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Author Archive: Bryan McTaggart

Money No Object: 1966 Dodge Coronet 500 Hemi – The Art Of Subtlety

In the 54 years since the Street Hemi was unleashed onto an unsuspecting public, just associating the name with a car conjures up images: a row of neon rainbow-colored wings over the trunklids of...

Classic YouTube: An Early Commercial For The Jeep Wagoneer!

Take note, folks: It’s not a crossover, or a sport-utility vehicle, or a lifestyle vehicle, or an off-roader. It’s a station wagon. Yes, the 1962 Jeep Wagoneer was more truck than...

Pebble Beach For Penguins: GP Ice Race Fun At Zell Am See

Snow. Ice. Two things that require something of great interest to me to be present before I layer up and head outside. I’m not a fan of the colder weather, and I’m seriously not a fan of...

Project Bottle Rocket: Uncle Tony’s Four-Gear Coronet Is Out Of Hibernation!

Over the winter months, I’ve popped down into Tennessee to join Tony DeFeo on his Sunday night Facebook Live Q&A sessions. Oddly enough, for someone who loves to highlight himself as a...

Project Great Pumpkin Mustang: Getting Back To Work After Nearly A Year!

I had such good intentions when I started gutting the original suspension components out of the 1980 Ford Mustang Ghia that we call the Great Pumpkin. I had the spindles, the rear axle, everything...

Buy A Trailer…And Haul It Around With This 1961 Ford C-700!

I get excited when I see an old workhorse truck that has been treated to a full build. It’s not like a hot rod, or a ’70 Chevelle, or a late-model that’s prettied up…someone...

Hot Rod Gumdrop: Twin Turbos On A Smart Car Because…Why Not?

Unless you are a traffic cop in a city that has a few million people, or you live in a tiny European town where parking is at a sincere premium, the Smart ForTwo comes off as either a fashion...

Hey Kids, Watch This! A Twin-Turbo Wheelstanding Short Bus For The Hell Of It!

Ah, the short bus. The one vehicle that would make just about any kid ever decide, “You know what? Looks lovely outside today. I think I’ll walk home, instead.” Nobody wanted to...

Rough Start: In The Mood For Some Gambling? This 1985 Renault Alliance Drop-Top Can Go Get Bashed!

In 2009, Car and Driver came right out and said it: One of their choices for their top-10 best cars for 1983 was not a solid choice. It was a solid something alright, the kind you encounter about two...

In Plain English: Carburetor Basics For The Beginning Wrench!

If there is one criticism above all others that I will air out about my learning curve on working on cars, it is the way I was taught how things work. Case in point: my second car was a 1978...

MORE: TECH, Videos

The Challenger Revival, Part 10: Trunk Floor Installation And More Rear Suspension Work!

If it seems like the last few episodes of Dylan McCool’s 1973 Dodge Challenger restoration has been focused on the rear of the car…well, it has been. Between the missing trunk floor and...

MORE: TECH, Videos

Live Once More: Bringing A Briggs And Stratton Engine Back From The Dead!

Hearing my younger brother cursing unabashedly in the side yard wasn’t the shocking part of what happened…the fact that he was actually trying to get the lawnmower started was. But...

MORE: ENGINES, Videos

We Want The Next Turn: Ride Along In A Legends Racer At Castelletto Circuit!

Was there anything better than a trip to the go-karts when you were a young kid? Strapping yourself into the seat, the little motor out back pushing you faster than you dared ride your bike, that...

BangShift Question Of The Day: How Much Of An A-Hole Driver Are You?

Anyone who asks me how I would personally describe my own driving style will get the same answer: in the typical day-to-day I’m conservative borderline prudish, but get me in the right moment...