Preview: Hot Rod College

After 23 years of customizing cars, Ryan Friedlinghaus is ready to drive in a new direction. Starting early next year, Friedlinghaus will phase out much of the work performed at his Burbank shop West Coast Customs and transition the business into an academy teaching the skills needed to design and produce custom cars. It is a long-term investment that will enable Friedlinghaus to continue creating custom cars while grooming the next generation of workers in what he calls a “lost art.” “I am going to take this facility I built for the company and turn it into a teaching facility, which will benefit the industry and benefit us,” Friedlinghaus said. West Coast Customs makes custom vehicles, modifies existing vehicles and performs paint jobs, wraps and interior work for between $5,000 and $500,000. Read the full story in the Oct. 17 issue of the San Fernando Valley Business Journal.