Category Archive: BangShift Projects, Raven Imperial, Sponsor News
Project Great Pumpkin Mustang: Getting The Wheel And Rack To Talk With Borgeson Parts!
On the positive side, I’m finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the SN-95 five-lug conversion of the Great Pumpkin, our 1980 Ford Mustang Ghia. The rear axle is...
Project Raven Imperial: The Conclusion To Nearly Two Decades Of FJM Madness
It’s official, it’s gone. As of yesterday afternoon my ownership of the 1983 Imperial that we dubbed Project Raven has officially ended. The car was sold to someone who is just as...
Project Raven Imperial: Ditching Some Sketchy Junk With Help From Lokar! New Throttle Cable And Kickdown Cable!
In the last update, we got Raven, the 1983 Imperial that is doubling as my penance for something I did in a past life, up and running after the 367ci small-block Mopar ate a camshaft keyway. Happily,...
Project Raven: Back Into The Engine We Go – Why Did The Imperial Die?
For a few weeks, I’ve sat, grinding my teeth every time I looked at the Imperial. I couldn’t speak anything about it without dropping F-bombs left, right and center. I didn’t want...
Unhinged: When You Learn It’s Time To Cut Your Losses
“This car has been the most abusive relationship I’ve ever been in.” I used those words to describe the 1983 Imperial that currently sitting in front of the garage at BangShift...
Unhinged: The Thrown Wrench Garage Is Open For Business!
Spring has come to BangShift Mid-West. The trees have buds on them, the early flowers have started to bloom all over the place, the roses in the backyard are starting to leaf out and for the love of...
The 2019 BangShift Mid-West Project Car Assessment: Where Do We Stand Right Now?
Neither Christmas music by the truckload, nor New Year’s snacks, nor a cold that could level a bull moose on it’s best day will keep me down. It’s 2019, a brand new year, and as...
Project Raven Imperial: IT’S ALIVE! The 367ci Small Block Wakes Up…Half A County.
Sunday morning in the fields outside of Bowling Green, Kentucky…frost melting back into dew, a deer cautiously grazing near a fencerow, birds that are trying to make last-minute efforts to...
Project Raven Imperial: The Last Piece To The Puzzle Is Always A Pain In The…
The formal name for the place I live at, far as anybody needs to know, is simply BangShift Mid-West. It is my house, my land, my domicile. Then there is the small shop right off to the side of the...
Project Raven Imperial: It’s Time To Feed The Raven!
The sun was shining, the weather was clear, and I was on a mission: the 1983 Imperial was going to get it’s 367ci small-block Chrysler engine shoved into the bay come hell or high water. Yeah,...
Project Raven Imperial: Engine, Wiring, And The First Bath In A Year!
When I got to work on the new engine for the Imperial at the beginning of the year, I had been hoping that I would be cruising around in the car by now. As you can plainly see, that hasn’t...
Project Raven Imperial: WHY WON’T YOU WORK?! Fighting The Fuel Gauge Again…
Remember my first day on the job nearly four years ago, when I said that joining the BangShift crew might be the most questionable automotive decision I’ve ever made? Scratch that. I’ve...
Project Raven Imperial: The 360 Rebuild, Part Two – Work Progresses, Grinds To A Halt, Progresses Again…
When I last left the build on Raven’s 360ci LA Mopar, I had gotten the ugly truth about the piston rings I had on hand: they were junk. Piston #1’s top ring had broken in half and just...
Project Raven Imperial: The 360 Rebuild, Part One: Diving Into The Deep End Head-First
I want to say something like, “I rolled up my sleeves and took the challenge head-on” or something similar here, but here’s the truth: up until yesterday, I was staring at a bare...