It’s not certain the words piston wall clearance, crankshaft stroke, or even micrometer were ever on my mind as the hacksaw blade carved away any excess piston skirt. At the time, all I knew was it collided with its newly mated crankshaft from an engine it was never designed for. My school isn’t noted for its math program, but with some creative rounding up, it was good enough to realize the piston size of a 100cc twin-cylinder engine has got to be close enough to seal up a 50cc, single-cylinder’s bore. Needless to say, my introduction to numbers to the right of the decimal point (and any chance of becoming a new editor anywhere) was still years down the road.

It was obvious that if I ever had a hope of making this newfangled contraption run, the crankshaft needed to make at least one complete revolution. Bore sizing aside, those pesky piston skirts had to clear the crank one way or another. Sadly, one revolution is about all that engine ever made. If you only counted the number of revs under its own power, that number dropped to zero faster than an engine with no oil pressure at wide-open-throttle.

I’m not sure this cringe-worthy tale could ever have a happy ending, but thankfully, that scene played out many years ago at the beginning of my infatuation with all things mechanical. Since then, I have been blessed to work with and learn from some of the most talented individuals on the planet.

When it comes to the luxury of having “our guy” work on our vehicles, funds usually dictated that any work, whether necessary or not, would be done in our own driveway. I remember one weekend, lying under one of my vehicles with my dad, swapping out the main bearings of its engine. He never offered to do anything for me but never turned down the chance to show me how to do something. I remember how he admonished me to “keep welding” as I was finishing up “back-halving” another vehicle a few years later during the Pro-Street craze. I owe much of my foundational automotive years to my father. He not only taught me to work on cars but also how to have fun with cars once the wrenches stopped turning.

I soon found myself attending college, and my tools and automotive hobby were temporarily put on hold. However, my big break into the automotive realm came unexpectedly when Tom Shaw, long-time Editor for Muscle Car Review, stopped into the hardware store I worked at all through college and beyond. I was looking for a new career path, and Tom opened the gate wide when he told me to send in a resume.

After stalking several staff members for years, I eventually landed a spot as Technical Editor for Corvette Fever (CF) magazine. I spent most of my time following well-known shops as they would perform all sorts of tasks on GM’s halo car. The wealth of knowledge one can gather from watching smart people work is incredible. The fact you need to put it all together in legible text and photos when you get back home helps drive it all home.

Personally, my early automotive history entailed replacing points, adjusting carbs, and checking the timing with a light. It wasn’t until a good friend, Chris Petris, took me under his wing and offered to teach me the finer points of fuel injection that I stepped away from the dwell meter. He pointed toward an engineless 1985 Corvette and said, “If you want to learn about fuel injection, that is an excellent car to learn on.”

What he meant was in the midst of rebuilding the engine, transmission, differential, and suspension, I’d learn a thing or two about C4 Corvettes. Besides the finer points of fuel injection, I also learned you would either see the bolt or feel it, but you won’t get the luxury of both. I also learned the upside of buying a running vehicle! But, through Chris’ patience and my persistence, we finally got the Corvette on the road.

After my years at CF, I became the Editor of Corvette Enthusiast magazine. My time was now divided between wrenching on cars and ensuring the budget and story scheduling were always in agreement. Still, amid all the meetings, commitments, and budget restraints, I had some of the most amazing experiences with friends and folks I would meet along the way.

Change is inevitable, especially when introducing the internet to an ink-and-paper world. I moved through several titles within the company. When those automotive titles were sold, the company no longer needed an editor, and I was let go. We had started embracing the digital realm, but much like going from carbs to EFI, there was much to learn.

They say the best way to learn is to jump in head first, and that is precisely what I did. I started freelance writing for the leading company producing only “electronic magazines” – Power Automedia. I’ve covered about every type, make, and model automobile to ever circle the sun, and I’m happy to say that my travels have brought me right back to GM’s Bowtie brand.

I look forward to bringing you stories with a unique perspective. I’m chomping at the bit to get back out on the show field to meet many of you and learn what you like about Chevy Hardcore and what you’d like to see done differently. I’m sure many of you have noted the similarity between my name and the previous editor’s. Randy is my brother, and we also have a sister – Sandy. We all grew up in a car-crazy family and have been passionate about cars ever since. We’ve taken different paths through this hobby, but I’m happy to say that we’ve grown closer together because of it. We’ve both learned a lot in many different ways, a fact Randy is all too quick to point out by reminding me about my time with a piston skirt and a hacksaw.