In 2003, after years of internet fantasizing, he opened Hot Rod Chavik, a welding and fabrication shop in the industrial town of Zlín, Czechia.
While in Zlín, Stanley acquired a derelict 1939 Buick that he transformed into the Shafer 8, an Indy racer replica akin to the camera-ready creations of his internet heroes. Everything on Stanley's tribute to Phil Shafer, who built and raced at Indy in the 1930s—from the body, with its classic boat-tailed torpedo shape, to the horse-collar grille—came from the mind and hands of this metalworking Dr. Frankenstein.
The Buick's thundering straight-eight, which Stanley rebuilt to the tune of 200 hp, got a custom intake that maintains four Stromberg 97 carbs, which Stanley magically conjured into the Czech Republic thanks to more internet magic.
Finally, in 2017, Stanley and his growing family, which now included his petite dynamo of a wife, Daisy, and their son Stanley Jr., moved from the Czech Republic to a sunny suburb in Orange County, California, with not much more than their clothes, a U.S. E-2 visa for new businesses, and their show car.
And now he's been featured in Hagerty and Hot Rod Magazine! (the American dream, to make something cool, and succeed, and be recognized and respected!)
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That's what awesome reads like..
ReplyDeleteI think Stanley is someone to watch. He does some really great work on his cars. Did you notice the vented brake drums on the Buick custom that he and his wife and son are standing in front of? I don't think I've seen brakes like that before. Here's a better picture from his website-
ReplyDeletehttps://www.hotrodchavik.com/product/hot-rod-chavik-t-shirt/?lang=en
It's great to see someone like Stanley come to the US and become successful. His wife Daisy seems like a fun woman and a great partner for his business.