Speed Metal and Ink

H/D American Bantam

Article by: Todd Tillman

Photos by: Art Tardiville

Sunny, 70 degrees, a nice breeze… just another day in the Northern California Mountains. But, it gets even better; add the smell of fuel and gear lube along with the rumble from a 1932 American Bantam and only then life rejoices in riches.

Ten years ago Art Tardiville found his dream car on Ebay. It wasn’t in the greatest condition with its beat up and rusted panels, but he knew this was the car he dreamed about since first seeing one back in Oakland as a kid at the local car cruise.

“I had never seen another one on the street since then, not even at one of the many car shows I’ve been to. I’ve seen them in magazines but that’s it. Not seeing them around made me more determined to have one.” said Art.

For those of you not familiar with the American Austin Bantam, it is a very rare find with only around 20,000 cars ever produced during the 1930’s before its demise. It wasn’t until the 1960’s that the Bantam was recognized by hot rodders and used as altered wheelbase drag cars.

After being a pipe fitter/welder for many years Art had no problems fabricating and building the frame and other parts needed for the Bantam. The body was channeled and the complete floor panels were replaced. The door panels, kick panels, and transmission housing were all done in aluminum and lightly sanded to give it a brushed look.

The dashboard was reworked with Stewart Warner gauges and an old style Moon tach along with a Painless wiring kit to be sure everything electrical was well connected and working properly. The seats are old fiberglass dragster type with naugahyde covers. Harley Davidson logos line the interior and radiator support hints the name H/D Bantam..

The power plant is a summit racing 420hp/460 ft. lbs torque 383 Chevy stroker. Which is now fitted with an Edelbrock tunnel ram and 2 600 cfm four barrel carbs. The transmission is a 350 Hydro with a B&M pro ratchet shifter and TCI converter. The rearend is a 9” Ford housing 411 gears.

Art cruises the Bantam most everyday that the weather permits. And on a day like today even the breeze stops to listen. When Art isn’t wrenching and tearing up the back roads in the Bantam he’s enjoying riding his Harley Fatboy with his wife Danielle or cruising local shows with his 1955 Chevy hardtop.

If you ever get a chance to see Art’s 32′ American Austin Bantam take the time to relish its existence while you can, because it may be the last time you ever get to see a truly all American Austin Bantam again.

At first site you think its too far gone, but then you spark the torches and oil the grinder and a malevolent creation is born. -TT

The Smithfield Creep’R

Neighborhood watch has organized a meeting to express concerns about a chopped topped 1947 Ford pickup that’s been rolling the streets near Heidi’s Two Wheel Cafe in Smithfield, North Carolina. The truck has been sighted sporting a tube chassis resting on a full Viaair air ride system with Accuair valving and a brass knuckle controller. It has a Super Bell front end kit and a 4 link rear suspension with Watts links connecting the big 10 Chevy differential. The truck is rolling on 22” Torque Thrust II’s in the rear and 20” in the front wrapped in Nitto ZR rubber.

Residents express fear about Creep’R approaching their local establishments. “The sound of the fully built 402 big block is horrific,” said a local convenient store owner. As stories around town escalated about the menacing slammed hot rod we decided to make a call to the sheriff of Smithfield and set up a meeting. We wanted to find out more about who was behind the wheel of this rig tagged as the Creep’R.

During our meeting we found that the suspect behind the wheel of the Creep’R is none other than Bobby Huskey, a 50 year old fabricator and certified welder. He runs a small underground establishment from his home known as 9lb Hammer where he builds a variety of hot rods and bobber style motorcycles. In real life, he’s known to be a remodel contractor and has a beautiful wife and a 12 year old daughter who also share his passion for Rat Rods.

On May 10, 2015 Bobby Huskey was arraigned on noise pollution, speeding, and aimless driving.  In response to arraignment the accused was expected to make a plea. Bobby was noted as saying “I would like to thank my wife for not fussing about my late nights in the shop and pretending not to notice the frequent visits from the FedEx truck!” Also found within the 9lb Hammer compound was a bagged 1952 Chevrolet Fleetline with 22’s sporting an LS1 engine. According to local authorities there has been no evidence of this project yet terrorizing the streets of Smithfield, North Carolina.

Sentencing to be delayed due to altercations with federal documents.

Breaking news just in! The Creep’R was released and is now missing.

Article: Todd Tillman

Photos: Bobby Huskey

Malevolent Creations

The outcome of a final product is nearly always the focal point to ones work. The finished automobile or sculpture placed upon its pedestal for all to see and admire. What about the fabricator who has placed countless hours and craftsmanship into the piece? They wake up every morning to callused hands, cuts and bruises, and of course a weld burn here and there. Who doesn’t love a good spatter down their shirt or pants once in awhile or even a good flash burn? For a metal fabricator that’s all in a days work. Hard work and ingenuity runs through their veins along with perfectionism and grace. It’s not enough to just create and build something, its most important to learn the product they are working with and let it flow together to become something great. With metal fabrication the artist must be knowledgable about not only the metals they are working with, but also the machinery and tools they will be using on the job.

This is why I have decided to bring a new perspective to Built Not Bought this month. Instead of putting all of my focus on a single vehicle and its owner I would like to introduce you to one of Central California’s prominent metal fabricators, because to me, as a builder, there is nothing better than to see whats beyond the shiny paint and wheels. It’s the the metal fabrication and clean welds making up the project that gets my blood flowing and grabs my attention.

Located deep in the San Joaquin Valley, Ian Vance owner of Metalhead Kustoms is taking metal fabrication beyond industry standards for those who want to step into this metal melting game. At only 32 years old Ian has left no questions unanswered when it comes to comparing his work to the top metal fabricators in the auto industry. His work hard play hard at full throttle pedal smashing approach is heavy metal fab at its finest.

Growing up in a very cultural home Ian had a unique opportunity to learn crafts and to cook from his Japanese babysitter whom he still credits for bringing the best out of what he does today. At a young age he enjoyed building WWI and WWII Warbirds and Bombers while watching Tim Allen build his luxurious 1932 Roadster on the tv series Home Improvement. A pinnacle of his life when decisions started to unfold on what was to soon become of this heavy metal bad ass.

After high school Ian  decided to pack his bags and head out to Wyoming to work at Wyotech to expand on his fabrication skills. While at Wyotech he built his 1935 Ford Pickup stuffed with a Cadillac big block on one of his custom one off designed chassis’. Now home Ian places all of his focus on his business. Working relentless hours his passion for metal keeps him pounding away on the anvil and beadrolling the contours on some of California’s finest machines. When he isn’t fabricating you can catch a sneek peek of Ian beating the drums to death or relaxing in the kitchen cooking up some fine chef style meals.

Ian’s business Metalhead Kustoms offers high quality metal fabrication and precision welding for a wide varieties of applications. A parts catalog is in the near future offering quality Hotrod and Kustom parts and a selection of shop merchandise including trucker hats,shop shirts, and stickers.

You can follow Ian Vance and Metalhead Kustoms on facebook and instagram @MetalheadKustoms. If you would like to contact him for your fabrication needs send him an email at metalheadkustoms@gmail.com or contact him through his website www.metalheadkustoms.com

Behind closed doors where malevolent creations go beyond existence, an incarnation of ritualistic proportions are dragged from heaps of one persons scraps to become anothers spiritual sanctuary. The basic beliefs of Voodoo is that everything is somehow connected.

For Randy Schmitt this connection is utilized to influence the outcome of his life through family, metal, and culture. And behind the closed doors, that’s Voodoo Hellion. Originally starting out as a $700 barn find in 2006, the Hellion has become an almost mythical four-wheeled creature that was constructed from what many say is just plain folk magic.

A welder by trade Randy’s skills and craftsmanship came into play throughout this entire build. His passion for fabrication shows in every aspect of every part the Hellion carries. Its “munsterish” look influenced by childhood television series from the 1960’s with an industrial mix.

The Hellion was constructed right from the start with the chassis in sanded and polished raw metal, no chrome and no paint. The front was wedged and cut out of 2×5 tubing to give it the correct tapper Randy wanted and then holes were cut and sleeved. The rear of the frame received a 1978 Ford truck 9” rear end and the frame a 22” kick up so when the airbags were deflated the car would lay on the frame.

The body of the A was trimmed 3inches from the bottom and 6 inches from the above roof pillars. The subframe was welded to the body and all wood was removed and replaced with 1×2 inch tubing. The dashboard was cut up into 20 different pieces centering the gauge cluster to the middle of the cab. The steering box from a Fiat was then installed and coupled to the steering linkage transforming it into a cowl steering unit. An 8 circuit rebel wiring harness was installed as well as a custom1921 Studebaker grill that was cut down 3 inches and fitted with 1958 Oldsmobile side trim for grill bars. Looking closer Randy reached deeper into his mojo bag and installed a 1936 Ford horn cover where the original gas cap was located for access to the remote hydraulic clutch reservoir. You can also find a 1940 Chevrolet headlight bucket protruding from the firewall acting as a cover for the Willwood hydraulic clutch and master cylinder.

The engine is a modified 1956 354 Chrysler Hemi sporting six Stromberg 97 carburetors. “As the old saying goes real hot rods have 3 pedals” states Randy. “So, it only made sense to mate the hemi with a four speed Muncie transmission.”

Voodoo Randy Schmitt as originally named by his daughter Kayla, is an active member of the Voodoo Kings Kustom Car Club and ahead of the Central Illinois chapter. He also is the head fabricator for Nickey Chicago, where he can be found building components for the Nickey line of vintage Gassers and Funny cars. Along with his wife he also owns and operates a successful vending catering business known for their infamous corndogs, curly fries, and lemon shake ups. In his spare time Randy can be found hitting the streets with his son Ryan and attending the local traditional hot rod and custom car shows.

Within your mystical journey all creative energy practiced under a waxing moon will return good fortune.-TT

Owner: Randy Schmitt

Story by: Todd Tillman

Photos by: Lindsey Schnell