Join hosts Kevin Oeste and Mike “Cue Ball” Clark for another fun, no-fluff episode of V8 Radio! Kevin recaps his spring shakedown of the 1962 Ford Galaxie with a full tune-up, clever fixes, and real-world lessons learned the hard way. Kevin shares the inside scoop from the SEMA Hot Rod Industry Alliance long-range planning meeting in Florida, plus stories from the Edison & Ford winter estates. The guys also drop two fresh automotive trivia questions to keep you guessing until the very end.
On This Episode:
Automotive trivia questions
Kevin’s 1962 Ford Galaxie season opener: tune-up, new MSD wires, NGK plugs, EGR cleaning, and throttle body mods
Real talk on parts ordering mistakes (wrong spark plug wires and O2 sensors) and re-homing strategies
Kevin’s recap of the SEMA Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) planning meeting, with a deep dive into HRIA programs: education days, builder roundtables, Hammer Down podcast, and feature vehicles
V8 Speed and Resto Shop updates, Mike’s Suburban transmission plans, and teaser for a future episode on disappointing famous cars
Hang on for another episode of the V8 Radio Podcast, where hosts Kevin Oeste and Mike “Q-Ball” Clarke crank up the fun from the heart of V8 Speed & Resto Shop. This episode dives into automotive trivia that’ll test your tire knowledge, shares heartwarming tales of loyal customers and multi-car builds, and geeks out on how AI is revolutionizing shop ops and engine tuning. From winter garage gratitude to dream car hunts and EGR valve epiphanies, it’s another fun ride packed with laughs, tips, and that unmistakable V8 vibe. Whether you’re wrenching on your own project or just daydreaming about spring cruises, this one’s got the spark to keep your cylinders firing!
Topics Covered:
Automotive Trivia Showdown
Winter Shop Vibes: Reflections on brutal Midwest cold, indoor car storage, and a 360° tour of in-progress builds like a ’66 Chevelle SS, ’79 Broncos, and multiple Trans Ams from repeat customers.
Customer Connections: Celebrating multi-car owners (up to three per client!), Firebird Fest shoutouts, and tips on scoping out rides like a ’71 Riviera or ’87 Fiero.
Dream Car Hunting: Partnering with Zach Straits’ Dream Car Connection for concierge car-finding services, plus stories of cross-country inspections with Hot Rod Magazine alums.
Industry Insider Scoop: Hosts’ roles in SEMA and the Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRA), including new member spotlights and the value of trade associations for hot rodders.
AI Revolution in the Garage: From custom shop software automating work orders to tuning EFI data logs, EGR valve deep dives, and brainstorming fuel-efficient mods on a ’62 Galaxie.
Personal Project Pit Stops: Mike’s GTO engine rebuild with Edelbrock upgrades, torque converter woes on a Suburban, and fluid-change hacks; Kevin’s O2 sensor saga and dyno dreams.
Engine Shop Spotlights: Excitement over YouTube mini-videos on honing, balancing, and more, with fan polls demanding even bigger engine content.
Shop Growth & Team Wins: Adding project managers and HR pros to handle 45+ cars, plus shoutouts to staff like Ethan Hahn for killer machining vids.
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!” 🤯
On this episode of V8 Radio, hosts Kevin Oeste and Mike Clarke talk about their experiences at the Triple Crown of Rodding event, including a charity concert by the Lieutenant Dan Band and the display of the COMP Cams Camaro. They also dive into their personal car projects, from Mike’s GTO engine woes to Kevin’s ongoing work on his Ford Galaxie. Of course, there’s the Automotive Trivia questions and a bunch of laughs along the way on the latest episode of the V8 Radio Podcast!
Tune In To Hear:
V8 Radio Introduction & Trivia Question (00:00 – 07:11) – Kevin Oeste and Mike Clarke, the hosts of V8 Radio, introduce the show, touch on the unseasonably hot weather, and pose two trivia questions.
Triple Crown of Rodding Event Recap (07:11 – 29:32) – The hosts discuss the third annual Triple Crown of Rodding event, a two-day show that featured close to 170 vendors and raised around $77,000 for the Gary Sinise Foundation. Listen closely to learn Q-Ball’s new nickname!
The COMP Cams Camaro was on display, which was a “happy accident” because the owner had brought the car to the shop to fix an issue where the battery was dying. They also talk about a new V8 Speed and Resto Shop customer who took a ride in the Camaro to experience what her future car could be like.
Personal Car Project Updates (29:32 – 58:56) – Mike gives an update on his award-winning Pontiac GTO, which has suffered a major engine failure. He discovered a dropped valve, and the engine is locked up. Kevin talks about his Ford Galaxie and the progress he has made with its power steering system and sound system. He also discusses using an AI tool to create enhanced images of cars for the V8 Speed and Resto Shop website.
Trivia Answers (58:56 – 01:13:30) – The hosts reveal the answers to the trivia questions.
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!
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!
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
Join Mike “Q-Ball” Clarke and Kevin Oeste for a trip to the 2024 Triple Crown of Rodding hot rod show in Nashville Tennessee! Q and Kevin had the pleasure of running the stage, video, and conducting interviews, but also had time to record a mini V8 podcast right from the stage. There’s that plus Automotive trivia and other shenanigans on the latest V8 Radio Podcast!
V8 Speed and Resto Shop Parts Manager Brian Wibbenmeyer joins Mike “Q-Ball” Clarke and Kevin Oeste on the latest V8 Radio Podcast! Brian and Q are the parts-finding powerhouse that keeps the V8 Speed and Resto Shop rolling, and although we’ve mentioned him on the show before, it was high time to have him as a guest. Brian has lots of great stories from car events, the G-Body life, and even brought some great Automotive Trivia! Get it all in this special episode of the V8 Radio Podcast!
