HEY HEY HEY!!!

Welcome to my page!!! I'm Hector Salas, 33 years old, born and raised right here in Dearborn, Michigan, and I've been a mechanic for 14 years. Brakes, transmissions, front ends, you name it. If it's got wheels I've probably been under it! My wife says I have motor oil instead of blood. She's not wrong!! Ha ha!

Three summers ago I found her in a barn outside Monroe. $600 and a raccoon living in the trunk. (The raccoon was free!!) My little one took one look and named her Lucy, and that was that. She's been in my garage ever since, getting put back together one Saturday at a time.

THE PROGRESS REPORT:
[X] Body off the frame
[X] Frame sandblasted & painted gloss black
[X] 350 small block rebuilt, bored .030 over, new cam
[X] Muncie 4-speed rebuilt (took me all winter!!)
[X] Front disc brake conversion, all new lines
[ ] Bodywork (the quarter panels... don't ask)
[ ] Paint: CANDY APPLE RED w/ black stripes!!!
[ ] Black bucket seat interior
[ ] Chrome, chrome, CHROME
[ ] FIRST DRIVE!!! (Summer 2000, I swear!)

Right now she's primer gray with one red fender and she is STILL the most beautiful thing on my street. (Besides my wife. Hi babe!)

PICS COMING SOON!!! I've got two rolls of film sitting at the drugstore right now. As soon as my cousin lets me borrow his scanner they go up. Promise!!

MY PIT CREW

Angela — the love of my life. Eleven years married this October!!! She puts up with a lot. Like the time I rebuilt a carburetor on the kitchen table. (ONE time, babe!!)

Marisol (9) — my little crew chief. She can hand me a 9/16 wrench without even looking, and she knows the Chevy small block firing order (1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2) better than some guys at the shop!!

Ana (6) — she's the one who named Lucy, and every Sunday she has to sit in the driver's seat and "drive" to Florida. VROOM VROOM!!! We haven't made it past the garage door yet but she says we're close.

DRAG NIGHT!!!

Every other Thursday all summer it's Test-n-Tune night at Wolverine Valley Dragway, about 40 minutes south. Fifteen bucks and you can run whatever you brought! Me and my buddy Rick take my '86 Monte Carlo SS down there and let her rip. Best time so far: 15.1 in the quarter. Hey, she's a daily driver!!

Next summer LUCY goes down that track. You heard it here first!!! WATCH OUT!!!

THE BEST SMELL IN THE WORLD

People ask me this. It's easy. My garage in January. It's 5 degrees outside, the kerosene heater is ticking, the coffee's on, the Wings game is on the radio, and the whole place smells like cold concrete, WD-40 and orange hand cleaner. That's heaven right there, man. Angela says heaven better smell nicer than that. LOL!!!

1997: STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!!! First Cup since 1955!!! Swept Philly 4 games to 0!!! When the horn went off at the end of Game 4 the whole block ran out in the street honking and banging pots. My neighbor was out there in his bathrobe. Best night EVER.

1998: DID IT AGAIN!!! Swept Washington 4-0!!! And when they brought Vladdy out on the ice in his wheelchair to be with the Cup... grown man, crying in his living room. Not ashamed. Not one bit.

Stevie Y = greatest captain EVER. Don't even argue with me, I got work to do!! This year didn't go our way (don't talk to me about Colorado) but we'll be back. Keep an octopus in the freezer, people!!!