The hood is wild; metal finished both on top and underneath. Not only that, it has radiator and air cleaner ducting built right in. I’m also positive the nose wasn’t made of steel originally, yet it is now. Wow.
They had mascots and fun advertising gimmicks, and they weren’t that expensive. I actually liked hot rods better, but based on the prices I saw in the magazines, I figured I’d never own one, and to this day, I still technically don’t. Hot rods and muscle cars shared one common thing: Powertrain. Hot rods were smaller, lighter, and had to be created, not just purchased, so they’re still my favourite. That being said, my eye for muscle cars is still there today, for the right one, anyways. A Boss 429 Mustang is the pinnacle of Mustangs, the same way the Mercury Cyclone Spoiler is probably my top Ford Family muscle car. The 1971 “four headlight” Cuda is an all-time favourite, but it will always fall short of any Duster, Demon, or Dart Sport, regardless of how basic and cheap those cars were.
The Nova, Vega, and 1970ish Camaro are my top three Chevrolet products, and there are tons more scattered across all the other GM brands. At a car show, it’s not uncommon for me to walk by a muscle car, even a favourite. I’ll stop for a Hemi, a weird interior, a Tempest four-cylinder, or whatever, but normally I glance and keep moving along. When the Eleanor look came out for the Shelby GT500, that really did it for me. In stock form, I much prefer the GT350 cars, but that Eleanor re-style was right on the money, up to and including the wheel and tire combo and the colour.
Tin Man’s Garage in Sycamore, Illinois, are on track to re-style the second-gen Camaro to a level even beyond Eleanor, and I totally dig it. This car is absolutely incredible, and it has nothing to hide, as it’s presented thus far in bare metal. The hood has a real Ford GT-40 feel to it, with the radiator taking air in through the grille and expelling it through a giant hole in the hood rather than into the engine compartment. The engine is a Chevy big block, rather than the modern LS one would expect to see, and it’s fitted with an ITB fuel injection setup that’s fed fresh air through the hood and inner fenders with a crazy-creative sealed airbox. There’s more metal work in the hood alone than I’ve ever done in my entire life, and believe me, I’ve fixed a ton of rust.
Tin Man’s Garage is probably the top of the pile when I think of sheet metal fabrication. Not only do they have the tools and know-how to use them, but they also sell them and run workshops to teach others how to use them too. I’m still out here buying body filler by the gallon, but I’m proud to say that I can spread that gallon out way further than I used to.
Have a question or comment for Kelly? Post it at lmtimes.ca/kirk
