I recently got back from shooting the cover of Issue #12 with Senior Editor Dan Ward in Houston, Texas. We shot Ricky Holly's truck on the steps of the San Jacinto Monument, and there's certainly some deja vu. . .

My very first trip as a Truckin’ editor was the subject of my very first column in the magazine. I have a history of procrastinating, so I thought that my very first trip, which had me returning very close to the issue’s deadline, would provide for some good material. As the old saying goes, “be careful what you wish for, you just might get it”.  The following is pretty much a reprint of that first column:
 
The plan was to fly to Houston at 7:00 a.m. on a Friday, get a few covers shot, along with a couple features, and get back Sunday night.  Seemed innocent enough.  Well, not exactly.  Here’s a condensed version of Friday’s events:

5:00.  Woke up, showered, got dressed, and headed downstairs.

5:25.  Got in my truck and headed to John Wayne airport, which is about 10 miles away.  I took Interstate 5 to Highway 55 (note, it’s still not “the 5”, I haven’t been in SoCal that long), and traffic was nonexistent.

5:45.  Arrived at John Wayne airport, parked, and surveyed the area to make sure I knew where I needed to go.  I unloaded my bags, carried them up the stairs, and did a personal inventory to make sure I had everything I needed.

5:46.  Ran downstairs, climbed into my truck and speed home.

6:01.  Got home, ran upstairs, grabbed my wallet and got back in my truck.

6:17.  Inside the terminal at John Wayne I passed Dan, who’s in line for security.  As best I can tell, the look on his face said, “Freakin’ New Guy.”

6:20.  The woman at the ticket counter greeted me with, “We have a runner.”  I was not in the mood.  She informed me that the baggage claim was not exactly up and running at the moment, and that I’d have to check my bag on the jet way.  No problem.

6:37.  Past the security checkpoint, putting my shoes back on and I realized that the bag that I intended to check is still inside the x-ray machine.

6:37.05.  Remembered that the bag I intended to check has a pocketknife inside, a big one.

6:37.06.   Began my apologies and explanations while the thought of a cavity search began to invade my mind.

6:40.  Security unpacked my bag and did a thorough search, checked for explosives residue, the whole nine yards.

6:55.  Repacked my bag, signed an incident report, and heard my options.  Option one, surrender my knife and maybe make my flight.  Option two, send the knife home and have a very slim chance of making my flight.  I chose option two.

6:57.  Back through security, first class this time since I’ve got friends at the TSA now. (It’s amazing how much you can bond during a cavity search)

7:01.  Reached my gate to find the jet way door closed.  Boarding ended at 6:50.

Appendix: This is what didn’t make it into my column:
Once I got to the Houston airport I called Dan and tried to catch him at the photo shoot. After taking $100 from an ATM machine for my cab ride, I hopped into a minivan bound for the San Jacinto Monument. I swear the driver took the longest route possible, and the only route that involved a ferry crossing. As I sat in the cab in line for the ferry and watched the sun go down and the meter climb higher, I realized my $100 was almost up. I tossed the driver my $100 and got out, dragging my luggage to the shoulder of the road within sight of the monument, but hopelessly late and more than a little angry. As the mosquitoes began circling my ears and face, I noticed some guys playing catch with a football. I asked if I could join them, since I’d be there for a while until Dan finished the shoot. After I introduced myself, they asked what I was doing on the side of the road with my luggage. It turns out they were Truckin’ readers! When I told them my story they offered me a ride in their truck across the ferry, so I loaded my gear up and made it across just in time to meet Dan as he finished up his shoot. I wish I could tell you that the last trip went perfectly smooth, and I suppose it did by comparison, but there’s just something about Houston that doesn’t agree with me.  

GM plans to make 80 of its global manufacturing centers landfill-free by the end of 2010, while 43 have already reached the benchmark. Thirty-three are recent additions.

So far, several plants in Michigan, Maryland, Virginia and New York have made the grade, as well as plants in Canada, Mexico, Germany, Poland, France, Austria, Hungary,  and Korea. Going green means more for GM than just environmental benefits, as the metal recycling programs implemented at the landfill-free plants will recoup a billion dollars a year. Yes, that’s billion, with a “b”.  Cardboard and plastic recycling will net another 16 million just in North America. Does this mean we’ll get those feel-good car commercials from GM like the current batch from Subaru? We hope not.

And I'm not talking about the furry little guys that rub up against your ankles at Angel Stadium!

Rat rods have always appealed to me! The matte paint, the throwback appeal, the attitude...just awesome! I found some pretty cool trucks while at the Havoc show in Kentucky!

A few years back, I noticed a new rod scene as old rusty decayed carcasses, were being drug out of barns, sheids, discovered under decades of underbrush, and open fields. An old truck trend was born "Rat Rods".

Now that we have had a couple of years to digest the Rat Rod / Farm Rod scene. What do you think?
I have recently scene a different off shoot of the Rat Rod look. This Polished Rat Rod look reflects a clear painted frame, suspension, and body or a opac painted, polished body, frame and detailed engine with skinny wheels and tall tires. This new nitch in early model iron, I think they will draw attention to more custom enthusiasts that don't want to be part of the rust 'n dust crowd.

Remeber, Old Guys Rule
Bob Ryder

Truckin' has always been the all encompassing publication that caters to fans of lifted trucks, classic trucks, lowered trucks, and mini trucks. But you already knew that...

With the resale value of full size trucks quickly plummeting, the mini truck remains to be a valuable solution to the problems at the pump. Plus, they are relatively cheaper to fix up than a full size, however there are many high dollar minis out there!

Truckin' will be aiming to put more emphasis on mini trucks in the form of tech  articles and features in the upcoming issues to give those who have put their mini on the back burner.

Stay tuned!

Twin superchargers, Ford GT block, and some serious internals may make this the baddest Ford Lightning engine, ever?

The owner sent me these pics and said "I think you're going to like my truck."
Well, he was right but mostly I liked the insane 5.4L DOHC V-8 with twin superchargers. It's awesome. As the owner of a supercharger remanufacturer, he has the inside track on parts and insight but he also had the will power to bring this combo to fruition.
The white Lightning (no pun intended) looks mostly stock from the outside, but pop the hood and "oohs" and "ahhs" are all that can heard.
Powdercoated Ford GT light blue, the engine wins awards where ever it goes. He wants a cover and won't get it, so you may never see it in the mag, but here are some pics.

I was home for this past Labor Day weekend to spend time with my wife and two sons. But my wife had some things to do on Saturday, and we were going out to dinner with our sons Zac and his wife Cody, and Casey and his girlfriend Alicia, until later that evening. So what did I do? I went to a car show, The Labor Day Cruise.

Some guys have all the kool toys. While I was strolling through The Labor Day Cruise I came across two exceptional kustom rides. A '40 Ford pickup and a '37 Ford delivery. After locating the owner, I found out he owned both of them, his name is Randy Palmer from Huntington Beach, California.
Stay tuned to Issue # 1 '09 Truckin' Magazine for a 6-page full color feature on Randy's '40 Ford pickup.
Truckin' Magazine will be also featureing Randy's '37 Ford Delivery later on...

Remember, Old Guys Rule!
Bob Ryder

Some people wonder why there are so many easily avoidable accidents on the road.

With subtle statements like this undisclosed Southern California driver's licence plate frame, it's no wonder!! Hey, at least he/she is honest about not being the sharpest tool in the shed.

This past weekend the American people celebrated Labor Day, the official End of Summer.

Summer is known as Show Season around the Truckin' office. That is when the Truckin' staff push the nitrous button for more power. With only a three-week production period to produce Truckin' due to 13-issues per year. As the Show Season accelerates, editors are flying all over America departing on Thursday and returning on Monday, to be back in the office Tuesday.  With no days off. Thank god for lap tops. We cover the shows and shoot features during the day, upload our show images and charge batteries while writing articles for the current issue until the wee hours of the early morning. After a couple of hours sleep we are awaken by a 5:00 a.m. wake up call. The show day starts early and goes again until the wee hours of the next morning.
After Labor Day weekend the Show Season begins to wind down.
Now its time to get ready for SEMA!

Doing some research for a story, I dug up these awesome photos from '01 and '02 issues. The dual Trenz cover was 440 pages!

Our best selling issue ever and our biggest issue ever, the dual Trenz cover was a great shoot by Wes Allison. He also shot our Super Crewzer project back in '01. The magazine was so thick back then you had to work out before you picked it up. Let's all pause for a moment of silence.....

We get asked all the time, "How do you guys find your cover trucks?"
Easy- I'll tell you.

Shows have been and will always be an easy way to get noticed. Debuting a cool truck is a right of passage for many cover truck owners. You- the truck owners/builders- also make our job easy by emailing us pics of your cool trucks. Often times, we open a random email and it's a bomb truck.
Got a cool one? send pics to dan.ward@sourceinterlink.com

Here's an example of a random email that landed the owner a cover.

It's finished and you can check out all the cool pics in Issue 13. Our latest issue hits newsstands 21 OCT.

Rising from the ashes, this Phoenix turned out pretty cool.
It's proof that a cool truck can be reborn into something even better.

An easy way to get out of the office and have some good-old fashion fun.

Enjoying a ball game with my girl and friends while sitting in the family section is a good time on any occasion. Doing it while not compaining about corporate America is even better.
Down by 2 with 2 outs, bases loaded and boom... 3-run double. I love baseball.

So word on the street is, most people stayed local instead of getting reamed by gas prices...big surprise? Not really.

Instead of planning a nice three day drive, I opted to stay local and hit the links, enjoy some BBQ and cool off with a few ice cold drinks. Oh yeah, I saw a couple Angel games too! I spent lots of quality time with family and friends and that is just how I would like to spend the last 'unofficial' summer weekend!

WHAT DID YOU DO?!?!?!?!?

So I just returned back to work from that annual end of summer weekend known as Labor Day. Does any one actually know why this past weekend is called Labor Day? Any one? Any one? Bueller? Bueller? Any one?

It has to do with our American work force and long ago when unions were being formed, the union leaders demanded in addition to fair pay and fair treatment of all its workers, that each workers would also be given an annual day off from work, hence the name Labor Day.

Most Americans that are not unionized or at least the Gen X, Y, and Z'ers probably have no idea A. what unions are? B. Only know Labor Day weekend as the end of summer and for the most part the next Tuesday, the day after Monday, school starts.

Any way just a little bit of useless trivia. Hope everyone else had a great weekend and now get back to work and stop reading these blogs.

See ya.
Steve

 What About Communications?
The Truckin' staff recently moved from our previous location on the 7th floor, to the 11th floor in the same Stadium Tower building. In doing so we were given new phone, and fax numbers.

 The problem is that none of our  thousands of previous business, show and feature acqaintances we have made over the years have our new current phone numbers. If you call our old phone numbers it will give you a continuous busy signal, and won't forward the calls to us or our Source Interlink operator.

MY NEW PHONE NUMBER IS (714) 939-2556 direct line.

Another interesting note is that we have a fax machine that can only receive faxes, we can not send faxes out. Oh ya, and the old fax number we had that is on all of our Truckin' Tech Sheets has been changed, meaning now those of you that have Truckin' Tech Sheets with the  (714) 769-3311 fax number,  it's no good. We have not been assigned a new fax number yet. I will get back to you on that when we do.
Also we will be getting new business cards soon, but we can't do anything until we are assigned a new fax number.

Remember, you can reach me at MY NEW PHONE NUMBER (714) 939-2556

Have a safe Labor Day Weekend

Remember Old Guys Rule!
Bob Ryder

I agree, I have always thought that Titans had a strong profile and look great at  lifted, lowered or stock ride levels.

I caught a glimpse of Courtney's old Titan in Kentucky, which has been repainted and received a new interior.

The Titan makes a ton of power, has the most responsive tranny around, and it's roomy. So why no love?

I understand it's in a tough segment, the interior is cheap, and there is longevity questions, but what gives?
They look cool lowered or lifted, and they sound awesome with an exhaust.
Is it because Chevy, Ford, and Dodge owners don't want their buddies to see them driving a Nissan?

The two major factors of the "Creative Writing" equation, are surroundings and enviornment.

Having been in the media/publishing business as an editor of automotive/truck magazines for the past 14-years I have come to the conclusion, for a creative writer to be productive he or she needs a pleasurable enviornment to work in. A creative mind is stimulated by its surroundings, meaning a creative writer's mind needs to utilize his or her visionary sense while gazing in silent bliss. When thought gazing it is nice to have a window to peer out of while your mind is searching in an effort to capture that descriptive word, sentence, or phrase.

They say, "sometime you don't realize how good you had it, until it is gone".

Well that's kind of what happened when Source Interlink moved the Truckin' Editorial staff from our previous location on the 7th floor to the 11th floor of the Stadium Tower. On the 7th floor we had cubicles with no walls, you might call them convertible cubicles. The entire floor had no barriers, or internal walls it was all open and very spacious. Our exterior view from our convertible cubicles was very picturesque with floor to ceiling glass windows that ran the entire length of the floor. A view of the distant San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and San Jacinto mountian ranges with the Honda Center home of the NHL Ducks, the 57 freeway, and Hooters were in the foreground.

Our new non-convertible cubicles are not very glamorous with their enclosed, six foot walls with no windows to gaze out of while mind searching for those descriptive words, sentences, or phrases. Of course our editors and upper management personnel have spacious windowed offices with views of the outdoor surroundings.

I Love My Job...
Still, Livin' A Dream!

Bob Ryder    

Here's a nice little gem from one our favorite shows from the summer.

Enjoy.

Found this truck in at ITB.

Always love seeing the 4-door S10s that arent lifted!

I'm sure all of us, in our younger days (and some of us still today) vowed we'd never shake our fists and grouch like old farts about "these kids today" or tell "back when I was your age" stories, or say "they don't make 'em like they used to" about some product we hold nostalgic memories of. I sure as heck never thought I would. But that was 11 years, 40 lbs. and countless fistfuls of hair down the shower drain (I have the hairline to prove it) ago.

So without further ado, please indulge me as I tell my "grumpy old man" story. Mine's about digital cameras. Now, you might think it's odd that I'm going to tell a "back in my day" story about a digital camera, itself a relatively recent invention.

I am the proud owner of a Nikon Coolpix 995. By today's standards, it's a hopelessly clunky relic, a relatively huge hunk of plastic, metal, and microprocessors. At a resolution of 3.3 megapixels, there are now some cell phones that have a higher picture resolution. Yet I still soldier on with my old standby. Why, you may ask, when there are far smaller, sleeker and sharper models out now that cost a fraction of what my camera did when new? Because it's comfortable. And I'm not only talking about "comfortable" in the familiar, old pair of shoes, nostalgic sense, but literally comfortable from an ergonomic standpoint.

In my previous job, I did a lot of step-by-step tech install stories. As published in the magazine (yes, I actually used to work for a print magazine) the photos appeared maybe about 2 inches square. At that size, the resolution of the camera was more than sufficient to give a fairly crisp and detailed photo. But my favorite feature of the camera was and still is its meaty hand grip, and pivoting lens and camera body. This made otherwise awkward under-car or overhead shots a breeze.

Unfortunately, neither Nikon, or any other camera manufacturer still offers this type of camera design. Almost all have gone to deck-of-cards-sized point and shoot designs made for easily fitting into pockets or designer purses. Ironically, these small, flat cameras are somewhat tricky to securely hold with one hand. My old twist-body Coolpix is literally a handful, but the meaty grip allows one-handed operation in almost any condition.

The one feature on these new fashion-forward cameras that has bucked the downsizing trend has been the screens. On many camera models, it literally takes up almost all the available real estate on the back of the camera. The screen on the old Coolpix is tiny, especially relative to the overall size of the camera. Yet it gets the job done, if not in panoramic, IMAX quality.  

Some people would say, "Quit whining and get a digital SLR." Already did. Yet when covering events in 100 degree heat, the bulk and weight of an SLR can get a little tiring. So too, I suppose, could the old-school Coolpix. But to me, it strikes the perfect balance between practicality, size, and function. If Nikon were to introduce a similarly-sized and styled model with say...8.0 megapixels and a slightly larger screen, I would buy it in a heartbeat. Nikon, are you listening? 

I've noticed companies coming out with new and different shaped subs.
What's the next cool shape/design?

Everyone makes round subs.
MTX and Kicker have square subs.
Sony has pentagon shaped subs, so what is the next cool design?
I think a company should make OE manufacturer shaped subs.
Chevy owners could buy Bow Tie shaped subs, Ford fans could have Oval ones, Dodge guys could have Ram shaped woofers, and Cadillac owners could have Crest bass machines.
What do you think?

What do you guys think is the best compromise in static drops for a daily driver?

Here's a shot of my buddy Dave's truck that just got a Belltech lowering kit installed (look for it in a future issue) and I think it looks bad@ss. Of course with a static drop there's no easy adjustent of the suspension, but it is much cheaper than airbags and therefore very popular. As with most vehicles, the lower it is, the better it looks, but of course there's compromise. So how low is too low for a daily driver? How about a weekend driver?

I just got back into the office after a 4.5-day break and although I just buzzed around the house on Mon and Tues, I started off the week right...

Sunday. Radiohead. Hollywood Bowl. $7.50 Heinekens. AWESOME.