This episode of Hammer Down hosted by Kevin Oeste features a great lineup of Hot Rod Industry personalities, including HRIA Chair and HushMat & ZyCoat Owner Tim McCarthy, Pete and Jake’s Owner Jerry Slover, and South City Rod and Custom owner Bill Ganahl. Tune in as they:
Dive deep into the SEMA Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA), its mission, and its impact on the hobby we love.
Offer invaluable insights and tips for Hot Rod business owners, helping them navigate the ever-evolving landscape.
Revisit legendary cars that have left an indelible mark on the industry, like the iconic California Kid.
… And share some laughs and great stories along the way!
Whether you’re a seasoned gearhead or just starting your professional Hot Rod journey, Hammer Down delivers informative and entertaining discussion that celebrates the passion, ingenuity, and enduring legacy of the Hot Rod community and how the SEMA HRIA aims to help Hot Rod businesses succeed.
So buckle up, rev your engines, and join us on this thrilling ride through the world of hot rodding. Welcome to Hammer Down.
Hammer Down! The Official Podcast of the SEMA Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA)
Check out the new Hammer Down! SEMA Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) Podcast, hosted by V8 Speed & Resto Shop’s own Kevin Oeste and HRIA Chair and HushMat & ZyCoat Owner Tim McCarthy! It features some great guests, stories, and insights into the Hot Rod industry. Click to listen below, and we hope you dig it!
Listen To The Premiere Episode
On the latest Hammer Down! The SEMA Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) Podcast, we chat with Jerry Slover of the legendary Pete and Jake’s Hot Rod Parts and Bill Ganahl from South City Rod and Custom about what it takes to run a successful Hot Rod business. Pete & Jakes still owns Jake’s Coupe and The California Kid, two iconic Hot Rods that helped launch their business, now in its 50th year! South City Rod and Custom is bringing the heat with innovative Hot Rods and customs that are still deeply rooted in tradition. If you’re in the biz or just like Hot Rod stories, this is a great episode for you. Listen and subscribe on your favorite Podcast platform, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and others… and keep the Hammer Down!
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Put on your shades and crank up the tunes, gearheads! This week’s V8 Radio Podcast takes us on a sun-soaked California cruise through the epicenter of custom car culture. We buckle up for:
The legendary 2024 Grand National Roadster Show: It’s all there – the glistening chrome and mind-blowing craftsmanship of America’s premier indoor car show. We’ll share our highlights, hidden gems, and maybe even some celebrity sightings!
Delving into automotive history at the Lions Automobilia Foundation: From vintage racers to Hollywood movie cars, the Lions Foundation has it all. The facility is just as cool as the cars!
Caffeine and classics at Donut Derelicts: Join us for the iconic Huntington Beach cars and coffee event, where the smell of burnt rubber blends with fresh donuts and the rumble of V8s fills the air. Cruising classics, friendly faces, and endless car spotting – what’s not to love?
A peek inside SoCal Speed Shop: We got invited to their open house event, where we chatted with the SoCal team, checked out the shop, peeked behind the scenes of their legendary builds, and soak up the pure passion for hot rods.
That’s not all! We’ll kick things off with some stump-the-chumps automotive trivia, answer your burning car questions, and share plenty of laughs and good times along the way. So, grab your favorite beverage, fire up the engine of your imagination, and join us for a California dreamin’ episode of the V8 Radio Podcast!
Tune in for a thrilling ride down memory lane with the latest episode of the V8 Radio Podcast, hosted by the dynamic duo of Kevin Oeste and Mike “Q-Ball” Clarke.
This episode is packed with exciting content that will pique your interest, whether you’re a seasoned restoration pro or a casual admirer of automotive history. Here’s a sneak peek at what awaits you:
Kevin’s Creative Hub Revealed: Dive into a tour of Kevin’s brand new creative haven, a space brimming with inspiration and sure to spark your curiosity. What innovative projects are brewing within its walls? Tune in to find out!
Preserving the Past: Resurrecting Old Recordings and Videos: As the V8 Speed and Resto Shop and V8TV gear up for their 20th anniversary, the conversation delves into the fascinating process of rediscovering and digitizing old recordings and videos. This is a treasure trove of automotive history waiting to be unearthed!
The Unveiling of a Beauty: 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Convertible: Kevin Q-Ball touch on the stunningly restored 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme convertible, a long-time family heirloom car brought back to life by the skilled hands at V8 Speed and Resto.
Fueling Your Automotive Knowledge: Automotive Trivia Challenge: Put your car knowledge to the test with a fun and engaging automotive trivia challenge hosted by the dynamic duo. Are you ready to show off your expertise?
And Much More! This episode is just a taste of the exciting content packed into this latest V8 Radio Podcast. Buckle up for laughter, insightful discussions, and a healthy dose of automotive passion.
Don’t miss out on this thrilling ride! Subscribe to the V8 Radio Podcast today and be the first to experience the latest automotive adventures with Kevin Oeste and Mike “Q-Ball” Clarke.
P.S. Share your thoughts on the episode in the comments below! What aspect are you most excited about? What car-related stories would you like to hear in the future? Let’s keep the conversation rolling!
** UPDATE: It’s with heavy hearts that we regret to inform that the owner / caretaker of the 1970 Buick GSX “Prototype” show car Brad Conley has passed. He’s owned this extremely special car since 1978, and it is largely responsible for our host Kevin Oeste’s obsession with Muscle Cars. Please join us in extending our condolences to the Conley family, but also our deepest appreciation to Brad for finding, restoring, and showing this amazing car that touched so many lives.
Most of us have a particular car that left a mark on us, and this Muscle Car Of The Week left a burnout on host Kevin Oeste’s brain like a Buick 455 burning bias ply tires across a slick parking lot. This week, Oeste is united with a childhood dream car, seeing the 1970 Buick GSX Stage 1 “Prototype” show car in person for the first time at the 2018 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals in Chicago. It was one of many special moments from the MCACN show, and a great example of why all muscle car fans should attend this amazing event. Special thanks to car owner Brad Conley for the personal tour of the GSX.
Hot Wheels: Chevy Corvette Restomod Build: Custom ’64 Corvette C2 At The V8 Speed and Resto Shop
We’ve all wanted a full-size version of our favorite Hot Wheels car, and this custom 1964 Chevrolet Corvette built at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop makes that dream come true! The restomod Corvette build features custom paint, performance suspension upgrades from Global West, new disc brakes, and a Holley Sniper EFI system install on the Edelbrock 350 crate engine.
The Design
The main part of the project was repainting the Corvette in custom colors. The goal was to give the overall appearance of a full-size Hot Wheels car, a car that is fun to look at and drive! Custom C2 Corvettes can be controversial, as changing a C2 Corvette from original can hurt it’s collector car market value. However, this 1964 Corvette did not have it’s original engine any longer, and the exterior and interior had been changed from their original colors as well. This allowed for some freedom of expression to build a custom Corvette with a new paint job all it’s own.
Building The Corvette
This custom Corvette video features disassembling the corvette, repairing the fiberglass body, and a bit of Corvette C2 history. The V8 Speed and Resto Shop paint department repaints the Corvette in Ermine White, then lays out the 3 color custom stripe design. We mask off the stripes and custom paint the Corvette in our downdraft Blowtherm paint booth, and spray a final clear coat.
Our team had so much fun with this 1964 Corvette that we even built a 1:64th scale Hot Wheels version to match the full size car!
Let’s Build Your Dream
The V8 Speed and Resto Shop is as full service custom and restoration shop, complete with a full fabrication shop, body shop, paint shop, interior shop, and mechanical departments. We perform stock restorations and complete custom builds, and everything inbetween. LS Swaps, custom body mods, modern driveline swaps, custom interior, custom consoles, high quality custom paint, and dyno tuning are all available. Contact the V8 Speed and Resto Shop today to see how we can make your custom, restomod, pro-touring, street rod, or performance truck build come to life!
Ed Tillrock is an amazing artist, hot rodder, and a great friend of all of us at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop. This month, Ed’s outstanding work is featured on the cover – and inside – the latest CARtoons Magazine! CARtoons is part of the DNA of so many of us who grew up with the passion for cool cars, so it’s great to see Ed’s work in the mix. CARtoons Publisher Marc Methot is also a buddy of ours, and we’re honored to be able to call both of these talented car-guys friends. Our advice is to pick up the latest issue and subscribe to CARtoons as soon as you can so you don’t miss it! And if you’re reading this in the future, CARtoons usually has some back issues in-stock, but there’s no guarantee!
BELOW: Ed Tillrock as a guest on the V8 Radio Podcast
It’s really cool to hang around with people who are really passionate about what they like, and on this episode of the V8 Radio Podcast, Kevin Oeste and Mike Q-Ball Clarke chat about what it’s like to get excited about what you like to do. Kevin references music producer Rick Beato and a recent interview with guitar virtuoso Nuno Bettencourt and how jazzed Nuno was to share his passion and stories, much in the way car enthusiasts do all the time. Later, we get an update from Mr. Q on working at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop and how that’s all going. Then, they touch on the new Bonneville Up To Speed podcast, some special V8 Radio Podcast shout-outs to new friends made through this podcast, Automotive Trivia, an announcement about V8 Radio stickers, some Hot Rod Magazine stories, and much more! Listen, like, subscribe, and review this episode of the V8 Radio Podcast!
This 1978 Pontiac Trans Am is transforming into a high-end Pro Touring car at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop. Power comes from a Chevrolet Performance LS3 V8, and it is installed in a Detroit Speed hydroformed front subframe. It’s backed by a Tremec T-56 6-speed manual transmission, sending power back to a fully independent rear suspension IRS system from Heidts.
The Trans Am is a full build at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop, and was stripped to bare steel before being sprayed in a protective epoxy primer. The body had minimal rust, so it is in the test fit stage in this video. Subscribe to be updated on the progress of this car as we do all the mechanical upgrades, body and paint, complete interior, and tuning.
