The No Excuse Racing crew would like to thank the following heroes for their knowledge and dedication to cars and car guys everywhere.
The No Excuse Racing crew would like to thank the following heroes for their knowledge and dedication to cars and car guys everywhere.
When I found out that there was a guy named Anthony who was also into C-bodies, I thought that was cool. When I found out that he lived near me, I thought that was cooler. Then when I found out that his car had a ladder bar suspension with a Dana and ran 12s AND he was a BMX guy, well, I didn't know what to think. Tony has taught me a lot, and probably only half of the knowledge I've gained has to do with cars at all. Despite his 'hypercynicism,' Tony will tell you what is what. In fact, here are some of my favorite quotes from the Big Man on Elston.
"It is better to have and not need than to need and not have."
"Want to die of stress? Take your incorrect Corvette to Chevy Vettefest."
"Don't get into the 'building horsepower' thing like I did - build your motor for torque. Our cars are heavy, and that
doesn't go away...."
"You'll break your axles!"
"C'mon, 'College Boy!'"
(No Photo Available....yet)
Harold Milner
Chicago, IL
Owner, Driver, 12 second 1970 Camaro
Hands down, Harold is absolutely the #1 car guy I know. Coming from me, that's a pretty big statement, but I stand by it fully. If you are lucky enough to hang out with Harold at his house, you'll find:
I met Harold through Big Anthony (Anthony Mixon, see above) during one of the first wrench sessions I ever had with the "BA." Back then, Harold was driving a big green 1969 Chrylser 300 2-door with many, many tricks on board. I should mention that this was Harold's only car! Not only that, but all the work done to it was done by Harold - on the curb of his street!
Mostly, I remember Harold doing a brake torque in my car (in the back alley of BA's house) to check systems out (I had a broken motor mount - how embarassing!), and Harold giving me a stern lecture on "Why a 9 second street car is the most dangerous thing in the world." And, although I got yelled at (many times) that day, I walked away with something that can't be learned (or taught) in schools. I'll try to explain - have you ever had a conversation with someone that, although brief, changed the course of your life? At the time, I was certain that my family and friends were right; that my old 60's car was impractical and was a giant waste of money, time, and effort. In a way, they were right, but Harold made it seem okay. His brief comment: "Yeah, between Tim Allen and Jay Leno, I think Jay Leno is the bigger car guy. If both of them were totally broke, Jay would still spend every last cent he had on his car." It sounds stupid, but somewhere in my brain, a microswitch snapped that said "Hey! It's okay to spend every dime you earn on your car!"
Today, Harold is cruising a 1970 Camaro. (He got smart!) His old website, which contained a myriad of helpful knowledge (and cool stuff) was sold. However, he can be found at his new hangout: High Speed Reading. Drop by and say hey! And, if you see an old white '70 split-bumper prowling the streets of Chicago with AV license plates - watch out!
Pat is one cool dude. I've only been able to hang out with him once, but he has spent many hours on the phone consulting Aaron. He is a Purdue grad (Fire up!) and has one of the most disgustingly fast cars I've ever seen. Pat's vision of a car is one that all car guys should take notes on: Something that runs 10s, yet is docile enough to pedal around town without any major problems, yet still pull the front tires off the ground. Although Pat has not accomplished his dream of flipping his car backwards onto its roof, he still has one of the fastest "Street" cars I know of. And that's what it's about.
Not really a quote, but:
Me: (after a glow in the dark Altima passes by with neon lights everywhere) "Hey Pat, you should put some neons
and rims on your Nova."
Pat: (with a slightly disgruntled look on face, raises glasses with middle finger)