Man, I feel like a cute girl in the front row that McCartney just noticed. I really appreciate the shout out. And got a big kick out of you cruising by my allegedly competing live stream on Sunday! My channel (and my view of these cars) may or may not have been heavily influenced by the way you view things. Stuff like “LEAVE IT ALONE!” spoke to me and really helped put into words how I feel about cars. There are more than a few nods to UTG on my channel. Thanks for doing what you do.

One trap I'm trying to avoid is disassemble my car to the point it's not drivable! I know myself too well! I won't get it back together!!

This is spot on when it comes to any vehicle project. Shut off the social media sales guys and simply figure out what you want to do with the car and go towards that goal.

Much of what was talked about can be due to peer pressure as well. Be it the local car show, or a friends circle, or a forum, or youtube, people feel pressure to do things a certain way. Your car, Your money, Your way!

As a restoration shop, I can say we are on the same thought process. Mostly, new classic customers think their car can be rebuilt in months, not a year or two. TV shows have been good for our business, but they don't sell the real time it takes to perform the labor and powertrain machine shop time. And, many times restoring and pounding out trim, or making it from scratch, and that includes early hemi engine parts. I'm enjoying your channel. Thank you.

Finally, a common sense approach to all of the madness, opposed to where people think they have to "upgrade" an old car. Once you do that, you have lost the old car experience. Too many of the car build programs just throw a bunch of modern parts at a car.

Block sanding has literally drove tony to insanity 😅

One thing I like about this channel is,that Tony is a jackstand and cardboard on the floor type of guy. the feel of new cardboard is a luxury, cool and a cushy, I envy the pile if new cardboard in the background! been pinched by creeper wheels too many times..

One tip the “aftermarket industry” doesn’t want you to know is that sometimes you can make those upgrades just with standard (stock) parts. Pretty much all Detroit automakers had options list for cars and some end up in junkyards ready to “donate” those parts cheaper (if you are prepared to put in the effort). Alternatively you can opt for stock equipment but for a different model from the same manufacturer. Bigger cars or trucks could have heavy duty brakes that you can graft into your car for less hassle and expense than “shiny new” parts that incidentally may be riddled with quality control issues!

I believe I’m one lucky guy.Back in1987 my friend’s and I rescued a 71 Pontiac Grand Prix from a garage in Queens,NY.We got it from the original owner,fortunately,I took ownership and held onto it all these years.Car has always been kept waxed and clean and in a garage,it had 28,000 miles on it when I bought it,now has 74,000.Some minor body work needs done but the original paint is in great shape,it runs and drives like a dream.Many new front suspension parts,brake lines,shocks,things like that,have been upgraded over the last few years.Now retired and battling pancreatic cancer,this car is my salvation,my place to find my soul.Every nice day we go for an early morning cruise on Long Island,never know where we might end up,yesterday was beach day.I watch the sunrise,I listen to the hum of my 400/4bbl.Life is good,having this classic makes it a little sweeter. Rock On UT.

The King has spoken. Thanks Tony for reminding us just to have fun with our muscle car as it is.

Restored my car 2 years ago. Block sanded the whole thing by myself. Took me 2 weekends to do it. My body was really straight. It was so miserable.

identifying a car blindfolded...the sound of a chrysler starter will let you know what it is as soon as the key is turned.

The trap I seem unable to shake is the "potential" trap. Looking at a car or truck and seeing it for what it COULD be as opposed to what it IS.

My best wishes to bodyman Ron and his family.

As an Italian, I noticed the several primer spots on UTs' black T-Shirt, because we augment our speech with our hands and body. #Words

You are absolutely right. I decided to have a project truck. Got a Mazda b2200. It now has a 350 with th350 trans with transgo reprogramming. I narrowed an 8.8 with 3.55 gears and a lunchbox locker. There are just a couple things left that I want to do when I get around to it. Because it's not a race truck, I want to go with friendlier highway gears and 5 lug conversion for the front end so I only have to carry one spare tire. This truck will never see a race track but is still fun to drive (never driven too hard) and is my only daily driver. I realize there are plenty of V8 swapped mini trucks out there but they aren't the majority. I get plenty of thumbs up and smiles when people see it so my goal has already been met even though there is still work to do. Projects like this are cheap and fun. $600 for the truck, I had saved the engine from a Chevy van I had before and a $75 core truck th350 (long tail shaft) from a wrecking yard. A good rebuild kit and the kit from transgo didn't put me back much and over my week vacation, I had it done including driveline. You certainly didn't waste my time with this video, it's something that needs to be told, especially for those just getting started! Thanks Tony!

sadly channels like vice grip garage is going in the way of expensive builds, thank you for staying grounded Uncle Tony!

Uncle Tony, This was in no way a waste of my time, you hit on various topics that I've struggled with since a teen. Thank you!

Block sanding is like washing the dishes . It does suck , but if you remember what the car use to look like before , and you realize how close you are to shooting finished paint , then it doesn't seem such a bad job when you think how close you are to seeing it in colour . Looks good Tony

Well said.. A car that's mostly stock with a slightly hotter than stock engine is perfect for me

I'm a body & paint guy, I've lost the love for prep work now. I look forward to building an engine now 😅

I am 46 years old and have built several cars.I have learned exactly what tony is saying here.I have learned that the tubular control arms and the poly bushings and the big wheels and the lowering springs just absolutely kill the ride quality on a old car.if I want to feel every bump in the road I will drive my 2002 trans am.I like old cars the way they were built with all the og parts.

One of my favorite hot rod articles as a kid was taking a 440 and 727 out of a junk big car and putting it in a dart in a quest for 12s with only junkyard parts. I street raced chevys but I won alot of races in the 80s having junk yards as my parts store. I would also pay attention to anyone upgrading their race cars at the drag strip on weekends and I would buy their hand me downs for penny's on the dollar. As a 14 to 17 year old kid it allowed me into the sport that otherwise I'd never be able to afford.

one bite at a time, section off your goals, make a goal for the day and tackle that one goal.. one and many small goals = the bigger end goal of your set timeline to have the car done. That method has really helped me with my firebird project right now.. the one thing thats most important is time and money, free time to work on the car, and the money for parts and tools..

Being a mechanic is 99% misery and 1% joy. The joy is when you accomplish the task and it's beautiful....It takes the 99% to do it.

This especially goes for the younger crowd who wants a complete restored vehicle before driving the thing. id say drive it while your restoring and everyone can appreciate the work you do and getting it on the road completing the challenges along the way. good video uncle tony!!!

Kiwi is next door laughing his ass off while he's block sanding

Great video Tony! I'm not a mopar guy is the slightest, but I love your channel for these kinds of videos. Philosophy and discussion of cars. Keep up the good work!

I'm pretty new to the car thing for my age. Only really been heavy into it for about 6 or 7 years. My biggest challenge, my nemesis, my archenemy, is anticipating and properly preparing for the curve balls I'll be thrown. A lot of it comes down to experience, sure, but the luck element is what kills me. "Okay, so I'm gonna rebuild the Eagle's transmission, and since I'm gonna have the trans out, I'm gonna take care of that rear main and oil pan gasket." I go through the service manual a couple times to remind myself of specific removal procedure, grab the tools I know I'm gonna need, plus the ones I always use when stuff doesn't cooperate. Pull the trans without messing myself or anything else up. Go to do the rear main and oil pan seal, look up, see the distributor gear on the cam is about a paper thin slice away from being completely wiped out. Further inspection and an engine pull later, and now I'm no longer doing a transmission rebuild, but rebuilding the engine as well. That's the kinda mess that hits me pretty often, to the point where I don't even believe I can estimate how long something is gonna take, because I'm always not just wrong, but embarrassingly far off even if I estimate, multiply it by 2-1/2, and round up. Ain't gonna stop, though!

Your a race car driver at heart and I will say that is why you do what you do, instead of the one behind you, I would be happy with the one behind you now just the way it is. God bless your family and I hope you have a great evening.🙂

I am here to tell you, when we painted our 65 Galaxie. It is a BIG car. It doesn’t look that big,, but when working the guide coat you really have to concentrate and keep the picture in mind of what you want it to be. One bite at a time.

Uncle Tony even has a video from years ago entitled, "LEAVE IT ALONE!" I loved that video

The moral of the story is, to be happy with what you have, not always wanting the next thing. This is a secret to a happy life I am told.

I agree completely. My 1965 Ford Galaxie is a survivor, and I keep it running with the 240 six, single master cylinder 4 wheel drum brakes. It has so much personality

Fixin it and drivin it. That’s what I like. 55,000 miles in three years. Two sets of brakes. Lots of cheep tires. Coated the inside of the gas tank. Rebuilt three of the window motors. Drive the hell out of it. Change the plugs. Keep the “whining” starter it’s known for. Use the original a/c. Rebuild the heater core, and have it fail twice, but go 45,000 miles before it does. Leave the 2.76 gears and learn to love them. Yes, fix it and drive it. Love the road. Love the highway. Listen to the rumble and leave the radio busted. That turns my crank. Pedal down and hear the secondaries open up and open wide!

I truly appreciate what you are saying. Being a guy with a few projects that the wife and I are working on to find that happy medium of being a fun and fairly reliable driver vs. a rolling jalopy is a fine line. Great video,brother.

I learned this way of thinking some time back. I have a 67 fairlane that I built to give me that muscle car feel..cam with a lope , 4 speed, nice paint..runs great love it. I'm currently doing a 79 Z28 for my wife the goal is to make it run and drive like it did in 1979..nice paint and interior..AC that works..kept the turbo 350 trans..swapped the 373 gears for 308s..added mid length headers and nice exhaust...other than that thats the only mods to the car...even keeping the Q-jet carb...it runs like a swiss watch and I intend to keep it that way. I have a fox body racecar that as you stated isn't running the ETs that I want so I'll keep grinding on it. I found what you said here insightful..I've seen many a project die from lack of vision.

Hit the nail on the head tony! I've wanted a scamp with a 440 since I was a kid and I had all these big dreams for it. I realized I really wanted a fun street car that does great burnouts but can take the kids for ice cream and I couldn't be happier. Still kinda want it to run a 12.99 tho lol but it'll do burnouts for two blocks and rowing that 4 speed just makes me feel like im back in high school. Keep your goals in reality and you will be so much happier! Great vid tony!

Tony, You are so right. Thank you for your experienced advice. Everything you talked about are things I’m going through. Thank you!

I like Dead Dodge Garage a lot, and I'm not a Mopar guy. But like Tony, he sticks to common sense, and is not skewing towards high dollar builds using sponsor's parts....

Another great piece of wisdom from Uncle Tony. I always enjoy your videos for sure. Listen people, Listen.

This ^^^* 1000% thanks uncle Tony I needed to hear this.

Stacey David and Gears is the perfect example of drive ,fix, plan , and do as you can afford the project. Offers a repair diary, examples of what you want, how you want it, plan the project and your planning on the budget, buying them in a the order you need to get them so you don't buy the last thing you need first and visa versa. Very good show and the level of planning of what you want instead of picking the car into 20,000 pieces and putting the money in it to buy a house when it isn't necessary. I agree with you doing this to a car doesn't put you into the era and get that experience instead of a classic car, your going to get that car that is like a new kit car that's no longer the same thing as the feel like the real thing. Enjoyable video and I love keeping tuned in the channel to see what you come up with next.

No matter what the topic I always learn something from a UTG video.

block sanding needs to be a labor of love, dig in and enjoy the ride! thank you for the entertainment!

Uncle Tony nails it again. Always build with a goal in mind. Research and buy once. Again research and buy it one time to match said goal. I love the stock looks of my cars. I just change the stance and a few minor enhancements to my taste. But I really like the sound of a high lift cam at idle. Sounds so sweet. And I like multi carbed intakes and factory hood scooped appearance. I like the factory style wheels and add performance tires. So I am consistent with this theme an my cars. But it does look quite confusing to folks who look at my cars at shows and cruise ins. They ask for 1/4 mile times and I don’t have them. I have only ran my newer cars on the strip. These are just kicking around and cruise in cars. 70 Challenger and 70 GTX. Thanks Uncle Tony. I feel a little more sane. But my wife will still beg to differ.

On the contrary Tony, you’re not wasting anyones time. Sharing your car building philosophy and your hard-won knowledge is worth gold to guys like myself who build on a budget. Keep it up.

I learned my lessons 50 years ago after doing two very good paint jobs and the cars were in accidents within a couple of months. One was mine which was hit by a drunk while my car was parked. The other was my sister's car when she went out in icy conditions. I just do a fair job on my vehicles now. I need a truck. After shopping around, I decided to spend $2000 and about 300 hours on my old 85 C-10 this summer. It is much better looking than the new crap. I agree that I will fix it up with oem type parts and not modify it. Although, I have an '83 350 that I'm considering swapping in to replace the 305. Good Luck, Rick

I am about the same age as you Tony...and brother you speak the truth 100%....

Excellent video, Tony! You more than any other person in my life has given a totally different outlook on my car hobby. I have been able to do so much more than I ever thought possible, all because of you!

I just realized you are the tony of the imfamous hamster dragster article and the 12.99 e.t. for $1299 roadrunner I read about in early 80s. Have become a fan again!

“Let’s have another kid” 😂I almost fell off my bar stool. 😂😂😂

I’ve never done any type of real body work on a car. But I’ve refinished enough furniture to know the process is time consuming and requires some patience and persistence. A friend of mine told me to start with something small, like a lawn mower or a motorcycle and learn how to pace myself and then move on to something bigger like a car or truck.

I would have been ok with this being longer. It made alot of sense and Uncle Tony you kick ass

It took me close to 50 years to figure out what you're saying about chasing ETs, or handling, or top speed, or whatever. Now that I'm an old man I'm perfectly happy cruising around in my old Fords with stock flathead engines. In fact I'm happier with my car passion now more than ever. But we all have to make it thru our youth to figure some things out. You've still got my favorite channel but I hope you'll see the 318 project thru. I really want to see it make the numbers just because that would be cool.

Well said. Have a vision and enjoy your cars for what they are. Its what keeps me in this game and still having fun with classic cars. Great video

I absolutely love this channel! The fact that you refer to yourself as an uncle, makes so much sense to me. You truly are like the uncle. I never had telling me what to do with my classic car. You truly are an educator and a motivational speaker. Honestly. Thank you and Uncle Kathy for all the work you put into this!

Click and Clack's long lost brother-- love the intelligent commentary

Great analogy with the child birth. This is one of your best videos..... You really nailed the Mopar experience and articulated it very well! For me its the sound of that Chrysler Mopar starter no sound like it. And the feel of that pistol grip 4 speed. I loved throwing it in reverse and seeing that little light below the dash come on warning you were in reverse. The coolest thing ever!

I'm a leave it alone kinda guy myself. I daily drive a 1972 Dart more door. It has a slant six/904 combo. Original trans but different engine. It starts right up and runs great. The factory engine spun main and rod bearings. So I found a replacement. My grand farther had bought the car for me and my wife because the junk I was driving keep breaking down [chevy] and I had to keep borrowing his truck to have a way to work. So he showed up one day with it and said he wanted his truck back. That was in 1990. I have upgraded the brakes with disk in front and an 8 1/4 rear with 11'' drums. Stops on a dime. I did add power steering. There's nothing like driving an old car. I love it and would never get rid of it. Gets a lot of attention. love your channel and your videos keep up the great work.

personally i find the rambling vids the most fun and yeah sanding is the least fun you can have with a car

Bro you’re honesty is refreshing 😊

It is not a trap, it is about saving money, or wanting to do it yourself instead of paying money 💰 to have someone who knows how to do it , wanting it done the way you want or don't trust someone else to do the work. Either pay to have someone to do it or suck up the work and do it yourself. A trap is something that happens to you that's bad and you don't have a choice tk do it or not. Great evening to you UTG. Dead Dodge Garage is a great guy

Spot on. All I want from a classic car is the look,feel, overall experience of what it was in my youth

Uncle Tony is 1000% correct with everything he just said. I’ve been there several times, and he is exactly right.

It’s funny because I’m an XJ guy and I was just thinking the other day that the formula to sell every aftermarket XJ part goes “Your Jeep XJ is wimpy and weak in this area from the factory. Our product makes your Jeep strong. Buy our product and never worry about it again!”. Sometimes I wonder how many of these areas would ever even end up giving me trouble!

I have a late sixties Ford Falcon in New Zealand. The best modification I did was slightly wider rims, good quality Steel belted radials and a good wheel alignment with caster, that they didn't have with their old cross ply tyres.

I agree with not just throwing money at a project and that's why it's nice to see the younger generation taking interest in getting vintage cars back on the road and just enjoying them.

So many great points. And so many fall into the trap for sure. Thanks for the video and I love what you’re doing.

"Bro you did not have to watch this video" had me rolling😂🤣😂🤣

when you mentioned you were gonna paint the car I was like ohhh geeze he's gonna be workin on this thing 24/7

I know what you're going through Tony.Think of it as washing the car. Use water and 320 sandpaper. Two coats of paint over that you won't see any sand marks. Little divots you won't see because it's semi-gloss you are using. Pretend you're scrubbing the bath.I'm 65 now and I bit off more than I could chew. With my so-called restoration job. That has lasted now for over 15 years. 50 years old was my golden age. Now it hurts to get out of bed. Good luck UTG.

I've been following your show, to learn how to be a better mechanic, but Jesus there is a lot to learn, and complicated

The ultimate goal is having a car you can jump in and drive no matter if it is done or not. My car may never be done but it runs and drives anywhere.

I get the trap feeling ! When I first started commercial salmon fishing out of high school I was stuck on a boat for a couple of months with no land in sight ! So I had to keep my yap shut and get it done ! But being a 3rd generation fisherman was a blessing, a curse but I wouldn’t change a single thing. Great video Uncle Tony . Cheers 🇨🇦

Love your work Tony. Greetings from Australia, Keep up the good work

This is how much Uncle Tony hate block sanding he'll go on and on about stuff just to get away from it GREAT VIDEO LOVE IT 😂

I have painted a car with rustoleum paint and and a good paint brush and thin the paint with mineral sprits and they turn out pretty good for cheap. Other people have done the same. Hard to tell unless you are up close.

Thank you, this is a great reminder! I just started on my first project car, and this is great for helping me sort out my thoughts.

One of the big things I always tell people is "know your limits". If you have limited technical knowledge or have never restored an older car, maybe it's not the time to do major modifications or upgrades that require advanced body man or mechanical skills. Crawl, walk, run. Learn how to rebuild and tune a stock carburetor before you go dropping in expensive aftermarket ones. Learn the basic steps in diagnosing driveability issues before you start making major engine modifications. You'll be happier when your project is running and on the road, rather then sitting in the garage for a year or two because it's in a million pieces.

Just bought my first project ('72 Skylark Custom) and your words really ring true with how I approached purchasing it. It's a legacy car (my Great Grandfather, Grandfather and Dad all owned various Buicks). When I purchased the things I kept in mind were... I didn't want a finished product, I wanted something I could put my own blood sweat and tears into, I wanted to be able to drive it while I rebuilt it and I want to rebuild it as close to stock as I could get with a few tasteful upgrades (2 barrel carb to a 4 barrel, stock tires to skinny's in front fatty's in back, etc.)... this car was the exact match to what I wanted in a classic car and the price was perfect

Thank you, Uncle Tony - Keeping it REAL

The whole thing where numbers are a trap, (especially drag strip ET’s) really hit home. I find myself chasing those numbers and making my car less and less enjoyable on the street in that search, that I will sometimes look back and ask myself why I’m even doing all of this. It’s gotten to the point a stock version of my car or lightly modded becomes more fun 90% of the time than my very own car for that reason

Uncle tony is spot on with this topic! I have been building cars for over 30 years professionally in shops and my own projects. You have this LS craze put a LS in it is what i hear from people, put a upgraded EFI in it put fancy big brakes on it, tub it out put big wide modern rims and tires on it And it never ends. All these perspectives are cool but it gets very expensive and time consuming to do all of these upgrades especially when taken to a specialty shop and most of the time I have seen worked on and fixed other peoples parts fiascos, shops that sell people on making these upgrades. the parts and upgrades were not executed with a logical knowledgeable approach. I have seen most builds are thrown together nothing works well because the people installing the parts don’t have the skill or the experience to be doing these upgrades all to either save money or shops trying to make money. So I try to give my customers a more simple approach keep it simple so you don’t get overwhelmed by the project energetically and financially. I live in California where they make it very difficult to do some of these modifications especially to motors and emission systems. Put a modern motor in a old school car, your by law supposed to incorporate all of the emissions components from the vehicle that you pulled the motor out of that included catalytic converters EVAP system and it all has to work as it did in the vehicle you scavenged the parts from. When the smog or emissions Referees are involved in the inspection processes it becomes a nightmare now can it be done yes but it will challenge you to the max I know I have experienced this more than once on my journey as a professional car builder and professional Automotive Technician. Remember all these companies always tell you when trying to sell you a kit or performance package of some sort that it just bolts on and off you go total BS you have to have some knowledge of what your doing or you will have challenges that can wear on you. In my early years of modifying cars I didn’t have KZfaq to reference we had to fabricate brackets modify wire harnesses, port heads and really use ingenuity to achieve our goals, KZfaq is a cool reference to helping figure things out but you still have to possess a decent understanding of Mechanics, nothing beats experience Working on cars in stock form and then easing into performance upgrades. I see the younger generation getting all caught up in trying to build high horsepower vehicles with limited experience and tools and they turn there projects into basket cases. All this being said do your research and plan wisely before getting your self into a project that you can’t enjoy because the car spends its life in the garage and rarely sees the streets. Keep it simple and have fun working on your project don’t listen to people telling you what you should and need to upgrade. Work at your pace stay within your capabilities and skill set and have fun working on you vehicle. Oh and first and foremost be Safe there are many ways you can injure yourself working on cars wear your protective equipment gloves, safety glasses, proper masks when handling caustic substances. Much love to all the motor heads, car nuts and fabrication junkies.

well i always enjoy your ramblings tony. because i always learn something or you make me think well done and long may you continue thanks a lot

I thought I was done with project cars, but one popped up late winter, I fine the tear down and cleaning up to be enjoyable, welding patch panels not too bad as long as there isn't an ungodly amount of work and once I get tired of doing cutting, grinding and welding I switch off to interior brakes, suspension or engine work so I don't get tired of the project. Also I picked a car that had a solid body except for the typical door corner rot that can be repaired easily, it has some dents and surface rust that comes through in places, but that will be for the next owner if they desire to take it further, mechanically it will be all there and the interior will look good. Thanks Uncle Tony!

20yrs as a bodyman and i still love blocking sorry tony slow and steady, get a longer block sand on sand off or power threw with a da

I can remember rebuilding a mini in my late teens and the paint process was a nightmare!!!! One of my grandfather's friends was a retired body and paint guy and he said he would not spray the car until the sanding was correct and that was my job. He actually sprayed a spare door , with high build primer, and got me to go through the process before i even touched the car. He took over after being satisfied and did the final paint , alas like a lot of 17 year olds i ended up going through a hedge he was absolutely livid!

"ATTA BOY"!!!! TONY about the "upgrade trap"!! MOPAR-TY IN CLEVELAND , OHIO

👍 great advice uncle T I wont get caught up in the horsepower race, its an endless money pit. Just enjoy your ride! 😎

Another great video! Thanks UTG..

This video is really helpful to me to get my head straight.Thank you for showing me that I am overthinking my projects.

Don’t apologize. Absolutely wonderful video. I’ve learned so much from you. Thank you!

Tony... one of your best videos.

My father said if you dislike a job get really good at it. That way you'll do a good job and it'll take less time.

Yep! After 3 yrs of Saturday afternoons cutting out rust and feeling satisfied with the job I am now filling and block sanding. Every litre of filler smoothed on just ends up dust on the floor. It is the point that will break your spirit and confidence for sure. What keeps me going is the thought of finally getting to do the mechanical.

I inherited challenger project car I havn't started yet, and this video reminded me of what my goal was. To have a cool old car to drive and to rebuild my childhood memory of my dads Cuda. Thanks Uncle Tony for keeping me out of project car hell.

its not all about the upgrades i have a 1976 camaro, installed new motor and painted. left the rest alone. the interior is amazing. left the rest alone and its so amazing! and looks great. no LS Swap no fuel injection. all brakes stock! love love this car!! its amazing actually has a REalistic am fm tape deck that still works!!! not changing anything else!!

good words and good advice I kinda needed to hear thank you