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News And Updates On The 1954 Rod & Custom Pontiac Chieftain
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Want To See The "Gambler" In Person "Updated 1/19/2012Post Date 1/19/2012, Author: Brian LutzAs time progresses over the coming months leading up to the NorthEast Rod and Custom Nationals, we will constantly keep this page updated with locations where you will be able to see the car, and get your raffle tickets. The Gambler Appearance Schedule: * * February 18-19th Motorama in Harrisburg, PA * * March 2-4th Cavalcade of Cars in Hamburg, NY * * March 23-25th NorthEast Rod and Custom Nationals. On Sunday, March 25th, the winning ticket will be drawn!! Unfortunately, the car will NOT be seen at any other locations prior to the winning ticket being drawn on March 25th. Our intention, for the car's sponsors, was to show the car at numerous other indoor car shows, but that is not possible. CASI (Championship Auto Shows Inc.) owns many World of Wheels and Cavalcade of Customs events across the country and CASI management has BANNED the car from appearing at any of their events (even in a supporting sponsor's booth). We do apologize to all the great companies that have supported the build to raise money for our military and their families, but our schedule has been "disrupted" by this unfathomable decision by CASI. As other dates and locations are determined, we will keep everyone updated.
The Gambler Gets Dyno Tuned Up At Injection ConnectionPost Date 2/11/2012, Author: Brian Lutz As anyone in to cars knows, when you add a poweradder to a motor, it needs to get tuned. After the custom installation of the P1SC1 Procharger by Street Vizions, we needed to get the car tuned properly. Dale Cherry and the guys at Injection Connection would be the only right choice for this. We talked with Dale about getting the 2006 GTO drivetrain dialed in so that the new owner would be able to enjoy the car once they take possession. We dropped the car off in their capable hands on February 4th to let him work his magic. We were not disappointed!!! Over the course of the next week, Dale installed new injectors so the fuel delivery would be correct for the added horsepower. Once they were in, it was on to the computer to tune it for the Procharger. Check out the video of the car on the dyno... Not to shabby for a 5,000 lb car that runs a completely stock LS2!! If we had installed a slightly larger cam and a set of headers, those items could have netted an additional 50+ horsepower! Now, keep in mind, those number are at the rear wheels, which means the motor is pushing about 600 horsepower at the motor!!! A special thanks goes out to Dale and all the guys at Injection Connection for getting The Gambler dialed in!! There is still time to get your raffle tickets as well. Mail in entries can be done until March 15, 2012 "Download The PDF Raffle Car Ticket Purchase Application Here" and after that, only at the show on March 23rd through March 25th. Don't miss out on owning truly spectacular car!!!
The Gambler Hits Street Rodder Magazine March Edition 2012Post Date 1/9/2012, Author: Brian Lutz As has been posted in prior news feeds, we made a trip to LA prior to the 2011 SEMA show for a full photo shoot for Street Rodder Magazine. Well, the results of that shoot as well as a full article is now out!! There are quite a few people to thank for such a great shoot and article, but the two main people are Randy L. who did all the superb photos and Chuck V. who did a great write up on the car. The Gambler appears not only on the cover under "Win This Car" but also on the inside "Table Of Contents" in a double truck spread showing the stunning side view of this awesome machine and again as a "Featured Car" inside the magazines many pages of great hot rods and custom cars. What's even better, the winner of the car will now be able to state that the car was a feature vehicle in Street Rodder magazine!! If you haven't yet, make sure to visit your local news stand and pick up a copy, subscribe online here at Street Rodder Magazine and while you're at it, show some support of all the people and companies involved on the build up of this great ride. There is still time to get your raffle tickets as well. Mail in entries can be done until March 15, 2012 "Download The PDF Raffle Car Ticket Purchase Application Here" and after that, only at the show on March 23rd through March 25th. Don't miss out on owning truly spectacular car!!!
The Gambler Heads to The 22nd Annual East Coast Indoor Nationals, Timonium, MarylandPost Date 12/12/2011, Author: Brian LutzThe first weekend in December is well known as the beginning of the indoor show season in the north east. The 22nd Annual East Coast Indoor Nationals in Timonium, Maryland draws close to 300 cars each year from all areas. This year was no different and was a great setting to get the car in to show form to compete for some awards for the season. An attendance of approx. 7000 people headed to the show to see the great rides. Thanks to the show promoters, we were able to promote the raffle of the car during the weekend. Even our interior specialist, Gil from Gillin Custom Design made the trip down from New York to hang with us for the weekend. We ran in to old friends Chuck Vranas, known for his work in Street Rodder Magazine, and Big Al Liebmann from Hot Rod Hotline. Well, we can tell you that the car was very well received!! The biggest compliments that we heard were the craftsmanship of the build by Back Bay Customs and the spectacular interior from Gillin Custom Design. After spending three days in Maryland for the show, it was time to head back to Pennsylvania, but not before collecting a Top 75 award at the show. The car now is getting some minor things done in preparation for our next outing, the World of Wheels in Cincinnati, OH on January 13-15, 2012. Remember, you have until March 15, 2012 to mail in for your raffle tickets, and then they can only be purchased in person at the show on March 23-25, 2012. There are only 5000 tickets printed, so you odds of winning are pretty good, so don't delay!!
The Gambler Raffle Car Debuts At Sema Show Las VegasPost Date 11/14/2011, Author: Brian Lutz Well, our trip to the west coast with The Gambler was a huge success!! The show staff headed west with the car on October 23rd. Our first stop was in El Segunda, CA for a 2 day photoshoot for Street Rodder Magazine on October 26th. Randy, Jorge, and everyone at Source Interlink was very hospitable during our 2 days there. From what we understand, the car will be featured in an upcoming issue of the magazine. We even sold some raffle tickets during this 4 day trek!!On October 28th, we pulled in to Las Vegas, NV to start preperations for the annual SEMA show. While we did not have to be in place until October 30th, it gave our staff some time to recoup from the trip. We headed over to the Strip at Las Vegas to watch some drag racing. On the 30th, it was time to head to the Las Vegas Convention Center to get things set up for SEMA. The car was one of 9 cars out of close to 600 feature cars to be selected to be a part of the Meguiar's Car Crazy TV stage. This area is centrally located outside the convention center and also one of the main attractions outside due to the fact that this is where they film Car Crazy TV with Barry Meguiar.  Once the car was in place for the week, we were able to just watch the traffic that the car was generating, and it was BIG! On Wednesday, November 2nd, the car was pulled up on the stage and project leader, Brian Lutz from Full House Motorsports LLC, was interviewed about the car. This whole interview will be on a future episode of Car Crazy TV on Speed Channel. On Friday, November 4th, we sat down with our good friend Dennis Pittsenberger from Hot Rod Magazine Live for a live interview to chat about the car! SEMA was also very good in promotion of the car and also getting the word out there about the meaning behind the build. We also picked up another sponsor of the car, Covercraft came on board and is doing a full custom car cover for the car. Many of the build sponsors also came by to see the car for the first time!! Jason Rushforth from Rushforth Wheels, representatives from ProCharger, Chris from PYPES, and many more.  On a final note, we would like to thank all of our sponsors!! Without some last minute "scrambling" from people like ATI Procharger, Derek from Street Visions, Gil from Gillin Custom Design, Jason from Rushforth Wheels, Chris from PYPES, and others.... we never would have made our deadline of debuting the car at this year's SEMA show.If you have a need for anything for your car, please make sure to visit the great companies that have supported us in our bid to raise money for our military thru Operation Homefront. The Gambler Appearance Schedule: * November 27, 2011 .... the WMGK tailgater party at the Hilton near Lincoln Financial Field just prior to the Eagles home game. The car will be on display from 1-4 pm. (weather permitting) * December 3rd & 4th .... the car will be on display at the 22nd Annual East Coast Indoor Nationals in Timonium, MD. * December 18th - the WMGK tailgater party at the Hilton near Lincoln Financial Field just prior to the Eagles home game. The car will be on display from 1-4 pm. (weather permitting)
What's With The Name, The Gambler?Post Date 10/4/2011, Author: Brian LutzIt's like the old adage, what's in a name. Just like the project leader and the producer of the NorthEast Rod and Custom Nationals, Full House Motorsports LLC also has meaning behind its name (but you can read about that on their page!). The Gambler name came about when the decision was made to build the car back in 2010. As many project vehicles are named for certain reasons, so was this one. When the decision to build this car was made, it was a gamble for all those involved because of the scope of the build. It would require many different companies and decisions to get completed in time to debut in front of the largest automotive audience?the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas. So, because of this "gamble", the car was nicknamed "The Gambler".
Our Charity, Operation Homefront:Post Date 10/4/2011, Author: Brian Lutz If you haven't visited Operation Homefront's websites (there are many chapters throughout the states), make sure you do. This charity is incredible in what they do for our wounded warriors and their families. One of the main reasons that we chose this charity over others was what they do, and how much they do for our service men and women. Can you imagine, coming home after months away supporting our freedom, to find out that you are being evicted for back rent, or maybe you fell behind on your electric bill, or you just need help putting food on the table....That's what Operation Homefront does!They provide emergency assistance for those that need it. Our military suffer enough with post enlistment trouble!! The best part about this charity is that for every dollar that comes in, they donate out 92-95% percent to those that need help!! That's an incredible number! They are also a four star rated charity. For only $20, you can enter for your chance to own this incredible car, but also by doing so, you are helping to support our military that need it.
More Specifics On The Dream Car Raffle Build 54 Pontiac ChieftainPost Date 10/4/2011, Author: Brian Lutz On this update, let's get in to more depth about the build itself. Like we said prior, we actually started with a 53 Chieftain. The reason we chose this car is that it was something completely different. Actually, when was the last time you saw a Chieftain at a show, let alone modified to this extent? Anyway, since the 53 was too far gone in the rust department, the donor 54 was the basis for the build. At first, a complete new chassis was to be built, but when Back Bay Customs was brought on board, they suggested combining the 54 with an 06 GTO. Since they've done this before, grafting old iron with newer mechanicals, we let them have the ball to roll with it.This is actually a very complex build since the GTO is a bit shorter, and all modern. First, each car had the body cut off of the floor pans. From there, many custom touches had to be hand fabricated to graft the 54 body on to the chassis of the GTO. The body itself was even channeled lower over the frame to give it a much better ride and stance without the use of an air ride suspension. The roof was chopped 3 inches, and the hood was pancaked 2 inches to give the car a more sleek look. The rear fins were extended by 7 inches and the 53 grille assembly was modified to fit on the 54 body. Even the 53 hood emblem was salvaged and grafted on to the 54 hood trim! The body modifications are VERY extensive on this car!!  Modern LS2 power plant, Tremec 6 speed trans, independent rear suspension, anti-lock brakes, air conditioning, and so much more adorn this incredible car!!The stereo system is this car will THUMP!! Serious about Sound put together a terrific custom system for this car consisting of 2 12" sub woofers in the trunk, 2 separate amps, components within the car, but still keeping the factory head unit. With the uniqueness of this vehicle, the boxes to house the custom system in the trunk posed many challenges. Most custom systems of this nature are fairly easy with design and execution, however, with combining the old skin with the modern underneath, nothing was "easy". The final product though, is nothing short of artwork considering the time restraints and design challenges!!  Moving on to the interior, Gillin Custom Design was able to start with a blank slate! Some would say that this is the easy part, but we beg to differ. When you combine 2 cars, there are certain "fitment" issues that you run in to. To keep you comfortable while enjoying this car, the decision was made to keep the factory seats.Well, for the front seats, that was too hard, but the back seats had to be shortened and modified to fit in to the shortened body of the 54. Along with that, the seats are a little narrower than what the factory made back in 54, so new pieces had to be made to make up for this "gap". When you are dealing with a full custom interior, that also means fabricating new door panels, kick panels, headliner, and so much more!! Gillin Custom Design also had to do the finishing work to the sound system that Serious about Sound installed. All in all, this is one incredible custom interior!!  Some of the other things that people may or may not see are things such as the full custom PYPES exhaust system that gives this car just the right sound heading down the road.Then there are the custom Rushforth Wheels to give the car just the right look. Speaking of "heading down the road", how about the addition of a ATI Procharger to give the car just a little more horsepower that the factory left on the table?!? A fully polished unit was installed by the pros at Injection Connection so that the car performs as it should. We could go on and on about the changes, modifications, and so much more, but with all of these incredible companies on board, the car is a rolling billboard for all the companies involved. Be sure to thank our supporters, and should you have a need, please support them by getting your products from them. Until next time... Brain Lutz Photos Courtesy Of Gillin Custom Design, Rick Oertel, Tara Smagalski Oertel, Brian Lutz, Jean Lutz, Deborah Hamilton and Lonny Hamilton.
Why Build This 54 Pontiac Chieftain Custom Street Rod?Post Date 10/3/2011, Author: Brian Lutz Well, we get this asked a decent amount, "Why build this car?". The easiest answer to this question is, "Why not?". The company behind the NorthEast Rod and Custom Nationals, Full House Motorsports LLC, is proud to do things that benefit those less fortunate. In March of 2011, our main charity was the MS Foundation. This year, we stepped things up by having this car built to benefit our military thru Operation Homefront.Now, a little history lesson'. This build was actually conceived back in the latter half of 2010. Unfortunately, we had a falling out with the original company that was to do the build. Fast forward to March 2011.. Back Bay Customs was one of the show sponsors, and we already had a good relationship with them. We sat down to discuss the possibility of them doing the build. Shortly after the discussion, a deal was struck, and by mid April, the 53 Pontiac Chieftain was delivered to their shop in Portland, Maine. A short time later, we received a phone call stating that the 53 was in too bad a shape to continue, so a suitable donor car was to be found.  A 54 model was located in Maryland a short time later. Although Back Bay Customs was under the gun now since so much build time was lost to having to find this new car, everyone felt that it could still be accomplished. The grafting of a 54 body on to the undercarriage of an 06 GTO is no small feat!! Along with the 3 inch chopped top, the 2 inch pancaked hood, and so much more...they were able to complete the car in just 4 months!!!In late September, we made our way to Maine to pick the car up so that it could be delivered to Serious about Sound for the full custom sound system. Well, we dropped the car off on a Thursday morning, and they were able to complete it in just 4 short days!! With a full Massive audio sound system in place, it was time to head for interior. On Monday, September 26th, we made the trip to NY to visit our friend Gil at Gillin Custom Design. Both Serious about Sound and Gillin Custom Design have been on board for the build since the beginning back in 2010, but now was their turn to show their craftsmanship! The 54 was delivered to his shop with absolutely nothing in the interior save for the dash. The one hard part about our schedule now was time, and it was fighting us.  With a scheduled appointment on the west coast on October 26th, everyone was feeling the pressure!! With our deadlines looming, Gil reassured us that we could pick the car up on October 10th to get to our next destination. Seeing Gil's work over the years, we knew he could accomplish a full tilt custom interior that would "wow" the crowds in the time required. Since we have one week to go, and we've only seen progress shots, we can't wait to see the finished product!!Next up on the travels is to Injection Connection in PA on October 11th to get the ATI Procharger installed and get the car tuned. Along the way, we are waiting patiently for the wheels to be finished from Rushforth Wheels. Since the car has been seen slightly in its progress form, the response has been overwhelming!!! To conclude, make sure you visit all of our supporters and sponsors of the build, because without their help, this car would not exist in the form that it is. We will be hitting a couple of local events in PA before we make our way to the west coast prior to the car being displayed at the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas. Once the car returns, we will then start to travel the indoor show circuit. Stay tuned to this page over the coming months for pictures, updates on the build, and for a schedule of where the car can be seen in person. And remember, to get your raffle tickets for only $20 each, print the form on the main raffle car page, send an email to necarshow@comcast.net, call 215-896-2923, or visit us where the car will be displayed over the coming months. Only a limited amount of tickets will be sold and all the proceeds benefit our military thru Operation Homefront!! Until next time... Brain Lutz See The Images Below In Slideshow Mode Courtesy Of "The Gambler" Fans Gillin Custom Design, Rick Oertel, Tara Smagalski Oertel, Brian Lutz, Jean Lutz, Deborah Hamilton and Lonny Hamilton.
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The NorthEast Cup And The "Elite 6"The NorthEast Rod and Custom Nationals is pleased to announce the single most spectacular competition within the indoor car show circuit on the East Coast!!! This award also carries the LARGEST payout on the East Coast!!! The NorthEast Cup is a competition within a competition!! The NorthEast Cup and the "Elite 6" are for those cars shown and registered for our Show Class. The cars that are eligible in our Show Class are those that are being shown for the first time with our show. In addition to the standard judging guidelines, these cars will also be judged on creativity, engineering, workmanship, and "appeal". Read More Here About The Northeast Car Show Nationals Elite 6 Cup Competition |
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