Our Rides
My interests tend to the automotive unique: 9th gen Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupes (Areobirds), a Cobalt SS supercharged 2.0, an Impala SS, and an Aussie aided 2006 Pontiac GTO. These days six cars and two bikes sit in the garage: A 1936 Chevrolet Master Coupe Deluxe, a 1949 Dodge Pickup, a 1956 Harley Davidson FLH, a 1966 Ford Econoline Van, a 1975 BMW 2002, a 1982 Suzuki GS650G, a 2000 Dodge Viper RT/10, and a 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8.
1936 Chevrolet
Our 1936 Chevrolet (aka The Octogenarian) hails from North Carolina, where Hot Rod builder Harley Linville pulled it out of a barn and worked his wonders. Power comes courtesy of Cadillac, a 1995 Fleetwood providing the LT1 350 heartbeat. Power transfers through a Turbo 350 to a 10 bolt with 3.42 gears. A Mustang II front end and discs on the corners help the handling and stopping power. We’re building on Harley’s work, adding a triangulate four-link suspension in the rear. The Octogenarian clocked about 3,000 miles on the 2019 Hot Rod Power Tour.
1949 Dodge Ram
Shannan and I spotted this 1949 Dodge Ram in the parking lot of a little town in Tennessee. Intrigued, we pulled over. I featured the Dodge in a CarSafari Video. Knowing my wife’s attraction to old trucks, I reached out to owner a few months later with the intentions of surprising her for her birthday. The pickup was still for sale. I struck a deal, parked the truck on our son’s farm until it could make the trip to its new Arkansas home. It has its original Flathead Six and a mostly rust-free. Hemi swap in site!
1956 Harley Davidson FLH
The 1956 Harley Davidson FLH Hydra Glide is a beautiful piece of Americana. My friends at Hagerty describe its features nicely: “Powering the Hydra-Glide was a 74 cubic inch, 55 hp, OHV V-twin engine fed by a Schebler carburetor, a four-speed hand-shifted gearbox, a bucket saddle, telescopic Hydra-Glide front forks, a hard-tail rear end, a hand-operated front drum brake, and a foot-operated rear brake.”
This panhead (so named for its valve covers that look like an inverted baking pan) is a piece of rolling art. Presented in Atomic Blue with tinges of Champion Yellow and a gorgeous side car, this Harley has quite the pedigree winning two National First Place positions in the Antique Automobile Club of America. It sounds great, runs great, and is a blast to ride with or without the sidecar.
1966 Ford Econoline
The 1966 Ford Econoline is my Arkansas tinker car. I found it on the side of the road. It was for sale but had not run for a long time. You can read a little of the backstory of the Green Machine by clicking here. Our grandkids love it. It boasts a slightly modified Ford 300 (originally Econos came with either a 170 or 240 straight six) and is undergoing an overhaul that would make the Tin Woodsman proud. It’s three-on-the tree! You can follow the Green Machine build here.
1975 BMW 2002
There is nothing glamorous about the BMW — today! Perusing Bring-A-Trailer is a dangerous thing for a car guy. I remember seeing a BMW 2002 when I was in high school in the 70’s. A friend had it and I always loved the lines, so when this “project” appeared on Bring A Trailer, I went for it. My plan is to drop a GM LNF motor and tranny in it. It will tick off the purists, but the power to weight will be amazing. Only one problem so far . . . the engine bay is 26 1/2 inches long; my LNF motor is 26 inches. So The Adventures of the BMW begin. Much fabrication in my future.
1982 Suzuki GS650G
You’ll see a theme in these rides . . . they are older! The Suzuki GS650G, considered in the “Classic” genre, puts a touch more horsepower to the wheels than its little brother 550; the bigger bore making the difference. As Cycle World noted back in 1981, “A 650cc road bike is large enough to carry two people and some luggage with enough leftover horsepower to pass trucks going uphill, yet small enough to give the solo rider some agility in the curves. It is big enough to make grip twisting a rewarding sport, but small enough to be ridden rather than herded around town and into parking spots. For many, the 650 straddles an ideal imaginary line between big and small motorcycles.” For me, it is the perfect bike for the beautiful back roads of Lancaster County, or a quick errand around town.
2000 Dodge Viper RT/10
The 2000 Dodge Viper RT/10 is the the most beautiful car we have owned. Black on black with under 31,000 miles, we bought this primarily as an investment vehicle. They don’t make them anymore. To drive the Viper is to ride a very quick vacuum cleaner. It is quick and it hugs the road. The pick-up is great though the 475HP, excellent for its day and nothing to frown upon, is less than what our Magnum makes. Still . . . power to weight rules!
2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8
The Dodge Magnum SRT8 used to be my “daily ride.” These days it is taking a little extended rest. The 6.1 Hemi-powered mopar is a delight. It breathes easier compliments of a Mopar Cold Air intake. Kooks 1 7/8 stainless longtube headers with catted mid pipes help enhance that flow. Brady’s High Performance in Willow Street supplied the HP tune. The Dodge rides on BC Coilovers and its beautiful exhaust note comes from the good folks at Borla. Their Aggressive ATAK catback exhaust is appropriately named. This car is LOUD!
Cars We Used to Own
‘06 Pontiac GTO
The Pontiac GTO was my daily ride and our 2015 & 16 Hot Rod Power Tour Long Hauler vehicle. It had wonderful LS2 power, a bigger cam, Fast 102 mm intake, Nick Williams throttle body, Kooks long tube headers and K&N cold air.. This young goat handled the corners with the help of BC Racing coilovers, Hotchkis sway bars, and Nitto NT05 rubber. Shifts were quicker with the help of B&M.
‘96 Impala SS
The Impala, aka GRMAZ SS made its first Hot Rod Power Tour Long Haul in 2013. It was Shannan's daily driver until we sold it for a little more practicality in our day-to-day. It ran a K&N Cold Air, Hypertec E.C.U. modifications, trans-go shift kit, 3.73 gears, Metal Matrix drive shaft, Herb Adams anti-sway bars, Magnaflow cat-back exhaust. Slotted and cross-drilled rotors.
‘05 Cobalt SS
The Cobalt was our 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014 Hot Rod Power Tour Long Hauler! It sported a GM Performance Stage 2 kit with option B – High Perform 2-pass intercooler endplate and surge tank; a K&N Cold Air intake, a GM Performance header, Magnaflow highflow cat, and Magnaflow Exhaust. The car rode with the help of HC coilovers, Extreme Stop s/d rotors, and Eibach swaybars front and rear.
1975 Cosworth Vega #0221
Cosworth Vega #0221 was my Pennsylvania tinker car. It’s a great driver. Hutton Motor Engineering rebuilt the original 122 CID Twin Cam Electronic Fuel Injection 2.0 liter engine a few years back. This Vega is a high-rever and while slow, running the car through the 4-speed gearbox makes it a lot of fun to drive. It’s still in the family, but not in our garage.
1966 Oldsmobile Cutlass Convertible
And the car that started it all…The 1966 Oldsmobile Cutlass Convertible has been in the family for more than 20 years. Check out the back story.