At face value, the term "parts hauler" sounds like a negative description for a vehicle. When you hear about a shop's parts hauler truck, you'd likely imagine a beat-up, dented old workhorse—a vehicle made for running errands, nothing more. If you're anything like us, you certainly wouldn't imagine something as clean and tastefully modified as this 1987 Chevy Silverado could be an ordinary parts hauler. Then again, once you hear the identity of the shop that built it, you'll understand why it looks as good as it does.

At Classic Industries, we love a good resto-mod build, and this mean 1968 Dodge Dart certainly ticks all the boxes. Owner David Fritz, of Irvine, California, knew from day one that he wanted to build an aggressive machine that could do double-duty on the street and drag strip, and he executed his plan over the course of 7 years. When he bought the Dart, it was a humble inline-6 in rough shape, and he tore it all apart to rebuild it with a different purpose entirely. This A-body Mopar car is made to turn heads and win races.

This week's featured customer car story is a little different. We received the following letter from Steve Martinson, of Idaho Falls, Idaho. The Martinson family (Robert, Steve, and Darcie) owns the stunning blue 1968 C10 restoration project seen here, and Steve described the build so perfectly, we decided to share his words verbatim. Enjoy!

For a car enthusiast, there's no worse feeling than having your car stolen. In an instant, the vehicle you put so much time and effort into is gone, and you're left empty-handed. This is exactly what happened to Ismael Castillo, the owner of this 1991 Camaro Z28, on New Year's Eve last year. After spending the evening with his friends celebrating, he went outside to find his Camaro was missing. It was recovered by police a few days later, but by then it had been stripped of many of its parts and abandoned. Fortunately, Ismael refused to give up on his project, so he began rebuilding it.

As classic car enthusiasts, we love the look of vintage American steel. And when it comes to iconic looks, few cars can top the 1969 Camaro. Of all the first-gen F-body cars, the '69 Camaro is often hailed as the most attractive and desirable, and it remains one of the most popular cars we supply parts for. However, there's no denying that automotive engineering has come a long way since the late sixties. Cars are now faster, more agile, and more sophisticated than ever before. So, how can a restorer infuse some of this modern DNA into a classic form? Enter the resto-mod.

Classic Industries is proud to support our friends at V8TV on a momentous occasion: 10 years of producing cool automotive enthusiast content! To celebrate their 10th anniversary, V8TV is throwing a party and cruise-in event at the historic Skyview Drive-In Theater in Belleville, Illinois. At 6:00pm on August 27th, hundreds of classic car owners will congregate at the theater to show off their rides. They'll also watch Smokey and the Bandit and a special screening of the V8TV 10th Anniversary Special Episode on the big screen! In addition, there will be tasty treats from the concession stand, and awesome goodie bags with attendance prizes from Classic Industries and the other sponsors.

R/T--two letters that will instantly put a smile on the face of any classic Mopar enthusiast. Representing "Road/Track", the R/T package bridged the gap between an ordinary street car and a hardcore track machine. In the case of the 1970 Charger seen here, the R/T badges mean it came standard with a 440ci Magnum V8 that produced 375hp and a whopping 480lb-ft of torque. The R/T model also included heavy-duty suspension components, simulated scoops on the doors, sleek one-piece tail lamp trim, and a longitudinal rear "bumblebee" stripe. In 1970, the Charger R/T replaced the Charger 500 at the top of the model's three-level performance hierarchy (aside from the race-ready Daytona model).

What's the most famous Trans Am of all time? How about the most famous Pontiac of all time? There's a good chance that the answer to both these questions is a single car: the second-gen Trans Am Special Edition. This black and gold icon of the 1970s became instantly recognizable for its role in the film Smokey and the Bandit, in which Burt Reynolds drove the car from Texas to Georgia as part of a bootlegging operation. In fact, in the two years following the first film, Trans Am sales nearly doubled! Thanks to the lasting impact of this movie and its sequels, as well as the car's undeniable cool factor, the Special Edition T/A remains world-famous to this day.

Mention the term "split bumpers" to someone who's not a classic car enthusiast, and they'll probably have no clue what you're talking about. Mention that same term to a classic Camaro enthusiast, and they'll immediately have a strong opinion on the issue of split bumpers, full bumpers, and whether or not restorers should put split bumpers on a full bumper car. It's a polarizing topic, that's for sure. Originally, split bumpers (also known as bumperettes) were found on 1970-73 Camaro models with the RS package (RPO Z22). However, some owners of non-RS cars liked the look, and decided to add them to their cars after the fact. Gordon Koran, of San Clemente, California, is one such owner, and his 1970 Camaro SS features the front bumper conversion.

Have you ever heard of a car going 500,000 miles before? How about doing it on the original engine and transmission? If you have, it's likely that it was a boring 4-cylinder economy car. That's all well and good, but we think if you're going to choose a car to drive half a million miles in, it might as well be one with a V8 and some style. David Mayans, of Corona, California, agrees with this sentiment, and that's why his '87 Camaro IROC-Z currently has a staggering 416,000 original miles on the clock. That's nearly the distance to the moon and back! Plus, by the time you're reading this, the car's odometer will read even higher. David daily-drives the IROC, so its mileage grows closer to the 500,000 mark with each passing day.