Rodney Bauman

Second person? Third person? What’s that style of narrative where a writer writes about himself as though he’s someone else? Rotten Rodney Bauman wouldn’t know. He hasn’t won many awards for writing. As a builder, however, he’s done fairly well. On that note, let’s talk about his upbringing. Back in the ‘50s a normal kid in Riverside, California might have a swing set, or perhaps a sandbox in the backyard. Not young Rotten. By the time he could toddle he had a 1947 Crosley out there. Growin’ up in the auto dismantling business was his head start. Bauman’s Auto Wrecking was a preferred hangout for hot rodders, and that’s where young Rotten soaked it up like a sponge. In his teens Rotten began a long-term run in the auto body and custom painting trades. He’s actually worked in a shop or two. More recently he and his partner, Mrs. Rotten, have opened up Bauman's Riverside Rodshoppe in Columbia Falls, Montana. The new shop serves as a pretty good studio for tech. If you’ll pay attention you’ll notice that Mrs. Rotten does most of the work. That’s nothin’ new, as we’ve seen over the years in Rod & Custom, Street Rodder, Classic Trucks, Hot Rod Deluxe, Muscle Car Review and other publications. So, what about the future? If you ask Rotten Rodney, he’ll tell you he’s tickled to barely make the In The Garage Media team—“and by the way, I still have the ‘47 Crosley.”