About Ryan

Background

Cars haven’t been a life long passion of mine. I didn’t get interested in cars until I was 15. The reason was simple: I didn’t drive.

When I did start driving I had a predisposition for classics. My Grandfather, a retired chemist and mechanic, drove a ‘67 El Camino with a 283 he’d modified for gas mileage and power. My mother also drove a classic, a ‘66 Mustang. I am very much a product of those two influences.

Before I drove I already had two points of view that guided my choices with cars. First, classic cars were just built better than modern cars, and at the time, it was most definitely true. Second, four cylinders were for motorcycles and V8s were for cars.

My first automotive interest was a ‘66 Mustang because of my Mother’s car, which I learned to drive in. My first passion, however, was a 1970 Corvette LS5 454. It was shortly after my Grandfather’s death that I struck out on my own to learn more about cars, it was then that I came across the Stingray of my dreams and another motto to live by: There’s no replacement for displacement.

I discovered this motto because I had discovered another new passion: racing.

Incidentally, my Mother’s Mustang was a six-cylinder which she bought at 18 because she needed to be able to get back and forth to college on a tank of gas. I began the search for my first car at 16 and, of course, I had no way of affording an LS5 Corvette. So, because of my upbringing, I began my search with two ideas firmly in place: It must be a ‘66 Mustang coupe and it must have a V8.

Although my upbringing had the most influence on what kind of vehicle I was looking for, it was my new found passion for racing and the idea that there was no replacement for displacement that dictated which specific vehicle I purchased. Well, that and the amount of money I had to spend.

My first car (as I mentioned in the Project 351 intro) was the Original 351. A ‘66 Mustang with a 351W, a C4 automatic and 2.80:1 open rear end. I bought it in February of 1993 and I immediately fell in love with its burgundy and gray primer exterior complimented by a white vinyl top and bright chrome mags.

With a worn out suspension complete with a broken shock mount in the rear, bad steering, bad brakes and questionable tires, the car was a real monster to drive. The torquey 351W and one legger rear end made it possible to spin the tires at 60 and do burnouts from a dead stop for hundreds of feet. It was also capable of surprising amounts of acceleration, even with a two-barrel carb and exhaust manifolds, the motor was just overwhelming in the tiny Mustang shell.

That gave me another rule of thumb by which to rate automobiles: displacement to weight ratio. With the Original 351 somewhere in the 8:1 cubic inch to weight range, it would become the displacement to weight ratio by which I would judge all other cars. Just to give you an idea, a 454 Chevelle has approximately an 8.8:1 cubic inch to weight ratio. The 351, while lacking horsepower and RPM, was a bruiser to drive.

It was that car, more than anything else, that formed my idea about what cars should be like. It also tested and honed my driving skills in a way that few other experiences could.

Since my first car came and went, I’ve had a strong passion for the automobile that’s grown with me. From the simple joys of the freedom and discovery they provide to the raw excitement of racing them to the spiritual experience of driving and working on them to the intellectual and scientific curiosity they satisfy within me to the artistic beauty of their form. Cars have helped shape much of my outlook on life and have yet to fail me as a medium for the many aspects of myself as I’ve discovered and deepened my knowledge of them.

–Ryan

Photo Album

Ryan's Headshot
This photo was taken right after my first successful launch of Classics and Performance. Click image to enlarge.

Project GT Driving to Glacier
Here’s a shot Patty took while we were heading to Glacier on our first vacation together. We were pulling out of Libby, Montana and heading for that night’s stop right outside the park in a small town called West Glacier. I missed the exit because it had changed so much since I’d last been there that I no longer recognized the area. We ended up pulling in long about 9:30 that night. In most places, that’s not a problem, but in West Glacier, the hotel clerk goes home at 9. Click image to enlarge.

Project GT in West Glacier
This was taken right outside our room a couple of days after we arrived in West Glacier. Thankfully, the hotel clerk planned ahead and we were able to get into our room. The first thing Patty and I did when we woke up, was explore the town and the surrounding wilderness. Little did we know there was a black bear living right in the area we explored. We didn’t find out until we were heading home. We had more trouble with bears on that trip than I’d care to experience. FYI, the book Night of the Grizzlies is a true story and it happened in Glacier National Park. Click image to enlarge.

Project LX Brake Tear Down
This was taken at the beginning of February, 2006. I was in the process of removing the Project LX ‘93 Mustang’s rear brakes in preparation for returning the faulty mod back to stock. This was before I decided to just go ahead with the 347 swap rather than start back at “stock.” The reason I have stock in quotes is that the vehicle had chassis mods (subframe connectors and K-member stiffener) that would prevent me from fully returning it to stock without some body work, which I didn’t feel like doing since I wanted those mods there eventually anyway. Click image to enlarge.

Project LX Pinion Bearing Assembly
On a Sunday night late in August of 2006, I was busy (and tiredly) pressing a pinion gear bearing onto the pinion gear for the rear end build. At the time, I was looking for a new car but had no idea I was about to find the Project Commuter ‘87 Mustang Sedan. Click image to enlarge.