A lively discussion kicks off the new year with reflections on personal projects and resolutions. The hosts share updates on their Model T C cab build, detailing the challenges of metal shaping with a planishing hammer. They also touch on serious topics, including workplace safety for women in trades and a recent murder case. Listener interactions bring in stories about engine rebuilds and unique automotive experiences, showcasing the community's passion and camaraderie. The episode balances humor and heartfelt moments, making it a relatable listen for automotive enthusiasts.
"...I have been working on the Model T C cab. Yes, you certainly have. You should know that you've also been working on it."
The Model T is one of the first cars that many people could buy because it was made cheaply and in large numbers. It was produced by Ford and is very important in car history.
The Model T is a historic automobile produced by Ford Motor Company from 1908 to 1927. It is often credited with revolutionizing the automotive industry by making cars affordable for the average American.
"...I bet it would be with a power hammer. Well, the word power just right there until she was going to be quicker."
A power hammer is a machine that helps shape metal by hitting it quickly and repeatedly. It's faster than using a regular hammer.
A power hammer is a mechanical device used in metalworking to shape metal by delivering rapid, repeated blows. It is more efficient than manual hammers and can significantly speed up the metal shaping process.
"...What is a planishing hammer? What's it good for? Nothing?"
A planishing hammer is a tool that helps make metal surfaces smooth and even. It's often used in car repair to fix dents and make the metal look nice again.
A planishing hammer is a tool used in metalworking to smooth and shape metal surfaces. It uses a combination of hammering and pressure to create a refined finish, often used in automotive bodywork to repair dents and imperfections.
"...l into another detail and then back out into the crown again. Oh, okay. Seems like, seems like what nee..."
The Toyota Crown is a big, fancy car that is very comfortable to drive and has a nice interior. It's known for being safe and reliable, making it a popular choice for people who want a luxury car. People mention it because it combines comfort with good performance.
The Toyota Crown is a full-size luxury sedan that has been a staple in the Japanese automotive market for decades. Known for its smooth ride, high-quality interior, and advanced safety features, it represents Toyota's commitment to luxury and innovation. The Crown is often discussed for its blend of comfort and performance, appealing to those looking for a premium driving experience.
"... little line. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. One inch from the edge. Yeah. A little step. That's going to be nice. Y..."
The Ford Edge is a medium-sized SUV that has plenty of room for passengers and cargo. It's designed to be comfortable and has a lot of modern features, making it a good choice for families or anyone who needs extra space. People talk about it because it's a practical and stylish option for everyday driving.
The Ford Edge is a midsize SUV that offers a balance of performance, comfort, and technology. With a spacious interior and a range of engine options, it caters to families and individuals looking for a versatile vehicle. Discussions about the Edge often focus on its practicality and modern features.
"They had an early Econoline van. That's why I worked there. I was just like their four hire mechanic, you know..."
The Ford Econoline is a type of van that many people use for work or travel. It's known for being strong and having a lot of space inside.
The Ford Econoline is a series of vans that were popular for commercial use and personal transport. Known for their durability and spacious interiors, they have been used extensively as work vehicles and for recreational purposes.
"...He rebuilt his engine last 68 or nine or 70. Is it a 70? I 70 shall we pick up? It's old. I'll say that..."
An engine is what makes a car move. When someone rebuilds an engine, they fix or replace parts to make it work better again.
The engine is the heart of a vehicle, responsible for converting fuel into mechanical power to drive the car. Rebuilding an engine involves disassembling it, replacing worn parts, and reassembling it to restore performance.
"...our buddy Steve write in. Oh, really? Steve Kellen? Yes. Steve Kellen engine class. First in class. An extraordinary owner of Mellow Yellow. He rebuilt his engine last 68 or nine or 70. Is it a 70? I 70 shall we pick up? It's old..."
Mellow Yellow refers to a Chevrolet Camaro from 1970, which is a popular muscle car known for its powerful engine and sporty design.
Mellow Yellow is a nickname for a specific Chevrolet Camaro that has become iconic among car enthusiasts. The 1970 Camaro is known for its classic muscle car styling and performance.
"...Was it a straight six or a V six or a V eight? And he rebuilt it. Yeah. He took our engine class..."
A V8 is a type of car engine that has eight cylinders. It's powerful and is often used in fast cars and trucks.
A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder engine arranged in a V configuration, known for delivering high power and performance, commonly found in muscle cars and trucks.
"...he said the oil pressure is different than it used to be. He says lower than it used to be, I think. Oh, but it's fine, right?"
Oil pressure shows how well the oil is moving in the engine. It's important because it helps keep the engine parts lubricated and working smoothly. If the oil pressure is low, it could mean there's a problem.
Oil pressure is the measure of how well the engine oil is circulating through the engine. Proper oil pressure is essential for lubricating engine components and preventing wear and tear. Low oil pressure can indicate potential issues with the oil pump or oil levels.
"...but he had the, I think Steve assembled the rotating assembly, but..."
The rotating assembly is a key part of an engine that helps it run. It includes important pieces like the crankshaft and pistons that move around to create power.
The rotating assembly refers to the components of an engine that rotate, including the crankshaft, connecting rods, and pistons. These parts are crucial for converting the linear motion of the pistons into rotational motion, which ultimately powers the vehicle.
"he might have got slotted bearings. His oil pressure has been a little different and that was bugging him for a little bit and he was just like, whatever."
Slotted bearings help engines run better by allowing oil to flow more easily, which keeps the engine cool and reduces wear.
Slotted bearings are a type of bearing designed to allow for better oil flow and cooling, often used in high-performance engines. They can help improve oil pressure and reduce wear on engine components.
"...Just ask the VW bug owners. Rose, let me know if you need any help with the Astro motor..."
The Volkswagen Beetle is a famous car with a unique round shape. It's known for being simple and reliable, but some older models had issues like where the battery was placed.
The Volkswagen Beetle, also known as the VW Bug, is a classic car that has a distinctive rounded shape and rear-engine layout. It's known for its reliability and simplicity, but early models had some quirks, including battery placement.
"...because they put them under the back seat. It's a stupid place to put a battery..."
Battery placement is about where the car's battery is located. Sometimes it's in hard-to-reach places, which can make it tricky to replace or fix.
Battery placement refers to where the car's battery is located. In some cars, like the Audi mentioned, the battery is placed under the back seat, which can make maintenance more difficult.
"...if you need help with the Astro motor. I owe you guys big time for help with firing up the Mellow Yellow motor..."
The Chevrolet Astro is a type of van that was made for many years. It's known for being roomy and useful for families or businesses.
The Chevrolet Astro is a van that was produced by Chevrolet from 1985 to 2005. It is known for its spacious interior and versatility, making it popular for families and commercial use.
"you can help us line up the dowel pins on the transmission in the block. That's, that'll be your job."
Dowel pins are small metal pins that help line up parts of the engine and transmission so they fit together properly when being put back together.
Dowel pins are precision cylindrical pins used to align two components, such as a transmission and an engine block. They ensure that these parts fit together correctly and maintain proper alignment during assembly.
"I guess I didn't, I want to order an AC Delco rear main seal. Well, get on with your bad self."
The rear main seal is a part that keeps oil inside the engine. If it breaks, oil can leak out, which can cause problems for the engine.
The rear main seal is a critical component that prevents engine oil from leaking out of the rear of the engine where the crankshaft exits the engine block. If this seal fails, it can lead to significant oil leaks and potential engine damage.
"They host IndyCar, NASCAR and IMSA, which I don't know what that is. Is it a circle track? No, I'm not sure."
IndyCar is a type of car racing that happens in the United States. It includes fast cars that race on different tracks, some of which are circular and some that are more winding.
IndyCar is a premier open-wheel racing series in North America, known for its high-speed races on various types of tracks, including ovals and road courses. The series features iconic events like the Indianapolis 500.
"They host IndyCar, NASCAR and IMSA, which I don't know what that is. Is it a circle track? No, I'm not sure."
IMSA is a group that organizes car races in the U.S. They have races with different types of cars, including fast sports cars, on winding tracks.
IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) is an organization that sanctions sports car racing events in North America, including the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. It features a mix of prototypes and GT cars racing on road courses.
"They host IndyCar, NASCAR and IMSA, which I don't know what that is. Is it a circle track? No, I'm not sure."
NASCAR is a type of car racing in America where cars race around oval tracks. It's very popular and includes famous races like the Daytona 500.
NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) is a popular motorsport in the United States, primarily known for its stock car racing on oval tracks. It features a series of races, including the famous Daytona 500.
"...have you driven it? And he said, uh, yeah, when I still had the TA, I drove it on the track during the spring vintage weekend back in 2022."
The TA refers to the Pontiac Trans Am, a sporty car that was known for being fast and stylish. It was popular in the past and is still loved by car enthusiasts today.
The Pontiac Trans Am is a classic American muscle car known for its performance and distinctive styling. It was popular in the 1970s and 1980s, often associated with pop culture, including the movie 'Smokey and the Bandit.'
".... It was a really interesting one to go down the rabbit hole on and he did include an image and it is qui..."
The Volkswagen Rabbit is a small car that is fun to drive and has a lot of space inside for its size. It's well-made and known for being reliable, which makes it a good choice for people looking for a compact vehicle. It's often talked about because it helped make small hatchback cars popular in America.
The Volkswagen Rabbit, known as the Golf in many markets, is a compact car that has gained a reputation for its fun driving dynamics and practicality. It is celebrated for its solid build quality, efficient use of space, and engaging performance. The Rabbit is often discussed for its role in popularizing the hatchback segment in the U.S.
"...kind of looks like a Corvair front bumper snuck in the middle. I mean,..."
The Chevrolet Corvair is a car made by Chevrolet in the 1960s. It has a unique design with the engine in the back, which is different from most cars that have the engine in the front.
The Chevrolet Corvair was a compact car produced by Chevrolet from 1960 to 1969. It is known for its unique rear-engine layout and distinctive styling, which has made it a classic among car enthusiasts.
"...kind of looks like a tempest bumper. I think that's what Gene had put on the..."
The Pontiac Tempest is a car that Pontiac made from the early 1960s to the 1970s. It was known for its unique design and engineering features that were ahead of its time.
The Pontiac Tempest was a compact car produced by Pontiac from 1961 to 1970. It was notable for its innovative design and was one of the first cars to offer a transaxle layout, which contributed to better weight distribution.
"... bumper. I think that's what Gene had put on the Pacifica tempest pumpers and like wrap around seats in the..."
The Chrysler Pacifica is a family minivan that has a lot of room inside for kids and their stuff. It also has some cool technology features and even comes in a version that uses less gas, making it better for the environment. People talk about it because it's a great choice for families who need space and comfort.
The Chrysler Pacifica is a versatile minivan known for its spacious interior, advanced technology, and family-friendly features. It stands out in the minivan segment for its hybrid variant, offering improved fuel efficiency and eco-friendliness. This vehicle is often discussed for its practicality and comfort for families.
"...this is just a straight up Oldsmobile concept. I feel like they might have made..."
An Oldsmobile concept car is a special type of vehicle that Oldsmobile created to show off new ideas and designs. These cars are not usually sold to the public but are meant to inspire future models.
The Oldsmobile concept car refers to a prototype vehicle designed by Oldsmobile, showcasing innovative features and design elements that may not be present in production models. Concept cars are often used to gauge public interest and test new technologies.
"...I feel like George Barris might have had a hand in this. It looks like Barris fenders up front."
George Barris was a well-known car designer who made special cars for movies and TV shows. He was famous for his creative and flashy designs that many people loved.
George Barris was a famous automotive designer and builder known for customizing cars for movies and television, including the iconic Batmobile. His unique style often featured flashy designs and modifications that became highly recognizable.
"...he said that you bought that Jack. He's like, I want that. I really want that Jack."
A jack is a tool that helps lift cars off the ground. It's useful when you need to change a tire or work on the car's underside.
A jack is a mechanical device used to lift heavy objects, typically vehicles, off the ground. It is essential for performing maintenance tasks like changing tires or inspecting the undercarriage.
"you know, I told him about my axle bearing problem. You know, my axle bearing is going"
An axle bearing is a part that helps the wheels turn smoothly on a car. It supports the weight of the car and makes it easier for the wheels to spin.
An axle bearing is a component that allows the axle to rotate smoothly within the wheel hub. It supports the weight of the vehicle and helps to reduce friction during movement.
"I think somebody switched the third member in the axles. So it's like, I have the wrong axles for the axle tube that I have."
Axles are metal rods that help the wheels of a car turn. They are important for the car to move properly.
Axles are critical components that connect the wheels to the vehicle and allow them to rotate. They can vary in design and specifications depending on the vehicle type.
Select text to request an explanation
It's a Wednesday, and it's the second week of
January 2026. Second week of the new year. Can you believe that? I guess I can. It says
it on the calendar. Well, here's the thing. We're recording this a week early, so I can't
believe that. But now that you're listening to it, it is that time. Yeah. So it's, yeah,
I mean, it's a little bit of disbelief. It's a little bit of like, we're in the future.
Yeah, we're going to be in the past. Yeah, it's just like anything could happen, but
it already happened. Yep, exactly. Anything could already look into our crystal ball.
Anything that could already happen did happen. Yep. And did your projects happen? Are you me
or are you asking the audience and you, everyone? Yeah, have you guys given up yet? Have you thrown
in the towel? It's a second week. Your willpower is nothing. Just buying more parts now. Yeah. Were
you dieting or are you just ate the whole thing of fudge stripes? Stayed up late with milk and
Ori. Sorry, this is my own problems. Yeah. Sorry. I know it's going to be like this. These are awful,
familiar sounding stories. Yeah. Yeah, something of a fudge stripe fan myself. Yeah. Fudge stripes
are good. Yeah. We did get some good news. Yeah. That Amber Czechs murderer. Yes. Is going to get
first degree charges and they're going to stick. Yep. Yeah. So that is a bright spot in a tragic
situation. Yeah, you were saying you think it's just they want to get something to stick. Make
sure they got first degree and second degree. They're doing both charges. And I think just so
they make sure that they cover bases. But I think first, well, yeah, I mean, it was so blatant,
like there's no question. It's graphic. Yeah. And I don't think that anybody really needs to question
it. Yeah. But you know, we do, yeah, we do feel bad for anybody that is working in a
really difficult work environment like that because they're out there. Yeah. Yeah. It's a real
thing. You know, people that are anybody that's like, first of all, women in the trades and anybody
that's different in the trades, it can be a pretty, pretty rough go. Yeah. We've heard that from people
who took our engine class, people that just write me on Instagram and things like that are just people
that I meet in the trades. Yep. A lot of not awesome stories. Yeah. We met somebody that was like
got FAA certified and then like went to was in a shop that was like all white nationalists.
Yeah. Like the owner was of the same persuasion. So it was just like gave it up. Well, that's a deal.
Yeah. I think that was a true story that we were told. Yeah, I think so. I don't think they have
any reason to lie. Yeah. I'm pretty I'm just mean, I'm pretty sure I'm remembering it correctly.
Yeah, I think you are. I don't think I don't think I blended two stories ago. Anyway, real
shit. You know, that's real stuff. So sorry for anybody going through that. Yeah. It's, it's nuts,
but our hearts go out to you. Yeah. I don't know. I hope that you stay safe. Yeah. Stay safe. Very
scary stuff. You know, speaking of the new year and resolutions though. Yes, I have been working
on the Model T C cab. Yes, you certainly have. You should know that you've also been working on it.
I have done a little bit of a few things. Yeah. Um, I've been shaping some panels. You've been
really hard at work. Yeah. The fact of the matter is it's slower with a planishing hammer.
Yeah, I bet it would be with a power hammer. Well, the word power just right there until
she was going to be quicker. Yeah, right. More whammy. Yeah, more whammy for the bami.
It is disappointing. I mean, there was a long time where I just had the planishing hammer and
that was it. And I was like, I just worked with it. Yeah. But I mean, I guess I say that,
but then again, I could go up the road to jeans and use the hammer that I built there.
Right. So, but I didn't love doing that. Like it had to be worth the drive, which like it wasn't
always, you know, you can't do, you can't pack up. It was hard to do. I would do it as often as I
could because it was, you know, it's worth it. It was always good to go see Jean and we always had
business, you know, in some way, you need t-shirts or something. So I'd throw all the crap, throw
the WD-40 in the car and the sheet metal and the, you know, the Kevlar cut proof gloves and the apron
dies. The dies were mine. Jean didn't have his own dies for the hammer. They were my dies.
Jeff had given me some. Sean Orendorf gave me some. I think I bought one of my own.
But yeah, so they were always my dies. So I would just load the dies up and then
so I'd probably take my lower planishing hammer dies because Jean had a CP. So I could like,
if I needed it, I don't know that I ever had to do tune up like that though,
like go between the two. But when we would do the metal class up there,
I'm gonna haul everything up. Oh geez. Books, gauges, examples, plastics that time that I met
Chukey Han. That's a lot. Yeah. She was gonna ask about plastics and then you had them. And then
you had them with you. See, cause you're a good instructor. So anyway, the shaping would definitely
be faster in the power hammer, but it's not happening that way. Which is fine. It's just been,
it's been a little while. So I was a little rusty at first getting going. Yeah. You said you were
even a little bit, not disgruntled, but what's that word? Displeased, perturbed? Maybe. That's
a little bit, but no weird, a little, not disheartened, I guess. Discouraged. Discouraged. Yeah.
Like you said you were a little bit discouraged at first. I guess I wouldn't, yeah, I don't know
that I'd say that somebody had peppered my ass, but you know, I wouldn't use that terminology.
It was not that extreme, but it was a little bit of a thorn in my side getting going at first.
Again, I'm not used to how slow it is with the planishing hammer only. Yeah. And like,
do you think about something like we cut all those vertical supports, they're 20 sweeps.
And like, if you were trying to get a 20 sweep crown in a panel, like it takes a lot.
And I mean, that's what we're, that's what we're up to. It takes more than you'd think.
Yeah. Yeah. But the thing is with the planishing hammer, like to get more aggressive shaping,
you need to go to a sharper radius. And the lower in the number that you go, the more aggressive,
the surface finish. Okay. So it like starts to look more like a golf ball. Okay. Yeah. And
you got to be careful with that. Yeah. You got to be careful where you go with walking a tightrope
really make a, you know, make some less than flattering marks.
Yeah, you don't want that. If you, yeah, if you can stay
in the higher numbers, you know, 12, 18, 24, this is a really low crown car. Yeah. But those speeds
or those radius on the planishing hammer are painstakingly slow. So you might make up some
earlier passes, maybe with a nine and then go to a 12 and then maybe see if you can get by with an
18 without taking, you know, just kind of like flattening things out too much. Like make washes
over and really clean it up in between those spaces where those marks are. So it takes some
time. So you have to like hammer it out and be like, okay, we're looking good. And then you
come back and you might give it a little bit more because it just takes so goddamn long.
Yeah. What is a planishing hammer? What's it good for? Nothing?
No, it's really powerful tool paired with the pull max. If you've got the pull max,
then you can do cold shrinking. And then you've got the planishing hammer, you can
planish out the wrinkles from the shrinking and then like, shit, you can make everything. It's
just going to be in more pieces. Oh, power hammer. You got more power. So you can do bigger
pieces, bigger pieces, bigger pieces, bigger pieces. Yeah. So I hammered the side. I refuse to acknowledge
that. Yeah, you did. You just plowed right over it.
Dare you call my car booger pieces?
Emily had a sick, a sick fantasy. Emily had a sick fantasy where she described the police
impounding my dream car. What? My show rod. Oh, right. Yeah. Sick fantasy. Now it's a booger car.
No, no. Oh my. You just said bigger and then it went to booger and then I thought you would laugh
and you didn't. And then I was surprised. And now you are laughing. So then you didn't.
Ah, I thought for sure. Throw me a bone here. Throw me a bone. Throw me a freaking bone here.
Throw me two bones. Well, sorry. It's not going to happen. No cash refund. Oh.
I want to miss out on this tea. Fine then. Emily made tea. We've made tea like 10 times.
It's the coldest. It's so cold in here that our last time we made tea, it just got cold before
we drank it. Yeah. This is great though. I mean, it's nice. It's also hard. It can be a little
tough to go for an hour. The voice gets a little bit scratchy. Yeah, I mean, too.
A lot of noises. It's just sub zero in here. So what are you going to do? I mean, throw a couple
logs on real quick. Okay. Throw a couple logs on. We've been planishing on the model TC cab.
Yep. And we've got the front sections aft door opening, because there's no door. There's just
a door opening. Yep. And so this is the jam door opening and what seems sort of like an armrest,
but it's like the edge of the tub of the body. Yep. I'm breaking it up into four pieces per side.
So front section lower, then we've got back section lower. Pretty much
there's the belt line interrupting that. And more and more, I think that I want to use,
I think I want to use what would be like the Chevy belt line detail from like the early Chevy van.
It just seems like the thing to do when you get to that middle section to like roll
into another detail and then back out into the crown again. Oh, okay. Seems like,
seems like what needs to happen. Okay. That sounds interesting. So they won't be welded together.
There'll be two separate pieces. No, eventually they'll be welded together. But that'll be the
transition between top and bottom. Oh, okay. It's like a belt line. Okay. But just like the early
Chevy one. Yeah. It's just a radius, basically. Oh, okay. Ahead of the lower panel. It's just
like a little rain gutter. Oh, okay. I think it'll, I think it'll work. Yeah. I'll have to make some
dies. Interesting. Yeah. Yeah. I'll have to make some dies, but I think it's the right thing to do.
Okay. Yeah. It seems, yeah. Sure. Yeah. Sure. Why not? Why not? I mean, if you feel like it feels
like the right thing to do, it's the right thing to do. It does. So we're also going to add a step
detail. Just where the cab is open, like the C shape of the cab and around the door opening,
we're going to use that joggle die that's like the first Pullmax tool I made.
Which is cool. For that machine, when I got that machine, this was the first die I made
and use that step. It'll put a joggle an inch away from the edge and it follows the edge.
So like a raised edge detail and as it makes its way up towards the roof,
uh-huh. Blend out and be gone. Ooh, nice. Like as it gets into that skinnier
ice pick shape. Yeah. Yeah. Towards the roof line. Okay. Just let it drop off. Oh,
you're going to do a little line. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. One inch from the edge. Yeah. A little step.
That's going to be nice. Yeah. That'll be super classy. Yeah. And it's a detail that the ice truck
didn't really have. Yeah. I don't think so. But it'll, it's sort of like, well, it's in metal,
so let's do it. Like let's raise the edge up a little bit. So that's something that like I took
a picture with the die in that spot to show what it, and it just like makes all the sense in the
world. Okay. I sent it to Rizzo and he was like, yeah. Yeah. Sweet. Definitely. Nice. Yeah. And
breaking them up into four panels keeps them all pretty reasonable in size to handle.
Once we start welding them together, it's going to be ridiculous. I mean, the weight is really
going to show up. Yeah, it's going to, they're going to be really heavy. What one of the next steps
that I need to do is re highlight the center line on the floorboard that we cut and then basically
take some lumber up and attach to the roof bows and start making pieces from the center line of
the car to grab the sides and make sure the sides are in the same place. And then that way as we
go up, I can actually, it'll help to strengthen the structure as a quote unquote buck. And then
we can slap the panels on it and test them just like we're doing now. Like we're fitting them to
these things, but we're also sort of winging the shape. Like it's not really a buck because we don't
know what the shape really is. Like it's all these pieces are sketches. Like nobody's really said
anything about the panels because it's like, it just looks really basic, but I just keep hearing in
my head. Fay Butler being like, yeah, we could just make those in two days or something, you know,
like Jean would just be like, Jean would just be right behind you, literally in your ear, like
just go keep going. He just keep pushing you. He'd be like, all right, let's plan a shit. Let's go
turn that edge. Okay, the next one, let's move on to the next one. Trim that right there. Let's
weld them together. I mean, he'd just be, he'd just be on it. Yeah, just be pushing you through it.
He wouldn't think shit of it. So yeah, that's kind of what I, you know, I'm not moving it quite that
rate, but you're getting it done though. Yeah. Yeah, it looks really good. I think I gotta get serious
with the cowl. The yeah, it's not exactly where it needs to be. You better get serious on that cowl.
I gotta get serious. You better just really buckle down. Yeah, just nose to the grindstone. That's
right. You know, nose to that midnight oil. You better burn it. You better burn that candle at
both ends. Yeah, I keep plugging away there slugger. Yep, exactly. Yeah. Do you have an MBA?
Wait, what? Oh, you just talked like you have a master's in business administration. I just
didn't know. Told me to keep plugging away there. You're the one that said keep plugging away. You're
in John that I got my van from. We worked in a brewery that was owned by a guy with like a
software company and they would come down and say stuff to us like that. They had an early
Econoline van. That's why I worked there. I was just like their four hire mechanic, you know, and
and the John like sold beer and they would just come through and just say stuff like that.
Just like we had to rewire the van. It was a disaster. Like parts of it inside were wired
with phone cord. It was insane. And they would just come through and, you know, just
right. Yeah. Cackies give you some form of encouragement like
MBAs keep plugging away. They're slugger. Keep plugging away. All right, they're big guy.
We have some listener right ends. Really? We have a lot actually. Really? Kind of. I feel like,
yeah. Uh, hate mail? No, never. Thank goodness. Yeah. But if you want to send us some hate mail,
feel free. Yeah. We don't care. Yeah. Don't yell at me. All the mail yell at me through your keyboard.
Yeah. Don't yell at me. You can yell at me. I don't care. Oh, roses sensitive. Yeah. Don't yell
at me. Don't yell at Rose. We had our buddy Steve right in. Oh, really? Steve Kellen? Yes. Steve
Kellen engine class. First in class. An extraordinary owner of Mellow Yellow. He rebuilt his engine
last 68 or nine or 70. Is it a 70? I 70 shall we pick up? It's old. I'll say that. Okay. It's
not new. It's a 70. Yeah. 69. Was it a straight six or a V six or a V eight? And he rebuilt it.
Yeah. He took our engine class. Yeah. He took our engine class and he was like, you know what?
I got a crunchy little engine. Yep. And he got taken it apart. Mm hmm. Steve knows Slouch. He's
turned wrenches for decades. Yep. He's a service rider for heavy equipment. Like heavy like metal
equipment and such and the like and sheep's feet and bull's overs and stuff like that. Yeah.
Big things. Big stuff. Earth movers. I think there's quite a bit of excavators involved here.
But yeah, big stuff. And so Steve turns the wrenches. He knows what's up. And he said, hey,
I think I'm going to fire this thing up one of these days. Yep. And we came over and helped
him with the break in. It's fun. And now he drives it. Now he drives it all the time. Yeah,
it was good. They did the break in in truck, which is a good way to do it. I like to do it on a stand
a little more. I guess a little more control. I mean, it's kind of tough to do because you
got to put a fan on it and stuff like that. Yeah, those get pretty hot. Yeah. Well, it seemed to work
out for him. Oh, it worked out awesome. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, okay, here's how this day went. We went
over and we helped Steve fire it up and it was awesome. And then he went and drove it. Mm hmm.
And now he still is going and driving it all the time. I mean, it's really sealed the deal.
You know, because he left the driveway, but really sealed the deal when he came back.
Yeah. Yeah. That was, you know, thankfully, we did not get the like I'm stuck. Yeah,
we didn't get that phone call. Blue hose or whatever. Forgot hose plan for, you know,
perfect. All the silly things that can, no, it was beautiful. I mean, he went for a drive and he
liked it. And you know, he's been breaking it in and yeah, it rips. Yeah, definitely. He said the
oil pressure is different than it used to be. He says lower than it used to be, I think. Oh,
but it's fine, right? But he had the, I think Steve assembled the rotating assembly, but
he might have got slotted bearings. His oil pressure has been a little different and that
was bugging him for a little bit and he was just like, whatever. And yeah, he's been ripping it.
He loves it. The thing he likes the most, which is his great thing about freshening up your engine
is that he doesn't leave oil spots everywhere he goes. Yep. That is a nice thing. Get after
that rear main, you know? Yep. It is. It's good. Yeah. I mean, there's one thing about like trying
to reseal a dirty motor, but there's a whole nother just like cleaning the thing up, getting it sealed
dry, no oil yet. Yep. Yeah. Wow. It's nice. It's a big deal. That's nice.
Steve wrote in and he said, Hey, you guys with a Z, which I totally appreciate. I like a little Z.
I like a little Z thrown in there. Happy new year. Just finished with episode 142. I like
listening to my friends on the magic pocket computer. We love being on your computer,
your pocket computer, your pocket computer. Emily, I think your battery shorted a craft
work song, by the way. Oh, is it pocket computer? That sounds like it would be magic pocket computer.
Oh, they were so in the future. Really? Wow. My pocket computer. Is that really for serious?
No. Okay. Pretty close to a computer world, something on computer world.
Emily, I think your battery shorted out on the Audi because they put them under the back seat.
It's a stupid place to put a battery. Just ask the BW bug owners. Rose, let me know if you need
any help with the Astro motor. I owe you guys big time for help with firing up the Mellow Yellow
motor. If you need a stand, let me know. I think I can get my hands on one. Cheers guys. Keep up
the great show. Sweet. Yeah, Steve, there's a big puddle out there and we're going to put you on a
raft. Yeah. If you want to come over and get under the Astro on a raft. I'm a real big idiot and we
just did not move fast enough through my windshield project with the van. I should have been working
on that while I was waiting for the windshield, but I was really freaked out that the windshield
wasn't going to show up. I just couldn't believe that I was going to get one. Right. Yeah. We should
have gone on that and then that would have sped that along and then we could have done the Astro
in the last nice, warm, dry weeks. Yeah. Now it's in the thick of winter. Now we're waiting
for like a dry day. Yeah. Well, now we got to do the switcheroo. Now that the other engine's on
the stand, doing good with my resolutions. She built a cute little stand for it to go on. Well,
I had to accept that it's just, you know, it's work. Every day is work and you've just got to
like get through this stuff. So I've knocked out a bunch of crap. I was kind of neglecting a bit
in the dreariness of the end of the year and
we're moving forward. But yeah, yeah, Steve, we're going to float you on a raft under the van.
And then you can help us when we drop it. You can help us line up the dowel pins on the transmission
in the block. That's, that'll be your job. Yeah. We do need to get out of the orange spray paint
and I'm toying with changing the rear main. I think the rear main leaked just a little bit.
It's still a little bit. Probably don't want to put it in with it leaking.
I, yeah, I just kind of feel like maybe I should,
I guess I didn't, I want to order an AC Delco rear main seal.
Well, get on with your bad self. But we're going to float you in a raft under the under there.
And yeah, you're going to, thanks. We, yeah, we appreciate it. Yeah. Definitely. Thank you, Steve.
Yeah. I also got a DM from 70s street machines. Yeah, really. I know that page.
Fucking awesome. Yeah. Who doesn't know that page?
Yeah, I know that page. It's a good page. Yeah. It's a really good page.
Anyway, 70 street machine. I had put in the stories like where is everybody from because
we got our Spotify wrapped and we had people from Finland. And so I was like, where are people living?
And he said Elkhart Lake, home of road America. And I was like, oh, that's rad. Have you driven?
Road America is this big giant track close to Sheboygan, I think it's in Minnesota.
What state are we in? I think it's in Minnesota. You don't know where it is. Minnesota.
Road America is a historic world renowned four mile road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
So not Minnesota. My bad. Goodness. It's known as America's national carves,
national park of speed. And it's home. It hosts, it hoses, it hosts.
Emily's been throwing them back here on the break. We just, we just took a quick break
and Emily got a little bit of grandpa's coughs here. Yeah, what happened over here to me?
They host IndyCar, NASCAR and IMSA, which I don't know what that is.
Is it a circle track? No, I'm not sure. I might have several different tracks because it has
it looks like it has like a road track. Let's see. Yeah, I don't know. It doesn't look like
there's an oval track. Isn't that what NASCAR does? Well, it said NASCAR Xfinity. So maybe that's
something different. Maybe it's an oval track. Yeah. I, there's a little, yeah. I can't pretend
to know that much about it because I, because I don't. Yeah, I didn't. Okay. But I thought it was
cool anyway. And I was like, have you driven it? And he said, uh, yeah, when I still had the TA,
I drove it on the track during the spring vintage weekend back in 2022. So it is a track. Yeah.
We can identify this track. Yes. For sure. It's a track you can drive your car on.
And I said, it must have been an experience. He said it was fun. It was part of a package
through Hagerty where we got two tickets to the track to watch the races and show off our cars
and even go on the track all for $75. Wow. Yeah. That's a ripping deal for that. Yeah. I, you know,
I have a statistic to add as far as like, where are people from? Yeah. Yeah. Listeners. Yeah. I
checked my Instagram page and you'll find this interesting. Yes. Top city. Oh, where? Portland.
Oh, wow. 1.6% is what this says. So I'm assuming this makes up 1.6% of my followers are from Portland
and that's the most dominant. That's the top. Wow. You have a lot of different cities in. Next city.
LA. Los Angeles. Yes. 1.6%. Third city. Sheboygan. Yeah. Another big market. New York.
Oh, wow. But just 0.6%. Okay. Next. How is this leading up to 100% of like 1,000 cities on there?
Yeah. I'm assuming just all the other locations aren't as close. They're spread out so they just
don't make big cities. Next, 0.6%. There's like a three way tie for 0.6%. And that's what we have
here. Next one is Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky. Yeah. Okay. I live there for 20 years. Yeah. Makes
sense. The sixth city, last of the 0.6%. Do you have any guess? Sydney, Australia.
Sydney, Australia. Yeah. Baghdad. Oh, right. I forgot this little tidbit about you. Baghdad. Right.
There it is. Yeah. Yeah. I knew that. Baghdad. Yeah. Okay. I remember we talked about this before.
Yep. I don't know. I don't know. Interesting. All the same. I just want to say Louisville,
my friends, I miss you. You got some work to do. Baghdad is on your heels. Yeah. I guess I've got
some work to do. I've got to win you over. Yeah. Even stingy, cold, gruff New York is there ahead
of you on the list. Yeah. According to social media. Wow. Yeah. Really eye opening experience.
Yeah. I had a couple of people reach out to me. And first of all, with Brad McCurdy and Brad sent
me a video about how black Americans saved Cadillac. And it was a, it was someone just,
you know, orally sharing the story with other people. And it was too much fanfare. The room
really enjoyed what he had to say, which was that Cadillac was doing pretty bad during the Great
Depression because people didn't have money to spend. But since banks wouldn't work with black
people, black people held on to their money at home. Yeah. And, you know, somebody at Cadillac was
in this guy's story, it says the nationwide service manager or something. I was like, what?
What is that? Huh. That party didn't get. But he's basically what he said was like, hey, you know,
we could help the brand by selling to black Americans, you know, and cause they still have
their money because they didn't lose it in the bank. Yeah. Which is kind of awesome. And so
supposedly as this story goes, they became one of the first brands to sell to African Americans.
You know, we were like, who, what did African Americans strive before that? Well, maybe just
use car. We were thinking maybe that has bought used cars. Well, in the story, it says that they
were what this guy, you know, supposedly in this story again, because I've verified this, you know,
but he, what he says is that like, you know, they're paying, you know,
three, four, $500 over asking price to drive, you know, these cars to get cars like this,
you know, to buy them off people, supposedly. And so they're like, oh, okay, great. Well,
I guess, you know, yeah, sure, we'll flee some or whatever. We'll sell them cars full price.
Yeah. Because I'm assuming, I'm assuming is the subtext of that. Yeah. Whatever. Well, I don't
know. I just made that up. But I, you know, that's what I expect. Anyway, yeah. Anyway, that's really
interesting. It saved the brand. Yeah. Because they responded, they bought, they liked them.
But I haven't, I haven't searched that. But anyway, Brad said podcast material.
So that's just a little bit of what I heard on the topic again. I don't know. I'd never heard
that story before. I think we should research it more and do like a more of a deep dive. Yeah,
I would like to do a deep dive on that. And then Mateo wrote in, we heard from Mateo in the past.
Mateo MBB said, I highly enjoy your girls podcast holidays have been so busy.
I don't get to listen right away. I usually listen to the car on the way to work and I'm
really excited for your ice truck project look alike. However, I think a fun conversational
piece. And you probably get a lot of recommendations for your podcast. But the 67 Oldsmobile,
I think it was called the X 70. I'll send an image. It was a really interesting one to go down the
rabbit hole on and he did include an image and it is quite the car with sculpted front fenders.
Whoa. Kind of looks like a 70s van in a way with these like big sculpted fenders.
It kind of looks like a 70s van in a way with like these sculpted fenders. And you know,
it's got like this like floating bar grill one bar with rings that go around the headlights,
I guess it is and kind of looks like a Corvair front bumper snuck in the middle. I mean,
it's old. So it kind of looks like a tempest bumper. I think that's what Gene had put on the
Pacifica tempest pumpers and like wrap around seats in the back. Yeah, it's cool. It's neat. So
yeah. Okay, well, thanks. Thanks for sharing that. And maybe we will maybe we'll wind up looking
into that the picture was something to something to speak of on its own. I'm excited went from
just from your yeah, it's neat. But no, I'm not familiar with the car just right off. I mean,
I've heard of it and read about it, but not any deeper than that. Oh, wait, you sent me a picture.
Okay, no, I have seen this car and it is incredible. We got to do something. Yeah,
this is just a straight up Oldsmobile concept. I feel like they might have made
I feel like George Barris might have had a hand in this. It looks like Barris fenders up front.
That's why I say that what it made me think of was the Donnie and Marie van. I don't know that
it has flares like that, but it immediately made me think of the Donnie Marie van that she did.
Yeah, no, we should definitely I actually have seen this car before on a post and then I was like,
we should do a dive on this car, especially if it's got a if there's Barris hands in it.
Well, I know there's Barris or not Barris hands. Maybe there's a Barris name on it.
I'm sure his name on everything. Well, that's kind of how the story goes.
Yeah. So I have a coworker that is big on Corvairs. Oh, yeah. And he likes to share with me a good
like Corvair hunting story every once in a while where, you know, he's been in the club
for a long time and he told me a story today about how somebody had a couple of bodies for sale
and they were pretty rough, but he was like, I'll come by and I'll check him out.
So he goes over, he checks him out and he's like, no, these are there's nothing here for me.
You'd have to pay me $100 to take these. So
he's like, uh, I get to talking to the guy. He has a friend that worked at a dealership.
And they had this lift for the Corvairs, special to the Corvair that I guess fits under the engine.
And once they stopped doing the Corvair, they just like, they chucked it. They were like,
we don't need this lift anymore. And this guy's friend drug it home. And so he had this Corvair
specific Jack. I think he called it was like a Stepford Jack or a Stepford wife. Well, I do
think of a Stepford, but maybe not a step valve. I don't know. Step something. I'll say it slid off
me a little bit. Step mom. What he said, the guy wouldn't sell it to him. Guy would not sell him
the Jack. He's like, I'm a Corvair guy. I would love to have this. And the guy's like, no, not
really. You buy the cars. He's like, no, he's like, so I would drop in on this guy.
He's like, and I'd stop in and I'd see him and talk to him. And you know, I'd left him my card
and stuff. And he's like, this goes on for like 10 years. 10 years. Yeah. So crazy. And that is a
decade. So he's five plus five. Yeah, he drops in and then he's like, so,
you know, it's been a long time. Would you think you'd maybe sell me this Jack or what? I'd really
like to have it. It'd be a good home with me. And the guy's like, I sold it. And he's like,
but it's right there. And he's like, yeah, but the guy across the road, he bought the cars and
he's really 10 years later. Yeah, he's real into Corvair's now. And so anyway, they're his.
It's his. Yeah. And so he's like, I'm across the road. So
he goes across the way and he talks to the neighbor and the neighbor is like, oh, yeah,
you know, he's a really nice guy. And I just bought the cars just to kind of get him out of
his yard and help him out and put him in my yard. Right. He's like, you can I'll sell him to you.
He's like, if you'd like to buy him, he's like, no, no, I don't want him. He's like,
he said that you bought that Jack. He's like, I want that. I really want that Jack. And he's like,
oh, I don't, I don't care about the Jack. I don't need it. It's not. Yeah. I was just being nice.
And he's like, so I'm back across the road again. I'm explaining to this guy, like,
listen, your neighbor isn't really like, he doesn't really want the Jack. It's not a big deal.
And so he's like, like, I'm the Corvair guy. I want this thing. I need this. Please. Like,
I've been very patient. I've asked in 10 years. We're practically friends now.
So the guy is like, yeah. Okay. 150 sound good.
Just shells, just shells it out. He's like, I couldn't pay him fast enough.
10 years or $150. That's like a very realistic parts buying story. If it's
something that's hard to find $150. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that is like the chase of a lifetime.
Like I hunted this jack for, he didn't tell me like I use it all the time. Like I love it.
He's like, and I've used it twice, but I got it. No. Okay. So where this went was,
you know, I told him about my axle bearing problem. You know, my axle bearing is going
out on my rear end again. And it's because of my seals. The seals, I think somebody switched
the third member in the axles. So it's like, I have the wrong axles for the axle tube that I have
to get a seal. Like it's, it would be the wrong outer diameter or it's the wrong inner diameter,
no matter what, because the two different axle types are different. And so what he went on to
tell me was that he had a friend rebuild it and he had left it with the guy because he was like,
Hey, this has a leather seal in this lift for the Corvair. This, yeah, it's a lift. I guess you'd
just, you know, I don't know what style how it, you know, so he, the guy hits him back up a few
days later. He's like, it's all set. It's ready to go. He's like, what do you mean? He's like, oh,
I, I would have had rebuilt the whole thing for you. And he's like, I had the leather cup.
He's like, I thought I had some of those. He's like, I had one. Oh, wow. He thought he was just
going to make him a new one or whatever. He was like, I had the right leather cup for it.
So do you think you're going to be able to find these leather cups? I was just going to have
one made or just get some leather and make one or have a laser cut or something like that.
Sweet. And then yeah, I haven't figured out how to fasten it all. I have an idea, but
interesting. Yeah, that'll be interesting to see how that
works out. Yeah. Yeah. Won't it? It sure will. Yeah.
Darn tootin. Darn tootin, aren't you? And you know, anyway, that's just like, you know,
I think a really, really wholesome junk buy-in story. Yeah, it is. It's a good one. Yeah.
It's a good one. I think Hailey would really appreciate that one. Yeah. Yeah. She loves to buy
the junk. She loves to go out and buy the parts. Ten years for $150. I know. Yeah,
Hailey got that new laser welder. I know. That was kind of cool. She joined the laser welding
army out there. Yeah. Wow. It's pretty convincing. It's really small, very precise. Yeah. Does
anybody listening? Do you have a laser welder? Yeah. If you do, DM us. Let us know. I mean,
Hailey and Jake welded the stainless and she said she couldn't break the piece that she laser
welded. And it was like her first weld with it. Wow. Yeah. It's pretty powerful. Yeah. I mean,
I think literally that's it. It's a powerful laser. Yeah. It is a laser after all. Well, listen,
that's the longest shaggy dog story for $150 jack you'll ever hear. But I, you know, I felt like
it was worth the, it was worth the listen. Yeah. I feel, I agree. I, yeah. I mean, when I retold it
to you earlier, you know, I really got a laugh out of how absurd the whole. And I've heard it
twice now and I got a laugh the second time around. Yeah. Sorry. You know, I should have saved it.
It's almost like a joke. Just told everybody it is. It's like, it's yeah. I mean, it's like the
shaggy dogs are like, I like the Norm McDonald does the one with the moth who's like talking to the
shrink or whatever. And the guy's like, no, I think you need like a therapist or something. I'm,
you know, it's not what I do. And he's like, why'd you come in here anyway? And the guy's like,
Oh, the light was on. You know, and it's like, it just goes on as long as he can. I love that.
Anyway, listen, thanks so much. Oh my God. Thank you. Thank you so, so much. You wrote in. Yeah,
we had so much interaction. Yeah, we really love that. And you listened to that school. Yeah,
it is really cool. We appreciate it. You done been piled up. Done been piled up. Bye.
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