Making A Name Building Tri-5 Chevys

Making A Name
Building Tri-5 Chevys
CHRIS SONDLES, Woody’s Hot Rodz
W
hile Chris Sondles has literally spent his entire
adult life in the automotive aftermarket
industry, it was only eight years ago that he
launched his own business fulfilling his dream of
being a car builder and manufacturer. His company,
Woody's Hot Rodz, builds all types of classic cars but
specializes in Tri-5 Chevys as well as manufactures two
chassis designs, while a new role as a distributor of
Real Deal Steel bodies allows them to build
reproduction Tri-5s from the ground up.
"If I had my way, all I would build is '55, '56 and
'57 Chevys," says Chris. "I love buildings cars in
general, but I'm
most passionate
about the Tri-5s and I
think we build them
the best as a result.
Plus, the more you
build one type of car,
the more you can fine-
by Tara Baukus Mello
tune even the smallest
details."
Chris opened
Woody's Hot Rodz in July
2003, though the
business didn't initially
have that name. In fact, the
business was started so
suddenly and work took off with such
a vengeance that Chris didn't give it any name until
he had been in business for about eight months.
To understand the story of how Woody's came to be,
one has to go back to when
Chris was literally a kid. Growing
up, Chris' dad, Fred, who worked
on the assembly line for General
Motors, was interested in cars,
especially Tri-5s. "I was in high
school and my older brother had
gone off to college," Chris
remembers. "I decided
that if I could figure out how
to make money working in the
car business, I could do what I
loved and not have to have a
'real' job."
While he was in high school, he
established a relationship with
Orlando, Florida-based Classic
Chevy International (now called
Eckler's Classic Chevy) and
immediately went to work for
them after high school graduation.
He started in customer service, and
then began working in product
development, creating new items
like disc brake and steering kits.
Chris says, "Three years into the
job, I decided I needed to go back
home, to Youngstown (Ohio) to
finish college. I kept working for
them as their road tour manager,
driving a 48-foot trailer."
During Chris' time on the road,
Gary Anderson, then owner of
SoffSeal, took notice of him. Chris
went to work for SoffSeal as its
national sales manager and had a
large presence on the car show
circuit representing the company.
"During my late '20s, I decided I
needed a break from cars for a
while, but I kept feeling drawn
back to it," says Chris. "One day, I
was sitting with my friend Phil,
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Chris (right) and his
older brother, Todd,
grew up around cars
thanks to their dad
Fred, who worked on
the General Motors'
assembly line.
86 AUGUST 2011
AUGUST 2011 87
Here's Chris with
Woody Carrell
(left),
namesake of
Woody's Hot
Rodz and
longtime
friend of the
Sondles
family, and
the '55 that
the shop built
for him.
talking about it and he suggested I open my own
business building cars. I gave him all sorts of logical
reasons why I couldn't do it—no
customers, no space to work, etcetera—
and thanks to him and some serendipity, Woody's
general
everything just fell into place."
Within a one-week span, Phil became manager
Joe
Chris' first customer, purchasing a '57
Chevy owned by Woody Carrell, a friend Shinliver
works on
of Chris' dad, for Chris to transform.
Mark
Next, Phil provided a loan to cover the
Clark's '69
materials to build a large garage at
Camaro.
Chris' home to use as his shop and
found the owner of a construction
company who wanted to build a Mustang that was
willing to build the shop for him.
Chris resigned from his non-automotive job and
word spread about his new business. Within a few
days he had another customer, and then another.
"Eight months later I had more work than I knew what
to do with and I realized I better start actually like I had
a real business," Chris remembers. He hired two people
and christened the business Woody's, in honor of the
man who had owned
the car that became his first official
project. "Woody was the epitome of a
'real' car guy to me growing up. He
had a Harley in the kitchen and a pool
table in the living room covered with
car parts," he says.
By 2005, Woody's had outgrown
its space. He hired six employees and
moved to a 7,500-square-foot former
firehouse in Bright, Indiana. For a
while, all Chris could think about was
actually building cars for his
customers, but soon his marketing
background kicked in. In late 2005, Woody's had three
customers who wanted to build three different cars—a
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'40s Willys, a '50s Chevy, and a '60s muscle car—but all
very similar underneath. The three projects became the
Buckaroo Build-Off, with Super Rod, Chevy Rumble
and Street Rod Builder each covering the build up of
Woody's
operates with
seven
employees
including
Dane
Heninger
(left) who is
working on
Mike
Coughlin's
'71 Vega and
Matt Baldwin
(right) who is
working on
George
Poteet's '57
Chevy.
88 AUGUST 2011
one car for about 18
months. The cars debuted in
spring 2007, all undergoing
testing that showed they
outperformed a new Dodge Viper.
Next, Woody's was mentioned in a
Wall Street Journal article about
car customizing. "It really put
Woody's on the map," Chris says.
A few months later, Chris, who
had remained close with Gary
Anderson, received a call from his
friend, asking that he come back
to SoffSeal to help, as Gary was
fighting a life-threatening illness. "I
talked to the guys at the shop and
said I needed to do this to help my
friend," he explains. Chris became
SoffSeal's executive vice president
and stayed with the company
through late 2009, helping run
the business while Gary fought his
illness and then staying on until
the new management was settled
after Gary's passing in March
2009. During this time Chris
essentially worked two jobs:
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Chris' dad, Fred Sondles, works
at Woody's part time and did
quite a bit of work on the 2011
Street Rodder Road Tour car.
Woody's early every morning and
at night, and SoffSeal during
regular business hours.
The shop continued to take on
numerous projects, including cars
for such high-profile people as
major league baseball player Carlos
Beltran, former Dallas Cowboys
star Herschel Walker and the 2009
Street Rodder Magazine Road
Tour car. The shop added a
second building, 3,500-
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AUGUST 2011 89
George Poteet, as well as the 2011
Street Rodder Magazine Road Tour
car. Then, late in the year, Woody's
became a distributor of Real Deal
Steel, which currently manufactures
new '57 Chevy hardtops and
convertibles and has plans to expand
to a complete Tri-5 line. Woody's also
has a frame business to manufacturer
Gasser and Cruiser chassis. They
delivered the first completed Real
Deal Steel '57 early this spring. A Real
In late 2010, Woody's
became a distributor of
Real Deal Steel, which
currently manufactures
new '57 Chevy hardtops
and convertibles and has
plans to expand to a
complete Tri-5 line.
square-feet to house the
paint and body shop, just
down the street from its
main building.
The year 2010 proved
to be a busy year for
Woody's as well and with
projects that helped Chris
get to his goal to become the
"Roy Brizio of Tri-5 Chevys." A '57
Chevy project got underway for rod collector
90 AUGUST 2011
yard. His daily driver is a
'57 Chevy his dad once owned
and he also owns an '80 Chevy
Malibu he drove in high school and
hopes to re-do someday. Like many
builders, however, he has a hard
time finding time to work on his
own projects and, when he does,
the process tends to be neverending. "With your own car, it's too
easy to putter. With a customer's car,
they rely on
you to decide
on a plan for
the style they
want and to
execute it
flawlessly," says
Chris. "And
whether it's a
Tri-5 or another
type of car,
that's exactly
what Woody's
has built its
reputation on."
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Hydraulic Clutch &
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Model A – 1934 Fords
$369.00
Chris' daily driver is this '57 Chevy his dad once owned.
Deal Steel '57 Chevy two-door hardtop built by
Woody's was featured in the Builder's
Showcase at the NSRA Street Rod
Nationals Plus this year, as was a '69 protouring Camaro Woody's built.
Thanks to Woody's relationship with
Real Deal Steel, he's
Woody's
found himself on the
also has a
road once again,
frame
displaying at 12
business to
shows this year. The
manufacturer
travel, plus the
Gasser and
typical 12-plus-hour
Cruiser
days he spends at
chassis. Here a
the shop leaves him
Real Deal
little free time.
Steel/Woody's
When he does find
Hot Rodz '57
free time he relaxes
Chevy
with his wife, Faith,
convertible is
or by working in his
being welded.
9” Ford Rear
End Cover
Polished $199.00
Hairpin Kit
Model A – 1934 Fords
$353.00 plain steel
$470.00 chrome
Alum “I” rod Shock
Superior damping and
rebound over the
Standard shock
Plain $199.00
Polished $249.00
Rear Ladder
Bar Kit
Model A – 1948 Fords.
$401.00 plain steel
$616.00 chrome
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Free time is hard to come by
in Chris' world, but he and his
wife did manage to get away
this spring and attend the
Indy 500.
© 2011, Tara Baukus Mello, All Rights Reserved.
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AUGUST 2011 91