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Tag: Rob Kibbe. The MuscleCarPlace.com

TMCP #516: Ask Rick – Is Removing the VIN Tag a Good Thing or Bad? Bonus Interview with Scott Janson from Woodward – Performance Variant Manager at General Motors

Happy September! Football is here and we can let the Fall celebrations begin. I once again got to catch up to Rick Schmidt from National Parts Depot to ask the burning questions that are on your mind to get his opinion on the burning questions we need to know most. Specifically, pulling VIN tags off of clunkers for a restoration, and Rick’s take on buying a 2023 HEMI car as an investment hedge! (To cut to the chase on the HEMI cars; Rick’s take is to skip the hype and pick up when in a few years. They’ll be plentiful and a better deal.)

TMCP #478: Buddy Cram’s Dream Business: From Full time NASCAR to Full Time “General Lee” Builder!

Today’s guest is Buddy Cram. He might just actually be living the life I thought was too good to be true: he operates a business called General Lee Chargers, and their one and only mission in the world is to build General Lee’s for Dukes of Hazzard loving fans! While that’s cool, Buddy’s background in NASCAR – and love of MOPAR – both combined to bring him to turn a childhood desire into full time business. He’s currently building his 56th customer car, and two more are already on order! Here’s the story behind the story.  

TMCP #419: Ryan Brutt, The Auto Archaeologist, A Deep Dive Into Finding Forgotten Cars – Pro-Touring Update, Big Red Camaro and RJ Gottlieb special interview

This week is a returning fan favorite friend of the show, Ryan Brutt.  It is always great talking to Ryan and in this interview he does an even deeper dive into how he finds cars and yet still protect the owners from the endless calls that his pictures would definitely generate. 

Ryan has long had a love of cars and a great joy in the hunt of hidden automotive treasures. His quest has led to meeting many people and helping a great majority of them to either start the restoration they have put off for year, or sell it to a worthy buyer who will treat it with respect and love.

This episode of the Pro-Touring update is a great interview with RJ Gottlieb discussing everything Big Red Camaro related. I previously interviewed RJ five years ago in Episode 253 and I knew we had to do it again. RJ covers rebuilding the car and even previous to that, the evolution from stock vehicle to full tube frame chassis and Nascar parts.

TMCP #395: Tommy Lee Byrd, Coker Tires for Classic Muscle and Everything else – Ask Rick; See You at the Races?

This week our guest was Tommy Lee Byrd,Marketing and PR Coordinator for the Coker Tire Company. He is from Tennessee and was referred to us by Mike Finnegan. He grew up around drag cars and racing so when he went off to college he just wanted to be around cars. Tommy’s dad even sold everything he could to buy him a 64 Corvette coupe as a gift. He also owns a 1964 Chevelle that is his “Grandma car” and just plain fun to drive around in.

Coker tire got it’s start in 1960 when Harold Coker purchased a BF Goodrich dealership in Chatanooga TN and got access to the manufacturer of tires. He started ordering special build tires for antique vehicles made from antique tire molds. He either had the rights to use the name of the old tire manufacturers are he simply put Coker on the sidewalls and a brand was born. The family would go to car shows and advertise the tire at events catering to that market. Coker built up it’s collection of old tire molds after they were discontinued by the manufacturer.

Tommy Lee Byrd with his daughter and his 64 Corvette
By having contacts at the major tire manufacturers, they were able to make agreements to continue using the brand names on the tire made with these old molds. Tommy said that the radial tires with wide white walls that look like originals has really been Coker’s trademark over the years. Modern radials have better ride and tire life and really enhance the old vehicles in comfort and safety. The original Coker radial was the companies own design to be like the classic tires customers were looking for. Coker’s American classic tires are made in the USA using Coker molds.

TMCP #349: Jimi Day Explains the Brand New Optima DriveAutoX Series; Larry Callahan and the Pro Touring Update

This weeks interview is with Jimi Day, President and CEO of FM3 Marketing, Race Director for the Ultimate Street Car Association, and my co-host of the OPTIMA Search for the Ultimate Street Car Series podcast. In this episode however I asked him on to get to the bottom of the all new “Optima DriveAutoX Series that FM3 has created. Frankly, if it’s what I hope it is….it’s going to be awesome.

Also – if you’re willing and able, please check out the product I developed with my buddies. It’s for kids – and it’s a baseball tee! But it’s unlike anything else out there

TMCP #287: DeLorean, Love Affair with a Time Machine, Gene Kopczyk – Pro-Touring Update

This weeks interview is with Gene Kopczyk, DeLorean aficionado and owner of car 2334. Gene admits to a childhood addiction to cars and fell in love at a young age when he watched Back to the Future and saw the DeLorean back out of the trailer. The thoughts of that scene still sends chills down his spine. He also watched “Better Off Dead and started looking for the 67 Camaro that was driven by John Cusack in the movie. The search for the car led Gene to contact me as a potential lead to finding the current owner.

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