“Every act of creation, is first an act of destruction.” – Pablo Picasso Photos: Billy, Story: T-Bone I am an artist, writer, chef and I guess now bike builder. I am finding quite a few close resemblances to the art…
Garage Tour of Classic Chrome
From Joe Amato’s Team, To Restoring your Dream Photos/Story: T-Bone There gets to be a point where you have to go out on your own. No matter what dream job you have, an entrepreneur knows they have to strike out on…
E-Stopp Shop Tour
Entrepreneurial Inspiration Photos/Story: T-Bone At the recent SEMA Show there was a cool green patina’d Buick hot rod with electric chair seats and an electric motor. Like good booth dressing, the vehicle was the exclamation point on the exhibitor’s products.…
Building a Hot Rod Shop Truck pt. 2
Richard Graves’ Gets to the Details on his Truck Photos: Billy, Story: T-Bone The devil in the details. We stopped by Richard’s shop to see the progress on the cab-over truck he is building. He had the cab off to…
B.A.D. Engine Pt. 1
Wait till you see the black jewel to be unearthed from this beast. Photos/Story: Billy/T-Bone Today we ran over to visit with the engine for the B.A.D. Bike Build. Our buddy Mitch is going to split the cases. We ran…
Borgeson Turns 100!
Borgeson Universal Company celebrates it’s 100th Anniversary Pictured here, a 100 year old wood template U-Joint. Borgeson Universal Company is proud to announce they are entering their 100th year of quality manufacturing and exceptional service. [We had the opportunity to…
Price Automobilia Tour
On BlacktopTV
Forensic Bikeology
Ten Years Gone Photos/Story: T-Bone The B.A.D. Bike is a 1980 Harley-Davidson LowRider. As we begin to tear down what’s left of this highway carcass it’s easy to get lost in the stories this steel steed could tell. It appears…
A Shovel Full
The B.A.D. Bike Continues a Tradition From 1966 to 1984 Harley-Davidson manufactured the Shovelhead engine. From 66-69 the Shovelhead used the Panhead style generator case (Pan-Shovels). From 1970 they incorporated an alternator bottom end (Cone-Shovels). Late in 1978 the motor…
Building a Hot Rod Shop Truck
Iconic Hot Rod Builder Richard Graves’ Shop Truck Photos/Story: T-Bone Richard is building a truck. It’s not his first and most likely not his last truck. This truck is not a hot rodded classic truck from Ford, Chevy or Dodge.…
Bringing it Home
Cone-Shovel Rolling Chassis Donor Photo/Story T-Bone The B.A.D. Bike Build get’s underway with an anonymous donor basketcase Shovelhead. What was at first described as a ’70’s Superglide is slowly being discovered to be a Low Rider. More mysteries to be…
Best Of 2013
It’s Been An Incredible Year Story/Photos: T-Bone We are truly blessed to have dedicated readers and fans like you. From 1997 till April of 2011, Blacktop Magazine was a hobby of sorts for me and my son Billy. What started…
Mooneyes and Mann
Mooneyes X-mas Party and The David Mann Chopper Festival Photos and Story: T-Bone This is going to be a long weekend. One that I look forward to every year. It was pre-dawn on Saturday. The Mercifuls were leaving Long Beach…
On Track at MaxTrac Suspension
A 2013 SEMA Show Find: Photos/Story: T-Bone and Billy (photo of the Silverado: from MaxTrac) Our ride to the SEMA Show in Billy’s Blacktop Baller was smooth going. Friday before the show we installed a set of Helo HE879’s and…
Raceline Wheels – Garage Tour
Innovation Photos: Billy – Story: T-Bone While in the central hall’s “Hot Rod Alley” at the SEMA Show I was mesmerized by a certain cobalt blue and polished billet wheel. The color just popped out and even the buxom model…