Somewhere wrapped up in the need for speed and cool looks was an intangible called respect. A machine as a person is not a new concept. As a kid, we all remember giving names to our inanimate play toys and then once named they did seem to take on a persona.
  Cleveland’s hot rod roots go back to the early 1960s when, prior to the draft age of 18, he had a number of cars. "I’ve never been a brand oriented type of guy," Larry admits.
  In early 1963, he bought a 1940 Ford coupe and that summer installed a fuel injected, 375-horse 327 Chevy. Working as a line mechanic at the Ford dealership in Hastings, Nebraska, in the summer of 1965, he lusted after a Weber injected 289 Cobra roadster. One other "close call" that same time was a ‘56 Corvette for $1,100.