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Classic car restoration of a 1998 Acura Integra. How a father and son rebuilt a "Teggy" to climb Mount Evans...

"We sat on a rock in the driveway, stared at the car, and thought: What did we just do?" 🛠️🧩.

What happens when a father humors his son’s "crazy idea" to buy a $5,000 project car during a global pandemic?. In this episode, we’re joined by Ruchin and Neil Kansal, the father-son duo behind the book The Kansal Clunker.

Neil shares the incredible story of receiving his driver's license just 24 hours before the world shut down, leading to a deep obsession with a "piece of junk" 1998 Acura Integra named "Teggy". Together, they navigate a ground-up restoration with zero prior experience—learning everything from interior teardowns to wiring via YouTube and the support of a "mafia-like" car community.

In this episode, we discuss:

🏎️ The "Teggy" Transformation: Taking a 1998 Integra from a clunker to a machine capable of climbing 14,130 feet to the summit of Mount Evans, Colorado.
🛠️ Learning the Hard Way: How to rebuild a car when you’ve never even taken off a tire.
🤝 The Power of Shared Projects: How the "Kansal Clunker" became a masterclass in collaboration, vulnerability, and father-son bonding.
🚙 The 4Runner Debate: Neil’s shift to a new Toyota 4Runner and his defense of the controversial 4-cylinder turbo engine.
🍎 Generational Legacies: From Ruchin’s silver Mitsubishi Galant memories to their current project—a 1983 Alfa Romeo Spider.

Whether you're a seasoned mechanic or someone who just "sat on a rock" staring at a project, this episode is a beautiful reminder that every car tells a story—and the best ones are built together.

Connect with our guests:

🌐 Website: thekansalclunker.com

📖 Book: The Kansal Clunker (Available at thekansalclunker.com/book or wherever books are sold)

🔗🌲 Find all our 70+ episodes, social links, and YouTube video podcasts here: linktr.ee/carsloved

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Connect with us:

📧 Email: stories@carsloved.com

🔗🌳 Visit our LinkTree for all 70+ episodes: https://linktr.ee/carsloved

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