The last days of SEMA 2013 were a blur and we were so swamped at our booth I realized I left everyone hanging with my last batch of photos! In previous years late Thursday and Friday the show is winding down and SEMA becomes a ghost town.
West Coast Eastwood
West Coast Report — 32nd Edition by John Gilbert
It was the “Psychedelic 60s” and my friends, and I were active members of America’s disaffected mobile youth. I’ve been heading out on the road since before I had a drivers license. I didn’t drive illegally, a group of three, or four of us would all pile in with whoever had a drivers license, owned wheels, and we’d get out on the highway. Sometimes the vehicle of choice would blowup only a few miles out of town, and we’d have to commandeer a plan B mode of transportation.
West Coast Report 33rd Edition by John Gilbert
Wow, finishing up the Hot Rod to Hell in time to leave for the SEMA show in Las Vegas, November 4, and maintaining a punctual publishing schedule for the West Coast Report has been just a little tough. Of course those are not the only things I’ve had to deal with during this period of time. There’s been a ton of magazine features to write for American Truck, Classic Trucks, and Custom Classic Trucks. Did I ever mention that I work for a few different truck magazines? Speaking of mentioned, did I in past reports bring up the maiden run for the ’27 Ford track T has been switched from Hell, Michigan to Las Vegas, Nevada? I still intend to drive the car to Hell, but the SEMA show is something I can’t miss. I’ve been going to SEMA since it was held in Anaheim, California, and its offices were in a bank building in El Monte, CA. Gee, that was a long time ago.
West Coast Report 31st Edition by John Gilbert
The phone rang and there was a pretty little female voice at the other end — “Hi are you John Gilbert, this is Christy from Infiniti, and we have your QX50 ready for a test drive.”
West Coast Report 30th Edition by John Gilbert
I don’t know if any of you guys have noticed this yet, but the Hot to Hell is strictly a low-budget project. It illustrates how effective restoration products like specialty paints can be to make something look every bit as good as the deep-pockets approach. For some reason I got fanatical about having a deep gloss on the engine.
West Coast Report 29th Edition by John Gilbert
I’d mentioned in the 26th West Coast Report that I’d spoken with Arlen Ness, on his 70th birthday, but I left out Arlen asked me to call him back the next day when was at his shop and had more time to talk. Monday, that’s when the conversation really got interesting.
West Coast Report 28th Edition by John Gilbert
Devil Outside Your Door – Eastwood Tech: Get The Smoothed Block Look — 91 Car Show, it’s Killer! It’s a powerful story, if you want to see more of it… sorry, that was for something else I was writing. Altec-Lansing, JBLs, Utah subs, tube amps, wires running everywhere like spaghetti […]
West Coast Report 27th Edition by John Gilbert
Fiberglass Tech – Rustin’ Gold – Dodge my Garage Outlaw Rodder Fun With Fiberglass Here’s yet another tech installment on the Hot Rod to Hell. If you’re starting to get your chops working with steel, then you’re really going to dig how easy fiberglass is to work with. I was […]
West Coast Report 26th Edition by John Gilbert
Arlen Ness B-day at The Petersen — Dream Garage in Fallon I really dig it when an un-plan comes together. I decide what I’m going to run in each week’s West Coast Report by searching through image archives I’ve been collecting for upcoming articles, and then rely on a spur […]