#fire fore matching icons

[gnsleepsheep]

[buddha-in-disguise]

I'm not going to review the season finale in quite the same way as I've usually written something afterwards. I'm ultra tired due to distinct lack of sleep. So it is more truncated than I'd intended. Also unedited so advance apologies if something makes no sense or is misspelled etc.

The episode was facing the challenge of not only being edited after COVID-19 shut down production, but what was intended to be the penultimate episode became the finale. So I'm trying to take that into consideration.

First part in Kara's loft. It was choppy. Don't get me wrong, I had nothing against the humour, or the scenes in general. Although they missed the glaring opportunity to place a "flew here on a bus," moment! It felt pretty disappointing they didn't recognise what has become an iconic line within the SG fandom, and made it even more iconic.

Before the bus though, back at the loft, considering that Lena had literally only just arrived at Kara's, with all that entails, it felt completely out of place for that context. Did it have been overwhelming heavy at that point? Absolutely not. But it was too close to slapstick at times for me and internally I was cringing. I admit, I'm not sure where they could've put it in, but perhaps if they'd just lowered it a fraction, made it a little more subtle a couple of times, it would've helped for me.

Some of the dialogue (especially early on) was also all over the place for me. It did get better as the episode wore on, but I wonder how much was the need to redo parts of the episode because of COVID-19? Unless they think to put an episode as intended in a future season DVD (perhaps S6 DVD), or someone gives us full details via an interview we will probably never know.

Which brought me to one piece of dialogue that I wish they'd not put in at all!

In 5.18, as I've spoken about a lot on Twitter especially, the way Lex screams into Lena's face, and Lena's flinch, and how that had been me 20 odd years ago. They then had the line as Lena talks to Kara; "Go ahead. Scream at me if you have to, I know I deserve it."

I know for many, they'd just see it as a line to use, but .... for many of us who have suffered abuse, who recognised (& in some instances were triggered) by last weeks episode, to not have acknowledged why that line was so problematic is worrying. It heavily suggests they're not going to address Lena's trauma and abuse because they really don't understand it (& again, if anyone believes she didn't suffer trauma and abuse, but accept others in SG do, go away with your bias from my page), but considering they haven't addressed much of Kara's trauma, particularly watching Argo destroyed again, being stuck for months during Crisis like they were, etc - then I guess it isn't a surprise.

But it is uncomfortable as hell to watch a line like that glossed over.

Overall though, I did enjoy the episode. Once that 1st half was over, especially (baring a few moments, including watching Alex do her badass Mission Impossible meet Cirque du Soleil moment because that was awesome) it felt much more like SG of previous seasons. So that was great.

Watching Lena as she watched Alex and Kara hug behind her was so emotional. Watching siblings love unconditionally. Something she thought she had with Lex, only to realise he hadn't changed at all. Lena didn't need to say anything, as once again Katie's acting brought all the emotion Lena was feeling to the fore.

Having Lena and Alex mirror they choice of words in regards Kara was pretty iconic. Then having Alex whisper, "Jinx." really made it work.

Seeing Dreamer in her element, including some great lines again. "I can't believe you left to fight Earth, Wind & Fire without us." "Guess they didn't take the bait? Maybe you should've been meaner?" As they begin the fight with J'onn, M'gann Alex and Dreamer - Alex to Dreamer: "You ready?" Dreamer. "Nope." Alex. "Me neither." Dreamer at her best imo.

Kelly going all, damn my girlfriend is hot & I want sex right now despite the circumstances was pretty cute and funny.

The Kara and Lena monologues being in unison. Now that was pretty amazing and one of the best parts of the whole episode imo.. But again, you feel as if they're matching Lena and Kara together with those scenes as a couple.

Lena not only protecting Kara, but stopped Andrea from going down a dark path as Acrata. Was also great.

Last frame of Lillian. Does it turn out she is the head of Leviathan? Because again they laid out more than once the leader was a woman. It has been noted several times now in different episodes. I was hoping Lena's biological mother, considering she knew of the legend of Acrata, but it is now looking more likely this reincarnation of Lillian is who it is, unless it is a character we've not been introduced to, but I highly doubt that.

The 2nd half of the episode was what we missed so much this season. In fact aspects throughout the episode were missing for too much this season.

This includes the women being the focal point of it. Brainy though absolutely rightly taking a strong subplot to what else was going on. J'onn ably supported by M'gann. M'gann who managed to advise Nia on embracing her dreams and not trying to avoid part of them. Dansen actually working together and both being badass in their own way (after all, this is something I've advocated for much of the season, & while fantastic to see, it never should've taken this long. Now where have we heard that before?)

But we still have glaring unanswered questions that I can't imagine would've been answered in 5.20.

Every indication since 5.17 is Kelly knows Kara is Supergirl. Yet we don't know for certain, because they've failed to show us how or when. I've said before, considering every other person who knows Kara is Supergirl, we had them tripping over themselves to explain to the audience how it happened. I'm pretty annoyed that we as the audience don't get given the same courtesy with Kelly. This is why so many of us feel short changed on some characters this season. The really aggravating thing is would only take a few lines to clear it up!

Now onto Alex. This ties in with J'onn. Where are they getting the money to survive? Did J'onn manage to accumulate enough over all the years he was on Earth to finance everything & pay Alex a wage? No clue.

Also, are Kelly & Alex living together? Or do they have keys to each others apartments? Yes, Kelly was at Alex's in 5.17 so the answer is pretty much yes, but nothing has been said! We knew more about Brainy & Nia's living arrangements from 5a than we do Kelly & Alex.

Kara's trauma. Lena's abuse & trauma. See above.

Lastly, the one most I know want (except a few vocally against), leaning towards Supercorp becoming canon. Again for another season, we end up with the, 'Maybe they'll do it next season.' being said. Particularly as in 5a they really went all out on Supercorp parallels to Clois and at times Dansen, plus even a little on Brainia. But unless something pretty fundamental changes behind the scenes, they're going to recognise what their biggest draw is, keep baiting but never fully go into it. And that is what I fear the most. When you've got media, even non-Supergirl fans saying it, but the show refusing to acknowledge it - that could be their legacy, and it will not look good or have a lot of fans look back kindly on them for it.

The 4 seasons it took for Lena to find out Kara was Supergirl was, in the end, terribly executed. This waxing and waning as well of; is Lena good or bad? Will she follow in the Luthor footsteps?

She is flawed. She's made some pretty awful mistakes. But now they're said she is good. She isn't evil or a villain. So now that line they've drawn needs to stay there! No more ambiguity on her character being a villain.

But you know what's not good? Feeling you can't trust the show to draw a line under that aspect of the character. That doesn't mean you have to have any one of them not be flawed, or to even cross some lines (they've all done it at some point, some moreso than others, but not one character is innocent).

When the show is now generating that level of mistrust on how they could handle future events, that is a problem.

Season 5 overall (particularly 5b) was absolutely horrendously bad. It had some moments of sheer brilliance (either individual scenes, or some episodes), but the rest was just flat out awful. Irrelevant. Messy. No cohesion. 5b became too much of the Lex Luthor show. Certain character additions were vastly unpopular and definitely caused down turns in viewer numbers (& again, from far more than a section of fandom). As did keeping Lena away from everyone for so long.

To sum up. Season 5 was a disaster.

Season 6 needs to have considerably different direction to even try & pull back some viewers (if they can at all). Distrust is rife.

The worst is no-one in the cast deserved this, especially as they're so talented. Some of the performances, even with how poor much of the season was, have been magnificent. But as the saying goes, you can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear.

I've never been so relieved a season is finally over. We'll watch our favourite episodes for sure, of which there aren't many, but a full rewatch of the season we normally do will not be happening. Some episodes were better off consigned to the trash.

[sloshed-cinema]

Rocky IV (1985)

Confession time: this is the first Rocky movie I’ve ever seen.  Sure, I know the “iconic moments” or whatever, but I came into this not knowing a lick about the Italian Stallion.  Fortunately for me, there was a handy montage half an hour or so into the movie that DEFINITELY wasn’t padding it for time to help explain previous fights Balboa had been in.  It’s always the same story arc anyhow, far as I can tell: scrappy fighter overcomes the odds to put up a fight (even if he doesn’t win, like in the first one—I know that, too!).  Sylvester Stallone’s ego had passed that point by the fourth iteration, so of course Rocky here has to completely defeat the Soviet mindset.  This fight is so much more than just a bout of boxing, as a song reminds the viewer.  It’s you against you.  East versus West, or man against man?  Such are the deep thoughts of this writer-director-actor-mumbler.

Among other things, this movie is certifiably the least gay piece of cinema ever to grace the silver screen.  Dudes frolicking on the beach as the song lyrics “Hearts on fire / Strong desire” play?  Straight af.  Cameras panning lovingly over sweaty male bodies?  Someone dial 1-800-HETERO-STUFF.  The protagonist showing up late to a birthday because he’s too busy with punchy foreplay with aforementioned beach frolicking partner and then abandoning wife and son to avenge his death?  Top 10 Things Oscar Wilde Definitely Would Never Have Written.  Sports movies always seem to flirt with the not-gays, but not every movie features such lavish explorations of the trope as this.

Montages.  Holy fucking shit.  The montages on this thing.  It must be at least a third just dudes working out as music plays.  Stallone must have heard about that whole show-don’t-tell thing and taken it to its logical extreme, layering sequence after sequence that contrast the laboratory precision of Ivan Drago’s workout routine (complete with glaring red lights, because, y’know, he’s a Commie) against the homespun ingenuity of Rocky Balboa sawing longs and chopping down trees.  There’s even a recap montage over the credits for those with the attention span and recall ability of goldfish.

Intense nationalism is also at the fore, and fault can be found on both fronts.  Make no mistake, the film is ‘merican and works double overtime to remind the viewer of that in back-to-back montages contrasting Rocky’s scrappy wilderness training routine against Ivan’s cocktail of anabolic steroids and precision-science-stuff gym workouts, all culminating in potentially the worst helicopter shot of all time as Rocky bellows Drago’s name from a mountaintop.  But in the ring, shallow showmanship is king.  Before Apollo Creed’s doomed exposition match, the lead-up to the American combatant’s introduction borders on farce: this is the American excess that Soviets so stereotypically despise.  An Uncle Sam’ed up Creed flounces among hordes of showgirls as James Brown belts “Living in America.”  It becomes almost embarrassing to witness this athlete skirting that border between confidence and hubris as Drago stares on, a mixture of confusion and cultivation of hatred.  But the Russian athlete isn’t free of guilt: the USSR national anthem features a massive poster of Ivan Drago, their new golden god, in a less showy but more politically effective demonstration of mastery.  The moments very clearly parallel in their “pride goeth before the fall” sentiment.  Rocky states everyone can change in a closing speech, but perhaps some things remain constant.

THE RULES

SIP

Slo-mo

A song begins. HEARTSSS ON FIIIIIIRE

Dolph Lundgren has really pillowy lips.

Intense sweatiness.

Rocky pushes Ivan in the ring.

Talk of age.

BIG DRINK

Hammer and sickle imagery in a scene.

The robot shows up.

LIVER TRANSPLANT WAITLIST MODE

Sip every time Sylvester Stallone is just impossible to understand.  He’s like the proto Vin Diesel.

[softputridcentre]

I'm fucking devastated...

I wrote a blog reviewing AEW dynamite (19/02/20), it was in depth, humorous AND long as shit... I used my phones swipe gesture to open Chrome to fact check something in case I was remembering it wrong.. and with one fluid motion.........CLOSED TUMBLR, losing the fucking essay I'd typed AND wasted a good hour and a half on.... that's fucking it... I'm turning off motion gestures on this fucking phone.... back to having my icons you shit...

Short version of my review....

Matt har...Jackson wins the battle royals for the young Bucks who go on to face the title holders later in the night (currently Kenneth Omega 6 and Hangman Austin 3:16 Page, but they have a match with belts on the line later with Lucha Bros)

Also, Orange Cassidy gets freshly squeezed by the Bunny... some people would pay good money for that, you ungrateful orange!

_______________________________

Kris Statlander beats the piss out of Shanna (wearing hot Goku outfit) whilst "Booping" everybody in sight and causing me to propose to my TV screen. She said BOOP!

Post match, Nyla comes out for an interview with Tony Schiovone and runs down the locker room, especially Riho. Kris comes back from the locker room, boops the title, big swole comes out and gets shouty... refs break up none existing fight.

----------------------------------------

Jeeeeeeeeeeeoooooooon Moxley wins against Jeff Cobb, in the only disappointing match on the card. Technically sound but boring. Jeff looked strong but lost clean which doesn't look good, when hes Jerichos "hired assassin".

The inner Circle pile in and Dustin comes out and looks impressive plowing into the group, he gets overcome and the lights switch off... bah god that's gotta be kane!... nope... just Darby Allin... not disappointing, but I started watching wrestling in 97'... the lights went out, that meant hell fore and brimstone sunny jim!..

Derby swings his Skayeboard like a man possessed before wirelessly issuing a challenge to Sammy G for Revolution.

----------------------------------------

Kenneth and Page take on the Luchas in the most stunning display!. There aren't words for this kind of match.. everybody involved is a treat to behold, and Rey Fenix is on another level.. fluid as fuck! I've NEVER seen anyone run across the top rope to boot someone in the temple.

If you're reading this... WATCH THIS MATCH... just watch it!. Far from perfection, but entertaining as shit!

Kenny and Page take the W, and out come nick and Matt to celebrate. The Elite are facing off in two weeks, Bucks Vs the Drunk fucks. Adam Page seems unsure and drinks the audiences beer as he leaves... leaving kenny to make excuses to Nick and Matt.

-----------------------------------------

Main Event time and the Cage is being lowered and set for Wardlow Vs. Cody Rhodes.

Wardlow hair stays in it's silly little man bun for a while but eventually pops out of place to make him look like an emo warlord. Cody is thrown into the cage early on which busts him open (keeps the camera off him long enough for him to carve a big chunk of scalp off), wardlow dominates but Cody gets some offense in... at one point Rollercodester is thrown through the cage door and Arn Anderson is holding it as MJF (Best ever, seriously the man.. fuck off he is!), eggs him on to swing it hard into Cody... Arn teases a turn, but swings it hard into the face of the King of the $10000 bling! Cody re-enters the fray and gets nailed with MJFs Dynamote ring... he retrieved is and returned fire, causing MJF to climb the cage in disgust, Brabdy spanks his ass with a chair twice and Maximillion drops down to spark her out... however... he gets suckerpunched.

Cody gets the upper hand and climbs the enormous cage, and as he hits the top, there isnt even a SECOND, no hesitation, no fear, no considering... his second foot hits the metal pole top of the cage, and he moonsaults from the top of that fucker onto wardlow and covers him for the 3 count.

Cody celebrates as my man MJF realises that Cody has done it. He refrained from physical contact, he took his 10 lashes in the ring and he defeated Warslow in a cage match... in less than two weeks, MJF takes on his mentor. Cody Rhodes. Max plays this PERFECTLY. he is the Best heel the business has to offer right now. Quick witted, snarky and plays his part 24/7 on his Twitter.

Great show!.... besides the Mox misfire, I think it hit all the bases.

Notes: KEEP BRITT OFF OF MICROPHONES.

Sammy Guevara, you OK bruv? That Superkick was NASTY!

Hangman, Pint?

Nyla, have a mask made... that one off wish does you no favours!

Join Dark Order.

[queenhousetargaryen]

Characters: Lady Laena Velaryon, Queen Rhaena Targaryen, Septa Maegelle Targaryen, Princess Elia Martell, Princess Viserra Targaryen Ships (I am going with HP here): Ron/Hermione, Bill/Fleur, Lily/James, Harry/Luna, Dumbledore/Grindelwald

Tumblr ate my previous answer, so here we go again. *sign* (sorry for taking ages to answer)

Septa Maegelle Targaryen: Maegelle is my baby and no one can tell me she wasn’t the sweetest bean of House Targaryen! She’s one of those tertiary characters that I can’t help but love, even though we know very little about her.  When I first read Fire and Blood, I was hoping she might have been a poetess or composer or hymnographer, sort of like a Westerosi version of Saint Kassia, and it was disappointing that GRRM didn’t seem interested in her character. She’s still fascinating of course, but Westeros needs more female writers whose work don’t entirely revolve around sexual adventures, and I feel Maegelle has a lot of potential in that regard.

Princess Viserra: Viserra was so iconic, she had such chaotic energy and I loved how confident she was in her beauty. It’s a shame she never got to ride a dragon, she would have been so badass. (can’t understand why Alysanne insisted on marrying her a man old enough to be her grandfather, that match would have been such a waste of Viserra’s potential)

Queen Rhaena Targaryen: One of the most vibrant and fleshed-out characters of Fire and Flood, she was a pleasant surprise, since I didn’t expect her to receive so much narrative attention. Her relationship with her friends/lovers and her complex dynamic with Elissa Farman are very intriguing and I’m also very interested in her relationship with her husband Aegon (which I think that, although not romantic, was one her most important relationships in her life)

Lady Laena Velaryon: What’s not to love about a lovely Velaryon lady who’s a dragonrider? I also like that she has a lot of parallels with Queen Rhaenys Targaryen, who is one of my five favourite Targaryens (as anyone who has scrolled through my blog might have noticed lol).

Princess Elia Martell: Unfortunately she ranks last in this, not because I don’t like her, but because she’s too much of a blank slate for me to have to any strong feelings for her (apart from being horrified at her and her children’s fates, she definitely didn’t deserve such a brutal death). I’m hoping GRRM might tells us more about her in future books, so we can have something objective about her in our hands (though hopefully he doesn’t make her be alright with Rhaegar’s nonsense).

Ships

Dumbledore/Grindewald: I’ll be honest, I haven’t watched any of the Fantastic Beasts movies yet, so I’m not sure to what extent the relationship is touched upon, but in the books, their dynamic is one my favourites, given how much I love Dumbledore. I love how flawed and human he can be even if he’s frequently thought of as an omnipotent mentor (especially in the first books). His regrets and mistakes are a big part of the series and it’s interesting to see how his fallout with Gridewald influenced his beliefs and his decisions.

Lily/James: One of my first ships ever, I don’t think I’ll ever be over their deaths (and then jkr killed Remus and Tonks and finished me off, thanks a lot kjr)

Bill/Freur: They seemed so sweet and I loved how devoted Fleur was in the relationship even though she was constantly antagonized by Molly.

Harry/Luna: Haven’t given much thought in them, but some of their interactions are nice.

Ron/Hermione:This might be an unpopular opinion, but i don’t really care fore them. Even as individual characters I never paid them much attention (although I suppose I have some similarities with Hermione).

Thank you!

[itsworn]

2017 ARP/STREET RODDER Road Tour 1957 Chevy

Chevrolet introduced their line of 1957 automobiles in October 1956 and in some ways they were facing an uphill battle in terms of sales. The 1955 and 1956 Chevrolets were tough acts to follow; Ford and Plymouth had introduced entirely new designs and the American economy was struggling. Nonetheless, the sales battle was tight; Chevrolet did outsell Second Place Ford during the calendar year by just over 100 cars, although Ford produced more 1957 models by virtue of a longer production run. But while initial sales figures are most often used to judge the success of a particular automobile’s design, the longevity of its popularity may be an even better indicator of its success. Based on that, the 1957 Chevrolet was a success then and a bona fide automotive icon now.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the 1957 Chevrolet we turned to Chris Sondles at Woody’s Hot Rodz to build a convertible for the 2017 ARP/STREET RODDER Road Tour. Licensed by GM, Woody’s can provide replacement body panels, complete body shells, or turnkey 1955, 1956, or 1957 Chevrolets built with new body stampings from Golden Star Classic Auto Parts, a leading supplier of reproduction body and trim parts.

Our Road Tour ragtop was based on the artwork of the very talented Eric Brockmeyer, it was then up to Woody’s to turn the image into reality. Construction began with the assembly of the Golden Star stampings. We were able to watch as boxes of individual parts were combined to make a new 1957 Chevrolet—no small task, we can assure you.

With the body assembled, it was turned over to Woody’s body and paint department where the shell was covered with PPG’s waterborne Envirobase PPG Nickel Metallic. But as stunning as that color was there was more to come in the form of flames. To set the nose of the Chevy on fire a variety of PPG products were used, including a basecoat of Yella followed by a blended application of Orange Pearl and Oh So Sexy Red. Finally, for the ultimate gloss, the 1957 was covered from its flamed front to its finned tail in PPG’s DC4000 urethane clear. The final touch was the addition of XPEL Protection Film on the front fenders and hood to ward off road rash and make bugs easy to remove.

Given its classic design, other than the grille and some trim, the 1957 body was left original. However, the same can’t be said for what’s under the sheetmetal. There’s nothing original to be found there, as our Chevy rides on a state-of-the-art SPEC Tri-Five chassis from Roadster Shop. Based on custom framerails fabricated from rectangular tubing up front is an in-house-designed independent suspension system with Flaming River rack-and-pinion steering. In the rear are triangulated four-bars locating a Roadster Shop 9-inch axle housing. AFCO coilovers are used fore and aft and Wilwood disc brakes are found all the way around. Rolling stock is a combination of American Legend Racer series wheels; 18×7 front and 18×9 rear wrapped with Falken rubber, FK453 225/40-18 and 265/40/18, respectively.

Providing the ample power to propel our 1957 is a 350ci ZZ6 from presenting sponsor Chevrolet Performance. The 405hp small-block (406 lb-ft of torque) comes with aluminum covers and a matching air cleaner. We opted to replace the carburetor with a FAST EZ EFI 2.0 throttle body with its self-learning computer that also controls ignition timing. Fuel is delivered by an Aeromotive system comprised of a fuel tank with an internal pump, lines, fittings, filter, and regulator, and exhaust is routed away through Doug’s Headers connected to Flowmaster pipes, mufflers, and stainless tips. The finishing touch was the addition of a 12-point stainless ARP Engine & Accessory Kit to match the ARP fasteners used exclusively throughout the car.

Keeping the engine’s temperature under control in all sorts of weather is a radiator, electric fan, and shroud from U.S. Radiator. Connecting the Hughes’s Performance 4L80E to the John’s Industries third member is a driveshaft from Dynotech.

With the body and chassis united it was time to focus on the passenger compartment, but before upholstery panels could be put in place Woody’s had plenty to do. To ensure Road Tour director Jerry Dixey is entertained and comfortable there was a Custom Autosound system and a climate-control package from Vintage Air to install. To keep an eye on all the 1957’s mechanical functions instruments from Dakota Digital were chosen and an American Autowire harness delivers electrical power to all the devices requiring a reliable flow of electrons. Driver controls include Flaming River steering shafts, joints, and column topped by one their waterfall steering wheels. The brake and throttle pedal assemblies are from Lokar, as is the floor-mounted emergency brake lever.

Something that no one seems to notice, probably due to the clarity, is that the glass in our 1957 isn’t glass at all, but rather DOT-approved acrylic from A.M. Hot Rod Glass. Keeping the acrylic windshield clean are wipers from Specialty Power Windows (SPW), and raising and lowering the acrylic side windows are power regulators, also from SPW.

When it was time to stitch the interior the Chevy was delivered to Pete Hagan’s Show Car Interiors. Dynamat and Dynaliner had been applied to the sheetmetal surfaces to effectively insulate and silence the passenger compartment, but other than that Hagan was dealing with an empty shell.

Seating in the 1957 is a combination of Procar by Scat bucket seats for the driver and passenger and fabricated custom bucket seat–style cushions in the rear. Down the center of the passenger compartment is a custom, full-length console that hosts the Lokar shifter and the SPW power window controls and is equipped with a sliding door concealing a pair of cup holders. To finish off the sumptuous accommodations are side panels adorned with polished aluminum trim and Lokar handles. All the upholstered surfaces were covered in red Conneaut Corp Catalina II leather and the dash was painted with PPG’s Pull Me Over Red. Continuing the bright red theme are the same color Daytona weave carpet on the floor and a Hartz Stayfast canvas top overhead.

After paint and upholstery, the final step was attaching the stock trim. Sherm’s Custom Plating chrome plated the original stainless steel trim pieces around the windshield and in the passenger compartment. The remaining chrome and stainless pieces, including bumpers, trim, hood rockets, and trick side mirrors with built-in turn indicators—everything right down to the trick tail fin trim that opens to reveal the gas cap—came from Danchuk’s extensive offerings of 1957 Chevy reproduction parts.

We think our ARP/STREET RODDER Road Tour Chevy is a fitting tribute to the 60th anniversary of the 1957 Chevrolet but we wanted some feedback from someone who had spent time with the car. Jerry Dixey: “After traveling 7,000 miles in less than two months it is obvious that the team at Woody’s Hot Rodz assembled a great package when they built our 1957 Chevrolet convertible. The Roadster Shop chassis is a solid backbone that combines a comfortable ride with race car handling. The Chevrolet ZZ6 turnkey crate motor combines plenty of power with great mileage at the pump. The Wilwood brakes gets things slowed down rapidly when needed. Our Bowtie is a pleasure to drive and turns heads wherever we travel.”

The post 2017 ARP/STREET RODDER Road Tour 1957 Chevy appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network http://www.hotrod.com/articles/2017-arpstreet-rodder-road-tour-1957-chevy/ via IFTTT

[itsworn]

2017 ARP/STREET RODDER Road Tour 1957 Chevy

Chevrolet introduced their line of 1957 automobiles in October 1956 and in some ways they were facing an uphill battle in terms of sales. The 1955 and 1956 Chevrolets were tough acts to follow; Ford and Plymouth had introduced entirely new designs and the American economy was struggling. Nonetheless, the sales battle was tight; Chevrolet did outsell Second Place Ford during the calendar year by just over 100 cars, although Ford produced more 1957 models by virtue of a longer production run. But while initial sales figures are most often used to judge the success of a particular automobile’s design, the longevity of its popularity may be an even better indicator of its success. Based on that, the 1957 Chevrolet was a success then and a bona fide automotive icon now.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the 1957 Chevrolet we turned to Chris Sondles at Woody’s Hot Rodz to build a convertible for the 2017 ARP/STREET RODDER Road Tour. Licensed by GM, Woody’s can provide replacement body panels, complete body shells, or turnkey 1955, 1956, or 1957 Chevrolets built with new body stampings from Golden Star Classic Auto Parts, a leading supplier of reproduction body and trim parts.

Our Road Tour ragtop was based on the artwork of the very talented Eric Brockmeyer, it was then up to Woody’s to turn the image into reality. Construction began with the assembly of the Golden Star stampings. We were able to watch as boxes of individual parts were combined to make a new 1957 Chevrolet—no small task, we can assure you.

With the body assembled, it was turned over to Woody’s body and paint department where the shell was covered with PPG’s waterborne Envirobase PPG Nickel Metallic. But as stunning as that color was there was more to come in the form of flames. To set the nose of the Chevy on fire a variety of PPG products were used, including a basecoat of Yella followed by a blended application of Orange Pearl and Oh So Sexy Red. Finally, for the ultimate gloss, the 1957 was covered from its flamed front to its finned tail in PPG’s DC4000 urethane clear. The final touch was the addition of XPEL Protection Film on the front fenders and hood to ward off road rash and make bugs easy to remove.

Given its classic design, other than the grille and some trim, the 1957 body was left original. However, the same can’t be said for what’s under the sheetmetal. There’s nothing original to be found there, as our Chevy rides on a state-of-the-art SPEC Tri-Five chassis from Roadster Shop. Based on custom framerails fabricated from rectangular tubing up front is an in-house-designed independent suspension system with Flaming River rack-and-pinion steering. In the rear are triangulated four-bars locating a Roadster Shop 9-inch axle housing. AFCO coilovers are used fore and aft and Wilwood disc brakes are found all the way around. Rolling stock is a combination of American Legend Racer series wheels; 18×7 front and 18×9 rear wrapped with Falken rubber, FK453 225/40-18 and 265/40/18, respectively.

Providing the ample power to propel our 1957 is a 350ci ZZ6 from presenting sponsor Chevrolet Performance. The 405hp small-block (406 lb-ft of torque) comes with aluminum covers and a matching air cleaner. We opted to replace the carburetor with a FAST EZ EFI 2.0 throttle body with its self-learning computer that also controls ignition timing. Fuel is delivered by an Aeromotive system comprised of a fuel tank with an internal pump, lines, fittings, filter, and regulator, and exhaust is routed away through Doug’s Headers connected to Flowmaster pipes, mufflers, and stainless tips. The finishing touch was the addition of a 12-point stainless ARP Engine & Accessory Kit to match the ARP fasteners used exclusively throughout the car.

Keeping the engine’s temperature under control in all sorts of weather is a radiator, electric fan, and shroud from U.S. Radiator. Connecting the Hughes’s Performance 4L80E to the John’s Industries third member is a driveshaft from Dynotech.

With the body and chassis united it was time to focus on the passenger compartment, but before upholstery panels could be put in place Woody’s had plenty to do. To ensure Road Tour director Jerry Dixey is entertained and comfortable there was a Custom Autosound system and a climate-control package from Vintage Air to install. To keep an eye on all the 1957’s mechanical functions instruments from Dakota Digital were chosen and an American Autowire harness delivers electrical power to all the devices requiring a reliable flow of electrons. Driver controls include Flaming River steering shafts, joints, and column topped by one their waterfall steering wheels. The brake and throttle pedal assemblies are from Lokar, as is the floor-mounted emergency brake lever.

Something that no one seems to notice, probably due to the clarity, is that the glass in our 1957 isn’t glass at all, but rather DOT-approved acrylic from A.M. Hot Rod Glass. Keeping the acrylic windshield clean are wipers from Specialty Power Windows (SPW), and raising and lowering the acrylic side windows are power regulators, also from SPW.

When it was time to stitch the interior the Chevy was delivered to Pete Hagan’s Show Car Interiors. Dynamat and Dynaliner had been applied to the sheetmetal surfaces to effectively insulate and silence the passenger compartment, but other than that Hagan was dealing with an empty shell.

Seating in the 1957 is a combination of Procar by Scat bucket seats for the driver and passenger and fabricated custom bucket seat–style cushions in the rear. Down the center of the passenger compartment is a custom, full-length console that hosts the Lokar shifter and the SPW power window controls and is equipped with a sliding door concealing a pair of cup holders. To finish off the sumptuous accommodations are side panels adorned with polished aluminum trim and Lokar handles. All the upholstered surfaces were covered in red Conneaut Corp Catalina II leather and the dash was painted with PPG’s Pull Me Over Red. Continuing the bright red theme are the same color Daytona weave carpet on the floor and a Hartz Stayfast canvas top overhead.

After paint and upholstery, the final step was attaching the stock trim. Sherm’s Custom Plating chrome plated the original stainless steel trim pieces around the windshield and in the passenger compartment. The remaining chrome and stainless pieces, including bumpers, trim, hood rockets, and trick side mirrors with built-in turn indicators—everything right down to the trick tail fin trim that opens to reveal the gas cap—came from Danchuk’s extensive offerings of 1957 Chevy reproduction parts.

We think our ARP/STREET RODDER Road Tour Chevy is a fitting tribute to the 60th anniversary of the 1957 Chevrolet but we wanted some feedback from someone who had spent time with the car. Jerry Dixey: “After traveling 7,000 miles in less than two months it is obvious that the team at Woody’s Hot Rodz assembled a great package when they built our 1957 Chevrolet convertible. The Roadster Shop chassis is a solid backbone that combines a comfortable ride with race car handling. The Chevrolet ZZ6 turnkey crate motor combines plenty of power with great mileage at the pump. The Wilwood brakes gets things slowed down rapidly when needed. Our Bowtie is a pleasure to drive and turns heads wherever we travel.”

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