Reengineering the wheel

Ville Platte native spends his free time giving new life to old parts and working with leather
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The 1953 motion picture The Wild One starring Marlon Brando inspired a generation of Americans to embrace the motorcycle culture, and this movie became a cultural icon. The cultural phenomenon that was created by the film has survived over the years and has shifted gears into motor vehicles with four wheels as opposed to only two.
One Ville Platte native has been attracted to this culture since a young age and now spends his free time working on these type of vehicles.
“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved cars,” said Spencer Bordelon. “I loved Hot Rods and custom rides pre-1955. I saw the movie American Graffiti as a kid, and I loved the Deuce Coup in there. I always knew since then I wanted some kind of open engine Hot Rod. With how much things cost today, a Rat Rod was probably the only route I could go, but that has it’s own charm to it.”
According to Bordelon, this style of vehicle is essentially the same as a Hot Rod except for the fact that it is “rusted out and has a lot more custom fabrication and silly parts as opposed to doing everything to a normal shop’s specifications.” He added, “Instead of using proper equipment, you use plumbing equipment or something you find in the kitchen.”
Before buying a Rat Rod, Bordelon test drove other kinds of classic cars. “I had a ‘73 Volkwagon Super Beetle and got it barely running,” he said. “It had a lot of carburetor issues that turned out to be the only thing wrong with it. I got it running, and I sold it. I wanted to make money off it, but I came out even on that.”
“Then, I got a ‘67 Mustang, which I really loved, not so much as a toy, but as my everyday vehicle,” he continued. “I loved driving it, and I loved the way that it felt. I always knew I wanted a Hot Rod, so I sold that one and finally made enough money to actually get my Rat Rod.”
Bordelon explained that his Rat Rod is a 1937 half ton Ford truck that has everything new except for the cab and the bed. He purchased the truck from somebody in Lafayette who bought it at a classic car auction. Since the truck was used in drag races, most of the restoration work had already been done to it.
“So far, it’s pretty much the way that I bought it,” said Bordelon. “I do plan on doing a little bit to it like putting some newer seats, but it’s pretty much complete because it doesn’t take much to complete a Rat Rod. I’ve put a few things on it and did a little work to it myself like exhausts and just a few odds and ends.”
He compared driving the Rat Rod to flying a spaceship. “It’s very stiff just because of the type of suspension it has on it,” Bordelon expressed. “It has the coil springs and ladder bars in the back, which was popular in drag racing. It’s a little rough, and it’s tight as well. It’s been chopped three inches and channelled five, so there’s very little room in it. It’s like driving a spaceship with no suspension.”
When not fixing up classic cars, Bordelon also enjoys working on motorcycles. This has given rise to him working on leather products and began with a television program. “Whenever I was a kid in the early 2000s, I used to watch the biker build-offs on Discovery Channel,” he stated. “There was a guy named Paul Cox, and I always thought he was a cool dude because he looked cool. I always liked his motorcycles that he built, but his big thing was leatherwork. He made a lot of seats.”
Continued Bordelon, “I thought that was very cool, and I ended up buying a Chopper that had a nice custom seat to it. I restored it, and it was kind of easy working with the leather. I started making leather things from scratch as opposed to restoring them. It came naturally to me.”
Bordelon took his new found hobby and turned it into the formation of Voudou Industries. “That’s something I started about a year ago, and I did custom leather work like holsters, backpacks, and motorcycle seats,” he said. “I had a friend who wanted to make hair products like beard oil or Pomade for that greaser look, so I figured it tied into all the motorcycle stuff. Since then, it’s pretty much dissolved, but the name Voudou Industries stayed.”
Free time for Bordelon is also dedicated to serving his community as a member of the Ville Platte Lions Club. “I started going there probably when I was 12-years-old,” he stated. “They took me in with open arms, and the older fellas liked having me there, I guess, because of my smart mouth. Since I learned what it is, I really love doing things for my community.”
“I love getting out and talking to people,” he continued. “I can’t spend a full day sitting somewhere alone. I have to be around people doing something with them or for them, and, with the Lions club, I’m doing something for them. I believe in the Lions Club cause 100 percent, and I take a lot of pride in that.”
Bordelon’s day job is as an assistant at LaVille Funeral Home, which belongs to his parents Darin and Rebecca Bordelon on Main Street in Ville Platte. “I do whatever I’m needed to do,” he explained. “I do a lot of the heavy lifting and just do my best to take some of the load off of my parents. They’re not old, but they’re getting older, so I do whatever I can to help them out.”
While spending his time in different areas, Bordelon’s favorite avenue is the motorcycle because of the people. “It’s a wide range as far as ages go, and the people are very down to earth,” he shared. “They know what they enjoy, so they found their happiness early in life. They’re very easy to get along with, and we all have something in common.”
He concluded by explaining how the motorcycle has changed over the years. “I would say for the older guys it is still popular. For some of the younger ones like me who enjoy the old style, we still love the Hot Rods. But, Rat Rods have taken over the scene lately. It’s changed a little bit, but, as much as it changed, it kind of hasn’t. There was a biker builder named Billy Lane who owned a place in Florida called Choppers, Inc. He used to say ‘Once cool, always cool.’ So, I guess that’s what it always is. It’s always cool.”