Eckler Industries

I've always wanted to head North to Alaska; to drive the highway again. I was in the Army and was stationed at Fort Richardson in Anchorage, arrived at my post by plane in 1963, and hitchhiked home aboard an Air Force C-130 Hercules airplane. In ’64, my wife Jan and I drove a red and white ’58 Ford convertible from Tyler, Texas to Anchorage, via the Alaska Highway. I never dreamed that it would be more than forty years before I would be on this highway again. What a difference forty years makes!

Top Twenty-Five Greatest Chevrolets

How great is the Chevrolet brand and how much influence has Chevrolet had on the United States and the rest of the world? If someone asked you to name the top twenty-five most significant vehicle models for any automobile manufacturer other than Chevrolet, you would be hard pressed to name them. If someone asked you to name the twenty-five most significant Chevrolet models, you can’t stop at twenty five. Here is my own personal list of what I believe they are. Feel free to chime in at the bottom of this blog with your thoughts!

Sam Pack Museum  Sam Pack, noteworthy Texas businessman and founder of 3 major Ford dealerships in the greater Dallas area, had this museum constructed to house his bevy of beautiful Ford and GM vehicles (by the way, the mix is about 70/30 favoring the FoMoCo products). Sam started moving vehicles in here back in March of ‘05, and up until then relied on a 50,000 square foot warehouse in nearby Carrollton as a home for his 150+cars.

Who doesn’t like trucks? No matter what kind of car person you are, chances are you’re also a truck fan. People don’t look at trucks and say, “um nope, I’ve never really liked them”. In fact, in certain parts of the country, you’d get a whuppin’ for saying something like that. Trucks are about as “pure American” as it gets. And really, what’s not to love? They’re big, bold, brawny and brash. 

The Bucket List. Remember that movie from back in ’07 with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman? They team up to do a bunch of wild and wonderful stuff they’ve always wanted to do before they die. There’s more to it than that, but that’s the gist of the story. One of the cool “car guy” scenes in that flick involves Jack and Morgan’s characters hot rodding around a track in a couple of muscle cars. It’s great watching those two tackle everything on their bucket lists, as their time draws near. You really come away from this movie thinking, “Whatever it is, do it before it’s too late.”

Road Trips: Plan One!

You may be wondering why I’m writing about road trips now that it’s wintertime. Well, most road trips take planning, and what better time to do that than now? Spring always gets here faster than we expect, then summer. Besides, planning a trip now will help you tune out those winter blues.