Jim’s Blog

Jim’s Blog: Tending the Fire

Winter is coming soon, and while most collector cars are getting put away, others are getting put to work. For my 1972 Chevy truck, when the leaves start falling, it’s firewood time.   Executive Editor Chester Allen’s lovely wife Heather owns a fruit orchard in Sundale, Washington. For a couple […]

Jim’s Blog: When is it Time to Sell?

When it comes to your pride and joy, most of us think of the term “sell” as a four-letter word. But it’s a reality many of us face, and while the decision may not always be an easy one, sometimes it’s a necessary one. So how do you decide when […]

Jim’s Blog: Cruising That Smartphone

Here at ACC, we spend a lot of time talking about the next generation, and for good reason: our kids are the future of our old car hobby. But the one thing that always seems to come up when older car guys start talking about kids is, frankly, something I’m tired […]

Jim’s Blog: First Car or Best Car?

My ’66 Caprice is ready to go whenever I want to use it. Trouble is, the realities of everyday life with a small kid, a job on the other side of town, and the finicky nature of a snarling carbureted big block limit how much I can use the car. […]

Jim’s Blog: When do you DIY?

Old American cars are hard to kill. Park your Chevrolet or Ford for a year or so and you’ll see what I mean. Other than a dead battery, I’m willing to bet nothing bad will have happened, save for maybe some stale fuel. Charge it up, clean out the tank, […]

Jim’s Blog: The Next Big Thing?

The Monterey auctions are done, with $395m in total sales this year. And out of all of the high-end events and multi-million dollar cars that sold, one of the trends I noticed was increased interest in later-model supercars, such as the Ferrari Testarossa, Lamborghini Countach and Porsche 930.    I’ve […]

Jim’s Blog: On to California!

Monterey Car Week is here — one of the biggest events on the American auction calendar. Today through Sunday night, over 1,200 high-end classic cars will cross the auction blocks of seven different auction houses, all set up in different spots on the Monterey peninsula. But the big news isn’t […]

Jim’s Blog: Am I a Mopar Guy Now?

I don’t remember a whole lot of strict rules growing up, save for one: the rule of GM. The Pickering household bled Chevrolet Orange.   Sure, there were other rules that we had when I was a teenager — but they were more like guidelines. Stuff like no burnouts in […]

Jim’s Blog: Tuning Right in 2015

My wife can always tell when I’ve been out driving my ’66 Caprice. Unburnt hydrocarbons waft around that thing and stick to my clothes like high-performance perfume, thanks to a high-lift long-duration cam and big carburetor. I kind of like it, but I’m sure the people sitting behind me at […]