Magazine Appearances
Hot Rod Magazine - July 2008
HOW TO FIX CRACKING PAINT
Bondo and bad welds sneaking through? Make it right when we show you...
From the article: "To get some expert advice on how to deal with this issue, we spent a day at Muscle Car Restorations in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. These guys are well known for their world-class full restorations, but they are also glad to take in partial work. This is doable in one day, so you shouldn't have to miss your next event."
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Mopar Muscle - July 2008
A PROGRESSIVE RESTORATION
HOW TO: Rebuilt Your MOPAR in Steps, PART 2
From the article: "All the previously mentioned issues are certainly the case with the wiring harness in the '68 Barracuda that Muscle Car Restorations (MCR) is tackling as a testbed for their new program -- the Progressive Restoration. This is a new consumer available process where instead of restoring the car all at once, the car is done in stages, one section at a time. It's a great concept ..."
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PREPARE FOR LAUNCH
ONE SUPER SUPER STOCK RACER
From the article: "Mike Creglow of Welch, Minnesota, the owner of this super clean '65 Plymouth Satellite, had a revelation one day. He knew that he wanted to build his '65 into a show-quality race car and had been working toward that goal for seven years when he realized that, at the rate he was going, he was going to run out of time before he got it done. ..."
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Mopar Muscle - June 2008
A PROGRESSIVE RESTORATION
HOW TO: Rebuilt Your MOPAR in Steps, PART 1
(Page 56-60)
From the article: "So, we would like to introduce a new series of articles to help you restore you dream car one
bite-size piece at a time. The inspiration for this comes from our friends at Muscle Car Restorations (MCR) in Chippewa Falls,
Wisconsin. Owner John Balow, responding to a need in the restoration market, has started a new program called Progressive Restorations.
The basic premise is to do only what can be done during one winter season so the owner gets his car back in time for summer cruising."
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Mopar Muscle - November 2007
OVER THE TOP
NICK SUCKOW IS LIVING PROOF TO NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS
(Page 94-99)
From the article: "Why did Nick bother to build a car he knows he can never drive? Because it was his dream, and he refused to let it go. ..."
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Feature page
PROPERLY FRAMED
(Cover AND pages 30 - 38)
From the article: "When it comes to advanced restoration metal work, we don't know of anyone more experienced than the guys at Muscle Car Restorations (MCR) in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Ownver John Balow got his start working on Mopars when there weren't the resources available like there are today. He and his team have been doing this kind of thing for almost two decades ..."
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WHERE O WHERE
(Page 69)
Mopar Collectors Guide - September 2007
LIFE SIZE MUSCLE MACHINE
(Cover AND pages 164 - 169)
From the article: "Muscle Car Restorations has come to be known in recent years for turning out some of the most outrageous Pro Touring and custom Mopars on the planet. The shop boasts perhaps the most complete one-stop facility in the country for building a state-of-the-art custom, with virtually all of the work being done in-house."
Visit our feature page on the car for build photographs and more!
Mopar Collectors Guide - May 2007
YELLOW FEVER
(Cover AND pages 86 - 90)
From the article: "John Balow, Fred Kappus, and the entire crew at Muscle Car Restorations in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin have done it again. In the last half dozen years, we've come to expect great things from these guys, be it in the restored OEM-style old Mopars, or with radical customs. Last summer, however, we were taken aback by something so complete off-the-wall and unexpected it even left us speechless for while, pondering it's complexity and craftmanship. Yes, we know it's hard to believe anyone here at MCG would ever be speechless, because usually you can't shut us up, but the yellow E-body staring us in the face caught us, and everyone else, off guard."
Read more: Cover scan,
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Visit our feature page on the car for build photographs and more!
Mopar Collectors Guide - March 2007
SKUZA'S CRUZA
(pages 144 - 149)
From the article: "John Balow of Muscle Car Restorations in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin had been tossing around the idea of building a Challenger T/A-style retro Pro Touring car powered by a modern 5.7 Hemi. A veteran in the field of building customs and restoring stone stockers, John has a network of close allies in the Mopar camp. He was getting good feedback on the theory when he bumped into Dean Skuza. ..."
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Mopar Muscle Magazine - February 2007 - Cover!
Keep an eye out for our recently completed 1970 Challenger (Skuza T/A) project on the cover of an upcoming issue of Mopar Muscle Magazine! Read the article on pages 102 through 110. Click here to read more about this project.
From the article: "John Balow's shop, Muscle Car Restorations (MCR) in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, was responsible for turning Editor Bolig's drab army-green Valiant into the arrow-straight, eye-blindingly white A-Body it is today. They also have had many of their clients' Mopars featured in our pages, including a pair of Super Stock A-Body clones, outstanding street cruisers, and some of the most perfect concourse-grade restorations we've ever seen. So when John came up to us at the SEMA show in Las Vegas with this wild concept, he had our attention."
Also look for a second MCR article in the same issue on pages 32 through 38 titled Color Sanding 101
2007 Kit Car Buyer's Guide - Cover!
HOT ROD - August 2006 - Cover!
On the Cover: John Balow and the crew at Muscle Car Restorations in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, helped us out a ton by setting up our cover shot and having Mark Ehlen shoot it. The car is a rusty '69 GTX, and that's John himself manning the grinder while cutting off the quater-panel.
click image to see more detail
Car Craft - August 2006
INSTALL FACTORY STRIPES
(pages 43 - 47)
To get us going, we asked John Balow, owner of Muscle Car Restorations (MCR), to help us add a set of tail stripes to an A-body with a minty-fresh paint job. ...
click image to read more
Mopar Muscle Magazine - August 2006
A BACK-TO-BASICS 440 REBUILD
(pages 26 - 36)
... This one happens to be the 440 Six-Pack creation that Muscle Car Restorations will be bolting to the A-833 four-speed we showed you a few months ago, ...
click image to read more
Hot Rod Magazine - July 2006
THE Q COLLEGIATE POWER CHALLENGER
(pages 66 - 81)
... John Balow at Muscle Car Restorations (Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin) had painted the car, and he did some overnight 'glass and paintwork to get it ready for the competition. The color is Auto Air's Metal Blue Silver.
Note: MCR did not do the overnight repair work on this car as stated in the article, but we did paint it
Click here to see photographs of the paint work!
Scan, scan, scan (Photographs used with permission from Hot Rod Magazine)
Be sure to check out our advertisment on page 156 also!
Mopar Muscle Magazine - June 2006
FOUR GEAR FRESHEN
(pages 94-103)
... and John Balow, owner of Muscle Car Restorations, was quick to respond with the offer of an A-833 (Hemi four-speed) rebuild ... Zumbrota Bearing and Gear in Zumbrota, Minnesota, supplied the parts necessary for this rebuilt. ...
Hot Rod Magazine - December 2005
HOMEBUILT BRUTALITY
Sidwinder, the Factory Five Roadster We Built Last Month, Gets Put to the Test With a Heavy Right Foot and Big Smiles and Bad Hair Rule the Day.
... This month, we finally got to sit in it, turn the key, and stomp its guts out. Man, was it fun!
Project Sidewinder (pages 106-111)
Click here for more info!
Hot Rod Magazine - October 2005
COBRA TO GO
You Really Can Build a Cobra From Scratch.
Factory Five and Muscle Car Restorations Shows How.
... MCR's John Balow and his boys turned our FFR Cobra from three boxes of parts into a a running, driving, fire-breathing Cobra that would make Carrol Shelby if not proud, at least a little jealous. ...
Project Sidewinder (pages 108-113)
Click here for more info!
Mopar Muscle - July 2005
FATHER KNOWS BEST
One Dad's influence made all the difference
73 Dodge Charger (pages 62-65)
... Watching the progressions of the Holley Road Runner project, Craig decided that only the boys at Muscle Car Restorations were worthy enough to tackle his beloved Charger ...
MAJOR SURGERY (Part 2)
Prepping the new panel and the old body for a perfect fit
69 Charger (General Lee) (pages 74-81)
Muscle Car Review - Spring 2005
Modern Muscle Manual (pages 54-59)
... By adding a Keisler Automotive five-speed manual conversion, you can have all this horsepower, steep gears, and still drive it.
Mopar Muscle - Jul 2004
Road Runner Project M (pages 126-127)
... Muscle Car Restorations has installed a new Mustang Chassis Dynamometer that will allow ...
Mopar Muscle - Jul 2004
DIVINE WIND
Injecting a 500-inch big-block with boost
Road Runner Project M (pages 102-107)
VALIANT EFFORT
Body Shoppin'
(page 66)
... Nestled away in Wisconsin is Muscle Car Restorations (MCR). They can honestly be called one of the best in the country ...
Mopar Muscle - Jun 2004
What the heck is Project M? It's a project car we did a few year's ago and decided to reinvent, so to speak. Remember the Holley Road Runner? That car will now be known as Project M. Realizing enthusiasts are never really finished with their cars, we decided we weren't finished with this one either. Each year, we want to take Project M on the Hot Rod Power Tour to see how our new conglomeration of parts performs. Remember, this is Mopar Muscle -- anything's possible.
Mopar Muscle - May 2004 - Cover
HEMIFIED MEMORIES
Hemi Dart (pages 20-23)
... It has been a pleasure to work with such a great group of people at Muscle Car Restorations. I feel extremely privileged tohave been party to this fantastic restoration ...
Cars and Parts
Last Hemi Letter Car
58 Chrysler 300D (pages 14-17)
... This classic muscle machine was the beneficiary of a full four-year-plus restoration by Muscle Car Restorations and it is a past "Best of Show" winner at the highly competitive Mopar Nationals ...
Car Craft - May 2003
ORANGE CRUSH
69 Chevy Camaro Z/28
... Dan enlisted Muscle Car Restorations to remove and replcae all traces of cancerous sheetmetal caused by years of exposure to Wisconsin's salty winter roads. ...
Mopar Muscle - March 2003 - Cover
BETTER THAN NEW
Robert eddy couldn't buy a hemi drop-top, so he built one
68 Road Runner
... The shop that consistently showed commitment to quality work and owner involvement in the restoration process was John Balow's Muscle Car Restorations ...
Mopar Muscle - Jan 2003 - Cover
GUILT-FREE DRIVING
Superbird (pages 28-31)
... John Balow Puts His Low-mileage Super Bird on the Road
Mopar Muscle - Nov 2002
67 Barracuda (pages 22-26)
... As a follow-up to the no-holds-barred Holley Road Runner, it was determined that we needed a 'real-world head-turner' ...
Popular Hot Rodding - Nov 2002
Holley Olds 442 (pages 80-85)
Mopar Muscle - Aug 2002 - Cover
The ultimate muscle machine OVERKILL
Bombs away! '74 Blown 'Cuda
Mopar Muscle - Jun 2002
QUARTER MASTER
Replacing a Quarter Panel, the Concours Way
(pages 35-41)
Super Rod - May 2002
MASTERING LEAD BODYWORK
Applying Lead Body Filler is Almost a Lost Art, But It Doesn't Have To Be
(pages 98-102)
It's Not A Six Pack, It's A BLISTER PACK!
The Holley Road Runner becomes reality with a lot of help from our friends
... Noted artisan John Balow of Muscle Car Restorations in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, was tagged as the point man on the project. ...
HOT ROD - Mar 2001
Holley Road Runner (pages 50-54)
... While some may that an original four-speed Road Runner should restored rather modifed Balow considerd that Plymouth built 84,420 of them in '69, nearly half of which were four-speed cars. Beyond that, the Alabama car was a base 383 car, not a Hemi, 440 six-barrel, or convertible, and the oringinal driveline was long gone. As a result, these cars often trickle down untilthey are turned into racecars, crashed, parted out, or saved by a project like this.
PROJECT ROADRUNNER
The final details and key sources of the Holley Project Road Runner
(pages 56-59)
PROJECT ROADRUNNER
Rolling Stock - Packaging modern suspension, brakes, wheels and tires with the heritage of the Holley Project Road Runner.
(pages 68-75)
Mopar Muscle - Jan 2001
Sublime Challenger (pages 46-48)
This '70 Challenger R/T is REDEFINED EXCELLENCE Challenger
Mopar Muscle - Jan 2001 - Cover
PROJECT ROADRUNNER
Sound Sensation - Crutchfield and Kenwood team up to provide a high-performance audio solution for the Holley Project Roadrunner
(pages 36-42)
PROJECT ROADRUNNER
Special Delivery - Drive Train Specialists builds a bulletproof Dana to back-up our 700 lb/ft Wedge
(pages 38-42)
PROJECT ROADRUNNER
Gettin' Buff - Secrets to straightening and polishing stainless trim.
(pages 70-75)
PROJECT ROADRUNNER
4-Speed Clinic - With a brute force, Indy-built, 542ci RB engine in the Holley Roadrunner, only a Herb McCandless-prepared 18-spline 4-speed could take the punishment.
(pages 36-43)
Muscle Car Review - May 2000
Land Of Lakes Musclecar Classic
Perhaps the best 'secret' musclecar show around
(pages 32-33)
... John Balow's '64 Belvedere was painstakingly restored as a race Hemi. John operates a respected restorations operation (Muscle Car Restorations) in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin ...
PROJECT ROADRUNNER
Fire it up - Indy Cylinder Head's 542 requires a hot spark and Holley delivers with the Pro Strip Annihilator.
(pages 42-47)
PROJECT ROADRUNNER
Torque Monster - Indy Cylinder Head's recipe for reliable street performance delivers a broad powerband and 700 lb-ft of torque.
(pages 38-43)
PROJECT ROADRUNNER
Clip It - Frame Box removal and replacement for B-Body Mopars.
(pages 56-59)
Mopar Muscle - Feb 2000
Red Hot
Was the 'Max Wedge' the King of 1963?
Max Wedge (pages 36-38)
PROJECT ROADRUNNER
Blast It All
(pages 39-46)
Since this project began, John Balow and his staff at Muscle Car Restorations have been rockin' on the Roadrunner ...
PROJECT ROADRUNNER
Muscle Dreams
(pages 42-44)
So when the dialogue began about what would make up this Roadrunner, it was decided a potent big-block built by Indy Cylinder Head and a complete build-up by John Balow of Muscle Car Restorations would combine the ultimate in performance with the ultimate in aesthetics.
Autofest Nationals - 1999
Chrysler 300D
... The car has been meticulously restored by John Balow of Muscle Car Restorations ...
Mopar Muscle - Aug 1999
The Numbers
(pages 26-27)
Mopar Muscle - Apr 1999 - Cover
Understated
(page 28)
... John took his '63 Max Wedge Plymouth Sport Fury to the Mopar Nationals and won first place in class ...
Chrysler Power - Sep 1997
Restoration Tech Tips
(pages 50-51)
... John has been a successful business machine merchant for a number of years ...
Popular Hot Rodding - Jul 1997
70 Cuda (page 30)
... Wanting it to be in 'factory-fresh' condition, he called on John Balow of MCR (Muscle Car Restorations) ...
Car Craft - Jun 1996
Dodge Dealer's Delight
64 Dodge (pages 92-94)
Chevy High Performance - Oct 1995
Burgeoning Performance
COPO Camaro (pages 56-57)
Mopar Action - Oct 1995 - Cover
68 Dart (pages 40-42)
... electro-chemical priming process which ensures that every single nook and cranny of the car is covered with primer prior to painting. This is a Muscle Car Restorations exclusive.
Chrysler Power - Jul 1995
68 Dart (pages 52-54)
... This better than new restoration was completed in less than six months by John Balow's crew at Muscle Car Restorations ...
Performance Musclecars - Jul 1994
68 Dart (pages 48-49)
... is the realization of a lifelong dream
Muscle Cars - Jul 1994
68 Hemi Dart (pages 44-47)
... went together piece by piece with concours accuracy.
Muscle Cars - May 1994
68 Hemi Barracuda (pages 20-22)
... including the 24K gold leaf lettering ... John and his crew did a truly remarkable job of undoing the various modification made to the car over the years.
Chrysler Power and Performance Mopars - Jan 1994
(page 51)
... We've seen numerous restoration facilities coast to coast. There are only two that we've seen which approach concours caliber. One is in California and the other is MCR ...
Petersen's Musclecar Restorations & Performance - April 1993
Obsessive Behavior
64 Polara 500 (pages 50-51)
Musclecar Restoration Guide - 1993
60 Paint And Body Tips From The Pros
(pages 87-93)
Mopar Muscle - Feb 1993
Top Dodge
64 Polara 500 (pages 28-29)
... Bruce Hinrich's '64 Polara 500 takes Best Of Show at the Mopar Nationals ...
Chrysler Power - Jan 1993 - Cover
64 Dodge
Petersen's Musclecar Classics - Jun 1992
MAXIMUM MOPAR
Gerry Kantor Puts A Wedge Between Himself And The Competition
64 Sport Fury
Petersen's Musclecar Classics - Feb 1992
MAXIMUM MOPAR
A Street/E.T Dodge That Really Can Do Both
Musclecar Restoration Guide - 1992
Muscle Hustle - Sept 1988 - Cover
White Plymouth
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