Some of our favorite Project Car Hell cars have been those that we heard about from readers who emailed us tips, and we want to encourage even more of you to become PCH Tipsters. That's why I've spent next to nothing spared no expense to make these fine handcrafted T-shirts for our beloved Tipster Crew. Yes, starting with the crappiest thrift-store shirts imaginable the highest-quality shirts I could obtain, each color of clearance sale spray paint garment-grade dye was applied using only the most hacked-together cardboard stencils finest silk-screen gear.
Actually, these things were way more work than I bargained for- I ended up using 7 stencils in the design.
You get the Murilee Martin Lifestyle Brand logo (thanks to Ecurie Ecrappe for the idea) on the back; the photos below show how the MMLB logo was applied:
First, the Murilee Martin text goes on.
That green high-temp paint stays on pretty well in the wash.
Next, the skull's outline.
Maybe I should have used a darker color, but it's what I had.
Then the eyes, nose, and teeth get applied.
This is genuine gray primer, for the discerning PCH-er.
And, finally, the wrench-through-the-eyeholes treatment. I was scouring the internet for a nice wrench image when I realized all I needed to do was to grab a real wrench out of the toolbox and trace it. Funny how teh internets makes us forget reality.
And, there we have it!
So, you want to show off your Project Car Hell Tipster credentials, do you? Well, here's how you get a shirt:
1. You must email valid URLs for two potential PCH cars to me (murilee at jalopnik dot com). The cars don't need to have a common theme, but it's always fun if you can find a good theme to tie them together. Bonus points for finding car ads in obscure (i.e., non-Craigslist, non-eBay) sources. You do not need to write any copy for the PCH post, as that's my job (but feel free to do so if you're highly motivated to do some keyboard pounding).
2. I must use your tips in a Project Car Hell post. If I use just one of the cars I might send you a shirt anyway, but to be one the safe side you should try to find two really good ones.
3. If I use your tips, you must send me a shipping address. Outside of the US is fine. Shipping will be via the cheapest method possible, and I'll get to it when I get to it, so be patient.
OK? Tipsters, attempt to start your Hell Projects' seized engines!