There’s no better American tradition than when a father and son spend quality time restoring classic cars.

...and Mike & Gary Brown are the best example.

I’ve known Gary for a couple of years. The day we met we were going to crash into each other- literally. I was pulling up to the toll booth in the underground parking, where we work, and Gary tries to cut me off from the side. I roll down my window to give him an earful until I notice his metallic blue ‘69 Mercury Cougar Convertible. I yelled out, “That’s your car?! I didn’t know you had good taste!” and he replies, “Yea, this is one of many that I’ve restored.”

…and right there I knew, we’d be friends (with the exception of him trying to kill me).

Since the age of 4, Gary was tinkering with carburetors’ and other car parts.  By the age of 8 he restored (with the help of Mike) a ’69 Mercury Coupe and at the age of 11 he had already bought and sold his first car- a blue ’69 XR7 Cougar Coupe 390. Obviously, these skills came from a man he looked up to and respected- his father Mike.

I made plans to visit Gary and check out his latest project, a ’69 Mercury Cougar XR7 351. He and Mike had decided to chop up the car to begin restoration, however, due to unforeseen rain we had to reschedule.

When I got to Gary’s house he had a 1987 Mercedes Benz 560sl parked in his driveway. In the garage he had a, candy apple red 1969 Ford Torino Cobra 428cj. A beauty that made me want to take off with it.

After showing me around his garage, his grandmother’s garage (project cars), we decided to take a visit to Mike’s house to check out 2 other cars, a 1969 Mustang Mach 1 Fastback 351 4v and another 1969 Mercury Cougar XR7 Convertible.

When we arrived, there I met  the man with the stoic face yet laid back, funny personality, Mike "Maverick" Brown. Mike by the age of 18 had already known all the tricks of the trade. He sold his first car (a’63 Ford Galaxy) at the age of 16. Mike’s hobby became a full time passion in which he passed down to both his son's, Gary & Jason. When Mike is not with his car club the ‘SoCal Cougar Club, he and Gary spend time finding the next great project. Between these two men they have a total of 11 cars and it’s clear that they know what they are doing. 

Spending my afternoon with these wonderful, smart, passionate people (mom & wife Sharon, brother Jason, Gary and Mike)- I really wanted them to adopt me.

by Ryan Cash

Over the weekend I went to check out the lovely Nicole of ‘NicCoCo Creations’ featuring her lovely designs at ‘Roadkill Ranch’ (blog coming soon) in Fullerton. I got to see another batch of the many adorable designs created by Nicole that were modeled by the lovely pinups, GiGi Marie and Tamera Von Tart.

After hanging with them, I decided to take a shopping trip with my friend Stacy. She was showing me all the greatness Downtown Fullerton has to offer. We visited a couple stores that unfortunately are over priced- being used clothing. Although adorable, the items were a little too much over my budget.

Trying to find the perfect outfits for my trip to VIVA Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend (March 28-31), after our third shop in, finding anything worth spending was becoming frustrating. That is until we came across ‘ModTex.’ What is that you ask?? 

‘ModTex’ is a Buy – Sell – Trade store that offers “Mod Fabrics & Recycled Fashion”. In other words it’s that glorious feeling when you go to a garage sale and find the cutest vintage stuff for a cheap price!

I spoke to store manager, Jason Vrolik, who informed me they have only been in business for 4 months, but from what I could tell, the store is a big hit in the neighborhood and now a favorite of mine. 

In the end my day was filled with laughter, great company, and new adorable outfits to add to my closet. A girl couldn’t ask for more. 

Meeting Founder and President Nasario Bastida, with his lovely wife, Cristina, for the first time was like catching up with an old friend of 25 years. I met the couple at the ‘Sam Torres Empire Show’ and with open arms they greeted and introduced me to other chapters (other blogs to follow soon) of the notorious club the, ‘Uniques- OC.’

It was interesting to see this power couple preparing for an epic event and still have time to sit down and answer a few questions.

Established since 1989, President Nasario and his wife Cristina have dedicated a lot of time and effort to make the ‘Uniques’ a success.

“Noticing LowRiders in movies is what got me motivated. They made me want to be a role model in the community.”

  …and that is exactly what Nasario has become. The ‘Uniques’ make plenty of contributions to the community with toy drives, picnics, and by supporting other community affairs with their attendance.

“Seeing the struggles within the community is what makes me want to help out.”

The passion that is shown allows for greatness to be seen. Being a family man, Nasario, would love for his kids to follow in his footsteps.

“I’d like for my motivation to be passed down to my kids. I want them to acknowledge their roots and what it takes to appreciate hard work.”

With 21 years in the car scene, it’s dedication that allows for Nasario to continue a better road in life.

by Ryan Cash

Being “fashionably late” is something a lot of women hold a high regard to. For females, “looking good” takes a lot. The dress, shoes, undergarments, and the accessories all make a complete look. 

There are moments when I want to dress casual, but still feel girly and a hair accessory by ‘NicCoCo Creations’ always does the trick.

I first met Nicole at a fashion show. Her display caught my curiosity and as I approached to look- Nicole greeted me with the friendliest demeanor. She explained that the bow (I had picked up to look) was crafted with hand selected fabric, bottle caps, and adorned inside was a lovely picture of the “Notorious Bettie Page." I thought it was the simplest, yet adorable accessory to add to my outfit.

This lovely entrepreneur has been in business for about a year and her success took off as soon as she started putting the word out of her adorable inexpensive designs.

Nicole’s passion has made her a well known success with several pin-up models. She has been featured in several photo shoots and has her items for purchase at ‘8 Degrees Jewelry and Accessories’ in Melrose. With a following of 700 “LIKES” on Facebook and 2000 followers on Instagram, it’s clear that Nicole and her adorable creativity will be hitting stores near you.

Facebook: NicCoCoCreations

Twitter: NicCoCoCreation

Instagram: NicCoCoCreations

by Ryan Cash

The ‘Dukes' car club is one of the longest running clubs that tie into Chicano history. In the 1950s the influence of cars was first introduced, but it wasn’t until 1962 that a few neighborhood kids made this influence into a passionate organization. During the years the organization grew and created several chapters throughout Southern California- making their name known.

I remember growing up and hearing of the ‘Dukes- So Cal’ and how they stood out from the rest. I got to meet the men behind the car club at the annual car show held at Point Fermin in San Pedro, CA.

I started the day looking forward to meeting new clubs and by the end of the day, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a charcoal grey 1947 Fleetline and the beauty hypnotized me. This car belonged to The Dukes.

When I first saw the ‘Dukes’, I must admit, it was pretty intimidating; the stoic faces and tattooed covered arms made me feel as though I would be walking into an unfriendly crowd- this was not the case when I approached them.

I first met Jason Fernando Ruelas who stood proudly with his pastel yellow ’38 Buick Special. Not only was he friendly at first approach, but the passion he expressed as a ‘Duke’ made me want to sign up and become a member (obviously it’s not that easy to join). Jason was exposed to the creativity at an early age when his father, the late Fernando Ruelas, had taken the time to show Jason the hard work it took to build pedal cars. It was then that Jason’s talent sparked for classic cars.

“Watching my father work on cars made me want to be hands on” 

...and that is exactly the talent that showed with his favorite car, the ‘ 38 Buick Special.

Jason’s knowledge of auto mechanics helped him with a career as a long shore man mechanic and he wisely advised,

“Get a good education, but if that’s not what you want to do, get a good trade.”

The ‘Dukes So Cal’ are locally and internationally known. With 32 chapters, 2 chapters in Japan, 1 in Australia, and 1 in Sweden, its no wonder the ‘Dukes’ stand out from the rest.

Jesse Gonzalez, an original member since 1976, represented the ‘Dukes’ by showing me his 1950 Chevy Deluxe, “Style Line 4 Door” that wore the “registered design of the ‘Dukes’ hat and cane” on the back of his car. He informed me that his “favorite car is the 2 door ’47 Fleetline”- a classy car for a classy man.

Joe Rodriguez, President of the Riverside chapter, was the character of the bunch. He and his wife, Becky Rodriguez, shared jokes and stories on not only the love they had for cars, but also for each other. Joe has 25 years total in the car scene and 20 of those years are with the ‘Dukes’ and his loyalty stands out with his '41 Chevy Special Deluxe.

“Cars are my life. I always wanted to be a Duke. Not only did it better me in life, but it showed me the true value of family.”

Some car clubs have the potential to be GREATER than the rest and this has been true for the, ‘Dukes- So Cal’.

by Ryan Cash