Instagram Jump Start: Hemi rebuild and VW road trip heat things up

16 January 2017

Whenever we post something from our “Redline Rebuild” series, it’s a lot like throwing raw meat into Piranha-filled river. You devour it … and we’re left counting our fingers to make sure they’re all there. So it wasn’t surprising that a short clip from our recent time-lapse video of a Chrysler Hemi rebuild was easily the most-liked Instagram post on HagertyClassicCars last week.

You also loved Mopar and Mercury. And two of our most popular posts came from Hagerty videographer Ben Woodworth’s eventful cross-country trip in a 1973 Volkswagen Beetle. He and his brother are still thawing out. As we roll into a new week, here’s a look back at our top five posts:

1955 Chrysler Hemi Rebuild No. 4 video (1,960 likes) – One more clip from our Redline Rebuild of a 1955 Chrysler Hemi FirePower engine. You can watch the entire time-lapse, five-minute video on our site.
1963 Dodge Custom 880 (1,280 likes) – In addition to an optional 415-hp, 426-cid V-8, the 1963 Dodge Custom 880 could be had with power steering, power brakes, power seats, power windows and air conditioning.
1964 Mercury Colony Park wagon (1,160 likes) – Mercury’s woodgrain-paneled 1964 Colony Park wagon came in six- and nine-passenger configurations. Weighing nearly 4,300 pounds, the wagon was equipped with a 390-cid Marauder V-8.
1973 Volkswagen Beetle (1,149 likes) – The sun sets in eastern Washington on Day 1 of Ben and Grant Woodworth’s 2,400-mile journey from Portland, Ore., to Traverse City, Mich., in a 1973 Volkswagen Beetle (and yes, we know the bumpers suggest that this mutt is an earlier model). So far, so good – no breakdowns and the weather hasn’t slowed them down too much. Of course, the heater/defroster is an issue, but hey – they’re dressed for success.
1973 Volkswagen Beetle (1,060 likes) – Our own Ben Woodworth has arrived in Portland, Ore., and is set to drive this 1973 Volkswagen Beetle back to Michigan. Perfect timing, considering Portland is getting some pretty heavy snowfall – for Portland anyway. The Beetle was in Hagerty’s “Project Portland: 3 Guys, $3K, 3 Classic Cars” video on YouTube a couple of years ago, and we’ll be featuring the VW’s engine in an upcoming edition of “Redline Rebuild.” We’ll keep you updated on Ben’s progress; he’s dragging his little brother Grant along to keep him company and do some of the driving. Of course, Grant has never driven a manual transmission before, and the weather forecast for the 2,400-mile trip includes snow, freezing rain and an avalanche warning. What could go wrong … right?

You Like It, We Love It – Every week there’s a photo on HagertyClassicCars that we think deserved a lot more “likes” than it received. This one – featuring a 1974 Volkswagen bus detail – is one of those.

Best of the Rest – We see a lot of auto-related photos on Instagram, and some of them just seem to reach out and grab us – like this one posted by @obsoleteautomotive. Not only is the 1961 Dodge Polara featured a real looker, it’s parked in a spot off historic Route 66 that we know well since we too have stopped there and taken photos. Classic cars trigger memories, and this photo does too – both happy and sad. It’s our favorite post of the week.