The Big Banana Car was built by Steve Braithwaite and a close group of friends (Known as the Mutant Brothers even though one is a woman) over a 2 -1/2 year period beginning in 2008.
Working mostly on Sundays and occasional weeknights the original 1993 Ford pick up was converted into a rolling, driving banana.
The build was started in Bowling Green Ohio, continued in Quakertown Pennsylvania and completed in Coopersburg PA.
It has been on the road since 2011 and in that time has driven coast to coast and north to south.
The Build Slideshow.
Ridiculous Rides Video
The Build Crew
Steve Braithwaite
Steve Braithwaite, Radio DJ – Internet Explorer – Adventurer and the worlds first Banananaut was born at a very early age in the picturesque town of Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England, under the inauspicious sign of Taurus.
As a youngster, like a moth to the flame, he was attracted to all things yellow. The movie “American Graffiti” channeled his attraction toward yellow hotrods and then a chance meeting with a basket of fruit in a gas station narrowed his focus even further and an idea was born.
Ron Kutt
Ron is the owner of a small part-time welding company located in Sellersville, PA called RK Services, with the dreams of one day turning this vision into his full-time business.
The birth of RK Services was in 1996 and Ron is a 3rd generation welder who believes in doing the job right and at a reasonable price.
He is A Kutt Above the Rest.Contact Ron at (267) 718-8604.
Liz O'Neil
Liz was amazing.
She took to the project straight away and wanted to help in any way she could. She offered her large workshop for the build and had many great ideas and input.
Steve Myers
Videographer, web designer and all around useful guy.
Mark Steele
Auto body expert and general automotive expert.
The banana car project was started at Marks Bowling Green location and with his help progressed very quickly.
Mark has his own body shop in Bowling Green, Ohio.
He has an astounding knowledge of all things automotive and the skills needed to repair and restore vintage automobiles.
Glen Lewis
Glen is not only a very skilled auto mechanic but he is someone who doesn’t need much direction. Give him the basic outline of a job and he goes non stop, working quietly until suddenly you look over and it’s finished.
Unfortunately Glen is no longer with us.
Rick Willens
Rick writes: “I first saw the BBC (Big Banana Car) in a news article and thought, ” This is something, I’d like to be a part of”…SO…I volunteered my airbrushing ability after contacting Steve and introduced him to Jim Lacey of J&L Auto Body to do the Base coating. I got my chance to “work my magic”, and I Airbrushed the BBC to look, Just Like a REAL Banana.
The Airbrushing took about 5 hours with Steve directing and Liz Filming and Jim mixing the colors. I think it looks GREAT…. What a thrill to see the BBC go through this transformation from just a dream…..to a BIG BANANA CAR!!!! I’m GLAD I was a Part of it! Bon Voyage!”.
Mike Hinkle
(The Formally Unknown Mechanic)
I had heard stories of a mechanic in the area that sounded too unlikely to believe.
Tall tales of a “Mechanics” mechanic. A guy that other auto repair shop owners go to when they are stumped.
Gene Toner
The Elder.
I needed some Pontiac Fiero seats and had been driving past a house that had a couple of Fiero’s in the yard. I stopped to enquire about them having no notion that the home owner was a huge car nut.
We got chatting about the big banana car and Gene was hooked.
Gene Toner
The Younger.
Gene is a very skilled auto mechanic and sees solutions before I have even noticed the problem.
Special Thanks to ...
Tim Carver
I bought a lot of supplies from Keystone Automotive in Bethlehem PA and while I was there one day I casually asked if anyone knows of someone who would like to help out with the big banana car body work.
Matt & Lindsey
We were working on the Big Banana Car outside the workshop and a little black car pulled in the driveway with strange writing all over it.
The owner is Matt Kelly and he had driven it all across Canada and Russia and he listened to the details of our project with great enthusiasm. He and his girlfriend Lindsay stopped by the next day and helped get the car ready for paint.
Kelli & Rob
Kelli and Rob deserve a big thank you. They have helped the Big Banana Car project in many ways from filming to junkyard trips to heavy lifting when swapping the engine.
Custom Services Co
Glenn Singer and Leo Moyer of Custom Services Company sandblasted the very rusty F150 frame.
It was an extremely hot day and we all remarked on how hardworking Glenn was. He had to wear a lot of protective clothing and must have been absolutely boiling as he crawled around, over and under the big banana car frame spraying every inch with a powerful blast of sand.
The frame came out looking fantastic! Glenn not so much.
Custom Services Company Inc.
768 N. West End Blvd.
Quakertown, PA. 18951
Phone: (215) 536-5339
CustomServicesCompany.com
Yerkes Auto
I called in the experts to plum the brakes. The team from Yerkes Auto in Quakertown ran all the brake lines, hooked up the master cylinder and booster and bled the system to give me a strong brake pedal.
Yerkes Auto
1916 Quarry RoadQuakertown,PA18951
Phone: (610) 346-7098
C & B Iron
I bought a lot of the steel he used from C & B Iron in Quakertown.
C&B Iron
100 Richlandtown PikeQuakertown,PA18951-2500
Phone: (215) 536-7162
Hoover Steel
Ron Kutt buys a lot of his steel supplies at Hoover Steel in Schwenksville, PA and they provided him with some of his needs at no charge.
Hoover Steel
4841 Garges Road
Schwenksville,PA19473-2050
Phone: (610) 287-8855
Broadway Speedshop
John and his crew did the “Specially Constructed Vehicle” inspection and the first Pennsylvania annual safety inspection.
Broadway Speedshop
1118 Broadway Fountain Hill, PA 18015-4111
Phone: (610) 865-1020
JL Auto Body
Jim Lacy and his team (Jim, Jim and Jim) did a really wonderful job of laying down the yellow base paint. They were very nice to work with and Jim himself had an almost constant grin and kept shaking his head in mirth every few minutes.
JL Auto Body 825 Bethlehem Pike Colmar, PA 18915-9754
Phone: (215) 822-0988
Keystone Automotive
Most of the fibreglass and bodywork supplies came from Keystone and because I was in there so often they got to hear all about the Big Banana Car. Cathy mentioned it to her boss and they very kindly offered to provide the banana yellow paint.
Keystone Automotive
3658 Route 378 Bethlehem, PA. 18015
800-441-4200 parts
800-355-7246 paint
Melody Lakes
Liz has been getting her vehicles worked on at Melody Lakes Auto on 309 in Quakertown for many years and when they heard about the Big Banana Car they offered us four brand new tires.
Melody Lakes Tire and Auto
1113 North West End Boulevard Quakertown, PA. 18951-4121
Phone: (215) 536-8511
