The best way I can explain what an exhaust system is to your car is its like how your car breathes. When I started driving my Studebaker three years ago, I knew the exhaust system would only be temporary. It was transplanted from a different model Studebaker and had been cut and pieced together to pseudo-fit into mine. But I just figured a pipe was a pipe and couldn't make too much difference. About six months ago the years of dragging my mufflers over any bump I passed payed off in a huge gaping hole in one of my mufflers! This is when I really began to get serious about redoing my exhaust system. Not only did the muffler have a hole, but the headers also looked like they had holes where the four tubes lead into the connector. Added to this, my header gaskets were blown, which led to more noise in an already noisy car and a general unhappiness of my engine. The problem with putting a new exhaust system onto Stude was that I didn't understand exhausts. How was I supposed to choose new headers, new...

So I know ya’ll are dyin' to hear what the ladies were up to during Viva Las Vegas 12. If you had the privilege of being present, you already know that Viva Las Vegas was swarming with some of the purdiest ladies you ever did see. While you fellas might've been out merely lookin' for ladies - I was lookin' for fellow Grease Girls. Being that the car show at VLV draws one of the biggest grouping of home-built cool traditionals, customs, and rat-rods – I was hoping I'd find a few of those “builders” who also happened to be ladies. As Stude (my own 1955 Studebaker Champion) and I arrived on the lot Thursday evening, many other cars had already arrived, but we were the only girl-owned car so far. By the time Saturday rolled around the entire lot reserved for the VLV 12 Shifters Car Show was full, with ample stragglers in The Orleans parking lot. As soon as I showed up on the scene Saturday morning, I wholeheartedly began my search for fellow car ladies. You'd think finding other lady car owners wouldn't be too much...

Now - I know that this is totally basic - but I wanted to take the opportunity to show you the air filter that came off my car today. Generally when I think of basic, routine car maintenance, I think "oil, tire pressure, transmission fluid, and is anything leaking." As I was at the shop today (P.S. I got the headliner completely finished and the new tranny in!...check back soon for those articles) I popped the hood to show off my engine (which is horribly dirty still from when the radiator blew...it was pointed out to me that a guy wouldn't stand for the dirty-looking engine.) Sitting there shootin' the breeze, someone noticed my air filter, so we unscrewed the top and took it out. Evidently, the way to check if you need a new air filter is by holding it up to the light and seeing if any of the light shines through. Not counting the spots where there were holes in mine, there was absolutely no sunlight shining through this sucker. Handy to be offered not one, but two air filters (I love my shop guys!)...we exchanged...

Many of you wrenchin’ around have been doing it since you had a baby bottle in your mouth. When you were out in the garage learning what a radiator was I was over at Miss Sally’s ballet class turning pirouettes. That’s right, I’m a girl – and not exactly your average grease monkey. I know lots of you fellas think ladies are only around to look pretty - and while I may not be too hard on the eyes – I’m not coming around just to pose on your shiny (or primered) hood. I’m here to get under it. Sparkin’ my under-hood adventures is my 1955 Studebaker Champion. After wanting a classic car for years, I finally leaped in a couple of years ago during a move from car-less San Francisco to car-necessary Los Angeles. Now I don’t know about you, but it’s my opinion that you shouldn’t drive a classic if you don’t want to work on it. And I wanted to…the only thing standing in my way was the fact that the only thing I’d ever done to a car was change a tire (and even that...

When Kevin Nichols sets up to build his first street car (he's been primarily a drag racer) he doesn't mess around! I ran into Kevin a few weeks ago at the 83rd Ave. show up in Peoria. This car's under construction, but there's still a ton to see. Plus, sometimes cars that aren't quite finished yet tell a better story than a finished car. The first thing that jumps out of this bad Stude is the engine. How's 510 cubic inches for ya? If it was only a blown Chevy big block, that'd be cool, but this engine's from Kevin's Super Eliminator and Advanced E.T. At NHRA events it ran 6.70's! A sub 7 second E.T. digger that's been his passion for years suddenly lost sponsorship and went down the road. The engine's electronic fuel injection will push pump gas through the 8-71 blower and it'll have power steering, and A/C! This will be a driver. Like most projects, the timeline for the Stude's slightly blown. Alright, it's been thrown out the window! 3 years into the build Kevin's proud to say he's done almost all the work himself....