Author Archive: Bryan McTaggart
BangShift Tune-Up: “You Sound Like You’re Sick” by The Ramones (1981)
I’m pretty sure that families that recently adopted puppies are going to be dismayed to learn that their canine friends will only answer to Coronavirus or COVID by the time this part of our...
Money No Object: 1979 Dodge W150 Power Wagon with Macho Package
By 1979, any potential remnant of high-performance cars actually swinging with high performance was done. The year prior, the menaching 440-powered Chrysler cop cars had finished up their final year....
Old Haunting: 1982 Dodge Mirada Nostalgia Pro Stocker – Add Motor And Go
I saw my first Dodge Mirada in a Colorado Springs junkyard in late 2000. I raided the turbine wheels off of the bronze machine, a car that might have been loved at one point but had since been put...
Dissection Time: The Mechanical Fuel Pump – Anvil-Simple In Detail!
It’s taken a couple of days and more cleaner than I’ve ever used in my lifetime on only half an engine, but it appears that the “melted ice cream” sludge that coated...
Classic YouTube: Bob Mayer Versus The 1978 Mercury Zephyr
The aspirations were high for the platform that debuted in 1978 as the Fox chassis. Originally meant to be a “world car” design that would replace the American Ford Falcon and Pinto, the...
Misery 2: Mighty Car Mods’ Toyota MR2 Is Proving To Be A Rusty Nightmare
As much as anybody could bitch about any car they are actively turning wrenches on, some cars are more of a nightmare than others, aren’t they? Third-gen F-bodies and their spark plugs,...
Quarantine Project Corner: Make Your Own BBS RS Wheel Out Of A Steel Wheel?
How’s your extended cabin fever going? Hopefully you haven’t eaten all of the snacks yet, and that you are doing a proper job of rationing the toilet paper you may have been hoarding....
This Vintage AMC TV Spot For The AMX Shows That Even American Motors Wasn’t Past Calling Out Others
“The Ugly American”. You’ve no doubt heard the phrase, which describes the obnoxious, loud and frankly rude behavior stereotypes that a lot of foreign countries have about American...
Happy Birthday Indeed: Cleetus Gives An Associate A Burnout Car For His Birthday!
Overall in my working career, I’ve gotten luck of the draw when it comes to bosses. I’ve only had two that I’ve ever had any real issues with, and there hasn’t been any that...
Rough Start: 1975 Pontiac Astre – Not The Prettiest But It Makes A Case For Itself!
If you’re only willing to throw down five bills for your project or your fun car, you either walk into the room making concessions or you will walk out disappointed. It’s like that...
Morning Symphony: NASCAR On The Strip With This R5P7-Powered Dart!
Ever since I first heard a Chevrolet 327 cross the 8,000 RPM threshold as a kid, I’ve been in love with high-revving V8s. I’ve always equated the blunt power of a good mill with violence,...
Treasure Hunting: Walking In The Woods For A Super-Stock Dodge
At a party held sometime in 1961, a Chrysler executive heard Chevrolet head honcho Ed Cole chatter on about Chevrolet’s new upcoming small car and straight-up panicked. Chrysler’s lineup...
Rough Start Fox Body Quick Update: A Follow-Up On The Small-Block’s Internals
This isn’t so much another part of the Rough Start Fox Body Mustang’s build as it is a follow-up. Since the best case of action for anybody is to keep their backsides at home and away...
Random Car Review: The 1973 Ford Pinto Pangra – The Hot Pinto Before The Pinto Caught Fire
Picture it: the year is 1972. The muscle car is pretty much dead, buried by the insurance companies with the EPA dancing on the grave like a gleeful demon. Catalytic converters are coming, as are...