Why We Build Classic Cars | The Cool Factor, the Freedom, and the Obsession

Chopping and customizing since he was 12, Joel Davis of Davis Haus of Style and Chop Class grew up on model cars, a how to customize book, and a father and uncle who loved hot rods and classics. A local hotrodder took him under his wing at 15 and taught him pinstriping, proportion, and design, and the same craft ran four generations back to a great grandfather who striped carriages. This episode walks through his whole story, from the massive collection of 1,100 model kits he inherited from his uncle to the AVIATOR gauge panel for the ‘32 Ford to what comes next. Joel pinstriped his way across the country while moving his life from state to state, learned from one of the most influential custom builders of our time, and built a name teaching traditional chop techniques in more than 55 classes all over the United States. His knowledge of the vehicles, the times, and the builders of traditional hot rods is beyond anything I’ve ever come across. This episode is for anyone deep into custom car history. The builders, their styles, and their cars. This one is for anyone looking for the knowledge of the past, the methods of old, and the drive of today. For the Money. For the Glory. For the Fun. And as always, pinky’s out.

Mike Wagner of Cornfield Customs in Milford, Ohio sat down with me at his fabrication shop for a conversation that went way deeper than I expected. Over twenty years of metal shaping, sheet metal fabrication, custom hot rod builds, and race car fabrication with zero formal training. No trade school. No apprenticeship. Everything he knows about shaping metal he taught himself. This episode starts from the very beginning. From struggling to make a four hundred dollar rent payment to building a one man metal fabrication shop out of a 7,500 square foot facility loaded with power hammers, planishing hammers, a mandrel tube bender, and some of the most impressive equipment you'll find in any shop in this country. We talk about what it took to get there, the employees he hired and let go, and why he chooses to do it alone. He's put over 1100 metal shaping and fabrication videos on YouTube teaching people around the world how to shape sheet metal, lay out patterns, and build parts from scratch. He's taught metal shaping classes from coast to coast and as far as Australia. He designs and manufactures his own metal shaping tools. He's worked alongside Kindig It, Jesse James, Gas Monkey Garage, and Baileigh Industrial. And he races land speed cars at the Bonneville Salt Flats and El Mirage where he's spun out at nearly 200 mph. This conversation also goes into the reality of building a massive social media presence in the custom car world, the keyboard warriors that come with it, and what it's like when your honesty becomes the reason this industry tries to keep you quiet.

Kevin and Monica Nichols spent eighteen years building a 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air named Marilyn. In this episode of It's All About the Build, we sit down with two people who are about as far from professional car builders as you can get. Their day jobs have nothing to do with hot rods, they don't own a shop, and yet what they built together might be one of the cleanest 1954 Chevy Bel Airs you'll ever see. You'll hear how Kevin bought this car in 1996 for a thousand dollars out of a barn in Fort Wayne Indiana, why he went after a four door when the rest of the industry was chasing Tri Five Bel Airs, and how he pieced this build together one JC Whitney catalog and swap meet at a time in a garage he didn't even own. We get into what Monica has meant to this build from day one, how she went from writing the checks to loving the car as much as Kevin does, and the paint that she gifted him that turned out to be the only thing on this car Kevin didn't touch himself. You'll find out why Marilyn has been quietly winning top awards at every show she has pulled up to for the last thirteen years, why nobody in this industry has heard her story until now, and what it was like when Melanie and I selected Kevin and Monica for Best of Show at a car show we were guest judging this past June. We also spend time in the garage where Marilyn sleeps. It's a time capsule of 1950s hot rod culture and Chevrolet Bel Air memorabilia that is worth the episode on its own. This one is for anyone with an old Chevy or Ford or Mopar sitting in the corner of the garage collecting dust. If the fire has gone out on your build, this episode is for you. It's All About the Build.

Dan and Hilary Fournier of Motor City Metalcraft sat down with Melanie and I at their shop in Mount Clemens, Michigan for one of the most honest conversations we've ever had on this podcast. We get into what it actually looks like to run a full custom and restoration shop the right way, without the shortcuts most of this industry takes.

In this episode of It’s All About the Build, Elliot and Melanie sit down with VooDoo Larry for an in-depth, no-filter conversation about a life shaped by kustom culture. From early influences and the pull toward building, to the music, art, and attitude that defined an entire timeline in automotive history, Larry breaks down what it really means to build with intention and stay true to your vision. Almost born in the wrong era, Larry has spent his life carrying the spirit of 1950s kustom culture into the modern day — blending traditional roots with a mindset that refuses to fade. This episode digs into the realities behind the reputation — the choices, the challenges, the pushback, and the lessons learned along the way. It’s an honest look at the mindset required to build not just cars, but a life around creativity, independence, and conviction. If you’re into kustom cars, automotive history, music-driven culture, or the stories behind the people who helped shape the scene, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.