We also build hot rods, so the car influence is heavy with us. We will take the shop on field trips to the old car junkyards and just look around for miscellaneous parts we can use on bikes. For instance, the headlight is from a 1935 Ford, the dash is off of a 1958 Ford hood, and the spot lamps are original 1930s aftermarket fog lamps. The kicker pedal I had on it (but broke it) was a turn signal housing from a 1941 Oldsmobile. The taillight was a fender-mounted rearview mirror from a mid-’60s Cadillac.

We love the old-school way of building. All of the sheet metal, minus the front fender and the front half of the back fender, was made from flat sheets of 18-gauge steel that I hand formed on the power hammer and English wheel. The backbone and downtubes of the frame I bent using the receiver hitch of my truck. During the build, we posted videos on our Facebook to document the chaos.

When it came time to paint it, we couldn’t decide if the bike was going to be green or blue or burgundy. I painted everything in large orange flake (our hot rod disease coming out). Then I laid out the silver and blue graphics on the fly with no real plan. After that, Steve Gillette came in and pinstriped and lettered everything. I then stood over the paint/fab/bodywork table and had a can of Green Candy and a can of Blue Candy on the table. I closed my eyes and grabbed one and it turned out to be the blue. Little did I know until after I sprayed it, when the sun hits the paint, it turns green. So, I guess we got both colors after all.

I never believed in “cursed” things before, but after this thing, I’m starting to reconsider. I can’t say enough about all the people around me who have helped make this shop and this build work. First and foremost are my parents who came out of retirement to help me as if it were their own. And my wife, who brings our kids and supper to the shop every night so that we can have a couple hours of family time a day. Jen and Tommy make the shop tic every day without fail and my friends who, after some beer bribes, always end up showing up when it’s crunch time.