Hot Rods & Hijinks Episode One: Chris Spalding on SoCal Lowriders, Hot Rods, and Custom Car Culture | Podcast on RSS.com

Hot Rods & Hijinks Episode One: Chris Spalding on SoCal Lowriders, Hot Rods, and Custom Car Culture

Hot Rods & Hijinks Episode One: Chris Spalding on SoCal Lowriders, Hot Rods, and Custom Car Culture

by Hotrods & Hijinks

Automotive Hobbies

Season 1

Chats and Greene County Real Estate Update w/ Tom Willett (Greeneville & Co.) | Hot Rods & Hijinks

At LilyJack Customs in downtown Greeneville, the Hot Rods & Hijinks podcast welcomes Tom Willett of TRC Logistics and Greeneville & Co. Realty to talk about growing up across Greene County and how that local knowledge helps in real estate. Willett explains why Chuckey is currently the county’s most desirable area, discusses land and home pricing differences by location, and shares market numbers showing active listings are flat year-over-year while land listings are down. He describes his approach to pricing, flipping vs. rehabbing and renting, FHA anti-flip rules, and how barndominiums and newer manufactured homes compare to stick-built houses. The group also discusses out-of-town buyers (many from Florida), local growth, zoning and development challenges, affordable housing, tiny homes/containers, and frustrations with Zillow estimates and panhandling.

From Minivan Mods to NOPI Nationals: Mike Cooper’s Wild Car Scene Stories & the On the Stax Journey

From Minivan Mods to NOPI Nationals: Mike Cooper’s Wild Car Scene Stories & the On the Stax Journey Mike Cooper, owner of On the Stax, joins the podcast to reminisce about early-2000s East Tennessee car culture, car clubs, and cruising scenes, from minivan and mini-truck mods to imports, big wheels, and air ride. He recounts building a heavily modified Mazda 5 daily driver with air ride, carbon fiber parts, an elaborate Sound Decision stereo setup with many TVs, and the costs and tire wear that eventually led him to trade it in after winning at NOPI Nationals, where class winners had to make major changes to return. The group swaps stories about major shows like Slammed Enough and Lebanon, discusses how trends evolve (including electric cars and new engine tech), and shares Mike’s infamous Gatlinburg arrests tied to car-show antics. Mike also explains how he quit drinking, found Friday Night Magic, and opened On the Stax nearly four years ago as a Pokémon/Magic buy-sell-trade tabletop shop serving mostly adults, with Pokémon demand driving big business.

Dale Kyker: 46 Years in the Car Business, Oldsmobile Stories, Netflix's Swap Shop Behind the Scenes & Building Guy Fieri’s Camaro Clone

Recording at LilyJack Customs in downtown Greeneville, the Hot Rods and Hijinks podcast welcomes Dale Kyker of Kyker's Extreme Automotive, a 46-year veteran of the car business and cast member of Netflix’s Swap Shop. Dale discusses the ’84 Oldsmobile 98 Regency he drove in (27,000 miles, first time in rain), his farm upbringing and work ethic, and how he started at Captain D’s and then with Kent Bewley in tobacco warehouses before rising from detail rack to technician and becoming the youngest service manager in the Atlanta zone. He shares memories of Oldsmobile history, 1980s tech and emissions quirks, diesel engine failures, and shop-rate changes, plus launching his own shop, running multiple dealerships, and the realities of TV production. Dale also describes building a highly accurate Guy Fieri Camaro clone for a Myrtle Beach Flavortown restaurant and highlights upcoming Greene County Fair events.

Hot Rods & Hijinks: LilyJack Shop Updates, Car Shows & the “Man Horse” Prank

In this episode of Hot Rods and Hijinks at LillyJack Customs in downtown Greeneville, Tennessee, Reed and Tommy Bennett sit down to talk shop updates, recent events, and small-town mischief. They recap hosting an NSRA shop tour, a pre-party with The Vertical Birds, and a downtown car show with about 400 cars, with plans to do it again in October and hopes for a future soapbox derby return. Reed shares what’s happening in the shop—staffing, parts delays, and projects including a flamethrower truck nearing completion, a Lincoln transmission, multiple Camaros, Jeeps, a CJ light restoration, and a big dually build with semi wheels that needs a name. The conversation drifts into food stories, local happenings, cruises, and pranks, highlighted by the “man horse” rooftop statue story and a movie-theater call that led to a shutdown for deep cleaning.

Pinups, Custom Cars & Army Stories | Hot Rods and Hijinks Podcast (Cody & Cassie Richards)

On the Hot Rods and Hijinks podcast at Lily Jack Customs in downtown Greeneville, hosts welcome Army veterans Cody and Cassie Richards from Statesville, NC. They share how they met in the Army as heavy equipment engineers, Cody’s Afghanistan deployment shortly after their daughter Chloe was born, and why it influenced Cassie to leave the Army. Cassie discusses her pin-up journey, international magazine features, and leading Pinups With Purpose to support charities, emphasizing inclusivity and community. She also talks about publishing two children’s books—The Kindness Effect and Izzy and the Grape-Eating Dragon—available on Amazon. Cody dives into their builds including a ’30 Model A and a custom ’53 DeSoto with detailed modifications, plus their daughter’s Studebaker project. They also cover valve cover racing, work stories, upcoming travel, and future show plans.

Fair Enuf Car Show Returns: Chris Hook Fillers on Community, & Car Culture

On Hot Rods and Hijinks, the hosts talk with Chris "Hook "Fillers about the Fair Enuf car show, why he started it to create a place for friends and families to hang out, and how Greeneville/Greene County’s vehicle culture is resurging. Chris explains how the show began with help from Justin Wyatt and support from sponsors and local leaders, and how it’s grown into an inclusive event welcoming mini trucks, lifted trucks, hot rods, classics, tuners, bicycles, motorcycles, and more. For year four, Fair Enough expands to two days (Friday and Saturday) and adds a Friday “Night Shift” cruise and street takeover downtown by The Gentry with a band and food. He shares how he got hooked on the scene through Toby Brown and discusses the importance of camaraderie, cross-show support, and creating lasting memories for kids. Fair Enough is September 25–26; info and tickets are at fairenuf.com and on social media.

Katrina Serene Photography on Weddings, Seniors, Travel Shoots & Classic Cars

Katrina Serene Photography on Weddings, Seniors, Travel Shoots & Classic Cars | Hot Rods and Hijinks Recorded at LillyJack Customs in downtown Greeneville, Tennessee, the Hot Rods and Hijinks podcast welcomes photographer Katrina Morlen of Katrina Serene Photography as the show’s first female guest. Katrina shares how she started photography in high school, turned her first paid senior session into a full-time career after being unexpectedly fired, and has now worked full time for about 15+ years. The group discusses busy seasons (prom, seniors, fall and Christmas), mini sessions, client privacy, and how she focuses on photographing people and emotion. Katrina recounts travel goals that led to shoots in New Mexico, Hawaii, and Jamaica, and talks about her automotive background, her mom’s long auto-parts career, and restoring her mom’s 1967 GTO after it sat for decades. She closes by encouraging others to chase business ideas.

Greeneville’s Car-Dealer History, City Garage Car Museum & a One-Time Meeting with Enzo Ferrari

This Hot Rods & Hijinks episode features Kent Bewley, longtime Greeneville-area car man and owner/curator of the City Garage Car Museum (210 S Main St, Greeneville, TN). He recounts his family’s dealership roots starting in 1937 with Packard, adding Pontiac and Cadillac, later moving into Chevrolet and other franchises, and his own career working every job on the lot while selling 10,000+ cars. The conversation traces Greeneville’s automotive and tobacco-era economy, local dealership history, and memorable characters and stories, including Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Firestone passing through town, John Bohannon’s engineering feats, and a poker anecdote involving Charlie Hendrickson and JFK. Kent discusses Oldsmobile’s boom years, corporate missteps like early GM diesels, cars he regrets selling, and a story about Phil Bachman’s brief meeting with Enzo Ferrari.

Hot Rods & Hijinks: Reed Lane & Tommy Bennett’s Background, Builds, and Upcoming Car Shows

Reed Lane and Tommy Bennett introduce the Hot Rods and Hijinks podcast from LillyJack Custom Shop in downtown Greeneville, Tennessee, sharing how they got into cars and why they’re still in it. Tommy recounts his 36-year career starting with car audio, detailing, and window tinting—learning precision work through a master collector—plus unusual tint jobs like an outhouse and historic sites, and discusses his long-term Volkswagen passion and current 1959 Beetle build with patina. Reed explains Lilly Jack Customs’ focus on mechanical, fabrication, and electrical work, their crew’s versatility, and projects like bagged chassis builds and Crown Vic front-end swaps. They preview upcoming events including Still Runs in Albemarle, NC and Greeneville’s Sundown on Depot charity show with new activities like a soapbox derby and valve cover races, and invite listeners to follow and suggest guests for the growing podcast.

Episode 4: Hot Rods, Tattoos, and Road Talk with Christian Navarro (May contain content not suitable for kids)

World-Renowned Tattoo Artist Christian “Big C” Navarro Talks Tattoo Warriors, Travel Stories & an Ink-for-Bike Trade At Lily Jack Customs in downtown Greeneville, Tennessee, the Hot Rods and Hijinx podcast welcomes Christian “Big C” Navarro of Inked Family Tattoo in Pheonix, featured in major tattoo magazines and a Tattoo Warriors Season 1 finalist who is preparing to film Season 2. Christian shares how a tattoo convention on an old ship in Jersey was shut down for power/licensing issues, leading artists to finish appointments by tattooing in hotel rooms, plus stories of tattooing in kitchens, bars, Airbnbs, and even near the Cologne Cathedral. The hosts discuss Tyler’s portrait leg piece from Philly’s massive convention, Christian’s old-school hand-stenciling approach, and his background as a certified ironworker/welder. They also cover a custom skateboard-themed lowrider bicycle built for Christian via a tattoo trade, his shop team, travel schedule, and future plans to move somewhere greener. (May contain content not suitable for kids)

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