Muffler Mobiles and the Muffler Shops that Made Them

Meineke Muffler Mobile Art Car

I run into this muffler art car on Jalopnik last night and where there is one muffler car there is another.

This "Muffler mobile" was created by Joe, Scott, and Steve Minghelli, family owners of two Meineke muffler shops in Southern New Jersey. They started out by creating art from used mufflers laying around like muffler men, muffler dogs, muffler waffle irons and then one day got serious and made the Muffler mobile. They started out with a Datsun truck and stripped it down to its frame. Then they rebuilt the frame from exhaust tubing welded to the Datsun and then covered it with sixteen gauge steel panels to create the distinctive muffler shape. I guess if a muffler shop is serious enough about their muffler business to build a muffler art car, then they might be a good shop get your muffler replaced.

So here is the complete set of muffler shops around the country you might want to check out next time your car needs a new muffler. I wonder if these cars need to get smogged every hear?

Kelly's Pimp My Muffler Art Car via

Muffler Hut Pink Muffler Mobile via

Steve's Muffler Mobile via

Keith's Muffler Shop Art Car via

Seeburg Muffler Art Car via

Muffler Art Car via

5 Star Mosaic Muffler Art Car via

Dumpster Driving - Keep your trash and drive it too.

Here is what happens when a dumpster diver takes his trash collections to the next level by making a "Dumpster Driver". A car for people who stock pile trash in the back seat, so they can keep the trash and drive it too. via

Ugly Corvettes or Art Cars in Disguise?

Ugly Corvettes or Art Cars in Disguise that is the question I have for you today. Over at Jalopnik
this Dragon Corvette is considered ugly but here its an art car in "process". Even though it was voted "single worst custom Corvette in history" it will find save haven here with the rest of us who took perfectly good cars and added "personal" touches. While I was out an about I found a few more corvettes that needed to come out of the rain.

Dragon Corvette - Budget Mod Art Car


Painted Corvette Art Car by Buckeye-Front


Painted Corvette by Buckeye Art Car-Side


Rocket Corvette - Super Mod


Red Bull Corvette-Super Mod


Ribbon Corvette - Super Mod


Penny Corvette Art Car

Car Henge Made from Cars

Stonehendge? No no, it’s Carhendge! This cool Stonehendge replica is located in Nebraska (U.S.) and it’s made with cars. Someone had way too much time on their hands, but amazingly, the final result turned out pretty cool.

Russian Flower Power - BWM Ar Car Riddled With Bullets

Russian Bullet Flower Power BMW Art Car


BWM Art Car Bullet Flower

via Jalponik

Russian Flower Power took on new meaning when a Russian artist commissioned some gun enthusiasts to take aim at a BMW 3-Series with riffles and draw pretty flowers with the bullet holes. As you can see by the closeup on the car they missed a bunch of the marks, but it looks like they had a blast. More pictures on English Russia

Bike Fro Art Car

This is what I call a Bike Fro art car, complete set of hair made entirely out of bicycles mounted to the outside of this ford van.

Coffee a Go Go Art Bike - Smitty's percolating coffee psycho

Smitty's percolating coffee psycho is bike ride that's all about the coffee. There is plenty of space for the coffee pot, the mugs and off course the coffee grinds. You never have to go looking for a coffee shop, because the bike is brewing all the time, now I want coffee, only 12 hours until my next cup.

HearseCon 2010 Ad! (A-Team Parody)

Ever owned a Hearse and was rejected from car shows because your ride was way to weird or deadly? Now there is HearseCon 2010 for those of you looking for an alternative event to go to this year. The event will be held June 18th-20th, Englewood Colorado and is described as "Burning Man for People who shower..."

New Car + Vintage Parts + Genius + Steve Heller = Heller on Wheels

I wrote about Steven Heller some time ago when I featured his 1960 Cadillac Fin Attaché Case. He has spent many years building furniture out of vintage cars parts and now his journey heads off in a new direction. Most people who restore old cars stick with old cars, but Steve modifies new cars and adds vintage car parts like fins, grills and other accessories from cars made in the 50's and 60's. Steven has been busy building and receiving awards for his work and is working towards his TV show, Heller on Wheels. His has an amazing passion for what he does and says in his video that he was put on earth to build custom cars and rocket ships. I am looking forward to seing his new creation the Cro-Magnum.

Comming soon - The Cro-Magnum by Steve Heller

via
Take a 2006 Dodge Magnum and add 25 1950's car parts to it and what do you get? The "Cro-Magnum!" It was started in March of 2009 and will be finished in the spring of 2010. It is really cool and will be entered into several of the most important auto shows. This car is featured in the promo and the build will be featured in the season 1 series.

The Marquis Desoto by Steve Heller

via

Winner of the 2009 New York Times Award for Collectible Car of the Year. This started out as a 2004 Mercury Marquis. Steve customized it using 22 1950's car parts and it was later purchased by a collector who lives in California. The car will be in the Grand National Roadster Show this January, 2010 in Pomona, California and will also be at the Sacramento Auto-Rama in February, 2010. It will be featured in season 1 of the show.

HELLer ON WHEELS DOC SERIES PROMO from aaron weisblatt on Vimeo.

reCARstruction Art Car Ball

via

I found this reCARstruction Art Car Ball sculpture created by artist Keny Marshall from the disassembled parts of a 1983 Jeep Grand Wagoneer for the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. Its probably not street legal any more and seating could be very uncomfortable with the part all moved around a bit. The video also shows how it was this art car was reCARstructed.

Swing Set Car Mod - Unsafe at Any Speed

via There, I fixed It

This fantastic Swing Set Car Budget Mod is brought to you by There, I fixed It, a very disturbing photo indeed. Its either a case of not wanting to break down the entire swing set to move it or the kids love to spice things up a bit by swinging while driving. Frankly this swing set is unsafe at any and all speeds.

Cash For Clunkers - Art Car Renaissance???

Cash For Clunkers Art Cars

During the recent government "cash for clunkers" program this country witnessed an art car renaissance within the car dealership community. The program gave birth to the hidden talent that laid dormant within some of our countries finest car sales people. No longer did they just have to blow up balloons first thing every morning or make sure that the standard signage was clean and ready to go. During cash for clunkers a new and innovative signage program was needed so they took to their canvas with gusto to tell the world about it. What we saw was the raw inner creative spirit coming through as public works of art through car painting, car sculpture and even car destruction performance art. I don't know if our country will ever be the same, but I hope this new cash for clunkers art car renaissance will not effect us adversely.




Cash For Clunkers Sculpture



Cash For Clunkers Destruction Performance Art

Art Car Transformed by talented high schoolers - Jeffrey "Hippie" Morris

Carolyn Marcantel sent me this write up about some very talented High Schoolers and their Art Car Project called Jeffrey "Hippie" Morris that they are getting ready for the Houston Art Car Parade May of 2009. The car is not complete but they have done a lot of work so far. It's neat to watch an art car in the process and I am looking forward to seeing the video and the completed pictures of the car. All the best to you all and great job.

The Automotive Collision & Repair students in the Hurst Euless Bedford Independent School District , a suburb of Dallas-Fort Worth in Texas, are in the midst of transforming a 1983 Toyota pick-up into a "boat-extraordinaire" complete with a trailing shark. With an anticipated completion date of sometime in late April, the HEB ISD Art Car will make its debut this May in Houston's Annual Art Car Parade. The truck was donated to the students by the family of the late Jeffrey H. Morris, a local gifted musician and artist whoprematurely lost his life due to cancer on Halloween night, 2008.

The family wanted to do something meaningful with the pick-up that had originally belonged toJeffrey's grandfather. It was full of sentimental value, but otherwise, what do you do with a rusty,worn-thru pickup with over 300,000 miles it? Make it into an Art Car, of course! 

Carolyn Marcantel, a family friend of the Morris family and webmaster for HEB ISD, took the idea to auto collision teacher, Eric Stevens, and from there the dots have not stopped connecting as students, teachers, volunteers, and the business community have rallied around to make this special memorial project a reality. Because there is no budget for "art cars" in district funds, the project has been entirely dependent on donations in the form of metal, paint, vinyl and other supplies. It is also the goal of the newly established HEB ISD Art Car Committee to raise the necessary funds to ensure each student involved in the project be able to make the trip to Houston to participate in the parade. 

The entire four-month process is currently being documented on an HEB ISD district blog, complete with weekly updates and a plethora of photos to follow along as the project takes form. Video footage is also being logged for a documentary that will be produced after the parade. The ultimate theme of the boat will pay tribute to the lifestyle of Jeffrey "Hippie" Morris, to include fishing, guitars, peace signs and lots of psychedelic color.

100 Foot Fire Breathing Mutant Limo Ride - Draka the Dragon

Draka the Dragon Head/Photo by Lisa Nigro

Click image for larger view

Draka the Dragon Panoramic/Photo Lisa Nigro

Draka the Dragon is a 112-ft long, mutant vehicle created by sculptor Lisa Nigro. This is a fire breathing mobile/kinetic sculpture that is built on a truck along with three trailers for the rest of the body. It was originally created back in 2000 at Burning Man in Black Rock Desert, NV, made up mainly of recycles materials and capable of blowing a 50-ft burst of flame. Inside there is a bar, elegant decor, room for music and comfortable seating for approximately 50 -75 people. Sounds like a great limo rental ride for prom night. Lisa was inspired by the book Wicked - The Life & Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire, and his description of a Dragon Clock Tower that roamed from village to village displaying twisted puppet theatre. By the way if you have any video footage of Draka the Dragon in action, please email it to Lisa, she might be featured on Discovery Channel and she wants live footage to be included in the special.

5 Daily Reminders from a Motorcycle Mailbox

When I saw these Motorcycle Mailboxes I thought maybe there was some hidden positive message in them. Life has a way of reminding us valuable lessons and I think if you had one of these Motorcycle Mailboxes you too would be reminded of something positive every day. Here are my 5 daily reminders.

1) Daily reminder that life could be worse.

by -mrh

2) Daily reminder that you are surrounded by beautiful nature.

by Wiking66

3) Daily reminder that bigger is better.


4) Daily reminder that life is short.

more info

5) Daily reminder that when life hands you half a bike, you make a mailbox


Be sure to check out Ugly Mailbox for more mailbox fun.