Ferrari built their first racing cars by hammering sheet metal over tree-trunks; why should the same principle not apply to Bikers? "Sheet Metal Fabrication Basics" is designed to provide how-to help for fabricators working at home and in small shops. Whether the goal is a hand-made air dam or a one-off air cleaner cover, the project can be done without expensive power tools. With help from fabricators like Rob Roehl, tinman for bike-builders Donnie Smith, the book documents the creation of numerous simple shapes, made mostly with hammer and dolly, hand-operated shirker-stretcher, and various mallets. Some objects are made from more than one piece, thus the book includes a section on welding both aluminum and steel - altogether a unique guide for any biker!

Since the days of Von Dutch, hot rod and motorcycle enthusiasts have used pinstripes both as artwork in its own right, and as a compliment to a flame or graphic paint job. Interest in pinstriping, both how-to and as an art form, continues to grow. The best way to learn something is from the person who does it all day long. Advanced Pinstripe Art presents the work of 12 well-known pinstripe artists. Each chapter presents a start-to-finish project done by one artist. These photo sequences take the viewer from the initial sketch to the finished design. Text explains the why of good pinstriping. Why use a particular brush, a certain paint, an unusual method. Quotes from the artists are plentiful. Advanced Pinstripe Art is designed to duplicate, as much as possible, the experience of spending a day learning first hand how to pinstripe from some of the best artists in the business.

Every hot rod starts with a good chassis, be it a traditional Ford Model T track roadster, a Pro/Street fat-fendered Chevy, or something in between. In this book, the professional builders at SO-CAL bring more than sixty years of experience into play, and show how to build a chassis that will last and do the job.

Choppers don't have to cost thirty thousand dollars. In fact, a chopper built at home can be had for as little as five thousand dollars. The key is the use of a donor bike for most of the components. How to Build a Cheap Chopper documents the construction of four inexpensive choppers with complete start-to-finish photo sequences. Least expensive is the metric chopper, based on a 1970s vintage Japanese four-cylinder engine and transmission installed in a hardtail frame. Don't look for billet accessories or a fancy candy paint job on this one. Next up, price wise, are two bikes built using Buell/Sportster drivetrains. The fact is, a complete used Buell or Sportster can be had for five thou or less. Now you've got more than an engine you have wheels and tires, brakes, hardware, lights, harness, and some sheet metal. Bolt all that stuff to a simple hardtail frame to create an almost-instant chopper. Most lavish, but still cheap by comparison with many of the bikes built today, is a big twin chopper built from carefully chosen aftermarket parts. A RevTech engine and five-speed tranny set in a Rolling Thunder frame. Accessorize from the swap meet and add a simple one-color paint job to create a bike no one needs to be ashamed of.