SEM products for vinyl and plastics

http://semproducts.com/  LOVE this website;if there needs to be vinyl recoloring or repair either to seats or the paneling,this is the catalog to check out--in Portland Perfect Fit  carries this until their eventual close later this spring. With any luck,my department will pick this line up.



http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd-sem-21013-solaray-headlight-lens-clear-coat.cfm  This product is used to clear off haze from headlights; the curing process is best under a U.V. Cure lamp, but one person had a beautiful day and found that this cured fine under the sun. I can't recommend this as I have not used this, but it has come with glowing reviews from users from work, so I will certainly give this a try.

The Pontiac Ghost Car and the current exhibition at the

Portland Art Museum The Allure of the Automobile has been a glorious bump in the horizon, a recent acquaintance with a gentleman making a Galactus helmet out of fiberglass has been motivating me to get a move on with the garage. Each week, and a couple fins, I am unloading the blown-up whale debris that is the storage hell/garage. Eventually there will be a dish-braking party where the debris will be turned into stepping stones,the metal bedframes potentially gutted for a soap box racer...much ahead!

explorations in You Tube

Fiberglass tutorials Love You Tube, will be in severe need of sawhorses and more flat surfaces; thank you fellahs with the vinyl at work today!

Scot Campbell's Never Never Van (photo album from Facebook)

Mr. Campbell's Never Never VanA lucky day to visit the city to get my passport updated led me past a paint store, where as luck would have it the man also known as Extremo the Clown had stopped off.Here's one of his videos on sign-painting.

Kustom's King #1 Ed "Big Daddy" Roth

This man has been an absolute pleasure to research, picking off layers of memory like old paint. I would imagine anyone who has run across Ed "Big Daddy" Roth's work in either auto or illustrated form can remember when their face would go into a face-splitting grin; I remember Revell models that were being built with regularity that included a background of Dr.Demento, Evel Knievel and MAD magazines. It blew my mind that any of these things could be real, but sure enough they were and a testament to American ingenuity when allowed to manifest. His was a creative spirit to art and experimentation that still exists to this day, and I look forward to the day someone will have a field day and take up the cutting torch for 21^st century customizations with engine efficiency. Roth was a pioneer with the V-8s and American cars of a previous era; it will be a kick to see who comes up next in this age of electronics, hydro and biodiesel.

It would be many years before I found out about how he shaped fiberglass into all of his wild shapes and still allowing functionality, using plaster rather than wood, and the design process in clay he demonstrates in an interview in TALES OF THE RAT FINK by Ron Mann. I will do a review of the film at a later time, but suffice to say it is a beautiful tribute to Big Daddy and what he gave to generations of gearheads, artists and musicians. Makes me wonder what would have happened if he and Buckminster Fuller were given a huge bankroll, maybe some creative doodling will crop up when I'm surfing the Web.

An interesting detail, and one that I hope will come around in American car design, is the placement of the motor in back of the driver. The placement made it possible for his cars to be road sturdy and also go long distances where there were fewer stops for gas, water or a leg stretch. Ed Roth is one of the few car designers I know of currently who took into account the motor then he designed a customized ride, and most important he was a man who asked ( what he would call) the "basic questions" rather than what would make a pretty outside. Until I develop my research further, I would have to agree with him that art schools do not make the students consider the physics and operations of a motor: fuel combustion, lubrication points, and efficient engine cooling are only a few of the things that should be considered when designing a body to go around it rather than a body and conforming an engine to it's shape-if it's a bad design, then no money should go to manufacturing (oops, too late). But I digress…

Here are links to car collections and an article from Pat Ganahl from 2009 about the Orbitron; the auction that included a "lot" from Ed Roth's estate plus glorious color photos with my dreambaby the Druid Princess -enjoy!

http://www.petersen.org/default.cfm?docid=10

Petersen Automotive Museum Los Angeles,Ca

http://www.winnemucca.nv.us/attractions_car_museum.html

America’s Car Collection -Flying A Garage

  

Icons of Speed and Style auction including tools,supplies from Roth and Von Dutch

http://www.rmauctions.com/CarDetails.cfm?SaleCode=RW09&CarID=L101&Currency=USD

http://www.mrgasser.com/aboutbigdaddy.htm

http://162.128.70.22/car-care/automotive-topics/restoration/classic-car-showcase/pht20060901er

Volvo customizing with Home Dec

David Burrows made my day with this picture of his car interior made from upholstery fabric from the department. Here is his posting from a forum devoted to Volvos; thanks,sir!

Portland, OR automotive resource Perfect Fit

http://www.perfectfit.com/

This is a company that my department buys product from such as 1/8" and 1/4" headliners, heavy felt and an increasing amount of interior vinyl.They carry an extensive inventory of vinyl,foam,automotive carpet, and upholstery supplies. As they are local to me ( N.Portland), I will be updating this entry the more I hear about them and their product line, in addition to adding more resources for automotive restoration and customization. Right now I am on a search for a machine shop that can fabricate clips for vintage seating and a better scanner for uploading film photos; any help and information will be greatly appreciated. Have a good one!