GasAxe Chop Shop Rendition

This is an interesting one. It’s like a test. Last week, a full moon rocked the earth, like an evil spell. Girlfriends ran off, businesses folded, evil transactions unfolded, and there was general mayhem on the planet for a few days. That’s when Angie Dixon reached out to me.

“Are you going to feature our bike?” she asked. “It won the Bikernet Editor’s Choice award at the Las Vegas Bike Fest in September.”

I remembered the bike, the wild stretched monster. It spoke of choppers from the past, long sleek sexy beasts. I didn’t recognize aspects of this bike until I spoke to Tim Dixon and he started to tell me about his past and how he started a chop shop 18 years ago on the family’s dairy farm, purchased in 1944.

I’ll tell you a code about full moons and evil spirits. It could save your life. If you’re smart and you see signs of pure evil, or even disjointed actions, don’t over-react. Take a step back, drink a glass of Jack, or smoke a joint and listen to some heartfelt tunes for a couple of days. More often than not, things will sort themselves out. It’s like road rage. You could kill the sonuvabitch who cut you off and go to jail for the rest of your life, or pull into Betty’s apartment complex and let her take your mind far, far away. The next day, you’ll be able to go for a ride, see a fantastic sunset, and drink with your riding partners. No problem.

With that mantra in mind, I checked my notes from my conversation with Tim, who I suspect is a very solid builder, and started to write his story. It’s a good one, full of romance and intrigue.

Tim and his older brother, Mike, grew up on the family dairy farm. Their dad passed when Tim was in second grade and they were forced to step up and learn the ropes. While in his teens, a friend and drag racing enthusiast contacted Tim and they built a 650 Class 1971 Vega in 1988.

“I discovered I enjoyed building more than the racing side,” Tim said.

Tim learned welding in high school and followed it in trade school.

“My brother did the same and attended Vocational College,” Tim said. “I took metal shaping classes in Charlotte.”

At one point, Tim made the trek to California to watch some television builders and learn. It was the time of the build-offs and he followed the TV action.

Tim’s home shop takes on car restoration projects, racecars, rat rods, and bikes “when they are hot,” Tim said. He and his brother, his mom and uncle live outside of Ten Mile, Tennessee.

Ten Mile is primarily a summer cottage community on Watts Bar Lake. It includes summer cottages, small locally owned stores and restaurants, a bank, marinas, resorts, churches, and a post office (zip code 37880). The population is around 7,000.

Tim had the bug for action, hot cars, bikes, and flash. He watched the shows and followed the blogs. One day while checking some chopper shots on a Facebook page, he perused through the comments and one intrigued him. Clicking on a link, it took him to another blog belonging to a Canadian girl from Vancouver Island, who was a financial services manager and wore high heels and business suits daily.

“I’m not a computer guy,” Tim said. “I don’t know how I got there, but I had to know more about this girl.”

He cajoled computer savvy friend to follow and reach out to Angie, and they started to correspond after weeks of deleted messages.

“They wrote in yawls,” Angie said. “I didn’t know what to make of them for a while.”

A year of e-mails and four-hour long phone conversations led to a one-week trip for Angie to fly to Nashville and meet Tim.

“I wasn’t afraid when I stepped off the plane,” Angie said. “I knew him.”

Over the next year she returned several time, and once for six months, during which time Tim proposed.

“Vancouver Island is made up of polite and soft people,” Angie said. “Tennessee is big boobs, blondes, and in your face. Besides, it’s hot as hell.”

“She won the Canadian Lottery,” Tim said, “and I was the prize.” They were married September 8th, 2012 in Rock-a-Billy style.

“Everyday is still new to me,” Angie said.

The two brothers have a day job off site, rebuilding hydraulic cylinders for bulldozers, backhoes, compactors, any heavy equipment, plus manufacturing cylinder sleeves and hydraulic pistons. Their facility is 10 minutes away from home in Athens, Tennessee, and it houses seven CNC lathes and five CNC mills. They manufacture every piece themselves. Of course, these capabilities go along way to help with custom builds.

Tim’s home shop may not be quite as well equipped, but they can always shoot over to the day job facility for some detailed machining. All his talents came into play with this parody on a television build, the Gold Digger Bike. He wanted his version of it to be bigger, badder, and better. He took the time to venture to the Wheels Through Time museum, so he could study an old Harmon girder. He made the girder work better than stock with bronze-filled Teflon bushings. They machined their own trees and built the frame.

He did it all, and the stretch and handling of the 10-foot, 9-inch axle-to-axle sex machine fits his 5-foot, 10-inch frame perfectly. Tim built all the major components and many accessories, including the bars, the pipes, air cleaner, kicker, and seat pan. Angie handled the leather upholstery.

He recently won second place in the Charlotte Ultimate Builder Bike Show, and showed at the Easyriders Nashville show, and won the Bikernet Editor’s Choice Award at the Vegas Artistry in Iron. “I’m going to build a whole new show-stopper for the Artistry in Iron competition next year in Vegas,” Tim said.

I can’t wait to meet this couple in person. Tim is determined to build the best of the best, and Angie is determined to build his business. They turned down an opportunity to compete in the new Biker Build-off show, but watch for Tim’s work to be featured in his own TV Series.

Bikernet.com Extreme Suga Daddy Tech Chart

Regular Stuff

Owner: Tim and Angie Dixon
Bike Name: Suga Daddy
City/State: Ten Mile, Tennessee
Builder: Gas Axe Chop Shop
City/state: Ten Mile, Tennessee

Company Info: Build custom cars and bikes, metal fabrication, machining, and welding
Address: 203 Upper Concord Road, Ten Mile, Tennessee 37880
Phone: 423-507-2693
Web site: www.facebook.com/gasaxechopshop
E-mail: info@gasaxechopshop.com or mrsangiedixon@gmail.com
Fabrication: Gas Axe Chop Shop
Welding: all types
Machining: cnc milling, lathes and also manual lathe and mill

Engine

Year: 2012
Make: S&S
Model: Shovelhead
Displacement: 93 c.i.
Builder or Rebuilder: S&S
Cases: S&S
Case: S&S
finish: polished
Barrels: S&S
Pistons: S&S Forged
Barrel finish: black
Heads: S&S
Head finish: polished
Cams: S&S 585
Carburetion: S&S super E
Air cleaner: old school
Exhaust: Gas Axe custom
Mufflers: None