Two former Kankakee Community College (KCC) auto welding students are applying their skills at the award-winning custom auto shop Rad Rides by Troy in Manteno.
Since moving on from KCC, Ian Walton and Casey Modert have helped design and build custom cars that have ended up on movie sets and on race tracks, where the Mariani Streamliner Class C-GS have set speed records traveling up to 280 miles per hour.
“Sometimes people don’t understand what we do, and they think of it more as a hobby when it’s 100 percent creativity,” Modert said. “We are taking old cars and making them better than when they came from the factory --they drive better, ride better, look better. We are shaping the direction the car goes."
Walton attributed their ability to participate in high-level metal fabrication to the foundational skills acquired at KCC.
“This project helped dial in the welding skills we gained during our time at KCC,” Walton said. “When dealing with a car capable of those speeds, safety was our No. 1 concern. Most of the rules and standards applied to this car as far as the welding variables were taught to us by Professor Mark Stevenson.”
Modert added that Stevenson also taught them professional skills, such as body language and the importance of maintaining a good attitude.
Rad Rides by Troy is located at 24 E. 3rd St. in Manteno.
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