Dig the latest V8 Radio Podcast – Kevin and Mike recap the muscle car magic from the 2025 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, share trivia triumphs, and geek out over rare rides like that drool-worthy Starlight Black GTO!
🔥 Topics we revved through:
MCACN extravaganza: 640 cars, Hemi B-body convertible invasion, Z16 Chevelle showcase & the epic red carpet display!
1967 Pontiac GTO Ram Air unveil – black beauty with buckets, 4-speed & rare pedigree
Overhead Cam Six Pontiacs, Maple Leaf Muscle from Canada & survivor stories like the 256K-mile ’66 Shelby GT350H
Personal picks: Kevin’s Bamboo Cream ’70 Buick GS 455 4-Speed Convertible (Dave McClelland’s ride!) & Mike’s Sprint Six LeMans convertible
😂 Funny moment: Mike’s epic drool over the Starlight Black GTO leads to Kevin joking about installing a “Cue Ball’s Drool Pond” with gondola rides at the convention center! 💦🚣♂️
On the latest V8 Radio Podcast – Kevin’s hopped up on cold meds so he’s a bit goofy, but the mellifluous vibes are STRONG! We dive deep into SEMA Show 2025, automotive trivia, Q-Ball’s GTO block resurrection, and a LOT more! Listen and subscribe! #V8Radio #SEMAShow #MuscleCars
🔥 Topics & Tangents:
SEMA Show recap: New dealers, 2334 display vehicles, the Smokey Yunick Camaro, thousands of new products & the epic SEMA Cruise chaos!
1969 Corvette build spotlight with Coker Tire’s hot new redline/raised white letter Pro-Trac radials
GTO 400 block teardown: Cracked, but not dead! Dyno dreams ahead!
😂 And: Kevin apologizes on-mic for blocking media cams at the SEMA Cruise: “Sorry, I was the guy with the big bucket of brains!” 🤯
Tune in to the latest episode of the V8 Radio Podcast with hosts Kevin Oeste and Mike “Q-Ball” Clarke – it’s an “illuminating” ride full of classic car chat, trivia, and shop stories. Whether you’re wrenching on your ride or just dreaming about it, this one’s a must-listen!
In This V8 Radio Podcast Episode:
Automotive trivia bombs: Why was the 1957 Nash Ambassador illegal in 11 states? And what’s unique about 1968-1970 Firebird window stickers?
Behind-the-scenes at V8 Speed & Resto Shop: From building a stunning ’66 Chevelle SS (aka “Tropical Freeze”) to the latest engine carnage update on Q’s GTO.
Fun shop tales: Impromptu car club tours, student success stories, and prepping for the 2025 SEMA show.
Funny moment:
Kevin’s deadpan rage-baiting about “LS-swapping” everything – even though he secretly knows it’s sometimes the smart move. 😂 Don’t miss Q’s reaction!
Listen now on your favorite podcast app, subscribe for more, and share with your car buddies. What’s your wildest engine fail story? Drop it in the comments! #V8Radio #ClassicCars #MuscleCars #Podcast
Mike’s Award Winning GTO, Automotive Trivia, V8 Speed and Resto Shop Wins, and Much More on the V8 Radio Podcast!
Join hosts Kevin Oeste and Mike “Q-Ball” Clarke for an award-winning episode of the V8 Radio Podcast, recorded live from Kevin’s personal garage! This episode is packed with automotive enthusiasm, car show triumphs, shop updates, and intriguing trivia that will keep gearheads glued to their speakers. Mike shares the thrill of winning a trophy for his 1967 GTO at the Chicagoland Motor Expo, while the duo dives into the nuances of car show judging, the evolution of tire technology, and the V8 Speed & Resto Shop’s latest projects. From a heartwarming Buick Regal surprise to a rare 1969 Charger restoration, this episode celebrates the passion and stories behind classic cars. Plus, stick around for the reveal of their automotive trivia answers that spark lively debates!
Our Fearless Hosts Cover:
Mike’s 1967 GTO wins a trophy at the Chicagoland Motor Expo, with insights into car show judging and the “boomer board” phenomenon.
Discussion on the differences between bias-ply and radial tires, highlighting their impact on driving experience.
V8 Speed & Resto Shop updates: 14 cars completed this quarter, a 43% repeat customer rate, and standout projects like a 1977 Buick Regal SR surprise and a 1969 Dodge Charger restoration.
Heartwarming story of a Buick Regal unveiled at a grocery store’s 30th anniversary, showcasing the emotional impact of classic car restorations.
Automotive trivia questions about the fastest speeding ticket and the first American car with clear coat paint, with surprising answers revealed.
Tease of a potential acquisition: a 1970 Buick GS convertible with a storied history tied to Dave McClelland.
So many of us live with the regret of selling a favorite car. The story of a growing family and the limitations of hauling kids in a 2-door coupe is a pretty common tale that often ended in that prized coupe heading down the road with a new owner in favor of a bonafide family truckster. This was the case with a particular family man and his beloved 1977 Buick Regal. Had it, sold it, missed it. Until, that is, many years later when his now-grown son reached out to the V8 Speed and Resto Shop to replace the one that got away! One fun element was that the owner’s family owns the local Red Bud IGA Grocery Store across the street from our shop!
Finding A Unicorn
The car in question… a red 1977 Buick Regal, was unfortunately wrecked after the sale. The owner’s son approached our team to help locate and revitalize another red ’77… have you seen one of these driving around lately? A car that once seemed ubiquitous on the streets of America had seemed to be erased from time. Thankfully, a multi-sided search concluded when the owner’s son called and said “I found one, and am sending it to your shop to make it as close to Dad’s as possible!”
From The Owner: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – “These folks do incredible work ! My 1977 Buick Regal was fully restored by this team and the job ( especially the white leather interior) was done to perfection ! I highly recommend this company if you want superior quality. Respectfully, T.J. Norrenberns Owner TJC Markets INC.”
It Had To Be Right
The original car wasn’t just any ’77 Buick, however. It was red with a white interior, bucket seats, floor shifter, T-tops, white vinyl top, and the V2.0 car had to be the same. Amazingly, the car the son found was also red with T-tops and buckets, but the interior was red cloth. Not gonna happen. That’s when the V8 Speed and Resto Shop Interior Shop sprung into action turning the red to white.
Taking the Interior Up a Notch
Changing the interior color sounds simple, but there were dozens of red plastic parts that needed to be color-matched to white, along with the headliner, rear package shelf, door panels, and the seat upholstery. It turns out that brilliant white seat covers are not falling off the shelves at the local parts store, so our team had to make them from scratch. New patterns were created, and piece by piece the seat covers, both for the front buckets and the rear full-width seat were sewn. New filler material was added to the frames before the covers were stretched over and cinched to perfection. The end result? A gleaming, bright white interior that is nicer than any done by Buick in 1977.
See The Surprise Reveal Video!
The Reveal
The best part of this story is how the customer’s son staged a suprise reveal for his Dad at the 30th anniversary of the family’s business, an IGA Grocery Store in Red Bud, IL. They had a huge party to thank their staff, customers, vendors, and the community for their support of the store over the years. The big surprise came after the ceremony when the son presented his Dad with the keys to the freshly updated Regal, and it was a magic moment! We were so happy for the family to be able to reconnect their Dad to some of the best times of his life through his prized Buick… and that’s the V8 Speed and Resto Shop mission statement in action!
The 1977 Buick Regal story as told in the V8 Radio Podcast, click to listen!
Join hosts Kevin Oeste and guest Mike “Q-Ball” Clarke on this episode of the V8 Radio Podcast as they dive into the excitement of the upcoming Street Machine Nationals event, chat about your car’s legacy, design a fantasy desert cruiser, share riveting automotive trivia, and have a few laughs along the way. Tune in for an engaging mix of car talk and fun—don’t forget to listen and subscribe today!
Mike “Q-Ball” Clarke and Kevin Oeste chat about how you can find far more enjoyment and success when working on your car – or any other part of life – by channeling your “inner labrador” and keeping a positive frame of mind and focusing on the outcome. You control your thoughts, thoughts control feelings. We’ll explain. Also, hang around for Q’s LED headlight upgrade on the ’67 Pontiac GTO and Kevin’s triumph over silent horns on the ’62 Ford Galaxie, Automotive Trivia, and much more on the V8 Radio Podcast!
The V8 Radio Podcast is your perfect garage or road trip companion!
Hang out with Kevin Oeste and Mike “Q-Ball” Clarke with Muscle Car project updates from the V8 Speed and Resto Shop, insights on overthinking your project, muscle car videos, automotive trivia, and much more on the latest V8 Radio Podcast! #carpodcast #automotivepodcast #v8radio #musclecarpodcast
Kevin Oeste and Mike “Q-Ball” Clarke cover the 2024 SEMA Show and Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, and preview some cool new Black Label concept cars from the V8 Speed and Resto Shop! They pack a ton into this episode, including some new Automotive Trivia contest questions, so clear some space between your ears for the latest V8 Radio Podcast!
Performance Racing Industry (PRI) President Mike Good joins Kevin Oeste, Mike “Q-Ball” Clarke, and Brian Wibbenmeyer in this on-location episode of the V8 Radio Podcast! Although not new to the industry, 2024 marked Mike Good’s first PRI Show as President, and the racing business trade show was a huge success. Hear a bit about what makes Good tick, automotive trivia, and the usual V8 Radio Banter on this episode! Recorded at the 2024 PRI Show Podcast Paddock. #prishow #v8radio #podcast #v8radiopodcast #carpodcast
