classic car
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May 13, 2016So you bought an old car? Maybe you got the one youve always wanted or maybe so-and-sos uncle had this one sitting in his backyard for years and finally decided to move it out. Now youve got it and here it sits in all its dusty, unknown-condition glory. So now what? Well these days the path is as unclear as its ever been. Few of us can afford to simply tear it down to labeled ziplock bags of nuts and bolts and begin a full restoration with a ridiculous 2 day deadline, like you see on the television shows. Quite the opposite, most of us just want to get it running and driving and get an idea of what were working with. Were not usually short of big ideas for a grand restoration project, but first things first. What exactly have we gotten ourselves into here? First steps are usually to check the vitals, and make every attempt to get it into a condition for a safe start up. Defining safe
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August 17, 2015Last year, we heard about the Tri-Five Nationals, and instantly wanted to be a part of the inaugural event. It helps matters that it is organized and promoted by our buddy Chris Sondles from Woody's Hot Rodz, which is a shop that specializes in Tri-Five Chevy builds and sells many of our products. As the plans for the event developed, Coker Tire stepped up as one of the leading sponsors, and presented the "Celebration of 60 Years of the 1955 Chevy", a special section with original 1955 Chevrolets of many models and configurations. As we rolled into historic Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, it didn't take long to see that the Tri-Five Nationals was destined to be HUGE. And that's exactly what it was--the official car count was 1,858 registered entrants, all ranging from 1955 to 1957 Chevys, including a few pickup trucks and Corvettes from the famous Tri-Five years. Tens of thousands of spectators took part in the event, which had drag racing, autocross racing, a massive show-n-shine area, a swap meet and a packed vendor area.
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September 29, 2014We love events that involved DRIVING your collector vehicle, and that's why we support events such as the Somernites Power Cruise. It's an annual event that is the crown jewel of the monthly Somernites Cruise events that span from April to October. The Power Cruise is always the fourth Saturday of September, and it brings in hot rodders from all over the place! Our involvement in the Somernites Power Cruise includes being one of the starting points was Chattanooga, Tennessee, as well as a Friday night kickoff party and cruise in. For Friday night's event, we offered FREE food, compliments of Coker video guy Jason White, and then Saturday, we joined the fun and headed north on Highway 27 with a destination of downtown Somerset, Kentucky. Keep reading to check out our favorite photos from a fun day on the road!
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May 12, 2014With car show and cruise in season in full swing, we're on the road every weekend to events across the country. We set up our tractor trailer rigs at many national events throughout the year, but sometimes we go to local events for the fun of it. Sliding behind the wheel of an old car and mingling with like-minded folks is always a relaxing way to spend a sunny Saturday, and we did just that a couple weeks ago at the Main Street Cruise In, just up the road, in Cleveland, Tennessee.
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April 18, 2014Here at Coker Tire, we have a lot of customers who opt for the complete tire and wheel package when it's time to put new shoes on their collector vehicle. It's a great value and it ensures the customer the trueness and perfect balance that we can achieve when combining a new tire with a new wheel. We also offer authentic accessories, such as hubcaps, trim rings and even lug nuts! That means you can complete the tire and wheel package, and give your collector vehicle the right look.
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December 31, 2013[caption id="attachment_4492" align="aligncenter" width="725"] There isn't enough room on the internet for all the crazy things we saw this year, but here's a few of the highlights from 2013.[/caption] The social media explosion has made it easier to than ever to share and interact with like-minded people all over the world and no group has enjoyed it more than auto enthusiasts. Were able to share the cars, the people and the amazing auto events from anywhere, with the click of a button. It really is amazing how far things have come in recent years.
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August 20, 2013
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August 17, 2013[caption id="attachment_3876" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Known simply as "the Quail"[/caption] After two days strolling through the dream-scape that is Monterey weekend. Corky Coker and Wade Kawasaki know two things already, wear good shoes and stay prepared to be amazed. This is the world renowned week of priceless classic vehicles, historic races and stacks of top-shelf car auctions that culminates with the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
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August 16, 2013Well, they're not exactly on speaking terms with ole Ralph, but maybe the controversial "Unsafe at Any Speed" writer inadvertently made these cars even more popular in the long run? The cult-like following of Corvair owners across the United States are as dedicated to their favorite cars (and vans) as any group out there. One such club, filled the Coker Tire Company parking lot today as the Choo Choo Corvair Club toured the Chattanooga, Tennessee headquarters.
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April 23, 2013Members from Hot Rod Magazine, Chattanooga Visitor Bureau, Family Events and Coker Tire Company were on hand in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee today to announce Chattanooga as a stop on the upcoming 2013 Hot Rod Power Tour. The massive car tour visited Chattanooga in 2010 bringing thousands of cars, people and revenue to the city. The 2010 visit made a good enough impression to get the encore opportunity in 2013. The event projects over 3,000 participants rolling onto the campus of Chattanooga State throughout the day, with the event hours scheduled from 12:00pm to 7:00pm. The Chattanooga festivities won't stop at 7:00pm, as there's an after-party planned at the headquarters of Coker Tire Company in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee
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October 08, 2012The passing of a year of the calendar for kids seems to have very important points during the year like the end of school, Christmas, and birthdays. My calendar year seems to have important dates that focus around car events. As a died-in-the-wool car guy, I know it is Fall for sure when the AACA National Fall Meet, better simply known as Hershey rolls around. If you have never been to Hershey, Pennsylvania for this huge collector car extravaganza, you MUST put this event on your list.
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September 14, 2012A fine day of rallying saw 40 vintage cars hitting the back roads of northwest Georgia on a beautiful Friday. Cool temperatures and a bit of cloud cover made for great driving conditions, and we had a great time snaking through some of the great Georgia mountain roads on our way to Dalton for lunch and ultimately Wildwood, Georgia to have a great dinner at Corky's place. Overall it was a great day of rallying with very few mechanical issues for our racers, so we're gearing up for another good day tomorrow! Here is our photo recap....enjoy!
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August 14, 2012[caption id="attachment_2826" align="alignright" width="640"] Check out these BFGoodrich Silvertown Radial whitewall tires and Thunderbird Wire Wheels on a classic T-Bird![/caption] If you're on the hunt for tires and wheels for your collector car, look no further. We have a wide range of products that fit hot rods, muscle cars, restored classics, antique motorcycles, vintage trucks, military vehicles and more! But, if you've bought a set of tires in the past, then you know that it can sometime be a hassle to have them mounted to your wheels. You take a chance on a flunky at the local tire shop scratching up the rim, or worse, so we've taken that out of the equation with our great tire and wheel combinations! If you buy your tires and wheels together,
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August 07, 2012Among our fondest memories and during the most impressionable time of any gearhead's life are the teen years when cars were the coolest and the mysteries of hot rodding were just beginning to reveal themselves. Many of us had a shop class in school and piddled the hours away imagining how fast that Camaro would be if we could just afford a new set of aluminum heads all while learning to change the spark plugs in the assistant principle's Camry.
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August 06, 2012In 2010, a few fanatical antique motorcyclists made news riding their old bikes across the country in the Motorcycle Cannonball. We were lucky to have them stop overnight in Chattanooga after leaving Maggie Valley on their epic journey. Maybe they were lucky to stop here too, since as soon as the hospitality dinner was complete, one hundred classic iron horses rolled into our restoration shop for service at the SAME TIME. It really was a sight to behold.
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July 30, 2012
Coker Tire Offers A New 185/55R15 Whitewall Tire Suited for Compact Cars
Chattanooga, TN Throughout automotive history, the whitewall tire has been one of the most popular choices on everything from luxurious sedans to muscle cars. These days, whitewalls are still available for classic cars, but adding this vintage style to a new car leaves enthusiasts with very few options. Coker Tire Company, the worlds leading supplier of collector car tires and wheels, decided to fill this void by producing a modern radial tire with a wide whitewall, designed to fit the new Fiat 500 and other compact cars. -
July 20, 2012We love it when antique car clubs visit Chattanooga, and 2012 has given us many great chances to see them. We've had a number of unique car clubs visit the Scenic City, and we've managed to wrangle most of them over here to visit our facility. This weeks feature tour is HUGE, with 200 participants. It is the National DeSoto Club, which has been in the area for the past couple of days. So far, they've visited Rock City, the Chickamauga Battlefields and of course, Coker Tire Company! Tomorrow, Saturday July 21st, the club will have a car show at Camp Jordan in East Ridge, just a few miles down the road from us. A small portion of the cars
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June 28, 2012Tuesday evening in Kanata, Ontario marked the finish of Stage Four of the 2012 Hemmings Motor News Great Race presented by Hagerty. What a reception we received from the hometown of our own Brian Goudge aka Motormouth in Kanata/Ottowa, Ontario!When our PA system malfunctioned and could not play the Canadian National anthem, "Oh Canada" I asked if there was anyone who could lead us in singing it. Our new best friend "Page" jumped right up and led the crowd with a beautiful rendition of the Canadian favorite. Thank you again Page! There were several thousand passionate old car fans and several hundred cruise in cars on display. Kanata did it up right too with a wonderful roasted chicken meal for all the Great Racers.
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June 19, 2012If you're new to the old car hobby then you may not have heard of a guy by the name of Henry J. Kaiser. He was quite the engineer and he certainly developed some of the most unique cars of the late '40s and early '50s. Kaiser, Frazer and Henry J were the big three offerings, and each car had its own set of models, with various trim levels and configurations. The company didn't last very long, but it left behind a great legacy that results in a dedicated group of owners. The Kaiser-Frazer Owners Club has a national meet once per year, and the 2012 event is just up the road from us in Sweetwater, Tennessee.
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May 23, 2012We love old cars, especially those from the '50s and '60s, when styling efforts were at an all time high. Chrysler led the pack with some of the most interesting designs in the industry, and put the automotive world on its ear when it unveiled the Chrysler 300 in 1955. The new model featured luxurious details inside and out, as well as a powerful Hemi engine. Two years
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March 13, 2012If you follow our blog, then you know that we're passionate about vintage automobiles. We're even more passionate about getting out and DRIVING these pieces of automotive history! Aside from casual driving to local car shows, what's the best way to get out and enjoy your old car??? Well, we might have a biased opinion, but the answer is the Great Race! [caption id="attachment_2366" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Check out the map for this year's Great Race!"][/caption]
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January 16, 2012Yep, it's that time of the year yet again....time for a new Coker Tire catalog! Our Marketing Department has been slaving away at the catalog, and there's no doubt that it's our best one yet. Graphic Designer, Aaron Wolfe worked alongside Corky and the gang to create a fresh look with all sorts of new products. The finished product is really cool, so we wanted to share it with you as a sneak peek. Check it out! [caption id="attachment_2320" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="On the cover is (Uncle) Bob Coker\'s beautifully restored 1955 Buick Motorama four door hardtop prototype! It rolls on Coker Classic bias ply whitewalls and Buick Skylark wire wheels."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2321" align="alignleft" width="500"
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June 17, 2011After a few days of cool temperatures, we were reminded that it's summer time, even in New York. We had temperatures creeping up into the 90's throughout the day, but no where near as hot as when we started in Chattanooga. More back roads with lots of cool scenery gave us plenty of opportunities to snap some pictures, and we even had a maze in today's course, which had drivers doing a big loop and ending up at the same intersection! We even saw two cars at the intersection at the same time, which is always awesome for pictures. Our lunch stop was absolutely incredible as the folks in Cooperstown, New York did a great job of supporting the Great Race. We had lots of on-lookers, and we enjoyed a hot dog before walking through the Baseball Hall of Fame. Big thanks to the HoF for giving the Great Racers free admission!!! After lunch we kept on truckin' and ended up in Saratoga Springs, New York...more specifically the Saratoga Automobile Museum. LOTS of awesome sports cars in there, as well as some very very cool vintage racecars on the second floor. If you're ever in the area, check it out! We had a wonderful turnout at the Museum, with lots of spectators greeting the racers as they rolled into town. Tomorrow is the final day of the Great Race, so we're excited to see who ends up winning this deal! Remember, there is $90,000 on the line, so these guys and gals will be on edge until the final results are revealed. We can't wait! For now, take a look at our pictures from today's route, and check out www.greatrace.com for all of the scores, as well as additional photos. See you in Bennington!
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June 16, 2011We're winding down from another big day of the Great Race in Binghamton, New York. We snaked through the back roads of Pennsylvania for the majority of the day, and crossed into New York in the afternoon. Our route started in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and as soon as the clocks started for the racers, they had to negotiate a slow speed covered, one lane bridge, which was perfect for some cool pictures and video. It was a tricky route with lots of tough turns and maneuvers along the way. We stopped by Hazelton, PA for lunch, and were greeted by a huge crowd. We were also treated to a wonderful lunch, consisting of fried chicken and all sorts of other goodies. We even found a new favorite side dish....fried green beans! Back on the road, we saw thousands of acres of farmland, with rolling hills and more cool bridges. You really don't get a grasp of how amazingly beautiful this country is until you view these back roads! Today the roads led to Binghamton, New York were LOTS and LOTS of folks turned out to see the Great Race come through town. We had yet another awesome dinner, so it's time to loosen the belt a little. We have a super tight race for the lead right now, so take a look at www.greatrace.com for all of the up to date scores, as well as photos from today's route! Here are a few of our favorite photos from the day!
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June 15, 2011Another day on the road, and we've landed in Hershey, Pennsylvania! We started the morning in Cumberland, Maryland with cool temperatures, and drove through a bunch of cool farmland. Narrow bridges, rolling hills and amazing barns gave us lots of opportunities to grab awesome pictures and video. Lunch was in Chambersburg, PA and they shut down the town to let all the Great Racers show off their cars and trucks. Talk about an awesome down town! We had a great lunch and hopped back in the car on our way to Hershey, PA. Dinner was held at the AACA Museum, so we made a pass through the Museum, grabbed a bite to eat and took more pictures...do you see a pattern here with the pictures? Take a look at what we captured, and go to www.greatrace.com to see a bunch more!!! See y'all tomorrow...
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June 14, 2011That's right, we're up here in beautiful Cumberland, Maryland, having an awesome time. We went through a long, and very difficult route today with lots of stops, turns and speed changes, so all of the racers felt the pressure. From Salem, Virginia we headed north on a bunch of wonderful back roads through lots of farm land, and a mountain here and there. Our lunch stop was in Harrisonburg, Virginia where the town gathered at the Turner Pavilion to watch the racers file in from their hard morning of rallying. We scarfed down a couple of hot dogs and hit the road again, headed to our final destination of Cumberland, Maryland. We had a surprise at the end of the days route, just as the racers went off the clock, as we passed over on America's only remaining privately-owned toll bridges. It was AMAZING to see these old cars cross over a bridge built in the same era! Dinner stop was in downtown Cumberland, which is one of the coolest downtowns we've ever seen! So much fun, and the people were great...right now, we are loading pictures and getting ready for tomorrow. Check back for updates, but for now take a look at some of our favorite pictures!
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June 13, 2011Here we are after day two of the Hemmings Motor New Great Race! Today, we started off in Asheville, North Carolina and hit the mountain roads wide open. Lots of twisty roads with tricky speed changes made today's rally a tough one for many racers, but we saw a lot of good driving out there. Our lunch stop was held in the small town of Galax, Virginia...more specifically, we had it at the Old Cranks Motorcar Museum. We had some good ole BBQ at the museum, and enjoyed the crowd of spectators. Then it was back to the twists and turns of Virginia, as we scaled a bunch of cool back roads. We did get some rain on the afternoon leg of the route on our way to the Dinner Stop at the Salem Civic Center. These guys know how to party!!! Tons of hot rods, muscle cars and just plain cool cars stopped by to help celebrate the Great Race festivities, and we had another great dinner...you know car guys like to eat! Tonight we'll be preparing for Day 3, where we'll eventually end up in Maryland, one step closer to our big finish in downtown Bennington, Vermont! Check out our favorite pictures from today, but you should also know that www.greatrace.com had a LOT more photos! See y'all tomorrow!
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June 12, 2011We're sitting in our hotel in Asheville, North Carolina, checking out all of our photos and videos from Day One at the 2011 Hemmings Great Race. Our route took us from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Maggie Valley, North Carolina, which means we spent a great deal of time in the mountains. It was an awesome ride with lots of opportunities for cool pictures, so take a look at our favorites and check out www.greatrace.com for even more photos, along with scores and breaking news. It's time to get ready for today's route, so we're making this one short and sweet, but we want to thank all of the Great Race staff and volunteers for an amazing job on day one. Also a huge thanks goes out to the city of Athens, Tennessee, which hosted the lunch stop, and all the fine folks at the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley. [caption id="attachment_1598" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Let\'s get this thing started! Chestnut Street in Chattanooga was packed with cars and on lookers before the start of the race!"][/caption]
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June 10, 2011We followed along with the gang today during the Hagerty Trophy run, which is basically a warm up rally to get the racers, check point crews (and photographers) prepared for the big event. It was a nice drive over to Jasper, then to Raccoon Mountain and back to the Coker Tire headquarters in Chattanooga. Check out some of the pictures...we're headed to the Kickoff Dinner in the Coker Tire Museum...see ya tomorrow!
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June 10, 2011
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June 10, 2011Alright, things are getting hectic here at the Coker Tire headquarters. We have folks all over the place, getting Great Race participants signed in and ready for competition. Honest Charley Garage is handling decal application on all 60 entrants, so those guys are staying busy. Tomorrow will be a crazy day with the warm-up rally, continued registration and rally school. Let's roll!
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May 11, 2011It's official--we're in full on show season, so we have trucks and trailers, and people running the roads constantly. We have booths set up at nearly 50 events this year, so our guys are super busy with setting up for shows and making sure we have enough product to keep you guys happy! What you may not know is that while our trucks and trailers go to big events, we also hit up a few other shows just for the fun of it. For instance, we dropped in on the NSRA Street Rod Nationals South this past weekend, which is held just up the road in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was a one-day trip, but we saw plenty of Coker Tire supporters in a wide variety of vehicles, from chopped and channeled Model A's rolling on Firestone whitewalls to flawlessly restored Camaros shod with redline tires. We snapped a few pictures along the way, so take a look. We might've grabbed a shot of your car! [caption id="attachment_1337" align="alignleft" width="475" caption="BFG Silvertown Whitewall Radials tucked WAY under the fenders of this Chevy pickup!"][/caption]
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March 18, 2011Alright, the weather is beginning to straighten out, and it's time to roll the windows down and go for a ride. As you know, we don't really get into the whole "trailer queen" thing--these old cars are meant to be driven! With that in mind, you should always keep an eye on your tread wear characteristics, to make sure you get the most out of your tires. Tread wear depends greatly on your suspension alignment, and if that's off, you'll chew through a set of tires in no time. Of course, our business is selling tires, so we don't mind if you buy a new set of tires every few thousand miles, but it's important to get this stuff sorted out, so you get a little more enjoyment out of your collector car. Vehicles with solid axles, front and rear, are a little tougher to align properly, while vehicles with independent suspension have a lot more wiggle room when it comes to adjusting camber, caster and toe.