Leisure

Muscle Appeal

The face of eBay Motors shows off his latest tricked-out ride

By: Chris Jacobs, as told to Josh Dean; Photographs: Ture Lillegraven
Published: February 2009   [ Updated: Feb 13, 2009 - 3:12:01 PM ]

Five seasons of hosting TLC's Overhaulin' taught me a lot of lessons about buying vintage muscle cars. The first is simple: Don't buy a 1969 Camaro. It's a classic, yes, but it's not very original. What you want to get your hands on is something underappreciated, like a Chevy Nova that somebody's grandma has been driving around for 20 years. The second thing: Make sure you have a car that fits your lifestyle. My friend Pete, for example, had a 1968 Plymouth GTX. The GTX is the luxury version of the Roadrunner, a straightforward muscle car that's probably one of the best-known models of the era (in part because it was named after the famous cartoon character), and a GTX can be quite a catch because of its bigger engine and plusher interior. But when Pete became a father a few years ago, he asked me to take the car off his hands--apparently, a refined automobile like that wasn't a good fit for a young family. I'd categorize his GTX as a 50-footer at that point: It looked good from a distance and wasn't in particularly bad shape, but up close, you could see it needed some work. I bought it for $17,000, and then I had the motor rebuilt, added specialized wheels, redid the interior, and finished with a custom paint job. The whole rehab could have been done in a week on my show, but I took my time to make it easier on my wallet. Now that it's revamped, I could probably get $50,000 for it. My GTX isn't just pretty, it's fast, it's loud, and it's scary. And that's what classic muscle cars are all about--going fast and making noise. Here's a closer look at some of the work I've done to distinguish my ride, as well as a few tips for tricking out yours.


Jacobs overhauled his GTX with a custom paint job, new wheels, and a rebuilt motor.


Get Under the Hood
"I spent the most money rebuilding the motor--probably $10,000 by the time it was finished. Like all GTXs, this one had Chrysler's big-block V-8, known as the 440, in it. I had the motor taken apart and rebored to increase the horsepower. I added new heads, new pistons, new headers, new valve covers, a new distributor, and three new carburetors. The key to rebuilding an engine is to get comfortable with your mechanic. Communicate what you want and try to anticipate the costs as much as possible so there are no surprises at the end."

Turn Heads
"I decided to keep silver as the base color, but I wanted to personalize it some. My friend Chip Foose, one of the most famous car restorers in the business, designed the paint job to have a subtle transition from top to bottom using increasingly darker shades of paint, a technique he calls his Foose Fade, and auto painter Mitch Lanzini of Lanzini Body Work executed it flawlessly. In general, though, my advice for paint is to keep it simple. Get a word-of-mouth referral to find a competent painter such as Lanzini, or go through an online automotive community like hubgarage.com. Expect to pay between $3,500 and $10,000, depending on style and graphics."

Update the Inside
"The interior was white when I got it. I didn't like it being dirty all the time, so I went with all-black vinyl. I also added a custom console between the seats because I need a place to rest my arm and keep stuff like my cell phone. I straddle the line between vintage and modern: I like to update a little, but I'm also a fan of the classic. I replaced all the seat belts, seat covers, and the rearview mirror through Year One, a business that specializes in replacement parts for muscle cars." Subscribe to the catalog at yearone.com.

Sweat the Details
"Most gauges in older cars don't work as well as they should. A company called Redline Gauge Works repaired my alternator, fuel, and temperature gauges, and I had them painted silver to match the exterior--a nice custom touch. Expect to pay at least $500 for this kind of reconditioning." redlinegaugeworks.com

Listen to the Music
"I needed a big stereo, of course, so I put in an eight-speaker Sony sound system powered by two 750-watt amps, and then had Dynamat installed for about $500. Dynamat is a type of soundproofing, and it is essential when you're putting a big stereo into an old car, which will tend to have rattles and plenty of road sound leaking in from outside. It helps provide a nice, clean stereo sound." dynamat.com