June 26, 2025 • 23 mins
Do you love Legacy Cars , road rally racing, shop cats and general Maker Shop Talk?
If so, join Tamara Robertson (Mythbusters, Seekers of Science) as she revs up the fun in this all new mini-season dedicated to the Hemming's Great Race and the amazing team of Trailblazing Creators assembled by Riley's Rebuilds!
As a shout-out to Race Sponsor Quick Performance, this episode kicks off with a Tech Talk about Rear Differentials before Tamara sits down with Legacy Builder, Trailblazer and Maker Extraordinaire Ashley ( @_Rustic_Beauty ) !
Topics they cover include (but are surely not limited to):
- The Great Race
- Legacy Vehicles
- Shoutout to Clemson
- Shop Cats
- Riley of Riley Rebuild's
- Grand Torino
- The Effect of Temperature on Cars
- Vintage Restoration
- Sharing the Learning Journey
- Jessi Combs
- The Jessi Combs Foundation
- Being Fearless
- Hot Rod Power Tour
- Power of Community
- Protective Parents
.. and so much more
As we dig into Season 3's 27th episode of Tinkering Belles you're surely not going to want to miss it!
So join in on Tamara's adventure as a Maker as she works to amplify the BAMF Females Behind the Builds one interview at a time!
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If you enjoyed the show join in on the Maker adventure with Tamara and her guests on the Tinkering Belles Instagram page.
You can follow Payton's adventures here, here, and here:
Website - https://rusticbeautycreations.com
Linktree - https://linktr.ee/_rustic_beauty
Instagram - https://instagram.com/_rustic_beauty
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Rustic_Beauty
Tiktok - https://tiktok.com/@rustic.beauty
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ap2NzfXtD/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Music for this Episode was provided by Bill Trowell Music. Visit BillTrowellMusic.com to hear more and to subscribe to Bill's Patreon, where he covers favorite showtunes, movie themes, classic rock and jazz, as well as requests from Patron's.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tamara Robertson (00:00):
Greetings, shopmates, and welcome to
Tinkering Belles, a show aboutDIY, design, and all things
hands-on.
The sky's the limit as we talkprops, metalwork, cosplay,
woodwork, leather, electronics,and so much more.
I'm Tamara Robertson, yourhost, so strap on your tool
belts because we're about to getto some Skillshare-ing, y'all.
(00:24):
Today, I'm going to be joined bya maker who is following in the
family footsteps wrench inhand.
I don't want to give away toomuch, but this maker is keeping
a third generation legacy aliveone mile at a time.
So if that doesn't make youwant to stick around and hear
more, then you might be at thewrong podcast.
.
(00:45):
But first, let's go ahead andhave our tech talk of the day.
So we're going to be talkingall about the Hemmings Great
Race and the components thatkeep our Fairlane empowered
through every mile.
So shout out to QuickPerformance, who supplied a
complete eight inch rear centersection and a brand new third
member for the Fairlane.
But let's back it up.
Where did rear differentialsget their start?
(01:07):
Now, the differential was firstpatented in 1827 by French
engineer, Onesifer Pécure.
Say that three times fast, Idare ya.
Now, this design allowed wheelsto rotate at different speeds
while turning.
In a car, the rear diff takesrotational force from the drive
(01:28):
shaft and it splits it betweenthe wheels.
This is especially important incorners where one tire travels
a longer arc than the others.
Classic cars like our 66Fairlane often use removable
third-member designs, where thegears and carrier are
pre-assembled and bolted intothe housing, making it easier to
swap ratios or to service it.
(01:50):
Upgrading your center sectioncan improve traction,
durability, and can drasticallychange off-the-line performance,
especially with a limited slipor locker setup.
Quick Performance buildsbulletproof driveline components
for race, drag, and streetbuilds, and ours?
ready to carry us fromMinnesota to South Carolina and
(02:11):
beyond.
Well, that's it for your TechTalk.
As always, you can join in onthe conversation with my maker
friends and me on the TinkeringBells Instagram and X pages.
Just search for BellesTinkering, hit follow, and share
your DIY adventures togetherwith us.
Have a tool you want to learnabout?
Let me know, and it may befeatured in a future episode.
Tell us what you liked, whatyou hated, or possibly even what
(02:32):
we missed.
So now we're going to be gettinginto the main event and I'm so
excited to introduce you to ournext maker.
So drum roll, please presentAshley.
Ashley, thanks for joining me.
How are you?
Ashley (02:46):
Great.
Thanks for having me.
Tamara Robertson (02:48):
I'm so excited to talk today.
I love to start out by lettingthe audience know where can they
find you, follow you, and whatcan they expect to see when they
go there?
Ashley (02:59):
Well, you can follow me on Instagram and YouTube.
I'm also on Facebook.
My Instagram handle isunderscore rustic underscore
beauty.
And YouTube is just rusticunderscore beauty.
And the Facebook is kind ofjust tagged along on each of
those accounts.
You can find it there.
And you just find all my...
car shenanigans, my restorationof my Torino, my constant
(03:24):
struggles with my station wagonand just all of the in-between.
Tamara Robertson (03:28):
We have not met in person yet.
We've been hanging out a lot inthe chat on Instagram as Riley
has been assembling us.
But one of the things that Ilove as a superhero scientist is
people's origin stories.
So can you share with theaudience where you got your
gearhead start and why you stayin it today?
Ashley (03:46):
Well, it starts at the beginning.
I've always loved classic cars.
Being a kid, seeing them passby on the road, I just thought
they looked so cool.
They're all shiny, the chrome,the bright colors.
I've just always loved it.
And so when I found out my dadhad one...
I thought that was the coolestthing ever, and I knew one day I
(04:07):
wanted to fix it.
I was like five years old, andso I just always had that
passion deep down.
Never really had much of anopportunity to pursue it.
However, several years ago at acar show, I was talking with my
aunt and uncle, and he's a bigFord guy, and I told him about
my dad's car, and he told me tobring it up.
He said, just bring it to theshop.
(04:28):
We'll look at it and see if wecan get it running, and I It
turned into a whole ground-uprestoration project, and that
kind of fueled my fire, and Ijust knew that's what I wanted
to do.
So that's what I do.
I like to restore.
I just work on that.
I had a job in a restorationshop.
I learned a bunch that way, andit's just so much fun, so
(04:52):
that's pretty much it.
how it all started.
Tamara Robertson (04:55):
And you sent me a picture of you and a shop
cat.
So can, tell me, tell me aboutyour fur baby.
Tell me about your little shopmates.
Ashley (05:02):
Yes, there's one main shop cat and then there's one
that occasionally lurks as well.
But the main, the main homie,he's, his name is Rebel and he
worked, he just kind of patrolsmy uncle's diesel shop.
And he's just the best.
He's a cat that behaves like adog.
He's just your best friend.
You just go up to him, just pethim, ruffle his fur.
(05:23):
He's just great.
He's the best.
Tamara Robertson (05:27):
I love that is he in there like supervising
you while you're like in thehood
Ashley (05:32):
oh yeah no matter what yeah no matter where you are he
will find you and he will getall in your way it's like
there's there's some reels likewhere I'll just be like under
the car I'll be wrenching onsomething or I'll be trying to
focus and he just comes up andhe's just like all over the
place like you can't getanything done unless you feed
him then he's distracted for alittle bit but then he'll come
(05:54):
find you
Tamara Robertson (05:56):
Love it.
Well, you got to have a friendin the job for sure.
So you actually sent me somereally fun photos before the
interview today.
And I'll of course, guys,remember, I include those in the
show notes.
So go over there, you'll findthe links to Ashley's pages as
well as these photos.
There is actually two thatreally stood out to me.
One is this guy that has thisexcellent flock of seagulls
(06:18):
hair.
And then the other is this likeadorable little dapper guy.
Like who, who are those two?
Ashley (06:25):
That would be my dad.
The, the one that I thinkyou're talking about is in
Clemson.
He had the car that was his,really his daily driver in high
school and college.
He drove that Torino around andthat was a picture of him with
the Clemson license plate.
It just, classic and then theother picture is him as a little
(06:46):
boy on Easter Sunday he wasposing next to the Torino and I
love that picture but yeahthat's him back in the day,
because it was his dad's caroriginally.
So my grandpa bought it in 69,only a year used.
It's a 68, so he bought itpretty much new, and it's just
been in the family ever since.
Tamara Robertson (07:04):
The Grand Tarino has actually been, you're
the third generation to haveit.
Ashley (07:09):
Yep.
Tamara Robertson (07:10):
That's, see, and that's so amazing.
That's what I love aboutvintage vehicles, right, is that
each one not only has the storyof their build and the
timeframe and era they camefrom, but then they have the
story of those that have hadtheir adventures in them.
So to see this three-generationcar now be in your hands, it's
so exciting.
(07:30):
Is there a favorite adventurethat you know that it's been on
that you want to share with theaudience?
Ashley (07:37):
Well, some of them, I don't know, are
podcast-friendly.
Tamara Robertson (07:41):
Those are my favorite.
We should definitely answer.
Ashley (07:44):
Well, I guess the first ever story was when my grandpa
was buying it.
It was really cold it waseither in Illinois or Indiana
that they were purchasing it,but they needed a new car.
And he just said he was goingto buy the first one on the lot
that started.
And so he just went down theline trying to start all the
cars.
Cause I think it was like maybeminus two degrees.
(08:05):
And that one was the first onethat started and he said, all
right, I'll buy it.
And so that's, I thought thatwas a pretty cool story that
that's how we ended up with that
Tamara Robertson (08:15):
That is such a practical reason to buy it,
too, right?
Because when you look atvehicles, it's always the
question of, like, are theygoing to start?
Can they get through thisweather?
You know, I just moved fromArizona, and I tell everyone,
like, I've had my Honda Elementsince I graduated college.
She could have gone to collegeby now.
(08:36):
And, like, 20 and a half yearsI spent in Arizona put more age
on her than anything.
else that I've ever lived.
And she's lived in NorthCarolina, South Carolina,
California.
Now, now she's in Ohio, butlike she aged so drastically
because of the heat.
So it's like to think aboutlike, Hey, I'm going to get up
(08:58):
on a freezing frigid morning andI want my vehicle to start so I
can go like, it's just sobrilliant to have had that.
Yes.
Ashley (09:10):
Yeah.
Tamara Robertson (09:10):
Is that something when you're, when
you're looking at it now, like,does it still, does it just
start right up even if it's coldor hot?
Ashley (09:18):
Pretty much.
Yeah.
I haven't really had manyissues with it during the
restoration process.
It ran, it had been sittingsince probably late nineties and
it was 2022 or one that I likestarted, they pulled it up to a
shop and we started working onit from day one and it started.
So it never really died.
(09:40):
It just needed some love, butit, it always starts up for me.
Tamara Robertson (09:45):
Speaking of vintage cars, we are going to be
coming together for the Hemingsgreat race.
Had you ever heard of the race,you know, having older cars,
had you ever thought aboutcompeting in it?
I know for me, I knew of itbecause of the list and Jessi,
but beyond that, I had nevereven thought about joining.
Ashley (10:05):
Me either.
I've always kind of heard ofit, you know, just watching
Motor Trend TV or just likeseeing ads for it in the
Hemmings Motor News.
And it always just looks reallycool, but it looked like
something way like, oh, that'ssomething I could never do, you
know?
And, you know, I've donesimilar things such as Hot Rod
Power Tour, but this is a wholenew game.
(10:26):
Like this is some, this is nextlevel.
It's going to be reallyexciting.
Tamara Robertson (10:31):
I'm super stoked.
And I actually, I really lovethe, like, The way that you said
that, this doesn't look likesomething that I could do.
And I think it's one of thethings that's really brilliant
about this team that Riley hasassembled to be there is that we
are all creators, but we arealso all females that are the
real deal that can get our handson these vehicles, work on
(10:52):
them, keep them going throughthe race.
And we're bringing ouraudiences along and showing to
them like, hey, if you're likeme, you could come and do this.
This would be something thatyou could totally do.
Is there something as a creatorthat you really want to be able
to accomplish while you'rethere at the race?
Ashley (11:11):
Kind of just that, you know, when I make content, I
always try and be real with it,show the struggles, be honest
when I have no idea what I'mdoing.
And so, you know, like allthat, I'm new to this.
I've never done a road rally ora race like this.
And so I'm just kind of embodythat you know like I'm new at
(11:32):
this I'm learning you know a lotof us are and that's okay you
know everyone's got to dosomething for the first time and
I just kind of want to embodythe whole just get out there and
do it just try it you know youdon't have to be perfect you
don't have to be some kind ofjust genius with navigation and
just that's all you study like Ijust kind of want to show
(11:54):
people that they can just getout and do things that when they
if they have their mind to it
Tamara Robertson (11:58):
I joke that Riley assembled us like the
Avengers right for this and forme like I met Riley and gosh in
2023 we were signing autographsat SEMA together and was just so
impressed and and everythingthat she was doing at the time
at her age and you know herambition level everything and so
(12:19):
I have to ask like where wheredid you connect with Riley for
the first time?
Ashley (12:24):
I actually saw years ago, I think when she was 16,
there was a viral video or apost on Facebook and I saw that
and it was like 16 year old withher own carburetor rebuild
business.
And I thought that's, that'spretty cool.
That's awesome.
And I saw her page, I followedit.
And so I've been following herpage since when, whenever that
(12:45):
was, I'm not sure when that was,but yeah, I just thought that's
really cool.
I mean, it's a teenage girl andshe's doing what we're all
doing, just showing young womenthat they can do this stuff.
You know, it's, it's reallycool to see.
And so that's how I, that's howI found her, but I haven't met
her in person either.
I don't think I've met anybodyon this team in person.
Tamara Robertson (13:06):
See that I'm excited Cause like we're all
going to come together and it'sgoing to be like this big
homecoming.
We've just been like becoming afamily in the feed and now we
get to like, be a family on ourown little like adventure road
trip together.
Ashley (13:20):
I love it.
Tamara Robertson (13:21):
I love it too.
And so what's really big for meis that we are going to get to
represent not only ourselves andeach other and Riley rebuilds,
but also the Jessi Combsfoundation while we're on the
road.
So we're going to be walking inthe tread marks of the, you
know, the legacy Jessi Combsherself, and we'll be rocking
(13:43):
our dots and the whole vehiclefor those that haven't seen it,
go to the show notes.
There are photos.
The whole vehicle is dedicatedto the foundation, to Jessi.
It's got her signature JC onit.
It's going to have thesignatures of all the young
ladies that are there becauseone of the things that the
foundation loves to remindeveryone that's on this race up
(14:04):
is that you each aretrailblazers in your own mind.
But as far as Jessi'sconcerned, had you ever had a
chance to meet her or what wasyour knowledge of Jessi before
joining this
Ashley (14:16):
I I never did have a chance to meet her, but I knew
of her, and she was just reallysomeone to look up to.
She was completely fearless,just put her mind to something
and accomplished it, no questionasked.
If she wanted to do something,she just made it happen, and
that was so cool, especially tosee as a young woman with
(14:39):
interest in the automotiveindustry.
And it was really...
She really...
did a lot of good in thisindustry for us younger ladies.
Tamara Robertson (14:48):
She did.
I mean, young and old, I wouldtell you all ages, all ages,
getting to, getting to knowJessi and speaking at events
with her, like getting to hearher interact with fans and, and
young people, especially it wasalways so incredible.
And I remember one of thethings that she said that like
stuck with me that I tried tolike start embodying was that
(15:09):
like, you know, live fearlessly,but know that it, It doesn't
mean not having fear.
It means that...
in spite of the fear, keeptaking those steps, keep going
forward.
And so I think all of us, youknow, I think there's a couple
of people on the team that havedone a road rally race before a
couple motor sports people, butfor the most part, we're all
(15:30):
brand new to this.
And like, we're all learningtogether.
And I know I was like, I don'tknow if I can do it, but sure.
Let me, whatever you need, likeRiley, let me know.
We'll show up.
We'll do it, you know?
And so, yeah.
I do.
I'm pretty excited that we'llget to like be flying the polka
dots while we're going.
Ashley (15:48):
I love it.
It's so
Tamara Robertson (15:50):
It really is.
And so speaking of specialconnections and road races, I
saw on your channel that youactually got to do your first
year at the Hot Rod Power Tourwith your grandpa.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthat experience?
Ashley (16:07):
Yeah, so when I heard of Power Tour, I thought, oh, this
is something that we couldprobably make happen.
And so I worked so hard to tryand get the Torino ready for it,
but the And I was going to gowith him.
He was pretty much the only oneadventurous enough in my family
who would be willing to sitwith me in an old car with no
air conditioning, traveling allthat distance.
(16:29):
And so he was all on board forit.
And the day before, though, ourbrake booster failed and I
could not find a new one intime.
But we went anyway.
I'm so glad we did.
We took his van.
He just has a big Econolineconversion van.
And we just went the route.
And we had so much fun.
We met a lot of people.
And it was just a really funexperience with him.
(16:50):
Just all the old cars.
And we just chatted up talkingabout all the stuff.
It brought back memories forhim.
You know, just seeing all theold cars.
He'd see a station wagon.
He'd tell a story about...
kids just piling up in the backand going on family trips and
stuff.
And it was just really special.
Tamara Robertson (17:07):
Oh, I love that.
And it's so cool.
Again, those just those storiesand the legacy that it builds.
Is there anything that, youknow, if you could give advice
to someone that's looking atdoing something like this for
the first time, young or old,what would be some advice that
that you would offer, you know,for those first getting their
(17:29):
start?
Ashley (17:29):
Gosh, um, I would have to say just really don't pay
attention to the people who sayit's not possible because that
sounds cliche, but it doeshappen.
You will hear people say like,Oh, that's such a male dominated
area.
You don't want to work there.
You don't want to, you know,your car's going to break down.
You're going to be stranded.
(17:50):
Like you don't want, you wantsomething reliable.
You don't want a project.
They're going to tell you allkinds of things, but if you
really want to do it, you justhave to make it happen.
Like don't listen to thenegative people.
Find people who, like like ushow we found each other like
find people that you can put inyour circle who will motivate
you to go in the rightdirections who will help you
(18:11):
find people who you can connectwith and just really put the
negative stuff behind youbecause it's there but you just
have to just brush it off
Tamara Robertson (18:22):
there's there's like a couple of things
in there you know the fact thatThere's going to always be
naysayers, right?
But like remembering that ifthey've got the time to be
trying to derail you, it meansthat they're probably not doing
much on their own.
No.
Two, like I always try to tellpeople, you know, because
sometimes it's the adults in ourlives that end up trying to
(18:46):
say, hey, don't do that.
You know, it might not be easy.
You know, you might hit a lotof barriers.
I try to remind people thatlike, especially as parents and
the leading forces andhouseholds, adults tend to know
the path that they've walked orthey know the paths that their
peers have walked.
And so they just want the youngpeople in their lives to be
(19:09):
successful.
They don't want it to be hardfor them.
They want them to be able tosoar.
And so sometimes that comesthrough them sharing their own
fears.
Right.
And so that's just like my mom.
Yeah.
Ashley (19:22):
She's always nervous for me with the, like, especially
with power tour.
I was thinking about doing itthis year and she just gets so
nervous with me and all myprojects and stuff.
And so she's always beensupportive of me, but yeah,
She's always like, oh, are yousure you want to do that?
Or like, you really don't wantto do that.
You're going to waste yourmoney on that.
(19:43):
Why don't just stay home or geta reliable car?
You know, she's not saying itout of negativity.
So you have to also account forthat.
Like you were saying, like alot of your parents, adult
parent figures, they're going towant to protect you and look
out for you because they knowthat.
Maybe they knew someone whowent down that path, or maybe
they went down that path, andthey're just like, oh, they just
(20:07):
care for you, and you'd have toknow the difference, but that's
a good point that you made.
Yeah.
Tamara Robertson (20:12):
Yeah, no.
And you know, your mom's sayingit out of love.
She doesn't want you to bebroken down on the side of the
highway at night somewhereunsafe, but it doesn't, you
know, what's great is thatyou've got the skills.
You can, you know, if you breakdown, you can get it started
back up, you know, or, you know,it's one of those things that,
(20:33):
that facing that fear is,leaning into it leaning into the
challenge and then like yousaid with you know that that
power tour that you guys weren'table to actually race and like
still showing up you know yeahthat so much can come of it and
especially as you're trying tobuild community and you're
trying to grow in certainindustries it's a way to start
(20:57):
building that story andadventure and I know absolutely
We're facing, we've been facinga lot of trials and tribulations
with our fair lane.
And to the point that, hey,we've all said, if it ends up
being that we're just a tour busRV full of capable women
keeping the Corvette on the roadand not running the fair lane,
(21:17):
we're still going to have agreat time and we're going to
show up for the community, youknow?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Exactly.
So is there a vehicle thatyou're hoping to see while we're
out there on the race trail?
Ashley (21:29):
I really want to see the oldest one there.
I've heard that there's a lotof really old cars that tend to
do this race or at least some.
And so I really want to seesome of these really old ones,
like early 1900s cars runningthat.
I think that's so cool.
Tamara Robertson (21:44):
I think that would be really neat.
I just want to see thetechnology, like the automotive
technology through the ages isjust so incredible to see that
variation and like seeing someof the older ones would be
really really cool i agree forsure i love that so there's one
question that i ask every singleperson that's on the show uh
(22:06):
and that is if you had asuperpower what would it be and
why
Ashley (22:11):
oh gosh that's so difficult
Tamara Robertson (22:14):
There's so many, right?
I know.
Ashley (22:16):
Is this just like any scenario?
Tamara Robertson (22:18):
It could be dealer's choice.
Whatever you want to have, youcould have as a superpower
Ashley (22:24):
Oh, my gosh.
Well, as a kid, I always wantedto fly.
That would be a fun superpower.
Very versatile superpower.
I like that.
Help you out if you break downon the road.
Just fly somewhere.
Tamara Robertson (22:39):
Do you think you would still drive a car,
though, if you could flyeverywhere?
Do you think you would still doit just for the love of the
car?
Oh,
Ashley (22:46):
yeah.
I would still drive.
I would just use flying for...
fun and for emergencies.
Tamara Robertson (22:53):
I love it.
So everyone, the Hemings GreatRace kicks off June 21st in St.
Paul, Minnesota, and we'll runall the way until we hit the
finish line, hopefully on June29th in Moorpark, Irmo, South
Carolina.
Follow us on Instagram to stayup to date with all things
Creator Race as we tackle thisiconic vintage rally road race
one mile at a time.
(23:14):
That's it for Tinkering Bells.
This episode is assembled andready for delivery.
Thank you so much, Ashley, forbeing here this has been such a
joy absolutely this was so muchfun thank you so much i want to
thank you for choosing tinkeringbells as your user's manual for
all things maker on a bi-weeklybasis if you want to continue
to hear more don't forget torate and review the show on your
podcasting app of choice aswell as sharing it with your
(23:36):
friends i look forward to seeingyou next time until then don't
forget to keep making
Greetings, shopmates, and welcome to
Tinkering Belles, a show aboutDIY, design, and all things
hands-on.
The sky's the limit as we talkprops, metalwork, cosplay,
woodwork, leather, electronics,and so much more.
I'm Tamara Robertson, yourhost, so strap on your tool
belts because we're about to getto some Skillshare-ing, y'all.
(00:24):
Today, I'm going to be joined bya maker who is following in the
family footsteps wrench inhand.
I don't want to give away toomuch, but this maker is keeping
a third generation legacy aliveone mile at a time.
So if that doesn't make youwant to stick around and hear
more, then you might be at thewrong podcast.
.
(00:45):
But first, let's go ahead andhave our tech talk of the day.
So we're going to be talkingall about the Hemmings Great
Race and the components thatkeep our Fairlane empowered
through every mile.
So shout out to QuickPerformance, who supplied a
complete eight inch rear centersection and a brand new third
member for the Fairlane.
But let's back it up.
Where did rear differentialsget their start?
(01:07):
Now, the differential was firstpatented in 1827 by French
engineer, Onesifer Pécure.
Say that three times fast, Idare ya.
Now, this design allowed wheelsto rotate at different speeds
while turning.
In a car, the rear diff takesrotational force from the drive
(01:28):
shaft and it splits it betweenthe wheels.
This is especially important incorners where one tire travels
a longer arc than the others.
Classic cars like our 66Fairlane often use removable
third-member designs, where thegears and carrier are
pre-assembled and bolted intothe housing, making it easier to
swap ratios or to service it.
(01:50):
Upgrading your center sectioncan improve traction,
durability, and can drasticallychange off-the-line performance,
especially with a limited slipor locker setup.
Quick Performance buildsbulletproof driveline components
for race, drag, and streetbuilds, and ours?
ready to carry us fromMinnesota to South Carolina and
(02:11):
beyond.
Well, that's it for your TechTalk.
As always, you can join in onthe conversation with my maker
friends and me on the TinkeringBells Instagram and X pages.
Just search for BellesTinkering, hit follow, and share
your DIY adventures togetherwith us.
Have a tool you want to learnabout?
Let me know, and it may befeatured in a future episode.
Tell us what you liked, whatyou hated, or possibly even what
(02:32):
we missed.
So now we're going to be gettinginto the main event and I'm so
excited to introduce you to ournext maker.
So drum roll, please presentAshley.
Ashley, thanks for joining me.
How are you?
Ashley (02:46):
Great.
Thanks for having me.
Tamara Robertson (02:48):
I'm so excited to talk today.
I love to start out by lettingthe audience know where can they
find you, follow you, and whatcan they expect to see when they
go there?
Ashley (02:59):
Well, you can follow me on Instagram and YouTube.
I'm also on Facebook.
My Instagram handle isunderscore rustic underscore
beauty.
And YouTube is just rusticunderscore beauty.
And the Facebook is kind ofjust tagged along on each of
those accounts.
You can find it there.
And you just find all my...
car shenanigans, my restorationof my Torino, my constant
(03:24):
struggles with my station wagonand just all of the in-between.
Tamara Robertson (03:28):
We have not met in person yet.
We've been hanging out a lot inthe chat on Instagram as Riley
has been assembling us.
But one of the things that Ilove as a superhero scientist is
people's origin stories.
So can you share with theaudience where you got your
gearhead start and why you stayin it today?
Ashley (03:46):
Well, it starts at the beginning.
I've always loved classic cars.
Being a kid, seeing them passby on the road, I just thought
they looked so cool.
They're all shiny, the chrome,the bright colors.
I've just always loved it.
And so when I found out my dadhad one...
I thought that was the coolestthing ever, and I knew one day I
(04:07):
wanted to fix it.
I was like five years old, andso I just always had that
passion deep down.
Never really had much of anopportunity to pursue it.
However, several years ago at acar show, I was talking with my
aunt and uncle, and he's a bigFord guy, and I told him about
my dad's car, and he told me tobring it up.
He said, just bring it to theshop.
(04:28):
We'll look at it and see if wecan get it running, and I It
turned into a whole ground-uprestoration project, and that
kind of fueled my fire, and Ijust knew that's what I wanted
to do.
So that's what I do.
I like to restore.
I just work on that.
I had a job in a restorationshop.
I learned a bunch that way, andit's just so much fun, so
(04:52):
that's pretty much it.
how it all started.
Tamara Robertson (04:55):
And you sent me a picture of you and a shop
cat.
So can, tell me, tell me aboutyour fur baby.
Tell me about your little shopmates.
Ashley (05:02):
Yes, there's one main shop cat and then there's one
that occasionally lurks as well.
But the main, the main homie,he's, his name is Rebel and he
worked, he just kind of patrolsmy uncle's diesel shop.
And he's just the best.
He's a cat that behaves like adog.
He's just your best friend.
You just go up to him, just pethim, ruffle his fur.
(05:23):
He's just great.
He's the best.
Tamara Robertson (05:27):
I love that is he in there like supervising
you while you're like in thehood
Ashley (05:32):
oh yeah no matter what yeah no matter where you are he
will find you and he will getall in your way it's like
there's there's some reels likewhere I'll just be like under
the car I'll be wrenching onsomething or I'll be trying to
focus and he just comes up andhe's just like all over the
place like you can't getanything done unless you feed
him then he's distracted for alittle bit but then he'll come
(05:54):
find you
Tamara Robertson (05:56):
Love it.
Well, you got to have a friendin the job for sure.
So you actually sent me somereally fun photos before the
interview today.
And I'll of course, guys,remember, I include those in the
show notes.
So go over there, you'll findthe links to Ashley's pages as
well as these photos.
There is actually two thatreally stood out to me.
One is this guy that has thisexcellent flock of seagulls
(06:18):
hair.
And then the other is this likeadorable little dapper guy.
Like who, who are those two?
Ashley (06:25):
That would be my dad.
The, the one that I thinkyou're talking about is in
Clemson.
He had the car that was his,really his daily driver in high
school and college.
He drove that Torino around andthat was a picture of him with
the Clemson license plate.
It just, classic and then theother picture is him as a little
(06:46):
boy on Easter Sunday he wasposing next to the Torino and I
love that picture but yeahthat's him back in the day,
because it was his dad's caroriginally.
So my grandpa bought it in 69,only a year used.
It's a 68, so he bought itpretty much new, and it's just
been in the family ever since.
Tamara Robertson (07:04):
The Grand Tarino has actually been, you're
the third generation to haveit.
Ashley (07:09):
Yep.
Tamara Robertson (07:10):
That's, see, and that's so amazing.
That's what I love aboutvintage vehicles, right, is that
each one not only has the storyof their build and the
timeframe and era they camefrom, but then they have the
story of those that have hadtheir adventures in them.
So to see this three-generationcar now be in your hands, it's
so exciting.
(07:30):
Is there a favorite adventurethat you know that it's been on
that you want to share with theaudience?
Ashley (07:37):
Well, some of them, I don't know, are
podcast-friendly.
Tamara Robertson (07:41):
Those are my favorite.
We should definitely answer.
Ashley (07:44):
Well, I guess the first ever story was when my grandpa
was buying it.
It was really cold it waseither in Illinois or Indiana
that they were purchasing it,but they needed a new car.
And he just said he was goingto buy the first one on the lot
that started.
And so he just went down theline trying to start all the
cars.
Cause I think it was like maybeminus two degrees.
(08:05):
And that one was the first onethat started and he said, all
right, I'll buy it.
And so that's, I thought thatwas a pretty cool story that
that's how we ended up with that
Tamara Robertson (08:15):
That is such a practical reason to buy it,
too, right?
Because when you look atvehicles, it's always the
question of, like, are theygoing to start?
Can they get through thisweather?
You know, I just moved fromArizona, and I tell everyone,
like, I've had my Honda Elementsince I graduated college.
She could have gone to collegeby now.
(08:36):
And, like, 20 and a half yearsI spent in Arizona put more age
on her than anything.
else that I've ever lived.
And she's lived in NorthCarolina, South Carolina,
California.
Now, now she's in Ohio, butlike she aged so drastically
because of the heat.
So it's like to think aboutlike, Hey, I'm going to get up
(08:58):
on a freezing frigid morning andI want my vehicle to start so I
can go like, it's just sobrilliant to have had that.
Yes.
Ashley (09:10):
Yeah.
Tamara Robertson (09:10):
Is that something when you're, when
you're looking at it now, like,does it still, does it just
start right up even if it's coldor hot?
Ashley (09:18):
Pretty much.
Yeah.
I haven't really had manyissues with it during the
restoration process.
It ran, it had been sittingsince probably late nineties and
it was 2022 or one that I likestarted, they pulled it up to a
shop and we started working onit from day one and it started.
So it never really died.
(09:40):
It just needed some love, butit, it always starts up for me.
Tamara Robertson (09:45):
Speaking of vintage cars, we are going to be
coming together for the Hemingsgreat race.
Had you ever heard of the race,you know, having older cars,
had you ever thought aboutcompeting in it?
I know for me, I knew of itbecause of the list and Jessi,
but beyond that, I had nevereven thought about joining.
Ashley (10:05):
Me either.
I've always kind of heard ofit, you know, just watching
Motor Trend TV or just likeseeing ads for it in the
Hemmings Motor News.
And it always just looks reallycool, but it looked like
something way like, oh, that'ssomething I could never do, you
know?
And, you know, I've donesimilar things such as Hot Rod
Power Tour, but this is a wholenew game.
(10:26):
Like this is some, this is nextlevel.
It's going to be reallyexciting.
Tamara Robertson (10:31):
I'm super stoked.
And I actually, I really lovethe, like, The way that you said
that, this doesn't look likesomething that I could do.
And I think it's one of thethings that's really brilliant
about this team that Riley hasassembled to be there is that we
are all creators, but we arealso all females that are the
real deal that can get our handson these vehicles, work on
(10:52):
them, keep them going throughthe race.
And we're bringing ouraudiences along and showing to
them like, hey, if you're likeme, you could come and do this.
This would be something thatyou could totally do.
Is there something as a creatorthat you really want to be able
to accomplish while you'rethere at the race?
Ashley (11:11):
Kind of just that, you know, when I make content, I
always try and be real with it,show the struggles, be honest
when I have no idea what I'mdoing.
And so, you know, like allthat, I'm new to this.
I've never done a road rally ora race like this.
And so I'm just kind of embodythat you know like I'm new at
(11:32):
this I'm learning you know a lotof us are and that's okay you
know everyone's got to dosomething for the first time and
I just kind of want to embodythe whole just get out there and
do it just try it you know youdon't have to be perfect you
don't have to be some kind ofjust genius with navigation and
just that's all you study like Ijust kind of want to show
(11:54):
people that they can just getout and do things that when they
if they have their mind to it
Tamara Robertson (11:58):
I joke that Riley assembled us like the
Avengers right for this and forme like I met Riley and gosh in
2023 we were signing autographsat SEMA together and was just so
impressed and and everythingthat she was doing at the time
at her age and you know herambition level everything and so
(12:19):
I have to ask like where wheredid you connect with Riley for
the first time?
Ashley (12:24):
I actually saw years ago, I think when she was 16,
there was a viral video or apost on Facebook and I saw that
and it was like 16 year old withher own carburetor rebuild
business.
And I thought that's, that'spretty cool.
That's awesome.
And I saw her page, I followedit.
And so I've been following herpage since when, whenever that
(12:45):
was, I'm not sure when that was,but yeah, I just thought that's
really cool.
I mean, it's a teenage girl andshe's doing what we're all
doing, just showing young womenthat they can do this stuff.
You know, it's, it's reallycool to see.
And so that's how I, that's howI found her, but I haven't met
her in person either.
I don't think I've met anybodyon this team in person.
Tamara Robertson (13:06):
See that I'm excited Cause like we're all
going to come together and it'sgoing to be like this big
homecoming.
We've just been like becoming afamily in the feed and now we
get to like, be a family on ourown little like adventure road
trip together.
Ashley (13:20):
I love it.
Tamara Robertson (13:21):
I love it too.
And so what's really big for meis that we are going to get to
represent not only ourselves andeach other and Riley rebuilds,
but also the Jessi Combsfoundation while we're on the
road.
So we're going to be walking inthe tread marks of the, you
know, the legacy Jessi Combsherself, and we'll be rocking
(13:43):
our dots and the whole vehiclefor those that haven't seen it,
go to the show notes.
There are photos.
The whole vehicle is dedicatedto the foundation, to Jessi.
It's got her signature JC onit.
It's going to have thesignatures of all the young
ladies that are there becauseone of the things that the
foundation loves to remindeveryone that's on this race up
(14:04):
is that you each aretrailblazers in your own mind.
But as far as Jessi'sconcerned, had you ever had a
chance to meet her or what wasyour knowledge of Jessi before
joining this
Ashley (14:16):
I I never did have a chance to meet her, but I knew
of her, and she was just reallysomeone to look up to.
She was completely fearless,just put her mind to something
and accomplished it, no questionasked.
If she wanted to do something,she just made it happen, and
that was so cool, especially tosee as a young woman with
(14:39):
interest in the automotiveindustry.
And it was really...
She really...
did a lot of good in thisindustry for us younger ladies.
Tamara Robertson (14:48):
She did.
I mean, young and old, I wouldtell you all ages, all ages,
getting to, getting to knowJessi and speaking at events
with her, like getting to hearher interact with fans and, and
young people, especially it wasalways so incredible.
And I remember one of thethings that she said that like
stuck with me that I tried tolike start embodying was that
(15:09):
like, you know, live fearlessly,but know that it, It doesn't
mean not having fear.
It means that...
in spite of the fear, keeptaking those steps, keep going
forward.
And so I think all of us, youknow, I think there's a couple
of people on the team that havedone a road rally race before a
couple motor sports people, butfor the most part, we're all
(15:30):
brand new to this.
And like, we're all learningtogether.
And I know I was like, I don'tknow if I can do it, but sure.
Let me, whatever you need, likeRiley, let me know.
We'll show up.
We'll do it, you know?
And so, yeah.
I do.
I'm pretty excited that we'llget to like be flying the polka
dots while we're going.
Ashley (15:48):
I love it.
It's so
Tamara Robertson (15:50):
It really is.
And so speaking of specialconnections and road races, I
saw on your channel that youactually got to do your first
year at the Hot Rod Power Tourwith your grandpa.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthat experience?
Ashley (16:07):
Yeah, so when I heard of Power Tour, I thought, oh, this
is something that we couldprobably make happen.
And so I worked so hard to tryand get the Torino ready for it,
but the And I was going to gowith him.
He was pretty much the only oneadventurous enough in my family
who would be willing to sitwith me in an old car with no
air conditioning, traveling allthat distance.
(16:29):
And so he was all on board forit.
And the day before, though, ourbrake booster failed and I
could not find a new one intime.
But we went anyway.
I'm so glad we did.
We took his van.
He just has a big Econolineconversion van.
And we just went the route.
And we had so much fun.
We met a lot of people.
And it was just a really funexperience with him.
(16:50):
Just all the old cars.
And we just chatted up talkingabout all the stuff.
It brought back memories forhim.
You know, just seeing all theold cars.
He'd see a station wagon.
He'd tell a story about...
kids just piling up in the backand going on family trips and
stuff.
And it was just really special.
Tamara Robertson (17:07):
Oh, I love that.
And it's so cool.
Again, those just those storiesand the legacy that it builds.
Is there anything that, youknow, if you could give advice
to someone that's looking atdoing something like this for
the first time, young or old,what would be some advice that
that you would offer, you know,for those first getting their
(17:29):
start?
Ashley (17:29):
Gosh, um, I would have to say just really don't pay
attention to the people who sayit's not possible because that
sounds cliche, but it doeshappen.
You will hear people say like,Oh, that's such a male dominated
area.
You don't want to work there.
You don't want to, you know,your car's going to break down.
You're going to be stranded.
(17:50):
Like you don't want, you wantsomething reliable.
You don't want a project.
They're going to tell you allkinds of things, but if you
really want to do it, you justhave to make it happen.
Like don't listen to thenegative people.
Find people who, like like ushow we found each other like
find people that you can put inyour circle who will motivate
you to go in the rightdirections who will help you
(18:11):
find people who you can connectwith and just really put the
negative stuff behind youbecause it's there but you just
have to just brush it off
Tamara Robertson (18:22):
there's there's like a couple of things
in there you know the fact thatThere's going to always be
naysayers, right?
But like remembering that ifthey've got the time to be
trying to derail you, it meansthat they're probably not doing
much on their own.
No.
Two, like I always try to tellpeople, you know, because
sometimes it's the adults in ourlives that end up trying to
(18:46):
say, hey, don't do that.
You know, it might not be easy.
You know, you might hit a lotof barriers.
I try to remind people thatlike, especially as parents and
the leading forces andhouseholds, adults tend to know
the path that they've walked orthey know the paths that their
peers have walked.
And so they just want the youngpeople in their lives to be
(19:09):
successful.
They don't want it to be hardfor them.
They want them to be able tosoar.
And so sometimes that comesthrough them sharing their own
fears.
Right.
And so that's just like my mom.
Yeah.
Ashley (19:22):
She's always nervous for me with the, like, especially
with power tour.
I was thinking about doing itthis year and she just gets so
nervous with me and all myprojects and stuff.
And so she's always beensupportive of me, but yeah,
She's always like, oh, are yousure you want to do that?
Or like, you really don't wantto do that.
You're going to waste yourmoney on that.
(19:43):
Why don't just stay home or geta reliable car?
You know, she's not saying itout of negativity.
So you have to also account forthat.
Like you were saying, like alot of your parents, adult
parent figures, they're going towant to protect you and look
out for you because they knowthat.
Maybe they knew someone whowent down that path, or maybe
they went down that path, andthey're just like, oh, they just
(20:07):
care for you, and you'd have toknow the difference, but that's
a good point that you made.
Yeah.
Tamara Robertson (20:12):
Yeah, no.
And you know, your mom's sayingit out of love.
She doesn't want you to bebroken down on the side of the
highway at night somewhereunsafe, but it doesn't, you
know, what's great is thatyou've got the skills.
You can, you know, if you breakdown, you can get it started
back up, you know, or, you know,it's one of those things that,
(20:33):
that facing that fear is,leaning into it leaning into the
challenge and then like yousaid with you know that that
power tour that you guys weren'table to actually race and like
still showing up you know yeahthat so much can come of it and
especially as you're trying tobuild community and you're
trying to grow in certainindustries it's a way to start
(20:57):
building that story andadventure and I know absolutely
We're facing, we've been facinga lot of trials and tribulations
with our fair lane.
And to the point that, hey,we've all said, if it ends up
being that we're just a tour busRV full of capable women
keeping the Corvette on the roadand not running the fair lane,
(21:17):
we're still going to have agreat time and we're going to
show up for the community, youknow?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Exactly.
So is there a vehicle thatyou're hoping to see while we're
out there on the race trail?
Ashley (21:29):
I really want to see the oldest one there.
I've heard that there's a lotof really old cars that tend to
do this race or at least some.
And so I really want to seesome of these really old ones,
like early 1900s cars runningthat.
I think that's so cool.
Tamara Robertson (21:44):
I think that would be really neat.
I just want to see thetechnology, like the automotive
technology through the ages isjust so incredible to see that
variation and like seeing someof the older ones would be
really really cool i agree forsure i love that so there's one
question that i ask every singleperson that's on the show uh
(22:06):
and that is if you had asuperpower what would it be and
why
Ashley (22:11):
oh gosh that's so difficult
Tamara Robertson (22:14):
There's so many, right?
I know.
Ashley (22:16):
Is this just like any scenario?
Tamara Robertson (22:18):
It could be dealer's choice.
Whatever you want to have, youcould have as a superpower
Ashley (22:24):
Oh, my gosh.
Well, as a kid, I always wantedto fly.
That would be a fun superpower.
Very versatile superpower.
I like that.
Help you out if you break downon the road.
Just fly somewhere.
Tamara Robertson (22:39):
Do you think you would still drive a car,
though, if you could flyeverywhere?
Do you think you would still doit just for the love of the
car?
Oh,
Ashley (22:46):
yeah.
I would still drive.
I would just use flying for...
fun and for emergencies.
Tamara Robertson (22:53):
I love it.
So everyone, the Hemings GreatRace kicks off June 21st in St.
Paul, Minnesota, and we'll runall the way until we hit the
finish line, hopefully on June29th in Moorpark, Irmo, South
Carolina.
Follow us on Instagram to stayup to date with all things
Creator Race as we tackle thisiconic vintage rally road race
one mile at a time.
(23:14):
That's it for Tinkering Bells.
This episode is assembled andready for delivery.
Thank you so much, Ashley, forbeing here this has been such a
joy absolutely this was so muchfun thank you so much i want to
thank you for choosing tinkeringbells as your user's manual for
all things maker on a bi-weeklybasis if you want to continue
to hear more don't forget torate and review the show on your
podcasting app of choice aswell as sharing it with your
(23:36):
friends i look forward to seeingyou next time until then don't
forget to keep making
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