To All The Cars I've Loved Before: Classic Car Restoration, JDM, and Automotive History Jul 1, 2025

Record-Speed Model T Build to Wayne Carini: McPherson Grad's Path

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Part

dashboard instrument cluster

The dashboard instrument cluster is the part of the car that shows important information like how fast you're going and how much fuel you have left. It's usually located behind the steering wheel.

Car

The DeLorean DMC-12 is a unique car from the early 1980s that has shiny metal doors that open upwards. It became really popular because it was in the 'Back to the Future' movies, making it a favorite among fans of classic cars.

Term

LED lights

LED lights are a type of light that uses less energy and lasts longer than regular light bulbs. They're often used in cars for both interior and exterior lighting.

Car

Ferrari F40

The Ferrari F40 is a really famous sports car made by Ferrari in the late 1980s. It's known for being super fast and having a cool design, which is why many car enthusiasts love to talk about it.

Car

Ford Model T

The Ford Model T is one of the first cars that many people could afford. It was made by Ford and was popular in the early 1900s, helping to change how people traveled.

Car

DeLorean

The DeLorean is a unique car known for its shiny metal body and doors that open upwards. It's famous because it was featured in a popular movie about time travel.

Brand

Skoda

Skoda is a car brand from the Czech Republic that makes different types of vehicles. They are known for being reliable and affordable.

Car

Ford Mustang

The Ford Mustang is a popular sports car that many people love for its speed and style. The 1998 version is known for being part of a series that has been around for a long time and is loved by car enthusiasts.

Car

Ford F150

The Ford F-150 is a popular pickup truck known for its strength and ability to carry heavy loads. The 1978 version is an older model that many people still appreciate for its classic style.

Concept

classic car

A classic car is an older vehicle that many people love because of its unique style and history. These cars are often restored and cherished by collectors.

Car

Ford F-100

The Ford F-100 is a well-known pickup truck that was made in 1965. It's popular for its strong build and is often used for both work and everyday driving.

Term

brake work

Brake work means fixing or replacing parts of the brakes to make sure they work well. It's important for stopping the car safely.

Term

steering issues

Steering issues are problems that make it hard to turn the steering wheel or control the car's direction. Fixing these issues is important for safe driving.

Part

steering box

The steering box helps you steer the car. When you turn the steering wheel, it makes the wheels turn in the direction you want to go. It's important for controlling the car's movement.

Term

engine rebuilding

Engine rebuilding is fixing an engine by taking it apart, checking for problems, and putting it back together with new parts. It helps make the engine work better and last longer.

Term

break-in period

The break-in period is the time right after an engine is new or rebuilt when it needs to be treated carefully. This helps the parts fit together properly and last longer.

Car

Ford Mustang GTD

The Ford Mustang GTD is a powerful version of the classic Mustang sports car. It's built for speed and performance, and people love to talk about it because it combines the old-school Mustang style with new technology.

Term

302

The '302' is a type of engine that Ford used in some of their cars, including the Mustang. It's known for being powerful and is a favorite among car lovers.

Term

five-speed manual

A five-speed manual is a type of car transmission that lets you change gears yourself. It has five different gears to choose from, making it fun to drive.

Car

Oldsmobile 442

The Oldsmobile 442 is a muscle car from 1969 that had a powerful engine and was designed for speed. It's a popular car among enthusiasts and is known for its performance.

Term

GT flares

GT flares are special extensions on the sides of a car that make it look sportier and allow for bigger tires. This helps the car handle better when driving fast.

Term

225 horsepower

Horsepower is a way to measure how powerful a car's engine is. Having 225 horsepower means the car can go fast and perform well, especially since it's light.

Term

shred some tires

When someone says 'shred some tires,' they mean making the tires spin really fast, which can wear them out quickly. It's often done when a car is going fast or doing tricks.

Concept

Eleanor

Eleanor is the name given to a famous Mustang from a movie. It's known for its cool look and has a lot of fans who love it.

Term

rear engine

A rear engine means the car's engine is located at the back, which can change how the car drives and handles. It's common in sports cars to help with grip on the road.

Term

stick shift

A stick shift is a type of car transmission where you have to change gears yourself using a lever. It gives you more control over how the car drives.

Term

heavy steering

Heavy steering means you have to use a lot of strength to turn the steering wheel. It can make driving feel more difficult, especially in tight spaces.

Part

electric power steering

Electric power steering helps you turn the steering wheel more easily by using an electric motor. It makes driving more enjoyable and can improve how the car feels when you steer it.

Part

power brake conversions

Power brake conversions make it easier to stop your car by using extra help from a system that reduces how hard you have to press the brake pedal. This can make driving safer and more comfortable.

Part

electric fuel pumps

Electric fuel pumps help move fuel from the tank to the engine using electricity. They can make older cars run better by providing a steady flow of fuel.

Term

six volt battery systems

A six volt battery system is a type of battery used in older cars that doesn't provide as much power as the twelve volt batteries used in most modern cars. This can make it harder to start the engine, especially in winter.

Concept

neglected cars

Neglected cars are those that haven't been driven or cared for in a long time. When cars sit for too long, they can develop problems like rust and engine issues, making them harder to fix later.

LIVE

Welcome back to all the cars I've loved before your authoritative podcast on automotive nostalgia.

Where our guests are, you need each auto has an era, and every car tells a story.

So you know, it's time to plug in, get a little grease under the nails, and slip on

that favorite car theme, t-shirt, hat, or jacket.

But before we do that, as often is my want, let's welcome back our listeners from all

over the globe, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Germany.

Welcome back.

So when we say that this is an international program, we mean it.

So welcome back to our international listeners, as well as stateside, Ashburn, Virginia,

not far from Doug, San Antonio, Texas, Portland, Oregon, St. Paul, Minnesota, and Winchester,

Illinois.

Welcome back.

Glad to have you all aboard.

And how are you doing, partner?

What's going on over there?

Got the de-learning back from the shop.

What does a car guy do?

After having his car gone for a couple months, he immediately starts ripping it apart to

do other things.

Lovely.

So it becomes inoperable.

So I removed the dashboard instrument cluster binnacle.

I had another one recovered by a friend in the DeLorean Club for a monist fee.

And so now I have a beautiful, brand new looking dashboard that I need to install.

So I have to rip out the old one, which has a big crack in it and it's faded.

Oh.

So how hard was it to get the new one or the refurbished, whatever you're replacing

it with?

It was difficult.

I think there were about 18 screws that I had to get at, actually probably closer to 20.

And it's just some prying and gently and lots of things to take out, including the instrument

cluster.

While I had it out, I put all LEDs in the instrument cluster.

Man.

Is that it?

Easy Doug.

I already bought them in advance.

It's pretty common upgrade in.

It reduces the electric.

Anytime you put a load on the LED, it reduces the electrical draw on all the old wiring.

And so you're making the car better along the way.

So now every light in my car inside, outside are now all LEDs.

Yeah.

And also the LEDs should last way longer.

So of course.

And there's a lesson in there for sourcing as much of you can the small stuff.

Work ahead.

Don't paint yourself for time.

Make sure it's all under the roof.

And then we've got this big project.

You can kind of get it all done at the same time.

Yeah.

Well done, man.

Yeah.

Well done.

And I had my 13-year-old.

Good stuff.

So without any further ado, it's not about us.

It is about the guest in this program.

So it's thrilled to have today's guests on.

Tell us a little bit about today's guest, how they entered your virtual garage, and let's

get a name to go with that face.

Yeah.

Well, let's see.

A month or two ago, we had interviews with a student instructor duo from McPherson

College in the first in Kansas.

And with the magic of the internet, if you connect with certain people on Facebook,

let's say, then you start seeing all their friends pop up.

And I saw Mason pop up.

And so I clicked Add Friend.

I sent him a message and fast forward a month or so.

Here we have them.

And Mason being a graduate of McPherson College, they're in majoring in restoration management.

And I think he graduated about two years ago.

So we're super lucky to have him.

Mason.

Welcome to the show.

How are you this afternoon?

I'm good.

It's good to be here.

Fantastic.

Well, first off, is everything he said accurate and correct now that we have you to fact

check?

Because I don't believe it, just if I see it on the internet.

So if he's, you know, clicking Add Friend and this and that, can we get a fact

check from you?

Is everything there correct?

That is exactly how it happened.

I love it.

Well, you told me that's what to.

So how did McPherson end up on your radar?

Tell us a little bit about the program for those who may have not heard the prior episode

or forgot.

Tell us a little bit about the program and then how you find out about it and what

attracted you to it.

Well, my dad and I were always fans of Wayne Carini's chasing classic cars.

And one Saturday while I was, of course, sleeping in as a teenager, my dad was watching

the show and he did, Wayne did an episode visiting McPherson College, talking about it

being a four year degree and everything.

And this was about the time I was nearing the end of my high school career.

So I didn't know what I was going to do after school and I knew I needed to go to college,

but what for?

I wasn't really interested in much.

And my dad sees this episode.

He comes and wakes me up and he says, you got to, you got to look up this

school.

They have a four year degree.

It's working on the classic cars and like, they can't get any better.

So I did my research, I looked, looked around and discovered they have a big car show

every year in May.

It's always the first Saturday in May.

And so we, I told him about it and I said, you know, we could go visit, go see the

car show and see the school and everything.

So that was my junior year of high school.

So then that would have been, we would have gone in May and I loved it.

We got a tour from one of the students at the time and just seeing the shop and the facilities

and one Kansas is gorgeous in the summer and spring.

And so that was just great.

And then everyone there was just so nice.

And everyone takes the time to get to know you and remember your name.

So even by the end of the weekend, people were calling me by name that I couldn't

remember all these people's names.

So it was very special and I just knew I had to go there and I applied and the application

process is pretty, pretty, it was pretty rough or not rough.

Competitive.

Yes.

We had to, at the time they were only taking 30 or 30 new restoration students

per semester.

Oh, wow.

I had to submit a portfolio of, I think it was 25 photos and I had to have a comment for

each one explaining what I was doing in the photo, things I've worked on, the things I

was doing.

And I also had to write, write a little paper about myself, why I want to go there, what,

why, what's, why this interests me, where I come from kind of thing.

And then I also, I think I got my high school auto shop teacher to write me a letter of recommendation

as well.

And so you have to get accepted into the school first and then into the program.

Right.

So I got accepted into the school and it was exciting and then eventually I got my acceptance

letter from the school saying I was in the program and it was, it was a big deal.

It was, it was a lot of, a lot of excitement.

So that is, so what an origin story.

You know, that's, that's better than any Marvel superhero origin story I've ever heard.

And that is impressive.

Now you didn't, you didn't grow up anywhere near McPherson, Kansas.

So you were a ways away.

It's not like you were next door.

I mean, there was, there was a lot, there was a lot to go through here to make this

happen, to even visit.

So, wow, the magic of the referral and your dad waking you up and you taking the,

taking the challenge.

Taking the initiative.

Yep.

Yeah.

100%.

Yeah.

Very interesting.

So in the interest, another great thing about McPherson is that you can study different

things.

And I thought that was so interesting.

And I guess that the restoration, well, the car program is the major and there

are different emphases within it.

Right.

History, I guess yours was restoration, there's technology.

Can you, can you talk a little bit about the different areas of study?

And if you considered others, are you new exactly your path?

Yeah.

So there are five emphases.

There is the technology one, which is more shop classes.

And then, then you have the management and the history.

And I always forget all five.

But I had at least one friend in each one.

So I know about all five of them.

I actually, I got a, after I had been accepted the summer before I started there, I got a

call from one of the employees just kind of get some information before I started and

what I wanted my major to be.

And he asked me on, it was one of those things I was not ready to commit to this for four

years.

I have to make this decision.

And he said, he assured me I could change it anytime I needed and whatnot.

But just to get me started, and he explained to all five of them and I, at the time, my,

my all time dream was to eventually own my own shop one day.

And I wanted to know what was going to go on behind the scenes too.

I wanted to know if I was going to, if I was running out of money or not.

So that's why I basically ended up choosing the management emphasis.

That way I could take the job classes, know how to work on them and whatnot.

But then also when I'm looking at the books, I understand what's going on and I

can do math and stuff.

So you're sure.

Yeah, that makes sense to be able to kind of extrapolate and know, know where you

want to go.

Impressive, Doug.

What do you think?

Very, very impressive.

Yeah.

My, my daughter just got into a college and different program, but she is for

musical theater and she had to do the exact same thing.

She had to apply, get into the college.

Then she had to go for many colleges.

She had to go do auditions.

Some auditions were remote, most were in person.

And then you get into the program.

And so, you know, it's, it's a lot of work, right?

It's not just, hey, I got in, it's, you got in, but you didn't,

you got into the program and that's another thing.

Do they, Mason, I'm curious, if you get into the college, do you have,

can you, and let's say you didn't get into the auto restoration program,

would they allow you to attend and then could you more easily get into it

the following year, the auto restoration program?

Oh, great question.

They do have the option where you can be what they call a transfer.

And so you can transfer into the program.

Okay.

I've had a couple of friends do that.

There was, I even have friends who, they, they came to the school for sports.

They were in baseball or football and they were recruited by the team and

they get there and they end up making all the friends with all of the restoration

guys and they realized they, they like cars just as much as we do.

And they either get in and do football at the same time or

they transfer over and stop doing the sports and move to the restoration.

So there's, they do, it's, it's hard to get into, but for a good reason,

but they do give you plenty of options to try and get in because it's,

there's plenty of us with the passions they, they want us to be able to do.

Yeah.

And it is the most fun you'll ever have reading a course catalog where

they have the course descriptions of the classes.

I just, what I found, I just poured over all of them.

And so interesting, like anything else, hey, these are your core classes.

You got to take these.

And then here's the elect, here, your electives.

All right, possible elective.

And then depending upon your emphasis, these are going to be your,

your courses that you study to ensure that you have, you know,

that, that core knowledge for them.

So, and the wonderful thing about this program is you're so

focused on what you want to do.

It's obvious you have the passion and very often they have or there's either

a job waiting for you, some sort of internship.

The whole thing is built to get you to the next specific step.

And that's wonderful because you really don't want to waste any time as a young

person.

So how did it help you set up for your next step of your career?

And where are you now if you can share?

So I'm currently at F40 Motorsports with Wayne Carini.

That is the, the fun part of the story that I like to share about

myself is, it was the episode of his show that I saw in high school and

found out about the school and went to the school.

And then with the school, I was on the Model T building team.

And there was a group of five of us, we would take a 1926 or

seven, I can't remember the year now, 1926 or seven Model T.

And we, it was a running and driving, we'd drive it up.

And then we'd take it all apart, all the way down to the pieces.

And then we'd basically perform in front of an audience.

We'd put it back together as fast as we could and drive it away.

And our best time that I ever did with the group that I was with was five

minutes and 14 seconds from pieces of a car to a running and driving car.

Wow, what?

And so doing that, we, the group of us, we got invited to

the Audrain Concours in Newport, Rhode Island.

And we were up there doing our performing.

And then we also, each of us got to be apprentice judges for

the actual Concours day on Sunday.

And I got put in a, we just got put in separate groups.

And I got put in a group with Wayne Carini.

And at the time, he was basically my hero, well, he still is.

I mean, I have this awesome job.

But at the time, he was a hero that I was wanting to meet.

And so I got to spend the whole day with him spending time judging and stuff.

And I, before we had gotten to judging, I had got to talk to him and

tell him about, it was his episode that got me to the school.

And now I'm on a school trip meeting him.

And he really enjoyed it.

And he kind of put me to the test.

And while we were judging, he would give me things to look out for.

And there was one, the two cars in the class we were judging.

They were really neck and neck.

And so we were looking for something to separate the two give one first in class.

And he had me looking at the date codes on each of the wheels of the cars.

And one car had all the date codes matching.

And the other car, they were all different dates did not all match.

And so that was what determined the first in class.

And so from then on, we really got along and

he actually exchanged contact information with me that, that trip.

And invited me to come out and visit.

So I came out, that was in October of my, I don't remember.

I think it was my junior year or sophomore year of college.

Wow.

And I think it was my junior year.

And then he invited me to come visit.

So that following March front and spring break.

I spent, everybody goes to the beach or something for spring break.

But I went to Connecticut to visit Wayne Carini and see his shop and

everything and he showed me around.

And I basically got to spend the week working there.

And I learned so much in that week.

It was amazing.

And halfway through the week or so he was introducing me to some other people.

And he said, yeah, Mason's gonna decide if he wants to intern here or not.

And this whole time I thought he was deciding if I was gonna intern there or

not. And so I said, well, if it's up to me, then yeah, I would love to do this.

No choice to be made.

Yeah, and so then it was decided that I would come that following summer and

do an internship.

And so I did.

My dad and I drove up from Houston, all the way to Connecticut in June.

So just a few months later.

And we drove up with, excuse me, with our family's car.

And I got to have that for the summer and my dad flew home.

And I spent the summer.

Wayne has an apartment in his barn for the upholstery guy and stuff.

Whenever people come from out of town, need a place to stay to do things with Wayne.

And so I got to stay in that apartment for the summer.

And I got to work and just do some of the coolest things with him.

Go to the concours and stuff.

And by the end of the summer, I just loved it there so much.

And I loved working at the shop.

I loved all the guys at the shop and just the experiences.

And so I pulled Wayne inside one day and I think it was on the weekend or whatever.

I mean, I was basically at his house, so I saw him a lot.

And I asked him, I said, if it's possible, I really love working here.

Once I have this one school year left, if I could come back after I graduate,

I would love to come back and work.

And he said it took him about two seconds to decide.

And he said, yep, you can come back.

We'd love to have you.

Awesome.

Man.

Well, that's my full circle story that I really love.

Well, I want to say two things, I guess three.

I want to tell you congratulations about 10 times.

Congrats to the 10th power.

The first thing, second thing is that is so impressive,

the way you just will all of this to happen.

The third thing I want to say is what a wonderful detail about the tires

where you were looking for delineation, how do you separate one and two?

And Doug, that's got to that's got to go up on YouTube if it's OK with Mason.

That's just a wonderful story, fantastic.

So what do you think, Doug?

Is it about time to to take him in the way back machine

and to the phone booth that teleports or whatever?

And let's let's go back to the first part.

And I think it may have something to do with his background.

Might be the best background we've had on the show,

but I'll let you take it from here.

Sure, sure. You bet.

But before we do that, Christian,

I just I do want to put Mason on the spot.

He answered in our intake form that his favorite episode

that he listened to was the Trevon episode.

And Mason, if I can put you on the spot,

why did you enjoy that episode so much?

And I'm friends with that guy.

He actually lives pretty close to me.

That's how I'm OK. I'll keep it nice.

Yeah, no, no, you want to come down to Maryland.

Great answer. Come on down.

Have a ride in the Trevon and a Delorean and a bunch of other cars.

Hey, there we go.

You know, I have to be honest, I haven't listened to very many.

I don't listen to a whole lot of podcasts.

So that was it was one of the few that I have listened to.

And I enjoyed it because I love learning about cars

that I've never heard about before.

And those usually, I guess, they would fly below my radar,

I guess, never never been something that's really caught my eye.

And so hearing so much about them

and the cool stories that they had to share and stuff.

And I had to look up those cars after listening.

Yeah, I just it was a fun, fun stories to hear.

Yeah, such a such a good point.

Yeah, they're all international history.

Yeah, those cars. Yeah.

Yeah, yeah. And Chris and I grew up towards the end of the Cold War.

Right. And so those were cars we might have heard about,

but we had never seen and we never would have seen

unless we were overseas until, you know, fast forward.

What, 35 years later, they're all over the place now.

And people who grew up with them, maybe because they were living in East Germany

can now have those cars in the US or whatever country they're in now.

And they're actually maintained.

It's it's such a cool.

It's such a cool story.

We had somebody on who had a Skoda.

I think it's actually pronounced Skoda, which was.

Was that from the Czech Republic?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. So that was another car we had never heard of.

Another. Oh, funny that you mentioned that.

Is yeah, some people, some Czech listeners

tuned in for the first time.

And I didn't mention that in the in our geographic

where people are listening from, but I totally forgotten about Skoda.

And I bet that's what prompted it.

This is the first time we'd ever had anybody from there. Listen.

But could have been one of my.

Absolutely. This is from Belarus.

And he knew of Skoda, but he called it Skoda.

Oh, OK. Well, we don't have the fantastic accent like he has.

But we can say it that not not even near.

So so no, thank you.

Thank you for that, Mason. Sorry for the sidetrack.

But Christian wanted me to pop you in my time machine,

try and get it up to 88, which I think it'll actually do,

even though the speedo only goes to 85.

You'll need a dashboard to tell if this.

Yeah, if you're actually going that fast, but maybe we'll see.

Well, the key is to test the dashboard before you put it

before you put it back in because the point.

Because of the way LEDs work.

So anyway, that's on the list.

But hop in the time machine and tell us about your first car.

And I love the story.

I don't want to take too much from it,

but you've got several generations, your dad and your grandfather involved in it.

Yeah, so it was I always like to say it was a hobby

of my dad to turn into my passion.

So he was the one who got me in the cars growing up.

He had a 1998 Mustang that I just adored.

I've always been a Mustang guy, but that was my dad's car and it was a Mustang.

It was just so cool.

And so that's what we would work on together.

And eventually my dad got a 1978 F-150 that we would work on together and stuff.

So we're clearly a Ford family and I'm a Ford guy.

And so I had been saving up my money when I was so when I was 16,

I'd saved up enough money that I was looking for my first car

so I could get back and forth to school.

And my dad, he was more familiar with Craigslist

and just looking online for vehicles for sale.

And we knew I wanted to have something a classic because I'm a car guy.

I can't drive a normal car to school.

I guess it's got to be something interesting.

So I we looked around and I I really decided I wanted a truck.

I wanted a Ford pickup truck and just so many fun things about pickup trucks.

And so I'd saved up my money and my dad had found the ad on Craigslist.

And we had gone through a few either people who didn't get back with us

or they didn't we couldn't agree on a price or whatever.

But we came across this one.

I was a huge fan of it.

It was a 1965 Ford F-100, a single cab, long bed.

It was a V8 automatic transmission at the time.

I didn't know how to drive a stick shift.

So that's really what I was looking for was automatic.

And it pretty much checked all the boxes and it was not too far from us in Texas.

We were in Northwest Houston in spring is our town.

And it was in Lufkin, Texas, which is East Texas.

So we and it's it's interesting.

It's actually my mother's father that went with us.

He has been kind of the mechanical one.

He's he's really handy.

Both my grandfathers are very handy.

And but my mother's father, he was he's the the automotive handy guy.

And so my dad wanted us to have as much help as we could.

Going to look at this, because I didn't know that much.

My dad knew more than I did, but he didn't feel like he knew that much.

And so as much help as we could get and he had his trailer.

So that was a really big helpful part.

So we made the trip all the way out there.

We had to get up pretty early.

I do remember it was just far enough away that go there and come back for the days.

It was a good bit.

And so we went out there and we looked at the truck and we got to drive it.

I didn't have my license at the time.

I was a little bit slow on my driver's ed.

So my my dad drove it around and he liked it.

And then we go to put it on the trailer and it wouldn't start.

It wouldn't run.

And we couldn't get it on the trailer.

And the guy that we bought the truck from, he was the nicest guy.

I think he was really nice also because he knew why we were there.

It was for me. It was for my first car.

And so he ended up going to the auto parts store.

He probably bought like a hundred dollars worth of parts

trying to fix it so that we could get it on the trailer.

And we eventually got it.

It was mostly a lot of me watching all the all the men really go at it

and work together and the problem saw that it was really cool to watch at the time.

And so we got it got it up on.

And then we brought the money we brought the money that we agreed on.

And it was supposed to be mine.

So my dad hands me the check and says, all right, go give it to him.

And me being a shy, barely 16 year old, I had to just walk up and hit it to him.

And then so they give me that.

No, you have to give it to him and shake hand.

Take the same business with you.

Negative official. Yeah.

So I did that and then we we brought it home and put it in the driveway.

And my dad and I worked on it all through high school.

I never actually got to drive it to and from school.

But we we did work on it on the weekends and the evenings and stuff.

And we would get it running.

And then we'd end up having another problem and it wasn't running.

So but it was running and driving by the time I was ready

to take it up to Kansas with me for my four years.

So that's kind of where that started for my my first car.

Awesome. And and we always ask people what happened to the car

but truck in this case, but you still own it, correct?

I do. And I have heard way too many stories of people selling their first cars

and every single one of them has just always regretted it.

Yeah. And so I have made it my mission to never have to sell it.

I never want to sell it.

And if the time comes that I have to to make ends meet or whatever,

then I'll do what I have to do.

But for now, I don't plan on ever selling it.

I'll continue working on it, continue making it mine.

So that that truck will last forever.

I mean, that that's right.

Truck might outlast you.

But it's interesting how it was a deliberate choice to keep it a deliberate choice.

A lot of people, you know, may not bond with their first car.

And for we have a lot of people on the show that that either,

you know, wrecked airs or some untimely demise or, you know, did.

Yeah, exactly. Or it was a hand-me-down.

Yeah. Why should I put oil in it?

What's the point? Yeah.

And but you kept yours.

You kept yours.

Very, very precocious move.

Very nice. And I did want to ask since since she kept it.

So obviously you needed some work.

Was it mechanical? Was it body work?

And how did having the the truck with you at McPherson?

I hear they have, do they call it the barn?

They call it the sheds.

The sheds. I knew I was close.

Did you do work on it there?

And how did the things you learned at McPherson,

as well as the instructors and your and your fellow students,

how did that help you with certain aspects of repairing the truck?

If it did.

Yeah. So I've done quite a bit of work to it over the years,

since having it for actually getting probably about eight years now, I think.

So I've, I've done a lot over time.

When I first got it, it was running and driving.

The brakes were a little iffy.

So we did some brake work and then it sat for a while

because I still didn't have my license.

So then sitting causes things to not run.

So it was just, it was just lots of tinkering with it.

And then when I got it up to school, I had some steering issues that I had to work on.

And so that was my first time working on my truck with friends that I had made and stuff.

And so it was, it was really cool how quickly things can get done when everyone,

when there's, there's you who is really work driven wants to get it done,

but then you multiply it by four or five.

You have all these guys who want to help you get it done.

So I had to pull my steering box out of the truck and send it off to get rebuilt.

And so over the years at school in the Sheds, I would work on it and I would have friends help me work on it.

Because it's, that's one of the really amazing things about going to the school was you get students

that come from all over with tons of different knowledge,

coming back backgrounds with different not levels of knowledge.

And so I pretty much came in pretty low knowledge level.

And I of course learned so much as, but through my time there,

but I'd have friends who sometimes you wonder why they're even there because they know so much,

they can almost teach the classes themselves to it was, it was always really, really great.

And so if I had trouble working on something on my truck, they would help me out because they know what they were doing.

And then it was always an unwritten agreement like you help me, I help you.

So whoever helped me on my truck, I would, I definitely would not shy away from whenever they need help on their project cars and stuff.

And I, over the years, I put a seat cover on the bench seat and I upgraded some of the wiring.

When I got it, excuse me, there was a lot of wiring nuts and no nose under the dash.

So as basically as I've learned over the years with through it's through school and through working at the shop,

I've, I've, I guess upgraded more things that I've learned.

Oh, that's not that good to be on my truck.

Well, let me, let me make it better.

And so, and it's been almost kind of fun.

And it makes me laugh sometimes when I work on the truck because I'll even go in and fix things that I had worked on before.

And I go, I can't believe I did that.

But at the time that was a great, great fix.

So you're like, who's this idiot?

He did that.

That was me.

Yeah.

But it shows the progress that you've made, right?

Yeah.

And you're concerned to make it better.

Right.

Yes.

And I, and so there's, you talked about wanting to take the engine rebuilding class.

Yes.

Once you take some of the classes, you can take the advanced versions of the classes.

And so that's what I did.

I've always loved mechanical things.

And so mostly mechanical working.

And so I took the engine rebuilding class and then I wanted to take the advanced engine rebuilding class.

And in that class, a lot of times you can bring, provide your own engine to build.

So I did the engine in my truck.

Oh, awesome.

And it was a great experience.

And I'm still actually not quite done.

I, it was a, I wish I would have taken the advanced class before my final semester of school because it turns into a time crunch.

I got it in and running, but with the car show coming up and graduation coming up, I didn't quite get it finished.

And it, it started making a noise on the break in period.

And we weren't sure if it was a catastrophic noise or not.

So I, I never got to actually finish finding out if it was okay or not.

But I did build the engine and I've since had it shipped up here to Connecticut.

And I've, I've been having it in storage because I've just been so busy.

And now that the weather's getting great again, I'll get it back out and work on it.

And the mechanics at the shop have also, they happen, one of them happens to be a Ford guy.

So he's told me he would love to help me work on it too.

So I'm just very lucky with all the resources I've had with this truck.

Yeah.

Oh, it's the gift that keeps giving surround yourself with smart people and good people.

You know, and tools and all these things, right?

Absolutely.

Yeah.

And these days there, there are so many resources out there, right?

Between the YouTube videos, right?

Maybe you've, you've even put some up there. Who knows?

Not quite, but I am YouTube mechanic certified.

Yeah.

I heard that.

I think, I think, what was her?

Ava Gregory said that in on our podcast when we had her on that she was YouTube mechanic certified.

So before we talk about your second car, which is also Ford.

I did want to ask you tell, and we like to ask this question.

Tell us about a song that makes you think about the truck.

I think it was a song that you listened to in the truck, right?

But in thinking back and preparing for this, for this podcast, you shared something with us.

Yeah.

I am a huge fan of pretty much all what's, I guess, considered classic music now.

I listened to it so much I don't consider it classic.

But I love all genres, but being from the South, I guess, I prefer a country.

And so 80s and 90s country with Joe Diffie and he has a song pick up man.

And one of the verses says when I was 16, I saved a few hundred bucks.

My first car was a pickup truck.

And when I heard that song, I just knew that it was talking about that was me.

So I, I would listen to it in the truck.

I listened to it all the time.

And so it was a very relatable song.

Yeah.

Definitely, definitely a good fit.

And so I do want to ask about your, ask about your second vehicle, which was not a truck, but it was a.

It was a Mustang.

Yes.

The 1991 Mustang GT.

I, I love Mustang.

So as I said before, and I say I pretty much love any year of Mustang.

You know, the Mustang two gets a little hairy, but I'll still give it some love.

Yeah.

But I love this Mustang.

It was a, it was the 302, the five liter with a five speed manual.

And that's really the car that I learned to drive a stick shift.

I, I was taught on my freshman year roommates.

1969 Oldsmobile 442 big block with a four speed.

That's where I really learned how to drive stick shift.

Okay.

But then daily driving a Mustang is really where I got comfortable because I got it in between school years.

So it was a summer when I was home and I had to get to my job during the summer.

And if I, if I couldn't drive my stick shift Mustang, I wasn't going to get to work.

So, which, funny enough, was at a classic Mustang shop.

So I, I was really living the Mustang dream at the time.

Yep.

There are lots of Mustangs there, I'm sure.

And they probably heard you pulling up a mile away.

Yep.

Yeah.

One of my, one of my close friends in high school had one that had a, it was a 1990 Mustang GT.

I think it was blue and they, all the GTs had the, what, gray bottom.

The lower half of it was gray.

The plastic on the bottom.

Yep.

The GT flares, I guess you would call them.

Yeah.

It was such a neat car and and 225 horsepower even back then was a lot, especially in a light car like that.

That thing could shred some tires.

Like, and that's what he did in it.

Yep.

I did the same.

Yep.

Fun, fun for that.

Yeah.

So the Mustang you don't have anymore, the truck we know you're never going to get rid of.

What would be your dream car?

My ultimate dream car is the 1967 Mustang GT 500 Eleanor from the movie gone in 60 seconds with Nicholas Cage.

Ever since I saw that movie, I fell in love with that car and that's one of those cars people either love it or they hate it.

But I love it.

And one day I hope to hopefully eventually build my own.

I would, I would probably, I would, I think that would be more fun.

I don't see when the time comes around if I'd rather buy one than build one.

But for now, I'd like to build myself one.

Yeah.

And, you know, I should have asked you early on, would it, would have, I know you mentioned,

putting a seat cover on the bench seat and whatnot.

What have you seen as like kind of tasteful upgrades, especially working at F40 Motorsports that people are asking for.

I'll give you this great example, like my, my DeLorean, you know, from a rear wheel, rear engine, rear wheel drive, right?

But steering's still kind of heavy.

It's a stick shift as well.

I have tennis elbow, which I can't seem to get rid of.

It's a 50 plus the age 50 plus thing that you get, even if you don't play tennis.

And I had some other friends were doing it too.

I had electric power steering added to that.

And it made it like a different car to me.

It was, it's so much more enjoyable.

So just, just wondering if, whether for your truck or customers that you've seen would have been some kind of modern upgrades that are important that you feel enhance the car, but don't take away anything from it.

I do.

I've seen a lot of power brake conversions.

One thing that I don't know, it doesn't really increase the drivability, but electric fuel pumps on cars that don't have them.

They, we sometimes will install them with a switch under the dash.

You can't even really see it and we'll hide the fuel pump and everything.

But most of the customers that we have, their cars are in a collection and they sit.

And even just being where there's actual winters and salt on the road and stuff, people put their cars away for the winter.

So they sit for months on it at a time.

So when they, when you try and start them up again, especially the really old cars with the six volt battery systems, they just, they struggle to crank over anyways on a full battery.

So trying to get the fuel all the way up to the front of the engine and get it started.

So the electric fuel pump are really great because they flip the switch, you fill up the carburetor, you're already ready to go pump the gas and it should fire really quickly.

And that way you're not killing the battery and the starter and stuff.

So just simple things like that that really help it out.

And it could make the difference between somebody barely driving a car.

That's a classic to driving it a little more, which I think goes into one of the causes that Christians can ask you about real quick.

Yeah, just as we guide the podcast here gently towards the off ramp, we ask our guests.

What are causes or things that are important to you that you espouse or that you're passionate about?

And you had a very interesting answer.

Should I read it back to you, Mason or can you paraphrase?

It has to do with a lot of cars just kind of sitting around.

And as you alluded to, that's the worst thing you can do to anything mechanical.

Yeah, I believe that all these cars should be driven.

And as much as a car that is sat for a while and needs help getting running again is job security for me.

It hurts me more to see all these cars sitting for such long periods of time and just getting neglected and deteriorating without any love.

I'm not a crazy funky spiritual guy or anything, but I almost believe that cars have souls.

You can talk to them sometimes.

So it sounds a little crazy, but it makes it sound better, but it helps.

You're not going to leave your best friend and never talk to them and whatever.

You don't have to drive these cars every day.

They're fun cars to bring out on a nice day or whatnot, but letting them sit for just years and years.

I know things happen, but if you don't have to let it sit then you shouldn't.

Well, the funny thing is I think you win either way because if they sit, you're going to fix them.

But anything mechanical will have to be fixed at some point and that's where you step in.

So I think you're going to be busy and passionate about this field for a very long time to come, Mr. Mason.

I want to thank you for taking some time with us today because it was a distinct pleasure meeting you and speaking with you.

And we wish you all good things, my friend.

Well, thank you. Thank you for having me. I really enjoyed it.

You are welcome back here anytime and we would love to check back with you every so often to see what you're into,

what's your latest project, et cetera, et cetera.

But for now, you have just heard the high-reving, low-mileage, late-modeled herd

around the world authoritative podcast on automotive nostalgia.

He's Doug. Reach him at Doug at CarsLove.com.

I'm Christian. Reach me at CarsLove.com.

And this was Mason. You know, the best way to connect with him apparently is how Doug did it, just add a friend.

Add that friend button. Mason magically appears.

If you like what you're hearing, please follow and tell a friend.

That helps us grow in continually finding guests and telling these stories.

Try out CarsLove.com, especially the carousel of memories as we like to call it.

Send us the pictures of your automobiles. We'll get them up there.

Check out our link tree, our digital switchboard, which is

linktr.e-slash-cars-loved.

Always. I'm sure we'll see you at the next local car show, showroom, ratio, and concord.

We appreciate you taking a laugh at us.

And we will see you next time.

About this episode

A fascinating journey unfolds as Mason, a McPherson College graduate, shares his path from discovering the school through Wayne Carini's show to working at F40 Motorsports. He recounts building a Model T in record time and the importance of hands-on learning in automotive restoration. Mason discusses his first car, a 1965 Ford F-100, and the bond he has with it, emphasizing the significance of driving classic cars rather than letting them sit. The episode highlights the passion for cars and the community built around them, making it a heartfelt exploration of automotive enthusiasm.

225 horsepower brake work break-in period classic cars dashboard instrument cluster Eleanor electric fuel pumps electric power steering engine rebuilding five‑speed manual

Delorean DMC-12 Ferrari F40 Ford F 100 Ford F-150 Ford Model T Ford Mustang Ford Mustang GTD Oldsmobile 442 Convertible

Original notes

Click here to share your favorite car, car story or any automotive trivia!

Join To All the Cars I've Loved Before for a deep dive into automotive restoration as Mason—a McPherson College graduate—traces the journey that started in high school and took him from a record-speed Model T build to professional classic car restoration at F40 Motorsports, demonstrating how formal automotive education transforms passion into expertise.

Explore automotive restoration education, hands-on classic car experience, and professional automotive career development. Mason's journey reveals why dedicated automotive colleges produce industry-leading professionals, how classic car restoration skills translate across vintage vehicle categories, and the importance of mentorship in specialized automotive education programs.

Mason's favorite episode is with Andrew who shares details of what it is like to own and drive a Trabant and his dreams of a Tucker - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2316026/episodes/17009738-classic-cars-automotive-adventures-from-trabant-to-tucker

Essential for automotive students considering restoration careers, classic car restoration enthusiasts, automotive educators, and anyone interested in preserving automotive heritage through professional craftsmanship. Whether you're passionate about Model T Fords, exotic Ferrari restoration, or automotive education pathways, this episode showcases dedication to automotive excellence.

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To All The Cars I've Loved Before: Classic Car Restoration, JDM, and Automotive History

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