Billetproof

Alan Galbraith his the current owner of the Billetproof cars shows. Alan got his love for all things motorized from his father, Art Galbraith, who was on the scene at the birth of hot rodding. Art went to high school with Kenny and Wally Parks, raced jalopies on the Southern California dirt tracks in the late 40's, raced drag boats and rally cars in the late 60's and went on to set motorcycle Land Speed Records when he was over 70 years old. Alan took up his fathers motorized legacy early on, racing go-karts at the age of 5 and helping build the long string of family hot rods and race cars and motorcycles from the time he could hold a wrench. A steady stream of hot rods and muscle cars passed through Alan's garage as he attended college and went on to a career in the motion picture and music industries. Upon discovering the Billetproof car show many years ago, it was as if Alan had discovered his long lost tribe. He had been building and driving traditionally sytled rods his whole life. Years later when the opportunity to purchase the Billetproof shows opened as he became burned out with the film industry Alan jumped at the chance.

.Alan's current projects include expanding the Billetproof brand nation and world wide, a heavily metal flaked 1963 Suburban that will be used to haul all of the Billetproof gear to shows, and a period perfect 1951 Mercury 2 door that he promised not to chop because its in such good shape.

FOUNDERS

Kirk Jones aka KIRK! began his obsession with cars and art when he was first able to hold a crayon. Northern Cal born (Concord) and So-Cal raised (Huntington Beach), KIRK!'s urge to see and draw rods & kustoms prompted his father to give him the nickname "hot rod". At age fifteen and almost old enough to drive, KIRK! worked three jobs to buy two different cars, including his first running car, a 1964 Ford Galaxie 500XL convertible. His high school years were also filled with mini trucks, overpowered 4x4s, motorcycles and Friday night drags for money in low-buck street racers. After high school, KIRK! began a career as a graphic designer and art director for Ocean Pacific, Joe Boxer and his own company, Eleven Eleven Operations. (He also spent a minute or two as art director for Gearhead Magazine.) Meanwhile, he continued to build nostalgia rods and kustoms, only to see them stick out like sore thumbs at the greedy, billet-friendly car shows. After years of not feeling welcome sporting primer and open pipes, KIRK! sought out other like-minded rodders, most notably Billetproof co-founder Jay Ward. Out of necessity, from the minds of KIRK! and Jay, spat Billetproof.

KIRK! is currently building a chopped and slammed traditional style '47 Ford coupe, working on his new clothing line Dirty Hero, and obsessing over how to make Billetproof the best automotive event and product line on Earth. Kirk sold the Billetproof car shows to Alan Galbraith in ealry 2007. He remains a consultant to Billetproof.

Jay Ward has motor oil in his blood, mostly handed down from his father who drag raced and built custom cars in the early 60's in their hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. Once Jay was transplanted to the land of car culture in California in the early 70's, his fate was sealed. At age 19, while attending the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland where he studied printmaking and illustration, Jay built a rigid Harley Shovelhead chopper from parts and pieces. Building a chopper was good experience, but a custom car was the next step. After owning a Buick Electra 225 convertible in the early 90's, he knew he wanted something more along the lines of a Barris Kustom. He purchased a rusty but running heap of a '49 Lincoln Cosmopolitan in '94, and began transforming the "Stinkin' Lincoln" into the sled it is today. Meeting Kirk in 1995 at a Lucky Devils party, the two had an immediate connection and similar thoughts about the attitude of the local megabuck car shows. By the following year they were planning the first Billetproof show.

Jay Ward retired from Billetproof after the 2002 show. He currently lives in the East Bay, where he can be found tearing up the streets in his dry lakes influenced '29 Ford Roadster powered by a vintage Cadillac 331 engine.