Ross Mills

Closer look at the exhaust system

A car’s exhaust system does more than make noise, though judging by the comments on this animated breakdown, the noise is what everyone remembers first. One viewer even swore they could hear a disco beat inside their own exhaust system by the video’s end. Underneath the soundtrack most drivers never think about is a chain of components managing pressure waves, sound cancellation, and heat that has to move fast enough not to cook the underside of the car. Watch to see what is really happening between header and tailpipe.

Closer Look at an Engine

by Ross Mills

Every muscle car engine gets the glory, but horsepower means nothing until it reaches the pavement through the transmission standing between the crankshaft and the rear wheels. An animated breakdown of exactly how that transmission works, dog clutches, synchronizer rings, and all, earned praise from a self-identified automotive engineer as the clearest explanation they had ever seen. It even required its own creator to issue a correction. Watch to see what most drivers get wrong about their own gearbox.

Breakdown of the 25 Best Muscle Cars to Own (Part 4a – General Motors – Buick)

by Ross Mills

Buick has always lived in Cadillac’s shadow at General Motors, but the 1963-1965 Riviera quietly proves that reputation wrong. This entry breaks down the aluminum-finned Al-Fin brake drums, the double wishbone suspension tuned to reduce body lean, and why any Buick from this era commands a premium at resale. Read on to find out why the Riviera’s fan base keeps growing decades later.

Classic Car Buying Errors To Avoid

by Ross Mills

Most expensive classic car mistakes trace back to the same root cause: excitement outrunning diligence. This guide walks through the recognizable pattern behind the costliest buying errors — from how you phrase questions to a seller, to legal red flags like liens and stolen-vehicle reports, to spotting a poorly restored car before you have committed any money. Read on to find out which mistakes are easiest to avoid once you know what to look for.

Testimony of a Muscle Car Fan

by Ross Mills

A seized engine, locked-up wheel bearings, and fifteen years of garage dust didn’t stop one owner from buying a 1947 Chevrolet StyleMaster for $500. This entry walks through how a bent push rod straightened in a home vice, a $150 parts car found by accident, and two decades of patient driving turned a scrap-price purchase into a lifelong restoration project. Read on to find out what the story teaches about buying rust-free over buying cheap.

Chevrolet 1955 – 1998 Small Block number-2

by Ross Mills

It took roughly fifteen weeks for Chevrolet’s engineers to go from a design sketch to a production-ready V8 in 1954 — and the engine that resulted just kept evolving for the next four decades. This piece traces Chevrolet’s original 3.875-inch bore small-block family from the 1955 265 through the 283’s fuel-injected, one-horsepower-per-cubic-inch milestone, and explains why the bore spacing established back then still matters for identifying engines today. Read on to find out how a rushed 1950s deadline shaped Chevy V8s for generations.

Closer Look at the Clutch Assembly

by Ross Mills

Every time a manual transmission driver presses the clutch pedal, a precise mechanical handoff happens between the flywheel, clutch disc, pressure plate, and release bearing, and most drivers have felt it thousands of times without ever seeing how it actually works. This breakdown walks through each component and explains why clutch wear tends to sneak up on drivers until slippage becomes obvious. Watch for a clear look at what’s really happening under the pedal.

The 58 Questions I Asked Before Buying a Classic Muscle Car (with Answers)

by Ross Mills

One enthusiast worked through fifty-eight questions before buying a classic muscle car, covering everything from personal motivation to a realistic $10,000-$20,000 entry budget. This entry breaks down the most useful of those questions, including why car clubs matter more than any online forum and how to plan for the moment a restoration inevitably hits a wall. Read on to find out which questions first-time buyers skip at their own risk.

Hurst / Olds 1972 to 1974

by Ross Mills

The Hurst/Olds returned in 1972 for an unlikely reason: a fatal Indy 500 pace car crash the year before left the race without a manufacturer sponsor, and a shifter company stepped in to fill the gap. This guide covers all three model years — 1972’s cameo white pace car, 1973’s Colonnade-body redesign, and 1974’s final, rarer run — along with the engine options, cowl tag codes, and details that separate genuine cars from tribute builds. Read on to find out what made this low-production special worth chasing.

Closer look at the suspension

by Ross Mills

The engine gets all the attention, but the suspension is what actually decides whether a muscle car’s horsepower turns into confident handling or a fight through every corner. This guide covers the Hotchkiss leaf-spring setups that dominated for decades, the four-link and independent front designs that eventually replaced them, the factory handling packages worth knowing, and what to check before buying a car with a suspension that has not been refreshed in years. Read on to find out what is really holding your muscle car’s corners together.

Breakdown of the 25 Best Muscle Cars to Own (Part 2 – Chrysler)

by Ross Mills

The Chrysler 300L closed out one of Detroit’s most overlooked performance lineages in 1965, a 413 cubic inch V8 rated at 360 horsepower, wrapped in a plush, comfort-focused body that arguably invented the muscle car formula before the term existed. With only 2,845 built, including 440 convertibles, this entry breaks down what made the letter series’ final chapter both rare and surprisingly affordable. Read on to find out why it might be the segment’s best value.

Test Driving 1967 Shelby GT500 390 V8 Mustang

by Ross Mills

Ford advertised the 1967 Shelby GT500 at 355 horsepower, and almost nobody in the industry believed the figure. The engine underneath was never supposed to be there at all, and the number on the spec sheet was arguably the least honest thing Ford printed that year. Only 2,048 were built, in the last season Shelby American assembled the cars entirely in California. Read on for what Ford was really hiding behind that rating.

Closer look at an Automatic transmission

by Ross Mills

A slipping automatic transmission usually starts subtly, a delay between throttle and acceleration, or an RPM flare before the next gear catches. Mechanic Scotty Kilmer, with fifty years of hands-on experience, walks through why old or contaminated transmission fluid is often the real culprit, and how a DIY fluid change can resolve it before it becomes a full rebuild. Watch to see the fix in action.

Classic white vintage station wagon displayed indoors.

Pontiac Catalina Safari Wagon 1964 images

by Ross Mills

Pontiac never built a watered-down engine lineup for its 1964 Catalina Safari wagon, meaning a suburban family hauling kids and camping gear could order the same 421 cubic-inch V8 available in the flashier Catalina coupe. Roughly 33,000 found buyers that year. Read on to find out why these quiet family haulers have become genuine sleeper collectibles today.

Red vintage convertible sports car parked outdoors on a sunny day.

Triumph Spitfire 1979 images

by Ross Mills

Triumph”s Spitfire entered its final years in 1979 wrapped in federally mandated rubber bumpers and running a larger, torquier but noticeably less reliable engine than the roadster that debuted back in 1962. Tightening regulations and cheaper Japanese imports were closing in fast on the entire British sports car segment. Read on to find out what changed under the skin of the last Spitfires, and why the nameplate still has such a devoted following.

Posts By: Ross Mills