THE FESLER BLOG

Pro-touring Pontiac Firebird and Chevrolet Camaro nose to nose in Phoenix, Arizona
Build Tips

Is the Firebird just a rebadged Camaro? The four inches that prove it is not

Everyone says a Firebird is a Camaro with a different nose. The panel list, the four inch length difference, the engine story, and the rear suspension say otherwise. What is really shared, what is ...

Build TipsBlue restomod Camaro with flush glass on an auction preview lot while a buyer inspects the front end with a flashlight

How to inspect a restomod before buying at Barrett-Jackson

A practical checklist for how to inspect a restomod before buying at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale: paperwork, glass, body, interior, drivetrain and chassis, plus what to know before you register to bid.

BuildsGreen and white first-gen Ford Bronco restomod with flush glass at an outdoor Scottsdale car event in winter sun

Arizona Car Week 2027: the dates, auctions and shows confirmed so far

Arizona Car Week 2027 runs January 22 to 31, with Barrett-Jackson's nine-day Scottsdale auction, the Arizona Concours on January 24 and RM Sotheby's on January 29. Here is every date we could confi...

CamaroBlack and gold Pontiac Trans Am on a desert road outside Phoenix, Arizona

The 1969 Trans Am: 697 cars nobody wanted, and how the flop outlasted muscle

Pontiac built 697 Trans Ams in 1969 and struggled to sell them. Ten years later it built 117,108 in one year. The verified story of the WS4 package, the borrowed SCCA name, the 400 that could not r...

Build TipsGray pro-touring Chevelle hardtop with flush-mount glass parked in a sunny show lot with a blurred crowd behind it

SEMA Show 2026 guide: dates, SEMA Fest public day, and what builders should watch

SEMA Show 2026 runs November 3 to 6 in Las Vegas, and the public gets in on Friday, November 6 only. Here are the official dates, hours, ticket options and pickup rules, plus what builders should l...

Build TipsPlain beige 1969 Nova sleeper with dog-dish hubcaps and flush-mount glass at a desert gas station at dawn

The 1969 Nova SS 396 was never grandma's car, and the numbers prove it

The Nova gets dismissed as basic transportation. In 1969, 5,262 buyers ordered the 375 hp L78 396 in a body 500 pounds lighter than a Chevelle. Here is the real record on the SS 396, COPO 9738, and...

C10Fesler's matte red OBS shop truck, passenger side, at a classic car show in Arizona

Dino's Git Down 2026: dates, hours, raffle and where to find Fesler

Dino's Git Down 2026 runs November 13 and 14 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Here are the official hours, vehicle rules, raffle details and what to bring, plus how to find the Fesler booth and o...

Build TipsRed 1970 Chevelle SS and blue 1969 Pontiac GTO parked nose to nose on an empty desert highway at golden hour

Chevelle SS vs GTO: the GTO started the war, but it did not win it

The GTO started the muscle car era in 1964, but the story that the Chevelle SS just copied it does not survive the production numbers. Year by year sales, the 1965 Z16, and the 450 hp LS6 settle th...

BuildsMatte blue 1967 Chevelle SS Fesler build with the hood up on the Desert Diamond rooftop at sunset

Maliblu: Inside Our 805 HP 1967 Chevelle SS Build

Maliblu is a 1967 Chevelle SS that got a full Fesler build from the body down: custom matte blue paint, flush-mount glass front and rear, a Whipple-supercharged LS making 805 hp at the rear wheels,...

Build TipsBlack pro touring 1966 Chevelle with flush mount glass parked in a restoration shop at dusk

Smokey Yunick's 7/8 scale Chevelle myth, measured against the record

Everybody repeats the story that Smokey Yunick shrank a Chevelle to 7/8 scale and fooled NASCAR. The tape measure, and Yunick himself, say otherwise. Here is what he actually changed, including the...

BlazerPro touring 1970s Chevy C10 Squarebody pickup beside a late 1980s K5 Blazer with the same body at a Phoenix shop at sunset

Chevy Replaced the Squarebody in 1988. Then It Kept Building It Until 1991.

Chevrolet put an all new pickup on sale in spring 1987. The Squarebody should have been finished. Instead the Blazer, Jimmy, Suburban and crew cab kept the 1973 body through 1991, an 18 year run by...

Build TipsHugger Orange 1969 Camaro with flush mount glass on an Arizona desert road at golden hour

Hugger Orange code 72: how to prove it on your own trim tag

Hugger Orange was code 72 on the 1969 Camaro and code 990 Monaco Orange on the 1969 Corvette, the same PPG 2084 paint under two names. Where the name came from, the Carousel Red argument, and how t...

1st Gen CamaroBlack 1969 Camaro pro touring build with flush mount glass on a Phoenix street at dusk, Camelback Mountain behind

Why the 1969 Camaro model year ran 16 months and the 1970 1/2 never existed

Broken quarter panel dies at Fisher Body, not a strike, kept the 1969 Camaro in production until November 1969 and pushed the second gen to February 1970. Why 1969 is the longest Camaro model year ...

Build Tips1967 Chevy C10 small back window cab, rear three quarter view in the Sonoran Desert

1967 C10 small back window: the one-year tell that dates a truck on sight

A small rear window on a 1967-72 Chevy or GMC light truck means one thing: it is a 1967. Why the small window was standard, not optional, why the test only works one way, and which other 1967 tells...

Astro Ventilation1968 Camaro pro touring build with one piece door glass and Fesler flush mount glass in Phoenix

Why vent windows disappeared: Astro Ventilation, flow-through air and AC

The 1967 Camaro has a pivoting vent window. The 1968 does not, and it never came back. Here is what GM's Astro Ventilation replaced, why no documented reason for the change exists, and why your C10...

Build TipsChevrolet Squarebody C10 pro touring build with chrome bumper and Fesler flush mount glass in the Sonoran Desert

The 1973 5 mph bumper law never applied to your truck, and still does not

The federal 5 mph bumper standard blamed for ruining 1970s car design covered passenger cars only, from 1972 to today. Here is what FMVSS 215 and Part 581 actually required, why 1974 is the year yo...

3961972 Camaro pro touring build with Fesler flush mount glass in Phoenix Arizona

The 1970 to 72 Chevy 396 was really a 402: how to tell what you have

For 1970 Chevrolet bored the 396 out to about 402 cubic inches and, in the Camaro, left the 396 badge alone through 1972. Here is which cars really kept the badge, why nobody knows the reason, and ...

Build TipsA 1978 to 1988 GM G-body in the Fesler shop in Phoenix, Arizona

Fesler is tooling flush glass for the 1978-88 G-body: what we know so far

A 1978-88 GM G-body is in the Fesler shop and the windshield mold is being pulled. Why one two-door windshield covers Monte Carlo, Grand National, Cutlass, Grand Prix and El Camino, what is confirm...

Build TipsOrange first generation Camaro restomod with white stripes in a restoration shop alongside another first-gen Camaro and a bare shell

1967 vs 1968 vs 1969 Camaro: What Actually Interchanges

First-gen Camaros look interchangeable and are not. Glass and kick panels carry all three years, door panels and power window kits split at 1967, and the dash and A-pillars are 1969-only. Here is t...

antique platesA pro-touring first-generation Camaro parked at a desert crossroads at sunset beneath a weathered signpost with arrows pointing in several directions

The Hot Rod State Index: The 10 Best and 10 Worst States to Build a Classic

We scored all 50 states on six factors: titling, emissions, cost to own, equipment laws, rust and ecosystem. Texas finished first, New Jersey finished last, and the state that invented hot rodding ...

air conditioningA family of four crammed into a pro-touring muscle coupe on an Arizona desert highway, the driver awake and rubbing her forehead while the front passenger and two kids in the back seat are asleep

The Recirculation Button: Why Long Drives Make You Sleepy, and Why Your Restomod Has It Worse

The recirculation button seals your cabin and CO2 climbs. Here is what the research actually measured, what it does not prove, and why a finished restomod with flush-mount glass and aftermarket A/C...

60/40 splitA 60/40 split bench seat frame in raw steel on a welding table in the Fesler shop in Phoenix, Arizona

How Fesler Builds Custom Seats by Hand in Phoenix: Bench, 60/40, 50/50, Bucket and Rear Seats

Fesler fabricates the steel frame, cuts and shapes the foam, and wraps the cover for every custom seat in its Phoenix, Arizona shop. Bench seats, 60/40 and 50/50 splits, bucket seats and matching r...

A-pillarsDark green pro-touring muscle coupe parked at night in a home garage under warm light with flush-mount glass

How to Put Real Speakers in a Classic Without Cutting the Sheet Metal

Classic cars were built for one paper speaker in the dash. Getting real sound out of one without hacking up original sheet metal comes down to using fiberglass panels with speaker fitment already m...

B-bodyBlacked out second generation Dodge Charger style fastback restomod at dusk in an industrial lot with flush-mount glass

The 1968-1970 Dodge Charger Restomod Guide: What to Build and What to Leave Alone

The second-generation Charger is the best-looking American car of the era and one of the least well-served by the aftermarket. Here is what changed between 1968, 1969, and 1970, which cars you shou...