An article about our friend Nate

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An article about our friend Nate

From: Kevin \| Posted: 10/27/2005 1:38:44 PM \|
Nodeman Posts: 906	An article about our friend Nate " AKA Chip Foose" Nate Truman says he worked six years on his Batmobile. * Sign In to E-Mail This * Printer-Friendly * Reprints * Save Article By ETHAN TODRAS-WHITEHILL Published: October 26, 2005 THERE are cars, there are cars that turn heads, and then there is Scott Rice's car. Mr. Rice drives a 1982 Pontiac Trans Am - not exactly a classic - but he's made a few modifications. A devotee of the 80's television show "Knight Rider" starring David Hasselhoff, Mr. Rice has outfitted his car with a tan houndstooth interior; an 80's concept of a futuristic dashboard with abundant buttons, screens and green-yellow-red L.E.D.'s; and an oscillating red light display between the headlights. In other words, Mr. Rice's vehicle is a copy of the show's other star, the Knight Industries Two Thousand car, known as KITT. Skip to next paragraph Cars A Safety Decoder Ring Every model has some crash-test stars to throw around. Here's how to make sense of it all. A.J. Mast for The New York Times Mean machine Travis Bell drives a replica General Lee from "The Dukes of Hazzard," a custom 1969 Dodge Charger. Maxine Hicks for The New York Times Scott Rice has won awards for his KITT from "Knight Rider." To those who grew up watching the show in the 80's or the reruns in the 90's, KITT is a fond childhood memory, and Mr. Rice is used to adults acting like children in his car's presence. When he parks the car in a public place, as he did last month to eat at All American Burger in Massapequa, N.Y., he leaves the front red L.E.D.'s running. Halfway through lunch, two middle-age women who had been admiring the car came up to him. "Excuse me," one woman said. "I just have to say, that car is so cool! 'Knight Rider,' right?" Mr. Rice nodded slowly and smiled, his eyes hidden by wraparound Oakley sunglasses. "Down to the last detail," he said. "Except you're much better looking than that David Hasselhoff," she added, and walked off giggling with her friend. Mr. Rice, who works in the security field, put in more than 500 hours and $30,000 to create his car, and while that may seem excessive, he is far from alone. Around the world, television and movie car enthusiasts are building and driving copies of their favorite "star cars." Some are content with a paint job and a little bodywork; others, like Mr. Rice, spend years perfecting every last detail, like the label on a dashboard button or the shape of a door handle. True aficionados gather online at Knightregistries.com or 1966batmobile.com to swap building tips and post pictures of their projects. Last year, 31 KITT owners met in Dayton, Ohio, for the seventh annual Knight Nationals, which honors the most faithful "Knight Rider" copies. (Mr. Rice won the competition twice and has since retired.) But star cars are not all high-tech mean machines; they include vehicles like the Ecto 1 ambulance from "Ghostbusters" and the misshapen Munstermobile from "The Munsters." The three most copied vehicles are KITT, the General Lee from "The Dukes of Hazzard" and the Batmobile. Nate Truman drives a '93 Camaro, but his other car is a Batmobile. Mr. Truman, 44, a graphic artist who lives in Los Angeles, describes himself as someone who "watched too much TV as a kid." Mr. Truman got his "donor car" (the hobbyist term for the car to be converted), a Lincoln Continental, in 1996 and began locating parts: pieces of chrome, ashtrays with a certain shape, the right light bulbs. For the major components - notably the futuristic car body - he turned to a niche manufacturer in Canada. All told, Mr. Truman estimates he invested 10,000 hours and $45,000 in the six years he was building his car. When Mr. Truman goes out cruising in Los Angeles, he frequently gets a "woohoo" or thumbs-up from other drivers. By far, the most common question he gets is: "Is that the real car?" Mr. Truman explains that it isn't, but he says other Batmobile owners (there are about 20 in the United States, he says) often claim their cars are original. Maintaining that fiction, according to Mr. Truman, is the main reason Batmobile owners don't get together as KITT owners do. Why do hobbyists (mostly men, that is) undertake these herculean endeavors? The most common explanation given in interviews was how much they loved the cars as children and how these projects made them feel young again. Several people also said they felt an affinity for the car's crime-fighting role. Mr. Rice, for instance, has worked as a police detective, a bodyguard and a director of security for a nightclub. His personal motto is "one man can make a difference," taken from "Knight Rider." The popularity of these cars has given rise to a cottage industry of specialists catering to television car projects. The General Lee, the easiest of the Top 3 star cars to build, requires a 1969 Dodge Charger, a "Corvette flame" orange paint job, Vector wheels, a tan interior, a roll bar, a CB system, and a Confederate flag and "01" decals, which are the car's trademarks. With the release of the "Dukes of Hazzard" movie, interest in the cars has increased, said Travis Bell, a D.J. in Indianapolis who is the president of the North American General Lee Fan Club. Most of the General Lee's parts can be found at Jakesgeneralstore.com and Buildagenerallee.com - one reason there are about 300 accurate copies around the world (including some in Australia, Britain and the Netherlands), Mr. Bell said. For an authentic KITT, however, a lot of custom work is necessary. Mr. Rice notes that the exterior of the car on the show was just a souped-up Trans Am, and the interior of the car was a set. To get a working dashboard, he turned to Don Colie, the owner of Advanced Designs in Automotive Technology in Glade Hill, Va., who, according to Mr. Rice, is "a magician with fiberglass." When Mr. Colie was 14, he won the science fair at his high school with a mock-up KITT dashboard he built with red L.E.D.'s and a small TV. Today, he charges $5,400 for a fully functional fiberglass version. He says his business began in 1997 when he posted a picture of his car on Knightregistries.com and got so many requests for parts that he eventually quit his day job as a prosthetics technician. Business prospects are looking good, he said, because "we're just now hitting the midlife-crisis period for guys who grew up watching 'Knight Rider.' " Midlife-crisis car or not, Mr. Truman can't see himself growing out of his Batmobile. He said he was offered $125,000 for the car but said no. "It's like an old friend," he said. "That's what these cars are: the modern versions of the trusty steed." Article Last Edited by Kevin: 10/27/2005 2:43:47 PM

From: Webmaster \| Posted: 10/27/2005 1:52:38 PM \|
Need Life Posts: 1517	RE: An article about our friend Nate Too many graphic artists on this board

From: Kevin \| Posted: 10/27/2005 2:42:02 PM \|
Nodeman Posts: 906	RE: An article about our friend Nate What makes you say that?

From: n8mobiles \| Posted: 10/27/2005 4:28:10 PM \|
n8man Posts: 432	It's the New York times so a few items got left out I posted this on the 66 board, but just so you know, they left out a few items that would have helped clarify stuff. I am pretty sure I said "thousands of hours over the 6 years" not 10,000! I tried to give the interviewer the idea that it wasn't just a paint job or a kit. Also in the interview I went into Don and Marks BIG involvment, and the fact that we live far apart was the MAIN reason we cant get together. It is interesting, what you say and what ends up in the article are two very different things. I am glad they got a pitch in for Eric's site I kept repeating that over and over to try and make sure it got in. As I read the article, I can see where the writer also ticked off the General Lee people and KITT people by omisions and unintended slights. So I am the lightning rod, I will see if the WB gives me a call! I am surprised that after my rather detailed discription on how this car took a team effort of lots of talented guys, the author decided to not include any mention of that. I didn't stress Mark T and Don too much as I didn't think it was my place to "out" them, but talked about their work and Bob Butts and Barris too, also not mentioned. I figure new customer's are on their way here in any case! So for the record that's more of the whole story! Over all I thought it was a nice fluff piece, even though they called my daily driver "a clunker"! Whatcha gonna do? The media.... (he says as he sits at Paramount Studios with tounge in cheek) Hey, anytime we can get the 66 style batmobile in the NY times, it's one more reminder to make some cool TOYS!! nate Chip Foose, I am your doppleganger

From: Jimmy \| Posted: 10/27/2005 4:35:35 PM \|
I am the Jimmy! Posts: 117	RE: An article about our friend Nate Paramount Studios? Oh I'm sure WB will be calling you for sure now. -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Want to see my peanuts?

From: Tim \| Posted: 10/27/2005 4:53:42 PM \|
Diablo Fuego Posts: 2411	RE: An article about our friend Nate I can't believe they didn't even mention that "other" thing...

From: Kevin \| Posted: 10/27/2005 6:32:17 PM \|
Nodeman Posts: 906	RE: An article about our friend Nate A two headed N8 monster kill it!!

From: christo \| Posted: 10/28/2005 12:15:31 PM \|
Posts: 84	RE: An article about our friend Nate Ha! Ha! That picture reminds me of Bruce Campbell in "Army of Darkness" http://www.soundamerica.com/sounds/movies/A-C/Army_of_Darkness/armynews.wav

From: Kevin \| Posted: 10/28/2005 6:59:42 PM \|
Nodeman Posts: 906	RE: An article about our friend Nate I loved all his movies they were great!

From: n8mobiles \| Posted: 11/1/2005 4:01:30 PM \|
n8man Posts: 432	RE: An article about our friend Nate HA HAHAHAHAHA! Now that was funny! Took me be surprise and I got some strange looks at work when I scrolled down to it! That's not Chip is it? OK, they have stopped looking so I can laugh a little more. I need to have a doctor look at that. N8 Chip Foose, I am your doppleganger

From: Jack \| Posted: 11/1/2005 4:43:13 PM \|
New Dad Posts: 1947	RE: An article about our friend Nate Nate, that just proves it, you are really Chip Foose. Please Overhaul my car.... please. Nate did you build your 66?

From: n8mobiles \| Posted: 11/1/2005 5:39:18 PM \|
n8man Posts: 432	RE: An article about our friend Nate Yes and no. I bought the body from Don, and paid him to mount it on the lincoln I had tracked down and got at an LAX auction. Before He started on the Lincoln I rebuilt the motor and swapped out a lot of parts (also with help.) Then over a few years I custom made all of the dash (except the working roll tops) and tracked down stuff, did all of the electrical. Built the detectascope, reworked and installed some of the stuff Don had done, had custom metal parts (front knife, dash face, other dash items) made at an aircraft aluminum shop. Then I hit a wall as I was tracking down new windshields, trying to find the right painter, and working out some problems. That's when I met Mark T. and he was gearing up to be a batmobile dealership, and he solved most all of the problems I had left, so I hired him to do a bunch of finish work and the paint. He was buying raiders in multiple sets, so he bought and installed the rims. I had a set of steel wheel bats I had my dad make, but after a little driving two of them had bent out the center caps (they needed a washer in back, but even with that they were HEAVY) so I had the prop dept here at Paramount make a new set, and they are great. My dad tried to improve Don's beacon cage but ended up kinda screwing it up, so he felt bad and we worked together with yet another metal shop to have that made. I worked with a propane dealer to design and set up the rear flame and keep it safe. Shot it off a lot before meeting mark,that was fun, then mark glassed my turbine to the car and did some great finish work (lots of sanding!) I think I was more like a job foreman who also did a lot of the work. I hired out the reupholstery of the chairs, after finding thunderbird seats and parts I liked in a junkyard for classics, Pep boys put on a new set of FUTURA wheels to replace some used rubber mark had put on... I tore off my antenna detectascope thingy with a car cover, and had to rebuild that with the help of some other guys... hand crafted stuff I couldn't find etc. I hired a lot of talented fabricators to make the car I wanted, but only when I couldn't do it myself due to lack of tools or talent or both! so as Barris says, Yeah, I built it! Chip Foose, I am your doppleganger

From: Jack \| Posted: 11/1/2005 5:46:11 PM \|
No Sleep Posts: 1947	RE: An article about our friend Nate Yep you built it. The stress alone qualifies you as a builder. it looks great and I bet is a blast to drive. How about a "how to" build log with tons of pictures?

From: Jimmy \| Posted: 11/1/2005 6:01:52 PM \|
I am the Jimmy! Posts: 117	RE: An article about our friend Nate ...and all this time I thought Mark was just an a$$hole. Well what do you know! (just kidding, Mark. No I'm not, Yes I am) -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Want to see my peanuts?

From: n8mobiles \| Posted: 11/1/2005 6:07:02 PM \|
n8man Posts: 432	RE: An article about our friend Nate I don't think I can ever do that! When I was putting this together, I knew of only Clint and Brett who were nutty enough to try to put a 66 together. Clint was doing the "sales rep who gets one later" deal, and Brett had a butt's body. I mean I started the hunt in 1987 before the internet so I never thought to take many photos, and there wasn't anyone to really share them with! I also thought I would never forget what I did on the car (sure wish I had written out my electrical work!!) but when you are twisted under the dash and no one around to hear you scream or give you a tool you use what you can reach and tell yourself you will never forget how you wired such and such. Well you do. I have a half done scrapbook on the internet that has a few photos of how I started the quest and it goes to getting the body and flying Don down to his sister's house to start the process! My son has been too busy to finish it with me so it sits half done. But a done car and a half done scrapbook is better than the other way around! http://natetruman.tripod.com/ Chip Foose, I am your doppleganger

From: Tim \| Posted: 11/1/2005 6:17:37 PM \|
Diablo Fuego Posts: 2411	RE: An article about our friend Nate Yes, that's Chip Foose on the right. You are the one on the left... I think.

From: Kevin \| Posted: 11/1/2005 11:43:36 PM \|
Nodeman Posts: 906	RE: An article about our friend Nate Wait; I thought that Chip was on the left and Nate was on the right?

From: Tim \| Posted: 11/2/2005 2:28:31 AM \|
Diablo Fuego Posts: 2411	RE: An article about our friend Nate Chips right or Nates right?

From: Kevin \| Posted: 11/2/2005 9:22:38 AM \|
Nodeman Posts: 906	RE: An article about our friend Nate Damm, I am so confused?? Nate; I love what you did to your cave, It looks great. I notice you even have a bat compressor. You clearly have to much time on your hands. Last Edited by Kevin: 11/2/2005 9:42:44 AM

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