Shop ClassicIndustries.com
classic-news-blog-main-header-1

A Lifetime Moment Made Possible – Thank You, Classic Industries

All I can say is… thank you, good Lord! This was a lifetime moment I’ll never forget.

The Rise and Fall of Stepside Trucks

Classic trucks have curves, and that's one of the many reasons we love them. One of the main sources of this curvy appearance is their use of Stepside bed designs. Stepside trucks feature a narrow rectangular bed flanked by external fenders over the rear wheels, plus convenient step platforms behind the cab. Today, we think of this as an optional feature that fell out of favor, but in reality, the Stepside design was simply the default way trucks were made until the mid-1950s. A recent video from Rare Cars summarized the history of Stepside (a.k.a. Flareside or Utiline) truck beds and why they were eventually replaced by the Fleetside beds all modern trucks have today.

Video: Richard Rawlings and the “Jail” Rumors: What Auto Fans Need to Know

YouTube videos claim the Fast N’ Loud star is behind bars. The truth? A years-old civil case, now settled, is being recycled as clickbait.

Videos: A Few of Our Favorite American Cars from Movies & TV Shows

The sort of vehicles that we get exposed to in our upbringing can influence the kind of cars and trucks that we wish to own later in life. If the vehicle is old enough (and the car's would-be caretaker has sufficient spending cash), it could be the sort of car/truck that an auto enthusiast wishes to purchase as a project vehicle to maintain (if it's running), renovate, or resto-mod. The various forms of media — radio, TV, movies, the internet, video games, etc. — all can contribute in a big way to this sort of automotive exposure and influence. Today, we'll discuss a few of our favorite American classic cars from movies and TV shows.

ICON 4x4 All-Electric Ford Bronco: A Polarizing Restomod

Within the classic car restoration community, you'll find a wide variety of opinions regarding engine swaps. Some restorers insist on keeping the numbers-matching drivetrain for complete originality, while others don't mind upgrading to a higher-performance V8 from the same model year. Then there are resto-modders who drop in a newer fuel-injected engine, or even an engine from a different manufacturer. But there's no engine swap more controversial than replacing a classic car's combustion engine with electric motors. That's exactly what ICON did with its new EV Bronco series, which combines timeless looks with an all-electric powertrain.

Grand National Truck Show Showcases Stunning Custom and Classic Trucks


The third annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Grand National Truck Show, presented by Classic Truck Performance magazine, once again brought an impressive gathering of classic and custom trucks, SUVs, and vans to the Fairplex in Pomona, California, on September 26–27, 2025. Produced by Rod Shows, the two-day event featured a packed schedule of exhibitions, curated displays, and awards presented across more than 65 judged classes.

Video: AutotopiaLA's Muscle-Car Kingdom - YouTube & the Vault

If you’re deep in horsepower culture, you probably know AutotopiaLA as the channel where a guy named Shawn grabs keyless muscle rides and wrangles them through canyon backs and burnouts. But the real backbone is far more hardcore: Shawn Davis runs a private, ultra-secure, collector-grade storage and concierge bunker in Burbank. The videos and the vault aren’t separate—they’re two sides of the same coin.

Velocity "Re-Engineered" 1971 Ford Truck Restomod

For many of us, restoring a classic car or truck is a fun and rewarding process. We enjoy getting our hands dirty and overcoming all the challenges along the way. But for others, the main goal is to own and drive a restored vehicle, not necessarily to build it. In those cases, buying a turn-key, completed project may be the logical choice. High-end shops such as Ringbrothers and ICON have expert craftsmen who can build exactly what you want for a price. The subject of today's article, Velocity Restorations, also falls into that category. They built this restomodded '71 Ford truck with a 5.0L Coyote V8 and a ton of custom touches.

Videos: Restoring v Restomodding the 'Cuda: Clash of the Mopar Titans

When you say Barracuda—or better yet, just ’Cuda—you’re talking about one of Mopar’s crown jewels. The E-body muscle machine that could be had with a screaming 340 small-block, a tire-vaporizing 440 Six-Pack, or the deity-level 426 HEMI. Today, though, owning one brings you to the crossroads every Mopar junkie dreads:

Do you keep it bone-stock and resurrect it with a nut-and-bolt restoration, or do you throw tradition to the wind and unleash a modern restomod monster?

Let’s throw these two gladiators into the pit and see who walks out.

Videos: Restoring v Restomodding: The C1 & C2 Corvette Dilemma 1953-67

If there’s one car that stirs up late-night garage debates, it’s the early Corvette. The C1 (1953–1962) and C2 “Sting Ray” (1963–1967) weren’t just fiberglass novelties; they defined what it meant for America to have a sports car of its own. The C1 was born out of postwar optimism, initially more boulevard cruiser than true sports machine, but by the time the C2 hit, with its split-window coupe and big-block firepower, the Corvette had arrived.

Now, more than half a century later, the choice for owners and enthusiasts is clear but not simple: do you restore these icons to bone-stock perfection, or do you restomod them into something sharper, faster, and easier to live with?

Let’s grease up our hands and dig in.