Driven Radio Show Mar 21, 2026

Driven Radio Show #345: Larry Way and Rick Hunter

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Term

engine compartment

The engine compartment (engine bay) is the area under the hood where the engine and related components sit. For classic cars, a “clean” engine bay often suggests better prior care, fewer leaks, and less deferred maintenance.

Term

idles

To “idle” means the engine is running while the car is stopped, typically at a low RPM. If a car “idles now at a decent rate,” it usually indicates the fuel/air and ignition systems are closer to being properly tuned.

Part

air cleaner

The air cleaner is the part that filters the air before it goes into the engine. If it doesn’t fit right, the engine can breathe less cleanly or the carburetor setup won’t sit properly.

Part

carburetor

A carburetor is how older engines mix fuel and air. If you change to a different carburetor (like a taller one), it can change how other parts fit around it.

Part

throttle linkage

Throttle linkage is the set of parts that connects your gas pedal to the carburetor. If it’s not adjusted right, the car may not respond smoothly when you press the gas.

Company

Summit Racing

Summit Racing is a store that sells car parts for performance and restoration projects. If a part is “from Summit Racing,” it’s likely an aftermarket part you order for your build.

Term

wipers

Wipers are the windshield wiper system used to clear rain and debris for visibility. If wipers “don’t work at all,” it can point to issues like a failed wiper motor, bad switch, broken linkage, or blown fuse—each is a different repair path.

Concept

wax a windshield

People sometimes put a special wax on the windshield so rain beads up instead of spreading out. That can make it easier to see when it’s wet and can help the wipers work better.

Concept

Harley-Davidson motorcycles

“Harleys” are Harley-Davidson motorcycles. People often tinker with them, fix them up, and then either keep one they love or sell it.

Company

Turkey Creek Cycles

Turkey Creek Cycles is the repair shop the speaker trusts to fix problems when they can’t get things working again. It’s a reminder that sometimes you need a professional to sort out the details.

Car

2012 Scion XD

A 2012 Scion XD is a small hatchback. The speaker says they had to fix the brakes recently, which is why they’re driving it.

Part

back bumper fascia

The back bumper fascia is the plastic/outer cover on the rear bumper. They took it off because they were trying to stop a leak, likely caused by seals or fitment problems.

Term

chrome

Chrome is the shiny metal look on parts. When people restore bikes, they care a lot whether the chrome is still in good shape, because fixing or replacing it can cost money.

Company

Hot Rod Express

Hot Rod Express is the custom car shop Rick Hunter owns. It’s where people bring cars to be modified and built into hot rods or custom projects.

Company

O'Reilly Auto Parts

O'Reilly Auto Parts is a major U.S. automotive parts retailer and service brand. Its sponsorship ties the event to the aftermarket parts and enthusiast community.

Concept

International Showcar Association

The International Showcar Association is a group that helps organize and standardize showcar competitions. They’re talking about how many shows the association runs and how many they’re involved with.

Concept

outdoor car show

A car show is an event where people bring cars to display them. “Outdoor” just means it’s held outside, usually with lots of other activities and car fans.

Brand

Catherine Bach

Catherine Bach is a TV actress. In this segment, she’s mentioned because she’s connected to a famous role, and the guest enjoys working with her during the show.

Concept

family entertainment

They’re talking about changing the event so families can attend together. The goal is to make it fun for kids too, not just adults.

Concept

Best in Show

“Best in Show” is the biggest prize at a car show. It means the judges picked that car as the overall best one there.

Concept

Master Builder Award

The “Master Builder Award” is a prize for someone who built their car themselves. The idea is to reward real hands-on work, not just paying someone else to do everything.

Company

Championship Auto Shows Incorporated

They mention “Championship Auto Shows Incorporated” as the organization behind the event. It’s basically the parent company that runs the show.

Company

Shrunkin Heads Car Club

Shrunkin Heads Car Club is the group putting on the event. Car clubs like this often organize charity activities and community meetups.

Concept

hot rods

A “hot rod” is an older car that someone modifies to make it faster and more fun to drive. People often build them themselves or with a small shop.

Car

Ford F150

That’s a Ford F-150 truck from 2003 with a Harley-Davidson themed package. People like it because it looks special, but it’s still basically a normal F-150 you can use every day.

Concept

all original

“All original” means the car’s key components and appearance are preserved as they were from the factory. Here, the host stresses original pinstripe, original color, and original interior—important for authenticity and judging at shows.

Term

third row jump seats

“Third row jump seats” refers to extra, foldable or removable seating in the rear of a limousine. Limousines often use these for flexible passenger capacity, and it’s a detail that helps listeners understand how the car was intended to be used (more people, more occasions).

Concept

drag strips

A drag strip is a racing track where cars race in a straight line. It’s usually about quick acceleration over a short distance.

Concept

wide-body

“Wide-body” means the car’s body has been modified to look wider, usually to fit bigger tires. It often changes the fenders and how the car sits.

Term

630 horses

“Horses” means horsepower—how much power the engine makes. More horsepower usually means the car can accelerate harder.

Brand

Harleys

Harleys are Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The shop is working on motorcycle parts too, like saddlebags, not just car bodywork.

Concept

restoration

Restoration is when someone takes a car or truck and fixes it up so it looks and works like it should again. Sometimes that means tearing things down and rebuilding, not just doing a small repair.

LIVE

Quiet. I'm Skulls. I'm broadcasting. Hey, all you Gear Heads and Car Fiends, welcome

to Driven Radio Show, your weekly automotive happy hour. I am Brett Hatfield, here with

my co-host and engineer extraordinaire, Mr. Mark Groves.

That's me.

And our studio guest, live in studio, Mr. Rick Hunter.

Live in person.

We are coming to you from Driven Radio Studios. Hey, I saw something online this week.

Oh, yeah, I posted it.

And as soon as I saw it, I didn't look at who posted it.

I just saw this thing and it popped up in my feed on Facebook and I'm looking at it.

I'm going, wow, man, that's a really clean T-bird engine compartment.

And the engine was running. I'm thinking, I got to show that to Mark.

And then Mark's voice comes over the video.

I'm like, shit, that is Mark.

I've got. So the T-bird lives.

It's alive and running.

And I will say this, my very first thought when I saw the video was, wow,

that's a really clean Thunderbird engine compartment.

That's one thing I'll give it. When when I bought the vehicle, it it was definitely clean.

You know, it arrived looking pretty, just didn't run for shit.

And then there were other little surprises that gentlemen neglected to tell.

Well, no, you know, in the various emails where I said, is everything working?

And he said, yes. So but the the I got it to where it idols now at a decent rate.

I also just received yesterday a little kit with some what is it?

Idol pull down springs that will help it to idol at not nuclear power rates.

So when you shift it into gear, it doesn't immediately chirp the tires.

Yeah. Yeah, that's an issue.

But also it was an interesting experience because I when I first got it running,

I was like, OK, it's idling really nice.

You know, and then you test it, you put it into gear, put it in reverse,

put it into drive dies.

And yeah, I'm like, OK, what's the problem?

I know what I need to talk to a mechanic.

So I pulled a new tube.

And after going through several and a couple of suggestions from some people,

it was like, OK, here's what it is.

And I gave it a shot and did some adjusting on this and that.

And it leveled out.

And I actually got to take it for that about a quarter mile drive just down my street,

around the lake and then back.

And it didn't try to die on me.

While it is still top of mind.

Shocking.

I would like to point out a linguistic inconsistency.

Oh, God.

When something doesn't run for shit, that's bad.

And when it does run for shit, that's also bad.

Just something that popped in my head.

Sorry about that.

Not worth the shit and shitty.

It's opposite.

What kind of dog do you have?

Just popped in my head while you were talking about that.

So you ran through your neighborhood a little bit and came back home.

I assume it made it back under its own power.

Oh, yeah.

It didn't need the tennis shoe power.

Didn't terrify me either.

So I've got a couple more things to do with the carpet and the air cleaner fit.

I almost bought a slim line just off the bump because I'm like that.

That's a taller carburetor than I used to have it.

Nope.

It fits fine.

It looks good.

Cool.

Good.

And I need to get, and actually I keep meaning to get over to your speed shop, Rick,

because I need a throttle linkage, an adjustable throttle linkage

that I can put on the two little ball things that stick out and connect it.

Because my current throttle linkage is in there with a kiss and a prayer.

We'll bring it by.

We'll make one.

It's not road legal yet.

And they're currently held on with zip ties.

So I'll get one and get one of those adjustable ones.

Is that true?

They're like 40 bucks, you know, from summit racing, but I'm trying to find a less expensive

or local place to go to.

I probably got a few laying around.

You know, you probably do.

Make one real quick.

You bought that carb?

I've got 82 of them in back, Mark.

No use of them anymore.

Close.

But so I got that.

And then that's when I'll start working on the wipers, because the wipers don't work at all.

And that's a problem in Missouri.

You know, that's, oh, is it?

I was going to say that's really minor concern.

What about all those guys with hot rods that run around don't have any wipers on them at all?

It seems like crap.

Rain ex.

Yeah.

Exactly.

Rain ex.

Hey, that's right.

There you go, Larry.

I ain't the first guy to wax a windshield, you know?

Oh, yeah.

I know that for a fact.

I believe they're supposed to be operational and mine are not.

See, that's what you get for moving to Missouri.

Well, it's just what I get, period, for being me.

In Kansas, they look at your title and they look at the van.

Yeah, that's pretty much it.

That's good enough.

I just want to make sure it's not hot.

They don't care about anything else.

Is this the same thing as this?

Okay, you're good.

It's on fire, dude.

Did you steal this?

No.

Okay, we're happy.

That's about it.

So all these Harley's that keep following me home like stray dogs,

and I work on them a little bit, fiddle around,

try and make them look better, and then, you know,

I either find one that I can't live without or I move one down the road.

I was working on one this weekend and broke it.

You what?

Broke, broke.

As in no working anymore.

And speaking of YouTube videos, this makes me proof.

You shouldn't think you're an expert after watching a single YouTube video.

What did you do?

In fact, the guy said in the video,

this is exactly what you will do if you're not careful.

I was like, nah, that's exactly what I did.

Did you snap off a head bolt?

No, it's nothing permanent and it's not a big deal.

In fact, I was so miffed about it.

Miffed, in my FFED, miffed.

I called my guy over at Turkey Creek Cycles.

Paul, a big shout out to Turkey Creek Cycle,

because they've gotten my butt out of a lot of trouble.

And I said, here's what I did.

Guy said it would happen.

When I took the ignition out to try and swap the handlebars,

and then ran into more problems than I thought I was going to need.

And so I put the ignition back in,

and I got it misaligned and now it doesn't work.

Rot roll.

And he said, yeah, it happens all the time.

It's not a big deal.

Okay, cool.

I didn't do anything terrible.

Now, here's the real downside.

Apparently, the power's still on.

And all the lizard lights that I thought I had taken off of that bike,

there's one I missed that's up underneath the gas tank that I can't get to,

but that sucker has been on for three days and is still on.

And you know, we got those cameras sort of scattered around the house

of the previous homeowners put in, and it feeds to a big monitor in my office.

And every now and then I just look over and, yeah, motorcycle lights still on.

Crap.

Because there's one in the garage and I can look down.

It glows.

It's alive.

Yeah, damn it.

And so, because I found myself immediately out of my depth on the road glide,

I went back to the warehouse and just polished on the heritage for a while,

something I know how to do without breaking crap.

That took apart the back end.

I've got a 2012 Scion XD.

That you drove today, so apparently it's running.

Oh, yeah.

Well, I did spend a chunk of change getting the brake fixed today, but be that as it may.

That's why you're driving that.

The rear end, I took that back bumper fascia off because, again, YouTube,

I watched a number of videos about, hey, this is why they leaked because it was leaking.

Well, apparently you've got to watch more than one.

Apparently.

And I probably ought to watch it for the right car because I ordered the little rubber stopper

things that go in the holes that leak and it doesn't have any F-in holes that leak

in the back of it.

It doesn't have any holes.

And I'm like, oh, shit, seriously?

So I watched another video.

That's your second, oh, shit tonight.

You must be really frustrated.

I was angry.

I was not amused.

So I did end up doing some stuff.

Another one of the problems that kind of happens with those is your rear tail lights.

The rubber gasket that goes around those can get a little, as opposed to a little funky.

Shut up.

So I don't run for shit either.

I went through there and found one of them that I think this was the problem because one of the

driver's side tail light, there was an upper bolt that was missing.

It has two bolts that hold that tail light in.

Two bolts.

That's it.

Just absent.

Yeah.

It was just gone.

And so, you know, that makes the top of it loose and air go water can leak in.

So I got a good idea though.

Well, I was getting ready to figure it out and do all this and blah, blah, blah.

And I'm like, wait a minute, what is that?

And up, it was almost under the rear seat because I had those folded over and had all

the stuff taken out.

There's the little nut.

Oh, really?

So I put it back on and I did do a little homegrown.

I was going to suggest deck screw or drywall screw.

Well, you know, the, I can either confirm nor deny that some silicon adhesive might have

made its way in there to turn things up.

Don't know.

Couldn't tell you.

But we'll see if that works.

You can always blame it on the previous owner.

That's the glory of these cars.

But I got all that stuff back on and so I felt pretty happy about that.

Well, I will say when I saw the T-Bird engine compartment, I saw it running before I even

looked down or heard your voice.

I just thought that's a really clean engine compartment.

That's a good looking T-Bird.

I need to send that to Mark and then I hear your voice and I'm like, damn, that is Mark.

Well, it still hasn't driven a mile under me and I've had it since November.

Yeah, it's going to stay pretty damn clean.

It's going to last you forever.

That 1990 heritage that's sitting down in my garage.

How far you think that's gone?

Really?

That ain't gone anywhere.

That's rolled up on top of a bike lift and that's it.

And I'm still taking stuff off of it and cleaning it.

We got some kick-ass paperweight, Dave.

Dave Seider, the guy who owned that previously and the guy who still owed money.

I got to give him the rest of the money for the bike.

That's a good idea.

Dave, God bless his heart, had hung everything on that bike.

You could, every piece of chrome, even some that I've never seen, which is kind of wild

because I've been through a lot of Harley catalogs and just everything he could do to the bike,

he did to the bike.

I think he either bought it a year old or he might be the original owner,

but he's had it at a long time and he just put lots of stuff on it.

And the more I looked at it, the more I thought,

if I stripped all that crap off, it'd look pretty good.

So that's what I've been doing.

I've been stripping stuff off and cleaning it as I go and he did a lot of cool stuff to it.

The rainbow tassels from the handlebars.

Yeah.

Those are fun.

And I'm saving those from my bicycle.

But those, those plane carts in the, in the spokes.

They sell them.

That's such a rumble.

Except it goes 80.

So where's the map?

Quick.

Anyway, enough of my rambling about broken stuff.

Hey, guess what?

We have two guests this week.

Yes, we do.

We have Larry Way from World of Wheels and the good Rick Hunter from Hot Rod Express,

who I've been harassing a lot lately.

Rick's tired of seeing my face.

Larry Way is an international car show association judging supervisor

who's been judging shows throughout Canada and the US for more than 36 years.

He is in the Canadian Street Rod Association's Hall of Fame.

He's the public relations director for championship auto shows incorporated

and promotes indoor car shows across the US.

Rick Hunter is the owner and operator of Hot Rod Express.

Kansas City's premier custom car shop offering services for every facet of your hot rod or

custom build and consistently does superior work on our stuff and even agrees to work on crap.

He doesn't really want to when I beg him.

That's how it all starts begging.

Welcome to Driven Radio.

Thank you.

Do we have Larry?

Thank you, Brad.

It keeps cutting out.

Can I?

Hey, disconnect and come back if you want to.

Yeah, Larry.

Fantastic.

Ready whenever you are to just pick it up and run with him, Brad.

Three, two, one.

All right, Larry, the 66th annual O'Reilly Auto Parts World of Wheels is back Friday,

March 20 through Sunday, March 22 at the Kansas City Convention Center,

aka Bartle Hall.

Anybody who's been in Kansas City more than a year knows it as Bartle Hall.

How many years has World of Wheels been bringing us the best of the car world?

It started in 1960, and the company was based in Michigan, but their first show was in

Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

And they ran a couple of shows in Canada, and then they ran a show in Detroit.

And within 10 years, I would say, they had probably 50 or 60 shows.

And in their heyday, we had 200 shows.

I mean, in the winter months, there sometimes were seven or eight shows in different cities

and different parts of the country in Canada.

And we had probably 200, maybe 225 judging officials, judging supervisors,

because there were so many shows.

But as business changed and fast forward to today, the smaller shows is just,

you just can't make any money.

The home show and most trade shows sell 100% of their for where we sell 20%.

So we depend on the spectators.

And in the smaller markets and the cost of advertising, rent,

insurance on and on, we just can't do it.

So now the International Showcar Association has probably 35 shows of which we have 16.

Okay. How long have you been involved with World of Wheels?

You're not old enough to have been there from the beginning, plus if you had, you'd be dead.

I started judging 45 years ago.

Yeah, I judged a lot.

There was a time and I was also, I was also for 23 years for Super Chevy shows.

So I would, and I was working a full-time government job and I was judging 26 shows a year.

So that's every other weekend.

Now a lot of them were in my area, but most of them were traveling.

So I'd leave my job Friday at noon or take Friday off and then say I leave Friday at noon,

zoom to the airport, jump on a flight, work that weekend, whether I was judging,

whether I was managing or whatever I was doing, fly back early Monday morning,

go to work from the airport.

26 weekends a year. Does your wife recognize you when you come home?

Well, I have three ex-wives and this is the problem because I've never been home.

I tried my best to marriage and it doesn't work for me.

Now I have friends that I go to dinner with and do things with, but

with the life and lifestyle that I lead, it's just, it's hard to be in a full-time

relationship. I mean, now I've been on the road now. This is my second of three weeks.

Wow. Yeah, you know, that's how it is.

You don't see your house enough. What other shows do you put on?

Well, we have our shows here in the summer months. I run my own series of shows

and I live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and in that area and I do them for charity.

So I have eight shows that I produce and there's three other shows that I kind of help and kind

of manage and two of them charge money, but if they charge 100% of the money,

he has to go to charity. So if it's not for charity, I'm not interested in helping.

So there are two outdoor shows that I do work at and one is in Eastern Canada.

This is the largest outdoor car show in Eastern Canada and then it's a city called

Moncton to Brunswick, Canada. This is the largest event of the year.

Now it's turned into a five-day spectacle. It's really quite something.

And I do appraisals on cars. I do appraisals on memorabilia.

So I work seven days a week and I'm thankful. I live a very blessed life

and I get to meet so many great people like you guys and I must say championship

outdoor shows in our group, we like Kansas City. There's a huge car culture here,

Kansas City area. I mean, this is a big deal for us to come here. It really is.

Well, we enjoy having you. Do you have a favorite part of the show or part that you

look forward to? I guess I like it all really, but I enjoy the people that we work with,

the celebrities we work with. I've been very blessed to have worked with so many great people

and which I continue to do and they're lots of fun. It is work and it's long hours,

but it sure is fun. It's not like working on an assembly line. Working with Catherine Bach,

the original Daisy Duke and working with her and spending time with her. She is not a terrible job.

Yeah, I bet not. You're breaking my heart. I've known Catherine since the 80s.

I met her way back when the show was on TV and there was years where we didn't work together,

but the last 15 years we've worked quite a few shows together and she is absolutely wonderful

and she loves her fans. She spends so much time. She has a long signature and she'll talk and she'll

ask some questions and they want to show her things and stay on their phone and it doesn't

matter and she's on a scheduled time. She's not going to leave until she sees everybody.

She's a very professional and loves her fans and loves people and she's a real treat to work with.

Well, we're going to get to Catherine and everybody else here in a moment.

How has world wheels changed over the years? What keeps people coming back to the show?

Well, I would say let's go back 25 years. 25 years ago we were using Playboy Playmates

this was a male thing. I mean 90% of our people were male. So we had pent-up girls and we had

a lot of higher Playboy Playmates, we had Bikini Contest, we did all that. Fast forward today,

what idiot would put a bikini contest in a show? I mean they're going to run you out of town and

no media outlets going to work with you. So I guess we're one of the first groups that changed

family entertainment. So what we're trying to do is get mom and dad and the kids to come. So we've

got to have things to entertain the children. You know, rather than you know, mom and dad

don't want to hire a babysitter so they drag them along. But if there's something that they can

see and have fun with, then the whole family can come and enjoy. So we try our best to

promote family entertainment and that's what's changed. When we look at our demographic which is

and we try to go through all the generations and promote family entertainment. So that's how

it's changed and it's fun. It's fun to see kids. I think one of the best sounds in the world are

children's laughter. So it's been really great. It's been really great for us.

You have plenty in store for this weekend in Kansas City. What are some of the special

displays we can expect to see? Well, we've got a bunch of really cool cars, of course.

This area, there's really high quality vehicles in this area. And you know, that's one of the

reasons most of us that work for, almost all of us that work for this company are car people. I

have a bunch of cars and we appreciate it when we go to a city. So we have that and we also have

feature celebrities and that's a big deal for us. We have Spongebob Squarepants. Spongebob has been

around for a zillion years and it's still popular. It's one of the four most watched

things on the internet. So it's going to be a big deal for kids like that. On Friday night,

we have Trish Stratus, who is a WWE wrestler. What a treat she is. She's very attractive,

yes, but she's so wonderful and she takes so much time with her fans and she's great. She's

really great to work with. We have Catherine Bach, the original Daisy Duke Saturday afternoon

evening, and we have the Nigerian Nightmare Christian Okoya on Sunday. So I think the

football fans are going to want to come and see him. Yeah, we got no football to watch right now,

so yeah, that's possible. Also, you've got lots of cars on display,

America's Top Hot Rods Customs Trucks and Motorcycles Rod Teaks Award for $3,000,

Custom Award presented to Best in Show, the InGen Type 6 Utility Vehicle from Jurassic

Park is going to be there. You got a lot of cool stuff. I got a couple questions though.

Well, I got three. Number one, tell us about the Master Builder Award.

Yeah, well, the Master Builder Award, what we do, we depend on our local people for that.

The Master Builder Award, we want to give to someone that's done most of the work themselves.

Now, not everybody tells the truth, and we're all guilty of that, I guess, at times, but we'll say,

did you build this car? Oh yeah, I built this. Well, no, Rick built this car actually, but why

knew who to call? But what we want, the Master Builder Award, we want to try and give it to

somebody that maybe father and son or somebody that did a good deal of the work themselves.

And we get suggestions from local people. So, you know, this guy, you know, he did this,

he did the interior himself, he rebuilt the engine. That's what we want to get the Master Builder

award. Oh yeah, that's how it all began, that way. Yeah, that's right, that's how it all began.

Okay, what is the, now correct me if I pronounce this incorrectly, is it the KC Cup?

Cassie Cup, Cassie Cup. Championship Auto Shows Incorporated, which is our parent company.

So, what it is, the show manager or whoever is there from management will pick their favorite car,

their favorite vehicle, or the car they would like to own, the car they would like to drive,

or see in their garage, or the meaning of the car, meaning last weekend, the ones that won,

that's a couple that support homes in cities in Africa for trying to prevent trafficking.

So, they'll build a car, and they'll show it, and then they'll sell it, and that money will go to

to this. So, that's the car, the owner of our company picked. So, it was a really nice show car,

but there was such a meaning with this car, and that's why they picked it. But most of the time,

it will be a car that you'd like to get in and drive. And whether it be the color, the style,

and it doesn't have to be the best car in the show or anything like that, it's just,

so it has, that is a very prestigious award, because somebody who gets that,

say, this weekend, we have, say, 400 cars, or whatever, 450, and be the one picked out of 450

cars by the show managers is a pretty big deal. Yeah. All right. Tell us about the pinstripe

auction hosted by Shrunkin Heads Car Club to benefit Dream Factory. So, a lot of our shows,

we do, we do this, we don't do it all at shows, but I say more than half of the shows we do.

Artists come in, now we have artists from this area, but artists will come in from out of town

at their own expense, they'll stay with other artists usually, and they'll donate their time,

they'll print panels, and the pinstriper, they'll do art, and then they'll, and whatever they do,

we have auctions, and the auction is off, and 100% of the proceeds go to charity. Now,

the pinstriper's not only given their time, they eat their own expenses, and they do this for charity.

It's a big deal. It's really a big deal because it costs them a lot of money, it costs them a

lot of money to do this, and they'll do it for charity. So, they'll come in, they maybe drive

a couple hundred miles and come and say, well, say, yeah, well, I know Brett, you know, I can,

maybe I can stay with him, you know, and you guys are both working together doing striping and stuff,

and then when Brett goes to his town, he stays with him or whatever it is. So, it's a big deal,

it's a big deal because these guys and gals do it at their own expense, and we have a lot of young

people. That's really cool. Young people will do it, and when they do the auctions, the person

will describe what it is and who did it. So, then the people that are watching will say,

well, that was a 12-year-old that did it, you know, so, yeah, so it's a big deal, and they raise a

lot of money. Very cool. And I have a big disparity, so that's a great thing. All right, now for our

in-studio guest, Mr. Hunter. Yes. How you doing this evening, sir? I just like hearing Larry's

stories. He's got more than anybody. Yeah, me too. Yeah. How many beers, how many years have you

been? How many beers did you say? It took a lot to get to here. It took a lot to get to here.

You know, if I still drank, that would be, I could blame the beers, but I can't anymore.

How many years have you been building hot rods, Rick? Oh, probably about 40-some,

something like that since back in the 70s. And how did you get started doing that?

I was too broke to pay anybody else to do it.

And like Larry was saying, man, it was a home thing. Like, I mean, my dad built the first car,

you know. We'd go junkyards and drag home parts and clean them up and, you know, make cars. And

we had a lot of fun doing it. How many years has Hot Rod Express been in business?

Since about 95. You're going pretty strong. Wow. 31 years. That's a long time building cars, man.

In that place, yeah. It's been a long time in that building. You know, I was even talking to

somebody. It was yesterday. I wish to God I could remember who it was, because it was like a stranger

and we just happened to get talking a little bit about cars and stuff. And the next thing, you

know, they were like, well, you know, for this, oh, it actually was the guy at Firestone. Shit,

it was Shucks. It was today as I was handing him, you know, $800 that he, he's like, yeah, I asked,

do you happen to work on really old cars? He's like, no, no. Well, won't you take it? There's

a place called Hot Rod Express. I'm like, yeah, I'm going to talk to that guy tonight.

You bet, baby. I know, dude. Yeah, Rick Hunter over there said, oh, yeah, that guy. And like,

yeah, yeah, I'll be chatting with him. Everybody knows Rick. Yeah, no kidding.

How many years have you been showing stuff at World of Wheels?

I think the first car I took there actually was a motorcycle back in about 1981.

So long before you had your own job? Yeah. And then Mike used to be a business partner of mine.

Passed on. I went to work for him about then. We opened an automotive service center together,

and we would set up a display down there and advertise tires and hang out, hand out flyers.

And we used to take a car along every year. So long time. You've been going there a long

time ever since then. So I've been there every year since I think 81, you know, 45 years.

This year, and not too long ago, you painted my dad's 2003 Ford F-150 Harley anniversary edition.

But there are so many cool cars in your display this year. You didn't need that truck there.

What cars will you have on display and which ones are the most significant?

You know, all of them are significant to the people we do them for. But, you know,

some of them we got, we're day viewing several this year. One's a 69 C20, a long horn truck,

family-owned since it was new. Wow. A couple nice Camaros. One's got some nice LS power in it.

The other one's a nice, really nice Camaro, but more along the true lines of the car, you know.

A 70 spoiler, a Mercury spoiler. Oh, cool. Yeah, it's got a 540 based 429 style. It's been stroking

boards, but it makes pretty good power. And Larry's favorite, we're going to have a 40 Chevy down there,

two-door coupe. Oh, fantastic. I want you to look at this car and tell me what you think because

your word, what matters on a 40, you got one, I got one, everybody should have one.

Everybody likes 40 Chevy's. Oh, they do. Absolutely. Yeah, the two doors are gorgeous.

The four doors is a bit. That was my first street. I was in high school, built a 40 Chevy. I still

have it. Oh my God. Yeah, it's got straight axle under the front, Bob Defenders, 327 in it. Dude,

all right. The one you're showing this year, is it a true restoration or more of a rod?

It's a street rod. Okay. Yeah, it's a street rod. It's got nice power,

power, all modern amenities. It's just a fantastic car. What's under the hood?

A little 3D3, a little stroker motor, you know. Yeah, a little 3D3. A little piddling nothing.

500 horses. That's no big deal. So it's a fun little car. We got a 66 Mustang we're going to

take down this year. It's a cool car. Didn't know much about them. It's called a Sprint. I did not

know about the Mustang Sprints until the guy and it's a family owned car. They bought brand new,

which is finished doing a mostly restored car on that. Wow. And it'd be kind of cool. And I think

we're going to take a 63 Corvette. It's a project car. Got a Roaster Shop chassis, new LT motor,

some stuff like that. We're getting closer to wrapping it up. So guys, I think working on it

is we're speaking right now. Trying to get it ready. That Mustang Sprint. So does it still

have the six cylinder in it? Yes. No kidding. Yes. Did you do anything funky to the six cylinder to

give it a little oomph? No. Oh, nice. So it's back straight as. No, it's just, it's all original.

Original pinstripe, original color, original interior. I mean, it's, that's what he wanted

was original. Oh God, that's cool. Oh yeah. What are yours? It's a 66. And the guy that drives this

thing, he's, I'm six too. He's like, I look up to see his face. You ought to see him crawl out

his little car. Yeah, that's a 200 cubic inch six cylinder. Yeah. That's awesome. Now, did he get,

is it the, what, a three speed? That's got a C4 automatic. Oh my God. Okay. So yeah, it's,

it looks great, you know, other than it's just not fast. Yeah. But it's cool. It is cool. It is

cool. It's like, say his, his sister-in-law is gone. She bought it brand new and it's, he wound up

with it and his, he just got a lot of family memories in that car and he's already got another

generation that he's, he's doing this for that's, that someday he's ready to go with it. So,

you know, I got a lot of stuff that looks cool and it isn't very fast. I've said this before on

here, that 65 Stingray looks fantastic. A new Camry would kick the crap out of me. So, but nobody

read songs about Camry's. Yeah. So there you go. Speaking of Corvette, it's a couple of years ago,

you painted my 65 Corvette and then had it in your booth. It won Best in Show for the Best

Sports car. I'll never get over that. That is so cool. I have the plaque hanging on my wall upstairs.

Oh, nice. So thank you for that, sir. What are some of the other trophies Hot Rod Express cars have

taken home and do you think any of your cars this year are award worthy? I hope so. We'll,

we'll find out when the awards ceremony, you know, is over, but we've, we've been doing this so long

and Larry probably knows that there's not an award they offer that we haven't received,

even the Cassie Cup. We were, I was, I was really excited to do that, to receive that. That was,

meant a lot to us. It was a fantastic car. And like Larry was saying, a recognition for that's

just, it's, it's not just off certain criteria you have to meet. It's just whether somebody

really thought it was the coolest thing there. And, and I thought so. Somebody else did. So,

but no, we've, we've done this usually the, all these we do are doing them for our customers.

A lot of them, it's their first time. Maybe their only car they get restored. Some of them

have multiple cars, but we got several family heirlooms that are going to be there this year.

We're also having a, excuse me, a 37 Packard limo that we finished up on this summer.

He just caught Mark's attention. He's like, it's black straight eight car, really, really pretty.

The guys just tickled. His family bought it in the, I think 1960.

Oh my God, look at that. He hasn't got it. He hasn't got official documentation yet for

some weird reasons and paperwork and things, but we think it was Mayor Bryce's car in 1937.

Oh, no kidding. It was a 37 Packard and the man that his father bought it from

said he bought it from Bryce's estate sale. So,

does that have the super eight in it? It's not the super. It's the, the inline eight,

the one below that, the one, I think one, I can't remember the cubic inch off top of my head.

Does it also have that big metal trunk on the back too, still?

It's a, there's no trunk on the back. It's got a, you know, a trunk to get stuff,

but there's no divorced trunk on the back. Okay. Okay. On there.

Cause I've seen some pics of him with that. I'm like, that's ridiculous. That's so fun.

It's got third row jump seats. I think the most talked about car could be that one,

because man, 1937 Kansas city politics. Wow. Yeah.

That's back when they learned how to bond to bullet holes.

Yeah. So that's just some of the stuff we're having down there. And I really hope,

hopefully you hope you get time to stop by the booth if you're going to be in town.

I want to see the pack of this sounds really cool.

Yeah. We really want to show it to you. It's just, it's just big and cool. It's all original.

The guy that, that, uh, that has it now, he never been, you know, like we were,

you know, grew up as car guy, more or less, you know, doing this on the weekend hanging out,

drag strips, but he inherited this car in a way, kind of inherited it and, uh,

started doing a mechanical on it. And then he just, uh, then all, so he just fell in love with it.

And then we was able to do the body and the interior and stuff on the car. And we,

we had him involved, even come up to shop several days and worked on the car with us,

you know, we're working on things, you know, give him an assignment of things to do. And he just,

he just really loved it. And this is, this has become a big part of the,

the later part of his life this car has. So it's really fun to be part of those things that,

that, uh, you know, that, that somebody really, really likes to do. And, and, uh,

so that's just some of the stuff we're having down there. It ought to be a fun weekend, no

matter what, you know, like Larry was saying, you meet so many, so many nice people. I don't

think I've ever met somebody at an event like that, that, that I didn't like, you know,

I promise you right now, Mark is trying to figure out how we can ditch our table and

broadcast from inside that Packard. We can do it. There's room, trust me, there's room.

There probably is. I 100% guarantee that's what's going through his head.

It's a thought. So you can get on your gangster hat.

What cool stuff are you working on in Hot Rod Express right now? I know when I was out there

a couple of weeks ago, you had a pile of Corvettes. It looked like Corvette Express.

We've been attacked by Corvettes. You got, um, how many Corvettes do you have in your shop right

now? I think five. And what years?

Uh, 58, uh, is that the black one? Yeah, 58, uh, 881. We turned into a wide-body

big power in it, um, a 65. We just, as a matter of fact, just set the motor transmission in it

today at 427 LS3, making good power. Um, all new nice, all new van steel suspension. Um,

we've got a, uh, a 68, a tri-power car we're, we're, you know, doing a mild restoration on.

And, uh, 63, uh, that's going to be a pretty radical Resto mod. And then an original, uh,

63 silver with red and tiger car, the local car here. We're doing some stuff too. Now,

when you say radical Resto mod, what do you mean? What are you doing? It's got a roaster shop,

spec seven chassis. That's, it's been, you know, many tubbed, uh, you know, big tires and wheels

front, back. Uh, it's got a modern, you know, LT motor in it with automatic transmission. Um, just

it's just not much left of the original car, but parts of the body, you know, on the 65,

you say big power. Now what we consider big power and what you consider a big power,

well, bigger power are usually two different things. Yeah. But a 65 roaster with seven inch

tires on it and 630 horses. Yeah. It's fun. No, but it's fun. Like my dad said, it's not how fast

you go. It's how well you go fast. Yeah. I think that would be known as burnouts at will. Yeah.

I think so. I hope so. I can't wait to test this one. Oh, wow. Well, I'm, uh, I'm ready for that.

Also, uh, something that folks ought to know about you and the people in your shop and, you know,

I walk in there and everybody says hi, everybody's friendly and they always treat me like I belong

there and nobody says, what the hell are you doing out here? Everybody just is always so friendly

and so welcoming. And like I said earlier, you continue working on stuff for me. I bring you

little weird crap and like the little weird crap you're taking home with you, you're taking a set

of saddlebags off one of my Harleys and I showed them to you last week and I was thinking, okay,

we're going to have to sand these down, re-shoot them, re-clear them. You know, that's going to

take some work. And Rick took one look at it and said, no, I think we can put some clear in those

scratches with an art paintbrush and then maybe clear over the top and sand it and buff it and

that'll be fine. And that might work. He just, you know, you're anybody else, any other body shop

and say, yeah, we're going to go ahead and we'll, uh, we'll sand that down and repaint it and you,

you find ways to save me trouble and money and this time and everything else. And I just want

the world to know, uh, how good you are to your customers. And I thank you for that. Well, you're

welcome. But sometimes it's about more about the restoration just like starting from scratch every

time you do something. And you know, when you say, when you come in, we want, but when you come in

our store or anybody, you are part of our business. I mean, you are our business. And when you come in,

the guys are treating you the way they do because they like you, they respect what you do. You're,

you think like they do. Everything's fine, but, but you're right. You, you are part of our business.

You're part of, you're part of, you're part of my group of people. I'm glad they're thinking,

go fast, look cool. Larry's part of my group of people. Everybody I meet is relevant to what we do

in some way or another. Everybody that's a part of my life in that is a relevant part of that

business. It's not about me or anybody in particular. It's about everybody that comes in and has

something done, spends a dollar, helps us out, says good things about us, passes on some information.

They're, they're as relevant as anybody on the payroll a lot of the time.

Well, I, I, I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate it. And you have done a ton for us.

Dad's truck looks brand new. It's cool. And we both know that truck had been through quite a bit.

He, hey, 26 years of stuff. Well, and the guy owned, the guy owned lumber yard. So he looks

at pickups and he sees work trucks and he treats them that way and they work hard and he does a lot

with them. But after a while, they're kind of tired and they need to be freshened up and you

did a fantastic job with that. Thank you. Well, it wasn't me. It was a guy's there. So they,

you ought to have seen it while we was working on it. There wasn't nothing left but a cab sitting

there. I saw some of those pictures. It was fantastic. Yeah. So I want to thank you for that.

All right. All you Kansas City folks in Midwest region folks, be sure to check out the 66th annual

O'Reilly Auto Parts World of Wheels this Friday, March 20th, 2026 from three to nine, Saturday,

March 21st from 10 to nine, and Sunday, March 22nd from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Kansas City

Convention Center, also known as Bartle Hall. See hundreds of customs, custom cars, classics, hot

rods, trucks, motorcycles, and race cars on display under one roof, including the display

from Hot Rod Express. In addition, there will be many feature exhibits, several celebrity guests,

admission at the gate is $28 for adults, children six to 12 are $10 and children under five get

five and under get in free. Discount tickets are available at O'Reilly Auto Parts if you'd like to

pay a few bucks. For additional information, please contact or follow the link to World of

Wheels website at www.worldofwheels.com or go check it out at auto-rama.com forward slash attend

forward slash Kansas City. We've been speaking with Larry Way of World of Wheels and Rick Hunter

of Hot Rod Express. Larry, is there anything left you'd like to have people check out online or on

social media? I'd like to say I'm so proud of Rick for running for running such an honest business.

I mean, thank you. That's why you're successful and that's why people are coming back. Congress

to you. Thank you for saying that. He absolutely does. Rick, tell everyone where we can find you

and Hot Rod Express online and on social media. Well, Hot Rod Express, Blue Springs, you can

put that in your search engine. It should take you there. Social media. We've got some stuff going

on Facebook and Instagram. If you link up to that and follow us. One of our young men, he

does a really great job of getting our media back up to what it should be. Just for that,

he's a graduate of your college. McPherson. That's right. Grant is and he just got back and actually

they had their annual Route 66 tour from the guys at McPherson that got all their

beaters out in their old cars and they left last Friday and they got to California and they're on

their way back. Yeah, they did that Route 66 tour. That's really cool. Grant won it last year so he

had to, you only get to keep the trophy for one year so he went back and handed it off and they're

on their way back from California. So far, only two cars have dropped out because of mechanical

problems. But man, some of the stuff they take out there is just scary. These guys are tough or

hardcore. They're in it for the haul and this is the next generation of what we have been doing

all of our life like you and Larry and Mark and all of us. This is the young ones coming up. They

they need all the help they can get from us and you know, and it's so fun watching them.

That's fantastic. I love it. If you want to see some of the really cool completed projects,

go to hot rod-express.com and if you got any questions, you can go, you can send email to

info at hot rod-express.com or call them at 816-224-9597. That's 816-224-9597.

Gentlemen, thank you so much for being with us. We really appreciate it. You're welcome. Always good

to talk to both of you. Yeah, same here. It's the end of the weekend. Larry will see you Saturday

morning. Rick, thanks for being in studio. Thank you. Larry, look forward to seeing you this weekend

brother too, Rick. Thanks. Oh, you're welcome. Roll in three, two, one. Always fun to have both Larry

and Rick with us. Always fun to have Rick here so I can ask him for weird favors. Hey, do you know

how to fix this? The hell is that? Yeah, hand me the hammer. So I appreciate you making the drive. I

drive all the way back to Blue Springs and then you got to drive another hour east of that to get

home. So I appreciate you making the haul. I want to thank everyone else. Thank you so much for

spending time with Driven Radio. We love what we do and we wouldn't be able to do it without the

support of our listeners. You can find us online at drivenradioshow.com. Follow us on Facebook,

Twitter, and Instagram at Driven Radio Show and on LinkedIn as Driven Radio Show podcast.

If you have a story you would like to tell or someone you would like us to interview,

contact me at Brett. That's B-R-E-T-T at drivenradioshow.com. I am Brett Hatfield for Mark L. Groves

and Rick Hunter. Thank you for listening and we'll see you next time here on Driven Radio.

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47:51

Driven Radio Show #345: Larry Way and Rick Hunter

engine compartment

idles

air cleaner

carburetor

throttle linkage

Summit Racing

wipers

wax a windshield

Harley-Davidson motorcycles

Turkey Creek Cycles

2012 Scion XD

back bumper fascia

chrome

Hot Rod Express

O'Reilly Auto Parts

International Showcar Association

outdoor car show

Catherine Bach

family entertainment

Best in Show

Master Builder Award

Championship Auto Shows Incorporated

Shrunkin Heads Car Club

hot rods

Ford F150

all original

third row jump seats

drag strips

wide-body

630 horses

Harleys

restoration

About this episode

Original notes