TMCP #599: Rodger Lee with Ironworks – Building Cars, Teaching Business, and a “Production Line” Chevelle?

FEATURE INTERVIEWS:

Rodger Lee – Ironworks Speed And Kustom:

This week I had the pleasure of talking to Rodger Lee of Ironworks Speed and Kustom to find out more about how he started the business and his unique take on how to streamline classic car builds. Rodger grew up in the 80’s and watched the same automotive centric TV shows that car guys followed and reinforced his love for building and creating cars. A local builder loaned him Hot Rod magazines and he read them five at a time building his knowledge and love for custom vehicles. Even when he was a young youth pastor, he would work on cars and take classes to learn more and hone his skills in what he was passionate about. Even his dating life was affected and he was accused of loving the shop more than he loved his girlfriend at the time. He admits she was right. He had his ups and downs but remembers advice given to him by Chip Foose that the pains and struggles starting out lead to the fun in later years.

Rodger started Ironworks Speed And Kustom out of his passion for creating custom vehicles. In the early years he worked very hard and made a few mistakes that he learned and grew from in his business. Some vehicles he even built for almost free simply due to a lack of knowledge in pricing and needing to remember to charge for everything. These mistakes hurt but they were learning experiences that taught big lessons. He tried to be the lowest bidder but also tried to add the most value to each build. It takes a lot of work and he found himself burning the candle at both ends to get the jobs done.

One vehicle, a 1969 Chevelle that had been in all of the hot rod mags, caught the attention of many (and for yours truly when seeing it at SEMA 2018). Rodger found a knack at Chevelle’s that was unique, and an “Ironworks Chevelle” was easy to identify (even Kobe Bryant wanted one). He found himself making repeated custom Chevelles and decided he needed to streamline the process to build them and nail down the finer details on a more production basis. This was the start of the Legacy Series by Ironworks. Rodger worked with a couple the leading chassis companies (Speedtech initially and now Roadster Shop) to make a one size fits all start to producing Chevelles faster.

He developed his own specs and created a bedpan approach (think VW Beetle) where all of the chassis, suspension, and seating mounts are built together in a rolling unit to start from before the car even shows up at the shop. This and other innovations have allowed Ironworks to drastically reduce the time it takes to create and build Chevelles in a production like process. Rodger says that the unibody approach also allows them to better tune the suspension and drivetrain to make it the best driving vehicle possible so the customer can go out and enjoy the vehicle on the road.

Ironworks “Unibody” Chassis Developed with Roadster Shop

Rodger has learned a ton of lessons and has figured out that you not only need to know how to build great cars but you need to know how to run a great business. He has developed a training class for running a business specifically aimed at the automotive restoration or customization market. The classes are held at his shop in Bakersfield Ca. and the information could easily lead to savings or business growth well in excess of the class cost almost immediately.

If you would like to know more and find out how you can get your own Chevelle, you can check out the webpage at https://ironworksspeedandkustom.com/ or follow them at Instagram.com/ironworksspeedandkustom.

Thanks Rodger!

-Rob Kibbe