Like Lopez, Brizio grew up around racing and high-performance custom cars. His dad, Andy—reverentially known as the Rodfather—was among the sport’s pioneers. Also like Lopez, Brizio discovered that he had more talent as a designer and engineer than he did as a competitive driver. Both men have leveraged that talent into lucrative businesses, catering to well-heeled enthusiasts who will spend whatever it takes to put a boss ride on the road. Hot rods aren't just an oddball hobby; they are big business for top-ranked custom shops. Quite unbidden, both Lopez and Brizio mention that they have backlogged orders sufficient to keep them busy for the next three years.

Brizio’s technicians sport uniforms of clean denims topped with gray T-shirts emblazoned with the shop logo. As Brutsman, Styles, Cyrus, sound technician Fred Runer and various assistants scramble for the best shot, Team Brizio assembles and disassembles a ’32 roadster. They lift and remove the car’s one-piece body (otherwise known as the shell) with the elegant choreography of a skilled sur gical squad. A massive gleaming chrome V-8 is gently lowered into the cradle of the hand-made frame.

Rob Styles swings his Sony HDW-F900 high-def camera in for a closeup of a back axle assembly—something that might not hook the ordinary citizen, but a compelling shot for Rides viewers. During a lull in the shoot (there are many in the course of a day), Cyrus mentions that the best HD cameramen are recent recruits from the film industry, primarily because they already know how to frame a widescreen shot. "There's tremendous resistance to learning HD among old-school TV cameramen," Cyrus says. "They feel they’ve mastered their craft and that the standard method shouldn't be tampered with." Many of them fear that new technology will eliminate their jobs, and that means enormous opportunity for anyone who is willing to learn, Cyrus adds.