Author Archive: Bryan McTaggart
In Memoriam: Dallas Jones, Owner Of Beech Bend Raceway
We are saddened to report that Dallas Jones, the longtime owner and manager of Beech Bend Raceway Park, has passed on. He was 82 years old. On many a weekend throughout the year, we find ourselves...
Rough Start: This 1974 El Camino Just Needs Some Paint And Polishing
Finding Rough Start candidate vehicles is still a difficult task. How do you find a vehicle that is used, more or less running and driving, that is interesting and can be cool with little to no work...
Unknown Parts Counter Guy: The Regrets Of The Next Morning
Frank Sinatra once said, “Alcohol may be man’s worst enemy, but the Bible says, ‘Love your enemy’.” I can get behind that. Prior to my questionable decision to serve the...
Shabby Sporty: Junkyard Digs and Pole Barn Garage Team Up To Bring This Rusty Chevrolet Back From The Dead
The 1973-1991 GM “squarebody” trucks are one of the best options for project vehicle out there right now. With tens of millions of them made throughout the long production cycle, many...
The Dodge Grain Truck: Out From The Cold And Back To Life
The life of a grain truck isn’t an easy one. They are a workhorse from the word “go”. When they are being used, they are beast of burden, and when they are not, they sit silently....
Unknown Parts Counter Guy: Hey, Buddy, Can You Hear Me Now?
There’s no time like the rush, is there? You don’t have to have worked the parts counter to understand what that’s all about. Picture being the poor sap making burgers at lunchtime,...
Unhinged: The Impact That Ken Block Had
In the nine years that I’ve had here at BangShift, I’ve done my very best to not become too jaded to the car community at large. I’ve also put effort into removing the concept of...
4.10 Gears, Rain, And A 450-Mile Drive…Vice Grip Garage Brings Home A Wild Chevelle
As much as I’m sure it pained Derek to do, retiring the Independence Chevelle from competition was the right thing to do. The patriotic A-body put on plenty of good shows, but being very...
Unknown Parts Counter Guy: Patience? Yeah, That’s On Backorder, Too
I thought I was retired. I thought that I was going to soak up the peace and quiet, piddle around in my garage, tend to my garden, and spare the rest of my life from the curse of the parts store...
Go West, Young Man…And Good Luck Returning With An Oil-Hungry Ford Wagon!
Kevin and I are similar in a lot of ways. We’re both Army veterans who played with helicopters during our time in. We both have a sense of humor that would get us fired in five seconds flat at...
When Burnouts Go Bad, Vol. 8! Kicking The Rods In Style!
“When Burnouts Go Bad”…that title says it all, doesn’t it? While we’ve spent the early part of our winter season freezing our jiggly bits off in absolutely frigid...
BangShift Question Of The Day: How Bad Did You Screw Up In The Snow?
BangShift Mid-West is an ice cube. So is the majority of the United States, thanks to a cold snap and blizzard. A couple of days ago, I was washing the Charger on a 50-degree day, preparing the car...
Would You Rather: ’74 Nickey Camaro vs. ’74 Firebird Pro Touring Build?
Remember the joys of Christmas shopping? Not the mall, not Santa, not Christmas music until you puke…the moment you were in the toy store and your parents said they would get you one...
Merry Christmas From BangShift.com – Have A Great Day!
On behalf of Brian Lohnes, Chad Reynolds, myself, our families and our BangShift.com sponsors, we would like to wish all of our friends and you, our readers, a very Merry Christmas today. We are...