Chris Blocker leaning on his infamous, and fan favorite rat rod “Loose Change” that may be seen a time or two on his new YouTube channel. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

If you don’t know the man, then you’ve at least seen the car, and if you’ve seen the car, then you know the man. I am talking about local gearhead Chris Blocker. A staple among the Tama County car shows, Blocker’s frankensteined modified rides are a true sight to behold, making all that crowd around the vehicle drop their jaws in awe.

If you’re not as mechanically inclined as Mr. Blocker, or Blocky as he is often called, you are now in luck. In February, Chris came up with an idea for a new adventure, a YouTube channel. The Blocky’s Garage YouTube channel may have only been up for a limited time, but there are already a dozen helpful and interesting videos on the channel ready to be watched.

The reason Blocker started his channel is simple. In his own words, Chris started it because he has, “A lot of knowledge about cars and all of their parts, and I wanted to bring people in on my everyday work as well as my tinkering.” Tinkering may be an understatement of Blockers, as he does more than just change the oil and tighten the lug nuts. Blocky does motor pulls, body swaps, and full-on restorations, that you will be able to see on his channel, all while learning a little something along the way. “I’ve been “saving” a lot of vehicles from junk yards in hopes to bring them back to life. I’m hoping everything I’m working on, is helping teach someone even a little something new that they didn’t know before. I’m always going to depth on all my work to ensure that someone learns something,” Blocker has stated.

This is just the start of Blocky’s Garage, as there is a whole slew of projects planned for the future. Just a few that Blocker has already thought of making next are, “A vintage dirt track car, Rat Rod Gasser, Ramp Truck, and a Rat Rod Truck,” he has said, but that’s not all. Blocker went on to say, “I’ll also be doing motor rebuilds, rear ends, transmissions, full restorations, and a lot of “how to” videos as well as quick tips.”

Blocky’s YouTube channel has been growing with the publication of every video, subscribers know they are watching quality content made by a man who knows what he’s talking about. However, the creation of the YouTube channel hasn’t been met without its fair share of troubles. Blocker has struggled here and there with various parts, including editing, and getting the videos out promptly. As well as talking to himself when he’s alone in the garage, narrating what he’s doing, and of course, turning on the camera. Despite these small slip-ups and setbacks, Blocker has been putting himself out there and has been receiving nothing but support, not only from online comments but just from people around town as well.

A still from one of Blocky’s YouTube videos, this one showing him pulling a motor out of a Pontiac.

Now, if you don’t just want to see Blocky on the internet, but you want to see his cars in person. If you want to see his rat rod, named “Loose Change”, the car that I told you inspires awe, makes you drop your jaw, makes you say, “Ooh-la-la.” Then you’ll have to go to one of the many car shows in which Blocker is in attendance. Some of them may be featured on his channel in the future, but seeing that fan-favorite rat rod in person is not to be missed. Blocker goes to a whopping thirty-some shows a year, and if they’re close, he brings along some of his other cars, not just the rat rod, but the Tribute “Dukes of Hazzard” tow truck, the ’65 Galaxy 500, and his ’07 Corvette.

So, if you can’t get out to any of the local car shows this year, or if you need to learn a few mechanical tricks, then get out the computer. This local maestro of motors’ YouTube page is the place to go if you simply want to learn a few things or if you want to have some fun and see a car get transformed. Check it out on YouTube at Blockys Garage.

Some of the car shows that Chris Blocker attends are listed below:

-Brooklyn on June 9th

-Gladbrook on June 15th

-Victor on June 29th

-Goodguys (at the Iowa State Fairgrounds) July 5th-7th

-Dysart on July 19th

-Hudson on July 20th

-Chelsea on July 27th

– Marengo on August 3rd

-Keystone on August 4th

-Grinnell on August 24th

-Reinbeck on September 21st

-Tama this September