We have to say that Dave Goerend has one of the most interesting garages we’ve seen in a long time—not just vehicle-wise, but also in location. St. Lucas, Iowa, is a very small town (population 137) so when a local Catholic school decided to sell their gymnasium, Dave heard about it. In what has to be one of the oddest transactions ever, a transmission builder acquired a gym for the purpose of storing used Dodge diesel transmission cores. But there was a also basement, which got Dave thinking.
Though he builds Dodge and GM diesel transmission parts by trade, Dave is a car guy through and through, which meant he also needed some cool gas rides to go along with the diesels. The gym’s basement was huge and seemed like the perfect spot for a garage where he could protect his old- and new-school gas rides from harsh Iowa winters. A Viper and a Challenger SRT8 were no-brainers for Dave since he’s a Mopar guy, but there’s also an old Corvette and a GM pickup that’s been fully restored down to every nut and bolt.
In addition to the vehicles, there’s a bunch of old equipment Dave couldn’t bear to get rid of, including a Sun dynamometer. If you’re wondering why he isn’t using it now, that’s because it’s limited to around 400 rwhp, which is a stock V8 Mustang these days. Besides the dyno, Dave has a number of other machines from back when it was Goerend Brothers Transmission and Auto Repair.
While Dave has no plans to add more vehicles to his stable (at the moment), he has room to grow. “We still have a pitching setup for baseball and a basketball court up top, but there’s still room in the basement!” he says. Hey, Dave, how about adding an old Hemi to the collection? That would be cool.
2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8
Dave made a deal on his 2011 Challenger SRT8 with the local dealership that included a lifetime warranty for an undisclosed amount. With only 5,000 miles on the clock, it’s not likely to need work soon, but better to be safe than sorry.
Dodge Viper
The 505hp Viper might seem tame horsepower-wise these days, but it’s also a lot lighter than most new vehicles at 3,400 pounds. That isn’t bad when you consider its a V10 engine. Just like the SRT8, the Viper is a stocker.
1955 Chevy Truck (First Series)
Dave has owned the 1955 Chevy 3500 for 40 years. He bought it as a shop truck in 1978 for $50, and then it alternately got worked hard or sat for the next three and a half decades. In 2014, Dave decided to give the truck a new life, and son-in-law Maxwell Krivachek at Your Car Dealer LLC in Fort Atkinson, Iowa, spent three years restoring it. The Chevy is powered by a 235ci six-banger and is painted Chameleon Green.
1973 Corvette Stingray
Another oldie but goodie is Dave’s all-original 1973 Corvette Stingray. The convertible is a barn find, with only 28,000 miles on the original 350 engine. “I liked hot rod Corvettes, but it’s just really hard to modify a car that’s this original and clean,” Dave says.
Cool Stuff…
Back before handheld computers ruled the world, shops had to buy machines to diagnose vehicles. Dave still has an old distributor machine, scope, and dyno from Sun in his garage. The dual-roller dyno is especially interesting, as it would vary the load on the front roller to keep the vehicle centered and eliminate the need for straps. “That was back in the ’80s before cars made much power though,” Dave says.
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