ShopTalk

If you’ve ever built a restomod or a hot rod, you know that one of the biggest headaches can be the matchmaking process. Finding the right engine is one thing, but finding the right transmission to mate to it – and then gathering all the miscellaneous sensors, starters, and ECUs to make them talk to each other – is a whole different challenge.

One of the best things about being part of the classic car world is the friendships you make along the way. Tom O’Donnell and Dennis Costello, both from Ankeny, Iowa are perfect examples of this.

We spotted them at a recent Karl Kustoms Summer Nights event, where they were deep in conversation standing next to two very similar looking cars.

If you follow dirt track racing, you know there is nothing quite like the atmosphere at Boone Speedway in the fall. The IMCA Super Nationals is the ultimate proving ground, and this year, two of our favorite drivers – with Karl Kustoms power plants under the hood – showed exactly why they are some of the best in the business.