Friday, May 6, 2011

Jeff Norwell's '32 is now Hot Rod Shift Knob Equipped!




Thanks to ultra-talented artist and all around great gearhead pal Jeff Norwell, we can now say that a Hotrodshiftknob.com custom knob is gracing a bonafide Rod & Custom and Rolls and Pleats magazine cover car! A couple months back I mentioned to Jeff that I would love to see him running one of our custom shift knobs in his bitchen 32 Ford truck. We hopped on the phone and brainstromed a bit about what we could make for him. When I mentioned that my one of our favorite things to embed were family heirlooms with sentimental value, he instantly thought of the cool little gargoyle cufflinks he had inherited from his grandfather. Jeff recently brought one of them to the Lone Star Round Up and we whipped up a one-off, red glitter knob with the gargoyle centered within it, We'll be shipping it to him tomorrow but we couldn't help bragging on it just a little before sending it off to Jeff in Ontario. So here it is. A super bitchen one-of-a-kind shift knob for a super bitchen one-of-a-kind truck. Thanks for entrusting us with a treasured piece from your family's past, Jeff.
We can't wait to see it adorning your Richmond 5-speed.  If you've got a custom or traditional hot rod, we'd love to make you a one-off custom. Just call Debbie, if you'd like to do something unique for your ride. And thanks again to Mr. Norwell for helping us spread the word about something we get a real kick out of doing for folks. Enjoy the knob!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

HouseOSpeed launches new division -- Vintage Van Company.
















For the last year or so, Debbie and I have been concentrating quite heavily on growing our Hotrodshiftknob.com site and frankly, HouseOspeed was in need of some attention. Sure, we've kept the inventory of stickers and patches and what not updated.  But what we were really wanting is something new and unique to offer our HOS customers. We think we've come up with just that. Over the next several months, we'll be adding vintage van merch to our site under the VinVanCo brand.  We'll likely start with stickers, flat art, patches and tees, but we'll be looking for ways to branch out into types of items an early van lover can use to customize his or her ride. We're real excited to be moving in this direction and hope some of you will join us in out attempt to revitalize interest in a body style that we think is rapidly returning to the radar, thanks in no small part to artists like Dirty Donnie, Coby Gewertz, and small handful of dedicated resurrectionists. Keep an eye peeled. We've got new merch headed your way and our first VinVanCo. brand designs are in process.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Sentimental value and shifting

It's a small detail, really. A knob. That little doo-dad that resides at the very top of your shifter stalk. But for all the thinking the average gearhead puts into their ride, it's often the one thing that gets overlooked. That's what led Debbie and I to start HotRodShiftKnob.com a couple years ago.

Our goal was to offer the largest selection of shift knobs found anywhere, and we're certainly getting there. But when you have that many choices, what do you run on your personal ride? Well, my Dodge Magnum seemed to get a new knob every month or so until just recently.

I think I've found the perfect knob, thanks to my thoughtful wife. I now run a knob with sentimental value.

When my dad passed last year, we got a small box of his keepsakes. As my dad was a very practical person, it was mostly little functional trinkets. Paper clips and Chapstick and Tic Tacs and nail clippers and such. But in the midst of all those useful items was a little medal medallion. Was it a coin? A charm? Something he got a long time ago in Korea while on R&R? I have no idea and probably never will.
But knowing I quite liked that little trinket, Debbie embedded it in a marble red knob and it is one-of-a-kind and wonderful. I immediately screwed it onto the Magnum and now I think about my dad every time I drive.

It makes me happy, having a small piece of my dad's life, still part of mine. And that, as far as I'm concerned, is what makes for a perfect shift knob. Love you, dad. Hope you're watching the play-offs
today.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Small oil can shift knobs

I've been collecting up small oil cans for months now. I finally sat down and made them into shift knobs.
They've got a real cool utilitarian vibe to them. Some have a tattered patina, others are shiny. It all depends what you're looking for. Sizing info below.
a. $25.00

b. $25.00

c. $25.00

d. $25.00

e. $25.00


f. $25.00

g. $25.00

h. $25.00

i. $25.00

 j. $25.00


k. $25.00

l. $25.00

Tapped to your specs, from 5/16-18, 5/16-24,  3/8-16 or  3/8-24. Can do 8 and 10 mm sizes, too. $25 ea., while supply lasts. Once they're gone, they're gone.