Not bad for 26 years in the woods!wo yearsago, two friends from Iowa
posted aseries of videosonYouTube.
They featuredthe resurrection ofaderelict
1965FordF250 found in woodland onadisused
farm.AmongsttheplethoraofYouTubechannels
featuringAmerican classics, the F250 videos
becameastand- out success, surpassing amillion
view sinlessthanayear.
The videos appearedonYouTube channel,
Junkyard Digs created by Kevin Brown, a22-year-oldstudentofapplied engineering at
IowaState. ForKevi n, th erescueofthe F250
began when he was just five,and fascinatedby
abrokenlawnmower engine. By the age of10,
the lawn mowerengines filledashed. “I vividly
remember the dayIfiguredouthow an engine
really worked.Iwas drawingaV8onanote card in
5thgrade whenitsuddenlyclicked;Iunderstood
the mechanicaloperation of anengine beyond the
basics that every scie ncebook tellsyou about.”Kevin’spassio nfor old engines matched his
passion for old cars. “I was honestly the only car
kid in school and people thoughtIwas kind of
odd. Everyone else was interested in sneaking
out to drink, butIspent my nights in the garage
working on anythingIcould get my hands
on”. When Iowa winters made working outside
impossible,YouTube fed his curiosity.Kevin was
inspired by the earlyRoadKill videos.
“I loved the ideaof wrenching on some
old wreck and driving it some place.Ican
watch those early shows over and over.There’s
something so simple and fun about them. I
thought, ‘I want to do this’.
“I star ted with an Instagram account, making
anetwork of friendsIhavetothis day.Iknew
of Luke through his series of ‘How to’ videos on
YouTub e. Iended up contacting him and selling
him an engine.” Luke Filey was at university at
the time. Another fan of the earlyRoadKill shows,
he hasapassion for old cars and setting them up
for optimum performance. He createdaYouTube
channel, Thunderhead289, out of necessity.“I
was posting tips on car forums wherealot of
people running older cars were struggling with
various problems.Iwas gettingalot of requestsVideo Killed theRadio StarSteve Harper uncovers the story behind the broken F250 and talks tothe classic American car nuts who became YouTube Stars rescuing it...Wo
rds:
Steve Harper
Photography:
Kevin Brown