Two Guys Garage Podcast

Use of a manual transmission has become something of a dying art. But for those in the know, the manual remains a potent tool, especially TREMEC’s TKX 5-speed transmission. Just ask Bruce Couture of Modern Driveline. He’s been pointing and shooting and shifting for 25 years. “Whether it’s gas powered or electric, there’s just so many options, so many different platforms, we’re building all kinds of stuff… everything from the ‘30s to modern day muscle,” he tells the guys. “I don’t even flinch when people talk about 1200 and 1500 hp anymore.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world has somewhat transitioned from solvent based paints to water-based paints but that doesn’t always agree with the art form that is painting a vehicle, especially when you’re trying to get that perfect look!Willie agrees with Henry Ford stating,“A customer can have their car painted any color they want, as long as that color is black”, but Kevin feels that “a color of paint wants to be on certain cars”.Often the paint for your vehicle can cost more than the vehicle itself. So, what to choose? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Summer is upon us, and who better to help prep for the season than the Einstein of Additives himself, Chris Gabrelcik of Hot Shot’s Secret. With the price of a 3000-mile oil change skyrocketing to a whopping $300 or more, how would you like to never change the oil in your ride ever again? “You just have to do one or two oil analyses and it pretty much sets the record for you for the rest of your life.” Dirt in oil is like cholesterol in your blood – it needs to be diagnosed and treated. “It’s not crazy, wizardry stuff. It’s Dawn soap, it’s the same kind of concept.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Willie recently received an excited phone call from his twin brother exclaiming, “You’ll never guess what I found three miles from my house!” What he found is possibly the pinnacle small town elusive barn find - a 1970 Plymouth Superbird! It’s been stuffed in the back of a garage and the doors to the vehicle haven’t been opened since 1989. You can guess that this is one six-figure car that Willie really wants to get his hands on. The guys discuss the history of this classic, talk shop about many other classic and current rides that have always caught their eyes, and get emotional about some of the cars that got away... almost! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MuscleCars at the Strip is the biggest event of its kind in the world; a what’s hot, what’s not annual gathering of both modern and classic muscle. Phil Painter of JP Motorsports is the man behind the curtain, and today he joins the guys to talk about the latest trends and most iconic vehicles. “Taking modern technology and putting it into those older bodies and waking those cars up, I think that’s a real bonus to the whole muscle car enthusiast platform.” The trio also debates the top 5 muscle cars of all time, including a few that are guaranteed to raise an eyebrow or two. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During his 15-year career as a professional race car driver, Cooper MacNeil amassed an impressive array of endurance championship wins, including the 24 Hours of Daytona (2023 GT3 Class), Petit Le Mans (3-time winner), 24 Hours of Sebring (2-time winner), and 24 Hours of Le Mans (multiple podiums). Now retired, recently married, and with a baby on the way, he sat down with Kevin and Willie for a look back at his life in racing (“After 15 years of doing it, I was just mentally, physically, and emotionally, for that matter, done with the sport”) and his future in the family business, working on product development at WeatherTech. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kyle Tucker is widely acknowledged as a groundbreaker in the development of pro-touring, although he admits that he didn’t quite see it coming. “It was really just good timing and some luck,” he tells Kevin and Willie. “We were just out there being geeky engineers wanting to test our parts, but we were marketing at the same time, and it did a lot for the company in the early days.” The evolution of Detroit Speed from grassroots beginnings to industry juggernaut, on this episode ofTwo Guys Garage Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you consider the manual way we tuned cars for decades, it’s amazing how far tuning technology has come, and how intimidating tuning a modern vehicle can be. Having the right diagnostic tool that talks to the systems on these cars is critical, requiring something a little better than a code reader; something that gives you an indication where to go, what procedure to tackle next, and can pay for itself quickly. Haresh Gobin of Launch Tech USA joins the podcast to drop some wisdom on the guys about these innovative, yet affordable devices, whether you’re a DIYer or professional shop technician. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to Willie, there’s “not a better buddy to show up to your house on a weekend and say, ‘Hey, you wanna do some welding?!’” than the Wizard of Welding himself, Bob Bitzky. Trainer, teacher, professor, product developer; you name it, Bob’s done it. Today he joins the guys to lay down some serious knowledge about welding in general and TIG, chromoly, and aluminum in particular. “If you’re a steel welder and I’m gonna take you over to the aluminum side,” he notes, “I may have to remove your brain and turn it around inside your head.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kyle Hyatali really knows how to build a hot rod and tee it up nicely. His purview at Vibrant Performance extends across the full life cycle of development, including everything from product design to tech support and marketing. Most recently, he’s been documenting a full customization of his personal ’87 Mazda RX-7 decked out with the full Vibrant catalogue. “We often consider ourselves similar to a Home Depot of car fabrication,” he tells the guys in this week’s podcast. “You could come to us, you could buy your stainless and your flanges and build what you want pretty much…. Bring your own turbo, but we got everything else.” He’s also got some great tips to avoid mistakes building your own exhaust, thermal management, and fuel systems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices