Author: Jay Harden

Ignorance is Bliss

I was working a crossword puzzle during my lunch break one day back in college when a friend interrupted me by throwing a sport-bike magazine down on the cafeteria table. He slid into the seat next to me and announced, “There it is! That’s the one.” He pointed to a picture […]

In Need of Space

I live in a small house with a one-car garage that’s nestled within the confines of a bustling city, but I dream of owning a giant shop someday. My mechanical wares swamp my existing footprint to the extent that I’ve already overtaken one neighbor’s garage, and I’m working on the other […]

500 Miles of Glory

The crowd forming for our Friday afternoon flight was growing impatient. Families with small children, the elderly, and veterans had already disappeared down the jetway, and the rest of us began pushing forward with expectation. I looked down at my phone and checked the weather in Indianapolis again as Group […]

The Smart Buy

One of the first questions I’m typically asked is which cars can be bought and sold quickly in order to turn a tasty profit. If the answer were straightforward and foolproof, I’d be writing this while floating in my private pool in downtown Margaritaville. Of course, I’m not. The question […]

Think Thrice

A few weeks back, I was at a party where the host approached me with an acquaintance in tow. I was introduced as “Jay, the car guy I was telling you about.” My plan to remain anonymous and keep the bartender company had been thwarted. Luckily, this guy, let’s call […]

Raising Hell

In our last episode of “Horsepower,” I warbled along to this essential point: New cars just don’t really do it for me. Editor Pickering, my Instigator in Chief, responded with, “That was great! And now I have a new car coming for ya!” I think he likes to watch me […]

In With the Old

The 1993 introduction of the fourth-gen Camaro rocked me right to the depths of my puny pre-teen core. Really, it was just that one commercial — the one with the red Z/28 drifting sideways across wet asphalt in slow motion — that did it for me. Long, low, and packing […]

Courtesy of Mecum Auctions

1942 Willys Americar Gasser

Ford 427 SOHC side-oiler engine #G5AE6059B Engine purchased through Jim Aikey Ford in Des Plaines, IL, by Richard Wolter for $3,200 in 1968 Engine invoice specifies the 427 Cammer was intended for a drag-racing Willys Accompanied with a very rare 427 SOHC engine service manual that demonstrates how to properly […]