My first truck was a 1966 Chevy C10. Mom and Dad bought it when I was 16. It was faded white with the patina showing through, and it burned oil. I didn’t care. I drove it like that for a couple of months.
Right before my junior year, Dad and I rebuilt the engine. The 305 got 10.5:1 TRW pistons, a set of 350 heads, and a Holley 650 Dominator carb. I drove it all through junior year.
The next summer we gutted the interior, cleaned it up and painted it, and put in a late-model Chevy bench seat. We pulled all the glass, did all the bodywork, and left it primer gray. I drove it primer gray through senior year.
After that we had all the chrome redone, built a paint booth beside the house, and painted and clear-coated the whole truck in light Quasar Blue, a mid-’90s Chevy color. It’s about the color blue if you look straight up at the sky. I drove it all through college and sold it right after. I really regret selling it to this day.
It was me and Dad that did all of the work, beside our house and in the garage. That’s where the name comes from. Garage Dad isn’t a brand we made up. It’s just what those years were.
Sweat Equity
That’s really what inspired me to work with my two boys when they got their first vehicles. The philosophy was if they put blood, sweat and tears into it, they will take care of it, versus just being given a vehicle from Mom and Dad that they have no investment in.
One of those first vehicles is the 1991 Chevy Silverado that’s still in our garage. Sweat equity is a huge thing for a 16-year-old kid and an expensive vehicle. I’m proud to say both boys take very good care of their vehicles.
The Garage Today
I’ve been wrenching on my own vehicles since 2005, and now it’s a family thing. Here’s what’s in our driveway right now:
- 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia
- 2013 Ford F-150 FX2
- 2011 BMW 528i
- 1991 Chevy Silverado
- 1989 Dodge Ramcharger
Every post on this site comes from a job we actually did on one of those (or on a vehicle we used to own). You’ll see our photos, our mistakes, and the stuff that surprised us halfway through.
We’re Not Pros
We’re not certified mechanics, and we won’t pretend to be. We’re a family that would rather spend a Saturday in the garage than paying a shop to do it. Sometimes a job goes smooth. Sometimes a bolt snaps and we’re out there until dark. We write about both.
If a job is beyond what we’d trust ourselves to do, we’ll say so. Always follow your vehicle’s service manual and torque specs, and put it on jack stands before you crawl under it.
How We Pick Products
We only recommend parts and tools we’ve bought with our own money and used on our own vehicles. If we name a product, it’s because it’s sitting in our garage or bolted to one of our rides. If something was junk, we’ll tell you that too.
Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you buy through one, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. That never decides what we recommend.
Got a question about something you read here? Reach out. We’d rather help you get it done right the first time.