March 2011 Hometown Hot Rodding

'69 Charger
Best for Last
Now 70 years old, Tom Weisman admits his body is moving more slowly as the years go by, but that doesn't mean the car he drives has to slow down too. He is the second owner of this '69 Charger that he bought in 1974. He snagged this deal from its original owner, who unfortunately lost his job and needed cash more than the car. Since then the engine has been rebuilt, but the classic look of the car inside and out has been retained.

The story really starts with his father, who died last year at the age of 92. He loved cars and kept his fleet in perfect condition. Dad always encouraged him to tinker, and got him helping in the garage at a young age. Tom moved on to join the Air Force where he did his first major engine swap. Since then, he's bought and sold more Dodges than Dodge itself. This '69 Charger will be the last performance car he owns, but he can't help but dream of a brand-new Viper to park next to it.

Tom has already signed the papers willing this car to his son, Chris, keeping it in the family. For now, he drives the car three to four times a week for his morning coffee. Though retired, Tom works a couple days a week at NAPA Auto Parts, where he can keep himself around his favorite things.

'01 Camaro
Impulse Buy
Many boys with older brothers do anything they can to emulate their siblings. They'll hang out where they hang out and do what they do. That's how Steve Weisman got into cars. Big brother Tom, with the '69 Charger featured on the previous page, showed him the ropes when he was very young. Tom's friends would come over in their T-birds, Vettes, and other hot cars. That got Steve hooked. When he was old enough, Steve got a car of his own and drag raced it at every opportunity until he was married at the age of 21. Now 54, Steve wanted something that was brutally fast like the cars he grew up around, but with the comfort of the modern breed.

'71 Monte Carlo
Second Chance
Andreas Kwetkus spent six months at the University of Hawaii at Honolulu back in 1991. He needed temporary transportation so he bought a '70 Monte Carlo for $500. He was sad to sell it when he left, because it had become a great source of happiness when he had it. When he finally settled in the continental United States, he set out to buy a second one. This one wasn't as strong a runner as the previous Monte, with a tired and leaky 307 between the fenders.

Transforming the car from its sorry state became Andreas' main hobby. He spent most of his spare time working on it in his garage. He yanked the 307 and replaced it with a 383ci stroker motor. After two years, Andreas decided it was time to go big or go home, so he dropped in a 454 crate motor and converted it to a manual.

Inside and out, it's got everything any of the mainstream cars you see in the magazines have. The interior is cooled with a Classic Air A/C unit and the interior's design has comfort and style in mind. Andreas installed all of the Global West and Baer goodies he could find to help turn and stop the boat like the most nimble sports cars of today. Racing around isn't the car's primary duty, but rather cruising around with his wife and two kids.

Mothers Picture Perfect Award
This is the place to show off your pride and joy to the rest of mankind, so we figure those readers who took the time to capture a really cool shot of their hot rod should get a little bonus. Mothers agreed, and decided to come to the party with some freebies for the best picture submitted to PHR.

Each month, the editors at PHR will sift through the images and pick the one with the best composition, lighting, and overall quality. The winner will get a cool assortment of Mothers products to keep his or her ride looking nice and shiny. Mail us a CD with digital images in JPEG form, along with a written description of your car. Remember that digital images need to be 300 dpi, and the bigger the image, the larger it can run. Also, be sure to include info on the car, along with your name and address. Good luck!