It’s a Father & Son Car Thing

For Three Generations The “Car-Gene” Lives On


We’ve all heard the stories about how a young man is influenced by his father in ways they could scarcely understand at the time. Yet with the passing of time, they come to understand how important that influence was and how it affected their lives.

This is one of those stories. Brent Casteel, arguably one of the best in the world of automotive customizing and restoration, learned most of what he knows from his father and has used his skills to produce some outstanding customized cars.

Like many teenagers of their day, Brent Casteel grew up around cars. The time was the early 70s, the location was Macon, Georgia, and the business was Macon Speed Shop, owned by his father Ron Casteel. It was the largest speed and automotive shop in five states and it was here that Brent became skilled at working with cars.

At the age of 10, with his father’s guidance, Brent built his first engine – a 327 Small Block Chevy. Then at 14, he and his dad moved on to a car project, a 1955 Chevy in very rough shape that had to be dragged out of the woods to get it to the shop.

The Chevy required total rebuilding that took an enormous amount of work, but young Brent was up to the challenge. He learned virtually everything about car building and with his father as his mentor. He developed skills in everything from wiring, to welding to machining. And when the project was complete, father and son had produced a head-turning ride that was the envy of everyone that saw it.

In the following years, Brent continued to develop his car restoration skills and today has a custom car business in King, North Carolina. Although the business is a hobby, what comes out of his garage has the same first-rate quality that any full-time professional produces.

1964 Chevelle Super Sport

Brent Casteel and son Evan Casteel

It is at his business that the “car-gene” is being passed along. That’s because the third generation of Casteels has developed the same devotion to cars as his father and grandfather before him. Evan is a 13-year-old version of his father Brent, young Evan has been captivated by cars since he was old enough to walk and today he’s the proud owner of a 1964 Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport – an eye-popping customized car specimen that rivals any restored car out there.

The car did not end up the specimen it is overnight. Indeed, the immense amount of work it took to reach the final goal can only be explained by sweat, determination and vision. And just as his father did when he built his ’55 Chevy, Brent invested the same devotion through unlimited hours of teaching and mentoring Evan to make his ’64 Chevelle happen.

The car is nothing short of perfection, and for both Evan and Brent it’s a dream realized. Brent credits Evan as the underlying source for how the car turned out. That’s because he understood the project was a repeat of his childhood car project and wanted to do for Evan what his father had done for him. One look at the car tells you the father-son venture has been successful.

Evan is still learning about car restoration, but when it comes to the Chevelle, his main interest is making sure his ride stays in prime condition for the day he can drive it himself. He won’t be eligible for his license for three more years, but in the meantime he pampers the car with TLC as if he was driving it now.

Evan and Brent have toured the car in a variety of venues, and on most weekends you’ll find the duo at a local cruise-in or maybe just tooling around town. Or, you may spot the two on the open road as they go from point-to-point on the Hot Rod Power Tour.

Until the time that Evan can take the car out on his own, he is constantly learning and working on cars with his dad. His skills will likely lead to other car projects and with his whole life ahead, it’s to be expected that the “car-gene” will be passed to the next Casteel generation.

Because of its outstanding looks and impressive sound, the ’64 Chevelle is not hard to spot when it’s out on the road. So if you happen to come across this spectacular road-rocket, take a listen to the sweet sound of the Thumpr™ cam and have Brent or Evan lift the hood so you can see the Ultra-Gold™ rockers in action. You’ll love it.

Brent Casteel proudly displays the Thumpr™ cam logo. As you can see it’s custom-mounted in the trunk compartment and at every stop the trunk lid is raised so everyone can see it.

One of the “crowd-pleasing” elements of this car is the clear valve covers you can see in this photo. The Chevrolet 350 small block has an “ALL-COMP®” valve train that includes: lifters, pushrods, springs, Ultra-Gold™ rocker arms, Thumpr™ cam and retainers. It also has a COMP® timing chain.

Under The Hood

Brent Casteel has produced some of the finest examples of car customizing and restoration imaginable and some of them have caught the attention of magazine editors. Consequently, a couple of his cars have appeared in some impressive magazines such as Chevy High Performance, Super Chevy, Classic Chevy World, and Chevelle. But it was not only magazine people that noticed, equipment manufacturers took notice as well.

One such company is COMP Cams®. It was in 2002 that Brent met the folks at COMP® and formed an ongoing friendship and customer relationship. As a matter of fact, last year COMP Cams® asked that the 1964 Chevelle go on display in the COMP® pavilion at every destination point on Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour. So from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Madison, Wisconsin, the car was on display. It was an instant hit because along with its dazzling looks, the 350 Small Block Chevy has a couple of characteristics that really sets it apart. One is the great “thumping” sound that’s produced from the Thumpr™ cam and the other is the fact that you can actually see the Ultra-Gold™ rocker arms in action.

Did we say “see” the rockers in action? Yes. That’s because the engine has unique “see-through” valve covers that make it possible to observe the rockers in action. It’s a fantastic example of ingenuity and makes this car truly one of a kind.

Along with the cam and rockers, the engine is equipped with an “All-COMP®” valve train that includes lifters, pushrods, springs, and retainers, as well as the timing chain. It is this valve train combination that ensures the engine performs at maximum capacity. The good news is that you can have the same great components; all it takes is a call to COMP Cams® for complete information on these and all COMP Cams® products.


Sources:

Brent Casteel
1050 Meghan Lane
King, North Carolina 27021
336-969-4694



COMP Cams®
3406 Democrat Road
Memphis, TN 38118
Tech Support: 1-800-999-0853
General: 901-795-2400
Fax: 901-366-1807
www.compcams.com