Nothing goes together like fast cars and rock & roll, and both are celebrated at the Curb Museum for Music and Motorsports and the North Carolina Music Hall Of Fame! We recently took a quick tour of this rich racing and racing museum and just had to share it. How many winning Indy, Nascar, NHRA, and other cars can you spot… and how many artists and songs do you know?
Racing enthusiast, Mike Curb is owner/founder of Curb Records, a label including greats like Wynonna Judd, Hank Williams, Jr., Tim McGraw and a host of stars of tomorrow. Curb has also owned cars driven by NASCAR legends including Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty and Dale Jarrett. See unique rides like LeAnn Rimes’ first car along with the #2 car Dale Earnhardt won his first Winston Cup championship in and the famous #43 car that Richard Petty raced to his 199th victory at Dover. Each storied set of wheels and more than 700 wall displays bring racing and recording industry history to life.
Adding Modern Performance And Handling To A Classic Envelope
This cool yellow 1968 Oldsmobile 442 looks great, but the owner wanted better handling, braking, and comfort, while adding more reliable power and a smoother shifting transmission to the car without sacrificing the classic look. The solution is the installation of at Roadster Shop chassis and an LS3 V8, hooked to a Tremec TKX 5-speed manual transmission.
Restoring As Needed
This 1968 Oldsmobile 442 had been restored once, but we discovered some areas needing attention. We replaced the rusty dashboard and performed some floor pan repairs during the process. The goal was to perform the required tasks without re-restoring the entire car.
Upgrades With Drivability In Mind
The foundation is a Roadster Shop chassis, which is not only stiffer than the original GM chassis, but it also incorporates improved suspension geometry, stroger parts, and spring, shock, and steering technology over 50 years more advanced than the 1968 design. The end result is a car that drives phenomenally well while not losing the original 442 appearance.
LS3 + TKO = Way More Fun!
The nearly 500 HP all-aluminum LS3 V8 engine provides modern and reliable power while saving weight and eliminating old-design leaks. A Tremec TKx 5-speed transmission is able to handle over 600 ft-lbs of torque and adds an overdrive 5th gear, all while capable of 7500+ RPM shifts. It is geared to match the rear axle ratio and power curve of the engine, so the hydraulically-clutched 5-speed adds to the fun while being easy to drive.
Follow The Build
The photos tell the story of how the V8 Speed and Resto Shop team transformed this Olds into a road car that the driver can enjoy all day long. Our team is very experienced in building these type of Pro-Touring Muscle Cars for those who put the emphasis on driving performance. What can we build for you? Contact the V8 Speed and Resto Shop today to chat about your dream classic, Hot Rod, or Muscle Car!
We’ve recently completed a 1970 Ford Mustang convertible restoration here at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop. This is a cool Mustang Restomod with a rich history, and has been in the same family since the summer of 1972! The V8 Speed team completely disassembled the car for rust repairs and suspension upgrades, fixed the rusty and damaged body, and repainted the Mustang in a nearly-original color.
It’s powered by a Ford 302 V8 backed by a C4 automatic transmission, and was equipped from the factory with air conditioning. Our customer drove the car often, as it was her first car back in 1972. Over the years, the ‘70 Mustang was driven by the next generation in the family, until it was wrecked in 1993 and subsequently parked. It had not been driven since then, and we were happy to return it to the road once completed.
The Restoration Process
The V8 Speed and Resto Shop team disassembled the entire car, and stripped all the paint to reveal previous damage and rust repairs. The convertible Mustang was mounted on a fixture in our fabrication shop to keep the body structure supported and true, and sheet metal repairs began. The quarter panels, rear tail panel, doors and floors were all replaced with new steel.
While this car is restored to appear original, we modified a few aspects of the car for better drivability, reliability, performance, and more enjoyment. For example, we installed an upgraded front suspension system from Rod and Custom Motorsports, which provides a tubular upper and lower control arm assembly based on the later Mustang II geometry. It also features an oversized sway bar and a rack and pinion steering unit for more precise control and modern Mustang Road feel. Improved front disc brakes are also installed, along with all new plumbing and brake lines to help the Mustang stop better. Familiar but upsized 17” Magnum 500 wheels from Scott Drake are wrapped in Bridgestone tires.
Watch The 1970 Ford Mustang Restoration Videos
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Adding Complimentary Technology That Fits The Theme
The 302 small block Ford V8 was rebuilt, and is now topped with a FiTech fuel injection system for modern-day reliability, which is also controlling the electronic distributor and ignition timing. This car came from the Ford factory with air conditioning, but we elected to install a more efficient A/C system from Vintage Air, which uses current refrigerant to cool the air. The front accessory drive is a black serpentine system from CVF Racing, complete with a high-flow water pump and higher output alternator.
The color is very close to the original Ford Medium Bright Blue, but it’s been tweaked a bit as preferred by the owner for a bit more… pop! And where the original paint was a single-stage blue, today’s urethane 2-stage basecoat / clearcoat shines far more than the original finish ever did.
New Interior With A Familiar Look
The V8 Speed and Resto Shop interior shop rebuilt the bucket seats and rear seat, upholstering them in the original white / parchment hue, and a new black carpet covers the sound-deadened floor. The top frame and hydraulic system was restored, and we installed a new white convertible top. Fresh glass looks crisp and clean, Dozens of new trim pieces from Classic Industries were installed to make things new again inside.
This family heirloom 1970 Mustang Convertible is nicer looking, and nicer to drive, than it was when it rolled off the assembly line brand new. We at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop are honored to have the opportunity to bring it to a new level for many more years of family enjoyment.
Weather It’s a stock original restoration, a mild restomod, a road-hugging pro-touring machine, a fiery hot rod, or a full-out custom, the V8 Team has what it takes to bring your dream car to life. Contact us anytime to chat about your desires and how we can create a one-of-a-kind ride just for you!
Author: Miguel Pujols Content: Great job, she’s better than new, hope the family enjoys for many smile per mile of years ahead! The classic always appeal to me its like stepping in a time machine, but a RestoMod where it counts makes it so much sweeter…
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Author: James Hutchins Content: Absolutely beautiful! Love the very sensible upgrades making her a sweet daily driver or a show car. A true win win.
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Author: Jason Hull Content: Looks so sharp and clean. You guys sure do good work. I would be honored to build classic’s with you guys ! Keep em coming. We can’t get enough of them. I’d love to see what you could do to My 1970 Camaro too. Lol
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Author: Rick Read Content: Absolutely gorgeous! I like every thing that was upgraded to modernize the car, I’m loving it!
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Author: JSR Roadrash Content: Your team does outstanding work. Beautiful Mustang with a great history.
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Author: Annatar the Maia Content: What comes out of your workshops isn’t work, it’s art.
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Author: Trip Reviews Content: Although I like an all original mustang this is a fantastic updated 1970 Mustang. The classic look has been maintained and yet it is new. Nice. 👍
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Author: GPLIPP Content: Another home run guys. Well done!!
Author: Charles Dalton Content: There are so many things well done on this car but I kept coming back to the panel gaps. They look like they were cut with a laser – holy mackerel!
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Author: KFH Content: More great work… A Real Beauty!!!
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Author: Codename C.A.R.S Content: Nice car!
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Author: John R Smith Content: I had the identical car, except mine had the deluxe interior, which included a console. Absolutely the worst car I ever owned, because of a complete lack of quality control during assembly. Virtually everything was wrong with the car, and I only owned it for 3500 miles. Sad, because it was a neat little car.
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Author: Kenan Turkiye Content: There’s something about metallic blue and chrome on a good car.
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Author: echoi Content: This restomod is the gold standard on what a restomod should be. Compared to cars with chrome air cleaners, chrome valve covers, Obnoxious 20″ rims, those generic jeep LED units, and obnoxiously loud speakers in the back. Eeewww
It’s no secret that we are all about building your dreams here at V8 Speed & Resto Shop / V8TV. That’s why we were honored to partner with Randolph County StartUp and help inspire future generations of entrepreneurs to follow their dreams. Students in this program work hand-in-hand with local businesses to develop the knowledge and skills to launch their own working business. This week we served as mentors by providing a tour of our facility. The students got to meet members of our team as they shared their knowledge on how we operate our business day to day. We are delighted to participate and help transform the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders.
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On this episode of V8 Radio, Mike Clarke and Kevin Oeste chat about the recently completed 25th anniversary Hot Rod Power Tour and preview the Street Machine Nationals event series. Then they veer into a chat about their buddy and regular V8 Radio listener Frank Szymkowski’s sweet GTO being immortalized in a die-cast model! They cover hot wheels, die cast, and a few others before sharing stories about Dads and cars and how many of us got started in the car hobby in the first place. Oh yeah, there’s also automotive trivia and more!
V8 Radio Podcast
V8 Radio Podcast: Power Tour Wrap Up, Street Machine Nationals, Dads and Cars, Die Casts, Trivia, and More!
It’s been a busy summer, and on this episode of V8 Radio, Mike Clarke and Kevin Oeste chat about Kevin’s recent experience co-hosting the SEMA Gala with Jessi Combs and what that experience meant to him. After, they chat about being a true pro and how motorsports announcer Dave McClelland is the Master, and has also been a great mentor and friend to Kevin. Then it’s off to a visit to the Petersen Automotive Museum for the famous Vault Tour with Kevin’s friend Chris Vopat. It’s a huge show but it goes by fast! Check it out!
V8 Radio Podcast
V8 Radio Podcast: SEMA Gala, Dave McClelland, Petersen Automotive Museum, and MORE!
The V8 Speed & Resto Shop recently completed a modern 5.0 Coyote V8 swap into a 1972 Ford Bronco that was brought to us as a restored truck. Now, the restomod Bronco runs much stronger and is more reliable thanks to the Ford Performance 5.0 Coyote V8 engine swap and upgraded Dakota Digital Gauges. The V8 Speed and Resto Shop conversion also included installing a custom mandrel bent Magnaflow exhaust system and high-pressure fuel system to run the Coyote engine.
Now that the 2021 Ford Bronco has been revealed, it’s fun to show how early Ford Broncos can be retrofitted with modern Coyote V8 engines and technology to make the classic Ford Bronco perform like the new 2021 Bronco.
