Behind the Build:
A Behind-The-Scenes Look from Brenton’s Automotive Studios
More Than Metal: Restoring a Legacy with Madi’s 1977 Trans Am
Every so often, a project comes into the garage that reminds us why cars are much more than the sum of their parts; they are about memory, mentorship, and the legacies we leave behind.
Two Guys Garage is making plans to welcome a very special guest to the shop this season, along with a car that carries a lifetime of meaning.
The Flashlight Holder’s Journey
Madi is 15 years old, but her love for the 1977 “Bandit” Trans Am started long ago. Like many automotive enthusiasts, her earliest memories in the garage involve holding a flashlight for her father as he worked on his own projects.
“When I was young, my dad owned quite a few Trans Ams,” says Madi. “And as a kid I would always sit in the garage, hold the flashlight, and just do little stuff to help him out.” Madi shared how much she looked up to her dad, and how much his affinity for Smokey and the Bandit, Trans Ams, and working on cars influenced her.
“I just thought he was the coolest guy in the world for it. He would always have Smokey and the Bandit on TV,” Madi remembers, “And, I don’t know, I just thought it was the coolest thing ever.”
After her father passed away, that flashlight became a torch Madi was determined to carry.
“I went to a Trans Am show all the way in Georgia, about five hours from where I live. And I was just talking to people, and somebody told me that he had one for sale.”
A week later, Madi was the owner of her very own 1977 Bandit style Trans Am.
Madi didn’t just want to own a piece of history; she wanted to build it…but she needed some help to get started. Madi reached out to Riley’s Rebuilds, a Florida-based team led by 20-year-old Riley Schlick-Trask and her father, Dane. The father-daughter team mentors young enthusiasts who want to gain hands-on experience with their own builds.
“A lot of people ask, how do we get youth into the industry? Is it dying off? How do we continue to pass down the knowledge that we’ve had? And it’s just opening the garage and inviting people to come in,” says Riley.
For kids from families where wrench-turning isn’t the norm, Riley says opening the garage to anyone who wants to learn provides an atmosphere where it’s OK to make mistakes and figure it out on the job.
Riley and Madi also say there’s a strong sense of community being forged among these young builders as they gather in the garage on weekends to help each other with their personal projects.
“I love that I’m able to learn as I’m doing it,” says Madi. “And I feel like as a whole group, we all just have so much fun doing everything. We’ll have music playing in the garage, we’ll be joking around while we’re working, and we forget that it’s work sometimes!”
“How do we get youth into the industry? …Opening the garage and inviting people to come in.”
Honoring the Past, Building for the Future
Madi’s 6.6L 400 big block Bandit Trans Am is a labor of love that has already seen the team gutting rusted floor panels, refurbishing the two-toned interior, and sanding down rims. That said, in order to make this 1977 classic a safe and comfortable daily driver for a Florida teenager, the team will need to address a few areas.
Riley says new brakes and springs are top priority, to ensure the car stops as well as it goes. Madi points out that adding A/C is a must for the Florida heat. She’s also looking for some modern audio solutions.
“It still has an 8-track and everything,” she explains. New paint and decals are also on Madi’s wish-list for the future.
Fueling the Future with Two Guys Garage
Plans are currently in the works to bring Madi, her Trans Am, and other members of the Riley’s Rebuilds team onto an upcoming episode of Two Guys Garage to turn wrenches alongside hosts Kevin Byrd and Willie B. Madi says being on the show would be “amazing.”
“It means a lot that we would have an episode as a group…as a family,” she says, adding that family is what the Riley’s Rebuilds gang feels like to her.
This unique episode of Two Guys Garage represents a bridge between generations, as Willie and Kevin step into the role of mentors to share decades of industry expertise with Madi and her peers. It promises to be an authentic look at how the automotive passion is handed down, ensuring that the DIY spirit remains alive and well in the next generation.
For automotive brands like Holley Performance Brands who are participating sponsors of this episode, it’s also an opportunity to stand behind the future of the industry.
By getting involved in Madi’s story, these brands will provide the parts and tools to help a 15-year-old girl honor her father’s legacy and develop skills that will last a lifetime.
“It’s just something I’m passionate about and I want to keep doing, no matter if it’s a career or it’s a side thing,” says Madi. “I plan on working on cars forever.”
Watch Holley reveal that Madi and her Trans Am are headed to Two Guys Garage!
Want to help equip Madi and the next generation of car builders with the tools they need to succeed?
Click here to learn how you can be part of this inspirational episode of Two Guys Garage.
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