V8 Radio Podcast

Join hosts Kevin Oeste and Mike “Cue Ball” Clark for another fun, no-fluff episode of V8 Radio! Kevin recaps his spring shakedown of the 1962 Ford Galaxie with a full tune-up, clever fixes, and real-world lessons learned the hard way. Kevin shares the inside scoop from the SEMA Hot Rod Industry Alliance long-range planning meeting in Florida, plus stories from the Edison & Ford winter estates. The guys also drop two fresh automotive trivia questions to keep you guessing until the very end.

On This Episode:

Automotive trivia questions

Kevin’s 1962 Ford Galaxie season opener: tune-up, new MSD wires, NGK plugs, EGR cleaning, and throttle body mods

Real talk on parts ordering mistakes (wrong spark plug wires and O2 sensors) and re-homing strategies

Kevin's recap of the SEMA Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) planning meeting, with a deep dive into HRIA programs: education days, builder roundtables, Hammer Down podcast, and feature vehicles

V8 Speed and Resto Shop updates, Mike's Suburban transmission plans, and teaser for a future episode on disappointing famous cars

... and much more!

Links:

SEMA / HRIA: https://www.sema.org/hria

V8 Speed & Resto Shop: https://v8speedshop.com/

V8 Radio Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/V8RadioShow/

Like, subscribe, and share and don't forget to comment on our socials. Thanks for tuning in!

We’re excited to share the newest episode of the V8 Radio Podcast is live! Kevin Oeste and Mike "Q-Ball" Clarke are back delivering another fun, insightful ride through classic car culture, hot rod builds, and shop life at V8 Speed and Resto. From automotive trivia, real-world lessons on making modified classics more enjoyable to drive, to crew shenanigans and plenty of laughs, this one’s packed with the kind of garage talk every gearhead digs.

Key topics covered:

Deep discussion on balancing high-performance upgrades (suspension, rear axles, bushings, mounts) with everyday drivability – avoiding the “noisy tin can” trap many builds fall into

Shop philosophy: connecting people to the best times of their lives through cars, and why conversations about what you REALLY want from a build matter more than horsepower numbers

Crew fun: V8 Speed & Resto Playlist Challenge (team guesses who picked which songs), shoutouts, and a few hilarious tangents including 80s spy shows and unexpected global car trivia 

Funny moment: The dramatic band sting when Mike’s wildly off-base guess on an automotive trivia question gets revealed – pure comedy gold. 😂

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts or head to v8radio.com. Smash that subscribe button and keep the shiny side up!

#V8RadioPodcast #ClassicCars #MuscleCars #HotRods #CarBuilding #AutomotiveLife #CarCulture #ProTouring

V8 Speed and Resto Shop Playlist Challenge Songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/73wnZlJW9rAFpPRQY3GuxD?si=fd470a43f31e46c5

https://www.v8radio.com

Hang on for another episode of the V8 Radio Podcast, where hosts Kevin Oeste and Mike "Q-Ball" Clarke crank up the fun from the heart of V8 Speed & Resto Shop. This episode dives into automotive trivia that'll test your tire knowledge, shares heartwarming tales of loyal customers and multi-car builds, and geeks out on how AI is revolutionizing shop ops and engine tuning. From winter garage gratitude to dream car hunts and EGR valve epiphanies, it's another fun ride packed with laughs, tips, and that unmistakable V8 vibe. Whether you're wrenching on your own project or just daydreaming about spring cruises, this one's got the spark to keep your cylinders firing!

Topics Covered:

Automotive Trivia Showdown

Winter Shop Vibes: Reflections on brutal Midwest cold, indoor car storage, and a 360° tour of in-progress builds like a '66 Chevelle SS, '79 Broncos, and multiple Trans Ams from repeat customers.

Customer Connections: Celebrating multi-car owners (up to three per client!), Firebird Fest shoutouts, and tips on scoping out rides like a '71 Riviera or '87 Fiero.

Dream Car Hunting: Partnering with Zach Straits' Dream Car Connection for concierge car-finding services, plus stories of cross-country inspections with Hot Rod Magazine alums.

Industry Insider Scoop: Hosts' roles in SEMA and the Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRA), including new member spotlights and the value of trade associations for hot rodders.

AI Revolution in the Garage: From custom shop software automating work orders to tuning EFI data logs, EGR valve deep dives, and brainstorming fuel-efficient mods on a '62 Galaxie.

Personal Project Pit Stops: Mike's GTO engine rebuild with Edelbrock upgrades, torque converter woes on a Suburban, and fluid-change hacks; Kevin's O2 sensor saga and dyno dreams.

Engine Shop Spotlights: Excitement over YouTube mini-videos on honing, balancing, and more, with fan polls demanding even bigger engine content.

Shop Growth & Team Wins: Adding project managers and HR pros to handle 45+ cars, plus shoutouts to staff like Ethan Hahn for killer machining vids.

Companies Mentioned:

V8 Speed & Resto Shop - Premier classic car restoration specialists: https://www.v8speedshop.com

SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) - Automotive aftermarket trade org: sema.org

Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRA) - Advocacy for hot rod builders: hotrodindustryalliance.org (affiliated with SEMA)

Dream Car Connection - Concierge car-finding service by Zach Strates: dreamcarconnection.com

Edelbrock - Performance intakes and cylinder heads: edelbrock.com

Borgeson - Steering box experts: borgeson.com

MSD Performance - Ignition wires and components: holley.com/brands/msd

Grok (xAI) - AI tool for tuning and image gen: grok.x.ai

When 1910 Meets 2026: Racing Internals in Brass Era Beasts! 🏁📜

The latest V8 Radio Podcast is LIVE! Kevin and Q-Ball are joined by the master of the "unobtainium," Mike Pestello from Coachcraft and Precision Services. If you think restoring a muscle car is tough, try building parts for a 1907 Packard from a single photograph! 🤯

Mike takes us deep into the world of Brass Era restoration, where 100-year-old engines get treated to modern 4340 billet cranks, racing pistons, and serious compression bumps. We’re talking about pre-WWI cars completing 4,000-mile endurance runs without a support vehicle!

In this episode, we cover:

🔧 Reverse Engineering History: How 3D scanning and printing are saving cars built before the Titanic sank.

🏎️ The "Sleeper" Century: Hiding modern racing engine technology inside 120-year-old engine blocks.

🧟 The Zinc Pest Nightmare: Why "New Old Stock" might actually mean "crumbles in your hand."

📉 Dyno-ing the Ancients: Building a custom dyno because modern ones can't handle engines that max out at 2,000 RPM!

🏆 PRI Show Recap: Highlights from the Performance Racing Industry show and the emotional Hall of Fame inductions.

😂 Funny Moment: Don't miss the trivia segment where Kevin and Mike Pestello accidentally share a brain cell! They both gave the exact same answer to two completely different trivia questions. Great minds think alike... or maybe they've just been around too many exhaust fumes? 💨🤔

Listen now and subscribe!

#V8Radio #ClassicCars #BrassEra #Restoration #Fabrication #Machining #PRI2024 #CarTrivia #AutomotiveHistory #MuscleCars #Podcast

Featured Companies & Links

Coachcraft and Precision Services: cpsrestorations.com

V8 Speed and Resto Shop: v8speedshop.com

Performance Racing Industry (PRI): performanceracing.com

SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association): sema.org

COMP Cams: compcams.com

Driven Racing Oil: drivenracingoil.com

Edelbrock: edelbrockgroup.com

Hammer Down Podcast: v8speedshop.com/tag/hria-podcast/

Dig the latest V8 Radio Podcast – Kevin and Mike recap the muscle car magic from the 2025 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, share trivia triumphs, and geek out over rare rides like that drool-worthy Starlight Black GTO!

🔥 Topics we revved through:

MCACN extravaganza: 640 cars, Hemi B-body convertible invasion, Z16 Chevelle showcase & the epic red carpet display!

1967 Pontiac GTO Ram Air unveil – black beauty with buckets, 4-speed & rare pedigree

Overhead Cam Six Pontiacs, Maple Leaf Muscle from Canada & survivor stories like the 256K-mile '66 Shelby GT350H

Personal picks: Kevin's Bamboo Cream '70 Buick GS 455 4-Speed Convertible (Dave McClelland's ride!) & Mike's Sprint Six LeMans convertible

😂 Funny moment: Mike's epic drool over the Starlight Black GTO leads to Kevin joking about installing a "Cue Ball's Drool Pond" with gondola rides at the convention center! 💦🚣‍♂️

Companies Mentioned:

Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN): https://www.mcacn.com

V8 Speed & Resto Shop: https://v8speedshop.com

#V8Radio #MCACN #MuscleCars

V8 Radio Podcast: https://www.v8radio.com