Instead of our usual Fan Car Friday post we want to take a second and be grateful for everything that we have this Memorial Day due to those who gave everything they had during their service. Being in a large military area, we will be closed on Monday to give everyone a chance to be with their families. "And I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me." -Lee Greenwood

As every day goes by, it feels more and more like the car culture we know may one day disappear. It is no secret that gas powered cars have an unclear future and autonomous cars will be a major player in the future of driving. At most car shows we go to, the average age of the attendees aren't going down. Many kids these days don't feel the same urgency to get their license as we once did. With so much change going on, it's easy to become disheartened about the future of the car culture and the rich history it has to offer. But every once in a while you see something that reminds you that there will always be people who appreciate classic cars and everything they have to offer; and that they will never let that tradition die. Which is why we want to share an image one of our fans sent us. We don't know who this kid is, but he certainly has his wits about him, for he truly knows what car is worth stopping to admire.

This week’s fan car Friday is brought to us by James and his 1963-1/2 Galaxie Fastback. Fan Car Friday is a segment where we want to share with the world the automobiles that our fans have. We have absolutely no affiliation/relationship with the cars, the build or the owners. This post was made with written consent from the owner. James purchased this car back in 2010 with the idea of purchasing a car that was just bad enough that he could still restore it without having every tool and bit of knowledge like the guys on TV have. Being a first time buyer, he purchased this site unseen from a guy on craigslist a few states away. Like James, the seller couldn’t identify an engine simply by looking into the engine bay. After trailering it back on a U-Haul he started taking it apart and learning how to fix things as he went as he went. Which is when he learned the car he just purchased came with a 427. After a great deal of learning online and going through the car he learned that this Galaxie has a factory 427 4 speed Q code option with R code factory dual quads and manifold. It was then that he decided this small time restoration had to be done right to give the car the justice it deserved. To read more about what James did to the car, and to see more beautiful photos please visit: https://www.fantomworks.com/13305/fcf-1963-galaxie-fastback/ This car was completely stripped down to its bare skeleton meaning everything on the car was rebuilt or replaced. What started off as a car that was going to be his long term retirement project became something that required him to work a few more years to pay it off, once he discovered what he had. And James has no complaints about that. He says his favorite thing about the car is how it is truly perfect and that he gets to drive it at least once a week.

With the warm summer winter weather being here to stay, you start to see more classic cars on the road and their proud owners. So today, we want to celebrate past owners and the rides they loved with some photos that were found in a box of of various mementos that were going to be thrown out during an estate sale.

Today’s Fan Car Friday is brought to us by Nikolas and his 1923 Oldsmobile Phaeton. Fan Car Friday is a segment where we want to share with the world the automobiles that our fans have. We have absolutely no affiliation/relationship with the cars, the build or the owners. This post was made with written consent from the owner. Most of this vehicle is all original, but its unoriginal enough to be a low value car. Which is exactly what Nikolas wanted, something that was in disrepair enough that most would look past it but just good enough to be something worth saving. His intention was to have something that he could drive and not be afraid to leave in a parking lot, not something that was worth so much that it barely saw the light of day. The engine is one of the few, major parts that have been replaced. After nearly 100 years, the old one was too tired to be worked on yet again. It was given a good sendoff and replaced with a Volvo 144 due to its similar weight. With a new engine also comes a 6 volt to 12 volt conversion of the vehicle to continue on the idea of something more reliable. Now equipped with a 4 cylinder engine and a 3 speed manual this can now go up to 50mph without any trouble. The owner decided to back off at that point and not further push his luck. Every piece of trim has received a triple plated rechroming, it has a new folding top and the interior was completely redone. All of the wood on this car was sent out to be restored by Richard Moore in North Carolina – The steering wheel, door caps and dash panel look more immaculate than they ever did 100 years ago. Nikolas’ favorite thing about this car is how things that were annoying on his weekends are now things he looks forward to when driving the Oldsmobile, whether its getting groceries or grabbing a milkshake. To see more gorgeous photos of this Phaeton, please visit: https://www.fantomworks.com/13261/fcf-1923-oldsmobile-phaeton/

After seeing our 60,000 sqft shop on our tours and all of the Americana our 100 year old building is filled with, people often ask if we restore more than just classic cars. Whether its a jukebox, an old gas pump, neon signs, various hardware or vintage signs we restore it. Today's society is too disposable. Things are replaced every year that don't need to be, you can't fix something yourself and manufacturers stopped making replacement parts available for when something breaks (Or if they are available, that one small piece costs 75% of the thing you are trying to fix). So when we restore or preserve an item, like this original Breyers sign, we do it because we don't want history to be lost. Rather than let it fade away, we are giving it a second wind and letting it proudly display itself as it was intended to.

Today’s Fan Car Friday is brought to you by Ed with his 1970 Dodge Charger. It takes a great deal of work to restore a car. It takes even more to treat a car so well from Day 1 that today it looks like it was just restored a week ago. Fan Car Friday is a segment where we want to share with the world the automobiles that our fans have. We have absolutely no affiliation/relationship with the cars, the build or the owners. This post was made with written consent from the owner. Ed has owned this charger from the day he originally purchased it in late 1970. He may be the only person from 1970 to still own a charger at this level. Of the nearly 40,000 Dodge Chargers that were built for 1970, only 1440 of them were R/T 440 vehicles! This is “The real McCoy” as Ed calls it, this is no replica or clone R/T. Jon has done very little to the car other than respect and treat it well from the day he could call it his own. To read more about how original and unique this vehicle is and to see more photos, please visit: https://www.fantomworks.com/13244/fcf-1970-dodge-charger-440-r-t/ Ed’s favorite thing about the vehicle is how the last 50 years the world around him has changed, but his Charger has always remained the same – It always puts a smile on his face.

During the Route 66 trip a few people asked us if we had a special shirt for them to collect in honor of the occasion. While we don't have something specific for the trip, we do have a shirt that celebrates Route 66 and its history. With enough people asking about it, we thought we should share the link to our website where you can purchase your own Route 66 FantomWorks Shirt. We will randomly give one of the first 50 people to purchase this shirt extra FantomWorks memorabilia to go with it! http://www.fantomworks.com/store/drs-route-66-t-shirt.html

This week’s Fan Car Friday is brought to us by Marcy with her 1969 BMW Coupe. Fan Car Friday is a segment where we want to share with the world the automobiles that our fans have. We have absolutely no affiliation/relationship with the cars, the build or the owners. This post was made with written consent from the owner. Marcy acquired this car in a way unlike many others. See, Marcy is a stay at home mom who found herself wanting more once her three kids started growing up and leading her own lives. She wasn’t able to take on something full time, so she wanted a hobby so she wouldn’t be stuck home all day wondering what to do. Never having shied away from something new in the past, she knew she had to restore the car her Grandfather had when she was young, a 69 BMW coupe. Her inspiration came from all the reruns her sons would watch like Starsky and Hutch, Dukes of Hazard and Knight Rider. Similar to the vehicles in those shows, she wanted a car that was more than just point A to point B. Something she could get more back than she put into it. The BMW 2800cs was her clear choice. A hard to find car in the states, but something that luckily wasn’t overpriced just for the sake of rarity. The car you see today is about 20 years old since Marcy started to restore it in the late 90s and it still looks as good as ever. Being a west coast car, it never came within 100 feet of any rust. While it has been repainted to match the original color her grandfather had, it wasn’t out of necessity. Marcy did everything herself except for rebuilding the engine and doing the paint job, for those two she wanted to let someone more experienced takeover. It has AC, power breaks and power steering, allowing Marcy to have her creature comforts when she is driving on a hot Arizona day. It also comes equipped with the original 4 speed manual transmission and just about everything else it originally had when it left the factory 60 years ago. While she has considered removing the cassette player for something more modern, she isn’t quite ready to give up the custom Mix-Tapes her sons made for her in their teenage years. It isn’t the fastest thing on the block, but Marcy says she still loves her sporty little car. Marcy says her favorite thing about the car is being able to look at the BMW and proudly say “I rebuilt that”. A close second, she says, is how at car shows every guy who talks to her will say “I wish my wife were more like you.” To view more photos please visit https://www.fantomworks.com/13168/fan-car-friday-1969-bmw/

We would like to announce the winner of Undone's Route 66 Watch - Bubba Michael! We will be reaching you over messenger as well to alert you of you winning our giveaway. He will be receiving a beautiful chronograph that pays homage to the Omegas, IWCs and Hamiltons of the 1950s. While it has an alligator print leather strap and a gold coating this watch is far from fragile. The guys over at Undone.watch did a great job of creating something that is both reliable and elegant. While we wouldn't want to wear this while working on our cars, it can just about stand up to any other abuse we've thrown at it. They also did an excellent job to create a Route 66 themed watch that is easily legible during your long roadtrips across old America. There is a Route 66/FantomWorks engraving on the case back and the clean dial also adorns the iconic Route 66 signage on it. It's simple, it's rugged and it's reliable. What more could you want?