June 24, 2025 • 38 mins
Do you love skill sharing , road rally racing, new adventures 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 Summit Racing, this episode kicks off with a Tech Talk about Exhaust Systems before Tamara sits down with Gear Head in Training , Trailblazer and Maker Extraordinaire Christina from Christina's Garage!
Topics they cover include (but are surely not limited to):
- 1969 Camaro
- Summit Racing
- Fun Dancing
- A Family of Fire Fighters
- Daddy's Girl
- Learning new Skills
- SEMA
- Being Unapologetically YOU
- Adapting Builds to Any Size, Shape and Ability
... and so much more
As we dig into Season 3's 26th 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!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 Christina's adventures here, here, and here:
Linktree - https://linktr.ee/christinalardie
Instagram - https://instagram.com/Christinalardie
TikTok - https://tiktok.com/@christinalardie
X - https://x.com/christinalardie
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=549312889
Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558031831375&mibextid=YMEMSu
Youtube - www.youtube.com/@christinasgarage
FREE Monthly Newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/6eba04a40064/christinas-monthly-newsletter
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.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Greetings, shopmates, and welcome to
Tinkering Bows, 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 Tim Robertson, your host, sostrap on your tool belts because
we're about to get into someskill sharing, y'all.
(00:26):
Today, I'm going to be joined bya maker who is a self-proclaimed
gearhead in training.
I don't want to give away toomuch, but this maker is
crash-coursing her way throughrebuilding a 1969 Camaro from
the tires up.
So if that doesn't make you wantto stick around and hear more,
then you might be at the wrongpodcast.
(00:51):
But first, let's go ahead andhave our tech talk of the day.
So we're going to be talking allabout the Hemings Great Race
today, which has been madepossible by the support of so
many sponsors.
Sponsors like Summit Racing, whohas provided many of the parts
for our vintage Ford Fairland,including an exhaust system and
muffler.
(01:11):
So let's back it up.
Where did exhaust systems gettheir start?
The earliest internal combustionengines in the 1800s had basic
straight pipe exhausts, justenough to route gases away from
the engine with little thoughtto noise or emissions.
(01:33):
By the 1920s, automakers begandesigning mufflers to reduce
noise, using a series ofinternal chambers and baffles to
reflect sound waves and canceleach other out.
Now, the rise of performancevehicles in the 1950s and 60s
saw a surge in aftermarketexhaust systems.
(01:53):
Pop riders started using glasspacks and straight pipes to
boost flow and sound, givingrise to the muscle car roar.
A well-designed exhaust canboost horsepower by reducing
back pressure and increasingscavenging.
Summit's product lines make iteasy to match components by your
cam, compression, and enginesetup, whether you're racing,
(02:16):
cruising, or just daily driving.
Now, in the 1970s, emissionregulations added catalytic
converters to exhaust systems,shaping modern performance
engineering around both flow andenvironmental impact.
Today, performance exhaustsystems like the ones offered by
Summit Racing are finely tunedfor power gains, sound
(02:37):
preference, and materialdurability, offering stainless
steel kits, mandrel bent piping,and chambered or straight
through mufflers for every styleor build.
So if you're on the market for apower boost, a new grout, or
just cleaner emissions from avintage ride, head over to your
summit racing.com and check outtheir full exhaust systems
(02:57):
catalog.
Tell them tinkering bells sentto you.
Well, that's it for your techtalk for today.
As always, you can join in onthe conversation with my maker
friends and me on the tinkeringbells, Instagram and Twitter
pages.
Just search for bells tinkering,hit follow and share your DIY
adventures together with us.
Have a tool you want to learnabout?
Let me know and it may befeatured in a future episode.
(03:19):
Tell us what you liked, what youhated, or possibly even what we
missed.
So now we're going to be gettinginto the main event and I am so
excited to introduce you to ournext maker.
So drum roll please.
Presenting Christina.
Christina, thanks for joiningme.
How are you?
SPEAKER_00 (03:39):
I am doing great.
I'm really excited to be here.
SPEAKER_01 (03:43):
I'm so stoked to have you.
And we're going to get all intowhy we are spending time
together right now.
But first, I want to start offthe episode by telling people,
where can they find you followyou?
And what should theypredominantly expect to see when
they go there?
SPEAKER_00 (04:02):
My main platforms is Instagram and YouTube.
My Instagram is Christina Lardyand my YouTube is Christina's
Garage Gearhead in Training.
My YouTube is hyper-focused oneverything from my perspective
as a newbie automotive wise.
So shorts, mostly long formcontent there.
(04:23):
And my other social media, I dohave TikTok and all that as
well, but my main is Instagram.
You're gonna see all overpersonal development.
So the automotive does come intothat, but I also am working on
being the best version ofmyself.
So that's mental, physical,emotional, all of those
different things.
And I'm a total goober.
So you might see me dressing upup in a blow-up dinosaur costume
(04:47):
and dancing around and doing allsorts of fun collaborative
content with other people.
You will see a lot more of thaton all of my other social media
platforms.
SPEAKER_01 (04:58):
Amazing.
Yeah, I tell people all thetime, like, come for the myths,
but stay for the quirky,because, like, there is no
telling what you're going toget.
Like, I tell people, I'm like, Idon't know why you're here.
I don't know what brought youhere, but I'm happy you're here.
So you're...
You actually have probably oneof the most beautiful gearhead
(05:18):
origin stories.
So we actually met very brieflyat SEMA like two years ago, I
think.
And it's funny because I startedfollowing you.
And so I was seeing the fitnessjourney side of you and didn't
actually get to really know thegearhead side of you until now.
So I would love if you wouldjust let the audience know
about, you know, what led you tothe path you're on today.
SPEAKER_00 (05:43):
Well, it's pretty crazy.
I wouldn't have imagined myselfin my current shoes five years
ago, even.
I'm a medically retired firstresponder.
And I had interest in carsbecause my dad was very much
(06:03):
into classic cars.
And I had never actually had theopportunity to get hands-on.
I didn't live full-time with mydad, so I didn't have the
opportunities that my brothersoften did.
And I'm the oldest, so I wasworking all the time.
We actually worked for the samefire department.
So we would run into each otheron calls and stuff like that.
(06:26):
And him and I were really...
I've always been a daddy's girl.
Coming into adulthood, I feltlike we started to get closer,
and we had plans to work on a 69Camaro together.
He had purchased a 69 Camaro.
To my understanding, it wasrunning at the time when he
(06:46):
bought it, and it had all theparts.
I don't know what all theparts...
was running he stripped theentire thing and i didn't see it
until a year later when hesurprised me on my 30th birthday
it was the unibody on jackstands it didn't even have a
subframe at the time and it hadum the jams were done uh with
(07:09):
the color that i had in mindwithout us actually seeing the
physical color that i wanted usgoing to car shows together he
was very sneaky at asking melike oh do you like that oh do
you like that do you i didn'tknow he bought the Camaro.
I might have slipped out alittle bit with one of our
coworkers that mentionedsomething.
So I thought it was potentialthat he might have bought the
(07:30):
Camaro.
But I didn't know for sure untilthat moment.
And the first thing I saw wasthe color.
I was like, that's the exactcolor that I had imagined and
described to you.
It wasn't completely painted.
It was just some of the jamsthey had stripped all the other
paint away.
So it legitimately was a blankslate.
I think...
(07:51):
It might've been like a yearafter that.
I don't remember exact time.
I'm off the top of my head, butmy dad passed and I wasn't able
to actually work on the project,get hands-on with him.
And I didn't, didn't know whereto start.
I had no automotive experience.
I did not know how to change abattery.
(08:11):
I didn't know how to charge abattery.
I didn't know how to change atire.
I did not know how to do any ofthat.
And I didn't have any contactseither because my dad wasn't
Like he was in the carcommunity, but he wasn't like
how you are.
And a lot of the people that I'minteracting with now, they're
very like community-based.
My dad was just kind of doinghis own greasy Gary thing.
(08:35):
That was his nickname when hewas younger.
And he would just, you know,tinker and do his own thing.
And so I didn't have anycontacts.
After he passed, I was like,okay, well, I have all of these
parts.
I decided to take all of thembecause I'm one of his five
kids.
And I'm the oldest.
So he had I don't remember theyears of all of them, but my
(08:58):
stepmother had a Corvette and aT-Bird.
The Corvette is still in anothershop.
The T-Bird is at the house.
The youngest of the threebrothers had a Bel Air.
He has since sold that becauseit kind of freaked him out a
little bit because he was inhigh school at the time.
He didn't know what to do withit.
The middle brother has a 68Mustang Fastback, which I have.
(09:23):
And then the oldest of the threebrothers has a 69 El Camino.
And then my sister, who's thesecond oldest, has not gotten a
car at this point.
She lives in Paris, France.
That would have kind ofdifficult to do.
So I was like, okay, well, I'mgoing to try to figure out how
to work on the car.
I started going to, I'm inSacramento area.
(09:44):
So I went up to Hot AugustNights in Reno, had all these
parts going, what do I do?
I have no idea what this is.
And I was going to the boothswhere it matched the label on
the products and asking like,what is it?
I didn't even know like thetransmissions, for example, I
have a Doug Nash four plus oneand a Richmond five, yeah, five
(10:08):
speed.
I had no idea what those were.
I didn't know that they wereessentially the same
transmission.
I didn't know any of this stuffuntil after connecting with
people.
So I had started there and thenI was sending the car to get
work done.
So the body is somewhat puttogether like the body parts are
on it now it's a roller um but iwasn't able to get hands on with
(10:29):
it because i was sending it to ashop and they put it together
they sprayed epoxy primer soit's in a good place right now i
just i felt really bummed outafter getting it back and i'm
like well it's together but ihave no idea i need to take the
fender back off because theydidn't really powder coated when
i purchased it um so it'salready resting a little bit i'm
like ah i don't even know how totake the fender off um and then
(10:52):
the rear end the the same thing.
I sent it and it is...
I'm not going to open it backup.
And they didn't send mepictures.
So I have no idea like how theydid it or anything like that.
So I actually left the projectoff to the side for a while,
felt really deterred.
And about two years ago, one ofmy mentors inspired me to start
(11:13):
a YouTube from my newbieperspective.
So I'm like, I don't know whatI'm doing.
I'm figuring it out.
And I really want to finish theproject, not only for myself, I
want to be able to do this for Iwant to carry that torch that my
dad, like he kind of just leftit there, not on purpose, right?
And none of my siblings are inthe same position that I'm at
(11:36):
right now.
And I really want to do that forthem and also for other newbies
to inspire other people likemyself, not just women.
I want to inspire men and womenbecause I know there's a lot of
men that are too afraid to saythat they don't know how to
change a battery because, youknow, social norms and all that.
So I really am still I'm superexcited to be here talking with
(11:59):
you.
And I'm like, oh my gosh, Ididn't realize that I was going
to be on a call with Summit theother day.
I'm like, this is so cool.
I don't know what to do.
And being able to go to, we'regoing to talk about it in a bit,
being able to go to the GreatRace.
I'm like, ah, cool.
So I feel like my story is theexample of everybody starts
(12:21):
somewhere.
Exactly.
SPEAKER_01 (12:23):
I love that, I love that, and what a great segue.
I love it when the conversationjust organically goes to my next
question, which is, before yougot that huge Instagram invite
that we all got to join thisrally that has been just this
amazing, act of love that Rileyfrom Riley Rebuilds has been
(12:44):
doing and assembling all of ustogether, which I swear is like
herding kittens.
Had you ever even heard of TheGreat Race?
Did you know what it was?
And if not, you're shaking yourhead no.
So, okay.
So what did you think at first,like one to like end up in this
like chat room of justincredible trailblazers?
(13:05):
Like I'm even in awe of thewomen that are in this chat that
Riley's put together to like,Recruit us all in, but also just
like the thought of going fromwhere you're at right now to
like being in this vintage racethat's been around for
generations.
SPEAKER_00 (13:22):
Uh, imposter syndrome for sure.
I'm like, cool.
Like I've learned over the lastfew years that if you are in the
room where you're extremelyuncomfortable and you don't feel
like you're meant to be there,that means that is the exact
room you need to be in.
If you're comfortable, you'relike, cool.
I know all the things.
It's like, you probably need tomove on to another room where
you are uncomfortable.
(13:43):
So, uh, I am just like, okay,let's throw it all at the wall.
And when she's like, who can go?
I'm like, I will commit to theentire time because I don't know
like the power of showing up,especially when you're a noob,
especially when you don't havethe same experience that
everybody else has.
What, what can I bring to thetable?
(14:04):
Okay.
Well, my vulnerability, honesty,and the fact that I will show up
and do what I can from myperspective, not trying to be
like you or Riley or Caroline,like not trying to be one of the
other girls.
I'm just working on beingcomfortable as myself and,
really sharing from the, I hadno idea what this race, I didn't
(14:26):
even know what a rally was.
SPEAKER_01 (14:28):
Yeah.
I knew, I knew what a rally wasand I knew of the race because
Jesse had been, you know, the,um, the lead person on it.
What are they called?
The grand Marshall.
Sorry.
It's like, I'm thinking, wait,is that surges or is that this?
No, that is grand Marshall, nomatter what kind of rally it is.
Um, and so like, I kneweverything.
(14:49):
somewhat of it from the list buti didn't really know it know it
like i had to go back and likebe like okay wait i think i've
heard of the great race but likeeven like even when jesse and
when we say jesse says the umit's jesse combs for those of
you that don't know uh the jessecombs foundation is our
charities um partner for thisrace and so a lot of us have our
(15:12):
jesse connects and jesse'sstories but like that was the
only reason i had kind of heardof it And then like, I got
reminded by our, you know, ourexecutive director that, hey,
there's an actual, there's alist episode on it.
Like, let's watch it.
Let's, let's rewatch it.
And so I like started watchingit and I'm like seeing all the
math and stuff that's going onbecause it's, it's not a speed
(15:33):
race, right?
It's actually a, what do theysay?
It's like, you gotta beprecision.
It's a precision driving race.
And so like the engineer in menerded out and was like, oh, I
can do math.
This will be good.
I can, I can do that part of it.
Let's let me be in the backseatmath in it for everyone.
And we'll be good.
So one of the things I reallylove is how you tend to do in
(15:56):
person live interviews at thegreat race.
So we're all going to havechances to like collaborate.
And you know, my thing is liketalking about the tech and
stuff.
Is there anything in particularthat you and I could do?
Like, what could we do whilewe're on the great race
together?
SPEAKER_00 (16:10):
I know there's going to be a lot of things to learn.
I would love to do somethingwhere you are teaching me and
it's not just you verballyteaching me, helping me be hands
on.
So like something maybe on thecar or whatever that we can
record the process of youteaching me and me figuring out
how to do it.
(16:31):
While we're there, becausethat's that's how I learned
doing YouTube, like watchingYouTube is OK.
I learned best when I'mphysically touching things.
So that would be really cool.
And especially since you're anerd, like I got my degree in
human physiology.
So I ask why all the time myhusband actually hates it.
He says I interrogate him.
But that would be something Iwould really love to do.
SPEAKER_01 (16:54):
We can absolutely do that.
And I might give it some thoughtto it.
Cause I'm actually, I've beenwondering because we're going
through so many differentlandscapes as we cross the
country.
If anyone's had the foresight tothink about doing a coating on
the windshields for rain.
So I might be able to like hitRiley up and see if she's
(17:15):
thought about it and theyhaven't like, they'll probably
need to reapply by the time Icome.
Cause I'm coming about halfwaythrough the race.
So we could totally like applythat and talk about it because
like, that hydrophobictechnology is like some of the
coolest stuff.
Like, I love it.
It's so nerdy, but I love it.
SPEAKER_00 (17:33):
Oh, I'm down a hundred percent.
SPEAKER_01 (17:36):
Okay, cool.
We are definitely on for that.
So the great race for you wassomething you hadn't heard of.
So then what about your Rileystory?
Like, how did you meet Riley tobegin with?
How did, how did she know you tohave you in the room?
SPEAKER_00 (17:51):
Same thing as how I met you.
I showed up to SEMA, not thisSEMA, but the previous one.
I was invited back to when I wastelling you about the
transmissions.
When I got connected withRichmond, I had talked to them
over the last few years, andthen I didn't realize that it
(18:12):
was the lead engineer that Imade friends with, and he was
talking to me about SEMA.
Are you going to SEMA?
I'm like, I don't even know howI can get into SEMA.
I didn't know.
It was a And everybody's like,what?
You can go to SEMA?
I'm like, I don't know.
And they're like, do you want togo?
I'm like, yeah, sure, I'll go.
So I showed up only knowing veryminimal.
(18:34):
And it's been, what, like almosttwo years now.
So I was...
introduced to the she shed andall of your group from Miguel at
the Wilwood booth.
I was chatting with him and he'slike, Oh, have you gone over to
the she shed?
I'm like, what in the world'sthe she shed?
They're like, Oh yeah, real dealrevolution.
(18:54):
And you know, all these othernames.
I'm like, I have no idea.
Okay.
I'll go over there.
Um, and yeah, I don't rememberif I met Riley when I did the
carburetor rebuild.
It was somewhere in that realm.
Like, I definitely headed offwith Teresa.
And I was just like, I don'tknow anybody.
(19:15):
And I'm healing my relationshipwith just being able...
Like, mommy issues.
You know, being able to havehealthy relationships with other
women just in general.
So I'm like...
Just, I'm more comfortabletalking with men.
So like showing up and all ofthese women that are like super
gear heads, I'm like, I don'tknow anything.
(19:37):
Hi, how are you?
And everybody was super great.
And the carburetor rebuild was areally cool experience to do
with Riley.
And I actually, I recorded itfor my YouTube and it was really
cool to see Dane there andgetting emotional, like, oh,
this is really cool to seeyou're doing it with your dad.
And, you know, I I really wouldlove to be here with my dad and
(20:00):
doing it in his memory as well.
So I feel like we headed offthere and just continually
showing up to these otherevents.
I went to PRI that year and I'vebeen to SEMA this last year on
PRI this last year as well andgoing to other events.
And Riley invited me to theBenedict Castle Concourse, not
(20:21):
this year, last year I went.
And so it's just slowly beenbuilding that relationship and
just continuously showing up.
And then Riley invited me intothis group.
And why say no, you know?
I'm just blown away andgrateful.
SPEAKER_01 (20:40):
It's been really incredible to see Riley just,
like...
this inspirational leadershipthat she's giving all of these
amazing trailblazers, becauseevery single woman in that chat,
yourself included, is atrailblazer in our own rights.
And so to have, again, Rileyherding cats and getting us all
(21:01):
in one place and being like,okay, how do we get you all in
the vehicle?
How do we get the vehicle made?
And so we've been really, reallylucky that we've had some
incredible sponsors that aredefinitely built off of the
relationships that Riley andDane the Dadinger have created.
And one of them that I startedthis episode with was actually
Summit.
And I specifically chose Summitfor this episode because you
(21:22):
have a special place in yourheart for them.
And I'd love for you to sharethat experience.
SPEAKER_00 (21:26):
I was going to Hogg's Nights.
My dad would go pretty muchevery year for the last several
years of his life.
And I would do my best to gowhen I could.
And the last time I remembergoing with him, he was at the
Summit booth for like two plushours.
(21:48):
And I wasn't the type to tap myfoot.
I was like, oh, this is kind ofinteresting.
I just didn't have like, Iwasn't a part of the
conversation.
I didn't really know what washappening.
He was having me pick out forquote unquote, my brother's car.
Turns out it was for mine.
So I actually have that on mycar.
He had me pick it out at theSummit booth.
And it was just, it was prettycrazy to like now fast forward
(22:13):
that like I've gotten partsthrough Summit and let me tell
you, their shipping is so fast.
Like they're, I'm in Sacramento,they're in, they have a place in
Reno and sometimes within 24hours, it's pretty crazy.
That's pretty awesome.
Yeah, I'm like, oh wow, youcan't really get better than
that.
that.
And the fact that I was able togo up there and talk with them
(22:36):
because I had some of theWilwood stuff, like there was a
bunch of parts that I'd gottenthat my dad had purchased
already for my car.
And I was trying to figure outwhat I was missing because the
boxes had been open.
Some stuff was kind of like, Ididn't know what I needed.
So I was there at talking withthem and I was there for two
plus hours.
And it just made me think oflike, wow, like I can understand
(22:59):
why my dad was standing therefor so long.
And even after he passed, summitand get a history list of all
the parts that he purchased notjust for my car but for my
brother's car my stepmother'scar and trying to learn like
okay well how do i even readthis thing um and figure out
that he bought a lot of stuffthrough summit um from these
(23:21):
other companies um so that's howi was exposed to uh what they
have to offer and it's reallycool to you know, being able to
be on a call with them the otherday.
I'm like, this is so surrealthat I, even when I'm going to
events, like I talk to people atthe Summit booth, but I don't
(23:42):
get the opportunity to talk tothe people at Summit.
And I was a little starstruckand a little in awe that, and
grateful that Riley has reallyinvited me to have a seat at the
table and be able to have theseconversations and build these
relationships because that'sreally what I'm doing this for a
(24:02):
lot of people are like oh youstarted a YouTube how cool
whatever and I'm like you knowthe main reason I'm doing this
is so I can learn and buildingrelationships is a huge part of
that I'm not here to you know weall need to make money in order
to be sustainable but it's likethat's not what I go into it for
I'm not like hey give me asponsorship hey do this it's
(24:24):
like no hey can we like can Ilearn from you like I would love
to do content with you so I canlearn and get better and it's
been actually a really great wayto open the door to have further
conversations so like the factthat like oh this is the I was
like oh I'm going to pull up mysummit jacket for this one even
though it's a little bit hottoday I was like okay I'm going
(24:46):
to do it just Cause this is theonly summit.
Well for now.
Right.
This is the only summit.
Well, I actually have the thing.
What did they call it?
The apron that goes inside ofthe car.
I have some of those as well.
So yeah, it's yeah.
Again, I I'm just like, Oh,that's cool.
SPEAKER_01 (25:08):
It's been, it's been a really neat thing.
And you know, what I like aboutthe content that you're making
is that it's you're lifting thatveil with regards to like, how
do you get in these rooms?
How do you actually build theserelationships?
How do you meet these people?
Because for so many people,that's been the really amazing
(25:29):
part of the internet, right?
Social media and YouTube, as itbecame a place for makers to go
to, it became a place where theycould learn these skills.
Like I remember, the first yearI was away, you know, like truly
away from home and like havingto do an oil change without like
my dad around to ask questionsto like, I literally was calling
(25:53):
him and now it's like fastforward five years, the internet
is big enough YouTube hassomething for everything.
And I literally am able tochange with spark plugs on my
2003 Honda element becausethere's videos on every vehicle
you could think of, right?
And it's something that, youknow, as people are gaining
skills, they have that access,but a lot of people don't
(26:15):
actually pull the full veil upwhen it comes to the
relationship building side ofit.
Like, how did you know to like,reach out to someone at summit
to find an inventory list.
Like, how did you know who totalk to?
You know, those kinds of things.
And I think that's one of thecoolest things that, um, Riley
(26:36):
is sharing with all of us rightnow is is that side of it like
what does it look like to likebe on a zoom with the owners of
some of the top companies inmotorsport that are just wanting
to be excited and like see allof us succeed because you know,
there's There's not a lot ofgirls that do the great race,
(26:59):
right?
And there's definitely not a lotof all women teams and there
surely is not all women teamslike ours because the ladies
that we're showing up with,whether they're in the beginning
of their automotive journey ortheir peak being out there at
international motor sportsmechanics kind of things, they
(27:19):
all know how to get hands on thevehicle.
And if they don't know exactlywhat they're doing, to your
point, they're excited to learn.
They wanna learn from everyone.
And that's not something you seeagain, in a lot of these
rallies, a lot, a lot of, youknow, a lot of people stay away
because they don't know ifthey'll find community there or
someone that looks like them.
(27:40):
And I think, you know, we're allshowing up pretty, pretty,
pretty bright and colorful withour polka dots and everything
else to be like, Hey, we're hereand we're taking up space.
And, you know, I just, I reallyam honored to, to have been one
of the people that Riley, youknow, put in that chat room and
it's going to be on this race.
(28:01):
Cause I think Being a part ofthis specific group of
trailblazers has been reallyincredible and enriching over
the last few months.
Even though it's chaos in thatchat, I try to stay up.
SPEAKER_00 (28:13):
Luckily, that's what I do for a living now.
So I'm like, okay, cool.
I can go and check it.
To your point of raising thatveil, the biggest advice I can
give for anybody is actuallyshow up.
You need to do your thing,right?
You need to show up and do thework.
You also need to go to theseevents because you don't realize
(28:35):
how many people...
I'm a noob, right?
And I'm on a call with Summit.
I'm going to the great race.
I went to SEMA like the firstyear.
I didn't even know what it wasuntil like a couple months
before I actually went.
How did this happen?
Because I actually went placesand showed up.
(28:56):
I went to Hot August Nights,talked to the people, went to
Good Guys, talked to the people,went to SEMA, talked to the
people, went to PRI, talked tothe people, went to Benedict
Castle Conquers, talked to thepeople, go.
Go around and physically bethere because the social media
is great.
You need to like from what I'mdoing, being an influencer or
whatnot, like I need to put mystuff out online.
(29:18):
The difference that makes usstand out is when you actually
show up and shake their hand andbe like, hi, this is who I am.
People are able to read a lotmore based on your body
language, how you interact withother humans, like not just what
you put on the Internet.
So it definitely filters out thebecause, you know, these kinds
of things.
companies are getting messagesupon messages and tags from like
(29:43):
everybody.
What makes you stand out is thatyou show up and be who you are
and be honest, not trying to besomebody else.
SPEAKER_01 (29:51):
I love that.
That's great advice because youknow, the uniqueness that each
of us brings, whether it's ourorigin story or how, like how
we, connect with the thing andvibe with the thing.
So for me, it's the nerdy.
I want to, I want to like talkabout the tech.
I want to talk about theengineer.
I want to talk about thescience.
Can I find it?
Like each of us bring somethingdifferent.
(30:14):
And that's been one of thereally cool parts about looking
at the 12 that we have that areconsistently going to be at this
race is that each of them has adifferent way that they share
content.
So when we're talking aboutlike, oh, we're gonna have one
full day that's all aboutsummit.
Each of us is gonna be doingsomething so different that
they're gonna get 12 differentpoints of material and kind of
(30:39):
really cool PR, right, for theday.
Okay, this has been like reallyamazing.
I have one question that Ireally love to ask every single
guest of the show.
And that is, if you could haveany superpower, what would it be
and why?
You
SPEAKER_00 (30:58):
know, it's interesting because I've thought
about that.
And along my personaldevelopment journey, I don't
even wish that I had asuperpower because like I might.
who I am is a superpower.
Like my life experience, like itsucks that my dad died.
It sucks that I started with noexperience.
It sucks that I have back painall the time because I'm
(31:21):
medically retired and I lost mydream job.
The thing is that that's helped,Put me in this position and help
me become who I am.
I struggle with anxiety,depression, suicidal ideations
practically all the time,especially yesterday being
Father's Day.
That was definitely a hit hard.
And it's like, you know,understanding that my
(31:42):
superpowers is being me.
I don't need to be somebody elseor need any additional power.
So, like, I've thought aboutthis, actually, and it's crazy
that through this whole processthat Accept myself more.
So I'm still working on it andthis whole self-love thing but
(32:03):
at the same time it's like ohthat is my superpower my like
walking in these rooms I'm anoob.
I'm a gearhead in training and Iam owning it and I feel really
good about it So I guess justbeing me is my superpower.
I don't need anythingadditional.
UNKNOWN (32:20):
I
SPEAKER_01 (32:20):
i love that and it's so true you know like what you
bring is so unique and so greatand it gives it a lens that
someone else can't bring right
SPEAKER_00 (32:30):
like i get comments on some of my youtube videos
where like today i got onebecause i was changing the
headlight housing on myhusband's 2005 ford escape and
he had to take the bumperhalfway off and all these other
things and someone someonecommented i'm actually having a
just turning and turning.
I'm like, Hey, you know, likenobody tells you, you have to
have like insane finger strengthto do those.
(32:52):
Um, or the fact that the boltson my 2006 Chevy Silverado for
the, um, the engine mounts ontop of the, like the bracket and
the mount, the, the bolts brokeoff.
So we had to get the whole thingreplaced and people like, Oh my
gosh, like, you know, what werethe parts that you used?
I'm like, just go to your Chevydealership.
They'll be able to help you withthat.
(33:13):
So it's, it's neat.
to the fact that I'm sharing thedifficulty.
A lot of people are going, oh mygosh, like I've actually dealt
with that.
Or they're watching my hour longvideo and changing the
alternator.
And my husband's 2005 FordEscape, which is a really long
video for how to video.
Yeah.
every 48 hours, there arecontinuous views and stuff on
(33:35):
it.
Since I posted it over a yearago, it's my most consistent
video, and I'm sharing all ofit.
I'm like, how do you move thething?
And then my husband's friendcomes in, and he's like, oh, no
problem, and just moves it.
He's the one that's been helpingme hands-on here.
But that's my brand book.
(33:56):
Hey, I am showing that it'sfreaking hard.
You can talk crap all you want.
That's great.
But you know what?
I can't get my dang finger onthe thing.
We used
SPEAKER_01 (34:08):
to always joke, one of my like really closest
friends who he passed during theCOVID times.
Aaron Mattia, he was OGMythbusters, had served in the
same town that my parentsliterally were both serving as
Marines and met on the base.
And he and I just like, we'relike two peas in a pod.
And we used to always joke thatyou need one maker with tiny
(34:30):
hands.
That was me.
And you need one banker that'sjust a big dude.
And that was him.
And so it's like, we neededbrute strength.
Aaron would come over when weneeded tiny hands.
I would come over and like, itwas just like the perfect duo.
So, you know, everyone has theirlittle strengths that they
bring.
And, you know, I could be a bigdude, but then I wouldn't have
(34:51):
the tiny hands, right?
SPEAKER_00 (34:52):
The dexterity with also the know-how and plus for
me with my back, I physicallycan't move or shouldn't move
certain things.
And then certain angles aredifficult, like bending over the
engine bays.
I have to like, I have to leanon something.
And so that's going to beinteresting also with
collaborating with companies andstuff to say, hey, like, do you
(35:14):
have something that would helpsomeone like myself?
Like I saw someone had this coollike contraption that you could
actually like it goes over theengine bay and you lay on it.
And like it like it like scoopsover where you can literally put
your whole weight on the thingand be in the Indian Bay doing
things.
I'm like, that would be reallycool to see how I could get that
(35:35):
in a residential garage.
Because I want to be able to doas much as I can.
It just it's it's difficult, youknow, figuring out ways that I'm
and other times I just need toask for help.
So,
SPEAKER_01 (35:50):
yeah, it is.
It is an interesting thing whenyou start looking at just like
the different physiologies ofpeople, right?
Like, so with MythbustersJunior, it was a benefit that
they had me because I'mkid-sized, right?
So I know how to use industrialtools with this stature.
And so when you bring six kidson that have always either had a
(36:12):
grownup helping or just haven'ttouched a tool like that before,
being able to have someone thatcan not only show them how to
use the tool, but how to do itsafely for their body type.
Right.
So like how at five foot flat,do you pick up an eight foot
ladder safely?
Like how do you do these things?
Like how do you get the extratorque that you need?
(36:35):
How do you be, how do you getthe compression that you need?
Those kinds of things.
And it is something that like, Ireally enjoy learning.
watching other makers my size.
And honestly, this aha momentdidn't even come for me in the
making field.
It was going rock climbing withsomeone my size for the first
time and seeing them do a climband being like, I actually can
(36:58):
learn from this versus everyother person I'd ever climbed
with before that was 5'10 andtaller.
And so getting to climb withanother petite young woman my
size, I was like, we have to dothis more because I can learn.
And so then I was like, why amI...
watching makers my size online.
Like, why?
There are lots of little makersonline.
(37:19):
I should start watching them andstart getting some of their
tricks, you know?
SPEAKER_00 (37:23):
Well, it's hard to know, like, because Caroline,
I'm like, holy moly, you're agiant.
I didn't realize she is as tallas she is.
And some people that, like, notwith our group, but Dana Lynn
Bailey, she was my inspirationas to why I even started doing
my personal development journeyto begin with.
When I met her in person, I'mlike, holy moly, she is tiny.
SPEAKER_01 (37:45):
So I absolutely love it.
This has been so incredible.
I cannot wait to meet you inperson in a couple weeks.
And for those of you that wantto know, the Hemings Great Race
kicks off June 21st in St.
Paul, Minnesota.
And it's going to run all theway until we hit the finish
line, hopefully, on June 29th inMoorpark, Irmo, South Carolina.
(38:05):
So Follow us on Instagram.
Stay up to date with all thingsThe Creator Race as we tackle
this iconic vintage rally roadone race mile at a time.
Thank you all for joiningTinkering Bells.
This episode is assembled andready for delivery.
Thank you so much, Christina,for being with me today.
I super appreciate
SPEAKER_00 (38:26):
it.
Thank you so much.
I'm so excited.
SPEAKER_01 (38:30):
I want to thank you for choosing Tinkering Bells as
your user's manual for allthings maker on a bi-weekly
basis.
If you want to continue to hearmore, don't forget to rate and
review the show on yourpodcasting app of choice, as
well as sharing it with yourfriends.
I look forward to seeing younext week.
Until then, don't forget to keepmaking.
Greetings, shopmates, and welcome to
Tinkering Bows, 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 Tim Robertson, your host, sostrap on your tool belts because
we're about to get into someskill sharing, y'all.
(00:26):
Today, I'm going to be joined bya maker who is a self-proclaimed
gearhead in training.
I don't want to give away toomuch, but this maker is
crash-coursing her way throughrebuilding a 1969 Camaro from
the tires up.
So if that doesn't make you wantto stick around and hear more,
then you might be at the wrongpodcast.
(00:51):
But first, let's go ahead andhave our tech talk of the day.
So we're going to be talking allabout the Hemings Great Race
today, which has been madepossible by the support of so
many sponsors.
Sponsors like Summit Racing, whohas provided many of the parts
for our vintage Ford Fairland,including an exhaust system and
muffler.
(01:11):
So let's back it up.
Where did exhaust systems gettheir start?
The earliest internal combustionengines in the 1800s had basic
straight pipe exhausts, justenough to route gases away from
the engine with little thoughtto noise or emissions.
(01:33):
By the 1920s, automakers begandesigning mufflers to reduce
noise, using a series ofinternal chambers and baffles to
reflect sound waves and canceleach other out.
Now, the rise of performancevehicles in the 1950s and 60s
saw a surge in aftermarketexhaust systems.
(01:53):
Pop riders started using glasspacks and straight pipes to
boost flow and sound, givingrise to the muscle car roar.
A well-designed exhaust canboost horsepower by reducing
back pressure and increasingscavenging.
Summit's product lines make iteasy to match components by your
cam, compression, and enginesetup, whether you're racing,
(02:16):
cruising, or just daily driving.
Now, in the 1970s, emissionregulations added catalytic
converters to exhaust systems,shaping modern performance
engineering around both flow andenvironmental impact.
Today, performance exhaustsystems like the ones offered by
Summit Racing are finely tunedfor power gains, sound
(02:37):
preference, and materialdurability, offering stainless
steel kits, mandrel bent piping,and chambered or straight
through mufflers for every styleor build.
So if you're on the market for apower boost, a new grout, or
just cleaner emissions from avintage ride, head over to your
summit racing.com and check outtheir full exhaust systems
(02:57):
catalog.
Tell them tinkering bells sentto you.
Well, that's it for your techtalk for today.
As always, you can join in onthe conversation with my maker
friends and me on the tinkeringbells, Instagram and Twitter
pages.
Just search for bells tinkering,hit follow and share your DIY
adventures together with us.
Have a tool you want to learnabout?
Let me know and it may befeatured in a future episode.
(03:19):
Tell us what you liked, what youhated, or possibly even what we
missed.
So now we're going to be gettinginto the main event and I am so
excited to introduce you to ournext maker.
So drum roll please.
Presenting Christina.
Christina, thanks for joiningme.
How are you?
SPEAKER_00 (03:39):
I am doing great.
I'm really excited to be here.
SPEAKER_01 (03:43):
I'm so stoked to have you.
And we're going to get all intowhy we are spending time
together right now.
But first, I want to start offthe episode by telling people,
where can they find you followyou?
And what should theypredominantly expect to see when
they go there?
SPEAKER_00 (04:02):
My main platforms is Instagram and YouTube.
My Instagram is Christina Lardyand my YouTube is Christina's
Garage Gearhead in Training.
My YouTube is hyper-focused oneverything from my perspective
as a newbie automotive wise.
So shorts, mostly long formcontent there.
(04:23):
And my other social media, I dohave TikTok and all that as
well, but my main is Instagram.
You're gonna see all overpersonal development.
So the automotive does come intothat, but I also am working on
being the best version ofmyself.
So that's mental, physical,emotional, all of those
different things.
And I'm a total goober.
So you might see me dressing upup in a blow-up dinosaur costume
(04:47):
and dancing around and doing allsorts of fun collaborative
content with other people.
You will see a lot more of thaton all of my other social media
platforms.
SPEAKER_01 (04:58):
Amazing.
Yeah, I tell people all thetime, like, come for the myths,
but stay for the quirky,because, like, there is no
telling what you're going toget.
Like, I tell people, I'm like, Idon't know why you're here.
I don't know what brought youhere, but I'm happy you're here.
So you're...
You actually have probably oneof the most beautiful gearhead
(05:18):
origin stories.
So we actually met very brieflyat SEMA like two years ago, I
think.
And it's funny because I startedfollowing you.
And so I was seeing the fitnessjourney side of you and didn't
actually get to really know thegearhead side of you until now.
So I would love if you wouldjust let the audience know
about, you know, what led you tothe path you're on today.
SPEAKER_00 (05:43):
Well, it's pretty crazy.
I wouldn't have imagined myselfin my current shoes five years
ago, even.
I'm a medically retired firstresponder.
And I had interest in carsbecause my dad was very much
(06:03):
into classic cars.
And I had never actually had theopportunity to get hands-on.
I didn't live full-time with mydad, so I didn't have the
opportunities that my brothersoften did.
And I'm the oldest, so I wasworking all the time.
We actually worked for the samefire department.
So we would run into each otheron calls and stuff like that.
(06:26):
And him and I were really...
I've always been a daddy's girl.
Coming into adulthood, I feltlike we started to get closer,
and we had plans to work on a 69Camaro together.
He had purchased a 69 Camaro.
To my understanding, it wasrunning at the time when he
(06:46):
bought it, and it had all theparts.
I don't know what all theparts...
was running he stripped theentire thing and i didn't see it
until a year later when hesurprised me on my 30th birthday
it was the unibody on jackstands it didn't even have a
subframe at the time and it hadum the jams were done uh with
(07:09):
the color that i had in mindwithout us actually seeing the
physical color that i wanted usgoing to car shows together he
was very sneaky at asking melike oh do you like that oh do
you like that do you i didn'tknow he bought the Camaro.
I might have slipped out alittle bit with one of our
coworkers that mentionedsomething.
So I thought it was potentialthat he might have bought the
(07:30):
Camaro.
But I didn't know for sure untilthat moment.
And the first thing I saw wasthe color.
I was like, that's the exactcolor that I had imagined and
described to you.
It wasn't completely painted.
It was just some of the jamsthey had stripped all the other
paint away.
So it legitimately was a blankslate.
I think...
(07:51):
It might've been like a yearafter that.
I don't remember exact time.
I'm off the top of my head, butmy dad passed and I wasn't able
to actually work on the project,get hands-on with him.
And I didn't, didn't know whereto start.
I had no automotive experience.
I did not know how to change abattery.
(08:11):
I didn't know how to charge abattery.
I didn't know how to change atire.
I did not know how to do any ofthat.
And I didn't have any contactseither because my dad wasn't
Like he was in the carcommunity, but he wasn't like
how you are.
And a lot of the people that I'minteracting with now, they're
very like community-based.
My dad was just kind of doinghis own greasy Gary thing.
(08:35):
That was his nickname when hewas younger.
And he would just, you know,tinker and do his own thing.
And so I didn't have anycontacts.
After he passed, I was like,okay, well, I have all of these
parts.
I decided to take all of thembecause I'm one of his five
kids.
And I'm the oldest.
So he had I don't remember theyears of all of them, but my
(08:58):
stepmother had a Corvette and aT-Bird.
The Corvette is still in anothershop.
The T-Bird is at the house.
The youngest of the threebrothers had a Bel Air.
He has since sold that becauseit kind of freaked him out a
little bit because he was inhigh school at the time.
He didn't know what to do withit.
The middle brother has a 68Mustang Fastback, which I have.
(09:23):
And then the oldest of the threebrothers has a 69 El Camino.
And then my sister, who's thesecond oldest, has not gotten a
car at this point.
She lives in Paris, France.
That would have kind ofdifficult to do.
So I was like, okay, well, I'mgoing to try to figure out how
to work on the car.
I started going to, I'm inSacramento area.
(09:44):
So I went up to Hot AugustNights in Reno, had all these
parts going, what do I do?
I have no idea what this is.
And I was going to the boothswhere it matched the label on
the products and asking like,what is it?
I didn't even know like thetransmissions, for example, I
have a Doug Nash four plus oneand a Richmond five, yeah, five
(10:08):
speed.
I had no idea what those were.
I didn't know that they wereessentially the same
transmission.
I didn't know any of this stuffuntil after connecting with
people.
So I had started there and thenI was sending the car to get
work done.
So the body is somewhat puttogether like the body parts are
on it now it's a roller um but iwasn't able to get hands on with
(10:29):
it because i was sending it to ashop and they put it together
they sprayed epoxy primer soit's in a good place right now i
just i felt really bummed outafter getting it back and i'm
like well it's together but ihave no idea i need to take the
fender back off because theydidn't really powder coated when
i purchased it um so it'salready resting a little bit i'm
like ah i don't even know how totake the fender off um and then
(10:52):
the rear end the the same thing.
I sent it and it is...
I'm not going to open it backup.
And they didn't send mepictures.
So I have no idea like how theydid it or anything like that.
So I actually left the projectoff to the side for a while,
felt really deterred.
And about two years ago, one ofmy mentors inspired me to start
(11:13):
a YouTube from my newbieperspective.
So I'm like, I don't know whatI'm doing.
I'm figuring it out.
And I really want to finish theproject, not only for myself, I
want to be able to do this for Iwant to carry that torch that my
dad, like he kind of just leftit there, not on purpose, right?
And none of my siblings are inthe same position that I'm at
(11:36):
right now.
And I really want to do that forthem and also for other newbies
to inspire other people likemyself, not just women.
I want to inspire men and womenbecause I know there's a lot of
men that are too afraid to saythat they don't know how to
change a battery because, youknow, social norms and all that.
So I really am still I'm superexcited to be here talking with
(11:59):
you.
And I'm like, oh my gosh, Ididn't realize that I was going
to be on a call with Summit theother day.
I'm like, this is so cool.
I don't know what to do.
And being able to go to, we'regoing to talk about it in a bit,
being able to go to the GreatRace.
I'm like, ah, cool.
So I feel like my story is theexample of everybody starts
(12:21):
somewhere.
Exactly.
SPEAKER_01 (12:23):
I love that, I love that, and what a great segue.
I love it when the conversationjust organically goes to my next
question, which is, before yougot that huge Instagram invite
that we all got to join thisrally that has been just this
amazing, act of love that Rileyfrom Riley Rebuilds has been
(12:44):
doing and assembling all of ustogether, which I swear is like
herding kittens.
Had you ever even heard of TheGreat Race?
Did you know what it was?
And if not, you're shaking yourhead no.
So, okay.
So what did you think at first,like one to like end up in this
like chat room of justincredible trailblazers?
(13:05):
Like I'm even in awe of thewomen that are in this chat that
Riley's put together to like,Recruit us all in, but also just
like the thought of going fromwhere you're at right now to
like being in this vintage racethat's been around for
generations.
SPEAKER_00 (13:22):
Uh, imposter syndrome for sure.
I'm like, cool.
Like I've learned over the lastfew years that if you are in the
room where you're extremelyuncomfortable and you don't feel
like you're meant to be there,that means that is the exact
room you need to be in.
If you're comfortable, you'relike, cool.
I know all the things.
It's like, you probably need tomove on to another room where
you are uncomfortable.
(13:43):
So, uh, I am just like, okay,let's throw it all at the wall.
And when she's like, who can go?
I'm like, I will commit to theentire time because I don't know
like the power of showing up,especially when you're a noob,
especially when you don't havethe same experience that
everybody else has.
What, what can I bring to thetable?
(14:04):
Okay.
Well, my vulnerability, honesty,and the fact that I will show up
and do what I can from myperspective, not trying to be
like you or Riley or Caroline,like not trying to be one of the
other girls.
I'm just working on beingcomfortable as myself and,
really sharing from the, I hadno idea what this race, I didn't
(14:26):
even know what a rally was.
SPEAKER_01 (14:28):
Yeah.
I knew, I knew what a rally wasand I knew of the race because
Jesse had been, you know, the,um, the lead person on it.
What are they called?
The grand Marshall.
Sorry.
It's like, I'm thinking, wait,is that surges or is that this?
No, that is grand Marshall, nomatter what kind of rally it is.
Um, and so like, I kneweverything.
(14:49):
somewhat of it from the list buti didn't really know it know it
like i had to go back and likebe like okay wait i think i've
heard of the great race but likeeven like even when jesse and
when we say jesse says the umit's jesse combs for those of
you that don't know uh the jessecombs foundation is our
charities um partner for thisrace and so a lot of us have our
(15:12):
jesse connects and jesse'sstories but like that was the
only reason i had kind of heardof it And then like, I got
reminded by our, you know, ourexecutive director that, hey,
there's an actual, there's alist episode on it.
Like, let's watch it.
Let's, let's rewatch it.
And so I like started watchingit and I'm like seeing all the
math and stuff that's going onbecause it's, it's not a speed
(15:33):
race, right?
It's actually a, what do theysay?
It's like, you gotta beprecision.
It's a precision driving race.
And so like the engineer in menerded out and was like, oh, I
can do math.
This will be good.
I can, I can do that part of it.
Let's let me be in the backseatmath in it for everyone.
And we'll be good.
So one of the things I reallylove is how you tend to do in
(15:56):
person live interviews at thegreat race.
So we're all going to havechances to like collaborate.
And you know, my thing is liketalking about the tech and
stuff.
Is there anything in particularthat you and I could do?
Like, what could we do whilewe're on the great race
together?
SPEAKER_00 (16:10):
I know there's going to be a lot of things to learn.
I would love to do somethingwhere you are teaching me and
it's not just you verballyteaching me, helping me be hands
on.
So like something maybe on thecar or whatever that we can
record the process of youteaching me and me figuring out
how to do it.
(16:31):
While we're there, becausethat's that's how I learned
doing YouTube, like watchingYouTube is OK.
I learned best when I'mphysically touching things.
So that would be really cool.
And especially since you're anerd, like I got my degree in
human physiology.
So I ask why all the time myhusband actually hates it.
He says I interrogate him.
But that would be something Iwould really love to do.
SPEAKER_01 (16:54):
We can absolutely do that.
And I might give it some thoughtto it.
Cause I'm actually, I've beenwondering because we're going
through so many differentlandscapes as we cross the
country.
If anyone's had the foresight tothink about doing a coating on
the windshields for rain.
So I might be able to like hitRiley up and see if she's
(17:15):
thought about it and theyhaven't like, they'll probably
need to reapply by the time Icome.
Cause I'm coming about halfwaythrough the race.
So we could totally like applythat and talk about it because
like, that hydrophobictechnology is like some of the
coolest stuff.
Like, I love it.
It's so nerdy, but I love it.
SPEAKER_00 (17:33):
Oh, I'm down a hundred percent.
SPEAKER_01 (17:36):
Okay, cool.
We are definitely on for that.
So the great race for you wassomething you hadn't heard of.
So then what about your Rileystory?
Like, how did you meet Riley tobegin with?
How did, how did she know you tohave you in the room?
SPEAKER_00 (17:51):
Same thing as how I met you.
I showed up to SEMA, not thisSEMA, but the previous one.
I was invited back to when I wastelling you about the
transmissions.
When I got connected withRichmond, I had talked to them
over the last few years, andthen I didn't realize that it
(18:12):
was the lead engineer that Imade friends with, and he was
talking to me about SEMA.
Are you going to SEMA?
I'm like, I don't even know howI can get into SEMA.
I didn't know.
It was a And everybody's like,what?
You can go to SEMA?
I'm like, I don't know.
And they're like, do you want togo?
I'm like, yeah, sure, I'll go.
So I showed up only knowing veryminimal.
(18:34):
And it's been, what, like almosttwo years now.
So I was...
introduced to the she shed andall of your group from Miguel at
the Wilwood booth.
I was chatting with him and he'slike, Oh, have you gone over to
the she shed?
I'm like, what in the world'sthe she shed?
They're like, Oh yeah, real dealrevolution.
(18:54):
And you know, all these othernames.
I'm like, I have no idea.
Okay.
I'll go over there.
Um, and yeah, I don't rememberif I met Riley when I did the
carburetor rebuild.
It was somewhere in that realm.
Like, I definitely headed offwith Teresa.
And I was just like, I don'tknow anybody.
(19:15):
And I'm healing my relationshipwith just being able...
Like, mommy issues.
You know, being able to havehealthy relationships with other
women just in general.
So I'm like...
Just, I'm more comfortabletalking with men.
So like showing up and all ofthese women that are like super
gear heads, I'm like, I don'tknow anything.
(19:37):
Hi, how are you?
And everybody was super great.
And the carburetor rebuild was areally cool experience to do
with Riley.
And I actually, I recorded itfor my YouTube and it was really
cool to see Dane there andgetting emotional, like, oh,
this is really cool to seeyou're doing it with your dad.
And, you know, I I really wouldlove to be here with my dad and
(20:00):
doing it in his memory as well.
So I feel like we headed offthere and just continually
showing up to these otherevents.
I went to PRI that year and I'vebeen to SEMA this last year on
PRI this last year as well andgoing to other events.
And Riley invited me to theBenedict Castle Concourse, not
(20:21):
this year, last year I went.
And so it's just slowly beenbuilding that relationship and
just continuously showing up.
And then Riley invited me intothis group.
And why say no, you know?
I'm just blown away andgrateful.
SPEAKER_01 (20:40):
It's been really incredible to see Riley just,
like...
this inspirational leadershipthat she's giving all of these
amazing trailblazers, becauseevery single woman in that chat,
yourself included, is atrailblazer in our own rights.
And so to have, again, Rileyherding cats and getting us all
(21:01):
in one place and being like,okay, how do we get you all in
the vehicle?
How do we get the vehicle made?
And so we've been really, reallylucky that we've had some
incredible sponsors that aredefinitely built off of the
relationships that Riley andDane the Dadinger have created.
And one of them that I startedthis episode with was actually
Summit.
And I specifically chose Summitfor this episode because you
(21:22):
have a special place in yourheart for them.
And I'd love for you to sharethat experience.
SPEAKER_00 (21:26):
I was going to Hogg's Nights.
My dad would go pretty muchevery year for the last several
years of his life.
And I would do my best to gowhen I could.
And the last time I remembergoing with him, he was at the
Summit booth for like two plushours.
(21:48):
And I wasn't the type to tap myfoot.
I was like, oh, this is kind ofinteresting.
I just didn't have like, Iwasn't a part of the
conversation.
I didn't really know what washappening.
He was having me pick out forquote unquote, my brother's car.
Turns out it was for mine.
So I actually have that on mycar.
He had me pick it out at theSummit booth.
And it was just, it was prettycrazy to like now fast forward
(22:13):
that like I've gotten partsthrough Summit and let me tell
you, their shipping is so fast.
Like they're, I'm in Sacramento,they're in, they have a place in
Reno and sometimes within 24hours, it's pretty crazy.
That's pretty awesome.
Yeah, I'm like, oh wow, youcan't really get better than
that.
that.
And the fact that I was able togo up there and talk with them
(22:36):
because I had some of theWilwood stuff, like there was a
bunch of parts that I'd gottenthat my dad had purchased
already for my car.
And I was trying to figure outwhat I was missing because the
boxes had been open.
Some stuff was kind of like, Ididn't know what I needed.
So I was there at talking withthem and I was there for two
plus hours.
And it just made me think oflike, wow, like I can understand
(22:59):
why my dad was standing therefor so long.
And even after he passed, summitand get a history list of all
the parts that he purchased notjust for my car but for my
brother's car my stepmother'scar and trying to learn like
okay well how do i even readthis thing um and figure out
that he bought a lot of stuffthrough summit um from these
(23:21):
other companies um so that's howi was exposed to uh what they
have to offer and it's reallycool to you know, being able to
be on a call with them the otherday.
I'm like, this is so surrealthat I, even when I'm going to
events, like I talk to people atthe Summit booth, but I don't
(23:42):
get the opportunity to talk tothe people at Summit.
And I was a little starstruckand a little in awe that, and
grateful that Riley has reallyinvited me to have a seat at the
table and be able to have theseconversations and build these
relationships because that'sreally what I'm doing this for a
(24:02):
lot of people are like oh youstarted a YouTube how cool
whatever and I'm like you knowthe main reason I'm doing this
is so I can learn and buildingrelationships is a huge part of
that I'm not here to you know weall need to make money in order
to be sustainable but it's likethat's not what I go into it for
I'm not like hey give me asponsorship hey do this it's
(24:24):
like no hey can we like can Ilearn from you like I would love
to do content with you so I canlearn and get better and it's
been actually a really great wayto open the door to have further
conversations so like the factthat like oh this is the I was
like oh I'm going to pull up mysummit jacket for this one even
though it's a little bit hottoday I was like okay I'm going
(24:46):
to do it just Cause this is theonly summit.
Well for now.
Right.
This is the only summit.
Well, I actually have the thing.
What did they call it?
The apron that goes inside ofthe car.
I have some of those as well.
So yeah, it's yeah.
Again, I I'm just like, Oh,that's cool.
SPEAKER_01 (25:08):
It's been, it's been a really neat thing.
And you know, what I like aboutthe content that you're making
is that it's you're lifting thatveil with regards to like, how
do you get in these rooms?
How do you actually build theserelationships?
How do you meet these people?
Because for so many people,that's been the really amazing
(25:29):
part of the internet, right?
Social media and YouTube, as itbecame a place for makers to go
to, it became a place where theycould learn these skills.
Like I remember, the first yearI was away, you know, like truly
away from home and like havingto do an oil change without like
my dad around to ask questionsto like, I literally was calling
(25:53):
him and now it's like fastforward five years, the internet
is big enough YouTube hassomething for everything.
And I literally am able tochange with spark plugs on my
2003 Honda element becausethere's videos on every vehicle
you could think of, right?
And it's something that, youknow, as people are gaining
skills, they have that access,but a lot of people don't
(26:15):
actually pull the full veil upwhen it comes to the
relationship building side ofit.
Like, how did you know to like,reach out to someone at summit
to find an inventory list.
Like, how did you know who totalk to?
You know, those kinds of things.
And I think that's one of thecoolest things that, um, Riley
(26:36):
is sharing with all of us rightnow is is that side of it like
what does it look like to likebe on a zoom with the owners of
some of the top companies inmotorsport that are just wanting
to be excited and like see allof us succeed because you know,
there's There's not a lot ofgirls that do the great race,
(26:59):
right?
And there's definitely not a lotof all women teams and there
surely is not all women teamslike ours because the ladies
that we're showing up with,whether they're in the beginning
of their automotive journey ortheir peak being out there at
international motor sportsmechanics kind of things, they
(27:19):
all know how to get hands on thevehicle.
And if they don't know exactlywhat they're doing, to your
point, they're excited to learn.
They wanna learn from everyone.
And that's not something you seeagain, in a lot of these
rallies, a lot, a lot of, youknow, a lot of people stay away
because they don't know ifthey'll find community there or
someone that looks like them.
(27:40):
And I think, you know, we're allshowing up pretty, pretty,
pretty bright and colorful withour polka dots and everything
else to be like, Hey, we're hereand we're taking up space.
And, you know, I just, I reallyam honored to, to have been one
of the people that Riley, youknow, put in that chat room and
it's going to be on this race.
(28:01):
Cause I think Being a part ofthis specific group of
trailblazers has been reallyincredible and enriching over
the last few months.
Even though it's chaos in thatchat, I try to stay up.
SPEAKER_00 (28:13):
Luckily, that's what I do for a living now.
So I'm like, okay, cool.
I can go and check it.
To your point of raising thatveil, the biggest advice I can
give for anybody is actuallyshow up.
You need to do your thing,right?
You need to show up and do thework.
You also need to go to theseevents because you don't realize
(28:35):
how many people...
I'm a noob, right?
And I'm on a call with Summit.
I'm going to the great race.
I went to SEMA like the firstyear.
I didn't even know what it wasuntil like a couple months
before I actually went.
How did this happen?
Because I actually went placesand showed up.
(28:56):
I went to Hot August Nights,talked to the people, went to
Good Guys, talked to the people,went to SEMA, talked to the
people, went to PRI, talked tothe people, went to Benedict
Castle Conquers, talked to thepeople, go.
Go around and physically bethere because the social media
is great.
You need to like from what I'mdoing, being an influencer or
whatnot, like I need to put mystuff out online.
(29:18):
The difference that makes usstand out is when you actually
show up and shake their hand andbe like, hi, this is who I am.
People are able to read a lotmore based on your body
language, how you interact withother humans, like not just what
you put on the Internet.
So it definitely filters out thebecause, you know, these kinds
of things.
companies are getting messagesupon messages and tags from like
(29:43):
everybody.
What makes you stand out is thatyou show up and be who you are
and be honest, not trying to besomebody else.
SPEAKER_01 (29:51):
I love that.
That's great advice because youknow, the uniqueness that each
of us brings, whether it's ourorigin story or how, like how
we, connect with the thing andvibe with the thing.
So for me, it's the nerdy.
I want to, I want to like talkabout the tech.
I want to talk about theengineer.
I want to talk about thescience.
Can I find it?
Like each of us bring somethingdifferent.
(30:14):
And that's been one of thereally cool parts about looking
at the 12 that we have that areconsistently going to be at this
race is that each of them has adifferent way that they share
content.
So when we're talking aboutlike, oh, we're gonna have one
full day that's all aboutsummit.
Each of us is gonna be doingsomething so different that
they're gonna get 12 differentpoints of material and kind of
(30:39):
really cool PR, right, for theday.
Okay, this has been like reallyamazing.
I have one question that Ireally love to ask every single
guest of the show.
And that is, if you could haveany superpower, what would it be
and why?
You
SPEAKER_00 (30:58):
know, it's interesting because I've thought
about that.
And along my personaldevelopment journey, I don't
even wish that I had asuperpower because like I might.
who I am is a superpower.
Like my life experience, like itsucks that my dad died.
It sucks that I started with noexperience.
It sucks that I have back painall the time because I'm
(31:21):
medically retired and I lost mydream job.
The thing is that that's helped,Put me in this position and help
me become who I am.
I struggle with anxiety,depression, suicidal ideations
practically all the time,especially yesterday being
Father's Day.
That was definitely a hit hard.
And it's like, you know,understanding that my
(31:42):
superpowers is being me.
I don't need to be somebody elseor need any additional power.
So, like, I've thought aboutthis, actually, and it's crazy
that through this whole processthat Accept myself more.
So I'm still working on it andthis whole self-love thing but
(32:03):
at the same time it's like ohthat is my superpower my like
walking in these rooms I'm anoob.
I'm a gearhead in training and Iam owning it and I feel really
good about it So I guess justbeing me is my superpower.
I don't need anythingadditional.
UNKNOWN (32:20):
I
SPEAKER_01 (32:20):
i love that and it's so true you know like what you
bring is so unique and so greatand it gives it a lens that
someone else can't bring right
SPEAKER_00 (32:30):
like i get comments on some of my youtube videos
where like today i got onebecause i was changing the
headlight housing on myhusband's 2005 ford escape and
he had to take the bumperhalfway off and all these other
things and someone someonecommented i'm actually having a
just turning and turning.
I'm like, Hey, you know, likenobody tells you, you have to
have like insane finger strengthto do those.
(32:52):
Um, or the fact that the boltson my 2006 Chevy Silverado for
the, um, the engine mounts ontop of the, like the bracket and
the mount, the, the bolts brokeoff.
So we had to get the whole thingreplaced and people like, Oh my
gosh, like, you know, what werethe parts that you used?
I'm like, just go to your Chevydealership.
They'll be able to help you withthat.
(33:13):
So it's, it's neat.
to the fact that I'm sharing thedifficulty.
A lot of people are going, oh mygosh, like I've actually dealt
with that.
Or they're watching my hour longvideo and changing the
alternator.
And my husband's 2005 FordEscape, which is a really long
video for how to video.
Yeah.
every 48 hours, there arecontinuous views and stuff on
(33:35):
it.
Since I posted it over a yearago, it's my most consistent
video, and I'm sharing all ofit.
I'm like, how do you move thething?
And then my husband's friendcomes in, and he's like, oh, no
problem, and just moves it.
He's the one that's been helpingme hands-on here.
But that's my brand book.
(33:56):
Hey, I am showing that it'sfreaking hard.
You can talk crap all you want.
That's great.
But you know what?
I can't get my dang finger onthe thing.
We used
SPEAKER_01 (34:08):
to always joke, one of my like really closest
friends who he passed during theCOVID times.
Aaron Mattia, he was OGMythbusters, had served in the
same town that my parentsliterally were both serving as
Marines and met on the base.
And he and I just like, we'relike two peas in a pod.
And we used to always joke thatyou need one maker with tiny
(34:30):
hands.
That was me.
And you need one banker that'sjust a big dude.
And that was him.
And so it's like, we neededbrute strength.
Aaron would come over when weneeded tiny hands.
I would come over and like, itwas just like the perfect duo.
So, you know, everyone has theirlittle strengths that they
bring.
And, you know, I could be a bigdude, but then I wouldn't have
(34:51):
the tiny hands, right?
SPEAKER_00 (34:52):
The dexterity with also the know-how and plus for
me with my back, I physicallycan't move or shouldn't move
certain things.
And then certain angles aredifficult, like bending over the
engine bays.
I have to like, I have to leanon something.
And so that's going to beinteresting also with
collaborating with companies andstuff to say, hey, like, do you
(35:14):
have something that would helpsomeone like myself?
Like I saw someone had this coollike contraption that you could
actually like it goes over theengine bay and you lay on it.
And like it like it like scoopsover where you can literally put
your whole weight on the thingand be in the Indian Bay doing
things.
I'm like, that would be reallycool to see how I could get that
(35:35):
in a residential garage.
Because I want to be able to doas much as I can.
It just it's it's difficult, youknow, figuring out ways that I'm
and other times I just need toask for help.
So,
SPEAKER_01 (35:50):
yeah, it is.
It is an interesting thing whenyou start looking at just like
the different physiologies ofpeople, right?
Like, so with MythbustersJunior, it was a benefit that
they had me because I'mkid-sized, right?
So I know how to use industrialtools with this stature.
And so when you bring six kidson that have always either had a
(36:12):
grownup helping or just haven'ttouched a tool like that before,
being able to have someone thatcan not only show them how to
use the tool, but how to do itsafely for their body type.
Right.
So like how at five foot flat,do you pick up an eight foot
ladder safely?
Like how do you do these things?
Like how do you get the extratorque that you need?
(36:35):
How do you be, how do you getthe compression that you need?
Those kinds of things.
And it is something that like, Ireally enjoy learning.
watching other makers my size.
And honestly, this aha momentdidn't even come for me in the
making field.
It was going rock climbing withsomeone my size for the first
time and seeing them do a climband being like, I actually can
(36:58):
learn from this versus everyother person I'd ever climbed
with before that was 5'10 andtaller.
And so getting to climb withanother petite young woman my
size, I was like, we have to dothis more because I can learn.
And so then I was like, why amI...
watching makers my size online.
Like, why?
There are lots of little makersonline.
(37:19):
I should start watching them andstart getting some of their
tricks, you know?
SPEAKER_00 (37:23):
Well, it's hard to know, like, because Caroline,
I'm like, holy moly, you're agiant.
I didn't realize she is as tallas she is.
And some people that, like, notwith our group, but Dana Lynn
Bailey, she was my inspirationas to why I even started doing
my personal development journeyto begin with.
When I met her in person, I'mlike, holy moly, she is tiny.
SPEAKER_01 (37:45):
So I absolutely love it.
This has been so incredible.
I cannot wait to meet you inperson in a couple weeks.
And for those of you that wantto know, the Hemings Great Race
kicks off June 21st in St.
Paul, Minnesota.
And it's going to run all theway until we hit the finish
line, hopefully, on June 29th inMoorpark, Irmo, South Carolina.
(38:05):
So Follow us on Instagram.
Stay up to date with all thingsThe Creator Race as we tackle
this iconic vintage rally roadone race mile at a time.
Thank you all for joiningTinkering Bells.
This episode is assembled andready for delivery.
Thank you so much, Christina,for being with me today.
I super appreciate
SPEAKER_00 (38:26):
it.
Thank you so much.
I'm so excited.
SPEAKER_01 (38:30):
I want to thank you for choosing Tinkering Bells as
your user's manual for allthings maker on a bi-weekly
basis.
If you want to continue to hearmore, don't forget to rate and
review the show on yourpodcasting app of choice, as
well as sharing it with yourfriends.
I look forward to seeing younext week.
Until then, don't forget to keepmaking.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.