Vehicle Features | Shop Features | Event Coverage | More!
September/October 2018 - ISSUE 5
L E S E I D M A E R D A D F350 INSIDE
2007 FOR
Vegas Golden Knights X Nascar
TUNED IN TOKYO show
Support our advertisers!
3
VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.VEGASAUTOMAG.COM Our Team
PUBLISHED BY BRAKR INDUSTRIES LLC EDITORS ALEXIS SOLORZANO ADRIAN MIRABAL MEDIA TEAM RICARDO AGUILAR CLINTON ROWLEY LAYOUT DESIGN ADRIAN MIRABAL ADVERTISING SALES@VEGASAUTOMAG.COM 775-455-0513 CONTRIBUTING STAFF BRYAN GUERCIONI SHELBY SLAUGHTER VANESSA SOLORZANO COVER PHOTO RICARDO AGUILAR CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS CROOKS LIFE AKA SHAYNA WRIGHT JIMMY CROOK BASIC SHOTS AKA HECTOR SANCHEZ
FROM THE EDITOR
H
ey everyone! Thanks for picking up issue #5 of Vegas Automotive Magazine. As the weather begins to cool down you will notice our events calendar is jam packed! It is finally decent enough to stand outside longer than 10 minutes. You can catch us at quite a few of these shows and meets with our Brakr Industries team. We will be selling merchandise and have printed copies of our magazine available at a few shows. Check our website for details on where we will be. We are hosting our first meet/open house at WHEELhouse's shop on October 6th so we hope to see you there! WHEELhouse is raffling off a FREE set of wheels along with some aother goodies. On the cover of this issue you will see we mixed it up yet again with a GIANT 2007 Ford F350 Diesel truck. Whether you are offroading, towing or just hauling the family around, this truck is a beast. We want to show love to all different styles. If you have an idea of what we should feature next let us know on our social media! We are growing and getting ready to start publishing our magazine every month next year. If you have a contributing idea, email us at Editor@vegasautomag.com . Also be sure and check out our website for full features including all the content we aren't able to fit here. We try to keep the content flowing via social media, YouTube, our website and of course here in our magazine! Hope you all enjoy, and as usual, please support our advertisers and sponsors because without them this magazine would not be possible.
Your Editor Alexis Solorzano
Advertising sales@vegasautomag.com Ideas editor@vegasautomag.com Rides rides@vegasautomag.com
@vegasautomag @brakrindustries
Vegas Automotive Magazine features information and content that is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. Brakr Industries LLC assumes no responsibility for the advertisements within this publication. Although a sincere effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the information published, Brakr Industries LLC cannot be held responsible for any consequences which arise due to error. Copyright © 2018 by Brakr Industries LLC All rights reserved. Printed in the USA
WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/BRAKRTV
Contents
16
26
8
22
12
6 - EVENTS 11 - #702VAMFAM 20 - Vegas golden knights x Nascar 21 - the plug
SUBMIT YOUR RIDE TO RIDES@@VEGASAUTOMAG.COM
29 - tuned in tokyo
September/October 2018 >>>>>>ISSUE #5
5
Event Schedule
September/October 2018
Always verify event details prior to attending, details can change.
Date
For more details visit www.vegasautomag.com/events
Event Name
Location
Type
Cost
September 8 @4pm-10pm Elite Tuner, Season Closer
Silverton Casino
Car Show
September 8 @4:30pm-11pm Las Vegas Super Festival (Music)
Craig Ranch Park
Festival/Car Show $$
September 8-9
Water Street Car Show
Henderson @ Water Street
Car Show
Free to attend
September 8 @5pm-9pm
Cadillacs Under The Stars
Village Square, Fort Apache/Sahara
Cadillac Car Show
Free to attend
September 8 @5pm
Throwback Night at the Bullring
LVMS Bullring
Racing
$
September 9 @10am-5pm LowRider Supershow
Las Vegas Convention Center
Car Show
$$$
September 13-16
South Point 400 Nascar Race
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Nascar Races
$$$$
September 15 @9am-12pm
LVCA Las Vegas Cruise In by Gaudin Ford
SpeedVegas
Car Show
Free to attend
September 22 @5pm
Pack the Track Night by K&N Engineering
LVMS Bullring
Racing
$
September 23
Ultimate Car Show
Masonic Memorial Temple
Car Show
$
September 27-28
Barret Jackson Auto Auction
Mandalay Bay
Auto Auction
$$
September 29 @9am-12pm
Caffeine & Chrome (Verify on Facebook)
Gateway Classic Cars of Las Vegas
Car Meet
Free to attend
September 29-30
Vegas Drift: Spirit of the Streets 2 days
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Drift Event
$
September 30 @1pm-7pm 1 Oct Memorial Carmeet - 360 Carshow
301 N 6th St, LV, NV 89101
Car Meet
Free to attend
September 30
Royalty Exotics Car meet: Check for details
Royalty Exotics
Car Meet
Free to attend
October 6 @3pm-7pm
WHEEELhouse Open House/Car Meet
WHEELhouse, 3111 S. Valley View
Open House/Meet
Free to attend
October 12 @5pm-12am
O'Reilly Auto Parts Midnight Mayhem
LVMS Drag Strip
Drag Racing
$
October 13 @11am-6pm
LowRider Show Down
Celebrity Cars Las Vegas
Car Show
Free to attend
October 25-28
NHRA Toyota Nationals
LVMS Drag Strip
Drag Racing
$$$
October 27 @9pm
Dia De Los Zombies Car Show
TheDive Bar, 4110 S. Maryland Pkwy
Car Show
Free to attend
October 30-November 2
SEMA Show (Not open to the public)
Las Vegas Convention Center
Trade Show
$$ Not public
November 2 @3pm-10pm SEMA Ignited: (Open to the public)
Las Vegas Convention Center, Platinum Lot
Car Show
$$
November 3
10th Annual 360 Carshow
Craig Ranch Regional Park
Car Show
$
November 3
Goldstrom's Classic Car Show
5375 S. Cameron St, LV, NV 89118
Car Show
Free to attend
November 3 @12pm-8pm Downtown Tattoo 10th anniversary Car Show
1106 Fremont St, LV, NV 89101
Car Show
Free to attend
November 10 @9am-3pm Weekend Drive BBQ and Car Show
Desert Pines Driving Range
Car Show
Free to attend
Car Show
Free to attend
November 10
A Day to Remember 2018 by Freaks of Nature Buffalo Bills, Primm, NV
Recurring Events
Caffeine & Chrome Las Saturday of the month 9am-12pm Gateway Classic Cars of LV Las Vegas Car Meets (Free) Every Wednesday Locations vary Follow @Lasvegascarmeets
Cars & Coffee Las Vegas (Free) Every Saturday Morning, 7am-10am Speed Vegas Race Track Follow @speedvegas
Espresso and Exotics (Free) Second Sunday of every month 8am-11am Boca Park Espressosandexotics.com Gears and Grinds (Free) First & third Sunday of the month 8am-11am Baguette Cafe Gearsandgrindsvegas.com Cars und Kaffee (Free) Last Sunday of every month 8am-11am Vesta Coffee Roaster Follow @Carsundkaffee
Village Square Car Show + Art Festival Third Thursday of the month 5:30pm-8:30pm 9400 W Sahara Ave Vegas Meets Every Wednesday Locations vary Follow @vegasmeets Car Show on Eastern Every Saturday morning 7am-10am 9500 S. Eastern Ave
$
First Friday @Findlays VW meet up Every First Friday of the month 6pm-9pm Findlay VW Henderson 983 Auto Show Dr Cars and Coffee Every Sunday morning 7am-10am Rancho and Craig
Send your event to events@vegasautomag.com to be included.
•
Primm, Nevada Trophies, DJ, Games, Raffles, Vendors, Cocktails, Food, USACI Sound Comp, Pre-party with Live Band, After-party with Live Band, & Much More!
freaksofnature.club/adaytoremember/
freaksofnature.club/adaytoremember/
November 10th, 2018
A Day to Remember Memorial Car, Truck, & Bike Show
7
online shopping
Jon Togan's 1994 Mazda Rx7 Images by Hector Sanchez ( @basicshots_ ) Words by Clinton Rowley
W
ithout fail a clean FD RX7 will turn heads, there is just something about them. Is it the sleek and curvaceous body lines? Is it that awesome rotary exhaust note? Or is everyone secretly hoping a sleeveless Dominic Toretto will climb out of it? Whatever it is, this JDM icon garners nothing but respect. Born in northern Virginia, Jon Togans has been a few places. After falling in love with cars in Auto Tech during high school, he headed to Ohio Technical College. During which he got bitten by The Fast and The Furious bug and was completely infected with a passion for cars. He then proceeded to finish up his education at Hennessey Performance Tuner School out of Texas. And if that wasn’t enough Jon is a Navy Veteran who was stationed in Atsugi, Japan for 4 years. It was during his time in the military that he bought his RX7.
8
Jon says he has always loved the RX7s, especially the FD3S chassis. Having owned a couple FC chassis Jon was looking for something more elegant and pleasing to the eye. Why not an FD right? In 2010 while in the middle of the Pacific Ocean Jon was cruising the RX7Club forums looking for the right car. Posted online from North Carolina was a mostly clean and well maintained ride. Just like you or I would purchase a cell phone case on the internet, he paid the man and had it shipped home to Las Vegas. Nearly a year passes before Jon even sees what he’s purchased in person, but he took his time and did everything right and now he owns a damn good looking Mazda. Jon told us the entire experience of not seeing the car or driving it prior to purchasing was the best memory with the car. He gathered inspiration from some of the world’s most famous RX7 shops in Japan, like Amemiya, Scoot Sports, and R Magic. He says they all definitely influenced the style he has achieved. But as with any build more is yet to come.
Safe to say most everything on this car has been touched. After blowing seals on the stock engine, Jon swapped in a Street-ported 13BTT. Attached to the transmission with a ACT Stage 2 clutch, and breathing out of a Magnaflow exhaust system this car has gumption. The outside is covered in a 4 stage candy apple red paint, which makes the modified OEM hood really pop. The wheels on this thing are Work Emoticon 2-pieces, the barrels are gloss black, while the faces are matte black. That black on black color combo sets it all off. Jon is looking to switch to a single turbo here in the future, and dreams of making it into SEMA. To be honest I feel it deserves it. This car is a labor of love and it really shows.
Work Emotion CR 2-Piece wheels (18x10 ; 18x10.5) Work Lug Nut Kit (Red) Wrapped in Nitto NT05 Tires (265/35R18 ; 285/35Zr18)
Jon's 1.3L puts out approx 330HP.
@jonflip29 Driver Specs:
Suspension:
Name: Jon Togans Occupation: Ground Fleet Maintenance Manager Hometown: Northern VA
-Stance GR+ Pro adjustable coilovers -Mazdaspeed rear adjustable tow arms -Mazdaspeed front sway bar kit
Vehicle Modifications:
Wheels/Tires:
Engine:
-Street-ported 13BTT -Atkins Rotary seal kit -Banzai Racing block off plate kit -Banzai Racing oil pan brace -GReddy pulley kit -GReddy twin intake kit -GReddy front mount intercooler -Non-sequential modified OEM twin turbos -HKS blow off valve -Magnaflow downpipe, cat-delete and Ti-cat back exhaust system -ACT stage 2 street clutch kit
10
-Work Emotion CR 2-Piece wheels (18x10 ; 18x10.5) -Work lug nut kit (red) -Nitto NT05 tires (265/35R18 ; 285/35ZR18)
Body:
-RE Amemiya GT-AD wide body kit -Rocket Bunny rear diffuser -APR Performance GTC 300 rear wing -Custom louvered OEM hood -Aerocatch hood latches -4 stage Candy Apple Red paint -HID converted pop-up headlights -99 spec converted rear taillights
Audio:
-Alpine head unit receiver -Alpine door and rear speakers
Interior:
-Nardi 350mm steering wheel -Works Bell steering hub adapter -Top Secret shift knob -B&M short throw shifter -Defi boost gauge -AEM a/f ratio meter -GReddy Profec B boost controller -Apex’i Power FC w/ commander -JEGS battery relocation kit and mounting bracket
Thanks:
-JT MOTORS -EXCLUSIVE CUSTOMS -PRECISION GARAGE -EVASIVE MOTORSPORTS -LAS VEGAS ALL ROTARY
SEE MORE ONLINE AT WWW.VEGASAUTOMAG.COM
Readers' rides! Use#702VAMFAM
TAG US TO BE FEATURED!
@vegasautomag
Flying Low Jap's 2010 Dodge Challenger & Victoria's 1993 Isuzu Pick Up Images by Ricardo Aguilar Words by Clinton Rowley
E
very now and then you meet people in the car scene that really understand the culture. That is definitely Victoria Parker and James “Fatjap” Penwell, they embody that laid back mini truck vibe. While shooting their rides they were humble, relaxed, and just down for a good time. James has a wealth of knowledge from being in the scene for a couple decades and Victoria was a blast to be around. You can tell they genuinely love the scene. They have been together for about 3 1/2 years now and most of their free time is spent around awesome cars and trucks. They often road trip across the country going to car shows both large and small. If they aren’t seeing every corner of our country, they are hitting the shows and meets here in town. If there isn’t any of that they say you can catch them at their favorite watering hole ,Dino’s. Hanging out with friends around cars is the basis of car culture, so when you get to do it with your significant other and you both share the passion it is a real treat.
Victoria’s second home while growing up was her dad’s hotrod shop. When you grow up around custom rides everyday it becomes apart of you, and as many of us know you really can't shake it off once you have it. Going to car shows just solidified her bond with her father and cars. She was introduced to the mini truck scene by James around the same time they started dating. But about two years ago she had the opportunity to buy her current 1993 Isuzu Pickup, which was actually owned by Fatjap back in the day. The truck has had 4 previous owners of which are good friends. When she bought it, it was bagged and body dropped but had a completely different look. She dumped some money into it to get maintenance back up to par and then immediately drove it to Phoenix which it made it there and back without a hiccup. Since Victoria has owned the truck it has been a continually evolving project, there is always something that can be changed. The entire front end is a mod podge of parts, a 4Runner bumper, Isuzu Amigo fenders and Rodeo grill and headlights. The body has been shaved of its antenna, door handles, mirrors, wiper fluid squirters, and gas door. All the seams have been removed making for very clean lines along the truck. The back half is also Amigo fenders and a Toyota back window. Talk about custom, damn. On the inside everything is vinyl wrapped red, including her custom dash and center console. The door handles are shaved and she has a custom painted shift knob. The seats are from, you guessed it, an Isuzu Amigo, and a dope billet steering wheel. Phoenix is what she named her truck and it bumps pretty well too. Inside she has two 6 1/2 inch acoustics and a single 12 inch subwoofer. In a single cab mini truck that is plenty. All of that is to be changed here soon says Victoria. She is planning on completely redoing the interior. The wheels are 18 inch one-off custom Boyd Coddington Direction Rodder 6's. The rooter brown paint was done by Ryan Evans at Count’s Kustoms and is taken care of by Justin McClure of Proper Mobile Detailing.
12
James has been a citizen of our wonderfully hot patch of paradise since 1988. He stumbled onto the mini truck scene in April of 1995 and got his first ride that same month. He has owned multiple mini trucks, a 1966 Coupe DeVille and his second current ride is a 2006 Mercedes E350 and all of his rides have been bagged. Once the president of both his and Victoria’s car club, Freaks of Nature, Fatjap is now a loyal member enjoying all the shows and benefits the club offers. When the current Challengers were introduced in 2008 James knew he had to have one but already owning a show car and an F150 meant the timing wasn’t right. Fast forward a few years and two days before his birthday he got is Challenger finally. At the beginning it was his daily just to be bagged and a quality sound system. But you know how it goes, he got rid of his mini truck and one thing lead to another and his daily muscle is also his show car. If you haven’t seen this thing you must be living under a rock. That paint alone will put a crook in your neck. It's bagged and sitting on some 22 inch Concept One wheels that go pretty well with the theme of the car, which is inspired by a WWII Flying Tiger painted by Shannon Van Der Aa at SV Paint Studio. The roof is wrapped with an American flag and it represents our men and women in the service damn well. Under the hood it has the stock V6 powertrain but most of the plastics were hydro dipped at Industry Auto Design. The interior had the stock black cloth removed and redone with maraschino red leather and it looks great. The sound system consists of three 10 inch subs, four 5 inch two way speakers, two amps all made by Phoenix Gold and headed by a double din Pioneer DVD unit. He gets thumbs up all day long driving and kids losing their minds over this life size Hot Wheel. These two people represent the best that Las Vegas car culture has to offer. Great friendships, awesome rides and dedication. Any city would be blessed to have a couple like this in it, but they don’t. We do.
13
Driver Specs:
Name: James "Fatjap" Penwell Occupation: Bill Collector (You don't want him calling you. lol ) Hometown: Las Vegas since 1988
Vehicle Modifications:
@Jap_from_freaks
Engine: SE V6 pushing 250hp Stock engine dressed in red and black marble, hydro graphics completed by Andrew Evans at Industry Auto Design in Las Vegas, NV. Suspension: Bagged on universal Air Suspension Aero Sport Bags, Air Zenith OB2 compressor, Slam Specialties manifold and MC1 controller. Wheels/Tires/Brakes: 22inch Concept One Wheels wrapped in Nexen SUT1 tires mounted at WHEELhouse by Mike and Josh. Stoptech cross drilled and slotted rotors, MGP caliper covers, Sickspeed spike lug nuts. Body: Mostly stock besides front air dam and rear valance to factory SRT ones. Audio: Pioneer DVD double din head unit, 3-10inch Phoenix Gold subwoofers, 4-5inch Phoenix Gold coax two-way speakers, 2 Phoenix Gold amplifiers all by Andrew Evans at Industry Auto Design. Interior: Changed factory black cloth to full Marischino red leather from Katzkin accented red and black marble hydro graphics by Andrew Evans at Industry Auto Design. Misc: Custom paint job by Shannon Van Der Aa at SV Paint Studio in Las Vegas. Cut and buffed by James Andersen at Andersen Motorsports in Henderson, NV and cared for by Justin McClure of Proper Mobile Detail. It has a WWII Flying Tiger theme. The roof is wrapped with an American Flag printed on white reflective by 5150 Wraps. All the paint was supplied by Lesa's Auto Paint Supply.
Thanks to: Concept One/Klutch Wheels, Metalux and Chemspec Paint, Phoenix Gold, Katzkin Leather, Slam Specialties, Air Zenith, MGP Caliper Covers, Nexen Tires, Sickspeed, Proper Mobile Detailing, WHEELhouse, Lesa's Auto Paint Supply, SV Paint Studio, Industry Auto Design, Shannon Van Der Aa, Lesa Lothengil, Justin McClure, Josh Hoeppner, Mike Constantin, James Anderson, Tone Leveck, Jason "Cotton" Follett, Ryan Richmond, Joe Garcia, Brian Erdner, Freaks of Nature and truck club worldwide, my mother, Linda Poole for always encouraging me to follow through and of course Victoria Parker!
Driver Specs:
Name: Victoria Parker Occupation: Insurance Sales Hometown: Born and raised in Vegas
@victoria_fon_parker
Vehicle Modifications:
Engine: 2.3L with a whopping 96hp Weber carburetor, Flowmaster Exhaust and K&N Air Filter. Suspension: Bagged and body dropped with Slam Manifold and MC1 controller, Air Zenith OB2 compressor, and sub framed with triangulated four link. Wheels/Tires/Brakes: The wheels on this truck were the first ever made, specifically for this truck, 18 inch Boyd Coddington Directional Rodder 6's. Body: Four Runner front bumper, Amigo front fenders, Rodeo headlights and grill, shaved hood squirters, antenna, mirrors, door handles, third brake light, tailgate, gas door, all body seams, Arlen Ness motorcycle mirrors, Cali combo, amigo rear quarters, Toyota extra cab back window, raised bed floor. Audio: Kenwood head unit, 2 6 and 1/2 inch Boston acoustics separates, single 12 inch subwoofer and a 3 channel amp. (upgrades soon!) Interior: Custom dash, Rodeo bucket seats, custom center console, shaved door handles, Dakota Digital gauges, billet steering wheel, custom painted shift knob, all wrapped in red vinyl. Misc: The truck has been completely custom painted by Ryan Evans with Counts Kustoms. It was painted rootbeer brown with custom copper graphics.
Thanks to: My dad, Anthony Parker Justin McClure (Proper Mobile Detailing) Freaks of Nature! Of course, James Penwell!
15
L E S E I D M A E A D R FORD F350 Images by Ricardo Aguilar Words by Adrian Mirabal
2007
17
I
am a big truck fan and also a Ford fan so I was naturally excited to check this truck out in person. I first came across this truck on Instagram while checking out the owners body style converted F150. I was interested in it because my F150 has something similar done to it. While checking out Carlos’ trucks I saw he also had a 2007 Ford F350 with a newer body style conversion and it is a BEAST! To be honest, I am envious of him for owning this truck so I had to see it in person. It was only natural to meet up in the desert and check out this truck. Carlos, a Plumbing Contractor, moved to Las Vegas when he was just 2 years old. Carlos is 29 years old, and married with 3 great kids. Carlos said his son loves helping with the trucks and his daughters love taking pictures in front of it. He says he loves making things with his hands. It comes in handy with his line of work and also his hobby, building trucks. We asked Carlos how he got into customizing and building trucks and he told us “ When I was growing up I always loved the off road life. I always found a way to hit the desert. I went to SEMA and saw how people build bad a** trucks and I told myself that I will have one someday.” His first truck ever was a 2002 Ford Ranger with a custom 9” lift kit on 37” tires. Since then Carlos has kept upgrading rides up to his 2007 F350 that is now rocking a custom 14” lift on 40” tires. He has always loved diesel Ford trucks and finally saved up to get one. He picked up the truck from Craigslist and it started off a little rough but Carlos had a vision for it so he didn’t mind. As soon as he got the truck home he began working on his plans. Since the beginning, he knew he wanted to try and get his truck to SEMA and be a part of a truck community that would recognize him as someone who enjoys customizing trucks and has knowledge on how to build them. Over the last 2 years he has been tackling jobs big and small on the build. His biggest setback was funds to use a shop in the beginning so he worked at home in his driveway and started doing everything himself and figuring out how he wanted to make it.
Driver Specs:
Name: Carlos Gonzalez Occupation: Plumbing Contractor Hometown: Las Vegas since age 2
Thanks:
FOA Diesel Media Garage All my friends that have helped me out with building the truck.
Fast forward to now and the truck is an absolute beast. Towering over us with the 14” lift, custom coilovers and shocks, Go Rhino bumpers and roof rack and a ton of LED lighting, it sure is flashy. Some would almost say too flashy. I disagree entirely. Although this may look like a street queen, Carlos has definitely proven it is not. He just takes great care of his truck. He uses it to tow a 35’ trailer to Dumont and then still takes the truck out through the dunes to have some fun. During our shoot we actually got stuck in a crazy dust storm when we were heading out and Carlos’ truck was like a tank guiding the way to a few smaller trucks trying to find their way out. This thing is not only luxurious but it is capable. In the future he plans to add 2 more inches of lift and finish some miscellaneous powder coating. The 6.0L Turbo diesel engine is also coming out soon to get custom heads, pistons, cranks to get some more power out of it. These 6.0’s are awesome with the right amount of work done to them. Carlos’ truck is sitting right at 445 hp with a x4 tuner, K&N cold air intake, BD diesel throttle sensitivity booster, 4” straight pipe to dual stacks, upgraded dummy plugs stand pipes, bulletproof egr cooler, fan clutch and adapter, and a blue spring fuel upgrade. I can’t wait to check it out again as he keeps building these awesome trucks. Engine: XLT 6.0 Turbo Diesel pushing 445 HP x4 tuner, K&N cold air intake, BD diesel throttle sensitivity booster, 4 inch straight pipe to dual stacks, upgraded dummy plugs stand pipes, bulletproof egr cooler, fan clutch and adapter, blue spring fuel upgrade. Suspension: It's on 14 inches of lift. Custom rear leaf spring, PMF suspension custom blocks, Procomp rear track bars, custom FOA coilovers on the front with foa shocks next to them. FOA shocks in the rear, custom front radius arms, Custom pmf suspension drop brackets, custom pmf drag link and track bar with heims, custom sway bar end links, custom drive line and 4.56 gears with custom diff cover.
18
Wheels/Tires: 40x15.50R24 Toyo Tires, 24x14 -76 offset Fuel Mavericks Body: 2016 font and rear conversion, custom Go Rhino bumpers and roof rack, Platinum tailgate, powder coated suspension, light bar, rock lighting, limo tint, rear light bar pods, rear bumper custom drop hitch and receiver. Audio: Kenwood touch screen with 4 kicker 5x8 door speakers, 4 tweeters with a hifonics 4 channel 800 watt amp and 1 12 inch t2 sub with 3000 watt hifonics amp. Interior: 2016 door panels, custom made sub box in the center console. Misc Modifications: Misc graphics from sponsors the build has worked with.
@702_Ford_Life
SEE MORE ONLINE AT WWW.VEGASAUTOMAG.COM
19
Let's Check it Out
Vegas Golden Knights X Nascar Images by Clinton Rowley and Adrian Mirabal Words by Adrian Mirabal
A
s some of you may know, the South Point 400 is either coming up soon or just passed, depending on when you are reading this, and Las Vegas is definitely preparing for a huge event. There is buzz all over town. We were lucky enough to get invited to a media only event where we had the chance to meet Deryk Engelland, Vegas Golden Knights Defenseman, and Kurt Busch, Nascar driver. The day started out at City National Arena. I had heard about this facility being built on the news but this was my first visit. Once we walked in we immediately got set up on the side of the practice rink and waited patiently for the first event of the day. Kurt Busch got out on the rink and was given some pointers from Engelland. Kurt looked a little wobbly at first and took a spill. Not too long after that he was skating around and practicing some basic moves. He was looking good out there, although you could definitely tell who the pro was.
After some photo ops, some laughs and answering some questions, we loaded up and made our way to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Next on the agenda was reversing the roles. Kurt Busch was now going to show Deryk Engelland what it's like to get behind the wheel of a race car. It was very cool to get to watch and listen up close to how they compared the two. They talked about how knowing your plays is similar to knowing the track you are racing on and how every athlete needs to practice for a big race/game. Once we were out there everyone was getting excited as the engines began turning over. Race suits went on and nerves were high as the inexperienced Engelland went for some laps. They used some cars from The Nascar Driving Experience. Be sure and check out www.vegasautomag.com/events and learn more about all the festivities leading up to the race!
This was our first time attending a "media only" event. This made every moment of it that much better. It felt great to be out there representing the local automotive scene. Most of the other media members were news outlets, and other larger companies. We are grateful to be out there covering as much as we can for you all. Thank you!
THE PLUG WHEELhouse Customer Andy P. went down to WHEELhouse to buy a new set of wheels/tires for his F250. While he was there he decided he wanted to go with 35" tires instead of 33" tires. They wouldn't clear without a lift kit so Josh helped him out and he ordered a Rough Country 4" lift kit that day. Check out that before an after! You never know what a shop can do for you unless you ask, the worse they can say is no.
FREE SAMPLE! One of our Editors, Adrian, came across Steel-It on Instagram. Although he hasn't had the chance to try it himself, he has heard great things about their product. We just received the sample can and plan on testing it out on some tubework on Adrian's Prerunner. I can see us going through some of this to replace the cheap, black, spray paint currently on there. Read more about them online.
Random discounts and deals! People getting hooked up! Things you might not know! After Before
BEHIND THE RUST
1956 F600 Crew Cab Images by Jimmy Crook and Shayna Wright Words by Adrian Mirabal
SEE MORE ONLINE AT WWW.VEGASAUTOMAG.COM
N
ow this is a truck everyone can love. It’s big, old, and is one of many amazing builds owned by Hodson Motorsports. #Crookslife checked it out and provided these amazing photos. We learned a little more about the truck and the father/son duo behind Hodson Motorsports.
Derrick is a Las Vegas Native. He has been married for 38 years and has 5 children and 5 grand children. He owned a plumbing company for 30 years and when he retired he needed something to keep him busy so he started collecting classic trucks. This all began while his son, Riley, was serving a mission for his church in Honduras. When Riley came back home his dad informed him that his hobby had become an addiction and he now owned somewhere around 40 trucks. Riley immediately began helping his dad with all the work needed to get these trucks in the shape that they wanted them. Riley is a full time student at UNLV but also puts about 40 hours a week in working on these trucks. Derrick's love for trucks is nothing new. When Derrick was a young man, his first car was a 1972 Ford F100, red with a white top. He loved offroading and exploring the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He even claims he discovered the trail from Cold Creek to Pahrump! While he was busy running his business, he found himself too busy between work, family and church to entertain building trucks. Now that he is retired there is no stopping him! His father, Ray, owned a 1956 F100 when he was a kid, so when Derrick stumbled across this crew cab, he had to have it. When he bought this truck in 2015 it was a rusted out cab. They bought it off Ebay with no frame at all, literally just the cab. Fast forward 9 months and approx $60k from then and the truck was on the road. We asked them what the biggest setback was during the build and they said “The incredible amount of rust proved to be the biggest hassle. We wanted the big back window but the sturdiest part of the whole cab was the back, so we had to sure up everything first, taking a ton of time replacing the floor, fixing the roof and the firewall before we could get into grafting in the back window.” Seeing a project of this magnitude on the road is awesome. This F600 is running a Ford 460 with a c6 automatic transmission, 4 barrel carb, stainless steel headers with cut outs. The entire truck is riding on air ride suspension as well. Every corner is custom. Custom hood made by the legendary Hollywood car builder, George Barris, stretched rear fenders, custom running boards and rear bumper. For now they just want to enjoy the truck and rock the rat rod look but in the future they plan to paint it baby blue with a white top as homage to Ray Hodson, Derrick’s father. Although this build is very unique, they are no strangers to doing up their trucks the way they want. Here is just a short list of some of their other projects: 1969 Ford F800 Crew Cab, 1957 Chevy Crew Cab Pick up, a 1970 Datsun 521, and a 1983 Jeep J10 V10 Prerunner. To see more of their trucks go check them out on Instagram. @Hodsonmotorsports
Full custom interior with vintage air A/C, Ididit steering column, F600 18" steering wheel, and electronic gauges
24
A nicely fit Ford 460 with a c6 automatic transmission
Driver Specs:
Name: Derrick and Riley Hodson Occupation: Retired/Student Hometown: Vegas Locals
Vehicle Modifications: Engine: Ford 460 with a c6 automatic transmission, 4 barrel carb, stainless steel headers with cut outs Suspension: Air Bag Suspension Wheels/Tires/Brakes: Gloss black powdercoated wheel, 17.5" wheels, 8-17.5LT tires Body: : Louvered hood made by legendary Hollywood car builder George Barris, same guy who built the first Batmobile, stretched rear fenders to accommodate for the dually rear end, custom running boards and rear bumper. We also grafted in a big back window. Interior: Full custom interior; headliner, pillars, carpet, bench seats. Vintage air A/C. Ididit steering column, original f600 18� steering wheel, electronic gauges. Misc: The gas tank is wrapped in a vintage late 1800s water tank
@hodsonmotorsports
A SIREN'S SONG Zoey's 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Images and words by Clinton Rowley
I
n life, you find out that certain things are worth fighting for, whether it’s the last slice of pizza or a car you decided you would own when you were 15. Either way patience and determination go a long way to help you win that fight. Just ask Zoey about her battle for her 1968 Chevrolet Camaro. From a young age Zoey has been a self proclaimed Chevy girl, drawn to them as a girl at car shows and even reading about them in her favorite car magazines. One day she came across a photo of ’79 Camaro with a black and purple paint scheme blasted with skulls across the hood. She brought the photo to her parents in excitement asking about the ride. When it came time for her to have her first car her parents purchased her a 1979 Camaro that she dubbed “Casper.” Both Zoey and her father Rick Holt fixed it up and she was ready to ride. But as luck would have it, the ride would be cut short. Zoey got married at a young age and would soon start her family, her now ex-husband decided her first Camaro had to go in order to make room for the family vehicle. Now he knew what that car meant to Zoey but was set on her selling it, and away it went. Zoey’s dream car has always been a 1968 Camaro and everyone knew it. 20 years ago her ex-husband purchased this ’68 Camaro for himself and a ’68 Pontiac Firebird knowing damn well she wanted that Chevy. While
the Camaro was driven around the Firebird sat completely incapable of being driven. Fast forward a few years, while figuring out her divorce, Zoey knew she wanted that Camaro so she pulled the distributor and tucked it away. In the court proceedings her ex-husband was asked if he drove the car often. He was proven wrong when Zoey used the distributor as proof that he did not. At long last she got the car of her dreams. While purchased in decent condition, 20 years and some neglect can have a pretty big effect on a classic. When Zoey received the Camaro it could only be described as poor. The fenders were covered in Bondo and a cheap paint job. When we asked Zoey what shape that car was in she said, “Kind of like the old cars you’d find back in the country in someone’s old barn just in worse condition.” I hope that puts it in perspective. Zoey spent many hours designing and redesigning her dream car on paper, even though many people told her to restore it to factory she knew that wasn’t her style. She wanted the car to represent the fight she endured in order to own it. She even had the opportunity to buy a brand new Camaro but passed on it to have something no one else did.
So work began, with the help of her father and her 4 children (Kris, Dylan, Zack and Trevor) “Siren,” as the car has been dubbed, would become everything Zoey wanted. Fitted with a standard 350 small block, Magnaflow exhaust, and the original Muncie 4-speed the car is definitely reliable. The front end has been converted to a ’69 Camaro because she likes the fog lights among other things. A custom grill sits front and center featuring Zoey herself drawn as a mermaid. Zoey designed her one-off hood which is also decorated with her mermaid on the underside. The gas cap was shaved off and moved in the trunk for a cleaner look. The interior is completely redone, with new seats and ’60’s looking modern stereo. When she isn’t teaching Special Education you can catch Zoey at car shows, cruising around town in her Camaro or her lifted F250, or just enjoying her family. Regarding the future of her Siren, Zoey wants to drop in a 6-speed transmission to help with those sweet MPG’s, and to one day have it featured in a music video or even as an extra vehicle in a Fast and Furious movie. Don’t we all?
Cragar Wheels wrapped in some BF Goodrich Tires New small block 350 with original Muncie 4 speed manual transmission
27
@zoe_ann_law
Driver Specs:
Name: Zoe Ann (Zoey) Law Occupation: Special Education Teacher for Clark County School District Hometown: Las Vegas for 30 years!
Vehicle Modifications:
Engine: New Small Block 350 with original Muncie 4 Speed Manual Transmission Suspension: Original Suspension Wheels/Tires/Brakes: BF Goodrich/ Cragar wheels Body: “Siren” 1968 Camaro Chassis with custom hood (my design/drawing) 1969 front/back end lower valances panels because I like the fog lights and lowered rear-end tail-lights (including a custom front lower grill/valance), shaved off dripped rails, welded/added louvers to the quarter panels (not on a 68), placed the gas cap inside the trunk to give a smooth look from the rear. Custom grill (including myself as a mermaid etched in steel and placed in the center), custom taillights to match grill. Billet door handles. Line X-ed inner fenders and radiator core support for a rough look. All chrome trim powder-coated matte black. Audio: Interior lined with Dynamat for better sound and vibration control, subwoofer, and new stereo with the old 1960 look. Interior: All Custom interior (new seats) (Bentley style stitching) with the Chevy logo on the headliner, new dash with custom upholstery, Orange and Black with modern white gages, Hurst shifter, back seat with 3 seat belts (total 5 can ride). Misc: Custom paint color and with matte black hood (including hood pins) and rear accents. Custom “Siren” flames on bottom of doors. Under hood is a black and white mermaid decal with tail in orange. New exhaust system: Magnaflow.
Thanks:
Rick and Zoe Ann Holt (parents) gave me the love of Camaros with my first 1979. Dad for helping me with all the mechanical restoration) Uncle Joe Meyer (Mechanical) Priscilla Zoccole (sister) Matt owner of Phat Customs (body work) Lesa owner of Lesa Paint Supplies (custom paint) Rolando owner of Marc’s Custom Upholstery Al Neal (body work) Kevin Nelson (Mechanical) ,Wayne Miller (Mechanical) The HellKats
28
SEE MORE ONLINE AT WWW.VEGASAUTOMAG.COM
Tuned In Tokyo Images by Clinton Rowley
SHOW COVERAGE AT WWW.VEGASAUTOMAG.COM/TUNED-IN-TOKYO-2018
VISIT WWW.VEGASAUTOMAG.COM
SEE MORE PHOTOS, MORE Stories, VIDEOS AND MORE AWESOME CARS!
GET YOUR COPY AT WWW.VEGASAUTOMAG.COM/SUBSCRIBE
31