RENO, NV (July4) — This year another first of the month for Reno Cars & Coffee happened to fall on July 4th. Despite the weather the turn out was pretty good with a good mix of cars and trucks.
Some of the cars were from the Midnight Riders car club and while they parked next to each other many were came solo.
One thing about these car meets are the older models that have been restored by their owners. These people have taken these cars, some of whom were abandoned, and given them new life.
One example was a 1967 Chevelle SS 427 owned by Kurt Johnson.
“It took me 19 years to restore it,” he said. “It was a barn find, found it in a barn in Texas and it had been sitting there for 20 years. The car has 26,000 miles on it.
It was just a shell and it took me 10 years to find all the OEM parts, all General Motors parts. It’s all original except the motor, which is still a 427.
Like many that restore these cars they get a chance to correct any flaws from when it was built. Now that it’s restored Johnson brings it to special events.
“There’s always factory flaws. In those days they were just mass producing them,” Johnson said. “They weren’t making show cars out of them, they were making transportation cars. So there were a lot of flaws I fixed.”
Another group had a newer Corvette parked next to a Sabaru that was parked to next to a newer Mustang. Variety is one of the key elements of these meets.
Another car on display was a 1967 Corvette Convertible owned by Mike McCracken. His car is very stock as it is judged at shows with the National Corvette Restorers Society.
It’s in the same condition it was or very close to when it came off the assembly line. It was built by General Motors at the St. Louis, Missouri Corvette plant,” he said. “It is original but has been restored. This has been treated to what is known as a ‘frame off restoration,’ where the body has been removed from the frame and is restored back to or as close to as the factory built as possible.”
He added the cars aren’t judged against other cars but against the standard of the way the factory built it like when it came off the assembly line.
This Corvette is like when it came off the line, maybe cleaned up a little bit like when the dealer prepped it for the first time,” he said. “That’s what you’re after in the restoration and what you’re judged against. I just take it out for special events and plan to be in Hot August Nights.”
One beautiful card was a Shelby Anniversary Mustang. It is a beautiful car and got a lot of attention.
Some of the older restored cars are sometimes given new lives that are very different from the one they were intended for. On example is a 1977 Mustang II owned by former motocross racer Mike McGill. His car also has an interesting history.
“It sat in the back of a warehouse for 20 years,” he said. “Then my mom purchased it, they put a motor in it and give it to my son for high school. He drove it around in high school then gave it back to them. They fixed the motor he blew up then gave it to me with the promise I wouldn’t just sell it. So this is the canvas I got to work with and what I built.”
And build he did,so while the car might look stock on the outside it is anything but stock on the inside.
“got a 347 stdroker in it with 450 horsepower with a 125 shot of Nitrous, has a Caltrac suspension and clipped mono leaf rear springs. Has a QA1 suspension with a built up T4 transmission.
One of the interesting items, when looking at the motor, is the extra fan on the right side. It’s a transmission cooler that pulls air from the wheel well.
Then he continued, “I’ve been working on the car for three and a half years.It’s got all all wheel disc brakes with 450 calipers all the way around. Won’t be happy until I get one tire off the ground and I’m pretty much there now.”
He’s also working to get more speed when the car is on the drag strip. As a result the back body and rear end area will probably be modified to larger tires. This car has a very different life ahead of it.
Next Reno Cars & Coffee meet is in two weeks at the Human Bean located by the corner of Kietzke and Moana, close to the freeway. There is a gallery of photos on the Reno Cars & Coffee Face Book page.
OTHER RACING NEWS:
• Are you an experienced motorcycle tech looking for work? Well thee could be an opportunity for you as Moto-Source has a job opening. If that’s you then please send your resume to, rich@moto-source.com.
• Tuesday, from 4 until 8 p.m. the south Steak ‘N Shake has a cruise in each week.
• For an in depth look at racing in California plus results from there, Nevada and nationally please check our Davey’s American Racing. It’s on at 6 p.m. Tuesday evenings on Face Book.
• On Wednesday, starting around 5 p.m. the Sparks A&W has a cruise in with music and fellow car people. It’s located across the street from Reed High School.
• Teresa’s Garage Radio Show is on the air from 2 until 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. In northwest Nevada, and all the way up to Susanville, it can be heard over the are at 1060 AM.
There is also a podcast at amm.streamon.fm or it can been seen live on Face Book. The show is focused on all things automotive, trends, new developments and trivia.
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We now have eight very appreciated sponsors supporting this site. Please patronize them as they support your sport and help nvracingnews continue. And let them know you heard about them through this site.
Tread Connection is our newest sponsor and Blake Sobiloff owns the local francise. The business brings the tire store to the customer so they don’t have to take time off work or even leave home.
Once the tires are ordered Sobiloff picks them up and arrives where the customer’s car is in a van packed with state of the art equipment. He observes all safety precautions and it’s no contact so tires can be shose and paid for online.
Another service he provides is scanning tires to tell if any alignment is needed. A useful service for fleet owners so they won’t find several vehicles needing new tires all at once. There are discounts for first responders, veterans as well as active duty military and members of the national guard and reserves.
His primary are is Reno and Sparks and one can either go to the Face Book page or check the website at www.treadconnection.com. The direct line is 775-870-3600.
Next sponsor is G.I.S.L. Land Services that, while having a global client base, has a western U.S.A. focus. Owner Greg Ekns is along time off road motorcycle racer competing in the MRANN series as well as the AMA National Hare and Hound series.
Among the services offered are surface and mineral title reveiws and cartographic services. The website is, www.gislandservices.com.
Next sponsor is General Transmission and Power Train Specialists owned by former motorcycle racer Pete Attashian. The shop is located at 2515 Sutro Street in Reno, a few blocks below Hug High School.
The shop services older and new transmissions and now has a section for high performance units and those used in towing. Phone number us 775-786-5888 and the shop’s website is, www.generaltransmissionreno.com.
Racing photographer Melissa Coker is another sponsor. If you’ve raced at Summit in Elko, Battle Mountain, Lovelock, Rattlesnake Raceway or Diamond Mountain Speedway she probably has a photograph of your car on the track.
She’s also been at the Duel in the Desert, Northern Modified Tour, Wild West Tour and the IMCA Super Nationals. She produces hero cards and memory books. To see her collections or to place an order check www.melissasoutonalimb.smugmug.com.
Two of our sponsors are first class motorcycle shops located in Reno.
Our first sponsor is Reno Motorsports (RMS). Not only do they have about anything a rider might want or need the store also has a full service shop.
Their location is at 964 Terminal Way, by the intersection with Mill Street. The phone number is 775-322-1499 and the website is, www.renomotorsports.com.
The next shop is Moto-Source located at 3180 Mill Street. They are also a full service service shop and have about anything a rider might want or need.
The phone number is 775-856-3855 and the website is, www.motosource.com.
Concours Body Shop, located at 250 Telegraph in Reno is another sponsor. The shop does quality collision repair for cars and trucks.
Owner Brian Saul is a car enthusiast himself and it committed to continuing the shop’s reputation of quality work. Phone number is 775-329-4557 and the website is, www.concoursbodyshop.net.
Hungry, want a great place to eat, then try PJ&CO for breakfast, lunch, dinner and it’s a great place to watch your favorite sports. Wednesday evenings, starting around 5 p.m is Bike Night, a good time to meet fellow riders and have a great dinner.
The location is 1590 South Wells Avenue, just north of the round about. Phone number is 775-323-6366 and their website is, www.pjandco.net.
Have a business targeted towards motorsports or car enthusiasts? This site is a great way to expose your services to those communities. You can contact us either through the comment section of this site or on our Face Book page.
