Road to AAPEX Archives - Transmission Digest
Road to AAPEX season 2 finale: Where the road ends and the show begins

There’s a magical alchemy in how we get to where we’re going. A dot on the map, a full tank of gas and the open road. We navigate the twists and turns and arrive at our destination. The automotive aftermarket, however, has turned that process into a science with distribution delivering the right part to

Road to AAPEX season 2, ep. 9: The roads that connect us

The automotive aftermarket is about connections. Connections to the right parts, to the right places, to the right people. It’s the roads we travel down together that make us grow closer and bring us together. That’s the feeling that paves the Road to AAPEX as Babcox Media’s Joe Keene, an ASE-certified technician, traverses the Bonneville

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Road to AAPEX Ep. 8: Paving the way for automotive innovation

The innovation of the Lincoln Highway wasn’t just about building roads—it was about putting them on the map. The Wyoming Historical Society notes that the abandoned routes laid down by the Union Pacific railroad from 1867 to 1869 were often the best, and sometimes the only, east-west path available when developing the Lincoln Highway. In

Road to AAPEX Ep. 7: Connecting to future automotive technology

Rolling through Nebraska, Babcox Media’s Joe Keene meets kindred spirits as he drives the rare Lincoln Blackwood he refurbished for his journey to AAPEX. Along the way, he meets a family traveling the Lincoln Highway section by section, taking in sights such as the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument and the Classic Car Collection,

Road to AAPEX Ep. 6: Historic mile markers on the road of progress

It’s the unexpected moments that make a trip memorable. Babcox Media’s Joe Keene, an ASE-certified technician who fixed a rare Lincoln Blackwood, enters Iowa on his drive to AAPEX and discovers the charm of small-town America along the Lincoln Highway. A standout spot is the Lincoln Highway Hotel. The now boutique hotel, built in 1915,

Road to AAPEX Ep. 5: At the crossroad of automotive’s past and future

To know where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been. For Babcox Media’s Joe Keene, an ASE-certified technician charged with fixing up a rare Lincoln Blackwood, it means heading back to Transtar Autobody Technologies in Detroit to put the finishing touches on the Blackwood. Then, he’ll put Babcox Media HQ in the rearview

Road to AAPEX Ep. 4, Part 2: The Lincoln Blackwood’s big service needs

The automotive service story often takes longer to tell than you might anticipate. What seems like a routine job can spiral into an epic tale of root cause analysis. Once Babcox Media’s Joe Keene, an ASE-certified technician, and his team of Babcox techs, alongside Ohio Technical College professionals and students, began tending to the Lincoln

Road to AAPEX Ep. 4 Pt. 2
Road to AAPEX Ep. 4, Part 1: Shifting vehicle service gears, featuring a transmission replacement

A good project car brings people together. Driving the rare Lincoln Blackwood into Ohio Technical College (OTC) turned heads. And once Babcox Media’s Joe Keene, an ASE-certified technician, and the technicians-in-training at OTC got to pop the hood and slide under it on a creeper to get their hands in it, its service needs raised

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Road to AAPEX Ep. 3: A rare Lincoln Blackwood means a hunt for rare parts

Three thousand three hundred and fifty-six. That’s how many Lincoln Blackwoods exist in the world. For comparison, the Ford F-150—the Blackwood’s inspiration—has spawned more than 40 million since its launch in 1948. Guess which one is harder to track down parts for. Babcox Media’s Joe Keene, an ASE-certified technician, has tracked down his fair share

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Road to AAPEX Ep. 2: Five score and 10 years ago, the Lincoln Highway paved the way for the future

Today, it’s the route for Babcox Media’s Joe Keene, an ASE-certified technician, who is charged with fixing a rare 2002 Lincoln Blackwood.

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Road to AAPEX Ep. 1: An offer no one could refuse

Last year, the idea was simple: Find a junker, fix it up with the best from the automotive aftermarket, and drive it to Las Vegas for AAPEX 2022. This year, it’s anything but simple. The automotive aftermarket is at the crossroads of change. Electric vehicles, driver assistance systems, autonomous vehicles, sustainability—it’s a shifting landscape. This

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The Lincoln Highway leads to Las Vegas in The Road To AAPEX Season Two

Another automotive adventure is about to unfold as Babcox Media presents “The Road to AAPEX Season Two, The Lincoln Highway.” This year, the spotlight shines on the remarkable 2002 Lincoln Blackwood as it travels on a historic journey along the iconic Lincoln Highway – the first transcontinental highway in the United States, running coast-to-coast, designed

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