But that’s not the ball point of this post – its about finding vintage pens to use, to show your ‘colors’, to enjoy using each time you handle it… more than any new Pilot or Parker. I guarantee if you pull an old gas or oil company advertising pen out to sign that VISA slip, you’ll get a comment.

Ink dried out? – refills are available.

Check it out: Steve McQueen’s favorite pen.

Jack-in-the-Box was hardly the first to make an antenna ball… Union 76 was. In 1967, they began the marketing tool and by the late 60s had produced 350,000. They have gone through many design changes and remain a popular icon of America’s love for the automobile.

There are as many steering wheels as there are car makes and models. You can either fit a vintage or an aftermarket wheel onto the steering column with the help of an adapter.

With my truck, I’m going with a 17inch, 4-spoke sprint car wheel. This isn’t mine in the pic, but you get the idea.

Brands of this style include Bell, Halibrand and Schroeder.

I mulled over using a Trans Am/Firebird Formula, a 50s Ford Deluxe type – they also make a 15″ retro version – and aftermarket Nardi and Grant models.

I’ll be posting the ‘runner-up’ wheels in future posts.

But sitting down with a printed magazine is still a joy. There are periodicals out there dedicated to Hot Rods and Customs, many have been in publications for decades.

Some of the 1950 and 1960 issues of Hot Rod yield amazing design cues that are timeless. Of the newer rags, my personal favorites are Ol’ Skool Rodz and Rat Rod. Both blends cars, news, and Bettys (in this politically correct world) in a balanced, yet irreverent, form.

To name a favorite classic wheel would be like trying to pick a best movie or cutest girl on the beach. I have at least a dozen contenders and half of that are equally admired.

Form follows function, they say, so the wheel/car fit has to do with the intended use or perceived style. My mind-set lately are the cruise nites of my youth when  we paraded up and down main street an showed off.

For this I see ‘generic’ 5-slot sprint car aluminum mags, often referred to as Ansen wheels. Wrap ‘em with some Uniroyal Tiger Paws, iconic basic drivers, and I’m nostalgic for a summer ride.

Dagger dipstick handle: I first saw one of these when visiting a friend with a 60′s Chevy short-bed, the hood was open, and he was tweaking it to fit his oil dipstick. He had found it rummaging through a box of parts at a mechanic’s shop, while looking for something else.

They also sell handles in the form of a Madonna, but this is the best design – in my not so humble opinion.

En Garde!

Lately, I have been buying vintage cans with my favorite logos that are 1/2 to totally full of grease. We’re talk’n Kendall (two fingers), Pennzoil yellow, Quaker State, Mobil (pegasus), Sunoco.

I figure the old grease is gotta be as good as new grease, and the cans look great in the shop. Cost is basically the same same (okay, a bit more) and I refill the cans with my said stock.

What’s your flavor – Champion, AC, Bosch, NGK?

If you’re in your mid-50s, as me, maybe you wore a tiki necklace to keep the dream alive. I sort no jewelry these days but I do have a dash hulu girl – more on that later.

* Search auction sites for Coco Joe’s or ‘vintage tiki statues/figures’. The resin ones work nice for drilling & threading.

And you better take the ol’ lady out for drinks at a Trader Vic’s for inspiration.

What’s a hot car without decals? Whether you choose the quarter panel or rear window, ya gotta stick one somewhere. This is the first of a zillion stickers which I will profile in the future.

There are so many classic stickers to choose from. Generally it harks from one that has a special meaning for you. Mr. Horsepower works for me.

You might have seen it only a zillion times. Its the logo of Clay Smith Cams, an auto shop established in 1931. A cigar chomping Woody Woodpecker type with attitude.

Timely too. With the recent passing of 11/11/11, Nigel Tufnel Day, its fitting to mention that he has a Mr. H on his guitar.

Not to be confused with the Thrush bird, another righteous logo.

OK, that’s 1 zillion minus 2.