It didn’t run, but I got it running… not good, but running. L.L.: I started on cars when I was 12 or 13 years old, back in 1953.
What came first for you? Building hot rods or rat rods? I can tell by the dead silence that we just need to get down to business. Skillset Staff: Larry, you are old as dirt, but you’re better looking than John. They represent everything that’s missing in our current culture, and that’s why they have earned a spot in Skillset. John and Larry are just two hard-working Americans with a passion to build blue-collar hot rods. They don’t have a TV show, they don’t win car shows and you won’t find them doing daily social media updates. What’s “special” about these two men? Nothing. There is no right or wrong, it’s all heart and soul. These machines are a reflection of your personality as you change, they change. That’s the beauty of the ugliest vehicles on the road.
Well, according to these two, you are never finished. John has been earning his stripes at Larry’s garage for a few years now, and has finally finished his first build.
Finally, Larry gives me the non-verbal “OK” and introduces me to John Redd, his rat rod protégé. He analyzes my mohawk and I start to sweat. We stare each other down for a minute like an old Western. I shake his hand and notice there are bits and pieces missing from his digits and his palms are as rough as elephant skin. This is his sanctuary that very few get to enter. He walks out of his steel building and stares me down. Larry Loehr, an OG gear head, is first to make contact. Potential projects sit scattered on the property, waiting for their turn to get back on the road in all their newfound glory. Our interview brings us to a working garage in the heart of the Arizona desert. Its fast engine and low profile make it “cruise worthy” for a Friday night. It’s sweat and good ol’ American muscle mixed with personality and style. Its rust, dents and imperfections make it unique.
He smiles at the thought of building the engine, reinventing a car that once shone on the roadway, no rules to follow or deadlines to make. Land changes hands, car trends come and go, but one man with a vision sees the rusted metal as a thing of beauty. The frame of an old Model T sits alone in a field, braving the harsh sun and elements for the past 50 years.
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