As much as we love seeing the end result of a full vehicle restoration, it's equally interesting to see where it all began. The process becomes even more special when you're able to talk to the builder whose blood, sweat, and tears turned an unloved shell of a car into something beautiful. In the case of this 1968 Nova, Aram Ayvazian is that builder, and the man who brought this iconic muscle car back to life.

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.

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.

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.

Outside the Classic Industries showroom, we see all different styles of car projects, from barely-streetable drag machines to meticulous factory restorations. Although we enjoy checking out both of these extremes, it's nice to see something that's squarely in the middle ground: a clean, simple street car with a few tasteful modifications. John Vargas's 1973 Camaro fits the bill, and is a great example of a clean second-gen with plenty of style.

Today, new truck buyers choose from a limited selection of paint options, typically including variations of black, white, silver, and occasionally a subdued metallic champagne, burgundy or navy blue. However, this wasn't always the case. Back in 1969, even utilitarian pickup trucks were available in a wide range of vibrant hues such as bright red, orange, yellow, olive green and turquoise. They may not be available anymore, but these exciting colors proved that even if you needed a work truck, it certainly didn't have to be boring.

The term "bubble top" has become a catch phrase in the Impala restoration community, and we often hear people asking what it really means. Take one look at the rounded roof of this 1961 Impala coupe, and you'll start to understand. The curved glass, smooth lines, and lack of B-pillars cause this car's roof to appear similar to a bubble, hence the name. The term became especially important one year later in '62, because GM produced a select few Impalas with leftover '61 "bubble" tops before transitioning to the more angular "crinkle top" later that year.

One of the things we love about classic cars is their ability to instantly transport you back in time. They remind us of different periods of our lives, and different periods in our country's history. This 1964 Chevy truck, for example, takes us back to a time when pickup truck design (and car design, for that matter) was changing dramatically. This period marked a transition from the sleek aircraft-inspired style of the '50s to the more angular designs of the '70s. This '64 model exhibits characteristics from both eras, but still manages to blend them seamlessly into a style of its own.