SSBC pioneered the process of stainless steel sleeving to repair leaking brake calipers, which is where the company's name originated. Currently, SSBC offers an extensive line of performance disc brake conversion and upgrade kits for virtually all popular vehicles on the road today.
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A Peek Behind The Scenes
Chip Foose, the guy who can dream, draw, and bring to fruition some of the most famous vehicles of the last decade and the star of the currently popular TLC series "Overhaulin'," will display a selection of his legendary designs, products, and automobiles in a new exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. "Chip Foose: From Pen to Pavement," opening March 25 and running through November 12, will explore the intricate design process of this master automotive and industrial innovator.
Foose's legacy of designs and accomplishments began at the age of 7 when Foose started helping his father, Sam Foose, a hot rod builder of renown to all of us street rodders, at his project design firm. By age 12, he had painted his first car-a Porsche 356. A chance meeting with famed Tucker designer Alex Tremulus inspired Foose to attend the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Foose later worked with another hot rod legend, Boyd Coddington, until 1998, when he opened his Foose Design company in Huntington Beach, California, selling one of his favorite cars to obtain the seed money. Since then, Foose Design has built award-winning hot rods and some of the most revered vehicle and product designs of the last decade.
Throughout his career, Foose has won numerous awards for his designs, including three of the last five Ridler Awards, the most prestigious all-around honor in hot rodding. The Petersen exhibit will display all three Ridler cars-including the 2002 winner, Grandmaster (1935 Chevrolet Master sedan); the 2003 winner, Stallion (1934 Ford coupe); and last year's champion, Impression (1936 Ford roadster)-that took more than 12,000 hours to fabricate the 4,000-plus intricate parts. Foose has been involved in seven vehicles that have won the prestigious America's Most Beautiful Roadster honor, and the 1999 Shockwave, 2000 0032, and 2006 Impression winners will be on display.
Foose gained national prominence in 2003 with the debut of the popular "Overhaulin'" TV series where his crew pranks an unsuspecting fan into thinking their car has been stolen and then returns to them a fully renovated vehicle in just one week's time. The 1950 Ford coupe that was "overhauled" at the Petersen Automotive Museum in 2004 will be on display, as will Foose's own 1956 Ford truck that turned the tables on Chip and was "overhauled" by his crew and his dad in late 2005.
Foose has been instrumental in designing and building studio vehicles and show cars for such films as "RoboCop" and "Gone in 60 Seconds." The Petersen exhibit will display the taxi Foose designed from Syd Mead's sketch for the futuristic 1982 movie "Blade Runner." Also on display, the NASCAR race car Foose painted for Jeff Gordon that was raced earlier in February 2006, one of the NFL Helmet cars, and the roadster he built for Van Halen's Michael Anthony.
The museum is located at 6060 Wilshire Blvd., (at Fairfax) in Los Angeles. Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday and holiday Mondays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For general museum information, call (323) 930-CARS, or visit www.petersen.org.