As winter weather starts to switch over to milder temperatures, there are those things that every car enthusiast of any age looks forward to enjoying.  I"m not talking about just a chance to blow the winter dust off on a fair weather day, but those cruise- ins, car shows, and official car club kick offs  for the year. Family friendly, educational, and  chances to meet new people make spending the day surrounded by cars an easy and inexpensive choice.   A quick search online should offer multiple clubs operating in the  local area.  With clubs specializing in anything from  Mopar,  American muscle, Imports, Rat Rods, etc. it is easy to find a club to check out and fit into.

We decided to take the cars cruising to North Charleston, SC this weekend to check out Lowcountry Muscle Car Club.  This was their official kick off for the year and started off  with breakfast at Golden Corral  followed by a photo shoot at iconic Mel's filing Station.   Everyone we  met was welcoming, and more than happy to show off and talk about their rides both past and present all through breakfast.  I was excited to discover two Mach 1 owners sitting at the table and enjoyed pictures of their cars.

After eating, everyone hopped in their rides and headed a short distance up the road to Mel's Filing Station. As we pulled in, turns were taken in front of the store for pictures before parking, opening hoods and doors, and doing some serious look overs.  Overall, we had a great time, met some wonderful people, got some awesome pictures and joined the club.  Can't wait to go back and have fun with them this  year.

1969 was an amazingly memorable year.  Man stepped foot on the moon, Woodstock drew over 400,00 music lovers, Mario Andretti won the Indianapolis 500 with an average speed of 156 mph, and Pontiac introduced the "Judge".

Even after 46 years, it is a car highly sought and prized with muscle car enthusiast.  Those that have been restored pull top dollar at auctions as well as premium prices in private sales.  Finding one to restore is a time consuming challenge but occasionally they can be found.    This one rolled in to the shop to begin her makeover this week.  Follow along on the GTO build page to watch the transformation over the coming months!

The latest, greatest project has arrived here at the shop!  There is not enough room in one post to tell all about the fabulous Mach 1 we found to restore, so I made a whole official " 1971 Ford March 1 Build" page!   It will be a fun place to trade pictures, challenges, and maybe a frustration or two.  Either way you will be able to keep up on what is happening each week and watch it from beginning to end.   You can check it out under the more tab in the upper right hand side- or if you want a shortcut you can simply click here : Show me the Mach 1 Already!

We are close to the finish line!  And though we  still have a few odds and ends to complete we took the Maverick out for her debut to the July Beaufort Classic Car & Truck Cruise -In  where she had many admirers.  Like all restorations this one came with its own set of challenges.  One of the first ones involved the engine that came with the car.  Upon cranking it for the first time it dropped a valve creating a lot of noise and damage.  We could have ran out and bought a crate engine, but what fun is that?  Instead we found another 302 and sent parts off to the machine shop, then Jeff built the engine himself.

Next bit of fun came with the decision to change from an automatic to a 5 speed  manual transmission.   A trip through the junk yard and we got what we needed from a 1996 Mustang. The column shift was removed and a tachometer installed in its place.  ( I wish I could tell you more but for that part I stayed in the office and Jeff did all the hard work as usual.  You are welcomed to email any questions or comments to him)  

We all have those cars we remember from our youth that we wished we had again.  For Jeff it was the dark green Maverick he had in high school.  He had been keeping an eye out for one over the past couple of years but many  were  too far gone to restore.  Others he  came across were overpriced, especially given the work that needed to be done.  Refusing to be discouraged Jeff just kept looking until he found it.  He must have been good this year- because a 1972 Ford Maverick, in awesome shape, showed up just in time for Christmas.  This restoration should move pretty quickly as most  everything needed came with the car!  I'll add pictures as we go along.

Only 4 more days until the car show in Beaufort, SC!  What a better way to spend the afternoon with your family? While you are there be sure to come by our tent and say hello!  We will be giving away shirts and Koozies all afternoon!  Afterwards we will be sure to post pictures from the show as we already know there are going to be some awesome classic cars attending.  So make plans to come out and have some fun!

Back in October we started work on a 72 AMX Javelin.  Many of you may remember me discussing the surprise we found on the front breaks in a post back then.  At that time the bodywork and a new paint job had been completed, the engine had been pulled and work  begun on going through all the systems and checking them.    As there was many interior  pieces missing from the original, the search for a donor car began in earnest.  After much time and searching a donor car was found.  In the next week or so we can dive back into checking out the donor car's systems and repairing anything we need to.  After that it will be time to finally start switching things over and close in on finishing this build.  Below  is a picture of both cars side by side.  The donor car is in front. Stay tuned!

Occasionally a car will come in for work that makes you smile. 
 Here are some fun facts about the car:   

*According to Hagerty classic Car guides,  only 566 of these cars were built, with only 33 being used on the track.  The rest were sold one per dealership.
*1973 White Cadillac Eldorado Pace Car
*18.6 feet long, a little over 6.5 feet wide
* Worth an average of $17,554
Click Here to read all the cool and interesting stats and information about it.

Was this car one of two "official" pace cars?  Was it one of the 33 used on the track?    Well, you will have to click the link above to discover what this plaque     on the car dash Really means....  And if the suspense is really killing you, I could always give you the VIN number so you could check for sure :)

Looking to adopt a kitten, cat, or dog? The not so secret surprise is; Palmetto Animal League is waiving adoption fees.  All cats, kittens, and dogs go home for free for the month of December. They also go home with a Health Check Certificate which means they receive a free physical exam, vaccinations, nail trim, and more the next time their vaccines are due. Get him/her toys, healthy snacks, better food, a nice crate, pet insurance, or relax about your holiday spending and enjoy the new addition to the family.

 Check out pictures of animals waiting to be adopted and get more information at their website by clicking here.
                                               OR
Visit in person at: 56 Riverwalk Blvd, Ridgeland, SC 29936
                     Call: 843-645-1725

And I just realized I haven't made a single post all month.  Phew!  Time flies when you are having fun, right?   I meant to write a few post, I really did, honest.  But then we got started on one truck, and another came in, and then another.  On top of that we got to paint a few Santa Fe's, a couple Elantras, and did I mention trucks because this seemed to be trunk month.  What's that?  Where are the pictures you ask?  Ummm, well I meant to take those too, but between ordering parts, fetching parts, and just plain finding parts- I got a little sidetracked.  However, after taking a couple days off for Thanksgiving I hope to be back to posting pictures and  doing a better job of updating our blog.  
The shop will be closed for Thanksgiving November 28 and 29th. 
                          We hope your Thanksgiving is filled with family, food, couches,
                             recliners, TVs, and remote controls to your heart's content!!!