Drive What You Build, Or Miss The Point
A turquoise 1958 GMC Apache pulled us in with classic lines, then surprised us with a 2016 heartbeat: a 5.3 V8, 6L80, four-wheel discs, cold AC, and the kind of road manners that beg for long miles. With shop owner and builder Sonny Bennett at the mic, we dive into what it takes to craft a true driver from an old truck—why stock-style pulley systems matter, how water-based paint helps with real-world repairs, and why anyone claiming “no filler” is selling you a lumpy fantasy. Sonny’s ethos is simple and sharp: fix it right or don’t touch it, drive what you build, and let the miles be the proof.
We also explore the business side of bodywork: initial estimates versus supplements, the hidden damage no one sees until teardown, and the big reasons Sonny refuses direct repair programs that let insurers dictate methods and margins. His shop serves the car and the customer, not a spreadsheet. That same clarity fuels his personal fleet stories—matching a ’58 when a ’55 was elusive, rebuilding a wrecked cab the right way, and finishing the Apache during the early days of COVID when the shop was deemed essential. The result? A classic that gets 21 mpg and cruises to Gulfport without a hiccup.
The ride continues with a high-dollar Nova that took home top trophies before popping an engine on the return trip, proving that reliability is earned on the road, not on a stage. Then there’s the 1967 Camaro project, acquired with a trove of pro-touring parts and a decades-old backstory involving a hot tub trade. We round it out with our racing calendar—Talladega, F1 in Austin, NHRA dates—and a fast lap through auto history, from Packard’s twin six to the Hydramatic and the El Camino. We close on EV news and incentives fading, with automakers stepping in to keep prices competitive.
If you love honest shop wisdom, restomod ingenuity, and the thrill of cars built to be driven, you’ll feel right at home. Follow and subscribe for more episodes, share this one with a fellow car nut, and drop a review to tell us whether you’d modern-swap or keep it period-correct.
Be sure to subscribe for more In Wheel Time Car Talk!
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00:00 - Live From Back To The Past Show
01:10 - Meet Sonny Bennett And His Shop
03:28 - Collision Business Versus Insurance Programs
05:15 - Restorations, TV Myths, And Boundaries
06:45 - The 1958 Apache: Why This Truck
08:20 - Modern Drivetrain In A Classic Body
10:05 - Paint Choices, Color Strategy, And Craft
12:05 - Build Philosophy: Drive, Don’t Trailer
14:10 - The Nova, Awards, And Reliability Lessons
16:00 - Next Up: A 1967 Camaro Project
17:30 - Racing Calendar Highlights And Odds And Ends
19:10 - This Week In Auto History
22:20 - EV Incentives, Pricing, And Opinions
24:10 - Sponsors, Events, And Show Wrap
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