40 Below Custom Fab

40 Below Custom Fab Custom Fabrication from small odds and ends to whatever you can dream up.

Headers finished up for the 31 Chevy pickup. Took forever to build but turned out perfect.
06/02/2025

Headers finished up for the 31 Chevy pickup. Took forever to build but turned out perfect.

Looks like it has been a minute since I showed any progress on the shop truck. Slowly but steadily getting her done.
12/30/2024

Looks like it has been a minute since I showed any progress on the shop truck. Slowly but steadily getting her done.

Productive day in the shop today. Blown up Mercedes diesel is lifted out, body is off, and now I can start cutting the e...
10/04/2024

Productive day in the shop today. Blown up Mercedes diesel is lifted out, body is off, and now I can start cutting the engine crossmember and transmission mount off so I can get the new drivetrain in place. Still need to get a turbo 350 torque converter.

After a day of complete sensory overload, meeting so many new people, and seeing those I’ve known for a while, and takin...
09/23/2024

After a day of complete sensory overload, meeting so many new people, and seeing those I’ve known for a while, and taking a day to just breathe, it finally hit me. Happiness, shock, and disbelief. I never got into this hobby looking for awards or others’ approval. I just wanted to build what I liked. But it was more than that, there’s a story to go along with it that I’ve only shared with those who know me well.

You see, back in December of 2009 through May of 2010 I deployed to Afghanistan. I came back with a lot of problems and no real way to cope. I was into Volkswagens at the time and went with a group to a car show. There, I saw my first Ratrod and thought it was the coolest thing ever. Like a running/driving hot wheels car. Those cars then stuck engrained into my brain housing group. They were different. They stood out and the crazy thing was, there was no paint, body work, or flashy chrome. They were rough around the edges and there was a feeling that they were like myself. They didn’t fit in, they were well worn, but functioned(mostly). Fast forward a few years(2013), out of the Marine Corps, divorced, now in Montana, a semi-functioning alcoholic, and absolutely miserable. An aquaintance of mine invited me to a car show in Missoula and I had nothing better to do for the weekend so I went. Took my 74 VW bus to camp in and even took my exe’s dog with me. Come to find out, it was a ratrod show and I was bit again. I came home and immediately went on the hunt for my next project and as you all know, one followed the other and then followed the next. I was addicted but more so, I finally found the therapy that the VA couldn’t provide me. In the solitude of building these rolling works of art, I found who I really was and learned out how to function sober. Truly the best therapy I could have found, even if no one else around understood.

So here I am now, 11 years later, 9 years sober, and happier than ever. I want to say thank you to Tracy Ripley,Jerry Ripley,Jeremy Amendola, and the rest of the crew over at Ratrod Magazine for what you have done not only for me but the rest of our community of misfits.

Spent the morning swapping wheels on the coupe. Definitely makes a big difference. Now to wash the crap out of the tires...
08/24/2024

Spent the morning swapping wheels on the coupe. Definitely makes a big difference. Now to wash the crap out of the tires seeing as they’ve been sitting outside on another car for way too long.

Out with the old, in with the new. A few little things here and there and I’ll make her mine. I feel that the roadster i...
06/17/2024

Out with the old, in with the new. A few little things here and there and I’ll make her mine. I feel that the roadster is now part of the perfect family for her. She was a blast to build but I knew she was never truly mine to keep.

Getting to know each other before going under the knife.
10/09/2023

Getting to know each other before going under the knife.

Seeing everyone leaving for the tour has me excited for next weekend. Really wish I could have gotten some more drive ti...
09/01/2023

Seeing everyone leaving for the tour has me excited for next weekend. Really wish I could have gotten some more drive time in and days off and be on the tour with everyone but at least I’ll be able to go to RATSTOCK. See everyone there!!!

Got to finally take the roadster for her first real drive and to her first car show. Had a good turn out for a town of l...
07/29/2023

Got to finally take the roadster for her first real drive and to her first car show. Had a good turn out for a town of like 600. As always, rat rods aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but did get some pretty good feed back.

The roadster got new tires today so had to pull her out and get a picture with 2 of the others.
06/10/2023

The roadster got new tires today so had to pull her out and get a picture with 2 of the others.

Got my hitch setup made. Now, I need to figure out a bumper to fit between the hitch and body to close up all that space...
03/20/2023

Got my hitch setup made. Now, I need to figure out a bumper to fit between the hitch and body to close up all that space.

Out in the sunshine for the first time under her own power. Next off is getting new tires and figuring out a hitch syste...
03/04/2023

Out in the sunshine for the first time under her own power. Next off is getting new tires and figuring out a hitch system for it.

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Ewing, MO
63440

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