Like most of us of gearheads, my passion for cars started at a young age. Some of my earliest memories are growing up in the garage being my Dad’s shadow. While my Dad didn’t have any project vehicles of his own, he was always wrenching on a dirt bike, a jet ski, or something with a motor. My fascination began at that early age and has only gotten worse from there. My name is Tim King and I’m the new Editor for Chevy Hardcore. 

Two of my favorite hobbies are both four stroke related: working and driving classic cars and riding dirt bikes. Although I have a hard time saying which one is my favorite hobby. Every time I drive/ride one of them I say “this is my favorite hobby!” But then I’ll do the other one. Nothing beats a smokey burnout or sliding a dirt bike around a big loamy berm. The root of it all is that classic internal combustion engine that I just love. 

I learned a heck of a lot hanging out with my Dad in the garage. When I was about 12 years old my Dad and brother picked up a 1967 Nova to restore and drive. Every night we spent countless hours wrenching and turning that Nova into an awesome ride. Then the day finally came when we snatched up a 1966 Chevelle for me. The car was a 20 foot car but everything worked. I was 16 years old and had a 454 Chevelle with a 4 speed! This was a car that I drove daily and didn’t have to worry too much about. I learned lots more about cars by wrenching and getting my hands dirty. This is the car though, that changed my life and gave me direction when I had no clue. 

What I mean by that last statement is that I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to be when I “grew up.” But I knew I wanted to be in the automotive world. My nativity thought this only meant being an auto mechanic. So that’s what I did. I worked for over a year in a Father and Son shop, learning the ropes. This was a full service shop where we did everything from pulling and rebuilding engines, suspensions, transmissions, or anything else. While I got paid pennies, the experience was invaluable. 

From there I worked in the retail world at a Chevelle parts store, a Chevelle car club, and at an automotive interior manufacturer. Just about every facet of the automotive world I have worked and learned an immense amount of experience while doing so. While I was gaining all that experience I was also going to school full time. I graduated with two Bachelors degrees; one in Business Marketing and the other in Entrepreneurial Management. 

The Here And Now

The one thing that was a constant through all this change in my life was my passion for cars and that 1966 Chevelle sitting in the garage. I was constantly working on it, saving up for this part, redoing that, and fixing whatever broke. Since I’m younger(28) many people think that I was given the car or bought the car. Don’t be fooled by that mis-conception. I built the car almost entirely myself through dedication, blood, sweat, and lots of beers. What you see is a result of 13 years of hard work. When my buddies were out buying new trucks and boats, I was dumping money into this Chevelle. 

As tacky as it may seem, this Chevelle is the perfect form of me. If I could mold some clay into a shape and say “This is Tim” this is exactly how it would turn out. First off, I love old classic things. Cars, planes, trains, houses, machinery, just anything that’s neat and old. But then I also love new school things, computers, cameras, electronics. This Chevelle touches both of those bases and more. There is a certain edge to the car, but it’s smooth as well. The more you look at the ‘Velle, the more you’ll like it. This car is my artistic avenue of expressing myself and who I am. 

But just like any other car guy, I can’t have just one project. Aside turning wrenches for all my buddies and their projects, I have another one awaiting restoration. Roughly 5 years ago I picked up a 1962 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 Series. Thats a mouthful! What that boils down to is a factory Limo.

The backstory on this land yacht is I saw a ’59 Caddy Limo at a show a few years ago. The car was driving around about 1/2-inch off the ground and I just thought that was the biggest and most awesome car I had ever seen. I had to have one. Long story short, mine is sitting at the house awaiting restoration. Right now the limo is 100% stock but in running and driving condition. The funny part is I have this wicked Chevelle at home, but this unrestored, rusty Cadillac that gets more looks and thumbs up! My plans for the limo include putting some sort of LS engine into it for drivability, air bag suspension, and cruise to the beach about 1/2-inch off the ground. Since I have the fast and show Chevelle, I’m ready for a slow cruiser. 

The Non-Car Tim

If I’m not under the hood of a car or swinging my leg over a bike, what else do I enjoy?

By far one of my favorite things to do is go camping. Getting in touch with nature and completely forgetting about all the everyday petty worries of the world is an amazing thing. I like to go down to the beach, or up to the mountains and turn off all the electronics and ground myself out. With the invention of the computer and cell phone, you can never really get away from everything with an electronic leash in your pocket. When you’re sitting around a campfire with a cold beer and your family beside you, nothing is more important then that.

 

Camping was ingrained into me at an early age since my parents grew up camping, so naturally I grew up camping. I even was in the Boy Scouts and became an Eagle Scout. About once a month growing up I was off somewhere, exploring and learning new things while camping. Now that I have a family of my own, I try to go camping as well so we can all bond and show my kids how to not rely on computers for fun. 

Getting Philosophical 

Growing up I’ve always wanted more. What I mean by that is that I’m never satisfied with where I’m at or how much I know. I’m always striving to better myself whether thats lifting another 10 pounds at the gym, bolting on a new part, providing more for my family, or reading a book on a new subject. I’m not somebody who sits counting beans all day long. I love a good challenge and the rewards that come with those challenges.

If you don’t step out of your comfort zone then you can’t grow. That’s true for everything in life. I think that change is the spice of life and without it, life gets boring. But at the same time I’m extremely grateful for every opportunity, every hand I shake, and the things that I have accomplished. Just like you, I put on my pants the same way every morning and work hard. 

Money is definitely one area we can all relate to on some level or another. By working for my money since a young age I learned how much work it takes to have a $20 in your wallet. In school I took classes in accounting and finance that taught me an entirely new way to look at money. Some of my favorite books to read are ones dealing with money. One of my personal goals is to become 100% debt free, because then I have money for more car parts! I got that inspiration from Dave Ramsey who said “If you live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.” What he means is if you work hard and pay for things in cash now, later in life you’ll be set while your friends are struggling. 

What’s Next? 

Some have said that I should have become an accountant, but there’s no smokey burnouts in accounting! Cars are my passion. Just like the old adage goes “Find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” That is true for me. I’m truly happy that I can come into work with other like-minded individuals and do a job helping out other car people. 

I try not to let things in life stress me out. By going camping, making sure I’m financially secure, and that my family is well taken care of, I really get to enjoy life. A huge part of that is truly enjoying what you do for work. While it might sound a little cheesy, I firmly believe that the world’s problems could be solved around a campfire with a cold beer in your hand. To finish off my little philosophical rant, here are some of my favorite and inspirational quotes:

“If you’re not living for something, you’re dying for nothing.” ~Unknown

“Nothing ever came from a life that was a simple one.” ~ Flogging Molly

“Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting.” ~ Steve McQueen

I’m excited to be here at Chevy Hardcore. I’m looking forward to the challenge of growing this magazine  into the largest digital Chevy magazine there is and bringing you the very best hardcore Chevy content day in and day out – Stay Tuned!