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When taking a holiday in the States, even if your schedule doesn’t allow for taking in a hot rod event, it’s pretty much a given that you’ll come across the odd car or two whilst on your travels. Having just got back from visiting the east coast for the first time I certainly found that to be the case, even though I wasn’t expecting to see a ’46 Ford pickup in downtown New York on our first night there. A few days later, we were waiting to catch the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard when a group of rods rolled off the ship that had just docked. Later on that day, we came across quite a gathering on the island, all having been there for the annual Boston Area Roadster’s Vineyard trip. But these sightings were just a taster of what was to come as, thanks to CC contributor Chuck Vranas, I was privileged to meet Dave Simard of East Coast Custom and tour his workshops, along with his own private collection of cars. What an experience that was. His barns were akin to Aladdin’s caves, stashed full of stock, in-progress and on-the-road early Fords, with the odd Chevy thrown in for good measure. As holiday experiences go, that’s right up there with the best of them, and I can’t thank Chuck and Dave enough for giving up their time and indulging me.