The MuscleCar Place Robert Kibbe

For the Fourth of July, I wanted to get an all American interview about banding together with friends regarding our favorite cars in car clubs. I talked to two guests, Brian Little and previous show guest Doug Warble (episode 357) from the Susquehanna Valley GTO Club, which is a Chapter of the GTO Association of America. It's 80+ members strong! They came on to talk about starting and running a car club and growing it's membership. It turns out the techniques to growing ANY organization apply....and it all comes down to the the "want to" to see it happen.

This week, at long last, I caught up with a very busy guy Scott Bowers. Scott is the president of Ron Francis wiring and I wanted to get his story about how they are coping with the Covid-19 pandemic. They are a manufacturer and located on the East Coast, two components of the equation that I was curious about. I was amazed at his candor regarding the situation but not too surprised at the answers.

This week I once again had the privilege of talking to Rick Love, Vice President of Vintage Air. Vintage Air is as synonymous with "hot rod Air-conditioning" as Kleenex is with facial tissue. They've become the go-to for all things A/C and heat related in the most popular muscle cars, hot rods, and trucks imaginable - but Rick shared the details and requirements to make it work well and effectively in any vehicle. (Here's a hint - sealing and insulation your interior space is a good thing!)

This week I spoke to Frank Mecum of Mecum Auctions. In most of my interviews the story starts "at a young age with a love of cars". This story does have that theme, but begins with two generations of Mecums (including Dana Mecum and his father) working in and owning new car dealerships for years. Early on they came across a large collection of collectible cars that allowed the set up the first Mecum auction ever. The event took place at the Rockford airport in Illinois and after the cars were sold a tornado came through and destroyed nearly everything - including the cars. Frank said that his grandfather owed so many people money after that auction that he had to do it again the next year. The start was humble, but it led to the Mecum auction enterprise we know today.

This week I spoke to Kevin Marti of Marti Auto Works, home of the world famous "Marti Report". For the Ford faithful, this famous report allows one to know the actual manufacturer data for any Ford built 1967 or newer, including options, colors, build dates, rarity, and otherwise! It's the actual proof to know if your rare Ford or Mercury is the Real McCoy. But....as all good stories go, Kevin's intent wasn't to create a report company at all. It was born out of a search to solve a problem he had!



Holley is the official EFI source for Kibbe and Friends and is the PROUD sponsor of this episode! Their Terminator Stealth system on my General Lee is killing it. There's a BRAND NEW MOPAR EVENT listed on their website that you need to save the date for as well: Sept 18-20 in Bowling Green, KY. Hint - there's a General Lee jump! https://www.moparty.com



The Pro-Touring Update - Presented by Ron Francis Wiring - STARRING LARRY CALLAHAN - is back! 2020 Pro-touring Events: With the COVID-19 virus shutting down all large gatherings, the question remains of what events will still be allowed to operate. Even a small GoodGuys event would draw large enough crowds to violate even the most generous relaxing of the rules. Stay tuned and we will provide updates on these events as they come available. As of the release of this episode, GoodGuys events all will restart after July 1, 2020. Visit Pro-Touring.com for details and updates!



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The MuscleCar Place is Proudly Presented by National Parts Depot! Visit www.nationalpartsdepot.com to purchase all of your muscle car restoration parts today.



This week marks the return of my longtime pal Mike Finnegan, live from his home garage! Mike is the co-host of Finnegan's Garage on YouTube along with his pal Dave Newbern, and stars on multiple shows on the Motor Trend including as Roadkill and Faster with Finnegan. He was also the co-host of the wildly popular and entertaining Kibbe and Finnegan podcast from 2016-2018. His mere presence and sunny disposition is a good thing of course, but he came on with an announcement you'll want to hear - tonight (May 8) he is giving away some great stuff live on Youtube! 



Yes, Holley is the official EFI source for TMCP and is a PROUD sponsor of this episode! And with that said....they're also the EXHAUST source for the Kibbe and Friends Show. For you hip kids who are already on the LT swap game, have no fear. Hooker BlackHeart is pleased to announce their new LT Swap Exhaust Manifolds. These Hooker BlackHeart cast iron exhaust manifolds for the popular GM LT motor feature 2.5-inch outlets and are designed to hug close to the engine block so they fit into a wide variety of replacement and engine-swap applications. Visit Holley.com for details!