No stranger to the art of building lowriders, Cesar Rodriguez' journey within the culture has been as fruitful as it has been long. He moved to the Coachella Valley when he was just 11 years old from Durango, Mexico in search of a better life and future. His adolescent years were filled with happy days as he adjusted well to life in the United States; however , as far as he's concerned, life really began when he turned 17. It was at this impressionable age that Cesar remembers making the 3-hour journey with his friends from the Coachella Valley to the City of Los Angeles, in a quest to check out the Lowrider Super Show. Upon his first gaze of these perfectly built machines, he fell in love with the bombs and Lowriders, and life as he knew it had changed forever. His passion officially started when he was in high school with the purchase of his first car, a '74 Monte Carlo. Cesar made the car his own, adding chrome Supremes wrapped in 5.20s that gave the Monte Carlo that unique Lowrider look.
After he graduated from high school, Cesar began his professional life, putting in long hours at a construction company. Gaining valuable experience and financial stability, he started his own business which afforded him the time and the money he needed to become a serious collector and enthusiast. He began collecting several different models of cars, especially bombs which are admittedly his favorite. His collection is strong, and he is no stranger to the pages of Lowrider Magazine, having graced the pages of our esteemed mag several times. His last project, a clean '48 Chevy Fleetline called "El Tequilero" had a full feature back in 2006, and was one of the best bombs to ever appear within the pages of Lowrider. Cesar's love for bombs is fuelled even further every Satuarday morning, when he is awakened bright and early by his youngest son Mario, to make the pilgrimege from Coachella to the Pomona swap meet, where they often search for parts or take the time to check out some of the clean cars that are on display.
After "El Tequilero" was featured, Cesar started to look for a new project and challenge to rebuild with his own unique touch. Cesar found the perfect project car for his vision inside the Hamming's Motors News magazine that he subscribes to. It was a '38 Chevy Master Deluxe owned by a gentleman that had it stored in a garage and only drove it on Sundays. After a few days of negotiating, Cesar purchased it for $5000. The car was then shipped in a car transporter for $1200 from New York to Los Angeles. Having never seen the car in person before purchasing it, Cesar was delighted to find out the car was immaculate and in perfect condition when it was dropped off. Cesar detailed the car and drove it around for a few months before he decided to put it in storage. With the car safely tucked away, he spent a few years purchasing parts and accessories until it was time to start the build. The bomb was taken out of storage and was completely dissassembled for an off-frame restoration. This step is vital to the success of changing and modifying a vehicle's suspension. The new suspension on the Master Deluxe includes a Mustang 2 independent front-end, as well as a 9-inch fork rear end. The undercarriage was then channeled and powder coated. For the exterior color, Cesar wanted an old school look, so he looked into different color schemes and decided on a '08 Lexus Olive Metallic green.