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Fashion fades but denim is eternal

There is a dying sector of the car world that isn’t glamorous, isn’t flashy and regarded by many as boring. Its the sector of the business that isn’t six figure builds and restorations and isn’t panel slapping collision work. Its the catch all of automotive repair and customization that is reliable and gets the job done. From brake repair, to wiring, metal fab and suspension set up Ian and Scott at Steel City Speed & Custom are the “blue jeans and t-shirt,” shop of the automotive industry. They can do it all and are the one stop shop for quick tune ups to full on builds but thier bread and butter is the down and dirty basic mechaical needs that 90% of us in the classic car world are in desperate need of…

Ian is the owner of the shop and has had the doors open for the past 5 years. Growing up Ian always loved cars, his family would buy him all types of car toys. As he got older that turned into bicycles that he would repair in his neighborhood for his friends. In high school he was big into art and did a semester at an art school. He quickly realized that this was not a viable long term option for him to make a living. He eventually landed at a technical school and after graduating he was a diesel mechanic. Ian admits he almost got out of the automotive industry because of the monotony and repetitiveness of that style of mechanic. While it was good for his skills it wasn’t good for his soul. He found a job in a custom shop in Pittsburgh where he really started honing his skills however again found that working on $500-$600K builds was not satisfying. This is where you start to see the principals of what SCSC was founded on and how that niche market was developed. The 70’s and 80’s NASCAR’s are his passion and he pulls a lot of inspiration from this time period. Ian ran Steel City by himself for about a year and a half and found it to be incredibly difficult to run as a one man operation. The vastness of the space and the amount of work he was taking on was too much. He was barely scrapping by before his business partner bailed he was forced to make it on his own. Until he found Scott…

Scott is the joker of the group and quick with one liners. Older than Ian, he brings knowledge of multiple industries as well as a long history of building cars. Scott lived in the neighborhood where SCSC currently resides and used to walk his dog past the shop. One day a 68 Galaxy caught his eye in the shop and started up a conversation with Ian. Scott’s wife needed a car rebuilt and decided to keeping it local while giving Ian a shot. After realizing that Scott knew what he was doing, Ian hired him and the friendship started. During the podcast you will find that Scott is the Ying to Ian’s Yang and both a have different taste in cars. Scott grew up in garages and had a father that was a part of a car club right there in Lawrenceville in the 50’s. They built cars right down the street from the SCSC location and used to race across the bridge that the shop currently sits under. He built cars with his dad and was always around them. Scott and his wife have owned a tattoo studio and has been tattooing for the past 30 years. The 20’s - late 60’s cars are his passion and has a nice Pontiac Catalina project that is sure to piss off the Pontiac purest.

Their passion is working on cars from the 80’s and older as these were an end of an era that had full frame chassis and the basic DNA of the 60’s and 70’s muscle cars. Plus lets be honest they are way cooler! Full sized cars, patina trucks, weird cars and builds with too much power are their specialty. Judging from the eclectic nature of the collection of cars they are working on they aren’t lying. In one corner of the shop they had a 50’s Metro Van that Scott wants to build to do wheelies before its final send off to work as a cupcake delivery truck. In another corner a 79’ Olds that was getting a posi rear end and power upgrades to beat on the streets. All of the cars they work on are drivers and before ever leaving the shop they need to be 100% safe and correct before Ian and Scott will give it back to the customer. Safety and drivability of a car when they deliver it to a customer is the priority.

Blending the talents of each of the guys along with modern upgrades give the shop an advantage of putting out some of the best driver cars cruising the Pittsburgh streets. They find the fine line of power and danger without over building the car. Their philosophy is speed is relative to what you’re driving. You can go 150 mph in a Tesla with no hands on the steering wheel but where is the fun in that. However going 150 mph in an 87 Monte Carlo G-body introduces not only all the sounds and smells of years past but the element of danger that gets your heart pumping. Going fast in something that wasn’t originally built for speed is the definition of fun to the guys.

The “jeans and t-shit,” segment of the auto industry is a difficult one. As Ian put it, “you don’t start making money until you’re established.” The guys take on projects with god knows what is lurking underneath them and have to use their skills to get the projects back on the road in a reasonable amount of time for a reasonable amount of money. Ian said, “we have customers that come in expected to be budget,” however when they get the vehicle to the shop they’ve been, “worked on by 30 people, hammered and need all of the bussings, all the brake parts…adjustments, and you’re doing everything.” From beaters pulled out of a barn to high dollar auction cars shotty work does not discriminate and when it comes through the door the guys take the extra step to explain what all needs fixing. Scott said we, “un-fu#k a lot of cars,” which I think sums up the type of work the guys do.

Not only do the guys fix a lot of projects but as mentioned before they finish a lot of the minute details that make a car drive exactly how you want it. The time needed to dial in things like brakes, suspension and electrical go unseen but make the driving experience pleasant. The guys are passionate about cars and feel like these cars deserved to be saved and take great pride in seeing their work at a local car show. To me these are the type of people that you want working on you car, so much so I will be taking my Nova to them in a few short weeks for some maintenance work.

Jean and t-shirts will never go out of style, neither will a good looking and performing classic car! I cannot thank both Ian and Scott enough, for allowing me to come up and check out the shop and the current projects they are working on. If you’re looking for a great shop in the Pittsburgh area for repairs and customization hit them up @steelcity_speedandcustom or google them to email the shop. I really appreciate the time Ian and Scott took to walk through their incredible operation and share the knowledge and stories behind that built the shop. I will give everyone a follow up on how they are doing as my personal Nova will be in house!