The MuscleCar Place

FEATURE INTERVIEWS: Junkyard Digs Kevin Brown Gambler 500 Pontiac LeMans in its original environment This week marks the return of a now even more famous previous guest! Last time I interviewed Kevin Brown, his YouTube channel "Junkyard Digs" was just starting to gain attention of the automotive community and he was making videos between college classes and military deployments. In fact, his time in the service allowed him to edit his videos in a social media vacuum that let him fill his channel with content made the way he thinks it should be made instead of swaying to popular criticisms. Apparently Kevin was right and Junkyard Digs is now almost as popular as the original Roadkill videos on the same platform. Much has happened since the first interview last March (TMCP 426) so I asked Kevin back to get caught up on how he is doing with the show, and his plans for the future. Media is ever changing and as one form dies another rises to take its place. TV and Magazines have altered significantly, and now YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and even Podcasts are the new normal. However.....Kevin knows that there is a season for everything, and he's preparing for his future. He is working towards the goal of (eventually) shifting YouTube a hobby again and to build up other aspects  of the Junkyard Digs LLC business to supplement the income. That said, the business shift will not occur anytime soon. Junkyard Digs is frankly - KILLING IT - right now! Kevin has been able to network with other YouTube stars and corporations to increase his viewership. Junkyard Digs has even been invited to be the draw at events like the QA1 Open House or the Street Machine Nationals and show off cars like the Gambler 500 LeMans. If you want to know more or get caught up on the large catalog of videos you can find Junkyard Digs on YouTube.com/JunkyardDigs or on Instagram.com/junkyard_digs. Thanks Kevin! -Rob Kibbe ====================================================== This interview sponsored by our pals at National Parts Depot – your premier source for muscle car restoration parts!  

It is August, time for football to resume,  and time for another no holds barred Ask Rick interview with Rick Schmidt! This time (in addition to another fun nitpick through eBay car listings) we delved into the topic of "free shipping." Even further, the actual costs of shipping and receiving of large orders, small orders, freight orders, damage returns, and the like. You may be shocked to hear it....but the "free shipping" on those parts you bought online didn't actually have a free ANYTHING! >Rob invented a product! Well, a team of buddies and Kibbe invented a product...and finally launched it. It only took 10 years and it's not for cars at all. It's for baseball! Check it out: https://www.magictee.io

This week, marks the return of Steven Rupp! You may not remember hearing Steve on this show unless you go way back to one of our very first interviews in episode 37. Back then he was working for Camaro Performer magazine and loving it! He started at Motor Trend as the Technical Editor for Popular Hot Rodding before moving to the Camaro only publication where he wrote tech articles as he built fast cars. He went on to helm Super Chevy Magazine as well as other publications and is today one of the most highly read authors on the MotorTrend family of website magazine publications. I ran into Steven again and thought it would be great to get an update on what he has been up to, and most specifically to understand how magazine for him has changed since 2010. To put it short.....nearly everything has changed except the love for cars!

This week, marks the official return of summer and the one interview you can count on, Rick Love of Vintage Air! Rick has been on the show going back to episode 144 and Vintage Air was key in providing the Chevelle with its crisp cool breeze. I look forward to seeing Rick at SEMA every year. 2020 was a full year for us all, but especially Rick. He is now the President of Vintage Air and will soon be inducted into the SEMA Hall of fame! I also asked Rick to speak on the state of the aftermarket as a whole in light of 2020's effects on everything (supply chain, material costs, shipping, etc.) and discuss the rise in quality we've seen the past 10 years for parts in general. In addition I had hoped he could speak to the impact and legacy of the late Craig Morrison.....which he did gracefully. Craig and his father Art worked hand in hand in growing Art Morrison Enterprises of course, but Craig was a friend to all. He'll be deeply missed and our sympathies go out to his wife, son, parents, and all extended family and friends.

Happy 4th of July and welcome to another great edition of "Ask Rick". Rick Schmidt is never one to shy away from the hard hitting questions and this month was no exception. After last months bombshell about pricing and how COVID-19 is affecting the costs of everything, there were a lot of listener questions about the parts themselves......and where they really come from. He may need to have all listeners sign a non disclosure agreement after this interview, but he definitely let the cards fall where they may. Here was the big discussion (and myth debunk): Aren't all aftermarket parts made in just three plants in Taiwan, and they're really all the same no matter the brand? Rick laid out the reality of this eight ways from Sunday. The answer is complicated to say least.  Are there really 3 factories in Taiwan stamping out all of our favorite parts?  No, of course not.  The amount of tooling required to do all of that would take up the state of Rhode Island. Do the many multiple factories - who are competing with each other - actually have to competitively work together? Actually, they do. Shipping of parts is a key reason however.

Larry Callahan is back for the second quarterly Pro-Touring Update for 2021! He has the latest information directly from the pages of Pro-Touring.com and he gave me an update on his tech laden, power stuffed, cutting edge, classic muscle, home projects! The big news is that the event list for 2022 is at full force; more events are back than ever!

This week, marks the return yet again of Mike Finnegan to give us an update on what has been happening around Finnegan's Garage, on Roadkill, and on his recently renewed show Faster with Finnegan. Of course his most famous work was on the Kibbe and Finnegan Podcast. Seriously though, Mike has been a good friend over the years and it's always a fun (and usually happily dumb) catchup. 

Rick Schmidt is back for our ever-popular "Ask Rick" segment and this weeks listener question is straight from the news headlines: the increase of prices on EVERYTHING. From global pandemics sequestering workers at home, to 2020's increased consumer buying, to stimulus packages, and then a final blow of a stuck ship in the middle of a canal blocking the worlds free trade, the global market has taken a huge hit. All of these forces and more have combined to impact the availability of goods and raise prices across the board.

This week, I spoke to Lyle Brummer of Speedkore Performance Group. Speedkore specializes in one-off high performance car builds that meld craftsmanship and high end technology to produce stunning works of art. They are known for their stunning carbon fiber bodywork that resembles the original but at a much higher refinement than ever used in a production build.

This week, I spoke to Scott Lambert, President of Minnesota Auto Dealer's Association, and wanted to find out more about the 2021 Twin Cites Auto Show. Scott's history is quite different than most of our guests but he is still a car guy at heart. His background is in politics and was actually an automobile industry lobbyist talking about new cars and dealerships at the highest levels of government. It makes sense that he now uses his power of influence to fill this huge automotive event with all kinds of new car excitement.

Rick Schmidt is back for our ever-popular "Ask Rick" segment this week and we discussed two different "Pro-Touring" cars in the NPD warehouse that were developed and created by Pontiac engineer Herb Adams. Specifically, the "Fire Am" Firebird and the "Cheverra" Camaro. Interestingly enough though, when these cars were created....there was no such thing as the phrase "Pro-Touring" at all. That phase would not enter the lexicon for at least another 20 years or more. These cars are rare, fast, and fun....and were developed in the late 1970's! Here's the fully story.

If you've been following this show for a while you know that 1970's and 80's TV cars (and trucks) have had a huge influence on the cars we all love today. From the General Lee, to KITT, to the A-Team, all of those shows featured a hero vehicle that was just as much a character as any one of the individual actors. Today's episode is a full take on yet another beloved classic...and features a full rundown of everything you'll need to know to build your very own "Fall Guy" Square-Body GMC truck! Even better, our guest Nathan Warren has more passion for this topic than anyone I know. Buckle up for takeoff! ****** Presented with Good Guys! Upcoming events include: Goodguys 6th Griot’s Garage North Carolina Nationals Presented by Griot's Garage April 23-25, 2021 **Use Our Custom Link for Signup Discount!** www.eventbrite.com/e/138860897683/?discount=GGMUSCLE Goodguys 2nd RaceDeck Salt Lake Nationals May 21 - 23, 2021 Utah State Fairpark **Use Our Custom Link for Signup Discount!** www.eventbrite.com/e/138872376015/?discount=GGMUSCLE

This week, we get a chance to catch up with a previous guest and friend of the show Garrett Daniels. When I interviewed Garrett three years ago in episode 351, he was just starting out on his own trying to make a business out of his passion of fabrication. Specifically, he wanted to specialize in roll cages and off road suspension for the trucks he loved most. Since then many things went well, some things became "difficult learning lessons", but it all helped him to adapt and thrive to where he is today! Big News: GoodGuys is promoting upcoming events and we have discounts for two of them! Goodguys 6th Griot’s Garage North Carolina Nationals Presented by Griot's Garage April 23-25, 2021 **Use Our Custom Link for Signup Discount!** www.eventbrite.com/e/138860897683/?discount=GGMUSCLE Goodguys 2nd RaceDeck Salt Lake Nationals May 21 - 23, 2021 Utah State Fairpark **Use Our Custom Link for Signup Discount!** www.eventbrite.com/e/138872376015/?discount=GGMUSCLE

It's the first show of April, and once again time for our monthly Ask Rick segment with Rick Schmidt! This time I wanted to know more about the unusual and rare vehicles in his collection. On our family trip to Florida we had a chance to stop in at NPD and were shown around the incredible collection that Rick and his father have amassed over the years. The "personal luxury car" segment of giant Buicks, Olds, Lincolns, and Fords is second to none....but the 1987 Firebird that really caught my eye was produced by a huge company in the 1980's that is nothing but a memory today!

Larry Callahan is back! For 2021 Larry will be joining us quarterly in a feature interview to bring the latest Pro-Touring event information straight from Pro-Touring.com. Larry is the "OG" of the Pro-Touring social media movement and a dear friend. You can take what he says to the bank! Upcoming Events: Larry was able to get a comprehensive list of events for this quarter and I have posted it below. He also said he would be adding links to it and hosting it on the Pro-Touring.com website. It is exciting to see so many events listed including many that are brand new while some events are older established events that are going to see a huge upswing in interest due to pent up frustration. It will be very interesting to see what new vehicles emerge freshly built and ready to race as well as old familiar vehicles with new updates bursting forth from sequestering garages. People are anxious to use their cars after a completely missed summer in 2020 and this year will be the one to watch and attend.