. As we pulled into Gainsville, we ride up on our friends from south Florida again. I swear we don't plan that shit. We roll in and park together. Normal car show activities ensue. By 3:00 the sun is out; we wind down, warm up, and everybody heads for home. Here's a video of the adventure.

f-bombs auto club on the way to Billetproof 2010 from Coco Menendez on Vimeo.

Chads roof-rack

2010-02-15T19:08:00.000-08:00

Chad got a new roof-rack. Here's some pics.

Rumblers 2010

2010-02-08T11:12:00.000-08:00

Perfect weather, perfect ride, perfect show. If you didn't go, you fucked up. Thanks to the Rumblers for another great one.

Bagging Dallas's coupe

2010-02-08T10:50:00.000-08:00

Remember when you were a kid, and you saved your money for a mongoose. You locked it up where ever you went. You road it with a shit eatin grin and all the other kids were jealous. You were the man. Then one day you ran in for that thirst buster and turned around immediately, knowing you fucked up. You ran back outside and your bike was gone. You couldn't replace it. You saved for a year to buy the first one and now you had to make due. You got a pieced together bike that was cool but it was no Mongoose. It had Cobra grips and Tuff Mags but it was no Mongoose. By now all your buddies, one by one are getting bikes; Gts, Mongooses, PK rippers, and all you can do is watch, knowing you were first. Biting your tongue, knowing you were once the man. You just don't feel complete riding anything but your Mongoose.So you save your pennies quietly, and by the end of the spring your ready to get a proper frame again. Once back on the road you had that old look in your eye again. That shit eatin grin. A look like you were whole, back in your zone, where all is right in your world.

Well I'm not gonna say how this story relates to Dallas getting his coupe bagged, but if you look in his eyes, you'll see the same look you had when you got your bike back.

Rumblers show.

2010-01-13T08:39:00.000-08:00

Turkey Rod Run 2009

2009-11-30T10:59:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year. Time to kill Turkeys, fight with families and time to drive to Daytona Beach for the Turkey Rod Run. (now just called the Turkey Run) Daytona Beach is known the world over for Bike Week. Most folks think of Bike Week as a continuous party of wild bikers mixed with Doctors and Lawyers pretending to be wild bikers. They seldom realize that a legitimate motorcycle racing event is happening at the most famous racetrack in the world just up the road. These AMA races were the original reason bikers would converge on Daytona. The late night parties and social events were what happened when the track closed, and eventually Bike Week would become just as much about making friends and exchanging ideas as the races themselves. The Turkey Run, for us, seems to be following a similar path.

So we ride out bright and early and show up to the track at 10:00 A.M. on Saturday. Riding through the gate our timing could have not been any better. Just as we all get in, along come a bunch of like minded folks from Miami, headed up by our friend and Florida custom car magician, Yaril of Yarils Customs. We all cruise in together making our way through the ocean of cars and pedestrians, low to the ground like hunting sharks. Greg Pellicer did a great job with H.A.M.B. parking and we easily settled into the chaos.

The weather is perfect and a day of meeting people, talking shit, and buying parts ensues. The Turkey run is nothing less than an ocean of automotive everything. Seeing everything in a day is impossible and a shaded home base is necessary for a good experience. Going back and forth from the swapmeet to the camp we see a lot of old friends. Guys from the Rumblers, Poorboys, Draglinks, Savages, ect... all stop by for a laugh and to discuss after plans. Tired from a day of driving and walking, we're just getting started. Time to get to the Hotel and regroup.

Originally the Turkey Rod Run was based at a hotel on the Beach called the LaPlaya; and the hotel, and the Plaza parking lot across the street, is still the place to be when the track closes. We head over to the plaza and the crowd is overwhelming. The cars are the same as they where at the track (less in numbers due to space) but the vibe is more about cruising than showing and the mood is more party than business. Inevitably we see a lot of friends at the Plaza and the shit talking and partying pick up a notch. Night time, the crowd, revving motors, parking lot pinstriping and music all add to the circus like atmosphere, and the controlled chaos is exciting. When we feel the energy peek, we decide it's time to move on and cruise A1A and then out to old friend, Draglink and Daytona legend, Fizzy's house for the annual after party. At this point it's time for the cars to stay in the driveway. The scene is more about hanging out with old friends and enjoying the warmth of the bonfire. The hosts are more than welcoming and there reputations,as good as they are, still don't do them justice. Thank you again for your awesome hospitality.

Feeling total success, it's time to wrap it up. It's time to head back to the hotel, get some sleep, wake up and reflect on the weekend during the pleasant ride home. The Turkey Run is more than just a big swap meet. It's an event that draws like minded car enthusiasts together, and a backdrop for the memories you'll be telling for years to come. See you at the Rumblers show Feb. 6 at Cowboys in Orlando.

Metal work

2009-11-30T09:14:00.000-08:00

When you're in a custom car club, the idea is to drive a custom car, and sometimes that means metal work. John's been driving around his chevy for six months with a 57 Cadillac bumper and buick grill and they don't exactly fit. Well it's time for the Turkey Run in Daytona and he'd better get to work unless he's ready to endure the constant skeptical questioning of friends and colleagues. It's time to finally enter the land of the righteous.

This is where we are the evening before Daytona. All growns up. Paint and finish will have to come when we get back.

BILLETPROOF DRAGS!

2009-10-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

So we went to the Billetproof Drags in Lakeland. It wasn't as crowded as expected but any more people and things may not have been as perfect as they were. We set up camp in usual fashion and enjoyed a day of racing with friends. All the local clubs were in attendance, and everyone raced everything and anything. We achieved some thrilling victories and some humiliating defeats, but in the end, we drove them flat-footed on a 50 year old drag strip. That experience is why you put headers on. It's why you have more than one carburetor. It lets the machine do it's givin job in the arena it was built for. You feel different about a car after you give it hell and it stays with you for the ride home. If this thing happens again we will be there.

Palm harbor car show

2009-10-18T00:11:00.000-07:00

2009-10-10T23:09:00.000-07:00

We hit the streetrod nationals today. We bought some things.

Dixie Fried 10

2009-09-06T17:27:00.000-07:00

A long distance car show is great motivation to finish some projects and Dixie Fried 10 was no exception.You can spend weeks tightening up a car before a long trip but sometimes it still lets you down. The drive up started off great. Light traffic, 75 mph and a tail wind. And then after an hour and a half, Dallas's car gradually lost power. After it cooled, she was good for another 10 minutes or so and then again slowly gave out. Heat seemed the culprit. Limited to a road side work shop, we decided to change the one thing on the motor that wasn't new. The coil. For some reason, this bought us another half hour or so of cruising and then back to it's old ways. We eventually determined we had a fuel issue and dissected the fuel system front to back. We took the fuel pump apart and found some dirt but it appeared mechanically sound. Well, fuck it. We put it back together and took turns flogging it at 2:00 am on a country road in north Florida while the rest of our crew watched, partying in the hotel parking lot. This friends is car clubbing. Every ones mood was uncharacteristically high and I think we knew, somehow, that this was where it was at. After the cleaning and reassembly, the car ran flawlessly but the decision to garner an electric fuel pump in the morning, just in case, was made. So after a good nights sleep we all headed off to the local NAPA. This was a real parts store. The kind that knows what plug fits an early small block without the use of a computer, much less a catalog. It was refreshing to see and took us all back a little. Off we go, fuel pump in hand.

About a half an hour later and that fuel pump would become priceless. The same problem was back. Nate made a 15 minute roadside repair, and that would take the car all the way to Dixie Fried and then back to the land of sunshine.

Atlanta offered it's usual amenities including a visit to the famous Clermont Lounge, where you really might see your grandma naked and H.I.V. is air born. Nate seemed to make a few friends there and seems to have found a home away from home. Time for sleep. Tomorrow we Dixie Fry.

Dixie Fried is a low key show that is really all about hanging out with friends and surrounding yourself with Hot Rod and Kustom culture. We knew bringing our own shade and refreshments was key to a good time and our preparation payed off. The concrete picnic went into the night and a good time was had by all. Thanks to the Atlanta Road Kings for another great show. It's great to be around all the cars, people and music, but I think the high point might have been flat-footing Dallas's car at 2 am over the blind hills of a pitch black north Florida country road. Next up...... Billetproof Drags.

Bradenton car show.

2009-08-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

The drive to Bradenton was great. We managed to dodge the rain the entire way down. Our friends down there put on a great show and the heat and rain didn't seam to slow the train one bit. Let's do it again some time.

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Tranny Fix.

2009-08-15T03:13:00.000-07:00

Dallas's coupe is eating T-5 transmission overdrive gear retainer spring clips. All attempts to prevent this have failed. We tried it all. In the end we welded the clip in place. It broke the welds. So we started with a different transmission. We'll see how it pans out. One reoccurring lesson in this game is that it takes a while to get a car dialed in. It's a process of braking and upgrading things that eventually ends in a finished, functioning, reliable car. The jury is still out on weather or not the fun ends there, or starts there. My own theory is based on the fact that I love to drive them.

Chads car in Auto Trader Kustoms & Hot Rods

2009-08-15T03:01:00.000-07:00

Chads 46 is on the cover of Auto Trader Kustoms & Hot Rods. They also gave it 6 pages inside, all in color. Good work Chad.

Nate's wagon in the shop.

2009-07-19T00:02:00.000-07:00

After putting a corvette grill in your wagon you soon feel the need to back it up with a 327, so we all got together for an engine swap. There is nothing like some shop time to bring to light the real dynamic of a car club.

"It's about brotherhood. Some people get it on the golf coarse, and if you do I feel sorry for you, but at least you're getting it." Jeff Decker, Sinners M.C. club.

The car show

2009-07-18T01:53:00.000-07:00

The car show is about the drive. The car show is about parking with your buddies. The car show is about being surrounded by the energy of old modified cars and the folks that spend their time making them their own. We hope to see you in Atlanta for Dixie Fried 10 2009.

Sombreros

2009-07-18T01:20:00.000-07:00

An unintentional commonality between us seems to be our shared affinity for vintage sombrero hubcaps. Not a club rule, but the overall effect and nod to the 40's and 50's custom car approach is unmistakable.