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Tag: rob kibbe

TMCP 623: Don Abenante – Fabricator to YouTube Star – Building And Driving a 1970 Chevelle From Rhode Island To Vegas For SEMA 2025!

Don Abenante of Retro Fabworks isn’t your average YouTube builder — his story blends Hollywood grit, family legacy, and pure horsepower. After early stints on Below Deck, Horsepower Wars, and Netflix’s Resurrected Rides, Don found his true calling behind the welder instead of the camera, documenting every cut and weld for his growing audience.

His current project is deeply personal: a 1970 Chevelle he first planned to build with his late father. That dream paused for years but never died — and now it’s roaring back to life. Don’s transforming the Chevelle into a Ford Coyote–powered showstopper for SEMA 2025, filming the process step by step for his followers. The twist? He plans to drive the car all the way to Vegas, proving that craftsmanship, creativity, and heart still belong on the open road.

TMCP #622: Ask Rick — Can American Manufacturing Return for Restoration Parts? Rick’s Take: Bob Lutz Says EVs Will End the Internal Combustion Engine!

Kick off October with a fresh Ask Rick as Rick Schmidt weighs in on the value of car-show trophies, parts sourcing, and where the market’s really headed. Are small-show awards worth chasing—or are they just eating into charity budgets? Rick also unpacks the hot question in restoration parts: will manufacturing return to the U.S., or will Taiwan’s increasingly high-quality tooling keep leading the charge for low-volume classics?

Then it’s “Rick’s Take – Car Deals: The Bob Lutz Edition.” Rick sizes up a supercharged ’99 Viper GTS ACR, a ’09 Solstice GXP, and a ’00 Prowler for long-term ROI in a world edging toward electrification—followed by an “Investment Hedge” round featuring a ’87 Trans Am, ’06 Ford GT, and ’87 Buick GNX. Which has already peaked, and which still has runway? Tune in to hear how Rick reads the market—and which cars he’d flip first.

K&F Show #341: Dallas’ Wild Jefferson Weekend, the Road to SEMA, and a Dukes Review S3, E12 “State of the County”

October kicks off with a bang. Rob, Corndog, and Bernie recap Dallas Kibbe’s three-day run at Jefferson Speedway: a breakout Friday-night win away from home—perfect choose-cone calls, smart restarts—followed by the rough side of racing on Saturday with hard contact and a heavy hit that likely totaled the Legends car. The best news: Dallas is OK (no head issues). With the Las Vegas Asphalt Nationals just weeks away, the scramble is on to source a competitive car and make the trip.

Bernie’s news (presented by National Parts Depot) covers the industry and the track: Bosch trims auto-parts jobs, modern-car “features” that drive us nuts (blinding DRLs, multipurpose buttons), and Ida Zetterström’s jaw-dropper .000 reaction time in Top Fuel versus Tony Stewart. There’s also a Route 66 “Pavement Pounder” road trip—think keys-in-hand cruise to SEMA with badges and Semafest perks—plus Rob’s cursed-but-fun weekend (bank card fraud, a cranky 944 speedo, and one life-changing smash burger).

Rob tees up an Ask Rick crossover for The MuscleCar Place: Bob Lutz on EV inevitability and Rick Schmidt’s response. Then it’s a Dukes of Hazzard rewind—“State of the County”—where Daisy’s new flame carries fireworks, Boss J.W. Hickman is played by Larry D. Mann (yes, Yukon Cornelius), and an Oak Ridge Boys cameo caps a leaf-strewn car-chase episode (call it 6–7 Corn Dogs). Sponsors: Holley has fall deals; NPD keeps the parts coming. Hit play for the full Dallas timeline, the Vegas plan, and all the laughs we didn’t spoil.

K&F Show #340: MOPARTY Recap! Vandemonium Win, Hemi Heaven, Autocross Chaos & Chats with Dylan McCool, Grant Skidmore & Tommy Boshers

MoParty 2025 delivered peak Mopar mayhem, and the Kibbe & Friends crew—minus Rob—brought the sights, sounds, and parking-lot “afterglow” straight to your speakers. Episode 340 opens with CornDog and Bernie’s unsupervised recap—late-night Hampton Inn vibes, fan-club grill action, and the now-legendary “Stand-In Kibbe” Iowa fact machine—setting a heat-soaked, laugh-heavy tone.

Promoter Jimi Day calls MoParty “America’s high-performance Mopar event,” and this year backed it up: autocross, speed-stop, drags, burnouts, monster-truck crush, parade laps, the mullet showdown, and the new circle-track headliner, Vandemonium. Crowds packed in, the sun didn’t quit, and the show never slowed.

On the field, highlights included ~35 Hemi cars in one lineup, a crisp white ’70 Road Runner pilot car, plenty of wagons, and lovable oddballs (mid-’70s Chargers, Cordobas, Magnums). Best of Show: a clean, purpose-built white Duster.

Vandemonium stole the night—YouTube’s Dylan McCool took the win in a 2016 A-Team-styled Caravan (proper cage, sticky tires, no ill-timed nitrous), and we grabbed him for a shade-tree chat on his “omelet C10,” shortened ’72 Challenger/buggy mash-up, and his dad’s hand-lettered Petty-blue ’70 Satellite. Fabrication fans will also dig Grant Skidmore’s lowered, Whipple-blown ’97 Jeep Cherokee XJ (AX15, leaf-under, 14.4 in the quarter), plus TV-vet-turned-creator Tommy Boshers’ family-built “Hemibago”—a ’71 Winnebago with a Hellcat, side-pipe cutouts, Road Runner horn, and delightfully retro interior.

Wrap it with classic K&F energy: Bernie’s news (NPD shout-out), a quick celeb game, and Rob’s home-front update—skipping MoParty to coach Dallas to a strong P2 at Elko. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts/YouTube Music, jump into Patreon at patreon.com/KFshow, and big thanks to Holley for making MoParty the fall’s can’t-miss event (Ford Intergalactic is up next).

K&F Show #335: Getting a Win for Your Bro; Public Infidelity Dukes Review: S3E08 “Mrs Rosco P Coltrane”

As most of you know, our Patreon audience has the INSIDE access to the KF Show. The year 2025 will be an important one for Patreon specifically and if you’d consider jumping up to the $5 level it would sure help. The $10 level will remain and we now have a brand new $20 level as well! All members who join at that level will receive a sticker swag pack in the mail, you’ll be IMMEDIATELY entered in the monthly prize grab, and you’ll receive a phone call from one (or all) of us to chat up whatever you want for 30 minutes!

Thank you SO MUCH to those of you who have joined in for the extra content that is only for Patreon supporters. To get in on the action and support the show with a minor financial contribution just click the link below to sign up.

Join up via Patreon at patreon.com/KFSHOW

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Presented with Holley – Back for 2025!

Phase 3 of Kibbe and Friends is officially here, and Holley is back for more fun, foolishness, and flying orange Chargers! Once again we’re proud to be associated with the historic name that has made cars fast for years and years, and their innovations continue forward (as always)!

Make sure that you visit Holley.com to place your speed parts orders – and THANK THEM for continuing on as the Title Sponsor of the KF Show!

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Ron Francis Wiring Brings you the Celebrity Automotive Birthday! https://www.ronfrancis.com

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Dallas Kibbe Racing Update!

To follow Dallas Kibbe Racing you can watch his stats and other racing information here. Check it out!

https://www.facebook.com/DallasKibbeRacing

https://www.instagram.com/dallaskibbe_13/

https://www.tiktok.com/@dallaskibbe_13

MyRacePass.com/drivers/178661.

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Dukes Review: For the record, we chose this episode because Corndog wants to pile on that CEO and that HR lady that have made infidelity the most popular public shaming event since the invention of the internet Meme. We also learn that the P in Rosco P Coltraine stands for Pervis.

This episode starts with an upside down smashed GL….and just gets better. Rosco p Coltrane gets the CEO Treatment by a well built mail order bride, and it’s the oldest trick in the book: young woman with a husband and crony convince a Sheriff to get him out of the way so Boss Hogg can be conveniently robbed while everyone is attending a wedding.

In the midst we see the General get totalled, untotalled, retotalled, untotaled, and then retotaled again (only to then be replaced by a horse). The sloppiness of automotive continuity in this episode is awful, and that’s what makes it so right – plus the stunts are off the chart. Oh, and the saying The Lord Helps Those That Help Themselves…..that’s not actually in the Bible. Might be in the US Constitution though. Or possibly National Treasure.

Rating: 10 (of 10) Corndogs

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National Parts Depot Presents: Bernie on the News! https://www.npdlink.com.

K&F Show #334: Key Lime Pie, Jet Skis, and AC/DC; Rick Hurst Tribute Dukes Review: S1E11 “Money to Burn”

Thank you SO MUCH to those of you who have joined in for the extra content that is only for Patreon supporters. To get in on the action and support the show with a minor financial contribution just click the link below to sign up.

Join up via Patreon at patreon.com/KFSHOW

========================================

Presented with Holley – Back for 2025!

Phase 3 of Kibbe and Friends is officially here, and Holley is back for more fun, foolishness, and flying orange Chargers! Once again we’re proud to be associated with the historic name that has made cars fast for years and years, and their innovations continue forward (as always)!

Make sure that you visit Holley.com to place your speed parts orders – and THANK THEM for continuing on as the Title Sponsor of the KF Show!

========================================

Ron Francis Wiring Brings you the Celebrity Automotive Birthday! https://www.ronfrancis.com

========================================

Dallas Kibbe Racing Update!

To follow Dallas Kibbe Racing you can watch his stats and other racing information here. Check it out!

https://www.facebook.com/DallasKibbeRacing

https://www.instagram.com/dallaskibbe_13/

https://www.tiktok.com/@dallaskibbe_13

MyRacePass.com/drivers/178661.

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Dukes Review: I thought this was an episode with, by, and starring Cleetus in his debut in the Dukes of hazard. It is, it isn’t, and it isn’t in that order. Cleetus Hogg is introduced to us all in this Season 1 Dukes episode to play the role of Boss Hogg’s second cousin twice removed flunky. He does and he is. But he somehow ends up helping Boss Hogg in a bank heist…..that he was in on before it was conceived. And then he fails at it. And then Bo and Luke save the day…..by doing a literal body snatching swap, only I’m not sure that they meant to. Just like Cleetus said in the S3 Episode The Great Santa Claus Chase, “Can someone come get me; I’m lost!” But, it is a Season 1 Dukes Episode, shot in California with 14” wheels on Chargers, and Al Wyatt stunt driving the General in Full Send mode for the entire. C’est magnifique!

Rating: 8 (of 10) Corndogs

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National Parts Depot Presents: Bernie on the News! https://www.npdlink.com.

K&F Show #333: Jumping Cars Through Fountains and an All American 4th; Movie Review: “F1” (The Brad Pitt Movie!)

Join up via Patreon at patreon.com/KFSHOW

========================================

Presented with Holley – Back for 2025!

Phase 3 of Kibbe and Friends is officially here, and Holley is back for more fun, foolishness, and flying orange Chargers! Once again we’re proud to be associated with the historic name that has made cars fast for years and years, and their innovations continue forward (as always)!

Make sure that you visit Holley.com to place your speed parts orders – and THANK THEM for continuing on as the Title Sponsor of the KF Show!

========================================

Ron Francis Wiring Brings you the Celebrity Automotive Birthday! https://www.ronfrancis.com

========================================

Dallas Kibbe Racing Update!

To follow Dallas Kibbe Racing you can watch his stats and other racing information here. Check it out!

https://www.facebook.com/DallasKibbeRacing

https://www.instagram.com/dallaskibbe_13/

https://www.tiktok.com/@dallaskibbe_13

MyRacePass.com/drivers/178661.

========================================

Movie Review: “F1” (The Brad Pitt Movie!)

I don’t know a thing about F1, but if this movie does for F1 what Days of Thunder did for NASCAR, an entire generation of kids are about to dream about being the next Sonny Hayes. And just like Days of Thunder was Top Gun on Wheels, F1 is Top Gun Maverick on…more expensive wheels!

Brad Pitt plays Sonny Hayes – an aging multi series vagabond driver who lives for the thrill of driving and the hope that on the track he can feel God’s pleasure upon him. (He didn’t say it that way in the movie but that was the gist of it.) As a kid he was coming into Formula 1 when he had a devastating accident. It cost him his future to be the next Senna. He went to drinking spiral, bad marriages, then driving taxis, and then found his way into any racing series that would have him and let him try to tame it. And they all did. Sports cars, NASCAR, Off Road, and now F1.

His job in this movie, to get a young hot shot up to speed and save the rag tag racing team they’re all there with to save their jobs. It’s predictable, it’s beautiful, it’s fun, and it’s fast. In a nutshell: awesome.

Rating: 10 Corndogs!

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National Parts Depot Presents: Bernie on the News! https://www.npdlink.com.