Built over a period of two months, Rodney explained how this all started in the first place. “The frame and motor was bought by a customer of mine. I was building a Shovelhead for him at the time and he was running low on money so we made a deal on this bike,” said Rodney. “I had an idea of which way I wanted to go and just started ordering the necessary parts. Once I had the parts, it was on. Everything on this bike was done in my shop except the pinstriping which was done by Eric Thompson. We finished the bike on a Saturday, took it to a show on Sunday, and won first time out.”

Besides bikes, Rodney also works on antique autos and muscle cars so it’s no surprise this bike has a bit of hot rod influence to it. And not just in the stance or looks department, but actual muscle car pieces. “The headlight is a blown Hemi piston that I made along with the riser which is part of a Hemi aluminum connecting rod and the sissy bar is two Hemi connecting rods milled so they fit together,” said Rodney. “My wife Tammy named the bike Lil Hot Rod right off the bat, so the name stuck.”

Rodney not only builds everything in-house at Southeastern using everything from an English wheel to planishing hammers to pan brakes to a lathe, but also does all of his own paint like the Cadillac Pearl White he shot on his Ironhead. “I do everything in-house except powder coating and air brushing so pretty much anything that can be made, I can do it,” he said. And that also includes upholstery which he learned from his dad Larry who was not just an upholsterer, but an upholsterer of national award-winning antique cars. “When my dad passed away, I got all of his upholstery stuff so I do upholstery too, but I’ve done paint and bodywork since I was in high school,” said Rodney.

Take a good look at Mr. Cofano’s photo gallery and you’ll see lots of interesting details like the neat brackets for the front-mounted oil tank or Rodney’s now foot-clutched-and-jockey-shifter Ironhead. But, what’s he been up to since he finished his personal rider, Rodney said, “I have since built a radical Sportster and have won two out of three shows in Daytona this year. I’m also building a custom trike and a café racer Triumph.”

If you’re interested in seeing what Rodney could do for you, email him at rodneys@atmc.net or give him a call at 910-209-1529. Just don’t try and but this Ironhead out from under him or the whole crazy builder’s bike cycle will begin again.

Make sure to visit there site www.southeasterncustoms.org.