For over a dozen years Uce Car Club has been racking up awards and earning respect from fellow car enthusiasts. A tight family atmosphere and solidarity is showcased in every Uce custom vehicle that has graced the pages of Lowrider magazine. Eddie Cardenas, a 28-year-old from Deltona, Florida, grew up respecting Uce Car Club and what it stands for. As a family man raising two children with his wife, Laura, Eddie started building cars in his garage. Without taking that leap to show car quality, he bought an '84 Buick Regal from his wife's friend. The gutted Buick set Eddie back $500 and "Mi Gusto" began.
The next couple of years proved difficult because Eddie worked day and night trying to construct a head turner. He started out with reinforcements, making sure all the stress points were secure. Still, in his garage, Eddie began his complete two-pump Red's hydraulic setup. Having no previous experience, Eddie brought the Buick to John Bianco from Elite Customs in Deland, Florida. John sprayed House of Kolor Brandywine over a Tangerine and Magenta basecoat and then added pinstriping to the entire frame to maintain a pure lowrider look.
Back in his garage, Eddie removed the original motor, which he rebuilt by hand, and chrome-plated all the pulleys and brackets. The remaining engine parts were all coated using the exterior colors. Inside Eddie manufactured a custom center console out of fiberglass and painted it to match. The doors were removed and a fiberglass casing was added to each side with tweed cutouts in the center. The dashboard and seat inserts were wrapped in the same burgundy tweed. In the trunk, Eddie wrapped the hydraulic setup with a vinyl cover and added a Kicker subwoofer enclosure in the center with an amp rack wrapped in tweed.
Mi Gusto literally translates to "my flavor," and with the amount of candy colors and creativeness, Eddie has definitely created his own taste. "I need to thank my loving family for putting up with my passion," he says. "And a special thanks to my wife for understanding my hobby." Belonging to a car club with people who are there for him at all times, and a loving wife with their two beautiful children, Eddie had no choice but to create a masterpiece. "As long as my son stays out of trouble and keeps his grades up, I'll exchange Mi Gusto for my son's high school diploma," Eddie says. With that kind of reward his son, Eddie Jr., will no doubt carry on the lowrider pride in the Uce family.
Mi GustoOwner: Eddie CardenasVehicle: '84 Buick RegalCity/State: Deltona, FloridaClub: Uce Car Club
Engine/Drivetrain: This stock, 350-cid engine was hooked up with chrome accents, valve covers, air cleaners, an alternator, brackets, and pulleys.
Body/Paint: The Buick was coated with House of Kolor Candy Brandywine paint over a rich combination of Tangerine and Magenta basecoat by John Bianco of Elite Customs. The pinstriping was laid down throughout the entire body and murals were done to the doorjambs as an added touch.
Interior: The entire cabin is laid out in beige and burgundy. The seats are wrapped in beige vinyl and burgundy tweed inserts, the dashboard is covered in burgundy tweed, and the doors are done in a beige and burgundy combination. Everything was done by Doug at Complete Auto Interior, in Zellwood, Florida. Eddie built a custom fiberglass center console that's mounted between the seats.
Sound System: An Alpine head unit was added to power the eclectic array of Kicker subwoofers built in a custom enclosure in the trunk and O2 mids and highs mounted along the inside. Two Kicker amps allow the beat to pound from the trunk and two Mobile 5-inch monitors were added to the headrests.
Setup: The hydraulic setup was done by Eddie. It incorporates two Red's pumps and two Italian dumps, with 8-inch cylinders in the front and 10-inch cylinders in the rear. A five-switch panel was mounted to the dashboard and run to four Delco Marine batteries. The entire setup is hidden from visibility to clean up the trunk.
Tires: Mohave 155/80R13 steel-belted radials
Wheels: 13-inch G-Boyz 100-spoke wheels airbrushed and painted Candy Brandywine by Mark, a Uce Car Club member.