Sometimes, building cars is more than just a hobby—it's like family Loctite. At LS Fest West, we caught up with the Bailey family from Long Beach, California, who turned wrenching into a bonding experience, bringing three GM-powered rides built on family roots, friendly rivalries, and new tech with good old-fashioned horsepower.

At first glance, Tyler Bailey's car might look like a laid-back cruiser, a mild-mannered 1967 Buick Special. But, look under the hood to find a Gen-V LT1 engine yanked from the Corvette parts bin, wearing an LT2 intake, and paired up nicely with Holley's Mid-Mount accessory drive. Custom touches continue with a Matson radiator. Behind the direct-injected V8 is a freshly rebuilt 6L90 automatic transmission.

Why a Buick Special? Like many, it's for sentimental reasons, as a '67 Skylark with Tyler's first car at 16. "It wasn't exactly a gem when we started," Tyler laughed. "But we fixed it up, sold it, and years later I picked this Special because it reminded me of that Skylark."

It's more than a tribute; it's Tyler's ticket to LS Fest West. The event is traditionally LS-centric, but Gen-V LT-powered rides like Tyler's Buick qualify too, thanks to the modern LT family's close relationship to the LS engine family.

Tyler's Buick now sports upgraded Corvette C5 brakes up front, Wilwood rear brakes, adjustable coil overs, fresh sway bars to carve corners, and eats up highway miles.

For Tyler, the competition is about incremental improvements, dialing in suspension tweaks, better tires, and maybe some air conditioning. "Last year was drag-only; this year, it's Grand Champion," Tyler explained. "It's about coming back each time, making small adjustments, and enjoying the weekend."

On the other side of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway complex, Tyler's younger brother, Trevor Bailey, was racing the family's rebuilt 2016 Corvette C7. Trevor, a SpaceX TIG welder by day, took the Vette from a wrecked front-end project to a fierce Drag & Drive competitor in record time.

"Dad picked it up wrecked," Trevor explained. "We replaced the radiator, transmission cooler, AC condenser, and gave it a fresh look with a replica ZR1 front bumper. Just resprayed the nose—you'd never tell it was ever damaged."

Trevor jumped into Drag & Drive after missing the sold-out autocross registration, clocking consistent low 12-second quarter miles, with his best pass at 12.2. "The 12.0 index was tight—probably the toughest competition outside of the single-digit classes," Trevor said. "But honestly, it's just fun being out here running hard."

Both Tyler and Trevor credit their father with igniting their automotive passions. "It's what he got us into when we were young, and now we've got our own money to actually play with it," Trevor smiled. Their father echoed the sentiment, noting, "When kids are young, you're at soccer games. But as they grow, you've got to find new ways to stay close. For us, it's cars."

This weekend was a test-and-tune session for the Baileys, filled with on-the-fly adjustments, tire smoke, and good laughs. While Tyler battled suspension setups on his vintage cruiser, Trevor honed his launch techniques on the strip. Neither brought home trophies this year, but the smiles were big, and the lessons learned were invaluable.

And really, that's what LS Fest West is all about—families and friends, shared passion, and enough LS (and LT) muscle to keep everyone coming back for more.