I am a 47 year old ASE certified master Automotive and Master School Bus technician. I have worked for our family business since 1985 upon graduation and am currently working to purchase the business to provide a retirement for my parents. I work all day on the newest technology and enjoy spending evenings and weekends spending time with my wife and any of our classic machines. I was turned on to Cool Rides Online through another Cool Rides Online member, rodster 56. Rodney and I travel together frequently to car shows and cruise events, and even help out on each other’s projects. Once we finished our Mustang he introduced us to the site and thought the other Cool Rides Online members would appreciate viewing the results of 6 years of our hard work.
I still own my first car, a 1971 Olds Cutlass S that I bought at age 13. I used the car to learn how to be a technician by disassembling it entirely, refreshing and repainting, and then assembling it correctly, all of which was supervised by my father. This car is still one of my favorite rides. I love to get it out and travel. Our latest completed ride is a unique 1965 Mustang 2+2 that we built for my wife, Melissa. This car was built to autocross and has a one of a kind, bolt on tube chassis. It also sports weber induction. More about this later as it is our submission car.
My latest project in the restoration process is a 1957 Chevy Belair 2dr. Hardtop. The paint is completed and I need to install the interior, engine (already completed), 700R4 transmission, grill, bumpers, and wiring. I have waited years to buy one trying to find a good project and this was a gift from my wife for building her dream car. We also own a 1969 Chevy C/10 shortbed that is lowered and painted with our shop’s logo on the door. This is a vehicle that we used as a service truck and I wanted to bring that vehicles memory back to life with this build. I use it to go to the dirt track races every Friday since our business sponsors a sportsman team at the local dirt track.
Next to that is parked our 1963 Thunderbird. This was a real survivor car as the previous owner drove it constantly since he bought it in 1963. The transmission went out, so he sold it to me and I fixed the transmission. We drive it as is and have no plans to restore it. The car is very solid and looks like a time capsule. There has only ever been two instances of someone riding in the rear seat from 1963 to when we purchased it. This passenger both trips was my Grandmother.
The oldest ride we own is a 1930 Plymouth Model U business coupe. This car is all original with the exception of having been painted 30 years ago or so. The wooden wheels are quite the draw for those who ask question about the car. The flat head four cylinder runs like a top with a top speed of approximately 35-40 MPH. We have cruised this car for hours in the heat and traffic at events with no instances of an overheating issue and the car has no water pump.
We also bought a 1938 Chevrolet Master Deluxe from a family that has owned it since it was brand new. They also included the documentation on the car since it was purchased new including the delivery sheet, owners and insurance cards since new, war time tire and fuel ration booklets and inspection forms, and the original license plate which is currently registered to the car. This car is also all original except for a paint job applied by hand in the 50s.
We even have a ride for the off-road scene here in coal country. It is a 1972 Terra Jet which is an all-wheel drive similar to the newer side by side UTVs. They have 4 balloon tires and a steel boat body that allows it to float similar to a 6 wheel ATV. The front axle turns similar to a traditional steering axle using u-joints unlike the 6 wheel ATVs which utilized a tank like steering mechanism. The driveline is a 2 cylinder 2 stroke Kohler engine with clutches similar to a snowmobile driveline and a transmission with low, high, and reverse. This allows for a powerful offroad crawling gear as well as the capability to get up to 45 MPH.
My two wheel ride is a 2008 Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe and our daily driver is a 2013 Dodge Charger AWD
We started this build by searching for just the right one. After a couple years of hunting, it showed up on Ebay but was right in our back yard. Through this auction, we purchased a friend’s car that we remembered from high school not 2 miles from our house. We wanted a green Mustang with a 4 speed and 289, but his was blue. In our investigation, it turned out that the car was originally green, then painted red, and finally blue. Now it would be back to close to it;s original color. Our plan was to clone a Shelby but a few car shows and a business offer from a chassis shop changed all of that. Our ride is a kind of different twist on the Mustang. We decided we wanted something that stands out from the herd with so many cookie cutter Mustangs and Shelbys out there. We started with a vintage “Trans Am” race car style build believing that pony cars were built to handle well.
Most cars seem to be built around the engine, but ours wasn’t. We designed the suspension and built around that. Many people use the word unique in their build, but we do have a chassis that is one of a kind. This unique road racing style tube chassis was designed for a rear sump engine and to be completely bolt on with minimal body modification. It incorporates front steer spindles, manual rack and pinion steering, manual SSBC 4 wheel disc brakes with cross drilled rotors, 17″ Billet Specialties Apex G wheels, and Afco adjustable coil over racing shocks. This chassis was supposed to be marketed for sale upon completion of the car’s build and the company was even featured on Powerblock TV back in 2007, but the chassis builder has since closed doors and we finished the prototype Mustang chassis for our own purposes.
To compliment the handling and braking package, no ordinary engine would do. We wanted something with a vintage road racing feel so we started with a 5.0 out of a 93 fox body and stroked it to a 347 cubic inch rear sump engine. With 9.5 to 1 compression, this car was built to drive one pump gas as well. A Weber quad IDF with isolated runner induction, Holman/Moody Valve Covers, and custom plug wire routing through the carbs are the real attention getter of the engine compartment. The four carburetors and velocity stacks reminiscent of the cobras and GT40s providing people with the opportunity to ask many tuning questions and us with a very stout low end torque for autocross events. Brodix ST 5.0 aluminum cnc ported heads, a Comp Cams “Xtreme Energy” EFI roller cam with “Ultra Gold” aluminum roller rockers, MSD Street Fire ignition, JBA 1 5/8″ tube shorty stainless headers, add to the engine to produce a healthy 450 horsepower powerplant.
Backing the engine is a custom built G-Force Strengthened 26 spline T5 5 speed manual transmission, a McLeod Super Street Pro Clutch and flywheel package, Quicktime bell housing, and Modern Driveline Cable clutch conversion for smooth operation. The 1963 Galaxie 9″ rear differential housing is narrowed to ’65 Mustang specs with a 31 spline carrier, Moser Axels, Large torino style axel bearings, and 4 wheel SSBC disc brake conversion.
In the racing theme, we wanted the interior to represent the look as well, but didn’t want to lose the original feel. That meant a custom upholstery which not only looked great, but worked well. We changed the seat padding and upholstery materials, so the seats looked like a very nice original style interior, but sit like race buckets when you get in the car to hold the driver while cornering. These are complimented with 3″ Shelby style race belts. The interior is black and tan vinyl that appears to be a leather material. There is a full New Vintage dash and gauge package to monitor all the action under the hood. A radio delete plate cleans up the dash and a solitary replica locking floor shift comes through the round shift boot between the front seats. The Ididit tilt steering column allowed the use of the original steering wheel. The wiring was upgraded to a American Autowire Classic Update series harness that was modified for the vehicle for a clean look and safe operation.
The car was painted with a Lesonal Ivy Green Metallic close to the original Ivy green paint of the car after an extensive body reconstruction. It was also debadged and Stripe Delete for the stripped down race car effect. All LED exterior lighting was used for night time visibility including all LED headlamps and driving lights in the GT grill.
This car is driven everywhere rain or shine and our plans are to participate in the Hot Rod power Tour. Many more photos of the build are available.
Our ride is a kind of different twist on the Mustang. We wanted something that stands out from the herd with so many cookie cutter Mustangs out there. We started with a vintage “Trans Am” race car style build believing that pony cars were built to handle well.
Most cars seem to be built around the engine, but ours wasn’t. We designed the suspension and built around that. Many people also use the word unique in their build, but we do have a chassis that is one of a kind. This unique road racing style tube chassis was designed for a rear sump engine and to be completely bolt on with minimal body modification. It incorporates front steer spindles, manual rack and pinion steering, manual SSBC 4 wheel disc brakes with cross drilled rotors, 17″ Billet Specialties Apex G wheels, and Afco adjustable coil over racing shocks.
To compliment the handling and braking package, no ordinary engine would do. We wanted something with a vintage road racing feel so we started with a 5.0 out of a 93 fox body and stroked it to a 347 cubic inch rear sump engine. With 9.5 to 1 compression, this car was built to drive one pump gas as well. A Weber quad IDF with isolated runner induction, Holman/Moody Valve Covers, and custom plug wire routing through the carbs are the real attention getter of the engine compartment. The four carburetors and velocity stacks reminiscent of the cobras and GT40s providing people with the opportunity to ask many tuning questions and us with a very stout low end torque for autocross events. Brodix ST 5.0 aluminum cnc ported heads, a Comp Cams “Xtreme Energy” EFI roller cam with “Ultra Gold” aluminum roller rockers, MSD Street Fire ignition, JBA 1 5/8″ tube shorty stainless headers, add to the engine to produce a healthy 450 horsepower powerplant.
Backing the engine is a custom built G-Force Strengthened 26 spline T5 5 speed manual transmission, a McLeod Super Street Pro Clutch and flywheel package, Quicktime bell housing, and Modern Driveline Cable clutch conversion for smooth operation. The 1963 Galaxie 9″ rear differential housing is narrowed to ’65 Mustang specs with a 31 spline carrier, Moser Axels, Large torino style axel bearings, and 4 wheel SSBC disc brake conversion.
In the racing theme, we wanted the interior to represent the look as well, but didn’t want to lose the original feel. That meant a custom upholstery which not only looked great, but worked well. We changed the seat padding and upholstery materials, so the seats looked like a very nice original style interior, but sit like race buckets when you get in the car to hold the driver while cornering. These are complimented with 3″ Shelby style race belts. The interior is black and tan vinyl that appears to be a leather material. There is a full New Vintage dash and gauge package to monitor all the action under the hood. A radio delete plate cleans up the dash and a solitary replica locking floor shift comes through the round shift boot between the front seats. The Ididit tilt steering column allowed the use of the original steering wheel. The wiring was upgraded to a American Autowire Classic Update series harness that was modified for the vehicle for a clean look and safe operation.
The car was painted with a Lesonal Ivy Green Metallic close to the original Ivy green paint of the car after an extensive body reconstruction. It was also debadged and Stripe Delete for the stripped down race car effect. All LED exterior lighting was used for night time visibility including all LED headlamps and driving lights in the GT grill.
This car is driven everywhere rain or shine and our plans are to participate in the Hot Rod power Tour. Hope you enjoyed my submission. Many more photos of the build are available. Our ride is a kind of different twist on the Mustang. We wanted something that stands out from the herd with so many cookie cutter Mustangs out there. We started with a vintage “Trans Am” race car style build believing that pony cars were built to handle well.
Most cars seem to be built around the engine, but ours wasn’t. We designed the suspension and built around that. Many people also use the word unique in their build, but we do have a chassis that is one of a kind. This unique road racing style tube chassis was designed for a rear sump engine and to be completely bolt on with minimal body modification. It incorporates front steer spindles, manual rack and pinion steering, manual SSBC 4 wheel disc brakes with cross drilled rotors, 17″ Billet Specialties Apex G wheels, and Afco adjustable coil over racing shocks.
To compliment the handling and braking package, no ordinary engine would do. We wanted something with a vintage road racing feel so we started with a 5.0 out of a 93 fox body and stroked it to a 347 cubic inch rear sump engine. With 9.5 to 1 compression, this car was built to drive one pump gas as well. A Weber quad IDF with isolated runner induction, Holman/Moody Valve Covers, and custom plug wire routing through the carbs are the real attention getter of the engine compartment. The four carburetors and velocity stacks reminiscent of the cobras and GT40s providing people with the opportunity to ask many tuning questions and us with a very stout low end torque for autocross events. Brodix ST 5.0 aluminum cnc ported heads, a Comp Cams “Xtreme Energy” EFI roller cam with “Ultra Gold” aluminum roller rockers, MSD Street Fire ignition, JBA 1 5/8″ tube shorty stainless headers, add to the engine to produce a healthy 450 horsepower powerplant.
Backing the engine is a custom built G-Force Strengthened 26 spline T5 5 speed manual transmission, a McLeod Super Street Pro Clutch and flywheel package, Quicktime bell housing, and Modern Driveline Cable clutch conversion for smooth operation. The 1963 Galaxie 9″ rear differential housing is narrowed to ’65 Mustang specs with a 31 spline carrier, Moser Axels, Large torino style axel bearings, and 4 wheel SSBC disc brake conversion.
In the racing theme, we wanted the interior to represent the look as well, but didn’t want to lose the original feel. That meant a custom upholstery which not only looked great, but worked well. We changed the seat padding and upholstery materials, so the seats looked like a very nice original style interior, but sit like race buckets when you get in the car to hold the driver while cornering. These are complimented with 3″ Shelby style race belts. The interior is black and tan vinyl that appears to be a leather material. There is a full New Vintage dash and gauge package to monitor all the action under the hood. A radio delete plate cleans up the dash and a solitary replica locking floor shift comes through the round shift boot between the front seats. The Ididit tilt steering column allowed the use of the original steering wheel. The wiring was upgraded to a American Autowire Classic Update series harness that was modified for the vehicle for a clean look and safe operation.
The car was painted with a Lesonal Ivy Green Metallic close to the original Ivy green paint of the car after an extensive body reconstruction. It was also debadged and Stripe Delete for the stripped down race car effect. All LED exterior lighting was used for night time visibility including all LED headlamps and driving lights in the GT grill.
This car is driven everywhere rain or shine and our plans are to participate in the Hot Rod power Tour. Hope you enjoyed my submission. Many more photos of the build are available.
What’s next for our Fast Track Fastback is to get out there and drive it. We decided to hit some of the big indoor shows and events for the first year. I have attended several of these and the reception was phenomenal. Now we want to hit the cross country events like the Hot Rod Power Tour or Drag Week. This summer will also see my wife getting it out on the track and using it for what we built it, performance driving. She will hit the drag races and I will take it to the autocross events and enjoy it.
The car was completely done in our minds, but we did decide there was one more modification that had to be done. We need to complete a front and possibly rear sway bar fabrication. We opted to build a chassis without for weight savings and it worked well in testing. We found out with a more powerful engine that though the car does handle great as is, but we have to change the suspension adjustments for more performance during aggressive driving. When it is set up in “cruising mode” at more “comfort” settings, it provides the driver with too much body roll. While in “race mode” the suspension is too stiff for an enjoyable cruise. We feel a sway bar would improve the both worlds.
The suspension modification was probably the most difficult. I had to enlist the help of a skilled chassis shop due to the TIG welding which I was unable to do. They also helped get our ideas to a working form and keep the car looking vintage. Due to the chassis design, I had to modify almost every other aspect of the car’s assembly from the 4 wheel disc to brake and fuel line routing, to fitting a custom exhaust around the components. Once this was all built it had to be assembled without harming the finish we took over 3 years to complete.
I have had so many great moments with this car. I think one of our favorite tales was doing two car events in one day. We always wanted to hit a local all Mustang Show held at CJ Pony Parts each year for a Customer Appreciation Day. This was being held on the same day as the Great Pottsville Cruise, an event I any missed twice since it’s inception over two decades ago. The events were located in two different cities (Harrisburg and Pottsville PA) about an hour from each other. We attended CJs in the morning, met countless nice people who voted our car best in a class of over 100 Mustangs, then hopped in the car and made the Pottsville event by mere minutes. Not only did we make it, our car was also selected for the Best Mustang award in that event as well. This led to two television interviews where we were able to share the story of our 6 year journey to build the car of my wife’s dreams.
I think if money wasn’t an issue, I would like to own a vintage Aston Martin. Everyone goes for the DB5 probably due to it’s fame brought on by the bond movies, but I think I may prefer the DB4.
It seems having a collection of classic cars can have it’s own challenges. Driving them is key. Everyone has there “go-to” ride that they prefer to drive. You have to take turns with them to keep the fluids moving and dry out things like the exhaust systems, keep the tires from flat spotting, keeping brakes and clutches from freezing to the drums or flywheels, and providing the batteries with a good charging cycle. Battery maintainers on a timer to run at least 2 hours a day providing charging cycles and a good fuel stabilizer are key during the bad weather months. Dehumidifiers also keep a musty odor or the dreaded white spot mold from forming on interiors.
I used to race AMA motorcycles and ATVs through the 80s into the 90s and even wound up winning Bike week’s Daytona Flat track in 1991 and a Grand National 2nd place number plate in 1991. With a Pro Atv year under my belt in 1992, I quit for personal reasons getting back into my classic car obsession. Recently I became a member of a Sporstman/modified dirt track race team that has won a season points championship in 2014 and am looking to return to the race track as a rookie in the driver’s seat after a 23 year break.