Mark Seidler’s New London, Wis. car business is a new beginning for him so he calls it Phoenix Machine, LLC.In addition to space for over a half dozen hot rod projects, Mark's shop is packed with drill presses, lathes, bending and rolling machines, sheet metal brakes, shears, welders and a computerized CNC milling machine.

Mark worked in a machine shop for 30 years, but wanted to be building hot rods. Now he does. He also makes hot rod parts like billet dash panels, fuel junction blocks and custom engine stands. Got an Optima battery in your car? He has a custom billet battery holder.

 "I like the creativity involved when I design and make a hot rod dash panel,” Seidler admitted. “The designs I make are one of 15-20 not thousands. If you’re just making 15 or 20, you don’t get bored.”

“The parts Mark makes are reasonably priced and what he’s really hoping to achieve is a fair day’s earnings for a fair day’s work and that’s all. “If I can make some parts and do a little work on peoples’ hot rods and meet a bunch of cool car guys and go to some shows, that’s payment enough for me,” he says.

Mark said that his customers like his design work, but even more, they like the idea that the man selling the dashes at car shows is the manufacturer. “They get excited by the idea that they know where they’re being made,” he says. “They like the fact that I’m not just a sales guy and that I can answer all their questions.”

Anyone interested in information can contact him at Phoenix Machine. Call (920) 841-0500 or email mark@phoenixmachinellc.com. Kelly’s Hot Rod Parts of Birnamwood, Wis., is also selling Marks’ dash panels. Contact: Kelly Long at (715) 881-1932 or visit www.kellyshrparts.com.