Wed, 07/01/2015 - 17:05
SEMA News—July 2015

SEMA DATA CO-OP
By Jon Wyly

Are You Really “Too Busy” to Improve Your Business?

 Jon Wyly
  

Believe it or not, one of the most common excuses for business people to put off change is to simply declare, “We’re too busy.” Too busy to hire more help, too busy to evaluate internal systems, too busy to change a simple process that will pay for itself many times over.

If you are part of the “too busy” crowd, it’s time to stop and take a breath. Spend some time looking around the company, listen to feedback from the folks who are actually doing the work, then take some sort of positive step forward to implement bits of efficiency, no matter how small.

Once you start digging in, you will be amazed at the amount of frustration being put up with by loyal staff who just assume that nothing can be done to improve a negative situation. In fact, if you do your job right, you will uncover lots of things that might seem insignificant to you but are a big deal to the folks dealing with them day in and day out. Your reward for acting on them will be meaningful incremental efficiency—and happier team members.

So where to start? Well, no offense intended here, but the accounting office is often a great place to dig up some nuggets. Are there tasks that can be improved with some minor adjustments to software or processes? How can you leverage IT staff to help streamline paperwork flow? Talk to the people who are handling the details. I guarantee that you will get some “it would be great if…” feedback just by challenging them to think about a better way rather than how to manage their way through built-in obstacles. Even minor fixes will be appreciated, creating an atmosphere of teamwork rather than silos of power.

Remember: Small victories add up to big improvements in job satisfaction, morale and productivity.

I’m reminded of a lesson learned in my personal quest to become—and live—debt free. It’s a process called the debt snowball, promoted by a financial guru named Dave Ramsey, and it involves simply listing all of your debts in order from smallest to largest, then beginning the process by paying off the smallest one first, as quickly as possible. Once that is done, attack the second one in the same manner.

Each month, you accumulate more payoff power by concentrating the money from each paid-off account to increase the payment on the next largest. Thus, the snowball effect.

Now, the numbers folks among you might be saying, “Wait a minute, why not start with the highest interest-rate debts first?” Well, the answer is simple. In Dave’s mind, and proven in practical application, becoming debt free is not about math; it’s about changing habits. The victory one feels with each paid-off debt provides the sense of accomplishment to continue. It’s the power of positive reinforcement
at work!

Think about it as a process for continuous improvement and imagine the possibilities as your company makes the change from “too busy to improve” to a culture of “too important not to improve.” Employees will take more ownership of their work and will enjoy the satisfaction of a more productive and communicative work environment. Owners will reap the financial benefits that come with savings and efficiencies found a dollar at a time. And the entire company will thrive in a culture where everyone is involved in helping their peers solve problems rather than trying to figure out where to point a finger.

Need help discovering the efficiencies and financial upside of properly managing your product data? Contact the SDC.

To learn more about how you can take control of your product data and manage it at the lowest possible cost, contact SEMA Data Co-op Director of Membership Jim Graven at jimg@SEMAdatacoop.org or 888-958-6698 x4.
Wed, 07/01/2015 - 17:05
SEMA News—July 2015

SEMA DATA CO-OP
By Jon Wyly

Are You Really “Too Busy” to Improve Your Business?

 Jon Wyly
  

Believe it or not, one of the most common excuses for business people to put off change is to simply declare, “We’re too busy.” Too busy to hire more help, too busy to evaluate internal systems, too busy to change a simple process that will pay for itself many times over.

If you are part of the “too busy” crowd, it’s time to stop and take a breath. Spend some time looking around the company, listen to feedback from the folks who are actually doing the work, then take some sort of positive step forward to implement bits of efficiency, no matter how small.

Once you start digging in, you will be amazed at the amount of frustration being put up with by loyal staff who just assume that nothing can be done to improve a negative situation. In fact, if you do your job right, you will uncover lots of things that might seem insignificant to you but are a big deal to the folks dealing with them day in and day out. Your reward for acting on them will be meaningful incremental efficiency—and happier team members.

So where to start? Well, no offense intended here, but the accounting office is often a great place to dig up some nuggets. Are there tasks that can be improved with some minor adjustments to software or processes? How can you leverage IT staff to help streamline paperwork flow? Talk to the people who are handling the details. I guarantee that you will get some “it would be great if…” feedback just by challenging them to think about a better way rather than how to manage their way through built-in obstacles. Even minor fixes will be appreciated, creating an atmosphere of teamwork rather than silos of power.

Remember: Small victories add up to big improvements in job satisfaction, morale and productivity.

I’m reminded of a lesson learned in my personal quest to become—and live—debt free. It’s a process called the debt snowball, promoted by a financial guru named Dave Ramsey, and it involves simply listing all of your debts in order from smallest to largest, then beginning the process by paying off the smallest one first, as quickly as possible. Once that is done, attack the second one in the same manner.

Each month, you accumulate more payoff power by concentrating the money from each paid-off account to increase the payment on the next largest. Thus, the snowball effect.

Now, the numbers folks among you might be saying, “Wait a minute, why not start with the highest interest-rate debts first?” Well, the answer is simple. In Dave’s mind, and proven in practical application, becoming debt free is not about math; it’s about changing habits. The victory one feels with each paid-off debt provides the sense of accomplishment to continue. It’s the power of positive reinforcement
at work!

Think about it as a process for continuous improvement and imagine the possibilities as your company makes the change from “too busy to improve” to a culture of “too important not to improve.” Employees will take more ownership of their work and will enjoy the satisfaction of a more productive and communicative work environment. Owners will reap the financial benefits that come with savings and efficiencies found a dollar at a time. And the entire company will thrive in a culture where everyone is involved in helping their peers solve problems rather than trying to figure out where to point a finger.

Need help discovering the efficiencies and financial upside of properly managing your product data? Contact the SDC.

To learn more about how you can take control of your product data and manage it at the lowest possible cost, contact SEMA Data Co-op Director of Membership Jim Graven at jimg@SEMAdatacoop.org or 888-958-6698 x4.
Wed, 07/01/2015 - 17:05
SEMA News—July 2015

SEMA DATA CO-OP
By Jon Wyly

Are You Really “Too Busy” to Improve Your Business?

 Jon Wyly
  

Believe it or not, one of the most common excuses for business people to put off change is to simply declare, “We’re too busy.” Too busy to hire more help, too busy to evaluate internal systems, too busy to change a simple process that will pay for itself many times over.

If you are part of the “too busy” crowd, it’s time to stop and take a breath. Spend some time looking around the company, listen to feedback from the folks who are actually doing the work, then take some sort of positive step forward to implement bits of efficiency, no matter how small.

Once you start digging in, you will be amazed at the amount of frustration being put up with by loyal staff who just assume that nothing can be done to improve a negative situation. In fact, if you do your job right, you will uncover lots of things that might seem insignificant to you but are a big deal to the folks dealing with them day in and day out. Your reward for acting on them will be meaningful incremental efficiency—and happier team members.

So where to start? Well, no offense intended here, but the accounting office is often a great place to dig up some nuggets. Are there tasks that can be improved with some minor adjustments to software or processes? How can you leverage IT staff to help streamline paperwork flow? Talk to the people who are handling the details. I guarantee that you will get some “it would be great if…” feedback just by challenging them to think about a better way rather than how to manage their way through built-in obstacles. Even minor fixes will be appreciated, creating an atmosphere of teamwork rather than silos of power.

Remember: Small victories add up to big improvements in job satisfaction, morale and productivity.

I’m reminded of a lesson learned in my personal quest to become—and live—debt free. It’s a process called the debt snowball, promoted by a financial guru named Dave Ramsey, and it involves simply listing all of your debts in order from smallest to largest, then beginning the process by paying off the smallest one first, as quickly as possible. Once that is done, attack the second one in the same manner.

Each month, you accumulate more payoff power by concentrating the money from each paid-off account to increase the payment on the next largest. Thus, the snowball effect.

Now, the numbers folks among you might be saying, “Wait a minute, why not start with the highest interest-rate debts first?” Well, the answer is simple. In Dave’s mind, and proven in practical application, becoming debt free is not about math; it’s about changing habits. The victory one feels with each paid-off debt provides the sense of accomplishment to continue. It’s the power of positive reinforcement
at work!

Think about it as a process for continuous improvement and imagine the possibilities as your company makes the change from “too busy to improve” to a culture of “too important not to improve.” Employees will take more ownership of their work and will enjoy the satisfaction of a more productive and communicative work environment. Owners will reap the financial benefits that come with savings and efficiencies found a dollar at a time. And the entire company will thrive in a culture where everyone is involved in helping their peers solve problems rather than trying to figure out where to point a finger.

Need help discovering the efficiencies and financial upside of properly managing your product data? Contact the SDC.

To learn more about how you can take control of your product data and manage it at the lowest possible cost, contact SEMA Data Co-op Director of Membership Jim Graven at jimg@SEMAdatacoop.org or 888-958-6698 x4.
Wed, 07/01/2015 - 17:05
SEMA News—July 2015

SEMA DATA CO-OP
By Jon Wyly

Are You Really “Too Busy” to Improve Your Business?

 Jon Wyly
  

Believe it or not, one of the most common excuses for business people to put off change is to simply declare, “We’re too busy.” Too busy to hire more help, too busy to evaluate internal systems, too busy to change a simple process that will pay for itself many times over.

If you are part of the “too busy” crowd, it’s time to stop and take a breath. Spend some time looking around the company, listen to feedback from the folks who are actually doing the work, then take some sort of positive step forward to implement bits of efficiency, no matter how small.

Once you start digging in, you will be amazed at the amount of frustration being put up with by loyal staff who just assume that nothing can be done to improve a negative situation. In fact, if you do your job right, you will uncover lots of things that might seem insignificant to you but are a big deal to the folks dealing with them day in and day out. Your reward for acting on them will be meaningful incremental efficiency—and happier team members.

So where to start? Well, no offense intended here, but the accounting office is often a great place to dig up some nuggets. Are there tasks that can be improved with some minor adjustments to software or processes? How can you leverage IT staff to help streamline paperwork flow? Talk to the people who are handling the details. I guarantee that you will get some “it would be great if…” feedback just by challenging them to think about a better way rather than how to manage their way through built-in obstacles. Even minor fixes will be appreciated, creating an atmosphere of teamwork rather than silos of power.

Remember: Small victories add up to big improvements in job satisfaction, morale and productivity.

I’m reminded of a lesson learned in my personal quest to become—and live—debt free. It’s a process called the debt snowball, promoted by a financial guru named Dave Ramsey, and it involves simply listing all of your debts in order from smallest to largest, then beginning the process by paying off the smallest one first, as quickly as possible. Once that is done, attack the second one in the same manner.

Each month, you accumulate more payoff power by concentrating the money from each paid-off account to increase the payment on the next largest. Thus, the snowball effect.

Now, the numbers folks among you might be saying, “Wait a minute, why not start with the highest interest-rate debts first?” Well, the answer is simple. In Dave’s mind, and proven in practical application, becoming debt free is not about math; it’s about changing habits. The victory one feels with each paid-off debt provides the sense of accomplishment to continue. It’s the power of positive reinforcement
at work!

Think about it as a process for continuous improvement and imagine the possibilities as your company makes the change from “too busy to improve” to a culture of “too important not to improve.” Employees will take more ownership of their work and will enjoy the satisfaction of a more productive and communicative work environment. Owners will reap the financial benefits that come with savings and efficiencies found a dollar at a time. And the entire company will thrive in a culture where everyone is involved in helping their peers solve problems rather than trying to figure out where to point a finger.

Need help discovering the efficiencies and financial upside of properly managing your product data? Contact the SDC.

To learn more about how you can take control of your product data and manage it at the lowest possible cost, contact SEMA Data Co-op Director of Membership Jim Graven at jimg@SEMAdatacoop.org or 888-958-6698 x4.
Wed, 07/01/2015 - 16:47

SEMA News—July 2015

HERITAGE

Motorama Milk Truck

By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy Petersen Archive

 Motorama Milk Truck
  

Not content with launching just a publishing empire, Robert E. Petersen put on a series of car shows in the early ’50s that he called Motorama. The first one was held in 1950 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, but later shows were staged at the art deco palace that was the Pan Pacific Auditorium. Hot rods, Bonneville race cars, drag racers and custom cars straight from the pages of Petersen’s magazines made up a big portion of these Motorama shows, but they also included new cars, antiques, motorcycles and classics from the ’30s and ’40s. In 1954, the show’s name changed to the International Motor Review and Motorama so that the Petersen shows wouldn’t be confused with the Motorama traveling car shows GM was holding at the time. The final Petersen show of the ’50s was held in 1955.

The Petersen Motorama made a one-year comeback in 1966, staged in conjunction with the NHRA’s Winternationals drag race. Like the previous shows, it took place at the Pan Pacific, and it featured a mix of hot rods, race cars, antiques and classics. But new on the scene were some of the wild custom cars being produced by the likes of George Barris, Dean Jeffries and a relative newcomer to the custom car world, Dan Woods.

A year before, the teenaged Woods had debuted his wild Milk Truck at the Tridents Car Show in Los Angeles and won the Grand Sweepstakes award, upstaging other entries from more established builders. Woods crafted the Milk Truck using junkyard, surplus and other cast-off or dirt-cheap pieces that were formed into this award-winning custom, thanks to his fabrication skills and keen design sense. The frame was scrounged from a Model A Ford, the single front coil spring was off a Corvair, the engine came out of a ’57 Pontiac and the truck’s original pearl-white paint was shot by Woods himself.

After the Tridents show win, Rod & Custom magazine put the Milk Truck on its August 1965 cover, and Woods’ talents earned him a job with Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.

By the time the Milk Truck was displayed at the 1966 Motorama, Woods had traded it to hot-rodder Bob Reisner in exchange for a T-bucket roadster. Now called the Milk Wagon, it looked different, too, wearing Cragar wheels and a custom paint job by Larry Watson.

This photo of the Milk Truck, “with Sandy Layne at the throttle,” ran in the May 1966 issue of Hot Rod magazine in a story about the Motorama written by Dick Wells. At the time, Wells was a feature editor at the magazine, but he would soon be instrumental in staging the first High Performance & Custom Trade Show at Dodger Stadium—considered the very first SEMA Show.

Wed, 07/01/2015 - 16:47

SEMA News—July 2015

HERITAGE

Motorama Milk Truck

By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy Petersen Archive

 Motorama Milk Truck
  

Not content with launching just a publishing empire, Robert E. Petersen put on a series of car shows in the early ’50s that he called Motorama. The first one was held in 1950 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, but later shows were staged at the art deco palace that was the Pan Pacific Auditorium. Hot rods, Bonneville race cars, drag racers and custom cars straight from the pages of Petersen’s magazines made up a big portion of these Motorama shows, but they also included new cars, antiques, motorcycles and classics from the ’30s and ’40s. In 1954, the show’s name changed to the International Motor Review and Motorama so that the Petersen shows wouldn’t be confused with the Motorama traveling car shows GM was holding at the time. The final Petersen show of the ’50s was held in 1955.

The Petersen Motorama made a one-year comeback in 1966, staged in conjunction with the NHRA’s Winternationals drag race. Like the previous shows, it took place at the Pan Pacific, and it featured a mix of hot rods, race cars, antiques and classics. But new on the scene were some of the wild custom cars being produced by the likes of George Barris, Dean Jeffries and a relative newcomer to the custom car world, Dan Woods.

A year before, the teenaged Woods had debuted his wild Milk Truck at the Tridents Car Show in Los Angeles and won the Grand Sweepstakes award, upstaging other entries from more established builders. Woods crafted the Milk Truck using junkyard, surplus and other cast-off or dirt-cheap pieces that were formed into this award-winning custom, thanks to his fabrication skills and keen design sense. The frame was scrounged from a Model A Ford, the single front coil spring was off a Corvair, the engine came out of a ’57 Pontiac and the truck’s original pearl-white paint was shot by Woods himself.

After the Tridents show win, Rod & Custom magazine put the Milk Truck on its August 1965 cover, and Woods’ talents earned him a job with Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.

By the time the Milk Truck was displayed at the 1966 Motorama, Woods had traded it to hot-rodder Bob Reisner in exchange for a T-bucket roadster. Now called the Milk Wagon, it looked different, too, wearing Cragar wheels and a custom paint job by Larry Watson.

This photo of the Milk Truck, “with Sandy Layne at the throttle,” ran in the May 1966 issue of Hot Rod magazine in a story about the Motorama written by Dick Wells. At the time, Wells was a feature editor at the magazine, but he would soon be instrumental in staging the first High Performance & Custom Trade Show at Dodger Stadium—considered the very first SEMA Show.

Wed, 07/01/2015 - 16:47

SEMA News—July 2015

HERITAGE

Motorama Milk Truck

By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy Petersen Archive

 Motorama Milk Truck
  

Not content with launching just a publishing empire, Robert E. Petersen put on a series of car shows in the early ’50s that he called Motorama. The first one was held in 1950 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, but later shows were staged at the art deco palace that was the Pan Pacific Auditorium. Hot rods, Bonneville race cars, drag racers and custom cars straight from the pages of Petersen’s magazines made up a big portion of these Motorama shows, but they also included new cars, antiques, motorcycles and classics from the ’30s and ’40s. In 1954, the show’s name changed to the International Motor Review and Motorama so that the Petersen shows wouldn’t be confused with the Motorama traveling car shows GM was holding at the time. The final Petersen show of the ’50s was held in 1955.

The Petersen Motorama made a one-year comeback in 1966, staged in conjunction with the NHRA’s Winternationals drag race. Like the previous shows, it took place at the Pan Pacific, and it featured a mix of hot rods, race cars, antiques and classics. But new on the scene were some of the wild custom cars being produced by the likes of George Barris, Dean Jeffries and a relative newcomer to the custom car world, Dan Woods.

A year before, the teenaged Woods had debuted his wild Milk Truck at the Tridents Car Show in Los Angeles and won the Grand Sweepstakes award, upstaging other entries from more established builders. Woods crafted the Milk Truck using junkyard, surplus and other cast-off or dirt-cheap pieces that were formed into this award-winning custom, thanks to his fabrication skills and keen design sense. The frame was scrounged from a Model A Ford, the single front coil spring was off a Corvair, the engine came out of a ’57 Pontiac and the truck’s original pearl-white paint was shot by Woods himself.

After the Tridents show win, Rod & Custom magazine put the Milk Truck on its August 1965 cover, and Woods’ talents earned him a job with Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.

By the time the Milk Truck was displayed at the 1966 Motorama, Woods had traded it to hot-rodder Bob Reisner in exchange for a T-bucket roadster. Now called the Milk Wagon, it looked different, too, wearing Cragar wheels and a custom paint job by Larry Watson.

This photo of the Milk Truck, “with Sandy Layne at the throttle,” ran in the May 1966 issue of Hot Rod magazine in a story about the Motorama written by Dick Wells. At the time, Wells was a feature editor at the magazine, but he would soon be instrumental in staging the first High Performance & Custom Trade Show at Dodger Stadium—considered the very first SEMA Show.

Wed, 07/01/2015 - 16:47

SEMA News—July 2015

HERITAGE

Motorama Milk Truck

By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy Petersen Archive

 Motorama Milk Truck
  

Not content with launching just a publishing empire, Robert E. Petersen put on a series of car shows in the early ’50s that he called Motorama. The first one was held in 1950 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, but later shows were staged at the art deco palace that was the Pan Pacific Auditorium. Hot rods, Bonneville race cars, drag racers and custom cars straight from the pages of Petersen’s magazines made up a big portion of these Motorama shows, but they also included new cars, antiques, motorcycles and classics from the ’30s and ’40s. In 1954, the show’s name changed to the International Motor Review and Motorama so that the Petersen shows wouldn’t be confused with the Motorama traveling car shows GM was holding at the time. The final Petersen show of the ’50s was held in 1955.

The Petersen Motorama made a one-year comeback in 1966, staged in conjunction with the NHRA’s Winternationals drag race. Like the previous shows, it took place at the Pan Pacific, and it featured a mix of hot rods, race cars, antiques and classics. But new on the scene were some of the wild custom cars being produced by the likes of George Barris, Dean Jeffries and a relative newcomer to the custom car world, Dan Woods.

A year before, the teenaged Woods had debuted his wild Milk Truck at the Tridents Car Show in Los Angeles and won the Grand Sweepstakes award, upstaging other entries from more established builders. Woods crafted the Milk Truck using junkyard, surplus and other cast-off or dirt-cheap pieces that were formed into this award-winning custom, thanks to his fabrication skills and keen design sense. The frame was scrounged from a Model A Ford, the single front coil spring was off a Corvair, the engine came out of a ’57 Pontiac and the truck’s original pearl-white paint was shot by Woods himself.

After the Tridents show win, Rod & Custom magazine put the Milk Truck on its August 1965 cover, and Woods’ talents earned him a job with Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.

By the time the Milk Truck was displayed at the 1966 Motorama, Woods had traded it to hot-rodder Bob Reisner in exchange for a T-bucket roadster. Now called the Milk Wagon, it looked different, too, wearing Cragar wheels and a custom paint job by Larry Watson.

This photo of the Milk Truck, “with Sandy Layne at the throttle,” ran in the May 1966 issue of Hot Rod magazine in a story about the Motorama written by Dick Wells. At the time, Wells was a feature editor at the magazine, but he would soon be instrumental in staging the first High Performance & Custom Trade Show at Dodger Stadium—considered the very first SEMA Show.

Wed, 07/01/2015 - 16:47

SEMA News—July 2015

HERITAGE

Motorama Milk Truck

By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy Petersen Archive

 Motorama Milk Truck
  

Not content with launching just a publishing empire, Robert E. Petersen put on a series of car shows in the early ’50s that he called Motorama. The first one was held in 1950 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, but later shows were staged at the art deco palace that was the Pan Pacific Auditorium. Hot rods, Bonneville race cars, drag racers and custom cars straight from the pages of Petersen’s magazines made up a big portion of these Motorama shows, but they also included new cars, antiques, motorcycles and classics from the ’30s and ’40s. In 1954, the show’s name changed to the International Motor Review and Motorama so that the Petersen shows wouldn’t be confused with the Motorama traveling car shows GM was holding at the time. The final Petersen show of the ’50s was held in 1955.

The Petersen Motorama made a one-year comeback in 1966, staged in conjunction with the NHRA’s Winternationals drag race. Like the previous shows, it took place at the Pan Pacific, and it featured a mix of hot rods, race cars, antiques and classics. But new on the scene were some of the wild custom cars being produced by the likes of George Barris, Dean Jeffries and a relative newcomer to the custom car world, Dan Woods.

A year before, the teenaged Woods had debuted his wild Milk Truck at the Tridents Car Show in Los Angeles and won the Grand Sweepstakes award, upstaging other entries from more established builders. Woods crafted the Milk Truck using junkyard, surplus and other cast-off or dirt-cheap pieces that were formed into this award-winning custom, thanks to his fabrication skills and keen design sense. The frame was scrounged from a Model A Ford, the single front coil spring was off a Corvair, the engine came out of a ’57 Pontiac and the truck’s original pearl-white paint was shot by Woods himself.

After the Tridents show win, Rod & Custom magazine put the Milk Truck on its August 1965 cover, and Woods’ talents earned him a job with Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.

By the time the Milk Truck was displayed at the 1966 Motorama, Woods had traded it to hot-rodder Bob Reisner in exchange for a T-bucket roadster. Now called the Milk Wagon, it looked different, too, wearing Cragar wheels and a custom paint job by Larry Watson.

This photo of the Milk Truck, “with Sandy Layne at the throttle,” ran in the May 1966 issue of Hot Rod magazine in a story about the Motorama written by Dick Wells. At the time, Wells was a feature editor at the magazine, but he would soon be instrumental in staging the first High Performance & Custom Trade Show at Dodger Stadium—considered the very first SEMA Show.

Wed, 07/01/2015 - 16:47

SEMA News—July 2015

HERITAGE

Motorama Milk Truck

By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy Petersen Archive

 Motorama Milk Truck
  

Not content with launching just a publishing empire, Robert E. Petersen put on a series of car shows in the early ’50s that he called Motorama. The first one was held in 1950 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, but later shows were staged at the art deco palace that was the Pan Pacific Auditorium. Hot rods, Bonneville race cars, drag racers and custom cars straight from the pages of Petersen’s magazines made up a big portion of these Motorama shows, but they also included new cars, antiques, motorcycles and classics from the ’30s and ’40s. In 1954, the show’s name changed to the International Motor Review and Motorama so that the Petersen shows wouldn’t be confused with the Motorama traveling car shows GM was holding at the time. The final Petersen show of the ’50s was held in 1955.

The Petersen Motorama made a one-year comeback in 1966, staged in conjunction with the NHRA’s Winternationals drag race. Like the previous shows, it took place at the Pan Pacific, and it featured a mix of hot rods, race cars, antiques and classics. But new on the scene were some of the wild custom cars being produced by the likes of George Barris, Dean Jeffries and a relative newcomer to the custom car world, Dan Woods.

A year before, the teenaged Woods had debuted his wild Milk Truck at the Tridents Car Show in Los Angeles and won the Grand Sweepstakes award, upstaging other entries from more established builders. Woods crafted the Milk Truck using junkyard, surplus and other cast-off or dirt-cheap pieces that were formed into this award-winning custom, thanks to his fabrication skills and keen design sense. The frame was scrounged from a Model A Ford, the single front coil spring was off a Corvair, the engine came out of a ’57 Pontiac and the truck’s original pearl-white paint was shot by Woods himself.

After the Tridents show win, Rod & Custom magazine put the Milk Truck on its August 1965 cover, and Woods’ talents earned him a job with Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.

By the time the Milk Truck was displayed at the 1966 Motorama, Woods had traded it to hot-rodder Bob Reisner in exchange for a T-bucket roadster. Now called the Milk Wagon, it looked different, too, wearing Cragar wheels and a custom paint job by Larry Watson.

This photo of the Milk Truck, “with Sandy Layne at the throttle,” ran in the May 1966 issue of Hot Rod magazine in a story about the Motorama written by Dick Wells. At the time, Wells was a feature editor at the magazine, but he would soon be instrumental in staging the first High Performance & Custom Trade Show at Dodger Stadium—considered the very first SEMA Show.