This month we are back at the famous green building that you can see off the Golden State Freeway Cooks Machine Works of Los Angeles. CA. Our friends Jim McCaslin and Paul Thompson took some time from their schedule to show us how they shorten the axle when trying to tuck wire wheels. This is the cost when running skirts you need to shorten the rear end to be able to fit the 14x7 wire wheels on it.

Check out pictures from our "Project HellDorado." Here we decided to install a custom 4-link rear suspension. Special thanks to AVS on the web and the good people at GO-EZ Customs!

What do you do after a successful car hunt? I personally enjoy the hunt itself; there's nothing like tracking down an old car and knowing that you got a good deal. Once the deal is struck, it's time to handle your business and complete the necessary paperwork to register the car. Every state is different and has certain requirements but for the most part, registering an older car is a similar process no matter where you reside. In this tech article, we hooked up with VIP Registration of Bellflower, CA. VIP Registration has been in business for over 30 years and has a great motto, which is, "VIPs never wait in line. Why should you?" They have a licensed staff dedicated to handling daily appointments coordinated with DMV technicians to ensure that your DMV needs are top priority. Their prompt, professional team can handle your title, registration, and verification needs on everything from vehicles to vessels and commercial equipment!

Smoothing out and modernizing your ride not only allows for peace of mind, but when it comes to reliability, these upgrades can sometimes yield cosmetic benefits as well. Take for example, shaving or molding, as it is known in some circles. This process can streamline your ride leaving a smooth exterior that looks even better than it did in stock condition! From the door handles to the body lines of your ride, this month's tech article sheds light on the benefits of this process as we focus on shaving the firewall and adding a custom access panel to clean up the engine compartment.

Upgrading your engine's look and components will always be a key aspect of any great build, so for this month's Tech column, we will be discussing the mock up process of our Chevrolet small-block engine. This is a process that does not go smoothly without a little planning, so we highly recommend test-fitting your components before installing them. This is something that we usually do to an extent, but for this EFI build-up, we took it step-by-step to show you what we did in order to upgrade our fuelie small block. We started off by contacting Summit Racing and ordering our Holley Stealth Ram Fuel Injection kit. Once the parts arrived, we sent a few pieces out to the chrome shop before we started the mock up. This allowed us to get a jump-start on the chroming process; especially with all of the details we are going to be adding to the engine. Now follow along, as we mock up our small-block 350.

You heard right tech that you can do your self in an afternoon. We took a drive to our local metal supply store Industrial Metal Supply (IMS) and with a vision we picked up some scrap metal that we knew would work. The results of searching through the remnants was all the metal that we needed to build a body stand.

Our Lowrider culture has been around for decades and thanks to the mainstream exposure we have gained over the years, what was once a West Coast hobby has now become a worldwide phenomenon. The extravagant paint jobs and clean wheel/tire combinations found on our rides have changed the world of automotive design, symbolizing the fact that our culture is still alive and kicking. While we have changed the face of automotive customizing, our designs, mostly in the wheel and tire realm, haven't changed all that much; as the classic wheel and tire combinations we tend to prefer have gone on to become timeless styles.

Buying a used car can be a tricky task. Obviously without knowing the previous owner, it can be difficult to determine the vehicle's history and overall shape, leaving many stuck in the "buyer beware" gray area and stranded on the side of the road after unknowingly purchasing someone elses problem. Buying a classic car to build a Lowrider is a whole other saga as we're often dealing with cars that are 40, 50, and sometimes 60 years old! No "Carfax" report is going to help you now! The truth of the matter is that there are some similarities when buying a Lowrider in comparison to a newer car, but in our world the nature of the beast is a little different. Obviously we are building project cars in most cases so while the daily driver questions aren't as applicable with antiques and classics, the questions you need to ask yourself are many. Does the car need more work that I can give it? How much rust is it suffering from? Does the vehicle have a clean title? Do the numbers match? Has the car been rewired? Was the suspension altered in any way? All of these are relevant questions for you to consider when deciding to search for the perfect project car. Having the records and car history for older cars is usually a plus, but condition and parts availability are key factors that will help you determine whether you can afford to take on the project or not.

In this months Shop Talk, we took the artistic route by paying a visit to OGAbel.com. One of the fastest growing companies in the artistic apparel community, the company has a 10,000 square-foot headquarters to support its online store. OG Abel, as many of us know him by, is one of Southern Californias most successful and revered artists. His graffiti background and old-school ethos has transcended the walls he once painted on as a youth.

In this month’s Shop Talk, we visited Classic Industries of Huntington Beach, CA., a major staple in the car restoration world. Classic Industries has built this reputation thanks to the fact that they carry it all; from sheet metal to suspension, steering, braking, trim interior, and accessories. Some of you might remember a few years back when we visited Classic Industries’ headquarters, and since a return visit was long overdue, we weren’t surprised at just how much this car builder’s haven had grown. Compared to what we saw on our initial visit, it is safe to say that the business has likely tripled, and grown exponentially. They’ve grown so fast that they are forced to use just about every square inch of their lot to keep stock in place for their loyal customers.

There may come a time in your truck’s life when you will need to replace a door or two. Perhaps the evil cancer that is rust has begun to set in, or maybe they’re dented beyond repair from the vigorous trials of being used as a daily work truck. Then again, you might be a victim of the dreaded everyday hazard of door dings, suffered in parking lots all across the country. Regardless, dents from these expected and unexpected obstacles can really make your door look haggard and worn. Whatever your reason may be for removing or replacing the door, you will be relieved to learn that it is not a very difficult process and it doesn’t require a huge, expensive mechanic’s tool set; just an extra set of hands to make the process go by quickly.

An engine swap is the process of removing a car’s engine and replacing it with another. This is done either because of failure, or to install a different engine–usually one that is more powerful, modern, or maintainable. This has been the case with some of the mid-‘80s cars as not only are they becoming more affordable and easier to obtain, they are being updated with newer small-block 350 engines.

Basic tune-ups on classic cars have not changed much over the years. As the technology gets better, we do find that certain aspects of the tune-up don’t have to happen as often as they did in the past. Regardless, a tune-up should not be overlooked, as other than changing your oil, a tune-up is the most important thing you can do for your vehicle. This will help to keep your Lowrider running as smoothly as possible and will allow you to get the most life out of your engine.

Seems like only yesterday that all you needed to manage an airbag system was a set of toggle switches, some 3/8-inch line, and a basic tank/compressor setup. Well, that was quite some time ago, as air management systems have come a long way since then.

In this month’s Shop Talk, we took the high road to visit Universal Car Lifts in Waite Park, MN. UCL provides car suspension lift kits to fit those massive 22-inch to 32-inch diameter wheels. UCL has been lifting cars for over 10 years and is recognized by the industry as one of the first providers of complete bolt-on kits for “Hi Riser” type cars, commonly referred to as “Donks.”

The time is here for our annual performance guide, which we hope will help you pick the right accessories for your engine. With money not being as available as it was in the past, builders have improvised and adapted to using different engine accessories, rather than going over the top with chrome. This year the look has evolved into the “murdered out” or blacked-out look, which focuses more on matte finish than shine. This finish can still give you the detail you asked for without wiping out your savings in chrome and paint.

When your stock hinges become weak and worn out from the opening and closing of your cars hood throughout the years there are several choices you can make when it’s time to replace them from used to new. From experience we have learned to avoid going out and purchasing used hinges because the pins or the pivot points are usually worn out and the springs are so weak that your hood won’t stay up by itself or when it closes it comes down on one side of your fender either buckling your hood or chipping your paint job. At the end you could be paying more than these nice billet hinges that are available from Classic Industries for some applications.

The sound of your car is as important as the performance that it will give you. In this month’s performance tech, we paid a visit to MagnaFlow Exhaust. Most of the world knows MagnaFlow as a performance exhaust through the lens of the TV show Overhaulin’ but they are not new to the industry. With over 30 plus years of service to the automotive industry, they have evolved the Car Sound Catalytic Converter business into what it is today.

You always hear us talking about the basics and the stance of a car and how it is so important. When lowering a vehicle it will enhance the factory body-lines making your car look more extreme. When most of us get a car wheels and a lowering combo is the first thing that we like to do. This combination will get you into the lowriding scene quickly with out taking you to the cleaners. As most of us are dealing with budgeting our build ups we looked at how to look cool with out going broke. We also want our cars to handle better so upgrading our arms will help modernize the suspension.

In this month’s tech, we made a visit to the Edelbrock Corporation, a company that has been in the automotive performance game since 1938. With so many years in the industry they have seen fads and trends come and go. With that said, today we are going to be focusing on one fad that has become popular recently; the blacked out or “murdered-out” look, as some refer to it, has been picking up momentum. With this style being the flavor of the month, we didn’t want our readers to be left out, so we decided to feature this Edelbrock RPM level engine that was being assembled and dressed up with blacked-out components.

In this month’s Shop Talk, we visit the manufaturers of the world’s loudest power cells, Kinetik Batteries. Established in 2003, this brand has made its presence known as Kinetik Power Cells are used by top competitors, along with car audio and video enthusiasts alike. Kinetik HC Power Cells have been used in the “Worlds Loudest Vehicles,” providing the power to reach over 180dB, giving them credit as the driving force behind hundreds of competition victories. Due to the low ESR and high energy density, Kinetik HC Power Cells are the most powerful, reliable, and compact car audio power cells on the market today.

In this web exclusive custom project, we stopped of to see what was going on at Dave Engle and Art Gomez’ Go-Ez customs shop as they were going head on with the "Hell Dorado" Project. This Full custom 1968 El Dorado Cadillac needed a one off custom clip and retrofit Frame to convert this vehicle from front wheel drive over to rear wheel drive so that the ride could tuck in those Lowrider 14x7 520’s and lay out on the foor! Measure two or measure three times, but cut once is what steered us to this dynamic duo. The work speaks for itself, as you will see. Follow along as we show you some of the work that went into creating this one of a kind special frame. Make sure to follow along as we keep you updated on this soon to be completed full custom build.

When it’s time to show your ride at car events, you always want to take any opportunities you can to get the upper edge on the competition. From chrome undercarriages to painting the belly of a build, now, more than ever, people focus on the details involved that can separate the best from the rest.

This month we took a drive to Fresno, California, to visit Akins Tires and Automotive, a company that has raised the bar in the wheel and tire market. Akins Tires has been around for years, having established themselves back in 1999, and their commitment to their customers remains unmatched to this day. This dedication is evident in the fact that they have earned a good A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau for the great customer service that they have become known for.

Founded in 2005 Creation and Chrome has been ahead of the pack staying current with the latest materials. Owner Gary Watson tells us that spray able chrome is an emerging technology and that the materials are constantly improving. This tech is about showing how their chroming process can help the average Joe from having to spend several thousands of dollars trying to set up and spray their own pieces. Gary explained that the finish is only as good as the foundation on a paint job. If the prep work is clean and straight it will show on the piece once it's done. He also mentioned that this process is a good alternative for parts that can't be chrome platted by traditional means. So if you have plastic trim that was originally vacuum plated and you would like to get it close to factory specs this process should be the one for you.