Wrecked Metals: Saving the Past From the Grave

I first came across Matt Whitlock and his shop, Wrecked Metals, about 5 months ago when a video by Josh Clason popped up on the internet showcasing the shop. I frequently found myself watching this video over the following months not only because each car and bike in the video is truly amazing but you could also tell that each minute detail had been worked on till it was perfect on each vehicle.  After watching it for like the 20^th time I knew that I had to find out more about the shop behind these amazing pieces of machinery.

Josh Clason’s Video:

So after deciding to get in touch, I raced off to my email and shot Matt, the owner, an email. Canibeat usually leans towards the imports built in the past few decades when we bring our loyal followers content but we also keep our minds open to anything that deserves respect and this came off as something that needed its due limelight. I mean no matter what style or brand you are devoted to, we all love to see anything that is badass and on wheels right? Matt got back to me saying that he’d love to work on something together and I must say after seeing the amazing shots by Patrick Sweeney and learning about Wrecked Metals, that this has become one of my choice features since joining Canibeat.

For the past 6 years Wrecked Metals, based in Boise, Idaho, have been a dedicated fabrication mechanic shop that specializes in Hot-Rods, Customs and Choppers. They do anything from tune-ups to full blown custom builds. Matt was playing with the idea of opening a shop but was hesitant until his friend Elf, who he use to snowboard with, asked “You were never scared to risk your life jumping off cliffs but you are scared to quit your job?”. After that Matt quit his job and Wrecked Metals was born.

When naming his fresh new shop Matt looked to his past for the perfect name. The name “Wrecked Metals” reminded Matt of when he and his friends were trying to find hot-rod projects when they were younger. The only thing they could afford were car bodies that had been left out in a ditch or field for 60 years, basically wrecked vehicles that had been left behind and forgotten about. Matt was opening this shop to resurrect those forgotten relics.

Unlike most of us, Matt actually gets paid to do what he loves. When he is going through a build he enjoys the creative process the most as he tries to do everything custom and to never repeat anything he has done before. When I asked him about his favorite build he replied back, “favorite build is always the one I’m doing next, I always want to take it to the next level”. With that kind of mind set, I cannot wait to see what Matt comes up with in the future as he is already building some jaw-dropping stuff.

A question I like to ask is if there were any struggles or challenges in a project and when I asked Matt that same question I got an answer that made me chuckle to myself as most of us have probably been in a similar situation needing help when no one is around. “My biggest struggle so far was when my head got stuck between a fender and a tire and no one was around to help.” Now some may laugh but others will be thinking damn it sucks getting in a situation like that, I know I was.

The truck shown in a majority of the shots is a 1929 Model A Ford that was a full build by Wrecked Metals. It sits on a custom fabricated frame and is powered by a small block Chevy with Corvette heads. All that power is connected to an I-beam front axle and 56 Chevy rear axle with brakes from a Lincoln. The finished product is a truck that makes you start searching craigslist for an old school project of your own (and yes, I’m guilty of this).

Now you’ll notice in some of the shots a small plaque with “Farm Boys” on it. This is a car club made up of a group of friends which is something that all automotive enthusiasts can relate to because no matter if you are on 2 wheels or 4, import or domestic, or what style you build your car that the people you meet and the friends you make are what’s truly great about cars and bikes as they bring people together.

If you would like to see more of Patrick’s work check out his site here. For more shots of what is rolling out of the Wrecked Metals shop check out there home page HERE  for shots of completed rides and current projects. I would personally like to thank Matt with Wrecked Metals, Patrick Sweeney and Josh Clason for all of their help to make this feature happen.