Archive for May, 2008

Pinto Hydroplane Racing 2.3L at it again!

Posted in hot rod, racing, technology, Uncategorized on May 20, 2008 by Craig Pike

2.3L Pinto Powered HydroplaneIt’s no wonder there are a ton of 2.3 engines out there making power. They’re one of the top engines for Ministock racing, we knew that, and there’s a few companies making go-fast parts for them like Esslinger and Racer Walsh. We’ve even got a near fanatical following for the turbo 2.3’s over at turboford.org. But, I had no idea folks like Dennis Wright were racing these Pinto ‘bangers in hydroplanes! I met Dennis over on the HAMB board. He was responding to my post about this finned aluminum valve cover I designed. I think the market for it would be big enough to manufacture it for profit, but I’m busy working on other things, like MyRideisMe.com!

Dennis wrote the info below in an email and said I could post it with a few pics. This isn’t a car or a bike, but you’ll see by reading, this story fits: My Ride is Me.

Please read the rest of the story…

Please take a look at our sponsors:


Cars & Coffee…Gettin’ Car Sick in Cali!

Posted in auto, cars, hot rod, rat rod, Vintage on May 20, 2008 by Craig Pike

1976 Datsun 280 Z and a 1981 280 turbo ZX On the weekend of April 25-27 my family and I headed out to Orange, CA for the 2008 Motorsport Datsun/Nissan Z Show. We met up with a few members of the Desert Z association and made a caravan to Cali. Ryan and I led the way in his 1981 silver and black 280 turbo ZX, followed closely by my dad and mom in his rally orange 1976 280 Z (great year by the way!) . After checking in at the hotel we headed to the “meet and greet” in front of the Motorsport shop. While we were there Christa aka “Z Chick”, told us about a local car show held on the grounds of Ford Headquarters in LA, called “Cars and Coffee” and encouraged us to check it out. She boasted that there would be cars in attendance that we may never have even seen or heard of before and may never again in our lifetimes. She rattled off a list of celebrities and auto industry idols who had made past appearances with their vehicles, and insisted that in spite of the early hour (it starts at 6am!) it would be well worth it. I grumbled as I set the alarm and hoped, for everyone’s sake, that it would in fact deliver all she had promised.

Read the rest of the story and see all the pics…

Please take a look at our sponsors:


Peoria, Arizona Cruise in – Saturday Night!

Posted in auto, cars, custom, hot rod, rat rod, Vintage on May 20, 2008 by Craig Pike

Wicked SedanA short 55 miles away from my house in Chandler, AZ, I met up with AzAmber, at the Saturday night 83rd Ave and Beardsley cruise-in. What a great show! I took off Saturday and stopped by Industrial Chassis, then hit the Safeway parking lot at about 6PM. There weren’t many spots left!

Read the whole story with more pics…

1963 F-100 Twin Turbo Video

Posted in auto, cars, custom, hot rod, technology, Truck, Vintage on May 20, 2008 by Craig Pike

twin turbo F100 Big Block ChevyMy Ride is Me had a busy weekend! NO! I didn’t hang out with my mom! I went to my friend Steve Szymanski’s shop called Industrial Chassis Inc. and got this ultra cool video of what has been transformed from a really nice truck to a full-on Big block Chevy – twin turbo -1000HP badass! I’m doing a full story on this car soon, but for now, here’s the video: (gotta go to MyRideisMe.com!)

Here’s a sneak peak under the hood too! That’s a 427! Fuel injected, custom headers, you name it, this thing is done right. Much more later… Take a look at Steve’s Garage (Click HERE) and see what else he’s up to. I have a bunch more pics to show and a profile of Industrial Chassis coming up.

Please read the whole story: Hot rod F100 Twin Turbo: Full story plus the video

1963 F-100 Twin Turbo Video

Posted in custom, hot rod, racing, technology, Truck, vintage/nostalgia with tags , , , on May 12, 2008 by Craig Pike

My Ride is Me had a busy weekend! NO! I didn’t hang out with my mom! I went to my friend Steve Szymanski’s shop called Industrial Chassis Inc. and got this ultra cool video of what has been transformed from a really nice truck to a full-on Big block Chevy – twin turbo -1000HP badass! I’m doing a full story on this car soon, but for now, here’s the video:

Here’s a sneak peak under the hood too! That’s a 427! Fuel injected, custom headers, you name it, this thing is done right. Much more later…

twin turbo F100 Big Block Chevy

Take a look at Steve’s Garage (Click HERE) and see what else he’s up to. I have a bunch more pics to show and a profile of Industrial Chassis coming up.

What do you think? Wicked!

(your comments are welcome!)

More Hot Rod Pics from Car-N-Art.com

Posted in auto, cars, custom, hot rod, photography, pinup, rat rod, Vintage with tags on May 7, 2008 by Craig Pike

Hot Rod pics at MyRideisMe.comI met Keven Carter doing what I do best… surfing the web for the best Hot Rod and bike sites out there. Keven’s been sharing his work at Photobucket where old ladies looking for pics of grandkid and quilting pics browse. I talked him into letting MyRideisMe.com have a few. It’s a cool mix of black and whites and color shots of mostly period correct style hot rods and kustoms with a few pinups mixed in just for fun.

Read More:

Car-N-Art.com

Friday Night Cruise-in – Chandler, AZ

Posted in auto, cars, hot rod with tags , , on May 7, 2008 by Craig Pike

Arizona and Ocotillo Cruise-inIt takes a while for a cruise in to catch on, but that doesn’t mean while it’s growing you won’t see some super nice cars. Plus, when it’s new, you won’t hear the old… “Hey, I’m saving that spot…” or “This is for XYZ cars only…” Whatever.

So here’s a few of the cars I’ve spotted at the Friday night cruise-in at Arizona Ave. and Ocotillo. It gets started at about 6PM or so and runs until about 9:00. I think it’s sponsored by the Checker Auto nearby, so they supply a DJ and once a month there’s a bouncer for the kids.

Read More: