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There is an underlying fear that the state of classic cars is a mystery, “what will happen when we all pass away?” said an individual at a recent car show. Lots of aftermarket manufacturers and older car owners alike look at the landscape and unbeknownst to them kustom kulture boils with all the fire, passion, and intensity this lifestyle requires to stay alive.
Ink-N-Iron and other events like it honor not only the classic cars, but everything then-and-now that honors American tradition; pride in ownership and craftsmanship alike.
From traditional rockabilly and bluegrass acts to punk rock and psychobilly bands pushing out their own brand of rock-n-roll, models who honor the tradition, power, and elegance of pinup while adding their own spin with their love for tattoo culture, and the young and old school car clubs alike who are taking everything their grandfather’s, father’s, and friends taught them–kustom kulture IS classic car culture’s saving grace.
“Nowhere else in the world will you find this vibrant, eclectic mix of art, fashion, music, and culture set against such a historic backdrop.”
Rod Authority was in attendance to capture the moment and to shed a light on the side of car culture that the older guys don’t often get a chance to see, but should feel at peace knowing is bustling with fire.
We focused our attention on two things during this year’s Ink-N-Iron: The two-day pinup contest and a closeup of three car owners who paint a positive picture of the future for classic cars. Each owner represents three demographics, and when you have this trinity representing classic cars, it’s enough to say kustom kulture has longevity coursing through its veins.
Three Kustom Closeups–Examples Of A Bustling Culture
On the lookout for three cars and owners that proved the longevity of classic cars was intact, Rod Authority scouted the show grounds situated in front of the Queen Mary that would help prove that point.
John Brown of Taildraggers So. Cal. – 1954 Chevy Delray
“The Chevrolet Delray, named after Delray Beach, Florida, debuted in 1954 as an optional trim level on 2-door models of Chevrolet’s mid-range 210 series of full-size car.”
John was living in Florida when he came across his ’54. “We drove over to Alabama and it was out in front of a farmhouse. It was all bone-stock, nothing had been done on it.” He continued, “It had the original 235ci I6, three on the tree, and enclosed driveshaft.” Needless to say, it’s always a great day when you find your next project in as complete a condition as his was.
Once back in Florida, John and his buddies chopped the roof; 4 1/2-inches in the front and 5 1/2-inches in the back. “After the chop we shaved the door handles, trunk, and welded in the split-hood.” Nowadays, the ’54 features a Nova sub-frame, a 350ci SBC/TH350 combo for unparalleled reliability, a 3.23 geared posi-rear out of a 2003 Blazer, disc brakes outfitted in the front and rear, updated power-steering, and a two-tone black and white interior that was stitched up by John and his buddies.
“The thing runs and drives like a little baby Cadillac on the freeway,” John joked, but we don’t doubt it. With an air bag setup all the way around John’s ’54 is the epitome of a hardline kustom in the modern age–all the aesthetics and styling queues that customizers set in stone decades back, but with modifications to the frame and suspension that allow builders today to get to where forefathers have always wanted to go–closer to the ground.
John and his buddy RJ handled the high-gloss black paint set against some solid flames. “My buddy RJ owned California Customs in Pensacola. I became really good friends with him while I was living in the area and he let me use the paint booth. He taught me a lot while I was building this thing. He was a real good instructor and a real good guy.
In a culture where innovation and being different is praised there are just some things that need to be chalked up to tradition. Preservation of the whitewall tire is paramount in kustom kulture and while some may argue against this, it’s great to see that the younger guys of today are not “fixing what isn’t broken.” John’s ’54 touts 15×5-inch smoothies all around and 205/65R15 Diamond Back Radials.
Rod Authority would like to extend a thank you to the guys at Taildraggers So. Cal. for being passionate about keeping the art of kustoms alive. Based around the Inland Empire, Orange County, and LA County areas you can find them at all the best shows where owners build and drive ‘em like they’re NEVER going out of style.
Ken Reason of Sultans Car Club – 1966 Chevy Long Bed
“Sultans’ Car Club started at Jordan High School in the late 50s and early 60s. The club held dances at the National Guard Armory in Long Beach with Wolfman Jack as DJ. The Vietnam War broke up the club for a while due to guys going to war…”
The story of clubs like the Sultans and others rooted at the heart of hot rodding and kustoms is more common than not–but even war isn’t enough to snuff out a person’s love for their classic. In the 90s a couple of previous members and some newer guys started attending Fuddruckers cruises on Thursday nights. This was the second wave for the Sultans.
Meeting these guys at Ink-N-Iron is a testament to the nature of things–any culture will experience highs and lows, but any culture that’s rooted in passion and the preservation of tradition will survive the test of time. “I bought this truck for my son when he was in high school, it had a 6-cylinder in it and a 4-speed. He primered the bottom half and left the white top, lowered it, split the manifold so it would have some loud-ass pipes,” Ken told us in cool fashion.
Along with some extensive weld work other kustom touches include a ’53 Chevy grille swap and bullet caps mated to ’59 Dodge Lancer hubcaps. Ken laid sea foam green on the body, which was the truck’s stock color, only he had mixed in some white to subdue the tone. A Route 66 emblem sits like a medal of honor on the dash in commemoration of Ken’s completion of the travel route. We asked him, “So you drive this thing hard?” Ken replied, “O yeah, that’s what it’s for.”
Next year marks the 25th year that the second wave of Sultans have been around. With a group of guys dedicated to the old-school like the Sultans, it’s clubs like them and individuals like Ken who put the spark in us up-and-comers. Whether they know it or not, their knowledge and drive are doing more for the culture than they could ever imagine.
Lola Martinez And Her Solid 1950 Mercury Kustom
It was a grand day shooting cars and talking shop all to the tune of rock’s many genres entertaining the crowd from three stages. We spotted Lola hop in through the front door of her pink ’50 Merc and we had to get the scoop on this smooth kustom. Lola has had this car for over a decade, according to her it’s been between 13 to 15 years since she’d first picked up the car.
“It was originally from Nebraska and my husband did most of the work. It’s the color of my lipstick. I also like blue eye-shadow so we went with the colors that I love.” As much feminine flavor as this Merc has you can bet Lola is putting a lot of the boys to shame as she avidly drives the Merc from state-to-state to attend kustom kulture and lowrider shows alike, she firmly put it, “This isn’t a trailer queen.”
Featuring a Camaro front clip, 350ci SBC, lake pipes, shaved handles, frenched headlights, tunneled taillights and antenna, and a DeSoto grille everything on this kustom is in good taste and, in terms of tradition, does an amazing job upholding it. For good measure, she has a set of flamethrowers out back, and not just some dinky sparklers. As she put, “They’re the big ones–old school.”
Lola has been involved in the scene and has maintained a love for classic cars since an early age thanks to her father. Her and her husband, who owns a ’51 Merc himself, are very involved in the scene attending both lowrider and kustom kulture events throughout the year.
With the car in her possession for over a decade Lola has plans of updating its look in the very near future, “I want to do a candy pink with a flaked top and also change the hubcaps out for some spoked wheels. This will probably be the last year that we see it like this.”
We’d like to thank Lola for spending some of her time sharing her car with us. She’s putting it on the map for all the ladies out there. There’s not a code for who you have to be or what you have to look like in order to enjoy this scene. At the end of the day, keeping the love for classic cars alive is what matters and thanks to Lola’s passion this Merc is getting the royal treatment.
The Boiler Room–Two Days Of Fine Pinup Tradition
Even though we were on hot pursuit for car coverage we had to bring our readers one of the other highlights of the event–the pinups! You simply can’t have one without the other and the competition was fierce so we had to attend.
For two days women from around the country and further out competed; day-one was the bikini contest and day-two was evening dress. You can bet that the Queen’s Ballroom was live with hooting and hollering from the get-go.
Ivy D’Muerta was the master of ceremonies and she put on a great show for the audience whenever there was downtime. A published pinup model herself, the ballroom was filled with some of the most hardworking individuals on this side of kustom kulture. The host judges for the 11th Ink-N-Iron pinup pageant were Pinup Doll Ashley Marie, Mrs. Lisa Love, and famed pinup photographer Robert Alvarado.
The 18 women that took the stage for the two-day competition where as follows: Anjie Sioux, Bayley Bombshell, Cervena Fox, Christina Michelle, Coral Macias, Diamond Doll Linda, Jacque Glover, Kandy K, Lina Sweets, Miss Bianca Cardoza, Ashley Dez, Reba Glaser, Rina Bambina, Rosy Rumble, Scarlet Rose, Sirena Siren, Tricia Maraschino, and Vivian Vixen.
At the end of the two-day competition the gorgeous Anjie Sioux took center-stage and was crowned Miss Ink-N-Iron 2014.
Anjie currently resides in Oceanside, California where she has been a resident for a little over a decade. This was her first Ink-N-Iron, and what a way to usher in her inaugural attendance by being honored with the title of queen.
Tattoos being a big part of this festival, you know that the men and women who attend either have them or love them–Anjie is someone who represents the growing acceptance of tattoo culture in the modern age. “I come from a very conservative family so initially they weren’t very supportive of them, but over the last few years my family has been more accepting and understanding of who I am. They’ve actually grown fond and love the artwork now.”
Taking America’s best kept traditions and combining that with our modern “counter-cultures” to create a melting pot of innovation, acceptance, and honoring all things timeless; That is the essence of kustom kulture.
Don’t think for a second that Anjie is just another pretty face, “Before I was ever in to pinup, modeling, or any of that stuff I was always into hot rods–I actually have a 1950 Mercury in my garage that I’m in the process of building right now. It’s been a project for a really long time, but one day I will be here [at Ink-N-Iron] in my car.”
We asked Anjie what her perception of pinup culture was and her answer goes for anything and everything in life, “The thing that I find, and I really feel is important, is diversity and everybody being their own person. I don’t feel that any one type of society, culture, or lifestyle should be defined. When you define something, you limit it.”
For all the car guys that like to henpeck another owner’s vehicle while at shows, take it from the queen because she’s got her head on straight.
Rod Authority would like to extend our thanks to Anjie for taking time out of her day to share a little about herself. Be sure to check her out and give her a Like on Facebook. Also, stay tuned for a full model feature on Anjie Sioux in the near future and if we’re lucky enough to follow along, regular build updates on her Mercury project.
What’s Going On Next Year?
“It was an incredible experience all around and we are thankful for our 11 years at the Queen Mary. Ink-N-Iron will always be a part of Long Beach and the Southern California community. We are not moving Ink-N-Iron to Nashville, we are expanding the experience to the land of Cash and Elvis August 7,8, 9.”
For more than a decade Ink-N-Iron has become a part of the tapestry that has defined Long Beach’s rich history. This year the folks at Keen Entertainment announced that Nashville would host next year’s Ink-N-Iron. What this means for the Long Beach event, we cannot say, but according to Trace Edwards of Keen Entertainment Ink-N-Iron has signed a contract with the Queen Mary for several more years to come; possibly alluding to the beginning of a mini-circuit for one of the best festivals that honors kustom kulture.
If this is the case, this is just more proof and peace of mind that all of America’s best traditions are in good hands; hot women, hot cars, hot music, and hot art.
Be sure to check out Rod Authority’s exclusive gallery from the 11th Ink-N-Iron below and best believe we’ll be bringing you the coverage next year.
