Lots of folks love a car or truck that looks old but drives like new. Crate motors, overdrive transmissions and big brakes have blown open the resto market, and that’s been good for business at Auto Metal Direct. GM Mike Gray gives the guys a primer on how AMD’s sheet metal is better than OE, why quality matters, and the reason muscle car guys love trucks.
A safety fuel cell is a legit piece of racing hardware; an indispensable replacement for a fuel tank with a whole lot of advantages for hotrodders. Aero Tec Laboratories has been producing and perfecting these since 1970. Ron Ross attributes ATL’s success to constant R&D and one fundamental principle: “We can’t sit still and not move forward.”
Kevin and Willie welcome Mike Kidd and Matt Memmer of TREMEC to the podcast for a frank and wide-ranging conversation. As the premier supplier to OEs around the world for high-performance cars bordering on supercars, the guys acknowledge the slow fade of traditional manual transmissions and espouse the virtues of their new DCT performance components.
A lot of guys in the racing world know about Holbrook Racing Engines; the name is synonymous with big power. Following in the tracks of his legendary father Carl – the original Captain Cobra Jet – Chris Holbrook has perpetuated the family pedigree with a slew of awards and a reputation as being the guy you don’t want to line up against on the drag strip!
On this episode the guys go deep with Mark Stielow, Sr. Manager at GM in Advanced Vehicle Dynamics, described by Kevin as “one of the sharpest car cats – from designing, to building, to driving the damn tires off!” Mark knows all there is to know about Camaros, having built 17 of them during his career-long tenure at General Motors.
From the old pole barn in the woods to the custom multi-car garage and the ultra-modern car condo, gearheads have been searching for the perfect Man Cave / Mechanic’s Dream since time immemorial. Brian McNamara of Gearhead Homes joins the guys today to answer the call as he reveals the tricks of the trade and hottest trends in auto-centric real estate.
It may seem like voodoo magic, but formulating effective engine additives involves intense chemistry and physics. And no one is more knowledgeable about liquid protection than “the Einstein of Additives,” Chris Gabrelcik. On this episode, the man behind Hot Shot’s Secret shares some good ones with the guys, including how the product got its name.
The Firebird is considered by many to be GM’s red-headed stepchild; “a cool car with a beak,” compared to the cooler Camaro. Having recently brought a ’68 Firebird back from the dead on the TV show, Kevin and Willie take listeners inside the episode, detailing the upgraded PROFORM radiator, Mantic twin disc clutch and Fragola fuel lines they installed on this neglected classic.
A superior detailing job can really deliver the WOW factor that takes your ride from merely “meh” to downright “DAMN!” On this podcast, Kevin Davis schools the guys on how Gtechniq’s harder, long-lasting ceramic coating process can make your car that car!
This week on the TV show, the guys did a serious upgrade on a super cool “Green Go” 2017 Dodge Challenger. On this week’s podcast, they detail how they took this V6(!) making 305 hp and 255 mph at the tires and suped it up with a RIPP Supercharger and Power Stop Z26 Street Warrior Brakes.
Cut-and-stick-on sound deadening materials are effective, but can be a slog to install. In this episode, Kevin and Willie detail how LizardSkin’s spray-on insulation eliminates the misery so often associated with thermal management and noise reduction DIY projects.
Having recently upgraded a 2014 GMC Sierra 1500, the guys wax rhapsodic about their love affair with trucks – all kinds of trucks – and some of the really cool tools they’ve been working with lately on the TV show and in their own garages.