heels W Mid-Minnesota
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
sound
It’s all about that
Hoeschen known for custom exhaust, muffler work The underside of this classic truck custom exhaust job was done by Hoeschen Auto Repair in Freeport. The exhaust tubing is visible.
This single outlet exhaust exits in the same location as the factory exhaust tip and the bumper has a cutout specially for the tip to exit.
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BY SARAH COLBURN STAFF WRITER
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“A lot of it is just motor heads who like to hear the engine, like to hear the exhaust.” - Dan Hoeschen
Publications The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
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an Hoeschen has spent a lifetime perfecting his craft. From the age of 10, he spent time sweeping the floors at Hoeschen Auto Repair in Freeport; he worked side by side with his dad, Ted, who opened the business in 1980. His dad taught him how to change oil and tires and fix exhaust systems; then, he went on to study auto mechanics in college and learn about new technologies. Today, he’s the owner of the business and known for his custom exhaust and muffler work in addition to the vehicle maintenance and repair work his shop provides. No matter the type of work, Hoeschen said, the focus is on doing things right. Anytime his team performs maintenance work on a vehicle, they also inspect the vehicle, looking things over and letting the customer know what’s due for service and what may be wearing out. “It’s important people know what kind of condition their vehicle is in safety wise and reliability wise,” he said. When it comes to custom exhaust work, he said he describes his work ethic as “fussy.” He takes extra care to ensure things are symmetrical, looking great and sounding great.
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Mary Hoeschen (from left), Ted Hoeschen, Dan Hoeschen, Ben Holmquist who has been working at the shop for 20 years and Brian Reyes (three years) are pictured along with Billy the dog at Hoeschen Auto Repair in Freeport.
Though many custom exhaust work clients know what they want before they get to the shop, Hoeschen said he can help people go over various options for their vehicle. He works with collector cars as well as modern-day vehicles. Each have their own challenges, such as the spacing of pipes on modern vehicles which don’t offer much room – he ensures they’re bent in the right place and far enough from the fuel tank. Collector cars have other challenges, often coming in with some rusty bits that have to be worked over.
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Some of his customers bring their vehicles to car shows where looks are important while others, he said, just want the fun of the sound. Hoeschen has customized each of his own vehicles and said he gravitates toward the sound of a V-8. In a four-cylinder car he customized, he put in just the right parts in order to hear the engine notes while avoiding an overpowering, loud sound. Because getting just the right sound is so important to vehicle enthusi-
asts, he allows customers to do a pre-check for the sound by temporarily affixing different muffler styles to their vehicles. This gives owners a pretty good idea of what they’ll have when the job is complete. The higher-performance mufflers do have some performance benefits, especially in turbocharged vehicles or diesel turbo-charged but many times, he said, it’s all about the sound.
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