Jim’s Blog
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Jim’s Blog: Preserve or Restore?
ACC’s gears are turning as we prep for issue #39 — and that means its time for another Wrenching column. So today, Auction Editor Chad Tyson and I have snuck out of the office and are in my shop, working on ACC’s 1966 Ford Mustang. I’m writing this from my workbench. Here’s the thing about…
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Jim’s Blog: Meet the ACC Mustang!
I’ve spent the past few weeks looking for a good 1965 or 1966 Mustang. After driving all over the Portland area and looking at several less-than-great examples, I finally found our car. $17,000 later, ACC is the proud third owner of a Wimbledon White 1966 model. The car’s got great history. On March 26, 1966,…
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Jim’s Blog: Which Car Do You Regret Selling?
Everybody’s got a story about a car they shouldn’t have let go. I’d bet most of us have several. For those of you that read my ACC columns and blogs regularly, you’ll probably guess that I’d pick my old 1972 Chevrolet K10 pickup as my biggest sale regret. I bought it as a project, restored…
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Jim’s Blog: Has the Truck Market Topped Out? Share Your Thoughts with ACC
We’re finishing up the March/April issue of ACC this week, which includes all our coverage of the Arizona auctions and Mecum Kissimmee in January. Our Readers’ Forum question this month is all about classic trucks — specifically the market for them, and whether or not it’s hit a peak. This is something I touched on…
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Jim’s Blog: Is it Too Late to Buy a Classic Truck?
After a whirlwind week in Arizona where a number classic rigs brought huge prices, I can’t help but wonder if it’s too late to buy a classic truck. Just after the close of the ACC Seminar, I had some time to kill, so ACC Contributors Jay Harden and Sam Stockham and I wandered the Barrett-Jackson…
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Jim’s Blog: Gearing Up for Arizona
ACC’s offices have been buzzing since the start of the new year. This is when we prep for our trip to Arizona and start building our plan for another issue of the magazine, which ships to press just after the close of the upcoming auctions. This is one of my favorite times of year, as…
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Jim’s Blog: Happy Holidays from ACC!
This past issue of ACC — our 37th — marks six years of the magazine. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long already. But we’re here and better than ever, and 2018 should be even more interesting both for the market and for us, especially considering the top-level consignments planned for Scottsdale and Kissimmee…
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Jim’s Blog: The Future of Car Collecting?
Yesterday, while hunting Craigslist for first-gen Ford Mustangs for ACC, I tripped over this twin-turbo 1964 Plymouth Valiant for sale. Yep, that’s right — someone took a slant-six powered Plymouth Valiant and swapped in a Japanese straight six, specifically the 24-valve 6-cylinder Toyota 1JZ engine along with other spare parts. What does that mean, exactly? Well,…
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Jim’s Blog: Hunting a Mustang
It’s time for ACC to get a new car for our garage. I’d like to find an early Ford Mustang. The Mustang is a great collector car, as it’s iconic, simple, and parts are easy to find. In fact, there are a bunch for sale in ACC’s local area at any given time — but…
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Jim’s Blog: Will Pintos Ever Be Collectible?
Ford’s compact Pinto, launched in 1971 as a response to the growing number of subcompact imports being sold in this country, isn’t exactly fondly remembered — except maybe by my mom, who bought one new and didn’t keep it long enough to get in any accidents. However, we’ve been seeing more of these cars pop…