Two Guys Garage Podcast

On the occasion of their milestone 200th episode, Kevin and Willie reflect on some of their best guests, favorite topics, and most memorable moments behind the mic. From the personal to the professional, from rubbin’ elbows to rubbin’ paint, strap in for a high-octane journey down memory lane with two fun-loving, bench-racing buddies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rob Ida is a third-generation car builder and, in Kevin’s estimation, one of the most talented designer-builders on the planet. His penchant for Tuckers is renowned, and he also tackles an incredible array of projects from the most modern to most archaic and just about everything in between. In Part 4 of our five-part series, Rob chronicles the hurdles and headaches of restoring a rare 1962 Holman Moody Ford Falcon/Challenger 3 for SEMA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are all types of wheels for different applications from different processes at different price points. Casting, flow formed and forged; aluminum, steel, and composites; three-piece and monoblock. It can all seem overwhelming, especially since wheels have so much power to make or break everything about the driving experience. Joining the guys to demystify the confusion is Dave Schardt, President of Forgeline Wheels. “We say it all the time,” notes Kevin. “The right wheels and the right stance can take just any ride and take it up a couple of notches.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As owner of the successful Girl Gang Garage and co-host of MotorTrend’s long-running hit series All Girls Garage and Garage Squad, Bogi Lateiner has earned an enviable reputation in the automotive world. Now deep into her third all-female SEMA build – “I did not expect to be building a SEMA car, ever!”– she takes time out to chat with Kevin and Willie about the project in the third installment of our five-part series. “It’s the biggest undertaking that I’ve ever done; it is absolutely insane, it’s just an unreal project!” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Willie and Kevin are big fans of grabbin’ gears and heel toeing the clutch, especially when a TREMEC tranny’s involved. “There are few things in a vehicle other than the transmission that can really change the whole dynamic of your driving,” notes Kevin, “and really bring the fun factor in.” Mike Kidd is a kindred spirit who also happens to be TREMEC’s Aftermarket Business Manager, and today he joins the guys for a lively update on all the latest goings on at the company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second podcast of this five-part series, Willie goes deep on his first gen ‘66 Dodge Charger build for this year’s SEMA Show. Not exactly renowned for its natural beauty, this labor of love (emphasis on labor) is inspired in part by Kevin’s own kick-ass 1990 LS-powered BMW M3 build several SEMAs back. “Ugly cars get really cool at SEMA,” notes Willie, “and sometimes really gorgeous cars get really ugly at SEMA!” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode’s intro, Willie makes it abundantly clear that he absolutely hates wiring. That is, he did until he discovered American Autowire’s all-in-one kits that make what can seem like a daunting task as easy as possible. “Wiring (for) a lot of people is black magic, it scares them to death,” says Engineering Support Manager Don Bock, “and really, if you understand the concept of it, it’s really not hard.” Adds Kevin, “Don’t be afraid, just get in there and do it!” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If SEMA is the Super Bowl of car shows, the Ring Brothers are the Lebron and Michael of car builders. Yet even Jim and Mike are up against the wall trying to get parts for the three projects they’re bringing to this year’s highly anticipated event, the first since the onset of the pandemic. In the first of a five-part series leading up to SEMA, Kevin and Willie go two-on-two with the legendary siblings who modestly describe themselves as “just guys that like cars and [are] lucky enough that people like what we’re doing.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a well-acknowledged fact that Kevin and Willie’s longtime friend and living legend Ken Lingenfelter has a finger on all things fast. A true car guy born and bred, he caught the bug at the tender age of 10 when he first laid eyes on a ‘63 split-window Corvette coming off the assembly line, courtesy of his Detroit exec dad. In the decades since, he’s remained a dedicated fan, “absolutely enchanted with the new C8,” and with the new Z06 on the way, “probably more passionate about it today than I’ve ever been.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s cars and trucks are increasingly more complex machines running on ever more powerful computers, spitting out codes and diagnostic information that can be difficult for a DIYer to decipher. The new OTOFIX scanning tool is poised to change all that, offering dealer quality, access, and capability at an affordable price. Maurice Miller and Daniel Bemiss join Kevin and Willie to discuss the super powerful, easy to use, and highly connected device that Kevin hails as the “solution that I’ve been looking for!” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Gabrelcik, CEO of Lubrication Specialties, Inc., is a man of science held in high regard by Kevin and Willie, who fondly refer to him by a variety of nicknames, including the recently added moniker of “The Fine Chef of Everything Lubrication-wise”. On this episode he engages the guys in a discussion about how to make your engine last longer, get the best mileage out of it, and get more bang for the buck per gallon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who among us hasn’t scraped a curb and damaged a rim or tire? This can be a real nuisance, and a potentially pricey fix. Patrick Fletch joins the guys to explain how AlloyGator’s seamless system applies an engineering mindset to provide personalized protection, visual pop, and a colorful styling solution. Along the way, Willie introduces a phenomenon he’s dubbed “rolling mustard and mayonnaise” that swings the conversation in an unexpected direction! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mel Roth launched PSCA Racing 22 years ago, nurturing its regional roots as the Pacific Street Car Association into the national platform now named Premier. Among the 6 to 16 different classes of racing depending on venue, the XDR Series spotlights 3000 hp door cars running radial tires on the 1/8-mile drag. “The nature of the beast is you wanna go fast,” Mel tells the guys. “You wanna win, but you really wanna go fast!” Or, as Kevin puts it, “It’s a real cool, relatable racing series with a whole lot of who-knows-what’s-gonna- happen!” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s certainly no shortage of aftermarket waxes and polishes. Let the buyer beware – when it comes to “flossy and glossy,” not all products are created equal. Consider this alternative: ceramic coatings that create show-quality finishes that can last 9+ years. Kevin Davis from Gtechniq educates the guys on what it is and what sets it apart, schooling them on chemical bonding, physical curing, and the difference between hydrophobic and hydrophilic lubricity. Who knew? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Indianapolis is the place to be each December when PRI, the biggest industry show for performance and racing, rolls into town. Willie describes it as “40-50,000 square feet of heaven!” while Kevin notes, “I hardly ever miss a PRI; if I do I cry for like a month!” Today the guys welcome Dr. Jamie Meyer, President of PRI, back to the podcast for updates on the myriad initiatives and programs the organization has in play. “We are building tools to raise the entire industry. It is a great time to be into cars.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is all about metal – shaping, smashing, cutting, making it do what you want it to do, which isn’t always easy. “I’ve definitely filled up a few scrap bins in my day,” Bruce Van Sant, Owner/President of Trick-Tools, confesses to the guys. From his auto body background growing up on a farm, to becoming a self-described tool junky, Bruce now offers all kinds of tools, even tools for tools! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not all engine oils are created equal. Viscosity, heat range, performance, and protection can each vary widely. Carmine Colarusso knows this better than most. The CEO of Ultra1Plus has been blending oils for 25 years, many engineered to the specific needs of individual customers. As he sees it, “When you do an oil analysis, it’s like you’re doing a blood test,” he tells Kevin and Willie. “We have the biggest and widest product range that a manufacturer has for their customers…. Any product, we can make it.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the release of its TKX next generation transmission in late 2020, TREMEC’s totally redesigned model quickly proved itself a gamechanger for both cars and trucks. While the timing may have initially seemed potentially disastrous, Modern DriveLine’s Bruce Couture reports that sales are up 70 percent over the prior year. “This pandemic has been great for business,” he ecstatically tells the guys, with no end in sight anytime soon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Willie love wheelin’ and everything that has to do with steering and/or suspension, so they’re pumped to get a master class in bumps and humps from Frank Vasquez of KW Suspensions. From entry level all the way up to professional racing, KW is the epitome of German precision engineering in the category. With over 16 different options for any particular car, Frank’s quick to point out that they’re “just scratching the surface with some of our truck stuff.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fresh off a nine-day, 1600-mile cross country bike ride, Kevin’s a little raw but raring to go swapping stories with noted custom bike builder Kevin Dunworth. Add Willie to the mix and you’ve got a trio of diehard motorcycle fans shooting the breeze on everything two-wheeling past, present and future. “We are in the last of the gasoline era in cars and bikes,” observes Dunworth, before adding, “I might get beat up at the bar for saying this, but I think electric’s cool!” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin’s former Two Guys Garage co-host and good buddy Bryan Fuller is renowned for his work creating custom motorcycles, hot rods, and old school classics. He’s most recently discovered a new itch for precision driving – a.k.a. racing – specifically open wheel, and he’s set his sights on rebuilding a rare, vintage Mirage M5 to run in Formula Ford. “My first race car, it’s kind of scary,” he confesses to the guys. “It’s exciting, it’s fun, it’s scary; I don’t know, lots of emotion.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Willie welcome the “Father of the Ford GT” Chris Theodore for a special extended conversation chronicling his remarkable career in the automotive industry. The “engineer’s engineer,” Theodore has been a driving force behind some of the greatest vehicles of the 20th Century and beyond. His historic collaborations with the late Carroll Shelby culminated in the 2004 Ford Shelby Cobra Concept car that gives his book – and this podcast – its subject. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The average age of vehicles on the road has ticked up to an all-time high of 12 years. Keeping them running cleaner and longer is the mission of TotalEnergies, the massive French company doing big things on a global scale. Luis Cerqueira and Darren Lesinski join the podcast to discuss what technologies are coming down the pike in terms of oil, natural gas, electricity, hydrogen, wind, and solar power. As the company strives to become greener in several respects, they’re at the cutting edge of developing oils that let the OEs literally design the engine around the oil! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As co-host of the long-running MotorTrend series Truck U from Day 1, Matt Steele has seen a virtual truckload of trends come and go. Over the course of 17 seasons to date, his passion for all things trucks burns as brightly as ever. As he tells Kevin and Willie, “I’ve always been a truck guy,” and nowhere is this more evident than in his day job as owner of the mud bogging off-road event series, Trucks Gone Wild. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cleveland Power and Performance is a salvage yard like no other – a wonderland of curated parts and pieces, drive trains and engines harvested from crashed Camaros, Mustangs and Hellcats – that also happens to build mind-blowing hot rods like the noted ’69 Dodge Charger “Reverence” and last year’s SEMA Show stunner NIKA ‘79 Bronco. Owner Rick Fragnoli makes his third visit to the podcast to discuss all the latest goings on in the aftermarket and what lies ahead as the EV era dawns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Improvements in suspension geometry. More modern alignment settings. Reducing body roll. Evolutionary leaps in shock technology. What is the secret of Ridetech’s success? “It all starts with the people that work there,” Product Manager Darren Schilling explains to Kevin and Willie. “A lot of these products we developed we didn’t even know that we needed them or wanted them, and all of it was born usually in building a car.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin’s old college buddy Ernesto Roedenbeck joins the guys for a little throttle therapy on the ins and outs of dirt biking. Willie refers to it as “Dirt Church” and Kevin as “the best video game ever,” where the #1 objective is to stay safe and not get killed. Dirt, sand, wheels up, wheels down, it’s all a blast, so grab your gear, boots and all, and strap in for a wild offroad adventure! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Art, sophistication, elegance, performance and total badass-ery are the hallmarks of Rad Rides by Troy. As Bonneville, SEMA and Ridler Award-winning custom builder Troy Trepanier informs Willie and Kevin, “this ain’t no 40-hour job,” and that’s no joke. With a pledge to constantly raise the bar without sacrificing quality, he lives by his mantra: “We try to let the car tell us what it wants a little bit.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spectra Premium has been producing high quality aftermarket products for over 30 years – everything from oil pans and fuel tanks to engine management, heavy duty segments and classic car parts – right here in North America. “At the end of the day, our customers are really looking for complete solutions to what they’re doing,” Director of Category Management Aaron Athey tells the guys. “We’ve kind of taken that premium mentality to everything we do.” Asked if he’s ever had a customer cry, Athey notes only when they’ve been disappointed elsewhere first, “and we’ve been able to turn some of those tears into smiles!” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former co-host Bryan Fuller joins Kevin and Willie to celebrate Two Guys Garage’s 20th Anniversary and chat about the trio’s recent reunion with original hosts Dave Bowman and Sam Memmolo on the milestone season finale. They also go deep on one of Bryan’s latest and most unexpected projects, outfitting a ’69 Cougar convertible with Tesla underpinnings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in the day, you had maybe two options for hoses – rubber and steel braided. Today, with so many different combinations to choose from, it can be downright overwhelming. What, why, and how to run the right lines is the domain of Brint McLellan, Technical Analyst at Fragola Performance Systems. Brint joins the guys to discuss the big mistakes, pros and cons, dos and don’ts of selecting and plumbing a wide array of fluid lines, from fuel to power steering, cooling to brakes, nitrous to racing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Generations have been trusting Dupli-Color and its sister product VHT for everything from oops-type fixes to full-on paint jobs since 1938. From prep and cleaner to undercoating, wheel coating, engine coating and truck bed coatings, Product Manager Brian A. Suter certainly has a lot on his color palette. Kevin and Willie caught up with him on a recent break to talk about the latest trends in the industry, his top tips for DIYers and how formulation is key to the continuing success of the brands. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Photojournalist and die-hard magazine guy “REVan” Evan Smith’s had his finger on the pulse of performance and racing for as long as he or anyone else can remember. In this all-new chat with the guys, he talks about making the transition from print to video to digital, and the need to keep pace with rapidly changing technology and the distribution systems central to reaching car folks wherever they are. And for folks wondering how to get your car into your favorite publication he offers some great dos and don’ts you’ll definitely want to hear! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second of a two-part project for the TV show, the guys really upped the ’69 Camaro’s game, converting it from fully carbureted to fully fuel injected, and doubling the original two-speed Powerglide to a four-speed. In this podcast, they explain how they did it and why this is a true DIY project almost anyone can do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Gabrelcik, aka the Additive Alchemist and Guru of Goo, returns with more insights about “the cholesterol of your engine,” stiction. As CEO of Lubrication Specialties, Inc., a custom lubricant company breaking World Records in NHRDA racing, he’s proud to note that “the same thing we’re selling to our racing car guys is the same thing a diesel truck owner can buy for his truck.” It’s also a cost-effective product for keeping vehicles on the road longer, especially amid soaring inflation. “You’re reducing the friction and the wear, which is one thing, but you’re also doing the cleaning,” explains Kevin, “so it’s really the combination of those two things that’s kind of magical.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Willie kick off Season 19 of the Two Guys Garage TV show by reconfiguring a 1969 Camaro from a strip car to a born-again daily driver, and in this companion podcast they detail the setup change and performance upgrades that propel the Gen 1 classic from fight to fun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Willie welcome back Dave Smith, President/CEO at Factory Five Racing and one of their first guests from the podcast’s inception. A lot’s happened since then, but enthusiasm for FFR’s kit cars hasn’t waned a bit. “When you think about the satisfaction you get just from mowing your yard,” observes Kevin, “just magnify that by 10 bazillion!” From mistakes made and lessons learned to what’s new on the horizon, the guys have a lot of catching up to do! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Chris Small of AkzoNobel leads the guys on a deep dive exploration of different types of automotive paint and how to successfully apply them. Noting that “cleanliness is pretty much everything,” Small makes the case for waterborne over solvent based paints. “Less experienced painters can have better results blending and things like that right out of the gate.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Willie’s view, it represents “everything outside the car that means more than the car.” It’s your own personal Garage Mahal, “the getaway spot where you go to find your soul,” says Kevin. “My garage is where I go to find myself.” Today the guys welcome Brian McNamara of Gearhead Homes to lead them through the ins and outs of searching for, identifying, and purchasing the perfect place. “I find people a garage with an attached house,” he tells them. “You need the bedrooms for the toys, too.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode the guys get a step-by-step crash course in powder coating from Lee Goldenstein of Pristine Powder Coating outside Denver. “I’m self-taught and self-trained,” says Lee, “and it’s just incredible what you can do now.” Header coatings in particular have become very popular, he notes; in addition to their killer looks available in hundreds of colors, they’re very strong and extremely durable, supplying a major reduction of radiant heat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to acceleration, Brian Tooley is the man that knows it all. He’s the King of Cams who’s figured out how to make 2+2=5. As Kevin points out, “You can pick a big cam, but what you match it with can really dramatically change your end results,” and Brian is on hand to explain the how and why of it. From the latest R&D at BTR Racing to the future and limitations of EV and hydrogen fuel cells, there’s a lot to learn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s podcast Kevin observes that once you truly understand the way it moves, “the amount of things that you can go make with metal is incredible!” Much of the credit for this can be attributed to the good folks at Woodward Fab, purveyors of fine industrial grade sheet metal equipment at affordable prices. “The tools are very old and technology, they’re very, very simple,” says Manager Darren O’Brien, “but the right tool can make the difference in speed and quality of your project.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Willie and Kevin firmly believe that races are won with quality braking, as they extol the virtues of old school ABS. To prove their point, they enlist the expertise of Terry Fair, owner of Vorshlag Motorsports and a pioneer in ABS swaps for older platforms. “The better OEM systems have gotten really good,” Terry explains, “and not only does it improve your braking performance 20-30%, it improves driver confidence immensely.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Established in 1967, Kinsler Fuel Injection is all about stacks and individual throttle bodies. From vintage to state of the art, restoration to the latest and greatest, their specialty is and has always been classic stuff in modern interpretations. “My job is to burn up as much fuel as I can,” GM Greg Murchison tells Kevin and Willie, “because fuel is power.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Willie each have a serious case of Spring Fever – especially after two years of Covid – and can hardly wait to break out their toys and get back out there: Willie in his ’69 Charger and Kevin in his fully stripped-down Miata. Car shows, race days, road trips, marathon drives, autocross; you name it, they’re all revved up and almost ready to roll. A little maintenance and boom, it’s off to the races! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

zMAX Micro-lubricant is well known for its ability to soak into metal on a molecular level, dispersing nasty engine carbon build-up. Because the movement of metal is a constant engineering challenge, all types of companies have found uses for the product, from locomotives to small aircraft and large diesel engines. “Cars and speed are in our DNA,” notes VP and GM Dan Chittock, as epitomized by the company’s state-of-the-art 4-wide dragways in Charlotte and Las Vegas, a topic Willie and Kevin are all fired up to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

RECARO Automotive is renowned for the ergonomics and design of its seats, highly engineered to ensure optimal safety and comfort. Global VP of Product Development & Brand, Nicole Longhini-McElroy, stops by to enlighten the guys about a whole lot more than just derrieres in chairs, especially the “importance of your body and fatigue in a vehicle, and how can you prevent that and give people the ultimate enjoyment of their vehicle.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone’s heard the old adage, “There’s no replacement for displacement,” right? Well, Henry Bueno and Carsten Wagner of Wagner Tuning have gone to considerable lengths to thoroughly debunk this myth. Their intercoolers are a must-have for boosted applications, offering the largest application list of plug and play units in the aftermarket. With the company’s roots in Germany having recently expanded to a sprawling 60,000 square foot facility in Texas, Willie and Kevin are fired up to hear all about the art and science of cooling down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Livernois Motorsports & Engineering is the Detroit area’s one-stop shop for performance, service, and tuning. With all 22 lifts in the air and additional vehicles waiting underneath – driven largely by overwhelming demand for F-150 upgrades – the place is busting at the seams. Company president Dan Millen grabs a moment to catch his breath and talk with the guys about everything from supply chain related back orders, to crate engines, the EV evolution, and the future of ICE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does the future of car audio look like? To answer this question, Kevin and Willie welcome John Myers of Kicker back to the podcast. Noting that the OEMs “do stuff to that audio signal that would just make an audiophile cringe,” Myers explains, “you’re really not buying car audio; you’re buying emotion.” Understanding the nuances and complexities of sound dynamics is the key. “You don’t know what you’re missing until you hear what you’re missing and then you gotta have it!” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices