Mark Ehlen- MCR Staff The major decisions have been made. The level of restoration has been chosen. The car is at MCR and its turn has come. The beginning of your dream starts today. This is really going to happen; it is happening. The first step of any restoration is evaluation, disassembly and then chemical…

Mark Ehlen- MCR Staff While virtually all of the cars MCR builds are run on the dyno to fully test and tune all their systems for correct function, relatively few get dyno tested at the beginning of the resto. That is simply because very few of them show up in running/driving condition. Most of those…

Kicking Off 2024 Strong! MCR has had a busy 1st quarter! From winning first place at the Chicago World of Wheels show to welcoming new team members and collaborating with top automotive magazines, we’re excited to share our latest achievements. Chicago World Of Wheels In March, MCR was privileged to attend the Chicago World of…

A blown head gasket kept this one in Mom’s backyard for 40 years. Every car has a story. Some are more interesting than others. Many involve some version of “Sure wish I would have kept that car” but few detail what it would have involved to do that. Todd Eymer’s ’67 GTO is an example…

The fate of this ’55 Pontiac Chieftain came down to a bidding war over its value as scrap. All cars have a history. Some are more interesting than others. Often, it seems that the story involves an extended time parked somewhere like a garage, shed, open field and of course the classic barn. Also often,…

The MCR team completes a high school shop project. Not every muscle car owner grew up wanting a particular car that they couldn’t obtain when they were young. Not every owner had a particular car in mind to restore someday. Only a very few hung onto a car they owned in their youth that they…

Parents bought this Javelin for their Viet Nam veteran son. Urban legends are not new. Some have been around for a very long time and one has to wonder how they keep getting passed on to the next generation. One of the more common having to do with muscle cars that was making the rounds…

Andy Vitale didn’t want to have to buy a pickup, so he got a new El Camino instead. One of the really great things about the car enthusiast world is that pretty much anything goes. Your ride doesn’t have to be something from the classic muscle car era to be truly enjoyable and special. MCR…

Getting the help, you need with your do-it-yourself restoration Everyone has a dream car. It’s the car that they fantasize about owning, driving and showing. But it’s out of their reach. That’s why it’s a dream car. And like anyone with a dream, they spend more than a little time thinking, really dreaming, about how…

This one was built for some serious road miles. Text and photos by Mark Ehlen / MCR staff People choose to restore classic muscle cars for a variety of reasons. Some weren’t able to own one when they were new or at least could still be had in excellent condition so they are fulfilling a…