Category: Babe Magnet

Comfy DIY Mobile Home

Mobile Home 1

Very cool. The link shows solar panels on the roof for electrical, and there appears to be a wood-burning stove sitting on a piece of slate for heat, but the proximity of the unprotected wood surrounding it looks a bit iffy. Cooking range/oven must have a propane tank hidden somewhere, and it looks like they’ve got a decent sound system for roadtrips – two tweeters, two midrange and one bass. Two important things are missing from the photos, but it looks like they’re combined and adjacent to the rear entry. Somewhere there’s a potable water tank.

Due to the weight of the wood framing and all the accoutrements, this vehicle is too heavy and slow to get much gas mileage, but so what. It’s got good food, good tunes,  good looks, and it sure as hell beats this and this. Better than a dorm room.

[Found here. Click for larger images.]

1940s Rat Rod Go Cart

Go Cart (6)

Go Cart (8)

Go Cart (7)

Go Cart (1)

Go Cart (2)

Pop Strutts (my grampa) created this bit of vehicular awesome from a lawnmower engine, some stray bicycle parts and wood scraps. There was no steering wheel, only a tiller.

The engine was a Briggs & Stratton 1/2 hp rope-starter. It had three gears, but to change gears you had to stop, move the drive belt a pulley over, and hope it didn’t sever your fingers while you moved it. There was an accelerator pedal that attached to the throttle, and a brake that consisted of a lever that forced a piece of metal into the rubber of one of the rear wheels.

To shut down the engine, there was a piece of spring metal with a wooden switch to short out the spark plug. It’d give you a nice zap if your finger missed the wood.

What’s not shown here is The Peckerwood. On the rear of the vehicle, Pop mounted a wooden image of a boy who mechanically rocked back and forth as the Go Cart moved, poking his steel wire “pecker” back and forth through a steel eye screw.  Papa Strutts probably removed it so as not to give a 10 year-old Bunk any nasty ideas, but I remember it. I had nasty ideas anyway, but not because of The Peckerwood.

[Rat Rods Archive here.]

[Update: November 2014 – this sold at a recent estate sale for $75.]

Coffee Bug

coffee-bug

This is how to do it right, red eyes and otherwise.

[Found here.]

Babe Magnet Grafts

Babe Magnet Patchwork
THIS should be entirely awesome once the grafts heal. Jack it up, flare the fenders,  give it some oversize wheels with custom baby moons and paint it flat black; then tint the windows, toss in  some neon and a sound system that plays nothing but R&B and funk instrumentals, and the pavement will rock.

[Found here.]

[UPDATE! Here’s another view!]

Pink Cadillac Babe Magnet

Pink Cadillac

What’s in the trunk? Pure rock and roll.

Rock and Roll

Note that they’re not just grabbing necks and posing. They’re playing chords with awesome electric axes. If anyone knows who they are, lemme know and give us a iink. We’ll give you credit in an update.

[Found here.]

Potential: One-Eyed Rat Rod Short Bus

1953-short-Ford-Bus-right-side

This ^^^ could look like this vvv only lower.
Rat Rod Bus

1953 Short Ford Bus offered for only $6,500:

I put Flat Head V-8 In service 10 years Carb, Ignition, Two new water pumps, all heater hose and service ran strong and just needed a clutch fork, a few glasses and I have access to glass, pulled drive line and did not work on any more, would make a great ride [via]

Go for it.

P.S. The interior is flawless.

130903 Andreas Bus (3)

[Yep, now we’ve got an archive category for Rat Rods and it’s entirely awesome.]

Karmann Ghia Rat Rod

Karmann Ghia Rat Rodjpg

[Found here. More rat rods here.]

Discover Ruth Buzzi’s Comfort

Ruth Buzzi's Comfort

Marketing genius or clever disturbing satire? You be the judge.

[Found here.]

Tony Clifton: The Man. The Legend.

Tony Clifton Las Vegas

One thing is for sure. Tony Clifton is larger than life, and his imposing image on the Las Vegas Strip deserves to be spilled into the right hand margin. If you don’t like him, you can leave this blog right now. He’s that big.

The late Andy Kaufman knew Tony Clifton personally. For those who only remember Kaufman as Latka Gravas from the TV series “Taxi,” you’re missing out, as Kaufman was an awesome, if eccentric, comedian. Prior to his stints on SNL, Kaufman was a stand up comic whose specialty was long set ups that often had no punch line, yet occasionally provided a responsive audience transportation to a local venue for milk and cookies. He was also a talented impersonator.

Kaufman impersonated Elvis, Tito Puente and Jerry Lawler, but his epitome [embodiment, exemplification, quintessence, essence, perfect example, exemplar, representative, type, typification, personification, incarnation, archetype, model, prototype, pattern, ultimate, last word; see also model] was Tony Clifton, and it was spot on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zpNIomYAkE
I’ve never seen a better impersonation of Tony Clifton, the greatest lounge singer/entertainer/comedian ever. Go figure.

Saturday Matinee – Dehydrated Peeps, Monochrome Dance, Musical Genius / Sex Symbol Earl Okin & Johnny Burnette


Just add water.

Both vids above h/t Aussie Phil

Earl Okin is almost as seductive as Leon Redbone (sorry, Earl).

Nice vid compilation of Johnny Burnette‘s version of Tiny Bradshaw‘s classic “Train Kept A Rollin'” previously featured here.

Have a great weekend folks. Whether you’re religious or not, never forget the meaning of Easter.