I Wrote The Checks And It Got Air Conditioning

Live From Granbury Kickoff

Don Armstrong 0:06

Howdy, and a pleasant Saturday to you. It's the bonus hour of the In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show coming to you today live from the Lone Star Street Rod Association State Run Car Show at Hewlett Park in Grandbury, Texas. Just ahead, guests from today's event, plus some of our regular features. And uh we want to really thank you for joining us today. There's a bit of confusion here, uh, but you know, we just always plow through all of that because that is the name of this show. Plow through. Once you get past the in-wheel time, once you get past the in-wheel time car talk show. So we're gonna continue on. We're a little bit behind in our commercials, and we're gonna try to catch up

Meet Linda And The ’54 Chevy

Don Armstrong 0:48

with that. Uh joining us now is uh is it Linda Rogers?

SPEAKER_00 0:52

Yes.

Don Armstrong 0:52

Linda Rogers, hi, how are you?

SPEAKER_00 0:54

I'm great, how are you?

Don Armstrong 0:55

So tell me about yourself. What are you doing here? Why are you lost?

SPEAKER_00 0:59

No, we don't. You're not lost. We come every year.

Don Armstrong 1:02

Yeah. And so I assume that uh you have a car that's here today.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

Yes, we have a 54 Chevrolet, and then my son has a 66 Chevrolet pickup.

Jeff Dziekan 1:11

Oh, very good.

Don Armstrong 1:13

Uh so tell me about the 54. You know, my grandfather had a 53 or 54 Chevrolet. It was still round back then.

SPEAKER_00 1:21

Well, my husband raced until 83. Okay. All week he had to work on it, put new parts, straighten it out, and all that. So then when he got out of it, we got a 54 Chevrolet.

Don Armstrong 1:31

Yeah. And the reason that we selected a 54 Chevrolet is that's what he wanted. There you go. Interesting. And how long have you had this car?

SPEAKER_00 1:39

Uh we've had it since '84, but we it wasn't finished till 91.

Don Armstrong 1:43

84 to 91. So it was a project. Uh-huh. So you were kind of a uh a project widow, as we call it.

SPEAKER_00 1:51

Kind of.

Don Armstrong 1:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:52

But I was already a race widow.

Don Armstrong 1:54

Oh, there there is that. But I'll bet you went to the races, didn't you? Yes. Yeah. And what kind of races?

SPEAKER_00 2:00

Rounded round. Roundy round dirt.

Don Armstrong 2:04

Okay. And and I'm trying to get David's attention. Oh, David. I don't know what what Jeff's trying to tell you here. Is would this happen to be it, right?

SPEAKER_00 2:14

That happens to be it.

Don Armstrong 2:15

Wow, that's a beautiful car. Thank you. It is. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

When we got it, it was a green and it had a big Tweety bird on the on the trunk. Uh nice. We went to pick it up. I pulled him with the chain from a bell made into Waco about 10 miles. And when we got close to where we live, my daughter got down in the floorboard if she didn't want to know.

Don Armstrong 2:36

But I you know what? I did that with my mother when she had my parents had a DeSoto. I don't know whether you know what that is or not, but it wasn't good. It was green, and um, it had a starter issue, so my dad taught her how to get out, open the hood, put the broom handle down on the starter and whack it with a hammer, and it would start every time. Well, it was that kind of a car, and uh I was embarrassed to ride in it, and I found myself on the floor many, many times. So I can relate.

SPEAKER_00 3:08

Yeah, but now that it's fixed up when something happens to us, he's she's gonna get the car, and then he's gonna get the pickup that he's working on.

Don Armstrong 3:15

So we're still working on the pickup?

SPEAKER_00 3:17

No, we've got it finished, but now we're working on a 31 board.

Don Armstrong 3:20

So this this is a lifelong passion. And it and you so you're married to the car industry whether you like it or not.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Yes, sir.

Don Armstrong 3:28

And you knew that getting into this. Yes, sir. Yeah. How long have you two been married? Uh over 56 years. Congratulations. Well, thank you. Yeah, that's that that is awesome. And she's a race widow, and now she's a car show widow, kind of. But you put you go but you go to these shows, do you not?

SPEAKER_00 3:45

Oh yes, all the time.

Don Armstrong 3:47

Because I mean you're part of you're part of it.

SPEAKER_00 3:49

Yeah, as a matter of fact, one year my son and husband decided to go to C ten. And my friend and I had already C ten pickups in the in the park.

Don Armstrong 3:59

Oh, I see.

SPEAKER_00 3:59

Went to I see a big, big show. And my friend and I had already planned on going to Seaton. So he went with his truck with my son, and my friend and I went with that one Louise in in the car.

Don Armstrong 4:12

And did did you win place or show?

SPEAKER_00 4:14

No, but I beat them all home.

Don Armstrong 4:16

You beat them home. So it doesn't have the uh the the straight six cylinder in it? No, of course not. Why would I think that? He's a race car driver. It's got to have a probably a small block Chevrolet.

SPEAKER_00 4:29

I don't I don't know. I don't he's right.

Don Armstrong 4:33

What's here he is. So I have no idea. Yeah, uh, I get it.

SPEAKER_00 4:39

I just had money, yeah, I just wrote the checks. Oh, you're not gonna get the biggest.

Don Armstrong 4:44

You got the important part. I guess so. Yeah. Well, hey, they've got still got a place to live because uh when you're passionate about a car, well, let's see, do I have to make that house par uh uh car payment now? Do I have to make the house payment now? So you take care of that end of it.

Mike Marrs 5:02

Yeah, I got it. So your son has a truck. Your husband has this, and you're building one, is that yours?

SPEAKER_00 5:10

He says it is. Well, he had a 56 nomad, but he sold it because he didn't do any work on it. So he sold it. So he didn't he didn't have a lot of people.

Don Armstrong 5:19

So there's been so in other words, what you're saying is there's been this ongoing uh turnover of cars throughout the years, except for this one, I think.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

Yeah, we just well we just had the one nomad that he bought and he sold it. And then we weren't gonna make any more until we got the 31.

Don Armstrong 5:37

And that changed everything. Kinda. Kinda.

SPEAKER_00 5:42

We both have retired and it's kept us together, so he's out there doing that.

Jeff Dziekan 5:46

There you go. 51 years, heck yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:48

56. 56 is a yeah. It's gonna be 57 in August if we make it.

Mike Marrs 5:52

You'll make it. The 31's not finished, you gotta make wait until that's finished for sure.

SPEAKER_00 5:57

And the pickup took forever.

Don Armstrong 6:00

So let me let me ask you, does he still get on the dolly creeper and get underneath the car?

SPEAKER_00 6:06

But he doesn't get up as well.

Don Armstrong 6:07

Well, we had that discussion earlier. We were thinking, you know, we would do that, but getting up is the problem. Getting up and out of anything.

SPEAKER_00 6:17

Yes.

Don Armstrong 6:17

Yes. Matter of fact, I I have a Corvette. And I I've actually had a conversation with myself. You know, the clutch has become a problem with my knee, and getting up and out of it has become a problem with my age. Uh I think I'm working toward the rigomortis generation now. Where the rigor mortis is setting in. Kind of gets stiff. Don't even go there. I see you thinking, Mars. Well, I was just thinking, if it happened while you were in the Corvette. Well, that would be fine. Just bury the Corvette and me in it. Yeah. There's that. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:52

Well, he got disgusted during building the truck

Passing Cars Down Through Generations

SPEAKER_00 6:55

because it took several, several years.

Don Armstrong 6:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:58

And I said you can't give up on it. You gave Christie the car, you gotta give Steven the truck. So you've got to pick up. Wait a minute.

SPEAKER_03 7:04

So there's another one besides your son? You have another daughter. A daughter.

SPEAKER_00 7:08

She she gets this one. She hid from it from the one that she finds her on the front. And then her younger brother Steven has the pickup over there. That I've I've only ridden in it once.

Don Armstrong 7:20

Why?

SPEAKER_00 7:21

That's all I've been invited to. He got it as his first truck in school. And I didn't ride in it till oh, I guess it was probably twenty-five years later.

Don Armstrong 7:34

So tell me, uh, I understand that uh you got a trophy already uh as the rotor of the year. Ladies, ladies.

Award Win And How They Met

SPEAKER_00 7:43

Lady Street Rodder of the Year.

Don Armstrong 7:45

Lady Street Rodder of the Year. Okay. Well, I was close.

SPEAKER_00 7:48

I'm very honored. I don't understand why. There's so many out there that deserve it.

Don Armstrong 7:53

Well, you certainly do, uh, if nothing else, for the longevity that you and and the pain that you've gone through. So um how did you I gotta ask this question. How did you meet your husband? Don't tell me at the racetrack.

SPEAKER_00 8:06

No, at school.

Don Armstrong 8:07

At school, high school.

SPEAKER_00 8:08

Mm-hmm.

Don Armstrong 8:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:09

He was we had a a deal at school where the school got to use the Caram Shrine parking all year, and once a year they got to use our parking. And I was coming in late, and he was telling me I couldn't park there, and I didn't even know him. I said, I gotta park here, I'm late. He said, No, you can't park here. I just threw him the keys and said, Park it. I gotta go, I gotta get to school.

Jeff Dziekan 8:30

And that's and that was the beginning.

SPEAKER_00 8:31

And then I had to find him at the end of the day.

Jeff Dziekan 8:33

And when you came back, your car had an LS in it and a custom paint job.

SPEAKER_00 8:36

No, it was still the sign, but I didn't have any idea where it was, and I didn't have my keys, so I had to find you.

Don Armstrong 8:41

Well, that's good. So you actually found him. He just happened to be in the way.

SPEAKER_00 8:46

He happened to be in the way, yes.

Don Armstrong 8:48

Yeah. Well that that's quite a story. Where do you guys live?

SPEAKER_00 8:51

We live in Bruceville, right outside Lorena, Texas. You know where Temple is? No. Temple, you know where Temple, Texas is Waco. Oh, okay.

Don Armstrong 9:00

Temple and Waco.

Jeff Dziekan 9:02

That's not too bad.

Don Armstrong 9:02

I have a friend of mine that lives in Grand Saline, and I tell somebody, well, uh Tommy lives in in Grand Saline. Where's that? Well, it used to be a salt mine there, and uh it's called Morton Salt. You ever heard of that? Oh, yeah, yeah. Well, he lives outside of that one blinking yellow light that you would go through. Is yours a little bit bigger than that?

SPEAKER_00 9:22

No. We don't have a blinking light. You know, okay.

Don Armstrong 9:26

Okay. So the obviously there has been some work there that was uh that enabled you and your husband to make it to this point in your life. What did he do for a living?

SPEAKER_00 9:38

He was a machinist.

Don Armstrong 9:39

A machinist? Well, that kind of fits in with the small block Chevrolet. Yeah. And uh is he still a machinist or is he just retired. Did he bring any of the tools home from the machine shop? Some of them in his head, yeah. That's why I asked that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:55

Some of them. And they went out of business and he got a lot of got a little bit of the equipment.

Don Armstrong 10:00

That's good. Yeah. So y'all like it there. What's what's the name of the high school?

SPEAKER_00 10:05

Lorena High School, I guess.

Don Armstrong 10:06

Is that where you went?

SPEAKER_00 10:07

No, we went to Waco High.

Don Armstrong 10:08

Oh, Waco? Okay. Oh, you're a big city girl. I got it. And he was happened to be there.

SPEAKER_00 10:15

Yes.

Don Armstrong 10:16

Okay. So the machine shop took you from Waco out to Lorena, is it?

SPEAKER_00 10:21

Yeah, we just moved out to Lorena to get out of Waco.

Don Armstrong 10:23

So I see.

SPEAKER_00 10:24

More room. Bigger shop for him.

Don Armstrong 10:27

I was waiting for you to say, yeah, it holds our herd of horses and cattle and none of that.

SPEAKER_00 10:32

We don't get any of that. We have a big building that has to be.

Jeff Dziekan 10:35

I was gonna say you've got your home and your building and a shop in the back.

SPEAKER_00 10:39

The building might be bigger than the house.

Mike Marrs 10:41

Well, so are all these people with you?

SPEAKER_00 10:45

He's nodding his head yet, so I'm I'm the one with the sunglasses in the black is my son. Oh, okay. Y'all in interviewed him before and your husband before.

SPEAKER_03 10:54

Yep, yep, sure can. Okay, okay. So we're going through the family. I mean, uh you know, we're gonna get next.

Don Armstrong 11:00

The daughter, I guess, is next. The floorboard daughter.

SPEAKER_00 11:02

Yeah, she has no, she's still on the floorboard idea. She likes it now.

Don Armstrong 11:09

Yeah. Well, um, so next year, um, when you come, bring her so we can interview her. And that way we can say that we've interviewed the entire family.

SPEAKER_00 11:19

That's right.

Don Armstrong 11:19

That's take us years to do this, you know.

SPEAKER_00 11:22

But then I got them grandkids.

Don Armstrong 11:24

Oh, the grandkids. And and and how old are they? There's some here now. Yeah, they're oh that's part of this group, is the grandkids out there.

SPEAKER_00 11:31

My son's kids are 15, 16, and 17.

Don Armstrong 11:34

Perfect age, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:35

My daughters are 19, 21, and gonna be 25.

Don Armstrong 11:39

Wow. All right. Well, it's a family business through and through. Do you have a passion for cars? Sorta speak. Just give me something to drive, that's all you care about, right? Yeah, that's it. I think well, this has been a real pleasure. She is the hot rotter of the year. Lady, lady hot rodder of the year. Okay. I thought she's the lady of the street rotter of the year. They they left off that.

SPEAKER_00 12:08

Uh well, bookie don't worry about that.

Don Armstrong 12:11

Street Rodder of the Year. Yeah, we're gonna blame it on Rick. Well, thank you for stopping by and telling us the story. We appreciate it. It's uh it's always fun. And uh, we love these kind of interviews. We didn't even talk about the 54 Chevrolet. No, we didn't.

Mike Marrs 12:25

Well, we we decided it's got a small block. It's got a few.

Don Armstrong 12:28

Well, it's gonna speaks for itself. Yeah, yeah. It's got some Craig SS on it and a nice paint job, and it looks like a pretty nice interior, and we know that it's got a small block Chevrolet. What else is there to talk about?

SPEAKER_00 12:38

It's air conditioned.

Don Armstrong 12:39

Oh, it's air conditioned.

Mike Marrs 12:40

There you go.

Don Armstrong 12:41

Yeah, there very there you go. So you did a little extra on that.

Jeff Dziekan 12:45

Let's let's talk about taking it for a test drive. That's uh yeah, there's that. There's that.

Don Armstrong 12:49

Well, it's a pleasure, it's a beautiful car. Thank you. And I if they hand out awards here, you'd get our award. Well, thank you. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. We appreciate you.

unknown 12:58

All right.

Don Armstrong 12:58

We're

Wrap Up And Quick Sponsor Break

Don Armstrong 12:59

good. It's time for us to move on.

SPEAKER_03 13:00

Okay.

Don Armstrong 13:01

All right. Uh thank you for joining us today here on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show. By the way, we're talking to you from today's uh Lone Star Street Rod Association state-run car show at Hewlett Park in Granbury, Texas. And we'll be right back with more coming up. Terrible automated car wash scratches. Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your save the paint company. John Gray and his team of detailing experts can help your cars finish without a full repaint. Searching for real experts in window tent or windshield protection, Gulf Coast Auto Shield. Dash cams, radar detectors, Gulf Coast Auto Shield. Got a new car? Get it protected as soon as you take delivery. If you don't know which of the multitude of protection products to go with, John Gray will give you an honest opinion and won't sell you something you don't need. John will help you understand the many options and pricing right on the spot. He's your guy to have your ride looking its best and protected too. See the state of the art shop yourself. Free tours anytime. Gulf Coast Auto Shield is easy to get to, located just south of the Southwest Freeway on the Sam Houston Parkway. Gulf Coast Auto Shield, full service luxury car care today and online at gcautoshield.com. Gift giving should be meaningful, and we have an idea. A hand-painted custom illustration of your car from one of the nation's leading artists. Now you can get one or a car show poster customized for you, a friend, or a loved one. Bill Sites will be happy to guide you through the process. No matter what the day, birthday, anniversary, or any day, an autographics custom illustration adds an extra touch of class to any home. Call Bill today. 832-922-0963. That's 832-922-0963. One moment. That's a sweet sounding hot rod right there. That is a beautiful car. I like the way the wheels are tucked under the wheel wells and it fills up the entire thing. Look at that. Yeah, it it it's the tires are like 15 feet wide. Yeah, they are. All right, so what we're gonna do right now is we're going to talk about Jeff's car

Picking A Hot Rod Engine

Don Armstrong 14:59

culture. Great feature that Jeff does every week. So here it is.

Jeff Dziekan 15:02

Well, you know, we're at uh Hewlett Park, we got uh all the hot rods out here. When you're building a hot rod, what kind of engine do you put in it? I mean, what what what are you gonna build towards? So Well, that one there was a small block shaping. Exactly, and that's part of it, because the top hot rod engines include Chevy Small Blocks, Big Blocks, GMLS series, Ford Coyote V8s, each offering unique performance and reliability. Plus, it's the customization potential on what you can get and put aftermarket boots on. So the Chevy 350 small block is an iconic hot rod product worldwide, known for its affordability, reliability, vast aftermarket support. Typically produces between 260 and 400 horsepower. It fits most classic chassis. It makes it ideal for traditional hot rods and resto mods. The 383 Stroker, a modified 350, increases displacement in torque, offering 400 horsepower, offering a balance of performance, drivability without the bulk of a big block. So that's all part of it. And then you got the big blocks for raw power, street presence, the 454, another block, big blocks, uh they deliver the massive torque and horsepower. These engines range between 396 and 572 cubic inches, providing a dominant performance feel. They require a robust chassis, some of the more expensive ones, some of the custom ones, more robust cooling systems, but uh perfect for builders seeking a brute force and classic muscle car aesthetics. That's a big word. GM LS series, love them. The uh LS series engines are modern, lightweight, and high versatility. Uh from the Junkyard 5.3 engines, 700 horsepower you can put in some of these crate motors. LS swaps are popular for the reliability, compact size, and ease of installation. It's comparable with a wide range of transmissions and offer extensive aftermarket support. Then you're looking at uh the Ford Coyote V8. It's a 5.0, it's a V8, combines raw revving uh performance and modern reliability, it's favored for custom Ford builds and resto mods, but you can put it in really anything. Uh offering excellent power to weight ratio and adaptability. Coyote engines are particularly suitable for builders who want modern Ford performance and a classic hot rod package. That's what I'd do.

Mike Marrs 17:16

And it's got kind of a classic sound, it sounds different.

Jeff Dziekan 17:19

Exactly, because it's a high rev. It's a high revving engine. Uh crate engines provide a turnkey solution for hot rod builders. Popular options include the the 357 small block, uh you got delivering 357 horsepower, 407 foot pounds of torque, the LS3 V8, uh create the the crate engine simplify installation often include the intake manifolds, the distributors, the wiring harnesses, and are ideal for seeking reliability performance. You can buy the computers with them too, so you don't have to go and program all that as well. So choosing the right engine, selecting the best engine for your hot rod. If you're looking for a classic vibe and nostalgia, small block Chevy. Brute Force and Torque, big block Chevy. Versatility and modern performance, it would be the GMLS series, which are very popular. Uh high revving Ford bills would be the Coyote V8. Consider factors like horsepower, torque, weight, chassis, all that compatibility that goes on for the aftermarket as well. So choose the right one. You know what you want to do with it, you know what it wants to sound like, you want to know how fast you want to go, you want mileage, you want horsepower, torque. It's all part of it, and each one offers a different segment for that.

Don Armstrong 18:28

You know that small block Chevy, you know I I always brag about that uh DZ motor, that 302 that was in the Z28s in 1969. I didn't realize that that was a 327 engine that was uh destroked. And um that not only that, but uh the 327, the 350, the 302. They've made all sorts of different displacement out of the same basic block. They just changed the stroke in it.

Mike Marrs 18:54

Or maybe the maybe the the bore size on some of them, but it was basically the stroke.

Don Armstrong 18:59

All basically the same small block Chevy engine from 1955.

Jeff Dziekan 19:04

Aluminum heads, cast heads, iron heads, all of that.

Don Armstrong 19:07

Double humps.

Mike Marrs 19:08

Always look for the double hump.

Jeff Dziekan 19:09

Yep.

Don Armstrong 19:10

All of that. Let's take another break, shall we?

Small Block Chevy Rabbit Hole

Don Armstrong 19:12

It's the in-wheel time car talk show. Today we're at Hewlett Park in the Lone Star Street Rod Association state run. So stay with us more after this. The Tax Max dining experience is defined by Lupi Tortilla, your destination for Texas's best beef fajitas and frozen margaritas. Since 1983, Lupi Tortilla has served authentic and time-tested recipes made with the freshest ingredients. Atmosphere is part of the award-winning experience of Lupi Tortilla, all developed in a little house near Highway 6 and I-10 in Houston. Visit any of the Loopy Tortillas and you'll see the same attention to detail in each and every location. Start your loopy experience with queso flamillato and guacamole, along with a classic frozen margarita. Dine on famous loopy beef and chicken fajitas or pepper shrimp brochette, or a fish or vegetarian entree, and finish with a scrumptious flan for dessert. Find loopy tortilla in Houston, College Station, Beaumont, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas, Fort Worth. There's a Texas location near you. The recipes are authentic and time-tested. The ingredients always fresh. Loopy tortilla is pretty good. Join the Inwheel Time Car Talk Show as we hit the road for a live broadcast from the 51st annual Lone Star Street Rod Association State Run at Hewlett Park in Granbury. This once-a-year rolling car collection takes place June 12th through the 14th. Check out hundreds of classic street rods, vendors, giveaways, awards, and family fun. Best of all, spectator admission is absolutely free. In Wheel Time will be live from Granbury Saturday, June 13th, 9 to noon. Get all the deets at LSSRA.com.

Where To Watch The Live Show

Don Armstrong 20:52

That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show. I'm Don Armstrong. Inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and our InWheeltime.com website. Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartPodcast, Podcast Addict. Tune in at Andora and Amazon Music. Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.