Ian Roussel: Kustom Cars Lead Sleds ('54 Chev 2 dr Back from the Dead II)

Here's a real good idea of what the movie is about, and the Chevy that is getting a 2nd life

Probably everyone has heard of the Space Junkie that Ian made and displayed at the shows last year http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2010/10/space-junkie-by-ian-roussel-was-at-gene.html but his shop, Way Kustom Metal Works isn't a Barris come lately shop.

Ian Roussel doesn't specialize in far out customs even though he has the skill and ability to. He mostly sticks to traditional customs, and he's really damn good at them. Innovative and imaginative at at customizing a ordinary old car, as a customizer must be, it is worth watching how he takes a old car and makes a cool custom.

If you can't hang out at his shop (who can?) then watching a video of Ian cutting and chopping a rusted and overlooked 50's 2 dr Chev is a cool way to see how it doesn't take a team from Monster Garage or Overhaulin' to work on a car and have a cool hot rod or custom result from getting rid of the old suspension and fabbing in a 80's GM sub frame, designing a better looking tail light configuration, and adding a couple trick pieces to have a one of a kind custom or hot rod.

Some of the video is interviews with Brad Masterson and Gene Winfield, so you get more than just a single perspective of the custom car world. Especially interesting is Victor Cacho's collaboration with Ian that has produced a handful of cool customs, and the trick T-bird with the hinged top.. not just a convertible top ... the entire top from the taillights to the fire wall.

You might recall Victor's Auburn from last years Grand National Roadster Show http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2010/01/1936-auburn-roadster-of-victor-cacho-is.html

For this and similar videos about Kustom Cars: http://www.throtteltv.com/

Another look at the El Guapo, the paint has been upgraded in a unique way

Looks cooler with the tank between the headlights too, and without the saw blades that used to top the airbags

The above switch is a real electric chair switch, from a Texas death chamber

I love the gauge pods, they are exhaust pipe!

Click on the above to see the flat black applied to emphasize the tattoo designs that are WW2 era simple birds, ships, etc

for the contrast to what it looked like with plain black paint, but pinstriped:

http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2010/10/updated-gallery-now-that-taxi-has-coat.html

Gary and Pam Beineke made the GTX they wish Mopar had produced, but these hardcore fans did it themselves with the best designs from other mopars

The 1969 recalled rims, 1971 Barracuda gills, AAR Cuda hoodscoop and chin spoilers, 1971 Go Wing

I posted a photo of this in July 2009, but didn't have a link to a gallery like you can use here: http://www.bangshift.com/gallery/1972-GTX-Jet-X-by-Gary-and-Pam-Beineke-gallery.html

Isetta with a custom side vent from a VW bus. Great idea

this belongs to Frank at http://mechanicallyderanged5.blogspot.com/ and is just a rolling chassis with dry rot setting into the tires, having been passed along from the previous owner as a project and it's ready to go to the next owner, still without an engine. I think Frank added he vents though.

OilandSteel.tumblr.com

I've wondered why more fuel tanks weren't designed with tank level indicators, in the above case, a sightglass. Probably a held over prejudice from my submarine days

see more at http://oilandsteel.tumblr.com/

found on Voodoo Timm's Garage

So you think these are cool, go see the rest at http://voodootimm.tumblr.com