Hot Rods & Hijinks Episode One: Chris Spalding on SoCal Lowriders, Hot Rods, and Custom Car Culture

In this episode of Hot Rods and Hijinks at LillyJack Customs in downtown Greeneville, Tennessee, Reed and Tommy Bennett sit down to talk shop updates, recent events, and small-town mischief. They recap hosting an NSRA shop tour, a pre-party with The Vertical Birds, and a downtown car show with about 400 cars, with plans to do it again in October and hopes for a future soapbox derby return. Reed shares what’s happening in the shop—staffing, parts delays, and projects including a flamethrower truck nearing completion, a Lincoln transmission, multiple Camaros, Jeeps, a CJ light restoration, and a big dually build with semi wheels that needs a name. The conversation drifts into food stories, local happenings, cruises, and pranks, highlighted by the “man horse” rooftop statue story and a movie-theater call that led to a shutdown for deep cleaning.

On Hot Rods and Hijinks, the hosts talk with Chris "Hook "Fillers about the Fair Enuf car show, why he started it to create a place for friends and families to hang out, and how Greeneville/Greene County’s vehicle culture is resurging. Chris explains how the show began with help from Justin Wyatt and support from sponsors and local leaders, and how it’s grown into an inclusive event welcoming mini trucks, lifted trucks, hot rods, classics, tuners, bicycles, motorcycles, and more. For year four, Fair Enough expands to two days (Friday and Saturday) and adds a Friday “Night Shift” cruise and street takeover downtown by The Gentry with a band and food. He shares how he got hooked on the scene through Toby Brown and discusses the importance of camaraderie, cross-show support, and creating lasting memories for kids. Fair Enough is September 25–26; info and tickets are at fairenuf.com and on social media.

This Hot Rods & Hijinks episode features Kent Bewley, longtime Greeneville-area car man and owner/curator of the City Garage Car Museum (210 S Main St, Greeneville, TN). He recounts his family’s dealership roots starting in 1937 with Packard, adding Pontiac and Cadillac, later moving into Chevrolet and other franchises, and his own career working every job on the lot while selling 10,000+ cars. The conversation traces Greeneville’s automotive and tobacco-era economy, local dealership history, and memorable characters and stories, including Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Firestone passing through town, John Bohannon’s engineering feats, and a poker anecdote involving Charlie Hendrickson and JFK. Kent discusses Oldsmobile’s boom years, corporate missteps like early GM diesels, cars he regrets selling, and a story about Phil Bachman’s brief meeting with Enzo Ferrari.

World-Renowned Tattoo Artist Christian “Big C” Navarro Talks Tattoo Warriors, Travel Stories & an Ink-for-Bike Trade At Lily Jack Customs in downtown Greeneville, Tennessee, the Hot Rods and Hijinx podcast welcomes Christian “Big C” Navarro of Inked Family Tattoo in Pheonix, featured in major tattoo magazines and a Tattoo Warriors Season 1 finalist who is preparing to film Season 2. Christian shares how a tattoo convention on an old ship in Jersey was shut down for power/licensing issues, leading artists to finish appointments by tattooing in hotel rooms, plus stories of tattooing in kitchens, bars, Airbnbs, and even near the Cologne Cathedral. The hosts discuss Tyler’s portrait leg piece from Philly’s massive convention, Christian’s old-school hand-stenciling approach, and his background as a certified ironworker/welder. They also cover a custom skateboard-themed lowrider bicycle built for Christian via a tattoo trade, his shop team, travel schedule, and future plans to move somewhere greener.(May contain content not suitable for kids)

Recorded at LilyJack Customs in downtown Greeneville, Tennessee, the Hot Rods & Hijinks podcast hosts chat with Jared Collins and Garrett Ware of Motion Creative Media about what they do and how they got started. The guests explain they help businesses improve online presence through photo/video, storytelling, and ongoing content strategies based on audience goals and performance data, noting people now seek authentic content amid AI and algorithm-driven feeds. They discuss capturing personal histories, comparing an untold life story to a “library burning down,” and relate authenticity to the value of real, matching-numbers cars versus replicas. The conversation covers their early under-quoted first music video, pivoting from weddings during COVID to commercial work, challenges of running a business, and memorable projects like filming Forged in Fire judge Jason Knight and a postpartum support conference.