So I've completely deleted and started this four (4) times now. This isn't the easiest topic to write on and stay verbally original. You've read about Steve Sellers in various magazines like "The Rodders Journal and Garage Magazine. So, instead of trying to type up something that will restate everything these magazines have , I'll talk about Steve from my own PERSONAL perspective and tell you a little bit about what he's making these days. I guess there are some people that read this who may not know who he is, so I guess I will give you the abbreviated version so that you actually know what it is I'm talking about.
(Pictures taken by Jay Watson of Jay Watson Photography)
So who the hell is Steve Sellers, anyway? Some hot rod fabricating master mind? Just some dude with a lot of tattoos? Some alien life-form from the planet Xenon? Or maybe he's just human.... A human with a powerful mind and a steady fabrication hand? I'm leaning towards totally humanoid, actually. Seriously though; who is this guy? Doing a little paraphrasing as well as throwing my own observations in, let's talk about Steve Sellers.
Steve Sellers, was approached at the age of 14 with an opportunity for big and amazing things. Little did he know it would lead him to where he's at now; building hot rods and fabricating like a mad man. At the young age of 34, his hot rod building skills shine through, building everything from sexy custom exhaust systems to bottom up, top shelf hot rods and Kustoms. As mentioned already, his presence has been graced on the pages of several magazines including The Rodders Journal, Garage Magazine and Street Rodder (just to name a few).
Thankful for his journey into hot rodding, it's obvious he has that natural love and passion that comes out in his work. The details, the welds, the lines that flow for miles and tell stories with no ending, the "sure thing" construction of all of his vehicles. This is "the Art of Steve Sellers".
(Since I have not had the privlage of taking pictures of Steve's work, he let me steal some pictures from his collection to post here. )
Steve has built quite an array of cars; hot rods, full bodied customs, and even some race ready vehicles. no matter what it is the work is right and the vehicles are beautiful.
Check out Steve's web page here --> Sellers Equipped. Garage Magazine's website also has a fantastic article about Steve. It features more photography by Jay Watson, but also tells a bit about what Steve Sellers has been through to get to where he is at in life, right now. Read it here --> Sellers is Building a Place for Himself It's a great read!
In addition to building cars from the ground up, he has also been hard at work making some awesome cast aluminum parts that are sure to make your Hot Rod or Custom car unique from the other guy's/gal's around town. Everything from fuel blocks and intake manifolds to wheel and brake accessories. Here's some examples of what he's been up to.
More product pictures are available on his site for you to check out. I will update you as new things come out and will be featuring his products here on my blog for you to check out.
Everyone must be tired of reading by now, but too bad! I'm not done yet! I still haven't even got to the point of what on earth I even started this feature for. I guess I'll get to it then...
As some of you know, I've been building a wacky looking Model A for about the past three years, pretty much continuously. It's required a ton of mental strength as well as making some serious sacrifices in my life. It becomes difficult to do when you don't do it for a living and people often don't understand what the sacrifice is all about. It's more than just building a car, it's about the fabrication of something from start to finish and doing a good job. It's about having a vision and seeing it through. Did you ever just feel like there was just "something you HAD to do"? Something that fate made sure you were going to do one way or another and the time is NOW? Not many people get it and that's okay. I think it's one of those "if you could see inside my head" kind of situations. I guess that pretty much comes with everything related to passionate goals.
So what does that have to do with Steve Sellers, you ask? A lot!
While building a car from the ground up a person tends to be influenced by various aspects and/or details of other builds and builders. I found a lot of what I was looking for in Steve's work. The lines, the quality, and especially the details. After getting to know Steve a little bit I started to realize that there's more to his parts and fabrication than just a "chunk" of metal that looks like the thing he wanted it to be. I think people tend to forget that there's more to just building a car and/or making parts than just a physical outcome for people to see. There literally is blood, sweat and tears. Often there is personal loss and internal conflicts on top of all that. It's like a small personal "war" that a person is/was going through during the fabrication process. The fight to keep the component real and true to what it needs to be in order to look right and work well. Steve's work has reminded me that the outcome of everything we do; rather it be fabricating parts and hot rods or just something like personal day to day goals and/or job; it should all be done to the best of our abilities and in the end it will reflect all that has been poured into it. Knowing this keeps me on track and diverts me from cutting corners. The funny thing is, it also shows me what I'm truly passionate about in life and what I should probably put down and walk away from.
So that's it. That's what I wanted to say to start the new year. Let's just say it's a big "Thank You" to Steve Sellers and all he does. Hopefully some of you can relate and be reminded that it's not just about a journey for the end product it's about the quality of everything we do in life.
Check out Sellers Equipped.
Thanks for reading!
