The one that interested us the most was a ‘57 Chevy that was not only going to SEMA but also participating in the 2011 OUSCI. Nicknamed “Redline”, the blue bowtie featured all the best in hot rod options,  a huge 572, Bowler 4l80e, Ridetech suspension, Flowmaster exhaust, BASF paint in a georgeous cobalt shade, Curtis Speed wheels, and a Lee Baxters hot rod interior. All it needed was a good looking air intake to top it all off. Luckily, we knew where to find that!

JF chose one of our Quikits for the ‘57 Chevy and it fit perfectly, and looks great under the hood.

“Redline” had a very respectable first showing at Optima, in a class of some of the finest muscle cars on earth. We’re proud to work with JF and builders like him.

We have too many projects, and some are neglected.

We’d feel worse about it if we didn’t know that many of you suffer from the same issue. Hopefully you’ll have some sympathy as we introduce one of our long-ignored favorites, the Spectre Dodge Dart.

Write in and tell us if any of the following sounds familiar.

We purchased the ‘69 Swinger on Ebay in June of 2006 from a guy in AZ. Why a Dart? Why Ebay? Nobody can remember. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

As is so often the case, the Dart came to us as an all-stock running car, but nothing stays that way in the Spectre shop for long. We sent the car off to Fast Eddie’s to get a full cage in preparation for a proposed drag car project.

Over at Eddie’s the little Dodge went from stock to stripped and caged, but then we got busy with other projects and the Dart has lived like a bat in the rafters for the past five years.

Happily, the Dart has made its way back to the shop floor.  Does this mean that 2012 will feature a second blue Spectre Mopar project? We may just get into drag racing…or should we build a corner carver?

Head over to our Flickr account for more Dart and other project photos.

Everyone at Spectre would like to congratulate Jaime and Sonia Kouk on the birth of their son, Robert Michael Kouk. We can’t wait to meet him.

RPM built the car for one of their longtime customers, Gerry Kerna, who was interested in competing in the autocross, as well as adding to her show car collection.

The Runt may have a funny name, but the car is no joke! With custom fabricated chassis, LS7, Tremec 6-Speed and all kinds of custom body modifications, this cherry beast will definitely have the last laugh at anyone who dares to challenge Kerna on the track.

The Runt not only won Goodguys Muscle Machine of the Year award for 2011, but it also was invited to join the elite at OUSCI this year.

Anyone who takes the time to  peek under the hood of the Runt will definitely appreciate the quality and hard work that went into building this car.  Of course, we’re especially delighted by the  awesome custom Spectre intake.  Not only did RPM add their own unique coating to the aluminum tubes, they utilized the inline filter option we have, making a lot of people question where the filter went. Ooh, a mystery!

We will be working closely with RPM in the future and hope they will continue to use Spectre’s parts to build custom intakes for their one off cars.  We also will have a special surprise that we are working with RPM which will debut mid March.  Stay tuned for sneak peeks.

At Spectre, we want to see more car guys (and car girls) and so we put together this list of tips to help you win over your friends and family to automotive activities.

1. Be sure you want it. A car buddy, whether it’s your kid or your wife or your nephew isn’t just someone to pump the pedal when you’re bleeding brakes and bring you beers. A real car person will say things like “The stance is wrong on the Cougar, it’s those stupid air shocks” or “Which cam are you putting in? Seriously? No way, that will kill the bottom end.” In public. If you just want a cheerleader, hire one.

2. First Impressions Matter. If you invite someone to a car activity, start with something likely to impress. Things like dirt track, drag racing and evening car cruises are fun for almost everyone. Save the 5am swap meet set up for a little later.

3. Be Prepared. At least, make sure they are prepared. If you’re taking someone to an evening event, make sure they bring a sweater. If you’re going to the races, warn them that it will be hot and there will be no shade, and there will be no place to sit because you really want to hang out in the pits and probably all you will eat all day is corndogs. Put sunscreen on your kids. It will make their memories of the event much more favorable.

4. Explain. If you’re standing over the engine bay of a Plymouth Cricket that someone has somehow wedged a 360 4-bbl in and you really need to take notes because you’ve got similar plans for a Dodge Colt and you think the engine bay is about the same size…explain why the car is unusual. Point out how they had to cut out the firewall and how it’s really cool to put a big engine in a small car and how if it was your project you probably wouldn’t have the headers running underneath the passenger seat like that. If you don’t explain, all they see is you staring like a dope for hours at a really, really dorky car.

5. Don’t Make Fun. As your protege gains confidence, they’ll want to chime in occasionally in conversations with you and the other car folks. This makes the likelihood of “dumb comments” very high. If your son blurts out something about low deck Chrysler 383s when the topic is actually stroker 350s, don’t be a dick about it. If you make someone feel ashamed about trying to learn more, they’ll just associate the whole automotive experience with feeling lousy.

6. Teach the Tricks: As you walk through a show or race field, point out some of the easy ways of telling cars apart. Things like side marker lights, wing windows and tail panels make identifying years and models much easier, and also more fun. Don’t forget that you once had to learn the difference between a ‘67 and a ‘68 Camaro too.

7. Let ‘em Drive. Seriously, this is a big one. Get people behind the wheel. If you won’t let them drive your car, then build them one of their own. If you’re working with someone under 16, take them karting or dirt biking, preferably something where they have to shift.

8. Help ‘em Wrench. If it wasn’t for the whole “hook one open end wrench to the box end of the other for additional leverage” trick, the only people who could be mechanics would be Estonian body builders. If you’re trying to encourage someone smallish to get in to wrenching, help them make the most of the tools and what upper body strength they have.

9. Take Turns. It may seem obvious, but if you’re getting support for your hobby, make sure you do the same, even if it (gasp) doesn’t involve cars.

10. Teach Your Kids. If you don’t have kids of your own, teach someone else’s. In another generation, maybe this whole list can be a moot point.

Today’s highlighted seller and product is Modular Cold Air Intake components at JEGS.

No matter what your vehicle, hood clearance or engine combo is like, we make airboxes, inlets, plenums and tube bends to fit. Pop the hood and make your intake a custom Spectre Special.

The main reason is, who wants to compete with Dan “the man” Weishaar? Seriously, look at this thing. Can we do better than that?

It’s a real 383-powered ‘68 Roadrunner and it barely weighs more than our Dart.  At 3556 pounds, the blue bird seems remarkably nimble skirting the cones at a Good Guys Autocross and Dan doesn’t limit his driving adventures to nice, rubbery cone barriers.

In the last year, we’ve seen Weishaar at Optima events, at SEMA, on local cruise days and, perhaps most impressively, braving the hill at our own Speed by Spectre 341 Challenge. Perhaps our favorite thing about the Weishaar Plymouth is that Dan is never afraid to jump in and wrench on the thing, and he often includes his whole family. We approve of family automotive time.

If you want to build your own road warrior B-body, you’ll have to talk to Dan at one of the 2012 events. Luckily, his sweet cowl airbox is available from us, so at least you can make your engine bay look the part.

For more specs on Dan’s car, check out some of the following links.

Car Craft Magazine

Street Legal TV

Hooniverse

Hot Rod Magazine