by  Dan Peters

It’s difficult to believe in this modern era that we car-crazy people were once hailed as environmental saviors. That’s right, we car-nuts, who love the smell of gasoline and old mucky parts are the environmental saviors of the 20th century, if not human history! It’s hard to believe this fact when we are constantly bombarded with environmental pressures and anti-classic car legislation that point at the classic car guys as “gross polluters.” It’s also hard to believe we are heroes when you hear from the misinformed that the world has passed a billion cars, traffic is horrid in the city, the skies are full of smog and we unnecessarily burn huge amounts of gasoline with our carbon-belching, inefficient, oil-dripping pollution factories for the joy of the wind in our hair or to get an ice cream cone with our kids or grand kids. But! Do not be downtrodden! You are all environmental heroes! (more…)

by  Colin Date

I’m not ashamed to admit that I own a 1969 Buick Skylark. It’s not a Chevy, but then again, I’ve had more than a few folks refer to it as a Chevelle. The car is painted a beautiful shade of what I would call a “medium silver-blue.” More technically speaking, it’s known in the Buick color palette as “Crystal Blue” (code 53). I can’t tell you the number of people who swear up and down that it’s called “Marina Blue”. No, I tell them that it’s a Buick color, not a Chevrolet hue. I usually get a look that says “you don’t know your colors, man.”

At Eckler’s, we deal primarily with restoration and performance parts and accessories, so the subject of paint colors and codes doesn’t come up that often. But when it does, somehow Marina Blue always enters the conversation. It’s just one of those colors. (more…)

by Mike Boffo

Of all the automobiles that have been built by Detroit, there are only a handful that have become icons in our car hobby industry. The ’55-’57 Chevy is one of those icons.

When I was in high school in the late ’60s, transportation had to be cheap and the Tri-5 Chevys fit the bill. Going to school full time and working a part time job meant you had just enough money to purchase an old Chevy. Parts were readily available at the local NAPA auto parts store. If you had to piece one together, there were plenty of Tri-5s in the junkyard where you could get your parts. Hoods, doors, glass, interiors and trim were all there ready to be picked. And the prices were cheap. You could buy an entire front clip, which consisted of the hood, fenders, inner fenders, radiator and core support, for around one hundred dollars. And, you could usually get the yard to throw the front bumper in the deal if you pulled the clip yourself. (more…)