Former Orange County Choppers co-star Josh Allison recently opened a new shop called American Metal in Danbury, Connecticut. Fans of Allison's work may also remember his appearances on American Chopper and Wrench Against the Machine, in addition to the impressive custom builds he helped to fabricate with the Teutels on OCC.
Now, Allison's newest project, founded in the facilities of Danbury's North American Motor Car, will feature more of the craftsmanship that helped him become a leading name in the industry. American Metal plans to debut early builds this fall in New Jersey and Cleveland, so I spoke with Allison beforehand to learn more about what led to the new project and how American Metal's plans to stand out in the world of hand-built bikes and hardcore hot rods.
Assembling The American Metal Team
While working at Orange County Choppers, the co-founder of Blue Buffalo Co pet food and former SoBe Beverages Director of Event Marketing Chris Bishop hired the shop to build a recreation of Peter Fonda's iconic stars-and-stripes bike from Easy Rider. Throughout the process, Bishop and Allison developed the relationship that eventually led to American Metal—especially once the winds of change began to blow at OCC.
"Orange County Choppers was doing different things," Allison told me. "They were kind of moving down to Florida and whatnot, so it was kind of a good time for me to move on from there."
In conversations with Bishop about Allison's role in the hot rod and custom bike circles, the duo conceptualized a new company beneath the umbrella of North American Motor Car, for which Bishop serves as CEO.
“And American Metal was born, man!" Allison said. "We got the team together, got the brand and the name, got an amazing group of people. And yeah, this is where it’s at. Right now there's 14 of us, it’s kind of broken up right now into the fab shop and there’s the mechanical but it’s all under the one roof, all the specialty things we can do."
Plans To Start Big And Grow Bigger
Bishop's business background at SoBe and Blue Buffalo allowed him to bet big on American Metal and Allison, far beyond the scope of a traditional shop churning out custom projects.
"When this whole thing started, it was really a driving factor," Allison recalled. "He wanted to create something that really no one’s doing. Along with the bikes and the cars, there’s going to be very high-end storage, we’re going to have a world-class facility, buying and selling of cars, sponsorship, and racing."
Building Bikes And Cars, Too
I asked Allison whether he pictured American Metal focusing more on bikes or cars, given his own predilections and preferences.
"It’s probably a little bit of both," he replied. "Right now, we’re pushing really hard to get this bike done that I’ve been building for Fuel Cleveland. That’s coming up on November fourth, fith, and sixth in Cleveland, Ohio, obviously. And that’s something that we decided to do as the shop, as our brand. So that’s a bike that I’ve been thinking about that we did."
The other question swirling in my mind surrounded the difference between customer commissions or blank-slate projects that emerge straight from Allison's mind. Given his reality TV fame and industry acclaim, would he just bring his dream cars and bikes to life and then sell them? Instead, because of the sheer scope Bishop envisioned for American Metal, everything remains on the table.
"Whether it’s a full custom build, full metalwork, full restoration, I don’t care how old the car is, we’re gonna tackle it. Full paint, full interior. It’s pretty wild. It’s literally a one-stop-shop for anything anybody can dream of."
Hot Rods, Customization, And Full Restorations
The wide-ranging expertise that Bishop and Allison assembled at American Metal means that the "one-stop-shop" won't be restricted only to classics and period projects, though—new models are on the table, too, even though the focus will remain on older machines.
"We’re a vintage shop," Allison clarified. "We’re in the muscle-car era, traditional hot-rodding, bikes, and whatnot. On some of that other stuff, we’re going to have different avenues that we can help people out with if they want to bring in, say, their new BMW. And one of our mechanics, Daniel, he did come from that background. So we’re trying to have a versatile shop that no matter what we get, we can touch."
I asked Allison if he could share a few details about the builds currently underway at American Metal, other than the bike set for a big reveal at Fuel Cleveland.
"We’ve got a '68 Mustang, full rotisserie restoration that the other guys have been working on," he said. "That’s a big one. You know when you do these restorations, to do them right, every bolt has to be right and everything has to be perfect from the factory."
He also sounded excited about a 1964 panel truck that will serve as a tool and toy hauler, complete with 20-inch wheels, air-bagged suspension, and blacked-out everything.
American Metal Headed To Fuel Cleveland
Allison did share a few details about the build for Fuel Cleveland, though.
"It’s a 1941 Knucklehead motor from Harley Davidson," he explained, "So very, very, very rare. I mean, the powerplant for these motorcycles kind of sets the tone and it’s a big part of the bike. So it’s built around that and it’s all completely one-off, hand-crafted motorcycle. I’ve literally made the gas tank, the fenders, the seat, the pipes, the front end, the pipes. It’s everything you could get. That’s been going on for probably six months now."
Meanwhile, Bishop's personal collection also receives attention on the side, like a 1949 Mercury getting rewired. But given the newness of the venture, work for customers and promotional purposes does have to come first.
Personal Projects Down The Line
Allison does still ruminate on some personal projects, too, though. And he does enjoy riding around the new (to him) Connecticut roads on his own 1946 Knucklehead custom.
"I daily drive a 2014 Chevy Impala," he revealed. "We have a beautiful truck—but my wife has stolen it from me. We went and got a truck so we can easily haul bikes around and Sarah fell in love with it. And I do ride as much as I can."
And sitting right at the top of the to-do list, it turns out, is a bike for Allison's better half.
"My wife wants me to build her a bike so bad, so I’m hoping that maybe this winter I can start slowly diving into that. We have a little boy," Allison said, "And she hasn’t ridden in a long time. And the riding around here is gorgeous! So I’ll get back from a ride and be bragging on her and she’s like, 'Oh I don’t wanna hear about it, I can’t go!’ All the bikes I build are solo seats so it would be really cool to do something personally for her."
In the meantime, fans of Orange County Choppers, American Metal, and Josh Allison can expect to catch up at Fuel Cleveland or on the East Coast at Night of the Troglodytes, the chopper celebration in advance of The Race of Gentlemen in New Jersey going down on October 1. Getting the local community involved and informed that a new shop popped up in Connecticut sounds like a major focus for the whole team at American metal.
"Every time we do anything," Allison told me, "We want everybody to come out and be a part of it."
Sources: americanmetalcustom.com, northamericanmotorcar.com, bluebuffalo.com, fuelcleveland.com, and theraceofgentlemen.com.