July and August have been spent mostly on the Oldsmobile and we have made good progress on the chassis re-assembly and body panel priming.

Donated Vehicles

In May and June we received 2 donated vehicles that will make great rides for a single mom in need.

Summer at the Shop is just beginning

May and June have been busy at the shop as we have been getting serious about putting the Olds frame back together. We now have it and most of the major components painted and ready for re-assembly.

Our comfy lounge at the shop is a great place for Bible study.

 And just relaxing during a busy shop day.

We are making progress on our restoration of the 1956 Oldsmobile Holiday sedan that was donated to Kensington and will be raffled off by Grace Centers of Hope in 2013 (we hope). Here the body is being prepped for stripping.

 And chassis parts that have been sandblasted are primed.

 Here is a rebuilt front knuckle ready to be primed.

We have been present at the last two Men's Breakfasts at Kensington Troy and Orion to connect with other men who may share our interests in Cars and Bible Study.

Here are some photos from our latest Vehicle Inspection Day on April 20. We do these quarterly for single moms and others who need help diagnosing their vehicles.

Jeff and Geoff celebrate getting the Honda running.

Tim gives the Olds frame a thorough power washing.

Mark and Steve remove the window mechanisms from a rear door of the Olds.

Bob cleans up the dance floor at the shop while Steve practices his disco moves!!

Paul demonstrates how to properly eat pizza in front of your friends.

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We have moved our latest information posts to our Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/KCCFullThrottle
Check out all the latest photos and follow us there.

 Jim and Mark got the Dynasty running, fixed a leak and changed the oil Monday night. Jim sez it will be ready to go soon!!

 Aaron and Ron worked on getting the steering column out of the Olds in preparation for lift-off!!

Paul and Jeff continued the re-build of the Honda motor to factory specifications and tolerances.

A very productive Monday night on all 3 project fronts!

Below, Dave is disconnecting front of dash components on the Olds as we prepare for lift-off.

Here is the dash stripped of components and wiring.

Do you think this salvaged cart will hold the body??

The Dynasty should be ready to fire up next week. Join us for the celebration! Then in February a someone with a need for wheels can be blessed! Here is the engine as we started the night.

Mark and Jim add more of the components back.

While Tim does cleanup on the exhaust manifold.

Here is the status at the end of the night.

Meanwhile the Honda team prepares to re-assemble the engine. Here are the parts being readied.

Jeff and Paul checking out the block.

When finished, the Honda will be our next project to find a new home with someone who really needs a car.

OK so here is a picture of what we are thinking for the 1956 Olds. Stock body, lowered suspension, great wheels, dyn-o-mite paint, new interior, and as much motor as we can get!! What do you think???

 

    Today was the start of our new Saturday hours at the garage!! We plan to meet on the first and third Saturday mornings of the month to allow more guys to attend that can't make it on a Monday evening. If you haven't been by to join in the work, come see us and check out the facilities. You'll find that the shop has a pretty full complement of tools, is heated to a comfortable level, and has improved bathroom facilities. If you would like to get our regular emails, send us a note to fullthrottlekcc@gmail.com.

     We did not work on the 1956 Olds today, but you can see from the pics that she is getting close to body lift-off. We will be posting a picture of our intended final look soon.

     The Dynasty heads are now re-installed and we will be completing the rest of the assembly in the next few sessions. With a general clean-up, it will then be ready for a new life serving a new owner.

The Honda engine re-assembly also got a good start today and we will be ordering the parts necessary to restore its roar (or humm) in the next few weeks

Full Throttle owes a HUGE thank you to our new friend @RoryMacDonald92 from Kensington Community Church! Rory is an amazing young man with a heart for Christ that far exceeds his years. He hung out with the full throttle crew for significant portion of our first ever safety inspection day to help out single moms in need. In the process of doing so, he shot some great video and created a video short that captures the essence of what KCC's Full Throttle missional small group is all about. Check it out!

Full Throttle's Open House & Commissioning

Full Throttle's open house and commissioning on Monday, September 12th was well-received by all in attendance. More than 30 people were on-hand to tour our new shop, learn about our vision and goals, and speak with the leaders and members of Full Throttle to learn about what we are gearing up to do. We also had Kensington Community Church - Birmingham Campus lead pastor, Clint Dupin on-hand to commission our new shop and lead us in prayer.

We will be busy in the coming months with safety inspections, Bible studies, classic car restoration projects and ample opportunities to serve His Kingdom as the hands and feet of Christ.

We had a great turnout for our open house!

Mark V. addresses the crowd.

Clint Dupin shares a Biblical perspective of what it means to "be" the church and serve God's Kingdom as the hands and feet of Christ.

 

Mark V. shares Full Throttle's vision and explains what our primary missions.

Mark J. adds more perspective regarding Full Throttle's mission and goals.