Paradise Road Speed & Custom Blog

Free Online Car Photo Contest

2009-06-29T14:12:00.001-05:00

From June 22 to August 29, 2009 Paradise Road Speed & Custom will be holding an online only contest. We will be giving away two brushed nickel key chains engraved with Paradise Road. One key chain will go to the best looking (best in show), while the second key chain will go to the best customized car (most creative). To enter the contest simply email us a photo of your classic car, classic truck, dragster, or stock car. Submit all entries to customerservice@paradiseroadspeedandcustom.com, please include your full name, mailing address, email address, and add Summer Contest to the subject line. Entering this contest gives Paradise Road Speed & Custom Inc. the right to use your photo(s) on our website and for promoting our business. Winners will be posted online & notified Sept 1, 2009. No purchase is necessary to enter, but we do have the best parts around in our online store, so please take a look while you're here. Have a fun summer and we'll see you on the road . . . Paradise Road that is!

MSD Billet Distributor

2009-06-12T12:06:00.002-05:00

Reviewed by:

Kris

Car:

'66 Ford Mustang

Summary:

Looks great, drives great, very little tuning needed and installed within an hour. Much improved overall performance (otherwise stock 289). Very noticable at highway speeds and high RPM. Points style distributor would bog and skip. MSD stays smooth at all RPM's.

If you would like to send us a review of a product email us at customerservice@paradiseroadspeedandcustom.com

Product Review: Red Line Engine Oil

2009-06-12T11:50:00.004-05:00

Reviewed by:

Calvin

Car:

'87 Ford Mustang

Summary:

Redline is the finest quality synthetic oil for race-duty cars in the world. No doubt in my mind. My car is a dedicated open track car can exceed 170MPH. I spent $70,000 on my car and it's worth every penny to spend the money for Redline products when it counts. Race proven!

If there is a product that you would like to review please email me at customerservice @paradiseroadspeedandcustom.com

Ten NASCAR Drivers We Love to Hate

2009-05-14T09:44:00.003-05:00

As you know, the great sport of NASCAR is loaded with drivers of varying personalities and characteristics. Which inavability leads to controversy between the drivers both on and off the track. Sure it would be easier to be a NICE guy on the track and drive clean, but who wants to sit through a three hour long race with no action. So today our top ten list answers the question, "What NASCAR drivers do we love to hate the most"?

Kyle Busch, who is currently NASCAR's number one bad boy and always will be, until he learns to respect other drivers and not drive carelessly.
Kurt Busch, just like his brother wants to win no matter the cost, even if it involves taking out another driver in the process.
Robby Gordon, is known in racing as one of the most versatile drivers, but is also one of NASCAR's most hated. You can see why after he booted the other Gordon for his first NASCAR win, was responsible for the creation of the "Lucky Dog" rule, and who could forget the black flag at Montreal.
Denny Hamlin, made our list for blaming everybody in the Gibbs organization but himself when things don't seem to go his way.
Kevin Harvick, has had a lot of anger management problems in the past, such as when he jumped over his car in Richmond to get at Matt Kenseth.
Juan Pablo Montoya, not neccessarily hated, but made our list for ushering in the new wave of IRL drivers into NASCAR.
Tony Stewart, made our list because he isn't afraid to tell it like it is, and that's why we love to hate him.
Jeff Gordon, was seemingly perfect when he entered NASCAR and his success only made the fans boo even him more.
Dale Earnhardt Sr, "The Intimidator", made being hated by the fans cool with the black car, the dark sunglasses, the tough guy attitude, and the cool nickname.
Michael Waltrip, made the list for his appearance on the TV show "My Name Is Earl".

Our List of the Top Ten Movie Cars of All Time

2009-05-12T14:54:00.003-05:00

Here's our list of the top ten movie cars of all time.

'81 DeLorean DMC-12 -- "Back to the Future"
'61 Ferrari 250 GT -- "Ferris Bueler's Day Off"
'74 Dodge Monaco -- "The Blues Brothers"
'70 Dodge Challenger -- "Vanishing Point"
'68 Ford Mustang GT 390 -- "Bullitt"
'59 Cadillac Ambulance -- "Ghostbusters"
'58 Plymouth Fury -- "Christine"
'73 Ford Falcon -- "The Road Warrior"
'79 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am -- "Smokey & the Bandit"
'32 Ford Coupe -- "American Graffiti

Where Are All The Flying Cars?

2009-05-04T10:18:00.006-05:00

When I was a kid growing up I used to watch the Jetsons on TV and hoped for the day I could fly in my own personal flying machine. In the 8o's popular movies like "Back to the Future" and "Blade Runner" showed us the future, and it was the flying car. Who could forget the DeLorean? So I ask you, where are all the flying cars?

Well, the first autoplane was designed in 1917; it had 3 wings, a car-like cabin, and 4 large wheels, but it never got off the ground. In 1926 Henry Ford unveiled his version of the flying car, the "Sky Fivver", only 15 feet long it could fly and be driven on roads, but was abandoned after a fatal test flight. A few flying cars have been built and tested since then, like the "Aerobile", "Airphibian", and "Aerocar", some are even still flying today. The only problems with these are that you have to be a trained pilot and can only take off and land at an airport. So we're left with more plane than car.

In 1991 the world was introduced to the Moller "Skycar", with it's ability to take off and land vertically (see above photo). It promised to be the future of the automobile. Only one problem though, it had yet to actually fly. After a "hover test" in 2003, the possible production of the "Skycar" has been stalled due to lack of investors. There are currently several other inventors designing flying cars like Terrafugia and their small plane with wings that fold in, so it can be driven. But for now it is being designed only for sport pilots and not designed to replace the every day automobile. And there's Aeronautics' "X-Hawk", a power-lifted vehicle like the "Skycar", being designed for rescue and medical evacuation.

So it seems that the flying car being a reality still remains to be seen. Maybe they'll figure it out in my lifetime and add a Hemi to it.

American Cars We Can't Live Without

2009-05-01T12:45:00.003-05:00

With GM and Chrysler being bailed out by the federal government, the possibility of more brands such as Pontiac not being made anymore is immenent. In fact, GM has said that they may sell or stop making the underperforming Saturn and Hummer brands by the end of this year. In an article on MSN Autos, a recent survey by Haggerty Insurance listed the top 10 American cars that we would hate the most to see go.

Chevrolet Corvette
Ford Mustang
Chevrolet Camaro
Saturn Sky Roadster
Ford F-150
Dodge Ram
Cadillac CTS
Chrysler 300
Dodge challenger
Hummer

Is there any car or truck you think should be on this list?

2010 Ford Shelby GT500 Improvements

2009-04-17T11:02:00.007-05:00

Ford recently released the following improvements to the 2010 Ford Shelby GT500:

Upgrades to DOHC V-8 engine's calibration and cold-air intake system increase the horsepower to 540 and torque to 510 ft-lb.

2 mpg improvement in highway driving.

Gearbox refinements improve straight-line acceleration when running through the lower gears.

I thank Ford for making the improvements, but don't know if it's enough to compete with it's competition, like the Chevrolet Corvette Z06. What do you think, are these improvements enough?

Chryslers 2009 Dodge Challenger SE Rallye

2009-04-17T10:25:00.004-05:00

Chrysler released to the world the specs of its highly anticipated 2009 Doodge Challenger SE Rallye. The Rallye will feature a new five-speed automatic and 3.5 liter V6 engine replacing the old four-speed on the V6. It will also have the transmission of the Hemi powered Challenger models. With 250 Horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque, the 24 valve engine promises to deliver efficency and performance. The eye-grabbing details will include 18-inch wheels, with black painted pockets, deck lid spoiler, a heritage inspired chromed fuel door, a "four bomb" gauge cluster with white faces, slanted shifter console, and GPS navigation. With a starting price of $26,490 would you buy one?

The Top 15 Car Movies

2007-08-24T09:55:00.002-05:00

If you're a car enthusiast like we are at Paradise Road Speed & Custom, then you well know a movie just isn't a movie unless it has a cool car. A recent article in Hot Rod Magazine ranks the top 40 car movies ever made. We list here their top 15:

1 - American Graffiti (1973)
2 - Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
3 - Vanishing Point (1971)
4 - Bullit (1968)
5 - The Gumball Rally (1976)
6 - Thunder Road (1958)
7 - Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974)
8 - Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
9 - The Blues Brothers (1980)
10 - Hollywood Knights (1980)
11 - Mad Max (1979)
12 - The Road Warrior (1981)
13 - Le mans (1971)
14 - Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)
15 - Corvette Summer (1978)

Let us know if you agree or disagree with their picks.

10 Future American Muscle Cars

2007-05-04T10:51:00.000-05:00

If you've ever watched Barret-Jackson on TV then you know what some American muscle cars are selling for today at car auctions. AOL recently did an article about their top 10 picks for modern (anything post-2000) American muscle cars that will be the collector cars of the future. The list is as follows:

2000-2001 Plymouth Prowler,
2007 Shelby GT500 Convertible,
2002 Chevy Camaro 35th Anniversary Edition/2002 Pontiac Firebird 35th Anniversary,
2006 Shelby Hertz Gt-H,
2000-2007 Chevy Corvette Indy Pace Car Edition/50th Anniversary,
2000-2007 Dodge Viper,
2007 Cadillac XLR-V,
2006 Ford GT,
2006 Chevy SSR,
& 2000-2007 SRT Cars.

You may agree or disagree with their picks and that's fine. Here at Paradise Road Speed & Custom we deal in everything muscle car, so we would love to hear your comments on what you believe are the top 10 modern muscle cars that will bring in the big bucks at car auctions 25 years from now.

Paradise Road on TLC's Biker Build-Off

2007-03-21T15:21:00.000-05:00

Paradise Road Speed & Custom and Departure Bike Works of Richmond, Virginia "team up" to build a hot rod drag bike for The Learning Channel's "Biker Build-Off" Series.

Lee Clemons, owner of Departure Bike Works, approached Wes Wolf, owner of Paradise Road Speed & Custom, regarding a collaborative effort in building a street legal hot rod drag bike for The Learning Channel's "Biker Build-Off" television series. Wes' idea was to pay tribute to local racing legend and NHRA record holder Pee Wee Wallace and his 1965 Hilborn Injected Hemi Plymouth AFX car known as the "Virginian". Andrew and Ernie from Departure Bike Works agreed totally to the concept and captured the essence of the "tribute" in creating one of the most exciting hot rod bikes to come along in a very long time.

The bike project was a team effort and included the talented bike builders from Departure as well as support from Brown's plating, S&S, Rivera Engineering, Drag Specialties and locally Danny & Jimmy Riddle of Riddle Sign, Staples Automotive, Powder and Performance Coatings and of course Paradise Road Speed & Custom. At the end of the build, Pee Wee Wallace placed his personal seal of approval on the bike by autographing the tail assembly. See this episode on March 29, 2007 at 10:00 pm on the Learning Channel (TLC).

Welcome to Paradise Road Speed & Custom's first blog

2007-03-21T15:10:00.000-05:00

We are your one stop speed and custom shop for the lover of hot rods, muscle cars, street rods, classic cars, collector cars, and vintage trucks. Our facility is located in Richmond, Virginia, just off of I-95.

Our showroom has a massive inventory of custom and performance parts, automotive accessories, sheet metal, interior parts, trim parts, gauges, wheels, and tires. We carry auto parts from over 2,000 manufacturers including Zoops, Flaming River, MSD, Moroso, Mooneyes, B&M, Holley, Autometer, Mallory, Edelbrock, Accel . . . just to name a few! All of which are now available 24 hours a day through our online store, www.paradiseroadspeedandcustom.com.

Our 8,000 square foot shop offers many services to classic car owners. We provide total or partial car restoration, body work and repair, customization, turn key cars, a variety of engine services, auto parts installation, tire mounting, and wheel balancing.

We're ready to serve your every automotive dream, desire, and need at Paradise Road Speed & Custom. Come in to our shop, call us, email us, or shop on-line. All roads lead to paradise . . .

Paradise Road that is!