 What's
up everyone! When I left you last
month, the Gauge staff and I were
about to hit the road for our cross
country trip to the SEMA show in Las
Vegas, NV. We were driven
with the willpower to make a straight-through
trip but after 34 hours we were pleading
for the sight of the Sin City.
Entering Las Vegas in style, we pulled
The Big Wood Project
and Matt Petro's Project Air
Dancer down the breathtaking
Las Vegas Blvd., giving everyone a
small taste of what SEMA brings to
the Las Vegas Convention Center year
after year. Thousands of the hottest
premiere vehicles packed
into to the Convention Center which
showed off thousands
of
new products for the upcoming year.
While representing 2 awesome manufacturers
like The Air Lift Company
and Chassis Tech
at the SEMA Show, the Gauge Magazine
Project vehicles were front and center
for a week's worth of attention. Check
out the Gauge Magazine Forum
for exclusive pictures of the Road
to SEMA 2004. http://forums.gaugemagazine.com/
On
the cover this month we bring you
Matt Mason out of
Fort Wayne, IN, in
his 1993 Toyota Pick Up.
The impressive stance of Matt's one
of a kind "Toy" definitely
shows he's no stranger to the custom
game. Fully utilizing the 4 year process
it took to complete his creation the
finished product couldn't have turned
out any sweeter. Throughout the 10
years Matt has been involved with
this creative hobby he now manufactures
his own steel components and custom
aluminum products. Check it out at
www.TRManufacturing.com.
We
added our own final touches to Matt's
truck with the Seductive December
Gauge Girl Rayne Ahn. I was
able to meet up with Rayne Ahn at
Slamology this past
September in Indianapolis, IN. With
adventure in her eye Rayne Ahn is
daily building her modeling portfolio
and can be seen at the Hot
Import Nights Events throughout
the world representing EGO
Swimwear. Whatever you do,
don't miss out on Rayne Ahns
sexy Gauge Girl feature layout.
We
start off this month's coverage with
the Gauge staff mounting up for the
Nopi Nationals. The
show was held in Atlanta,
GA at the impressive Atlanta
Motor Speedway on the weekend
of September 17th -19th 2004.
Year after year this event grows to
immeasurable levels of excitement
and entertainment. The live
shows, impressive vendor
displays and of course the
NOPI Chics is enough
to send anyone in a 2½ mile
daze. To get more information on next
years event or extended coverage check
out www.nopinationals.com.
Next
up we take a ride with Photographer
Jason Swinford to the Scion
Showoff Car Show. The event
was presented by Scion
and Power 95 in Tampa,
FL at Central Florida
Toyota on the day of October
9th 2004. As the sun dropped the lights
came on unveiling some of the hottest
custom Scions that cruise
the streets of Southern Florida. To
see more information on this event
check out Scion
Showoff Carshow.
While
at the SEMA show
this year Photographer Jason
Swinford and I laid out the
floor plan for bringing home some
of the hottest coverage to
hit the web. During the week
of November 2nd -5th 2004
the camera gear didn't get much downtime
from the constant excitement in the
Sin City. We captured some exclusive
coverage from Kicker's
ever popular event "The
Big Air Bash", held
at the Hard Rock Café
& Casino on the 3rd of
November. The third annual event has
become the must attend gathering throughout
the long list of manufacturers parties
to circulate throughout the week.
To top off the evening KMC
held the after-party at the
Joint inside The Hard Rock
and featured live entertainment from
the group Lit. For
more information or extended coverage
check out www.kicker.com.
We
have an impressive collection of feature
vehicles for you this month. We start
off with Thang Lo
in his 1993 Civic Hatchback
from New Orleans, LA.
I was able to meet with Thang Lo at
the Scrapin' the Coast
event held in Biloxi, MS this past
June. The deep Candy Cobalt
Blue finish alone sets off
the wide body stance of this immaculate
3 door. While leaving most
enthusiasts and spectators in ahh,
Thang Lo builds his creations for
the love of the sport.
Next
up we bring you Greg Nettles
representing Relaxed Atmosphere
in his 1996 Chevy Full Size
Pickup. I was able to catch
up with Greg in Lebanon, TN
for the Slammin' & Jammin'
event held this past May. Greg, wasting
no time was able to have his custom
rolling after 6 months of build up
time and turning heads with his smooth
cruiser. Unfortunately for us Greg
has already made a few changes
to his ride shortly after being published,
be sure to track him down at the nearest
event for his recent additions.
Last
but not least we bring you Mike
Sargent out of New
Albany, IN, in his 1999
Dodge Dakota. I was able
to meet up with Mike at the Gauge
Magazine (Slamology)
Event held in Indianapolis,
IN this past September. When
Mike purchased his Dakota back in
1999 little did he know that 3 years
later his project would be complete
with photographers waiting
in line to get a closer look?
The close attention to detail is enough
to keep many busy… taking notes!
As
usual, if you have any questions or
comments please do not hesitate to
contact me!
Until
next month keep your heads up and
at least one frame rail on the ground!
Peace!!
BIG
WOOD
bigwood@gaugemagazine.com
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