
Photos provided by: Lil Mans Hotrod Shop
The custom world is full of some pretty stellar creations, but who says these creations have to be of the full-size variety? For the owners of Lil Mans Hotrod Shop and husband and wife team Joe and Susan Wells, they don’t have to be. In fact, this duo has taken the idea of producing amazing custom builds and brought it down a scale– not in awe factor, but in pure size with their custom lowrider wagons.
And this month, you can join them in their wagon-building passion with the official Lil Mans Hotrod Shop First Annual Wagon Build-Off!
What started out as a way to include their young son in their hot rod passion has turned into a full-blown business for Joe and Susan Wells over just the last couple of years. After building a custom Radio Flyer wagon to pull their son around in at car shows, the Wells started gaining attention for their wagon customization skills.
After the couple built the second wagon for their growing son, more and more people started approaching the Wells about building wagons for other automotive enthusiasts.
So in May of 2014, the couple opened shop under the Lil Mans Hotrod Shop monicker (an ode to their son’s nickname) and have since built 17 custom wagons for customers all over the country. Now approaching their second anniversary, Lil Mans Hotrod Shop is hosting their first building competition based on their specialty craft.
Check out the official Build-Off flier for full details on the competition!
Kicked off on January 1st and running through the end of March, the first annual Lil Mans Hotrod Shop Wagon Build-Off gives custom wagon builders a platform to showcase their custom builds as well as compete against fellow builders in a friendly competition.
Those wishing to compete in the build-off can send photos of each of their creations and various specifications about their “rides” directly to the Lil Mans Hotrod Shop email address, per the event flier. From there, the Wells will post pictures of each of the wagons on Facebook, culminating in an official voting round starting April 2nd. Voting for the best builds goes through Thursday, April 7th with the official winners being announced on Saturday, April 9th.
Wagon builds will be judged in three different classes– Mild, Wild and Pedal Car– and then in five different categories, ranging from Design to Interior. Votes cast between April 2nd and April 7th will count only in one category, with the rest of the categories judged by an independent judging panel.
Awards will be given out to the top two best wagon builds in each class with special awards for Best Design, Best Paint, Best Interior, Best Overall Look and Lil Mans Pick. There is still time to get your entries in if you’d like to participate in the build-off, but you’ve got to act fast! Entries will be accepted through April 1st!
For instructions on entering the competition, be sure to see the official Build-Off flier for details, and be sure to check out the shop’s Facebook page for a look at the custom wagons built by Lil Mans Hotrod Shop before voting for the build-off opens early next month!