Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / Resurrecting a Classic: The Tale of a 1968 Camaro Rebirth and the Art of High-Performance Restoration

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Resurrecting a Classic: The Tale of a 1968 Camaro Rebirth and the Art of High-Performance Restoration · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast, a 30-minute mini version of the In Wheel Time Car Show that airs live every Saturday morning 8 to 11 am Central.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: It's the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Coming to you today from the 28th Annual Concours d'Elegance at Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, Texas, had another guest from today's annual event.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: Later we're also going to have.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: Did we do Jeff's Motor Minute?
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we did.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: One thing that we didn't get in this time is the racing calendar.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we talked about that, but it's kind of flat right now.
• 0:42
  Speaker 3: I understand, but we still have to get it in.
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: Okay, let's get it in.
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: Here's why.
• 0:45
  Speaker 3: Well, I've got to go get it.
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: Hold on, I just put it away.
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: All right, well, go get it.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: Then you go, do your thing, don't worry about us.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: Howdy, along with Mike out of this world.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: Mars Jeff's butt is right there, david Ains Winsley is right here, and I'm Don Armstrong.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: He is our IT genius.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: I say that loosely, I'm a genius at IT, I guess, but that's about all.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: I resemble that reminder I know you do.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: I was waiting for you to cut my microphone off.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: I got you All right, mr Mars.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: Help yourself there.
• 1:20
  Speaker 4: So joining us now is Justin Smith.
• 1:22
  Speaker 4: We've talked to him a couple of times.
• 1:23
  Speaker 4: He's got Smithy Customs, he's got a few cars three cars out here I believe but he had one special car that he brought out here.
• 1:29
  Speaker 4: That's kind of it's down there because he had to bring it in his 40-foot trailer to get it out here and it's kind of a big deal, is it 40 feet long?
• 1:40
  Speaker 4: Oh yeah, big car 48.
• 1:42
  Speaker 4: No, the trailer is 48.
• 1:44
  Speaker 5: Trailer's 40 feet, big old gooseneck.
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: There you go.
• 1:46
  Speaker 5: Yeah, makes some wide turns.
• 1:49
  Speaker 4: Exactly, not over a couple people.
• 1:50
  Speaker 4: So let's start with the car, let's start with that one, then we'll talk about your other Restomods.
• 1:55
  Speaker 5: Yeah, so we've been working on this car.
• 1:59
  Speaker 5: It's for one of our clients.
• 2:08
  Speaker 5: He lives up in new york and, uh, he has a car, a 68 camaro that he purchased um back in 1998 and went through the typical things you do when you buy a car like that and and it was his first car he he actually bought with his own money.
• 2:17
  Speaker 5: He wanted to oh, he wanted to really drive this car and he ended up, uh, moving out of the country for a year or so and he sold the car to a family member and then he came back and then ended up buying the car back and registered it with his I guess it was his father-in-law because he got himself married while he was overseas and just so he could, you know, not worry about insurance or whatever.
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: Right.
• 2:50
  Speaker 5: And so he sat for until 16, and he decided to get it restored.
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: So it was unrestored when he bought it.
• 2:59
  Speaker 5: Yeah, it was unrestored.
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: It was an original car, yeah.
• 3:02
  Speaker 5: Original engine.
• 3:02
  Speaker 5: Original engine and stuff like that, but it caught fire and after it does that.
• 3:09
  Speaker 5: It's pretty, you know all stop yeah.
• 3:12
  Speaker 5: And so he contacted us and he has family down in Houston and he came down and we talked about it and we built him a one-off custom 68 Camaro.
• 3:25
  Speaker 5: We call it the Torrent Camaro and it's blue, it's Porsche blue, it's called Voodoo Blue and we did a whole bunch of modern stuff to it Modern suspension, modern engine, full custom interior Kind of sounds like that one in the background and it came out nice.
• 3:48
  Speaker 5: So unfortunately he wasn't able to join us today for the reveal.
• 3:52
  Speaker 5: It's his 25th wedding anniversary.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: That's a little bit more important than a dang car.
• 3:59
  Speaker 4: Couldn't talk her into coming down and doing Houston Well, yeah, it's actually today.
• 4:03
  Speaker 5: The anniversary is today and we had a joke going around May the 4th be with you, and so, unfortunately, he was able to join via FaceTime and he sent his three daughters down from.
• 4:20
  Speaker 5: New York.
• 4:20
  Speaker 5: And they came down.
• 4:21
  Speaker 5: They came in last night and so we revealed it to them and it was a great showing and a lot of people show up down there, new York.
• 4:23
  Speaker 5: And they came down, they came in last night and and so we revealed it to them and uh, it's a great showing and a lot of people show up down there, and and uh, we told the kind of the same speech I just said, and and kind of a history and right, and uh, revealed the car to the family and a lot of tears were shed and um and uh, the car just came out phenomenal.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: I have to ask how bad was the fire on the car and what did it damage?
• 4:48
  Speaker 5: So it got both the front seats, so it was an interior fire.
• 4:53
  Speaker 5: I think it was a mix of gasoline and oil.
• 4:56
  Speaker 5: So I think they had one of those old-school oil gauges they actually had the oil coming up to the gauge to the actual sender unit and it went in and when the fire hit that it just went south from there.
• 5:13
  Speaker 5: And so both the front seats were toast and everything.
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: But it didn't get to the roof and the metal structure of the car.
• 5:23
  Speaker 5: A little bit, but it wasn't anything we couldn't salvage we ended up.
• 5:26
  Speaker 5: There was too much rust there anyway, we had to uh replace it anyway.
• 5:29
  Speaker 5: But um, we ended up replacing a lot of the metal work on there because it's an old 68 and uh careful way to go through all of that stuff.
• 5:37
  Speaker 5: we ended up pulling, uh, a lot of the, the flooring out everything.
• 5:42
  Speaker 5: We ended up upgrading to a irs in the back of it and it's a cantilever set up from Speed Tech and we did a lot of custom fab throughout that car.
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: What was left of it when you Swiss cheese, obviously.
• 5:55
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean it's typical.
• 5:57
  Speaker 5: It's typical for these cars.
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: Was that a northern car that you got?
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: Was that a lot of salt rust on it?
• 6:03
  Speaker 5: Yeah, he bought the car up in New York.
• 6:05
  Speaker 5: So yeah, it's fair share.
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: It lived its whole life up there.
• 6:09
  Speaker 5: yeah, yeah it had its fair share, and so, yeah, it's pretty typical, we see.
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: How long was the restoration?
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: How long did it take you?
• 6:17
  Speaker 5: You know, I was asked that a little bit ago and I was like wow, three and a half years.
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: But that also is pretty typical for a complete restoration.
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: Yeah, rotisserie type.
• 6:27
  Speaker 5: We normally our cars when we start rocking and rolling on them.
• 6:30
  Speaker 5: We can get them at two years.
• 6:31
  Speaker 5: But this car had so much more to it, so much specialty stuff we did to it.
• 6:38
  Speaker 5: It just took a little bit longer.
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: How about the?
• 6:39
  Speaker 5: engine.
• 6:40
  Speaker 5: The engine we ended up going with a supercharged motor, just a GM crate LT4, and it produces plenty of power.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: Why did you go?
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: Obviously it was orchestrated by the owner.
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: I would assume that do away with the original motor that was in it.
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: Put it in a box and I'll take it back, but we're going to go with this motor instead of the matching numbers car um, his thought is is I want to drive it, I want to enjoy it, I don't have to worry about it.
• 7:12
  Speaker 5: Um, and the way we did these cars and a lot of our cars is we set it up to where.
• 7:16
  Speaker 5: Um, it's like a new car.
• 7:18
  Speaker 3: You have all the expectation of getting in it, starting up and going out and drive so the three plus years it took to rebuild the car you found, did you find yourself going in a direction and then, oh, we've got to change that direction and go over here and try this and replace that and then from there you were kind of zigzag through the build.
• 7:35
  Speaker 3: Or did you have a plan from the beginning and stick to the plan?
• 7:38
  Speaker 5: We had a plan.
• 7:38
  Speaker 5: We always really try to understand what the goals of the client is and then we come up with kind of an idea of what we're thinking and we get a rendering done, and so we've been working off the last two and a half years of a rendering that we put together that really gave us guidance of what to look for Gotcha the rear of the car underneath and and allowed a diffuser setup in the rear.
• 8:08
  Speaker 5: How we're going to intake a lot of the cooler air in the front and redesign that.
• 8:11
  Speaker 5: There's a lot of thought that goes into building a car that produces 650 horsepower.
• 8:18
  Speaker 5: It's just not something you have to.
• 8:20
  Speaker 5: You can just throw together.
• 8:21
  Speaker 5: You have have to plan accordingly.
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: What other cars do you have in the shop right now?
• 8:25
  Speaker 5: Right now.
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: Wow, we work on about over a dozen cars off and on, we have a little bit here, a little bit there, this one for a day, this one for a couple of days.
• 8:36
  Speaker 5: Not necessarily, I think.
• 8:41
  Speaker 5: For us it's just we have four different parts of the shop and we have one group of guys working on the metal work and then it moves to another parts of the shop and we have, you know, one group of guys working on the metal work and then it moves to another part of the shop where it moves in for first assembly, where they go in and do all of the bracketry and putting in the AC systems and all that, getting all that stuff to fit.
• 9:00
  Speaker 5: Then it goes to paint body and then it goes to final assembly, assembly where everything was pre-fitted and everything goes right back together the way we we designed it to, so it through the phases of those of that building process.
• 9:15
  Speaker 5: There's might be a lapse here while we're waiting for a part, or you know waiting for a suspension to show up, or you know, whatever the situation is, we this, this car was like right.
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: It kind of started right after the pandemic and we had a lot, of, a lot of trouble getting a lot of parts in a timely fashion and so a lot of that played into how we we had to pace ourselves so really, in other words, it really wasn't like ordering community coffee in the morning on amazon and have it delivered by noon.
• 9:43
  Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, it wasn't that way, those good old days are gone, yeah.
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: Exactly.
• 9:48
  Speaker 5: Yeah.
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: As far as the suspension is concerned, what did you?
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: What kind of IRS did you put on the rear of the car?
• 9:57
  Speaker 5: So we worked with Speed Tech Performance.
• 10:01
  Speaker 5: They're out of St George, utah, and they do a lot of these suspension systems for pro touring type cars.
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: Now did you have to re-bracket the car?
• 10:12
  Speaker 5: So we literally had to cut the whole rear of the car apart.
• 10:15
  Speaker 5: Oh, great yeah like you would do for a full tub setup for a race car or something.
• 10:18
  Speaker 5: That's how far extensive we get into, and since it's a unibody, there's a lot of structure there you have to think about.
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: So you have some really nice looking cutting torches in the shop.
• 10:27
  Speaker 5: Oh yeah, we get down and dirty with plasma cutter.
• 10:30
  Speaker 5: Yeah, a good old-fashioned hacksaw if you need to.
• 10:33
  Speaker 3: And then when you weld it, it it's like a row of nickels.
• 10:35
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I got some.
• 10:36
  Speaker 5: My guys at the shop are phenomenal craftsmen.
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: How many guys you got working for you.
• 10:43
  Speaker 5: We're sitting, I think, right around 13 right now.
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: Wow, that's a big shop.
• 10:48
  Speaker 5: Big crew and there's an ebb and flow of people that work for us and some people move on, and it's just the way that the business is.
• 10:54
  Speaker 5: You know, some people move on and it's just the way that the business is.
• 11:04
  Speaker 3: But the good thing that we really focus in on is the type of people and the mentality that our guys are and what they can do for you, yeah.
• 11:06
  Speaker 5: And you know, first and foremost, they're going to be good people, and everyone on my crew, past and present, is good people, and that's what we look for.
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: Do you have anything for sale in the shop?
• 11:15
  Speaker 3: Anything personal that you need to exchange, I do.
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: Do you have anything for?
• 11:18
  Speaker 3: Sale in the shop Anything personal that you need to exchange Money.
• 11:22
  Speaker 5: I do have a couple projects and when I run across, you know we talk to a lot of people and a lot of people, you know, want something done and then some just lose interest.
• 11:34
  Speaker 5: And you know I was like you know that's a pretty cool car and you know we'll work out a deal and purchase it and I'll keep it kind of like not inventory but something that we can, uh, potentially flip up or sell and you know there's.
• 11:46
  Speaker 5: There's several cars that in our rotation that we finished in the last couple years were my personal cars.
• 11:50
  Speaker 5: We have a 65 uh corvette down there, full custom that we built for a client that was mine.
• 11:55
  Speaker 5: I really wanted it, it was something I wanted to buy.
• 11:58
  Speaker 5: You don't let me have anything, yeah and uh, you know, because I want that car, I'm like what can I do?
• 12:06
  Speaker 5: you know and so I sell the car and and we ended up, it's a win-win.
• 12:11
  Speaker 5: Everyone enjoys it, they get the car and you know I uh, we get to build it the way I wanted to build it you know right right so, yeah, it works out and I get to drive it.
• 12:18
  Speaker 4: that's I wanted to build it to begin with.
• 12:18
  Speaker 4: Right right, so it works out and I get to drive it.
• 12:19
  Speaker 4: That's a whole lot of it.
• 12:20
  Speaker 4: You build it the way you want it and then it's like what am I going to do next?
• 12:24
  Speaker 3: Let me find another project, yeah, and then you overprice it so they can't buy it.
• 12:30
  Speaker 5: I got one there, that's.
• 12:31
  Speaker 5: I have a 69Z28.
• 12:33
  Speaker 5: I pulled it out of an auction up in Dallas and there's no really documentation of how it was purchased.
• 12:43
  Speaker 5: I've gone every route to try to figure out the title.
• 12:45
  Speaker 5: Who bought it?
• 12:46
  Speaker 5: Who's the original owner?
• 12:47
  Speaker 5: It's never been titled in.
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: Texas Ghost car wow.
• 12:50
  Speaker 5: Yeah, and my thought is it was purchased in Lubbock and there's some detail on the car.
• 12:56
  Speaker 5: You have to really focus in on the paint you can see it's a race car.
• 13:00
  Speaker 5: It was a track car that they did a quarter mile in it or eighth mile, I don't know what they did.
• 13:05
  Speaker 5: But you can see old lettering that was painted over on it on the sale panel and you can see out of Lubbock, texas, and you can see names and I've tried to track down those names but it's all in its original paint and glory.
• 13:20
  Speaker 5: You can tell it was raced in the 70s.
• 13:23
  Speaker 5: It has all of that stuff.
• 13:26
  Speaker 5: It's a Z28.
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: Does it have the DZ motor in it?
• 13:30
  Speaker 5: So when I bought it it did not.
• 13:32
  Speaker 5: It did not.
• 13:32
  Speaker 5: I'm pretty sure they probably pulled it out and put something else in it, but I was fortunate enough to run across one that had matching number uh setup and I had jeff over at west side performance machine uh put it together for me.
• 13:46
  Speaker 5: so it's a numbers matching uh setup for this car very nice and so we're gonna we're gonna drop that in there, but we're gonna original patina everything in it, keep it alive.
• 13:56
  Speaker 5: It's got old, the old mag style wheels on it, um, and we're just going to keep it like it was and and enjoy it for what it was used for back then how do we, uh, how do we find out about smitty's?
• 14:07
  Speaker 5: So, uh, you can instagram's a big, uh, big one.
• 14:11
  Speaker 5: Uh, you can hit us up on facebook as well, um is it smitty?
• 14:17
  Speaker 5: no, it's just.
• 14:18
  Speaker 5: It's, it's smith with a y at the end smithy, smithy yeah smithy I chose that, obviously, my last name smith, um, but smithy is, is uh, I chose that because it's a.
• 14:30
  Speaker 5: It's a name, an old name that was used um, that uh defined um where a blacksmith or a smith would work.
• 14:38
  Speaker 5: That's where people went to the smithy to get craftsmen and work done, and that's why I stuck with that, and you're our smithy.
• 14:47
  Speaker 3: Thank you Getting back to the Camaro.
• 14:50
  Speaker 3: He's looking for a new hot rod.
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: No, I'm not If you take a trade on a 2001 Corvette, we could start there.
• 14:58
  Speaker 5: It's only got 34,000 miles on it.
• 15:00
  Speaker 5: Oh man, that's low miles for that year.
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: It is.
• 15:03
  Speaker 3: If we can get you two together after the show.
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: Yeah, let's do that, we'll do a trade.
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: There you go, there you go.
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: Justin, it's great to talk to you.
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: Good to see you, my friend, absolutely.
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and we hope to run into you again soon.
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: Stay, hope to run into you again soon.
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: Stay in touch with us, absolutely.
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: Thank you all.
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: Thank you very much.
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: The In Real Time Car Talk Show is available 24-7.
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: As the wind blows my script away.
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's getting a little breezy.
• 15:27
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• 15:31
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• 15:33
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• 15:40
  Speaker 1: The InWheelTime Car Talk Show continues right after this quick break.
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: Pro-am Auto Accessories has been serving Houston's auto enthusiasts since 1984, providing world-class products for sports cars, european sedans and American muscle.
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: Pro-am is known as the place to go to find exclusive and hard-to-find parts and accessories.
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: Pro-am is one of the very first distributors in the USA for brands such as Recaro, redline, momo Corbo and Simpson.
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: Located in the heart of Houston's premier retail and service corridor, the Galleria area, pro-am's walk-in storefront includes an 8,000-square-foot warehouse, showroom and installation bays.
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: Pro-am not only sells parts and accessories, but also offers installation and service.
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: Pro-am is now reaching a worldwide audience through Pro-Amcom, taking its local reputation to the rest of the world.
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: At Pro-Am Auto, you'll be dealing with a small group of professionals who truly want to help you with your automotive needs.
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: If you don't see what you're looking for on the website, call and Pro-Am will lend you a hand.
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: Pro-am Auto, 6125 Richmond at Greenridge in Houston's Galleria area.
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: Call them at 713-781-7755.
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: Want to feel good about something special you did for someone special In Real Time and the original Loopy Tortilla group of Tex-Mex restaurants have joined together to help a very worthy cause God's Garage, a Christian-based 501c3 charity.
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: We know there are lots of places and organizations out there where you can donate a car, truck or SUV, but we're asking you, our car enthusiast family, to consider donating to God's Garage.
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: Visit godsgarageorg and learn about its mission, the women that have been helped, how each one is screened and about their Restore you program.
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: A car donation is an easy way to make a difference in the lives of others.
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: God's Garage needs good operating vehicles but will take all types in working and non-working condition.
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: Make your heart and soul feel good by donating your gently used vehicle and help support single mothers, widows and wives of deployed military.
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: At GodsGarageorg.
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: Saturday and Sunday, may 4th and 5th, you're invited to enjoy the 28th annual Keels and Wheels Concours d'Elegance.
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: See the largest collection of classic cars and boats in the US on display at the beautiful Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, texas.
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: This year's Keels and Wheels features 60 years of Ford Mustangs and Donzie boats.
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: There's plenty of free parking and discount tickets are available online at keels-wheelscom.
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: It's Keels and Wheels.
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: Saturday and Sunday, may 4th and 5th, at the Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook.
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: In Wheel Time will be there too.
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: We'll see you there.
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show Coming to you today from Keels and Wheels.
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: And, by the way, today's show closes at 5.
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: Tomorrow's show open 9 to 4 at the Lakewood Yacht Club here in Seabrook.
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: Come on down, buy your tickets online, get a $10 discount each.
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: And that's the way to do it.
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: Yep, there's plenty of parking off-site.
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: The actual grass lots are closed because of all the rain that we've had.
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: So they're busing people back and forth.
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: Not a big deal.
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: Park in a nice concrete lot somewhere around here, and they'll bus you in All right Time.
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: Now for the racing calendar sponsored by the Texas Muscle.
• 18:55
  Speaker 3: Car Club Challenge.
• 18:56
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and then we've got NASCAR, which is tomorrow.
• 18:59
  Speaker 3: Tickets are still available, mike, if you want to go.
• 19:01
  Speaker 3: It's 3 pm.
• 19:02
  Speaker 3: That's from the Darlington Raceway.
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: Famous Darlington.
• 19:07
  Speaker 3: Famous Darlington Raceway.
• 19:09
  Speaker 3: Tomorrow for NASCAR, you've got my favorite, which is Formula One.
• 19:14
  Speaker 3: It is going on this week, it was going on yesterday, today, tomorrow and they are in miami grand prix.
• 19:22
  Speaker 3: Talking about miami, talk about miami.
• 19:24
  Speaker 3: Now upcoming, you got any coming up road course, may 11th, which is the prequel to the indie 500, which is the same thing for imsa, which is going to be in laguna seca on may 12th, which is's Day.
• 19:35
  Speaker 3: Everybody don't forget that May 18th, coming up in a couple of weeks, is going to be the NHRA and they're going to be in Chicago.
• 19:44
  Speaker 3: It's going to be a two-day event, 18th and 19th, and it's going to be the Route 66 National Speedway in Chicago.
• 19:52
  Speaker 4: So there you go.
• 19:53
  Speaker 4: Mr Mars it's all yours, sir.
• 19:54
  Speaker 4: Yes, sir.
• 19:55
  Speaker 4: So we've talked to a lot of different people here, got a lot of different vehicles.
• 20:05
  Speaker 4: But one of the things if you're thinking about getting into this is you got to keep in mind that the whole idea is to document a vehicle back to its factory original condition.
• 20:09
  Speaker 4: Now each one of these brands have got different judges.
• 20:11
  Speaker 4: They're experts in that marquee and they know all about it the history of the engine, the chassis, construction, factory paint and they know what normal wear and tear would be on these things.
• 20:22
  Speaker 4: So if you've got a car and you want to try and get into this, you need to go to some of the meets and some of the the shows like this one.
• 20:28
  Speaker 4: But a couple of the big ones you need to look at is the classic car club of america, bloomington gold, the national corvette restoration restorers society, because they've all got certification programs and judging events specifically for this, and that includes some of them like Bloomington Gold Corvette Show.
• 20:47
  Speaker 4: The end of June at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has got workshops that they go into.
• 20:54
  Speaker 4: You can go in and you can learn about frame-off processes, mechanical rebuilding, body paintwork, all these kind of things that are going to go into it.
• 21:02
  Speaker 4: You need to go and find out about it before you actually get into it because, such as Bloomington Gold, they recognize characteristics like overspray and orange peel.
• 21:12
  Speaker 4: That's typical of factory cars, but a lot of people they correct it and they overcorrect it, so they take out the orange peel and they make it an over-restored vehicle.
• 21:22
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and they get points off of that they do too much.
• 21:24
  Speaker 4: and then you start losing points because it's too much.
• 21:26
  Speaker 4: So if you want to look into this before you get too far gone down this road, you need to start looking at the certification groups that are going to do that and what you want to be involved in.
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: That's right, let's get to Paul Merriman.
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: He is the co-founder of Keels and Wheels, been here for 28 years and been doing his boat thing a lot longer than that, I would imagine.
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: Paul, it's good to see you, sir.
• 21:47
  Speaker 2: It's good to be here.
• 21:47
  Speaker 2: Thank you very much.
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: Well, thank you, and how are things going?
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: This is a Donzie boat feature in there here at Lakewood Yacht Club this year, and how many Donzis do you have out there?
• 22:00
  Speaker 2: We've got 16 Donzis, oh wow 16 Donzis, a very special boat.
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: Do they still build these things?
• 22:05
  Speaker 2: Yes, they do.
• 22:06
  Speaker 2: A different company bought them a few years ago and they're now building the boat, but the ones we have here date all the way back to the beginning, you know, in the late 60s, early 70s, when they were building the Sweet 16, they called it, which was the hot dog boat of that era.
• 22:25
  Speaker 2: What?
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: we would look at as today's cigarette, or something like that.
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: Exactly, yes, yeah.
• 22:32
  Speaker 2: And, of course, you know the new modern ones.
• 22:34
  Speaker 2: If you've been to the harbor, you can see what the new Donzis look like, which are the big go-fast really sleek looking.
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: So are you judging these?
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: Yes, yes, we are.
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: Are you the head judge?
• 22:49
  Speaker 2: I'm one of the judges.
• 22:50
  Speaker 2: One of the judges.
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: Okay, so there's several of you.
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: See, you can kind of defer all the hate and ugly words that might be said because they didn't get the top prize or whatever.
• 23:00
  Speaker 2: Exactly, it wasn't my fault, that's right.
• 23:03
  Speaker 3: Have you always judged and can you be bought?
• 23:07
  Speaker 2: No, I have not always judged.
• 23:09
  Speaker 2: Being the co-founder of the event.
• 23:14
  Speaker 2: I stayed out of that until I semi-retired here a couple of years ago conflict of interest yeah, yeah, I got you.
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: Yeah, how many boats total are out there to be seen by the visitors today?
• 23:23
  Speaker 2: uh, right at 50 50 boats.
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: Yeah, are any of the boats out there welcoming visitors on board?
• 23:30
  Speaker 2: Yes, we've got a couple of the big boats that are giving tours.
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: I remember visiting one several years ago.
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: It was magnificent.
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: It was a yacht, a total wooden yacht, and I don't remember who owned it.
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: It was a very nice woman that was giving the tours and I think her husband was sitting next to her with the dog on the floor.
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: Come on in, take a look.
• 23:56
  Speaker 2: It was stunning the detail work on these boats.
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: That would more than likely be the yacht Serenity, and she is back with us this year.
• 24:01
  Speaker 4: Oh, that's great.
• 24:02
  Speaker 2: This is about her 20th year to be in our show.
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: Well, that's a magnificent boat and if you come down here to Keels and Wheels, be sure and go out there and get on board that boat and take a look.
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: I think that you're going to go.
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: You've got to be kidding.
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: People actually made this.
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: It's truly stunning.
• 24:22
  Speaker 2: Well, it really is.
• 24:23
  Speaker 2: If we're talking about the yacht Serenity, it's a 1941 boat.
• 24:27
  Speaker 2: Construction was actually started in the late 30s and finished in 1941.
• 24:33
  Speaker 2: But it was also the last one to come out of the factory before they converted to wartime activities, so it's really a very rare vessel.
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: Yeah Well, it's stunningly beautiful to think of the craftsmanship that went into that at that time.
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: We look back on, look back on that and you just kind of eh give it a shrug.
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: But you go in there and look at the detail work and you'll see why it took all those years to put that thing together.
• 24:58
  Speaker 3: And the maintenance of it currently, I'm sure.
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: Keep it up.
• 25:01
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 25:02
  Speaker 2: The maintenance and upkeep is unbelievable.
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: Has it got the original engine in it?
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: Yes, it does.
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: Is there an original engine in it?
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: Yes, it does, it does.
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, I cannot even imagine, you know, a freshwater or, in this case, I guess, a saltwater boat, because that is a constant maintenance item.
• 25:18
  Speaker 2: Well, it is, but this has the original Detroit diesel engines.
• 25:21
  Speaker 2: Wow.
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: Truly amazing.
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: It'll last forever.
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: I know you probably can't say what your favorite is, but what would you really want everybody to know?
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: That's out there, that they must see.
• 25:33
  Speaker 2: You know it'd be really hard to pick the best boat.
• 25:36
  Speaker 2: I'm glad it's not my job this year to pick the outstanding boat, which we normally have one every year, but we've got some absolutely beautiful boats.
• 25:48
  Speaker 1: Well, Paul, it's always good to see you.
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: We've got some absolutely beautiful boats.
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: Well, Paul, it's always good to see you.
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: I'm sure we're a little short on time this morning, but I did want to make sure that you get on and talk about the boat section, the keels portion of keels and wheels, and it's great to see you.
• 25:59
  Speaker 2: Well, it's always a pleasure to talk to you guys.
• 26:01
  Speaker 2: We're glad to have you here.
• 26:02
  Speaker 2: Thank you very much.
• 26:03
  Speaker 2: Thank you very much, great to see you.
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: Okay, wrap up today's show right after a quick break here on In Wheel Time.
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: Original Group of Loopy Tortilla restaurants will have you telling your family and friends just what the original recipes mean when it comes to the best fajitas in Southeast Texas.
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: Founder Stan Holt invites you to visit the original Loopy Tortilla near I-10 and Highway 6.
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: Here's the original house that inspired the design of all the rest and the original charm that helped make Loopy Tortilla the go-to destination for Houston Tex-Mex.
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: Speaking of original, nothing can compete with the original lime pepper marinade.
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: That, everyone will agree, makes Loopy Tortilla award-winning beef fajitas the best anywhere.
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: Loopy Tortilla Katy is another location that gives you the same quality and service Houstonians have come to expect at Loopy's.
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: It's located just off I-10 of the Grand Parkway.
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: At Kingsland Boulevard in Katy.
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: Find yourself in Aggieland Head to the Loopy Tortilla and College Station.
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: Located just around the corner from Kyle Field, it's a great place to enjoy those famous frozen margaritas before or after the game.
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: Headed east to Louisiana, stop in at the Loopy Tortilla in Beaumont.
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: It too's on I-10.
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: You can't miss it.
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: The original group of Loopy Tortilla restaurants invites you in for the best Tex-Mex anywhere.
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: Gulf Coast Auto Shield is having another Car Social Saturday morning, may 18th, from 8 to 11.
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: It's a car cruise in like no other.
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: Expect Ferraris, lamborghinis, corvettes and the featured brand Porsche.
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: Get social at this special cruise in event.
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: You'll also see Gulf Coast Auto Shield's private workshop and learn about their many products and services.
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: Questions are welcomed.
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: Gulf Coast Auto Shield is easy to get to at 11275 South Sam Houston Tollway, near West Airport Boulevard, just south of the Southwest Freeway.
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: The Car Social featuring Porsche takes place Saturday morning, may 18th, from 8 to 11.
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: Tell your friends and no matter what car you have, bring it and enjoy this rare opportunity to see some of Houston's finest rides.
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: In Wheel Time will bring its car talk show there too.
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: So join us for another Car Social at Gulf Coast Auto Shield Saturday morning, may 18th, 8 to 11, at 11275 South Sam Houston Tollway, just south of the Southwest Freeway.
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: Visit GCAutoShieldcom to see the show flyer for more details.
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: Well, that's it for this week's In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: Check out our website inwheeltimecom.
• 28:12
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• 28:16
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• 28:19
  Speaker 1: We'll keep you posted on the latest car stuff all week long when you're looking for award-winning car talks.
• 28:25
  Speaker 1: Sunday through Friday, you can find the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show 24-7 via the iHeartRadio app.
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: Daily 30-minute podcasts are available from your favorite streaming provider.
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: We post a new episode every day.
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: And, don't forget, we live stream this show on Facebook, youtube and InRealTimecom every Saturday from 8 to 11 am Central Time.
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: The In Real Time sales and video technical director is we Need More.
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: Jeff Zekin yes For Booking Agent, video Editor and the man who dives deeper than the Titanic to bring you all of his magnificence Mike Out of this World, mars, along with chief engineer, bottle washer and driver of the 1984 Browns minivan, david Ainsley.
• 29:08
  Speaker 1: I'm Don Armstrong.
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: We hope you join us next week from our broadcast home Studio A in Sugar Land, texas, here on the In Real Time Car Talk Show Next Saturday, may 11th, 8 to 11 am on all of our In Real Time Car Talk outlets.
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: Have a great weekend.
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: Be safe out there.
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning, 8 to 11 am Central on Facebook, youtube, twitch and our InWheelTimecom website.
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, spotify Stitcher, iheart Podcast Podcast Addict TuneIn, pandora and Amazon Music.
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: Keep listening and we'll see you soon.