In 2012 we interviewed legendary hot rod trimmer Sid Chavers for our popular “10 Questions” interview series. Since then, he has continued to amaze us with his extraordinary craftsmanship and willingness to share his knowledge and experience with anyone willing to learn. We reconnected with Sid to see photos of his latest projects, which we shared with The Shop magazine. They combined the photos with our interview for an awesome three-page spread in the November 2016 issue of The Hog Ring.

2016 America's Most Beautiful Roaster Deuce Highboy has Old-Time Looks and Hot Rod Punch

Why Color Matters

Some of the best advice a father can give to his son is the phrase: When you want to learn how to do something correctly, watch a professional do it. The "right way" is nothing that can be taught by reading a technical book or even watching a YouTube video, but rather hands-on immersion and a learn-by-doing mentality.

Final reassembly of the car took about a year and a half, and then it arrived at Elegance Auto Interiors—where Lopez works his magic—for upholstery. But it's not just any upholstery; a pair of Lexus SC400 power buckets combine with a custom rear seat, custom panels with concealed audio system, and a custom console. The chrome dash accent moldings were handcrafted by Lil Louie in San Bernardino. The seats and panels were covered by Lopez and his team in Espresso and Light Mocha Italian leather with Mandarin accents, and the German Loop carpet's Coffee color is as intended.

Gray Baskerville accurately described Dennis Varni as "a hot rodder's hot rodder." Since buying a '31 Model A as a teenager in the late '50s, Dennis doesn't seem to have slowed down ever. He has amassed a phenomenal stable of collector cars, trucks, vintage race cars, and motorcycles of practically every type, including the '29 Model A roadster built by Boyd Coddington that was named America's Most Beautiful Roadster in 1992.

The Family Plan - Premium Rod of the month - It is safe to say Roy Brizio Street Rods in South San Francisco, California, has not only found the formula for building fantastic street rods, but they've perfected it. Decades of experience will do that, as does having a dedicated team of builders and go-to guys who not only work well together (some of Brizio's team have been on the job for more than 20 years), but really are the best in their respective fields.
Over the last few decades, Sid Chavers' name has become synonymous with first-rate hot rod upholstery. His custom interiors and tops are impeccably crafted, and he estimates he's upholstered over 700 hot rods in nearly 40 years in business. In 2000, he and partner George Atkins found a way to incorporate that craftsmanship in a production, mail order collapsible roadster top. The BopTop has a good looking traditional hot rod profile, can be installed or removed in a matter of minutes, and disassembles to fit compactly in the trunk with room to spare.
"MR. OCTOBER is at it again. Reggie is known for collecting vintage muscle cars. This time Reggie wanted a car built representing one that would have been competing on the drag strip back in the early to mid 60’s. These were the days of the gasser wars. Names like Stones, Woods and Cook, K.S. Pittman, Big John Mazmanian, Ohio George Montgomery and so many more terrorized drag strips from coast to coast."
When it comes to stitching an interior, traditional or otherwise, Sid Chavers is one of the best-known names in the business. He has upholstered more award-winning, high-profile feature cars than we can count, and he's also the man behind the Bop Top that so many roadster owners have come to know and love. So, we looked to Sid when it came time for an interior in the Road Tour coupe, confident the results would be spectacular.