I may be wrong but I think build pictures are allowed (I seem to remember the show Rides showing some of Chips work on a car that didn't make the Ridler they were filming for but competed the following year) but no pictures of the completed car. I would guess you never see build pictures becasue no one wants to let the cat out of the bag to other competetors.
Troy's paint booth is down the street from the fab shop, just a small shop. When we went up there this past spring to meet a guy for an intake manifold for my hemi, we got the tour of the whole shop, then went to the paint shop. The guys there are super nice and answered any questions we had. The work done there is TOP NOTCH for sure. I know Charlie Hutton painted a few of the top honors cars.
Troy's paint shop is in a separate building several blocks away. No chance of any sanding dust getting in to their immaculate fabrication facility. And no chance of WD40 and the like drifting into the paint booth.
I agree 100% with Chaz, competitions like the Ridler push the envelope of our hobby. I've been able to attend the Detroit Autorama in 2006 & 2007 and I think everyone who loves cars should go at least once. I still remember like it was yesterday, sneaking in 2007 on set up day and standing there in awe at the display for Ross & Beth Meyer's '36 Ford 3-window "First Love" before the car ever showed up! They had a giant light defuser hanging above their 20x20 display. Everything for the display came out of wooden crates, labeled "Rad Rods by Troy, Detroit Autorama." It was like they had just shipped museum quality art to be set up, talk about jaw dropping! I remember H.A.M.B. member Jade Idol, who's been into show cars his entire life, standing next to telling me "Whatever is going (on that display) is going to win the Ridler." You knew just looking at the display that the bar had just been raised in our hobby, and you hadn't even seen the car yet.
Murray builds some really nice stuff. He was showing me a concept of his roadster at the 2008 Indy meet. It would be refreshing to see him win.
I know I'll get slammed for this, but these high-end shows/awards celebrate everything that's wrong with this hobby, imo. It's all about the bling, money and outrageousness. Some of these cars are unrecognizable. How many miles do those cars ever see on the road? I'm willing to bet near ZERO. The workmanship that people display on this site impresses me more, because it's clear these vehicles are DRIVEN, not easter eggs. OK, flame on!
Here is my prediction for the Ridler winner this year. Mike Alexander is building a car to compete. I saw pics and in my opinion he will win...
Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the owners of the Grand Master were a Father and Son named BOB and Wes Rydell...Never heard of a Bill Wydel with any connections to that car.
Thanks "Payne" I worked my ass off on that car for two years. Its nice to hear the things you said. The last six months of that build was insane! We worked well over 100 hours a week for the last six months. I will admit the final dollar amount spent on the car is sick. But for us it was all about building a car for a customer that had no limit and push the bar so high that it probably won't be reached for a few years. For a builder that isa dream! The car made a statement! I know that alot of people on the hamb don't care for ridler cars but I'm willing to guess that if you got the chance to be a part of a ridler build you probably would not turn it down. The car is art! And that is what is was meant to be from the start. I have alot of bare metal fab pictures of the car on my profile. Check them out.u
The Ridler drove into the show. This years Ridler is fully driveable and did so at the Goodguys Columbus, Louisville Nats, Concours Italinao, Goodguys Pleasanton, and Goodguys Scottsdale. The owner has been on here and said that when commitments are done for this year, he fully intends to drive the car regularly and enjoy it. Part of the eligibility of a Ridler contender is to drive into the show.
No disrespect to anyone's cars, but....Yes, that is a requirement to drive it in, but let's face it...idling a couple of hundred feet is not exactly the same as driving it, in my book...
Big difference between driveable and being roadworthy. Hell, most any car can make it from it's enclosed trailer parked at the hotel or campground into a fairgrounds ISCA Spotcheck requirements for any car in competing in a sanctioned indoor event. "Vehicle must start, turn left, turn right, pull forward, stop and be able to back up under it's own power". These spot checks are normally performed in less than 5 to 8 seconds start to finish. I highly doubt that any of the Great 8 cars were unloaded outside and actually driven into the show as you state. Is each one capable? Yes, I'm certain they are. Would they be? No, because of the collateral damage that would occur to the finish of the exhaust and brake rotors prior to being judged.
Cool, it will be like Christmas all over again. Thanks sweetie! Thanks for the info. I've always wondered about that. I'm looking forward to seeing it, and you there.
A couple allegedly have been knocked out of contention in the past because photos surfaced before they debuted at the show. Never previously seen or shown is one of the requirements. I'd have to agree that it would be near impossible for a HAMB friendly car or truck to contend for the award as it is about innovation and pushing the limits on new concepts. We have plenty of guys who can and have build/built a 100 point car that can hold it's own at places like Pebble beach or other venues but that same car probably wouldn't be considered for the Riddler simply because it doesn't fit what most people view as the concept behind the award. But that's ok too as it would be a boring world if everyone and everything fit into one one mold.
Yep I've seen more than one show rod with the calipers backed off so that the pads wouldn't put marks on the rotors and loose a show point. The way the judging system is, you do what you gotta do if you want to win. Still a lot of these cars are a lot better then they were 30/40 years ago when a lot of them didn't even have guts in the all chromed engines. I remember seeing a couple of well known show cars that obviously didn't run or have complete engines under the blowers and chrome.
YES, I am talking about a 1,500 - 2,000 mile drive , that too me is what seperates the real cars, anything can be driven a few miles. I know my car is nowhere near as nice as a ridler car, or a gnrs, car, but I drive them thousands of miles every year, and enjoy meeting new people along the way. It is hard to build a Kustom with soul and make it dependable. knock on wood i have never had a major problem that I couln't fix with parts and tools in my trunk. I've driven thru snow, blowing sand, hail, rain and everything else to get where I'm going and the paint has held up very good, I was impressed. my galaxie has 2 rock chips and has been to cali . 7 times.let alone everywhere else.
Damn Finkd. We get it already. You drive yours a lot & think it's bullshit that the owners of these mega-$$$ contenders don't drive theirs cross country through the driving snow to get to the show. We get it. Damn. JH
Comparing a Ridler (ONE D folks ) contender, or any top of the line show car, to a driver is like comparing the proverbial apple to a bananna. They are built for two totally different reasons and both can be enjoyed for their different features and attributes. Neither being right, wrong, or better than another.
What is your point? Many of us, including myself, drive our cars thousands of miles every year, yet only 8 of us qualify for the Ridler. BIG difference...........Some guys are satisfied with what they have and some guys go for the gusto. I say, "good for them" if it makes them happy. Bruce Meyer has quality, big money, cars like the Doane Spencer roadster, and drives the dog shit out of ALL of them.
Thats just Denise getting sidetracked, by the "phallic shape" of bananas, You know, it's a "woman thing"! LMAO
Here's the Ridler Award requirements from the Championship Auto Shows website As long as it's not in a finished form the car can be seen, but once anything is in it's final finish (i.e. painted, polished, or chromed) it can not be seen by the public. Two great examples of this are: Jack and Sue White's 1936 Chrsyler Airflow, which was eliminated from going for the Ridler in 2004, because Tim's Hot Rods who co-built the car had shown the drivetrain and completed chassis in their display booth at a Spokane car show in 2003. and Doug Cooper's 2009 Ridler winning 1932 Ford B400, featured in bare metal on the cover of The Rodder's Journal No.41, which was newsstands in March, before the car debuted in Detroit.
The Jalopy Journal
