Bill Ganahl from South City Rod and Custom shares his journey from a young car enthusiast to a renowned builder. He discusses his experiences working for Roy Brizio, the challenges of running a custom shop, and the nuances of building cars that balance style and functionality. The conversation touches on memorable interactions with celebrities like Eric Clapton and Neil Young, and the pressures of meeting customer expectations while maintaining artistic integrity. Ganahl also reflects on the evolution of the automotive industry and the importance of mentorship in his career.
This week on Oil & Whiskey, we’re joined by Bill Ganahl, founder of South City Rod & Custom — one of the most respected traditional hot rod shops in the country.Bill shares his journey from growing up around hot rods to building a brand rooted in craftsmanship, authenticity, and timeless design. From his early influences to what it takes to build a car that feels right, Bill dives into the process, mindset, and soul behind South City’s signature style.We talk about:The roots of South City Rod & Custom and Bill’s philosophy on craftsmanshipWhat it means to build traditional hot rods that stand the test of timeThe influence of legends like Roy Brizio, Steve Moal, and Chip FooseWhy hot rod culture still matters — and how it’s evolvingHow authenticity separates a “cool build” from a great carWhether you’re into custom cars, classic builds, shop culture, or just love hearing from the people keeping the spirit of hot rodding alive, this is one you don’t want to miss.
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"Transform your vehicle into a true travel rig. Perfect for outdoorsman, overlanders, off-roaders and everyday trailblazers."
Overlanders are people who go on long trips, usually in rugged areas, using vehicles that can handle tough roads. They often camp and explore new places.
Overlanders are individuals who travel long distances, often in remote areas, using specially equipped vehicles designed for off-road conditions. This lifestyle emphasizes self-sufficiency and adventure, often involving camping and exploration.
"Roof basket is made from high-strength plastic that's durable and designed for years of use."
A roof basket is a storage container that you put on top of your car to carry extra stuff, like bags or equipment. It's made to last and can handle different weather conditions.
A roof basket is an accessory mounted on the roof of a vehicle to carry extra cargo, such as luggage or sports equipment. It is designed to be durable and weather-resistant, providing additional storage space for outdoor activities.
"I mean, the charger may be a little departure because it's out of the realm. I think of what you're usually putting out."
The Dodge Charger is a large car that looks sporty and can be very fast. It's known for having strong engines and a design that many people find appealing.
The Dodge Charger is a full-size sedan known for its muscular styling and performance-oriented variants. It's popular among car enthusiasts for its powerful engine options and rear-wheel-drive layout.
"So it looks, it could be a historical restoration, you know, of an old custom. But it's new. And that's hard."
Historical restoration is when you fix up an old car to make it look just like it did when it was first made. This means using the same parts and styles that were used back then.
Historical restoration refers to the process of restoring a vehicle to its original condition, often focusing on authenticity and period-correct details. This can involve using original parts or techniques that were available at the time the vehicle was manufactured.
"I remember like week, the first week, I was taking apart disassembling a 32-3 window that now we would look at and be like, that's a holy grail."
The Ford Model A is a classic car made by Ford in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It's very popular among collectors and car lovers because of its unique style and history.
The Ford Model A is a historic car produced by Ford Motor Company from 1927 to 1931. It is often revered among classic car enthusiasts and is considered a 'holy grail' for collectors due to its iconic design and significance in automotive history.
"...who would buy all of the original suspension components from the cars that we turned into street rods."
Suspension components are the parts that help a car's wheels move up and down smoothly. They make the ride comfortable and help the car stay stable on the road.
Suspension components are parts of a vehicle's suspension system that connect the vehicle to its wheels. They play a crucial role in handling, ride comfort, and stability by absorbing shocks and maintaining tire contact with the road.
"...working on the lathe like making drag links and tie rods and stuff like that."
Tie rods connect the steering part of the car to the wheels, helping you steer. They are important for keeping the car aligned and handling well.
Tie rods are essential components of a vehicle's steering system, connecting the steering rack to the wheels. They help transmit the driver's steering input to the wheels, ensuring accurate handling and alignment.
"...working on the lathe like making drag links and tie rods and stuff like that."
Drag links help steer the car by connecting the steering part to the wheels. They are important for making sure the car goes where you want it to go.
Drag links are components used in steering systems to connect the steering gear to the wheels, allowing for directional control of the vehicle. They play a crucial role in the vehicle's handling and stability.
"...because he'd have those springs, let her settle."
Springs in a car help absorb bumps in the road and keep the car at the right height. They make the ride smoother and help the wheels move up and down when driving.
In automotive suspension systems, springs are crucial components that absorb shocks and support the weight of the vehicle. They help maintain ride height and improve comfort by allowing the wheels to move independently over bumps and uneven surfaces.
"I think I put dropped spindles. Well, they call them spindles."
Dropped spindles are parts that help lower a car's height. This can make the car look better and handle better when driving.
Dropped spindles are modified spindle components that lower the ride height of a vehicle, improving handling and aesthetics. They are commonly used in hot rod and custom car builds to achieve a lower center of gravity.
"...at was the latest that's latest debut that was it grand national right debuted at grand national we debuted it at ..."
The Buick Grand National is a special version of a Buick car that was made in the 1980s and is known for being really fast. It's a favorite among car lovers because of its cool design and powerful engine.
The Buick Grand National is a high-performance version of the Buick Regal that gained popularity in the 1980s, particularly for its turbocharged V6 engine. It is celebrated for its impressive speed and unique styling, making it a sought-after classic among car collectors.
"...it was really cool to see you're kind of mild custom take on 68..."
A mild custom is when a car is changed a little bit to make it look or perform better, but not so much that it loses its original style. It's a way to keep the classic feel while improving the car.
A mild custom refers to a car that has been modified in a subtle way, enhancing its appearance or performance without drastically altering its original design. This approach often maintains the car's classic look while adding modern touches.
"...we had to do the autocross and it's we're sending it shipping it to Texas after we're done with this run..."
Autocross is a type of car racing where you drive through a course marked by cones. It's all about being fast and precise, and you usually compete one car at a time.
Autocross is a timed competition in which drivers navigate one at a time through a defined course on either a sealed or unsealed surface. It emphasizes precision and car control over speed, making it a popular motorsport for enthusiasts.
"...there was a black mercury cougar there and I it was rolling..."
The Mercury Cougar is a car that was made by the Mercury brand, which was part of Ford. It has a sporty look and was popular in the past, especially in the 60s and 70s.
The Mercury Cougar is a mid-size car that was produced by the Mercury division of Ford Motor Company. It is known for its sporty design and performance, particularly in its earlier generations during the 1960s and 1970s.
"...could have been an OBS GM fucking Chevy I looked at it it had six co-holders in the six really..."
OBS GM stands for 'Old Body Style' General Motors vehicles made between 1988 and 1998. They're known for their classic look and are often modified by car fans.
OBS GM refers to the 'Old Body Style' General Motors trucks and SUVs produced from 1988 to 1998. These vehicles are known for their classic styling and are popular among enthusiasts for customization and restoration.
"I look for the good on the assembly fit and finish when you see things that you know were absolute nightmare to be able to draft in and to hang this and so and you you can't find any imperfections because either one there wasn't there or they did a really good job of like filling that buffing that..."
Assembly fit and finish is about how well different parts of a car fit together. If everything is aligned perfectly and looks nice, it shows good quality in the car's build.
Assembly fit and finish refers to the quality of how well the parts of a car are assembled and how they align with each other. A high-quality fit and finish means that there are no gaps or misalignments, and the surfaces are smooth and well-finished.
"...foos built that xk the convertible or roadster yeah and that car that car caught a lot of flack..."
The Jaguar XK is a stylish sports car made by Jaguar. It comes in both hardtop and convertible versions and is known for being fast and comfortable.
The Jaguar XK is a series of grand tourers produced by Jaguar from 1996 to 2014, known for their elegant design and performance. The XK series includes both coupe and convertible variants, offering a blend of luxury and sportiness.
"...because he showed up at semen you could tell he oh when it was down to the water..."
SEMA is a big car show in Las Vegas where companies show off new car parts and accessories. It's a place for car lovers to see the coolest custom cars and products.
SEMA stands for the Specialty Equipment Market Association, which hosts an annual trade show in Las Vegas showcasing aftermarket automotive products. It's a key event for car enthusiasts and industry professionals to see the latest trends and innovations in the automotive aftermarket.
"...I have a booth at GNRS every year with room for three cars but two kind of minimum..."
GNRS is a big car show where people show off their custom cars. It's a popular event for car lovers and builders to meet and share their creations.
GNRS stands for the Grand National Roadster Show, an annual event that showcases custom cars and hot rods. It's a significant event in the automotive community, where builders and enthusiasts gather to display their work and connect with others.
"...do I want to have evod custom full wheels on it when the customer doesn't want to spend more than 20 grand on the wheels..."
Custom wheels are special wheels made for cars that can make them look unique. They come in different styles and sizes to fit different cars.
Custom wheels are aftermarket wheels designed to fit specific vehicles and enhance their appearance or performance. They can vary in size, design, and material, allowing car owners to personalize their vehicles.
"...let's take the alternator apart and let's polish the case and machine that don't do that..."
An alternator is a part of a car that helps generate electricity while the engine is running. It keeps the battery charged and powers things like the lights and radio.
The alternator is a crucial component in a vehicle's electrical system, responsible for converting mechanical energy into electrical energy to charge the battery and power the electrical systems while the engine is running. It plays a key role in maintaining the vehicle's electrical supply.
An automatic transmission is a part of a car that helps it change gears by itself, so you don't have to do it manually. This makes driving easier, especially in stop-and-go traffic.
An automatic transmission is a type of vehicle transmission that automatically changes the gear ratios as the vehicle moves, allowing the driver to focus on driving without needing to manually shift gears. It uses a complex system of hydraulics and electronics to operate.
"...not familiar with the concept of warranty no dude and I'm like what do you do and he's like well like there's these like inherent issues..."
A warranty is a promise from the car manufacturer that they will fix or replace parts of the car if something goes wrong within a certain time frame.
A warranty is a guarantee provided by the manufacturer or seller of a product, promising to repair or replace it if necessary within a specified period. In the automotive context, it often covers defects in materials or workmanship.
"...the horsepower that they're saying is a problem just drive the car why was his first the first thing that he wanted to modify on the car the transmission..."
Horsepower is how we measure the power of a car's engine. The higher the horsepower, the faster and more powerful the car can be.
Horsepower is a unit of measurement for power, commonly used to describe the power output of engines. It indicates how much work an engine can perform over time, influencing a vehicle's acceleration and overall performance.
"...nowadays they don't even have fucking dipsticks like new the eight speeds in the 10 speeds they're dipstick no it's the drain on the side..."
A dipstick is a simple tool that checks how much oil or fluid is in your car. You pull it out, wipe it clean, and then put it back to see how high the fluid is.
A dipstick is a tool used to measure the level of fluids in an engine, such as oil or transmission fluid. It helps ensure that the fluid levels are adequate for proper operation and can indicate when maintenance is needed.
"...it was you and Vinnie and the white Bronco..."
The Ford Bronco is a tough SUV that can handle rough terrains and is often used for off-roading. It's known for being a fun vehicle to drive, especially in outdoor settings.
The Ford Bronco is a classic SUV known for its off-road capabilities and rugged design. It has a storied history and has been popular among enthusiasts for both its performance and style.
"...the 60 Volkswagen was my dad's Volkswagen Carming you no bug bug 60 bug I mean I put surfboards for sure..."
The Volkswagen Beetle, often called the 'Bug', is a famous small car with a unique round shape. It was made by Volkswagen for many years and is loved by many car enthusiasts.
The Volkswagen Beetle, also known as the 'Bug', is an iconic compact car that was produced by Volkswagen from the late 1930s until 2003. It is known for its distinctive rounded shape and rear-engine layout.
"Oh, 100%. Oh, with the Mustang he's got. That's a sick car with the Pantera whee..."
The Ford Mustang is a famous sports car that people love for its speed and cool looks. It's been around for a long time and is often seen as a symbol of American cars, making it a popular topic among car fans.
The Ford Mustang is an iconic American muscle car that has been in production since 1964. Known for its powerful performance and distinctive styling, the Mustang has become a symbol of freedom and speed, making it a popular choice among car enthusiasts and collectors alike.
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Coolness in like Southern California car. I had like a couple of metal shaping, you know, tutorials that even now I think I probably laugh if I watched them. I was hitting all the like the Ron Covelle, Ron Fornier, and they were VHS. I still have them all. And then, you know, the metal shapers handbook and all that stuff. Because there wasn't. You didn't have fucking YouTube. You didn't have the resources. There was like. You could get on some internet stuff. Do you ever get like the metal meets and like the forums and there was some pullbacks.
Guys and like all the names that I've known and just brushed elbows with because of him over the years that I never appreciated knowing. And now I'm like, oh my God, Wally Parks was sitting in my living room.
Like building this car as a traditional boy in my mind, you know, custom. And I'm like, I have to tell Eric Clapton that there's no way in hell he should ever paint a bumper on my car.
Like what people forget about the running the king business employees and fabricators and different people that want to go start their own thing.
Also have said things like, you know, I got to have a proper work life balance.
And I have to start your own business. That's that's the dumbest.
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This week we got none other than Bill Gennall from South City Rod and Custom out of California A.
But you've been spent the last week in the Midwest.
Yeah, it's a new experience for me.
It's all the route and that's the first time I've seen a circle on any of the good guys' road tours.
There is a circle.
It's just a full blown just like that's a lake. Let's go all the way around it.
Oh, you're going up and around Lake Michigan?
We went up into the upper peninsula and then yeah, go across and then coming down here and then sort of back up to the rings.
Somewhere in back in Wisconsin.
So did you start it out east?
It started in Detroit.
Okay.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Luckily you didn't have to go through Chicago traffic.
Say, I've do like six hours a day.
Yeah, going up and around it is cool.
Yeah, I'm not.
I've been to Chicago so I don't mind skipping Chicago.
I mean, this is in South as we're getting basically.
But we did.
We drove through Milwaukee on the way here just to drive through it because I've never been.
Don't if you have a hot rod or a custom card do not drive through Milwaukee.
The roads.
So roads are the worst roads I've ever seen in my life.
So bad.
100%.
It tested the shit out of your chassis.
I didn't pass all the pieces.
I don't think anything fell off.
But that's a win.
Yeah.
That's a win for me anytime.
It's got to be a cost-cutting measure.
I've never seen a city that's just like, you know what?
If we if we skip about six inches every 40 feet, that's just less concrete and ask the way
I have to do.
So we just do a section and be like, you're going fast enough.
You'll hit the next section.
Yeah, little dude.
So it has a ramp.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That'd be cool in the charger.
You're very fit.
Right there.
Very fitting.
Yeah.
Automatically do the horn or do something to hit once you go airborne.
I don't know.
That'd be to tie that to the can.
To tie that to the can wheel speed sensor or something like that and just today's technology
you can easily do that.
Yeah.
You guys are next level.
I would have a button for sure.
Automatically.
Well, dude, been absolutely looking for this when we've done.
You've done the podcast before remotely.
Very briefly.
And that's a practice.
It's like a practice run.
Right.
You did a little guess spot.
You know, and now it's time to do it for real.
So I'm glad you, I'm glad we could make this all work.
I think we were testing too.
We weren't sure everyone to fully commit.
Yeah.
And then I was ready to commit.
I was ready.
I was ready.
I've been a fan for a while.
You do, we were mentioning it before we got started that you do come up a lot.
And it's for whatever reason that you became like the benchmark for coolness in like Southern California cars.
Like you talk about, I think it came up.
We're talking about everybody's different geographical locations and different shops that are kind of.
You're in Northern California, right, Bay Area.
Now I'm in Northern California.
Yeah, Hayward.
Yeah, but you grew up.
Like you get through roots.
No, well, so I grew up in Southern California.
Right.
I grew up in LA and moved to the Bay Area in 99 2000.
Yeah.
The thing we talked about, you know, Midwest get a group of, you know,
high profile builders, you get the southeast, you know, and different stuff.
Different people could do different things in different places.
You have to be in California.
It's just, there's a, there's a soul and a, a cool.
Maybe it's just like wishing I was that cool, but you look at it.
Josh is fucking a fanboy.
Yeah.
I want to say this is the first time anybody has told me I'm cool in my life.
I'm pretty happy.
Well, dude, I would, I would echo that.
I meant the cars that you built.
Yeah.
Take that the wrong way.
The whole image, the cars, everything.
It's almost like I hide behind the cars.
We all do.
That's what we all do.
But it's almost got like that coal foster kind of vibe.
It's got like mysterious of like just doing really cool stuff.
I don't know what he kind of disappeared.
So maybe you're taking.
He's still cranking.
Taking over that position.
But everything he'd like to do.
The shit you do, it's got a unique style.
You're one of those builders that I feel like when a car comes out, you know you did it.
I mean, the charger may be a little departure because it's out of the realm.
I think of what you're usually putting out.
It's all got their fingerprint all over it.
Super fucking rad, dude.
Well, thanks.
That's actually a big compliment.
I don't take compliments well, but that's when I appreciate.
Yeah.
I mean, I cut my teeth working for brisios.
So we were building 32 forwards almost exclusively.
But I got to do all the historic restoration stuff there.
So really kept my foot in history.
And then my dad was just, you know, I mean, there was history all around me growing up.
And I never intended to build cars for a living.
But obviously I just absorbed it or whatever.
Yeah.
But yeah, I've just been really lucky that we've had customers who want to build not trendy stuff.
You know, and let me kind of push them into the traditional weird.
I mean, it's not for everybody.
And there's not a huge audience for it.
I really appreciate that you guys actually see what that is and appreciate it.
I think some people look at what I build and they're just like the hell is that?
What are you doing?
Yeah.
I think anybody who knows what they're looking at can like appreciate their restraint and the amount of work done to then also make it look like not a lot was done.
But if you know what you're looking at, you're just kind of in awe a little bit.
I just can't get over the fact that you look at stuff.
You know, even the past 10 years of eight years or so of stuff you've built.
It almost looks like you could be reading a small book that's just been put in color.
Right?
So it looks, it could be a historical restoration, you know, of an old custom.
But it's new.
And that's hard.
People take influence, right?
And you're like, I'm going to do it in this style.
I'm going to dabble around there.
But for it to be that appearing to be period correct in that style, it's cool.
It's got to look.
Even like full disclosure, those early willies, you know, those cars suck.
I don't like cars at all.
And I've never had always looking like, why didn't you build like a 4041?
And then seeing that, I'm like, this is this fucking cool.
Like that car's got a look.
Thanks.
Well, that's that's the challenge.
Yes.
Yeah, I mean, so, you know, your customer brings you something and you got to figure out how to make it look good.
Yeah.
But yeah, I, yeah, that's a, that's a big compliment.
I appreciate it.
That I think any car can look better than it does when you get it.
You know what I mean?
And so that's really all we're doing is trying to make it look better.
Yeah.
If it looks better enough, that's a good one.
That's a good one.
Yeah.
I've seen guys go the other direction.
I mean, it happens.
There's some that you're like, you should have left that alone.
Like what cars?
Yeah, tell us.
That's what you mean.
There's some.
One of these days.
One of these days, there's going to be the, the pay-per-view podcast.
Yeah.
After, after one more of these.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's going to be a good bottle.
When I'm ready to retire, that's going to be my exit strategy.
And another thing.
And then, oh, don't let me forget about so-and-so.
You mentioned, you talk about your dad and how much history and cool shit was, you were surrounded with.
We talk about a lot about, you know, wish, you know, wish somebody would tell you that you're living in the good old days before you have to remember back.
You know, did you, did you realize what, what you were surrounded by growing up?
And at what point do you start looking back and you're like, holy shit, that's, most people don't get the opportunity to be surrounded by that.
So, the answer is not at all.
And I've, I, I don't remember where I've told the story, but it's exactly the moment that I realized that.
I mean, I still don't look at it as something special, but that it was different and a cool place to be within this whole car community.
But in our, my dad's office at our, our house in Glendale, L.A., where I grew up.
You know, he had all of his bookcases with all of his garbage, you know, not guard.
I mean, it was actually good stuff, but all of his stuff.
And there were trophies and things, and I never even looked at him because they were just always there.
And I remember, you know, when I was 10, maybe in that range.
And I looked at one of the trophies and it said, hall of fame on it.
And I was like, why does he have somebody's hall of fame trophy on his thing?
And I'm like, and of course, there's packed it all.
And literally at that moment, I was like, why?
You know?
But really, I mean, I just, you know, I still don't, people who take any of this too seriously are kidding.
You know, I mean, people who take anything too seriously, we're playing with cars.
Right.
You know, we're just hoping we don't get found out.
Right.
We're doing this for 11.
But in that whole realm of history and, you know, I'm lucky.
I'm really lucky that I got to grow up in that.
And it did.
You know, when I was a kid, I wanted a, I liked custom cars, 50s customs.
Like I and I had my niche.
It was like 50 to 55, you know, it was like, that's what I liked.
And I've grown since then quite a bit.
And I'm spread out my appreciation for different styles, different years of cars.
I mean, we're building 60s cars now because we have to.
Were you cuffed, cuffed jeans and chucks?
Or was that the dickies and vans?
I would.
So.
Or we can also go camp.
We can also go to the dickies shorts and tall socks.
Like this is California, we're talking about.
Yeah, yeah.
So there's pictures of me as a little kid with OP cord shorts and stripe socks pulled up to my knees
and my three stripe adidas.
And then it went to you.
So I was a surfer and a skater.
Sweet.
Sucked at surfing was very mediocre at skateboarding.
But it was totally into the culture.
Yeah.
That was my deal.
So I didn't.
I took cars for granted.
I got a 54 when I turned 15 and 16, whatever.
Actually, I got my dad's Volkswagen is 60 and then promptly sold it to buy a shoe box.
Because I like 50s customs.
Yeah.
And it was never a cool car.
I just drove the shit out of it.
I mean, I put probably over 200,000 miles on that thing.
Daily driver never had another car.
But didn't.
I never thought about it.
I didn't think twice about it.
It's just a car.
And I'd rather drive a cool car than anything else.
But with a skater first.
And nobody at my school, high school, grown up, cared about cars.
I didn't hang out with car people.
So I didn't wear the uniform.
You know, you know, the uniform.
Was it?
I was a larping transition to the black t-shirt.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I would go to car shows with my dad.
People probably saw me.
I'm like, who is this?
I was just going to ask.
Yeah.
What is he thinking at that point?
My dad?
Yeah.
Oh, man.
So my parents.
So a lot of people think that I got into building cars because I grew up in a car family.
And that's not at all true.
My dad.
I got my 54 and he.
We changed the engine in it in his garage and did a magazine article on it.
But he really kind of just did stuff.
And I kind of watched.
Were you a tool go for it all?
No.
Like not even that.
That was my job.
That's just grabbed that.
That's what everybody did.
Yeah.
I would have felt so glad to be included if I had to hold the flash light.
Stop.
Let me do it.
Yeah.
He's get out of the way.
You know, he very much so.
Yeah.
And so I absorbed stuff.
And I would go in.
I remember.
I would go out there and just oxy acetylene weld shit together.
Because you have, you know, everybody has their stash of just junk metal.
And I would go out like when he wasn't home.
And one day he came back and he's like, why is the oxy acetylene empty?
You know, and I was like, oh shit.
Making bombs.
Yeah.
Yeah.
No, but I really was learning well.
But he wasn't teaching me.
I was just using up his shit and then he got mad.
So.
He had a project.
He wasn't planning on going to get a bottle refill.
He had something to do.
He left it on dad.
100%.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
No, but.
So I didn't.
I didn't intend to build cars for a living until I got up to the Bay Area.
And even then I was, I was going to school.
And I walked into brisios.
And the one thing that I could say that my dad or his name helped me with was that.
When I walked into Roy's to say, hey, I want a summer job doing something other than.
You know, working at a sandwich shop or whatever was I said.
My dad is packing all.
I think you know who he is.
I'm going to school up here.
And I'd really like to just, I'll sweep the floors.
Whatever you want.
I know a little bit about cars.
But nothing compared to what anybody working there knew.
That's cool.
And he, the guy who was driving their shop truck.
Put in his notice.
The week before I walked in.
Oh, well.
And that's why I got hired there.
And if I hadn't, I might be doing something completely different right now.
That's wild.
Yeah.
You said something about, you don't, you don't look at that as special, right?
It was just the way it was.
And after hearing you explain that, I can understand like you don't think that it's, you know, special.
It is special, right?
But that doesn't mean that it's, I guess there's a fear of like, put making that it.
Saying that it's special makes it like it was an easier path or you're where you're at.
Because of your dad or you were handed things or it opened doors and stuff.
So there's the negative connotation by saying it's special.
The part that people don't think about is the flip side of it being special.
The difficulty because of the way you grew up.
And because of the name recognition.
And because of going through life of.
There's a standard to be uphold.
So it's, there's two sides of the coin.
Somebody could be like, oh, yeah, must be nice, right?
That's sort of, that's the famous saying from anybody that just don't want to get out of fucking bed and do anything.
Oh, it must be nice.
You know, because everything must be nice as somebody that doesn't like get after it.
It's a unique thing, right?
You can't, you can't give somebody the talent to build cars well.
You can be influenced by it.
But like in that line of work, it's not like you could be like, you know, I'm a famous hot rod builder.
Did you hear?
Now you are like because it's a major skill set.
And also, you know, we won't, I'm not going to derail this, but I'll just sprinkle it out there.
You know, watch Rocky Belboa.
The final Rocky Belboa.
There's a whole segment.
I compare myself to him all the time.
As do I.
Right?
Obviously.
It's not just saying how cool you were and shit.
And so obviously me as well.
But the whole thing on that, you know.
We'll circle back to that as they say.
But that is the.
Well, I'm trying to think I'm trying to like picture all that because I grew up with, you know, my dad.
We worked on shit in the garage all the time.
And it was like, that was definitely what got me going on it.
But he didn't have like any real skill set, right?
He was just a dude like fucking around with stuff in the garage.
But it's string of.
Parafs wearers together like you've never heard before.
Yeah.
But that.
Yeah, it's crazy that you were in that environment.
And that wasn't really what influenced you.
You know, I feel like I would.
I would have pictured you as like 10-year-old kid like chop and tops and oxy assettling them back together.
Not at all.
Not at all.
So, yeah.
So to your point, I'm not saying it's not special.
I'm saying that.
I don't.
I very actively try not to take any of this too seriously.
Yeah.
I mean, some of the guys who like, you know, they care a lot about the awards and the halls of fame and like all that stuff.
And I'm, I am extremely lucky like, you know, with whatever skill I have or the guys that work for me have to build these cars.
That's one thing.
But you can have all that and never end up in the right place to even find out that you have that skill.
That was in that camp.
I didn't find out that I had the ability or the talent to do it until I started working for Roy.
And it took a long time to work up to that.
And I'm really, really lucky that I got a job with him.
And still talk to him.
A good friend of mine and tell them all the time.
You know, how much I appreciate working for him.
And the guys that work there, I learned most of what I know in terms of building stuff from the guys who work there.
A lot of them do still work there, which says a lot about Roy as a boss.
And I also had the, when I worked for him, I had the curiosity in the drive to push him to allow me to do different things there.
So like, when I started working there, nobody was doing sheet metal work.
He would sub it out like top shops and everything to a variety of people, Marcel, a couple guys up in the Bay Area.
And I was, I was just like, let me, let me chop a top. I'd never chop the top before.
And I just was like, I, I can do it.
You know, that's stupid.
Would you start?
How did that work out?
Hopefully I'm modeling.
34 three.
Okay.
That's a tricky one.
It's a model.
It's kind of like, right.
Yeah.
No, it wasn't.
You four-quartered.
Yeah, that's a lot.
I mean, at least it wasn't like a 50-merk or something.
Well, yeah, it wasn't.
And to this day, I don't know why he said yes, but, but anyway, so to your point, yeah, the, the, you know, coming together of all of the elements that put me where I am now.
90% of it is luck being in the right place at the right time knowing people enough to get my foot in the door.
And then the last 10% is whatever skill or fortitude I brought to it.
It's kind of the way I feel about it.
Got you.
Well, I mean, you go back and forth on percentages and stuff.
I mean, based on that, it's probably 10% of osmosis in your name and who you were around in the 90% of the fact that you just didn't give up and you wanted to figure it out.
So that's a lot of hard work.
The classic 90.
The classic 90.
The classic 90.
Yeah, that's a classic 90.
The old 9010, man.
The time it works every time.
Also, so also to your point of sometimes it works against you.
So I'll just briefly tell the story at my dad's memorial.
I, you know, I had to all the names that I've known and just brushed elbows with because of him over the years that I never appreciated knowing.
And now I'm like, oh my god, Wally Parks was sitting in my living room at one point.
But that points, who's this dude?
Like what?
It's old man.
Yeah.
It's just an old guy.
It's in the living room.
It's wild.
But my dad also was very opinionated and not afraid to share his opinions with people.
So he made a lot of friends along the way.
Also, if he was in a bad mood, like he just wouldn't, he was just himself.
Like if he was in a bad mood, he wouldn't sugarcoat it.
So if you caught him in a bad mood, a lot of people thought my dad was an asshole to be frank.
And so I've played the game over the course of meeting people my entire career in the hot rod custom card industry.
And every time, like, either I won't say my, until they find out my last name, and then I get the like, oh, are you at Sun?
Why are you asking?
50-50.
That's not the 90-10 split.
Yeah, that's the 50-split.
That's who liked or disliked my dad.
That's not a bad way to be, though.
Like I'm assuming the people who liked him really liked him.
Hard to say.
Hard to split, right?
There's not really an in between.
There's not a like, oh, yeah, he was.
Whatever.
No, it's like that.
I like that a lot.
He's a shit fucking son.
Whatever about my car at the 1980 NSRA Nationals, and they remember right where they were when he told them.
Or they are like, he is a nicest guy.
He talked to me for an hour.
He didn't know who I was, and just shot the shit with me for an hour, and the nicest guy I've ever met.
So anyway, at the memorial, I wore a shirt that said, was my dad a dick to you?
Because I had to invite people to the memorial, and I just went through his black book.
Yeah.
And believe me, it was a black book.
He was all analog.
Yeah.
And I'm like, I know this name.
But that name that I remember could have hated his class.
And I'm calling up and like, would you like to come to Pat Kennell's memorial?
And yeah, so it's, yeah, 50.
And to this day, I mean, there's still people I meet who are like, oh, yeah, Pat.
Okay, whatever, you know, and some are like, your dad's so awesome.
And so I just, I just.
It's wild.
And also I don't judge anybody based on what my dad said about them to me.
Okay.
So I maybe they got better like.
I might have been the first star they built that he commented on it.
They might not have been that bad to start with.
Okay.
All right.
We might have been in a bad mood that day.
But no, I really, you know, there's names I know that he would mention.
And I'll meet them.
And I'll just start from scratch.
And I'll just be like, you know, I don't want people to judge me based on being his son.
So why would I judge them based on whatever he said because he met them once.
And they were in a bad mood, you know, once you start, once you start having a business, right?
We'll get into, you know, once it's your name and face for South City.
And you're out there and you're doing the the glad handing thing.
Is that, is that, are you cognizant of that?
Are you, is that a way in your mind of treating people differently because of the legacy that your dad may be?
Or what you had to deal with because of that?
Not because of my dad.
I don't ever think of him when I'm meeting people and that I'm like,
I think, I mean, I just said I think of him as in terms of whether they're going to already judge me.
Gotcha.
But I don't.
If you're in a bad mood, you're not thinking about like, well, I got to change this way up because it could come back to haunt me in 50 years.
No, well, I think of meeting people in the way I treat people more in having work for Roy Brazil.
So he, his talent at not only knowing what a car should look like was how he treats people.
And he is the best at making the person in front of him feel like the only person in the room.
You know, there's people like that.
Roy is one of them.
And he, I remember, you know, working for him.
He would come, Billy, Billy, what's, what's so-and-so's wife's name?
And I'm like, you were asking the wrong person.
Like, I'm so bad with names.
But he cared that much.
And he, like, at one of his shop parties, there's 500 people will come through.
And one guy would come up to him and be like, don't remember my name.
Do you, and Roy would like, perseverate on it for like the next five days because he didn't remember one guy's name out of the 500 who came to his place.
Wow.
So that's kind of who I, who I think of when I'm dealing with people and, and I don't try to treat people.
Customers better than Joe Blow who walks up to our booth and just ask questions.
And then on top of that, I also hired Joe Debatista, who is now my shop manager goes to all the shows
and is so much better at talking to people and meeting people than I am that I don't have to worry about this much.
He's a great person, man.
He is.
I get along with him really good and I'm like, the dude he doesn't talk to anybody.
Not because I'm an asshole just because I got like the me, that's like me and Alan Johnson get that kind of thing going on.
Like the just both short thing.
Sorry.
Do you get to say that about him?
You say that about me, but that's like, that's a fucking fucking shot at Alan.
Yeah.
It's called Bob Johnson if he don't know.
I'm sure he knows.
I'm sorry.
That was me.
That was a personal attack.
Yeah.
It's personal.
No, it's just you just point point.
No, you got me all fucking disheveled.
You know, I've got lost my point of thought, but.
Yeah, quiet.
It doesn't mean you're an asshole.
It doesn't mean you don't want to talk to somebody.
Which is different because Josh is outgoing, but he's a fucking ass.
That is an asshole.
Right.
Yeah.
We just had this conversation.
It's a great conversation.
It's a great conversation.
These are the kind of conversation.
I walk into Phil's office.
This happens all day.
Like I walk into Phil's office and there's Josh in there.
And he's all animated.
He's talking about something.
So I'm like, fuck, I just had to come in here and talk to Phil about something.
Now I got to do it.
This shit.
But I'll go in anyway.
Right.
And Josh.
That was a short comment.
Yeah.
Instantly pivots the conversation to like, I forget how it got there.
But he's like, I'm a nice guy.
People tell me I'm a nice guy all the time.
I'm like, dude, and I'm not even fucking around.
I'm going to be straight up fucking honest with you.
So people, I'll give you a compliment because I've heard people say nice things.
But I've heard people say like, dude, Josh is like getting, he's been like working out.
Or like, hey, Josh looks good.
Or like, Josh did this.
But I'm like, I have never in my fucking life heard a single person say, Josh is a nice guy.
I've heard the opposite.
The complete flip side of that a lot.
But I've never heard like, even like buddy, like people that I introduce, I have nobody comes up.
And he's like, dude, that Josh guy.
He's a nice guy.
Like what you started.
Don't be like, you shouldn't call him Charlie.
I knew this guy.
Right.
But that's just the way it is.
But I'm not saying you're an asshole.
You just, you, you come off.
I'm not apologizing for shit.
You do come off.
Well, we'll hear a complete fucking asshole.
This is, let me just try to say it.
It's honesty.
It's honesty.
Let me try to say of either one of you guys.
I don't know which one.
But so in the question is, you know, how do you envision yourself engaging with other people?
I'm, people have different types of intelligence in life.
I have no idea how I come off to other people.
So I, myself awareness is not one that's like, I'm creating an image of myself that I'm trying to portray.
I just kind of be myself.
I'm anxious and I'm nervous about like saying the wrong thing because I do a lot.
But I don't, I'm not creating a persona.
I'm not thinking about, oh my god, I got to like keep packing all legacy safe for whatever.
I've just kind of been myself and tried to be nice to people.
And so far it's worked pretty good.
The best way to be.
Yeah.
But, but I don't know.
I mean, I'm also an idiot.
I'm a nerd.
I'm a door, you know.
So a lot of sure comes out just because I can't help.
Love it or hate it every, but I mean, I think everybody sitting at this table is that way.
Right.
There's nobody here that has that like that persona trying to create that persona that like cool guy motif for something that you do see that out there.
And some guys it works well for.
They build a career off of it.
Yeah.
Not me.
Not for me.
My career better be about my cars because it ain't it.
I'm not doing that.
It's about the personality.
That's always like you could tell if it's about the personality or if it's about the cars because the personality is way bigger than the quality of the cars usually.
Yeah.
Or it comes through in the cars.
Like, oh, there's that too.
Yeah.
The face of that car looks like the face of that.
It's like, it's like your dog.
Yeah.
Look at the grill.
Look at you.
Look at him.
Yeah.
You can see it.
We can move on quick, but I understand you're being honest about it.
And I know that like, I probably come across that way.
I made a conscious decision years and years ago.
Like, I moved a lot.
My dad was preacher.
We moved.
It was like every three years, new, completely new town.
It wasn't like a city over.
It was from Florida to Texas to Delaware to, you know, all over.
Yeah.
So over the years, it's like, you know, starting over.
Right.
So I know how to play the game.
Right.
I know how to put on.
And the problem.
You got to fit in every time.
The problem has always been is that's good for a while.
It's easy to make some friends.
It's easy to fit in.
It's easy to play that game.
There's always going to be something.
Because I don't have a great control.
There's going to come out.
And the honesty is going to come out.
Well, when the honesty comes out, it's all a charade.
Then it's like, so I would have made the thing.
Instead of going through that, just be fucking honest in me.
Right out.
And then even the people that say, well, he's an asshole,
they will still at least like hang out and like me.
They just know that I'm an asshole.
So it's not like they're going to find out after two years of like,
oh, it turns out that dude's kind of an asshole.
Because that sucks more.
There's a big difference between a bad asshole and a good asshole.
Like, and I really mean that.
Right.
People who are honest and ornery, some of the best people.
I don't know you that well, but I think you're in my opinion,
a good asshole in the sense that you're telling it like it is.
You're hosting a podcast and you're getting people to say,
you know what I mean?
As much as I'd like to pose that for the sake of like,
sure on shots, I would agree with that.
I'll agree with that.
Yeah.
The other that probably up to about a percentage.
The other maybe an 80%.
The other percent is the fact that we're all have a little bit of
narcissists in them in us.
And we actually think that people give a shit what our opinions are.
So we'll give that opinion.
What we should do is realize that nobody gives a shit what our
opinions are and keep it to ourselves.
I feel like that.
And then you'd be a little less of an asshole.
You literally host a podcast where you're asking people all day
every day to give their opinions.
Yes, but we also give ours a lot unasked for.
And then we thought we should stop doing that.
No, it's entertaining.
The narcissistic thing maybe comes out more on the home front.
I might save it.
I think that's where I learned the word.
That's where I learned.
That's where I learned.
That's where I got the diagnosis.
That's where I learned that I was.
I swear that if you are fucking is it always at the beginning of it?
Yeah, you can't Google search that.
It's not part of the word actually.
Your wife, like she's got a great Southern accent,
but the one thing she says that's crystal clear is just narcissist.
Oh, yeah.
She says it's like she went to narcissist.
You are a narcissist.
She says it like she went to Oxford and learned English.
Like it's straight.
Damn, you really believe that?
This is, I was really afraid that the podcast I was on was going to
turn into a psychoanalysis convention.
Yeah.
It's like this is like a mirror right now.
Let's get back to the car.
You built some cool ones.
No, I wanted to get into the the brisio deal.
You mentioned the shop was of kind of the first thing.
I wanted to go through that transition of your driving the shop truck.
Yeah.
Yep.
Well, and then you're chopping a top.
Yeah.
So Roy, so I really went in there thinking I will clean the toilets while driving.
I got to drive the shop truck because that guy left and that's why I got hired.
So I did.
I was driving all over the Bay Area.
I was meeting all sorts of people because I was going to their shops,
whatever, you know, whoever Roy was having to do business, whatever with.
So I got to meet a lot of people.
I also learned the intricacies of the roads of the Bay Area very well.
But he let me start working on cars pretty quickly.
I remember like week, the first week, I was taking apart disassembling a 32-3 window
that now we would look at and be like, that's a holy grail.
I mean, it was just a all original.
And we were just like throwing parts out of it to turn it into a street rod.
But whole front end and wish everything.
So say for garnish moldings.
So there was a guy up in Santa Rosa who would buy all of the original suspension components
from the cars that we turned into street rods.
And it was known for having a stash.
I think Roy might even like gave, given them to him.
He made pretty penny off of that stuff.
It hurts my soul to, yeah, at this point.
Yeah, so he had me working on the lathe like making drag links and tie rods and stuff like that.
I lowered a shoe box for John Mumford within the first couple of months I worked there.
Because I lied and just said I could do it.
I mean, I had a shoe box.
So he's like, Bill, you know, Bill, of course.
Yeah, I know everything about him.
He was pedaling torch alive because he'd have those springs, let her settle.
You know what? I'd block something.
I think I put dropped spindles.
Well, they call them spindles.
Yeah, it's a trunnion arm if you want to be very correct.
Yes, but yeah, I know so I started.
He let me touch things like right off the bat, which I remember him telling me.
He's like, Billy, you don't have to know everything.
I know this is the one thing.
I know you're packing all of a sudden.
Don't worry.
You don't have to know everything about hot rods.
Just come in here and soak it in and learn.
And that's, he let me do it.
I started, I don't know why I gravitated towards doing the sheet metal.
I mean, there's nobody really was doing it there.
And I just liked it.
So I started rust repair.
And I could kind of, you know, I only knew how to mig weld.
Before I started working there.
I took, I actually went to CSM College of San Mateo to take tick welding metallurgy glasses.
So I kind of really wanted it.
I'm a nerd.
So I wanted to know what the process was.
Right.
And went through that.
So learn aluminum stainless and mild steel.
And I would stay after work and just weld, you know, and like we would make at that time,
this, you guys are going to laugh at this.
We had a flame cutter that we had all the little templates for.
And you bolted onto the torch to tracing flame cutter.
Huh.
And they had already made before I started working there the little templates for all the frame brackets, you know,
making a trans crossmember or whatever.
Yeah, it's cool.
And so I bolt the thing on and it would just sit there and trace it.
And you'd light up the oxy acetylene, the cutter.
And just cut out parts and then cut off, spend like hours cutting all the slag off of it.
Debar and clean it up.
Yeah, that's not a like a popular item.
I've seen one years ago, but that's.
This was years ago.
This was years ago.
And so I would fix through them up and then just weld them all.
So it was kind of like assembly line welding.
And that's how I really learned to take weld because I was doing it.
I was doing repetition, stay.
And if there wasn't that, I would just pull metal out of the thing and weld it.
So I got confident enough that I could cut a patch panel,
tig weld it in, metal finish it, you know, and got better.
There was nobody there doing it.
So I didn't have anybody teaching me how to metal finish stuff.
So I learned on my own, just trial and error,
how to really make something look metal finished.
And it took me like years.
Because there's nobody telling you to it a different way or to.
You could have fast forward like 15 years in the future.
You would know that all you got to do is DA that shit with 80 grit
and take a picture of the right.
Let's go on the gram.
And that is fucking metal finish.
Body shop take care of the rest.
Unfortunately, we didn't have the gram at the time.
Right.
So I didn't even know that you were actually trying to edit in a picture.
Were you hitting the VHS tapes and the books and stuff back then?
Because I was, I think, how old are you?
I'm 47.
Okay.
So VHS, by the time I started working it, Roy, it was CD.
We were up to CD by that point.
I had like a couple of metal shaping, you know, tutorials.
Yep.
That even now, I think I'd probably laugh if I watched them, you know.
But yeah, I did.
You know, most of it's just hands on though.
Even after you watch one of those videos, you can't just go out there and be like, oh yeah, this is how you do it.
Let me pick up tips and trade.
That's how, I mean, I'm a little younger than you.
42, but I was hitting all the, like the Ron Covell, Ron Fournier, and they were VHS.
I still have them all.
Yeah.
And then, you know, the metal shapers handbook and all that stuff.
Because there wasn't, you didn't have fucking YouTube.
No.
You didn't have the resources.
There was like, you could get on some internet stuff.
Do you ever get like the metal meats and like the forums?
And there were some pull max guys and like, I avoided the forums.
It's a little model training.
Yeah.
It's a little model training.
And being a short, small young guy is a little nervous about like getting to you into it.
That gets you.
Well, there's a few other things there.
Yeah, I mean, one of the, you mentioned Ron Covell, like he's one of the people that I got to meet pretty early on.
And so he would come and he taught some metal classes at Royes because he would travel to different places in the country
and do a metal shaping class at somebody's shop or whatever.
So he did a few at Royes.
So I got to sit in on those for free.
So I got to watch him basically make a 34 rear fender and quarter scale or whatever that he was doing.
So there were little nuggets along the way that helped.
Yeah.
But other than that, you know, I would ask Roy for like metal shaping equipment.
And then I didn't even know what was good.
So I would like tell him, oh, let's try this.
You know, and it was the shittiest, planishing hammer.
Yeah, that's just like, it's just a noise maker.
A noise maker.
But what I did find out that my talent was to get the part where it needed to be, regardless of what I had to work with.
And the cars, I'm sure if you asked the painters who had to paint the metal work I was doing, they would probably tell you that it started out pretty rudimentary.
You know, got better over time.
Just stick Bondo too.
They're putting Bondo over everything anyway.
It doesn't matter how slick it is.
Still skimming it.
They're going to skim it either way.
The skimming maybe got a little thinner over time.
Right.
I hope.
But at what point are you, you know, you're progressing through different stuff?
You came in there, hey, I want a job, right?
Are you even thinking about long term plans?
No.
It's just, hey, this is a job.
That was a good job to have while I was going to school.
And I finished, I came to the Bay Area to go to college.
And by the end of the six years or whatever it took me to finish, I just realized how much I liked building cars.
What did you go to school for?
English literature.
Look at you.
I think that's where we all got started.
Might as well have been, yeah, sociology.
It's the most useless major you could possibly have.
And I wanted to be a professor and write.
And I realized, fortunately, early on that I was really bad at teaching and not very good at writing.
It's kind of, that's a bad thing.
It's a bad combo for the thing you were self aware, right?
Yeah, I think it worked out.
Well, so the, you know, I always tell everybody that I wasted, however many years of college tuition, literally wasted it.
I've, I started at Roy's talking about like VHS and technology at the time.
There was, you know, we didn't have cell phone cameras.
I would set up a tripod with a digital camera and set the timer.
And then I would take pictures of myself doing, you know, whatever job I was doing, like, you know, really?
Mounting a 32 grill shell or whatever.
Take pictures.
And then I'd go home, sort them out, write an article about it, and then, you know, submit it to magazines.
So I probably have 50 tech articles out there floating around.
Wow, it's cool.
So I used my English literature.
Yeah, he used it.
Yeah, very valuable in my career.
Yeah.
Made the parents happy.
They, honestly, you were asking, you know, what they thought when I was going to Carson.
They had no, they never pushed me in any direction.
I think he probably would have said that he'd rather me not go into the hot rod business after he did.
Definitely didn't push me that direction.
But they really just let me take my own path.
And that's why I wasted however many years of college I did.
It's not a way they're always on there.
Yeah, yeah, fine.
There's always something that comes out of it.
I mean, you're basically, you gave the money to somebody else, but you got your education at Roy's.
So you're paying, I mean, that's true.
I mean, technically, I got paid to work at Roy's, but.
Yeah, but if you weren't, there's a possibility if you weren't tied to the school and seeing that out.
You know, the job might have not have been, you might have hung in there for six years or something different.
True.
So you, you finished school, you realized that I just went through school.
I care about cars more.
I'm not going to use this degree.
Now you're starting to think about long term plans.
Is it, at what point do you start thinking about?
Do I want to stay at Roy's for the rest of my life or do I want to do my own thing?
I, so I took, I asked Roy to go out to lunch with me.
I don't know how many years it may be six, seven years into working for him.
I worked, I worked for him for 13, 14 years.
So like kind of halfway through and I, I said, hey, Roy, I just wanted to tell you that I really think I might want to start my own business at some point.
And that's because I had a shop on the side and people were starting to ask.
I had a shop just to work on my own stuff.
Right.
And it turned into then I had to rent a second bay because somebody left and I didn't want someone else to take whatever, you know, just organically kind of grew in size.
People were asking me to do stuff and I was like, oh shit, I'm getting paid $28 an hour.
I can charge $35 if I have my own shop.
Eight bucks.
Yeah.
So I sat down and was just like, hey, Roy, I just want to be upfront with you.
I'm thinking at some point I really would like to have my own shop.
And he almost immediately was like, don't do it.
I don't recommend you do that.
And kind of was like, here's the reasons not to.
And then as he realized that I kind of really wanted to do it, he would give me advice.
He was like, five to six employees is the sweet spot.
It's keep your door closed.
Don't let people sit there and bullshit with you while you're trying to work.
You know, and was actually helpful.
Time-time bandits.
100%.
But I stayed, you know, he kept me on there for years.
And I went down from working four days a week to three days a week.
And at the end, two days a week because there was no one else doing cheap metal work.
And then when I finally went on my own, he sent me stuff.
So I chopped a bunch of tops for him at my shop once I went on my own and some other metal work.
So it really, he allowed me to ween off, allowed.
It was a symbiotic thing.
I mean, I was helping him get stuff done and he didn't want me to sleep.
That's the right way.
We do it the right way.
We've all seen it.
I mean, every shop seen it, they're the right way more often than not the wrong way.
But that's, I mean, do that speaks a lot to your character to approach it that way.
You know, there's, there's, you can't fault anybody for wanting to go do that.
But how you do it is.
Well, this is, it's a small pond, you know, as big as this industry is.
Everybody knows everybody.
And the last thing you want to do is burn bridges and, and shape where you eat, you know.
And not that I did that because I just didn't want to burn a bridge.
I mean, I really liked it.
You gave him a six year notice.
And then, I mean, whether you would have done it or not, I think there's something to be said for the honesty of like,
this is what's going through my head.
That's what, this is what I'm thinking about, right?
And then, and, and he was right, I shouldn't have done it.
Yeah, he wasn't, I just wanted to learn how right he was.
He was giving you the right advice.
He wasn't just trying to keep you there.
100% aggregator, but yeah.
It's, I've had a lot of those conversations over the years.
And I've, I've given guys, I think both directions, right?
I've given some guys the, but like, there's some guys that are, maybe that's what they should be doing.
You know, and some guys are like, dude, don't, do not fucking do that.
That is not the thing for you.
Yep.
And it's, and some of them have been successful and some haven't.
People don't realize how many more talents it takes to run a shop than just being able to build a car.
Well, they don't, like, dude, I'll say this.
And I, you know, I'll give any, I'll, I'll name names, we'll name names.
They're Mike Wood, right?
He's a guy who worked here for years, talent and fucking kit.
Great fucking metal shaper.
And he went off and did his own thing.
And he's out in Pennsylvania under, uh, cool.
I forget the last, the whole name of a shop, but K-E.
Gotta have a K in it.
K-U-H.
Yeah.
It's, yeah, it's something.
But dude, the kids, he's a fucking talent, a talented kid, right?
And that's, that was the, that was where he belonged.
He's doing it, like, by himself, small shop, didn't great metal work.
And like, that's it.
You know, it's not trying to, like, people forget about the running the fucking business.
That's the thing is, you know, it comes up in the discussion is when somebody's like,
Hey, I want to go, I think I want to go start my own shop.
The first question should be, do you want to build a bunch more cars the way you want to build them?
Do you want to continue working on cars?
Or you don't want to just say, I just want to run a business.
If you just want to run a business, there's a lot of businesses just to go run.
Start up a business.
If it's about cars, if you have your own business, you'll very quickly not work on cars.
Hardly ever.
That is why Joe devotees to works at my shop.
So you can work on cars.
I'm always baffled.
I kind of run the whole front-end side of things.
You guys are fabricators and then want to go open a business.
Like, do you have any experience with payroll, insurance, taxes, setting up businesses?
And most of the time when I answer, I've never heard of those things.
Yes.
And like, somebody has to handle all that.
So once you do that, you're not building cars anymore.
Most of that stuff will be a write-off, though.
You just write it off.
You just write that shit off.
Joe tells me that all the time.
Anytime he needs to buy something, he's like, Bill, it's a write-off.
That's 100% true.
That's the thing that I think everybody needs to realize.
I'm not going off and starting a fucking hot rod shop.
You have to have, we work great because it's the right team.
You need an intelligent person that can fucking run a business.
Right.
You need both.
You need somebody that can shape metal, weld shit together nicely.
And the business portion, that's a huge lift.
There's nothing at all wrong with the drive and the wanting to and doing something like that.
It's more so of the understanding what exactly you're saying that you want.
Or being honest with yourself of what you actually want.
Do you want to live more freedom?
Do you want to live more design freedom?
Do you want to live more?
You get to pick the jobs you want to work on.
Is it just the fact that you want to hang your own shingle?
You want to go to the shows and get the recognition.
Do you want to be talking to the customers?
Do you want, you know, just be honest.
There's everybody's got a different thing that drives them.
What is that thing that drives you most likely you owning your own business and starting out?
But you don't know.
It doesn't get you five of those things.
You don't know until you really start doing it though.
It's the same as Roy telling me you don't want to do this for X, Y and Z reasons.
And I literally don't even remember what those reasons were.
I was not hearing them.
And once you start, you realize real quick that if you don't make the bottom line,
you're going to go out of business.
And it gets real, real fast.
And you learn what is absolutely necessary that you things you didn't even think of.
Even if people told you, you don't really know what it meant.
And I've managed to just, you know, bumble my way through the business part.
Good enough to be successful enough to keep the business going.
And, you know, I don't even know what you want to call successful.
I mean, if you look at your shop, everybody is unsuccessful in a relative way.
But, you know, all I want to do is really want to build cars.
And that's the hardest thing to make money in this industry.
If you just build cars, it's a slog.
The margin is so low.
And you're giving away hours.
You're paying taxes.
You never knew existed.
You know, so it's tough.
And you really got to want to build cars for a living.
You really want to got to, you really need to want to see those cars finished.
And that's your drive to power through all the other stuff that goes along with it.
It's amazing that the things that you need to have the, like you said, the things you don't listen.
You're like, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, until you have to deal with it.
So many times you have those.
And again, nothing wrong with having the driving one to do it.
But some of it's funny how some of the very employees and fabricators and different people
that want to go start their own thing also have said things like, you know,
I got to have a proper work life balance.
And that goes start your own business.
That's the dumbest fucking thing you could ever say.
I know.
And it's, it's been, you know, there's those, even maybe they haven't said those words.
There's the times of like, yeah, like Saturday's my time, you know.
There's things that once you decide to be like, it's my business.
Me and this customer have got this relationship.
He's giving me money in exchange for services.
You've given away any ability to not answer a cell phone.
You're kind of a whore at that.
No matter what time of day, if you want to, if you want to do it the right way,
if you want to be successful and you want to, you know, there's going to be times.
And there's, I mean, I know there's people out there giving business advice.
It's, you know, you got to have you time and, you know, there's got to be a great relationship
between you and your customer.
And he has to have respect in boarders and guidelines and stuff.
It's a, it's a dude calls it nine o'clock on a Sunday night, you know, no matter what.
If you're in the middle of a movie with your wife or you're on the, you know, on vacation,
like you got to answer and then you got to figure out what to do to make the situation right.
It's funny, though, on the, I would, I'm not, we're dancing around a little few things,
but you know those guys, there's been employees.
If you'd have called them as the employer on a Sunday night and said,
hey, I need you to come to the shop and, and fix this.
What the answer would be.
100% and you know in six months, they're going to be in that same thing.
But it's like, it's the same shit.
Yeah.
Well, that's, it's actually, you should be more inclined to do it because we're giving you a lot of,
like long term safety and stability and a 401k and health insurance and all that,
that the customer's not.
So like,
close your eyes, exhale, fill your body relax and let go of whatever you're carrying today.
Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class.
I got them delivered free from 1,800 contacts.
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Sierra, let's get moving.
Well, I'll say one huge benefit for me of having worked at a shop, a good shop and seen how a good shop functions first.
And now being on the owner boss side of things, it helps me to know exactly what I'm saying means to the people I'm saying it to.
I've been on their side.
I'm not saying I'm a great manager, boss, whatever, but I think the perspective that I gained working for somebody.
For sure.
Especially for Roy Brizio.
I don't know if he's been for so long like the one you hold as a standard.
How many times you've been sitting around on this podcast in the parking lots for the last 20 years?
And somebody can make a living building cars.
Well, I mean, except Roy.
I mean, Brizio, he's got to figure it out.
And it doesn't matter what builder you're talking about, it's the same thing.
I mean, Roy's kind of got to figure it out.
And it's just you couldn't have learned from a better business side of things of how to, you know.
100% and there are a few things of what not to do as well, you know.
But the what to do far out ways.
I don't know what that split is.
Maybe 70 30.
Maybe it might be a 75 20.
What do you really do?
That's a great point because you do learn like you learn the definitely don't ever do that because you know how it made you feel.
But to your point, more often than not, you learn the things to do.
Like some great advice.
Yeah.
Yep.
Yeah.
You also, in this business, getting somebody to want to work at your shop when there's so many people building cars everywhere that they could go start the,
that the allure to start their own shop is there because they would get people to have them do work.
Whatever that work maybe.
But it's going to take them a while to figure out how hard it is.
Yeah.
But, you know, to treat your employees well in this business is paramount because they can go work anywhere else.
Everybody's looking for people.
Yep.
You know, they can have some guy offer him five bucks more an hour.
That guy may be an asshole and it's a terrible place to work but they're might go try it because that's a lot of money to them.
So, you know, treating them well and not being a dick as a boss.
You know, all the things I want to say, I do not, I just censor myself.
I'm like, yeah, I'm doing great, guys.
Everyone's doing awesome.
I've learned that over the years.
Yeah.
That's part of the living room.
Yep.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Did you take things from your mentors?
Yeah.
You have mentors that teach you like 25 now.
You have to evolve with the times.
Yep.
And things are a lot different now than they were.
So different.
Even 20 years ago.
I mean, it's, yeah.
I'm still analog, so I'm not adapting in certain ways.
Yeah.
But as a human being, I'm doing my best.
It's tough though.
I mean, when there was words that you were called for so long growing up that you didn't take them.
Which words do you mean?
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know how he's going to navigate that.
Yeah.
You're throwing the landmines out as you're walking through them.
Yeah.
I'm being smart.
And you take, you know that that you took that as like, Oh, well, that means I'm doing,
I'm doing some stupid.
I'm not doing it.
I'm not doing it the right way.
And then you use those words because that's the way you grew up.
Yep.
But they, nowadays they don't, it doesn't seem like it resonates in the sense.
It resonates in the same way as it did with you.
You're like, dude, like, where is you?
Huh?
What?
For me, fucking moron.
Man, like, man, I really screwed up this time.
That was, yeah.
And it, it wasn't like, you didn't challenge that because it, after a short while of trying to make heads or tails,
you're like, yeah, that was pretty stupid.
And then you corrected it.
And it wasn't hurtful, but it didn't feel good.
But fucking moron might have been the right, like, that was, it was kind of helpful in my development.
Yeah.
And in, in construction, it was, it was dumbass.
Okay.
And then another one that we can't talk about.
You're not even supposed to say, you're not supposed to.
I mean, this is, that was the word that is said.
We say, we say, and that makes it sound like it's like time.
It is French.
Yeah.
For the timing.
Yeah.
There's another one that you absolutely can't say.
That one was the last one that got them.
The last one that got them.
The guy that I remember from Dad.
Yeah.
So the other issue you got is probably experiences.
You have way more employees than I do, but also the difference there is that every person is a delicate flower.
an individual snowflake, not in the bad sense, political sense, but I mean they're all
individual. So you got to figure out what works best for each person that works for you
because one method, calling somebody a fucking moron, it says or it goes completely the opposite
as you think. Not constructive criticism. We're not doing the
second and next generation any favors by cuddling to that though. Because nobody worried
about if we were the type of people that could be called a fucking dumbass. Whether we liked
it or not, we had the whole entire crew had to just deal with it. One guy might cry but he's
going to get called that and the other guy's mad but he's going to get called that. Yeah, well so
you're first of all realize right now I'm a person from California from the Bay Area that you're
talking to right now. So I'm so triggered. We didn't even think about that. I got to applaud you
for you. You're pretty even killed. No, we got a nap pods outside if you need to take a break. I might
crayons all kinds of stuff you can do. It's you're just further like I mean you got to do it
you gotta run a business you gotta keep employees and stuff but it's just further. So my my mentality is
that things are changing in ways that we can't control. It's gonna happen. We're not we're not
stopping the iceberg from coming down the mountain and I was raised a certain way. I got you know
I got smacked once or twice. Yeah, you know so and I feel great about it. You generally didn't
do the thing anymore that you got smacked for. No, I probably did. Or but I'm also dumb. That's
another story. No, but you know it a microcosm for society is the people in your shop. The kind
of the way I view it and you know you're dealing with very different personalities all the time.
Some of them are very on one side of the political or social spectrum and some are on the other side
especially in hot rotting and especially in California in hot rotting and I just try to respect
people you know I it's like do no harm kind of you know so like if if people want very you know
tell you hey this is the way I want to be treated I'm just gonna do it. Like it's not that hard
for me and it's gonna save me more trouble and angst in the long run I think then and then
there's other guys who I just call a fucking hard every day and they're perfectly fine with it
and we get along. I've got interesting spin on that. Why is it from this side you have to mind
your pees and cues if you will but you built a car that maybe wasn't quite as universally loved
with a color scheme which I don't know. Coming back from the social media side. You got to take
back. I think we got the bag right? We got we got called some very hurtful names and you've got
to take it on your end and you can't respond. Well I mean you know it also another metaphor for life
you know you you take the high road in certain instances I really pick and choose when I respond
to people you know social media sucks I mean there's the biggest assholes out there who literally are
you know in their mom's basement with their keyboard never built a car in their lives and have a lot
to say about yours and when you get good momentum critical mass behind what you're doing other people
are gonna take care of it for you you know the guy who responds it's like in I think of it kind
of like basketball you know the first guy who tugs on your shirt and then you swing you're the
one who's getting the technical foul right you know what I mean so you got to be careful how you
respond when you respond and ultimately Donny Welch works for me and I can't go through this
podcast without bringing him up and this is a perfect place to bring it up he is my social slash
cultural liaison so when I'm like somebody right California position doesn't mean what you think
but you know somebody writes something on Instagram or Facebook or whatever the ham
I'll literally I'll go to Donny and I'll be like hey man look at what this fucking idiot said
do I do I care and he'll tell me whether I care or not he'll be like no this he knows who
everybody is he'll be like this is so and so from whatever they've never built a fucking thing in
their life don't even think about it and then the next time he'll be like oh yeah this is this guy
this guy's a fucking asshole oh yeah fucking burning down yeah fucking egg loaded up yeah so it's
always interesting I will say Chris Gray he handles our social media and he has a way with we're
of just so absolutely sweeping the legs out yeah underneath somebody like so tactfully
no I don't tell you what if you didn't say something negative you're just coming now that you're
gonna appreciate this coming from your six-year major you better be on your peas and cues grammar-wise
and if you're gonna say if you're gonna say something shitty I mean if it's written shitly
I love the response it's there not there nothing I hate you in that all the time you'll send things
in a text you were you were I don't only do you're one way I hit the star and you are I know what
I do it because I know so many people and it's just like but he's like a fucking ninja dude with
the like it's like a sweep the legs and bring them down so in capacity I'm gonna give you an example
of the worst the worst fucking thing that's ever been said on my Instagram I somebody said something
about Kobe's car the striped coupe they were not talking about out loud wouldn't be saying
Christopher's and they they said something about like you know something's fucked up on the car
or whatever and I replied I just I just replied something dumb because I didn't go consult
Donnie first I said something like I was thinking of your mom well I did it and it came out wrong
or whatever like you know and they replied back to me like fucking the vitriol like you fucking
piece of shit that you blah blah blah and they spelled it wrong so I just replied you spelled
it wrong you put a asterisk and then that's right but that ends it that ends it because you're
so you taking such the high ground I didn't even read what you said until I came across your
grammatical error and I did and I was felt compelled to call it out it's one thing when it's the
car right like I could take the car and we've brought this up before people say there's a lot of
sexuality things that come from wheel choice if they don't like your style wheel wheels are either
your homosexuals yeah they're gay or they're or they're straight like there's a lot of that but I've
done a lot of the like in-car video stuff and then you get the personal attacks because it's you
talking and then it's like at first it's a little hurtful you get numb to it over time and then
you quit reading them but there's some fucking shots dude yeah they're mean I mean it's funny
it's related to that it's amazing how many burner accounts he has oh yeah sure yeah I wouldn't
surprise dude it's uh back to the coming full circle though you know those all those are like
learning experiences and you learn differently whether you appreciate the guys comments or
anything you learn differently from this stuff talking about dealing with employees and
I know you have to continue to evolve and treat people differently just like I mean things are
different um I don't know how anybody ever learns um without pain um and not not physical pain but
something's got to hurt there's it's just the way life is it's just the way we are created as
beings this way from a very young age it's just it's just nature yeah I'd come back to the I said
at a hundred times that's my perfect example is the only reason more of us don't drive whatever speed
limit we want is because a speeding ticket hurts in various ways either it's the cost
monetarily right if you go too fast you can lose your car you can go to you get arrested there's
there's repercussions for it those repercussions always hurt whether we like them or not it has to
cause a certain amount of pain if you not to do that thing again and crafting blade blaze feels
no pain nothing hurts blaze right he's that that that mentality works until you encounter a
psychopath and then oh yeah you're right you can't hurt him but I just don't know how you know
dealing with the newer uh age of employees and and people and especially as they continue to get
younger we continue to get older um no matter even if you've identified that that guy can't be
talked to that way you got to work through a a teaching experience um isn't painful right it's
just sitting down and talking about something um I don't know but I know this is sounds super old
school um but it's just well you're literally uh discussing the uh you know that that could get
political really cool yeah yeah thank you um let's get back to cars yeah well just really great
with politics yeah yeah I do believe me I'm not even touching that it's dangerous let's go let's
get in it but so what this kind of relates back to though how we're captive to the type of
employees we have because it's not like there's 20 guys waiting to take a spot at my shop um and so
therefore the you know trial by fire or teaching by uh you know I've I try to look more towards
reward uh based um encouragement I guess yeah but uh I don't disagree with you it's more so
just because of the spot we're in where you know if I tell one of my guys you're a fucking retard
and they don't like it they might go to another shop right you know it doesn't mean you know they're good
I've got really really talented people and very good people work and for me which if you the the
I'd rather have somebody who is less talented and more uh copacetic with everybody else in the shop
and that's and had some work ethic work ethic is huge and and my got do they come in they work
when they're supposed to take their breaks like on time I mean that stuff means so much to me
because it's all the only thing I control the rest of my life is in chaos every day the only thing I
can control is like could you please take your break it 10 to 10 10 when Vinnie was on when he talks
about it on he had to he hit the nail on the head when it goes to your point of talking about on the
social media side when you have that following and you have that they're gonna take care of themselves
you don't need to say anything same thing goes on the employee side Vinnie talks about that he's like
now with the team that we've got they're so you know tight knit somebody gets out of line they handle
themselves you know you got a new guy that comes in you don't you don't have to say you don't
generally have to talk to somebody hard because if somebody does something stupid they're gonna they're
like self police yeah self police like this this shit don't fly donny donny is the alpha dog in our shop
so like in terms of how you use the tools where you put stuff like I mean he I don't
have to say anything he's like he'll he just you see him prairie dogging
and and so yeah take care of every there's it's kind of a little you know ecosystem and everybody's
got their place their thing yeah I'm just the guy who comes in and if if I won't say anything
it's more lead by example donny will fucking bitch you out like if he did yeah so I leave that to him
what's the policy unlike leaving your dies in the pull max or something like is that uh oh
there's been there's been fucking wars fought physical battles 100% you like dude it takes
fucking two seconds the the thing is is nobody cares except donny yeah so if anybody else goes
to the pull max and they're and they have to change the dies they just change him but if donny goes
to the pull max and the wrong die if dies are left he's not about to use then okay yeah so you've
got to take you're done with the point you take the dies out you well actually also donny is you the
primary user of the pull max in our shop so yeah so yeah those are these are all things we're
yeah it's mostly changing so he might feel a different way tomorrow than he did yesterday so people
disrupt keeping you on your deco system you can't fuck with the homeostasis right Jason
Disney asked me to do this podcast thing I need some advice you've got to have banger gets
walker and lean Daniel Deamer him simons Adam Kovlin you're the one asking the questions how
they better answer I don't know anything this is just a quest I'm oriented some
Audrey welcome to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians official podcasts available wherever you
get your podcasts and watch season two of Percy Jackson streaming now on Disney plus and who
learn more at Disney plus dot com slash what's on this episode is brought to you by Casamigos
Tequila what do you bring to a holiday party simple a bottle of Casamigos because nothing gets
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Casamigos Tequila 40% alcohol by volume back to the back to the car side of things
reason you're out here we got to talk about the charger so yeah that was the latest that's
latest debut that was it grand national right debuted at grand national we debuted it at gnrs
yeah yep I was excited to see you guys come out with a muscle car I'm kind of put your spin on it
because like in our world like the pro touring things been done to death we've kind of shifted
and gotten a lot more of like the refined original but it was really cool to see you're kind of
mild custom take on 68 yeah yeah yeah the owner it was gonna be a 68 from the 68 has the the
tail lights basically or what makes the 68 yep and it is a challenge to be somebody like myself
then go build a muscle car like this you know but yeah we just approached it from I we don't really
follow trends too hard you know few things here and there but I just wanted to build a classic
classy timeless you know muscle car using some modern you know the interior in that car is our
first attempt at doing a fully custom completely CAD modeled interior and my fear was it's gonna
look like a modern interior and what I'm hoping as a classy classic car but Danny from DJ
designs did the interior and we work with Davis Highlander to do some initial renderings of it
so I could be sure that it was going the direction that you know that that I wanted and the customer
wanted so yeah I'm happy with it how did that first discussion go with that customer approaching you
like Phil talked about is you know something is a little bit out of your wheelhouse so he had
had at the time a 70-dart and a guy who was working for me Tony Parker painted that car for him so
that was my introduction to Ron Michaels who owns the car he basically came to us and said I want
to build a 68 charger it's going to be a 68 for sure and I want it to be better than my 70
dart and the 70 dart was pretty nice it was you know was featured in good guys won some top 10 maybe
builders choice or something and so I basically said like how much nicer you know these days the
difference between a $500,000 car and a $3 million car like we know when we go and walk up
yeah so you know he's he's not the wealthiest guy in the world so we kind of said this is going
to be an under million dollar car for sure so I knew where we were going with it and your guy's
chassis shameless plug was like a no-brainer he wanted it to be a driver he's gonna drive the
shit out of it we hadn't talked about doing this run yet but it was a no-brainer just because of
the way the car is built stance on those chargers it makes or breaks the entire thing and so I
I keep really I'm really self-conscious about this is how much I care about this that car right now
we raised it because we had to do the autocross and it's we're sending it shipping it to Texas
after we're done with this run so I'm not gonna have the chance to put it in the shop and lower it
back down so that thing is about a half inch too high in the front and it bugs the shit out of it
every time I look at it I can tell seeing the pictures like in the video but it's still it's it
fucker sits good dude it looks really that's it it's very striking car people have said you know
my dad always told me that growing up you have to see your car driving on the road yeah like
you don't really know what your car looks like until you've seen it from not inside of it you know
seeing it driving down the road and people of everybody you know they're like god damn that thing
looks so good going down the road it just it looks I think uh Mark Boller somebody was like
it just looks sinister you know and that's you know you want that's exactly the kind of thing you want
to hear dude 100% that's what it's just like choppers that's the I think the best uh like example
that anybody can apply to the hot rod world from the like the chopper in the bike building world
there's been some really cool bikes some really like wild artistic creations you get on it and then
you put a person on it and drive it like we I mean I think we're gonna start
we're gonna start charging him for all the Jesse yeah yeah we're gonna say we give him but
that's the thing that Jesse James has always done it's like dude you put somebody on one of his bikes
and you look fucking bad at even a goober looks bad at all you even look pretty cool
honestly it's fucking enough all right like you'd look you'd look decent did honestly but
well that bad ass too yeah he's got the fucking look he knows what he's doing he knows what he's
fucking doing that's something that you you know a I don't think you can be taught what really good
style is you know you that's something that you kind of have or you don't and 90% I don't know
what the split is on this one 90 10 80 20 but there should be an over under like let's see
that you're out here what it is a minus three for 80 so but a lot of people don't know that anyway
you know I see cars that I think I'm like dude this thing just doesn't look good and people just
love it you know and they go nuts over it and then you know I lied about the detail sometimes
or the color or the whatever it is sometimes they got a hook and I'm going I'm going zero 100
really like 100% of the time it doesn't fucking look good then fuck I don't care what is the point
just don't the whole point of what we do is to make something that looks good yeah I think it's
got to grab you from a hundred yards away like you oh I want to go over there and look at that and
then the details go 100% yep I agree but I mean you argue about this all the time on it though because
it's cool I can't allow it to make other sins just because it's cool ah well so yeah I'm
wondering we're doing I'm a horrible stuff you know I can't be like because I'll be like no dude that
sucks right there like yeah but it's fucking cool like look how it sits I can't get over the thing that
yeah because like craftsmanship wise yeah craftsmanship
look the same example of a particular car like what was the car that you would say yeah yeah
like it I've got it in my mind right now I just love to know it Texas Texas
there's it see my last year that's see man oh was it was it a striped 34 no no I
there's no there's always the thing that you're 100% right the stance and the look is is number one
going down the road how what it looks like that is the most important thing the problem I take it
a step for the problem that I have with that is if you were able to make it look cool how did you
stance stance you know is you know obviously roachershop chassis definitely helps helps get you there
a lot of stuff figured out color palette all these kinds of things there's a there's a thing that's
always like you said how how did you do all that I don't I don't I don't give any excuses for
well shit we're gonna tie it's at least it sits good yeah look at the fucking console like
dude yeah but I can look I can actually I can't look at the jams like you need to fucking rub
out the jams based by case basis for me I I will go look at a car that looks cool and if there's
something that just gets me wrong I'll be I'll be done with it but it's case by case it's gotta be
real wrong because if if the good outweighs that thing like the to me it's the stance and the appeal
of does it catch my attention is it going does it look cool going on the road I mean I'll you I'll
say this I was leaving the triple crown and I'm driving down the fucking highway and it was after
the show was over on Saturday and there's a there was a black mercury cougar there and I it was rolling
down in the right lane and I'm like fuck did it sat right I just sat right and it just look good I
didn't look at it up close so I didn't see the the car I don't know who built it but going on the
fucking highway you're like and the two people in it they didn't they weren't sitting like the steering
wheel wasn't here and they weren't like they look cool they're sitting down in the car I'm like shit if
I didn't know any better and I wasn't like deeply invested in the car world and I saw that I'd be
like this fucking coolest car in the world you know that's fucking rad right so that's what's most
important because I couldn't see the console the console might it could have been like a 80s GM
like it could have been an OBS GM fucking Chevy I looked at it it had six co-holders in the six really
well I mean yeah I'm not trying to I'm not trying to be an ass about it we're not talking about
cars that are just there I mean there's always all kinds of shit these we're talking about the
different like the high end the high end proest pro level when when you are because we are
accustomed to like we're everybody's trying to step their game up right and I don't I don't look
for to try and find things wrong with the car right it's it's a slap in the face kind of thing
I'm not talking about opinion-based stuff I don't give a shit about color choices or whatever color
choice doesn't change the stance doesn't change the fit and finish doesn't change the craftsmanship
doesn't change the put together stuff I always look I'm very very particular on uh rub out areas
like if things are always looked out it's a it's a thing because it is hard and it's the thing
that if you want to take it to the next level don't say it's and I can't stand that it's not hard
it's not hard it's just labor intensive labor intensive are you getting paid to do it as well
that's why that's my so I'll tell you like just pure honesty the charger is not the nicest car
we've ever built um it there's certain things that we whatever you want to say you know didn't
do just because we knew we wanted to get the cart done in a certain way for a certain budget
and that to me they all bug me every single thing that's not perfect or not
the way I wish I could have done it bugs me but sometimes you got to make the car look the best
you can for the budget yes that the customer has there's nothing wrong with that right right yeah
and that's but but to your point like uh I get nervous when anybody that I know who knows what's
good goes and looks at a car I built you see somebody if you guys went and looked at that like if
you've scoured over I'd just be like oh fuck they're looking at that oh god down they say that's
every builder though you gave me the whole run down on like I hate this I don't like this I don't like
this I don't like this when you're when you've been doing this for a long time and you know the
builder and you know there's always a budget and you like you don't judge based on no you did like
again I go back to the fact it's a cool fucking car it's got great style it's got a lot of awesome
stuff like I didn't open the doors and look at the jams I don't give a shit if there's like orange
peel in the jams I'm not oh good like I'm not fucking Josh with his I did you could sit and you could
say in the fucking door jams with a little acrylic block for two thousand hours if you want you
shouldn't have to do it for two thousand hours two hundred how long do I have a door the fucking
with the leather you can do both jam you can do the car jam on a two-door car you can do the car
both left and right and the doors left and right you should be able to do that in about four days
or less all the way from start to polished out for it's four thousand so four thousand bucks
and then per side or total total okay and then like probably the first day that the customer has the
car he's gonna leave the seat belt out and close it in the door and blow it out but I'm not saying
it's gonna last but the person also that owns the shop knows that he's gonna try to put his best
foot forward what's the deal about staying late for five days and fucking buffing out the damn jams
we got and not it's a small thing right it's a small thing but there's gotta be something there
had to be something that jams in Josh's office there steam yeah it's you get me on the jams
because I bring it up it's one of the things I don't it's it's I care more to your point
what you're talking about on design choices or color choices or like did you rub this thing out
the thing that over everything forget the jams even forget a bad design on a console because
those are like rampant like everyone the console suck everywhere some consoles are horrible
the thing that I that I pay more attention to not that you did it not I'm not looking for the bad
I look for the good on the assembly fit and finish when you see things that you know were
absolute nightmare to be able to draft in and to hang this and so and you you can't find any
imperfections because either one there wasn't there or they did a really good job of like
filling that buffing that that's the thing that really probably stands out more than anything is
the I like I love the stance that's why you go up and walk to the car but if you're gonna walk
up to the car and you start looking at the car you know there's always that lower windshield
to cowl or fender trim right does that lay where it needs to lay there's always the stuff on
around the back glass there's always stuff in the trunk that there's an assembly side of things
where you're like it just takes it to a different level while they they knew what they were doing
that car that car was fabbed well because it went together well that car took a lot of
fucking time to put together and they did it without because I don't I don't care how good you are
it's that's the difficult part that's the most difficult part I have to get example for this the uh
foos built that xk the convertible or roadster yeah and that car that car caught a lot of
flack because he showed up at semen you could tell he oh when it was down to the water and there
were a lot of things that clearly went sideways I'm not talking shit because it's it's a cool
cut like you know I didn't even have fucking transmission I don't even know if there was a motor
is the same but you seem with the right at the end of the day like I don't care about you can
look past that you're like dude maybe there was a problem here maybe there's a problem there
but the proportions the shape the the overall look of the cars is beautiful so don't go
sideways don't go you can fix it don't go don't go okay but like dude don't don't don't get that
out that way of being like oh you had some problems it was hard so I'm gonna grade you on
what if it looked like shit what if it looks like shit it did it did it did
though the the silhouette of the car the lines of the car like shit that's jaguar
that isn't give any credit because he took a great looking car you sound stupid right now I'm
just saying it's you because the car was totally reworked so that means you give somebody a
fucking pass because like well you know what it's down to deadline you know the customer didn't
want to pay it was a buy there isn't a builder in this industry that hasn't fake some shit to get
to agreed agreed a lot of shit a hundred percent what so but what do you want to say to
Charles what do you want to say to chip right about that hey we're trying to get them in the
podcast yeah well it's not going well no we're just being honest I'm not saying that I'm not
saying it's not get it doesn't get faked and it doesn't get fluffed and it doesn't get whatever
and it it's all done in the guys to put your absolute best foot forward but there comes a time
when that foot is not gonna be the best foot forward no matter what you're trying to do and it's
better to push to another debut and not bring it out well there comes a time when it's just like
you don't you don't just say well it's better to have it there in a shitty form then just push it
to the next bit it's so say your bsf and you have the booth and you get the phone call a week
before yeah we're kind of not gonna make it so well this is what a big open hole there this is
what it looks like and the bsf would be like yeah you okay I will say the bsf has a lot of people
who would feel that's real quick yeah but I would so I'll say from a from a builder's perspective
I'm you know I have a booth at GNRS every year with room for three cars but two kind of
minimum and the pressure to bring new stuff every year really you get in positions where you're
like I've I have to fill this spot you know yeah realistically yeah that's the business portion
it is and and so also then you know you have a customer who's like I have a budget I don't want to
build a million dollar car but I want to put it in GNRS I want to go for whatever and I'm
also gonna drive the shit out of it as soon as you're done with your little you know crap you do
for your shop you know that they don't really they care but you know so you know you you got to look
at like well of do I want to have evod custom full wheels on it when the customer doesn't want to
spend more than 20 grand on the wheels or do I want to cut and rub the jams the jams actually are
cut and rubbed on this car I want to stay down for the rest of Josh will be thrilled to get there
yeah but there's there's a lot of choices you're making that is like okay so the guy who's
gonna come up and be like dude that is a bitch in looking car just period doesn't care whether the
jams are cut and rub no and you know so you know there's that contingent and then you also know there's
the contingent of people who are gonna be literally mad dogging every part of the car yeah but they're
also never gonna give you new money for a build no 100% the customer really is the only one exactly
but but the customer does care whether the car gets received well yeah whether they like it as much
and they may say I don't care about awards I don't care whether chip boost likes your my car
but they're gonna care when they lose and they're gonna care when chip says that's kind of
me obviously Josh doesn't care what chip boost says about the car is it we're not getting any chip
boost awards coming to the roads to shop anytime soon no it's he's had too many opportunities to be on
the podcast and he decided not to do it he's made his bed he's made his bed as a builder building cars
this level are you ever happy with the finished product there's always 30 things you could have
done better 100 percent you could have 10 years and you just keep going back and redoing and redoing
I want any of my customers who are listening to put earmuffs on right now but there's every so we
say every car has its dirty secret you know there's always something I building cars to this level
maybe it's for any business or industry but 90% of it is problem solving and just figuring out
how to fix shit that went wrong shit that went wrong at the last minute parts that just you
spent $10,000 on one little thing and it doesn't fit the way it's supposed to this door fit this hole
when we took it off and painted it why does it not fit this hole anymore and that and that is
why I lose sleep like if it was a Lego set where just all the pieces fit great you know life would
be awesome we would make money doing this we would be happy we wouldn't have a psychiatrist you
know whatever being able to persevere through fixing all that stuff and yes getting through all the
problems is really I think what sets people who are going to in the end be successful versus not
because there's two options you either push it out imperfect but it's never going to be perfect
but you either push it out and it's not functional or you persevere and you fight that
fucking battle and you know every one of them every one of them is an absolute battle that you fight
to the end regardless of who you are how good you are right I don't care if you chip foods
Trojepan your roadster shop like it's always going to be it's about a battle it's just standing there
getting kicked in the nuts day after day after day after day by giving away the most money as you're
trying to solve these fucking terrible problems and we create all our own problems because you could
build the most amazing car and then you open the hood and like add a light way that AC line looks
we should machine a bulkhead that wraps around down here let's make a couple more weak points here
yes yeah let's do two places to leak is not enough let's make 17
100 percent hide it yeah well it's so much better let's take the alternator apart and let's
polish the case and machine that don't do that I'm just telling you just if anybody's listening don't
do that don't don't take never ending like just don't take them we just we just have a way to do it
we have a box full of shims yeah that's the way to do it just don't don't take a part
you're automatic transmission well that to do anything and don't take a part parts your alternator
yeah I would take it apart just leave it apart you're never going to put it back together yeah sure
automatic transmission it went short of a trans magic smoke short of a trans pan did and maybe a
valve body remember Chris what's it Jesse builder oh my god oh that's that's got to be the
worst thing I've ever seen him try to do a full rebuild no significantly worse we had a guy
squared uh yeah uh bought a new car new car this is now you're talking about like you have a
car payment and uh I think like a evo or something took the fucking trans out of it like
within weeks of buying it and I come walking by to do what to it well I come by walking and
I come walking by his bay and he's got the trans case and it's just a trans case and he's welding
shit up internally on it's he not familiar with the concept of warranty no dude and I'm like what
what do you do and he's like well like there's these like inherent issues and I'm trying to like
beef this up and beef that up like that oh so this was just to make it yeah just to make it better
that's that is there was nothing wrong with it in ruin it was a new car right it was a three-month-old
brewed new car trans out everything in the trans out you know what I'm welding on the case
oh and what I kind of realize this guy's comfortable well may yeah you that and that's a good
that's a good segue into this this idea here is that you people look at that shit and you're
looking at these guys you're like man this guy really knows like dude took apart a whole transmission
he took it apart though but the reality you ever notice how like dude I've had some cars like
my legend truck did I literally drive the fucking wheels off of it and we changed the oil
really not even when it's supposed to be changed and the motherfucker just works
it's the people that fuck with stuff that you shouldn't be fucking with and it's and that's why
there's like dude motor blew motors don't blow motors do not you unless there's a something goes
fucking sideways and and then a motor blow a trans doesn't fuck up unless you did something did
the trans go back together now it's never gone back together didn't he's probably still paying
he's there's never went back in for that fucking car but that's when you see these
dudes that like the Facebook post of like dude he's up all night me and my bodies were crushing a
fucking six-pack of beer and like putting this motor back and if you would just left it alone and
don't fuck with it or like have somebody that knows what they're doing there's certain things you
shouldn't do do not like if something goes sideways internally in my body I'm probably not going in
there and fucking with it oh you I'm just a transmission I don't know a lot about evos and even if
there is a we inherent weak spot in a transmission pass a certain threshold of the thing you know if
it's that bad on a stock car they would do a recall on it and if it's not that bad don't make
the horsepower that they're saying is a problem just drive the car why was his first the first
thing that he wanted to modify on the car the transmission proud social media a little bit of that
like he's building some power because it costs it costs zero money yeah just like I can do it better
more than zero yes and long term yeah initially it just cost his labor and he can weld
it because he gets you guy told he can fix it yeah yeah okay all right I'm never I've never
welded on a transmission case in my life nor will I will I will die before I weld on a transmission
case I'm delicate putting them in because I'm worried it's not going to go back in right well nowadays
they don't even have fucking dipsticks like new the eight speeds in the 10 speeds they're dipstick
no it's the drain on the side with a valve and then pump it in and flush it and pump it out stupid
shit um well I hate to I hate to wrap this up or bring us to the standard questions but we are
forced to because we've got a road tour coming through we gotta we gotta do all this stuff but we
got it standard questions takes a little bit time so we want to do it do justice so it's time
to get after it standard what I was in real quick yeah it's kind of touch on that that's that's
a beautiful look at that in the winners lane it is and it was you and Vinnie and the white Bronco
the only people that said you know what screw it we'll put it out here where it's supposed to go
in the rain I mean we were about to go on a trip that were for sure getting rained on
yeah so it was like you know but yeah I don't know I mean some of these cars if you build a
three million dollar car I could see not wanting to put it in the rain yeah I'm not like a we
did it you guys suck you know but that car is made to drive I'm too lazy I don't want to clean it
oh what that actually is a free car wash right there a little bit yeah the drying off in the
water finally it's on the rain and well I'm saying like you're about to go on a tour this different
the the show car show car only water getting places it shouldn't yeah everywhere
yeah underside yeah and the suspension pulling the wheels off the brakes on the rain is worse
then it's like putting around the figure on the ramp well it's just doing a drifting in the water
not on purpose yeah no I mean it rained and we were supposed to be there so I did you actually
to be honest it's Phil who kicked us out of your booth so I had to I didn't really have much
trouble better off when the wind starts blowing the booth you're better off leaving that don't be
around the booth when the wind starts blowing any easy ups as Josh Hart yeah yeah no we you know I've
I've driven old cars of a lot of different varieties in all sorts of weather yeah my when I got my
rift done we drove it to Oklahoma and back for the gathering at the rock and it was over a hundred
degrees all the way out there and then on the way back it had a trenchal downpour it hailed and it
snowed literally everything that could be thrown at that car and I mean it's a car you know what I
mean people drove 60s cars in the rain in the snow yeah what's the color on that one on the
rib yeah what's so it is based on a Lincoln color which I had the color so we Darryl Hall and
back painted a car for brisio it was a 32 that was that you know pink rose color yeah and I
basically asked him what was that and can we make a version of that color yeah so Darryl came
up with the color my dad actually painted the car and then uh oh thanks a good car
compony color the guys over there Ryan and and Joe we cut and rubbed it at Joe's shop which is
basically my shop I mean it's that's all the same shop uh and then Darryl did the lace on the
roof uh and then I went and drove it in the hail literally the first time that's that old metal
that's fun yeah I thought it was going to erase Darryl's lace job the first time out
with that car that fucking car yeah and not to be more fanboy but I think you guys just absolutely
nail the color yes on everything but it's just everything is so subtle so tasteful so right for
the car that you guys are building like it's just fuck like that's what it should have been so
that's a that is a more of a compliment than I think anything I mean I lose sleep over what color
working I mean I know Josh doesn't care what color the car is but to me yeah I mean the color
you know you get customers who come up and they're like oh man I this is the color I want to
paint my car I love this color and you you're like a color doesn't work for every car like that
really cool color could look really good on a Volkswagen or a you know whatever stock oh yeah I'm
car it came on and you just know by looking at it you're like that's not gonna look good on a 64
rib or a 68 charger or whatever so I mean it a lot of time a lot of sleepless nights go into
figuring that kind of stuff out from this side like looking at everything it's always like
there's the right amount of restraint where it's like perfect like leaving you wanting just a
touch more but not going too far past it wait and I think it's so easy to do on paint color
the biggest mistake people make is like chopping a top yeah we're chopping it so we're gonna
fuck chop it quarter inch looks good seven inches looks fucking awesome more is better but they don't
either they don't know or they don't chop it tack it and then stand back and look at the car
from 50 feet you know and so if you don't have that mentality also you know spraying out samples you
put them on speed shapes so you really see how it lays over curves and what that color does you know
all that stuff's important to me I attribute it to a lot of single car garages with poor lighting
100% you can't get back far enough actually from afar roll that fuck yeah roll it out it takes
20 minutes just do it yeah nope no and that's the the little details of things that
you know people people want to customize a car and they've seen all these things that have been
done to cars they love and they just do all of it to one car yeah and it's like not all that stuff
works together and not all of that is right for that car and you have to know when to say but what
if you don't have another car to put all those ideas on you gotta get it all out you do them right
on the first time if you use enough restraint and you do them right on the first time you get to go
more you have others I just got so many ideas I'm gonna put all in there six tail lights got
that three different sets I wanted to do three at once yeah probably exactly what some people
yeah standard questions standard questions standard questions brought to you by the standard in wheels
HRE uh we're gonna start with you can I already did the uh the car you talked about your very first
car 54 yeah yeah folks Volkswagen first actually so the 60 the 60 Volkswagen was my dad's Volkswagen
Carming you no bug bug 60 bug I mean I put surfboards for sure they longer than the bug was that
with a longer than the bug uh so my dad's board was longer than the bug for sure banana board like
but he was six foot eight so he needed a lot of eight yeah and so he got me my first surfboard
and it was like five nine it was tiny and so I just went out and bailed over and over again and
thought I was a terrible surfer until I got the right size board for me but anyway uh yeah so the
bug was the first car sold it after six months maybe and bought the 54 nice um we'll go
oh everybody goody first up is a favorite car movie I so I knew that that is one of the questions
that you guys ask and I don't have a good answer for that there's so many car movies that
it's like asking what you know what what's your favorite child or what's your favorite car it's
easy it's an easy one bullet bullet I should say bullet because I brought the 68 yeah
the charger um yeah I I will say it's really a TV show for me I grew up and it's two I grew up
watching the duke hazard I hated chips chips awesome duke hazard for sure so we get we get to hang
out with uh what's the guy who played um punch yeah uh how do you not fucking know this I do know
it's uh I just put him on the spot that's a problem uh see what is it generally knows things like
useless knowledge like this is I'm going to start talking and you'll figure it out but so he comes
now so we go to the west coast customs show in uh Santa Maria okay used to be Paso and so right now
uh punch uh is doing uh tours of like car shows erica strata erica strata do you look at that
I did I did I didn't I couldn't think of it he'll he'll he'll take a picture with you for
20 dollars uh and and sign your boobs or something for like 50 like he's
things are going good for him that's 70 bucks you're golden he's uh John John Diagostino uh like
you know parades them around sell the car shows wow if you like chips you should come to the
west coast customs um big jokes but anyway so duke's a hazard and night writer like my I grew up
watching those shows and indelible and in young billies um with it duke's a hazard it's hard to
beat me I was 18 over not real real quick 18 I liked 18 but the college major you showed up there
with that word that I don't know what it means what would I say indelible like a marker
indelible like uh it left a permanent imprint I got lots more where that came from
she's keeping costs so much money learning those students that sounds good I'm wondering
about how much that one cost 5k you listeners dude use it it's got it for easy yeah there is a value
to listening to oil yeah it is free dukes was the best yeah sick day sick day back and like uh
junior high or like grammar school full day at the dukes yep it's always never why I know
that it's gonna take it to a this you're sexy you're gonna daisy dude yeah it was always a uh
out young now let's just keep moving no it's clean it's gonna be so much we'll do it clean
there's a there's a there's a always the day like the sick day right and like you say in junior high
and you're like oh hand to the hazard you're watching and you're not thinking of anything else
and then dukes has it on then you're like craft mac and cheese is the best thing ever it's even
better than pop music you look just as natural enjoying us at age 13 as you do 55 craft mac and
cheese best thing ever this episode is brought to you by mac a fee I found this great place to
stay this weekend click on the link and book it oh wow mac a fee alerted me that this site is
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times mom and yeah and and that was it uh see that was clean oh yeah uh we uh actually understand
what you're putting down adults uh all right next up uh best piece of advice you ever received
oh man uh so my dad was of he did not give advice but he gave me two pieces of advice and these are
the only two things he ever told me growing up one was and I don't know what order I'm going to say
don't get old first he would say as he got older he would just say to billy don't get old man
and then the other one was uh don't fart in a small shower that's that's good I would have said
don't fart in an elevator but no that's that's when you that's when you go and let's go with the big
gun there's if there's people around yeah that's absolutely uh unless you've got the the devil
and god on both sides but one of them's like yeah do it and your wife's like don't do it and then
you look and Jeremy's like yes do it and you look back and jody's like don't do it uh then you
don't know what to do really really the the advice that Roy gave me first start in my shop uh which
we kind of already talked about was the most invaluable advice I've gotten uh you know just simple
things you know like he said for five employees uh close your door you know treat your customers very
well you know just right all it was more than one piece but but everything he said was spot on
sits you on the right path he held back don't go on podcasts he didn't even know I don't know if
he still knows what a podcast is you know I've never met Roy yet Phil deals with Roy
loves a good time relationship with him I've never met him grand national's always time that I get to
spend if you guys if so Roy trying to get a money didn't reply to my tax but if you guys would want
Roy on the podcast yes I will I might I might be able to I can approach him about it I talked to him
so I can approach him about it I'm not going to guarantee you'll say yes but I will I'll encourage him
just drop the seed yeah I just I like so I was telling uh maybe it was Tim strange I just recently I was
telling somebody like Roy is one of the sorry Roy is one of the most uh under um explored
builders I think because he's a little bit insulated and and a shy person I think generally
speaking yeah very modest you told Tim you'd help him get Roy too didn't you I might have yeah
I'll tell you right now there's no fucking way Roy Brazil is doing Tim's podcast there might be
no way he's doing your podcast I don't think he's doing this podcast so at the very least he's
bought a few chassis yeah he's been a good guy he so he he has more stories he's known more people
done more in this business I look back and at the number of just cars he's built has to be double
if not more anybody else who's ever built absolutely made fucking Eric Clapton insane about that you know
don't do we have time for my Eric Clapton story yeah I really get to tell to any stories I know
we we're gonna have to do it again so I built at Roy's not I built but I worked on two cars for
Eric Clapton uh I built a basically 50 49 50 Chevy pickup for him uh which is also a testament to Roy
just kind of letting me do what I wanted to do at certain points I just when I cut the thing up
crazy all sorts of ways but we were building I was working on a 50 Ford uh which near and
dear to my heart coupe and Eric when I first started working for Roy they were building that 44 for him
and Eric has a very specific style of like painted bumpers you know it's in it's a certain era
and so I was building this 45 49 54 for him and Roy was kind of like just you know Billy do do
what you think should be done to the car he likes a little more East Coast style right that's some
of the stuff I don't know that it's East Coast but it's definitely like 90s early 2000s okay it's
uh it's a it's a very specific era paint bumpers should never be painted in my opinion
let's hear Eric Clapton then you do it 50 and you do it forever yeah and so
he had this guy Nigel who would come in who was like his uh you know guy you know his liaison
whatever he he we saw Nigel a lot and we would he would come in we'd talk about the cars
Roy me and him and so one day Eric came in he would come in like once every couple years so
this is a big deal like Eric's actually come to the shop and I'm 26 25 skate my hat over my
ears as was the time you know skate shoes baggy pants and all this and it was the four of us and for
some reason Roy and Nigel kind of like went off and so just me and Eric Clapton are standing there
and I'm just like I'm not a star struck person but I don't know what the fuck to say
yeah yeah and I'm building building this car for him and he asks me he's like so should we paint
the bumpers and I'm a like building this car as a traditional boy in my mind you know custom
and I'm like I have to tell Eric Clapton that there's no way in fucking hell he should ever paint
a bumper on a car and what probably came out of my mouth was whatever you think would be good
sir painted bumper sound great yeah but anyway I don't he he looked at me like I was a
fucking cockroach I think and like I was he knew I was working on the car but my opinion did not
matter whatsoever I think he engaged you though do you shouldn't that's when you should have
entered you're in channeled your inner dad and just told him exactly told it wasn't idiot I do
this fucking stupid who the fuck would paint if you don't want to paint the fucking bumpers on here
do you nobody wants to paint the bumpers I I think I I really do think that my answer was I
think there should be some chrome on this car that's a blacked out kind of as subtly as I
possibly could and rip to kick flip in the parking lot and then fuck it went out smoke a blunt
did a 360 flip over his mazerotti or whatever you drove to the shop oh I saw the rock better anyway
so I got okay I got one more yeah I'm sorry I go there clap the ones are cool because I'm
missing this is another another celebrity Neil Young was a yeah Neil Young probably should have
kept his mouth shut over the years but he's got some good music I asked some good music so you're
gonna like this yeah so not a fan just because of sweet old Malabama Neil Neil I don't know who
they were talking about in that song I think it might have been Neil Young but it was a hundred percent
talking clearly stated he was one to start talking about Alabama first so right so well you'll like
this isn't like this doesn't shine him in a great light oh great good not a bad light but a crazy light
so I play guitar I have a less Paul it was the first good guitar I got and like everything in my life
I bought it the cheapest one I could find the frets were worn out on that thing the day I bought it
and I played shows whatever all the shit I did as a kid with these worn out frets you could barely
tune it and so while working it Roy's Neil would come in all the time because we were working on
that stupid link vault thing that yeah he's right it wasn't like he was real popular in that era
so he didn't have shit to do no he was trying he was trying to build an electric car sustainable that
the engine would charge like you know corn oil or whatever you could get it the back of McDonald's
so he was in the shop one time and I'm like Neil I just want to ask you a question
he was a little more approachable than than Clapton like you know you could talk to him and
so I was like hey I just want to ask a question about my guitars I'm not a car thing but
I've got this less Paul it's a sentimental guitar to me the frets are super worn
where would you recommend getting the frets redone that aren't going to fuck up the guitar
and he like kind of looked at me and he goes well Bill how do you know that the guitar wants the frets
to be redone and I was like um talk to me man I don't know what you're saying right now
the guitar it's just an inanimate inanimate object you can't talk the frets are bad
frets are done he's like I don't know if I'd recommend doing that if the guitar doesn't it might
its soul might be affected if you change the frets on this guitar shut the fuck up and so
you get to hit whatever he was smoking yeah damn I did but it was the weirdest answer to that
question that I could have like the plug you know when the plugs need to be changed correct
right hundred percent no the frets need to be redone this little small block Chevy did this plug
like it's it's got some so we don't need to change this car says okay at what point do you change
the transmission fluid never because you change the transmission fluid doesn't think it needs to be
changed yeah but that's never no no good has ever came from changing the transmission fluid you can
the guitar is gonna sound better change the frets yeah the only mission is gonna fail yes the only
reason you change is because you already thought there was a problem you wanted to just look at it
and smell it to see if it was fucked when you let some out to get a put some back in yeah sorry
I told you railed you know that's a great that's what's a car what car was built so the the long
term project was called the linkful and it was a 60 they were doing stories in hot rod on it
aren't they did a hole right up on it he was doing a so he was doing a stupid documentary on it so
he had a whole crew of people who were just doing the documentary so they would come in and film
we at brizios were doing most of the mechanical work so we it had like a you know you adapting this
stupid giant Lincoln with an independent rear end putting an electric motor in it putting an
engine in it that ran on canola oil to charge the electric engine it was supposed to be self-sufficient
that great idea here's your bill for the month every it wasn't worth it was not worth whatever
Roy made for that it was not worth it but it he he did you know so he did some of it at our shop as
we were doing that he also took it out on the road to try to show people that this could be done
and it was a miserable failure the entire way I think it caught on fire once we had to rebuild it
and I don't even know if the grease fires are tough to put out baking soda right yeah I don't think
the documentary ever got made if it did I definitely don't watch it you don't generally share
back you were you were saying there's a thing with Neil young and ellip or it's sweet home
Neil young don't remember southern man don't need him around anyhow so what's the reason back
when I don't know about this was southern man southern man yeah southern man was is basically just
putting down on the southern man at everything that he sucks in the lyrics yeah it's just
derogatory about the southern man and Neil young's always been you know bigger than
everybody else and smarter than everybody else well I can tell you know if a guitar and he's
talking frets change because if he's talking to the guitars he can communicate with a musical instrument
then it I bet you can't do that I can't then the song makes sense now if he would have just came
out and said that you know nobody would have a fucking get me stuff like oh I didn't do the fucking
weirdo forget it no problem I can I can confirm that he's a weirdo yeah maybe the guitar doesn't shut
back to your fucking corn oil corn oil power car all right next up we got a new one did we got a new one
as of last podcast which is great yeah courtesy of Garrett's Rudd shop courtesy of Garrett's Rudd shop
that's only that's the one and only plug he ever gets because we said we're gonna say it once
yeah one time I'm curious about this one yeah if you were doing anything other than building
hot rods for living playing baseball that's what it'd be yeah so your ball player or what was when I
was you know it's anything else that I would have wanted to see where it went it would be baseball
cool yeah I stopped playing and uh you know obviously went a whole different direction but that's
the one thing I love baseball what position that sport I played shortstop first base um and I pitched
a little bit when I was younger but wasn't a great pitcher but I was a good hit like I was a good
hitter tall for for shortstop right a little bit tall first base I see in pitcher do you and Mike
Herman ever get together and fucking just limp around the baseball diamond throw the ball around it
Mike can't throw anymore I was his yeah I've talked to his son about this yeah not Mike
I only tell Mike how his engines are two years like two when you get him like every fluid all over
not if you don't put oil in that he's restored it to original what else would you like him to do
dude you're shit's leaking cool and everywhere you don't put cool and it just water all right well
water's leaking everywhere we the ones that run run good yeah now we're good friends with Mike
yes no I mean to me too yeah dude so 86 horsepower fuck yeah dude that's you take a worn out small
block out of a junkyard pull three cylinders off you're for a wooden sound is cool lately last
money too wouldn't sound or look as cool well uh all right so baseball player that's that's the
first one um next up you're uh most memorable law enforcement interaction story oh man there's a
few to choose from uh so driving my dad 60 Volkswagen uh this is when I was 16 I had that car from
16 to like 16 and a half and in Glendale I was it's it's a very noticeable car like you don't
go incognito it was a hot VW's car like it was a nice bug lowered uh you know very nice car
um and so I was driving with a bunch of friends in the car and we pulled we termed a turn it was
literally going straight towards what we realized was a DUI checkpoint and I being super naive
was like fuck that and pulled a ui which is the guy who's sitting right on the other side of
the road waiting for everybody to pull a ui line course came and just pulled me right over and
I had to think quickly and I and that car so a 60 bug doesn't have a gas gauge it has a reserve
little lever on the floor that you flip over when it calms out you flip that over and gets the
last of the gas enough to get you a gas station and I said not knowing how much gas because the
lever wasn't flipped and I said oh shit uh I saw that there was a line there I'm low on gas and so
I had to pull a ui because there was a gas station right down the road and the guys like he looks
in the car and he goes you don't have a gas gauge how did you know and I said oh just like needle
young it told me the car was like this car said you're about to run out of gas
I wish I'd said, that might have actually been more
than it would have been.
So he's like, how do you know?
And I said, well, I flipped over the lever.
You know, I had to explain to him how this car's work.
He had me get out of the car, open the hood,
open the gas can, and he got a,
he might have used his baton or something
and checked the level of the gas.
And it was fortunately low enough that it was plausible.
You should have told him, be like, now that you got that baton,
like a little wet with some, you know, fuel,
you know what you could do with it.
I mean, you know?
Yeah, I know.
Good to go.
He ain't paying off.
That's kind of a car.
16-year-old kid with a cop that's about to let you go.
You say, thank you, sir, and yes, sir.
100%.
I was very accommodating.
Very courteous.
And pulled it off.
I got out of the week.
I probably was more high than drunk.
Yeah.
So I don't know.
It was funny to you, regardless, then.
Just a great time.
Just a great time.
No, he'd let me go.
I was, yeah, the first of a few of talking myself out,
I got a ticket in that car, like the first day I drove it,
just blowing through a stop sign like an idiot and, you know,
but that was one where I really got off pretty lucky.
Yeah, especially.
Do you have checkpoints?
Like they've been planning that for a couple of weeks.
And they're jazzed.
Like at that point, they're growing.
They're growing.
Please run.
Please run.
Exactly.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And it's a fucking idiot kid in a lumbar.
Yeah.
Oh, not today, son.
Not today.
I have things have changed in California.
Like today, like.
Oh, fucking.
You go rob a liquor store enough.
And he had to be so we got pulled over.
Drink the liquor and get in the car.
You're good to go.
Yep.
That's how I actually make most of my money.
It's not built in cars.
Just go pop off liquor stores.
Yeah, it's a bit.
Yeah, just do it in a modern car.
Like Phil says.
Right.
I do just rob that liquor store.
I'm not worried about that, but I don't think that's got
carb certification.
Yeah.
I think I can't.
Yeah.
Last but not least, I probably know.
This is that circle back that we were talking about at the beginning.
I kind of know where this is probably going.
But that's fine.
That's why we do that.
That's why we do that.
That's why we play the game.
Regardless of what you think the outcome is going to be.
Bert Reynolds or Sylvester Stallone.
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Oh, man.
That's actually tough.
That's a really good question.
So I'm going to give a shitty answer because in theory,
Bert Reynolds in sentimentality, Sylvester Stallone,
because I grew up on blood, you know,
all the Sylvester Stallone movies.
Yeah.
So I feel like I know Sylvester Stallone,
but I want to be...
You know the actor that he was portraying.
He's coming on the podcast.
You don't know Sylvester Stallone.
Now, when you do watch Bert Reynolds,
you know Bert Reynolds because he didn't play characters.
That was just right.
Right.
I was looking...
I feel like this could be a different direction here.
Go ahead.
Because he can't get Sylvester Stallone on the podcast.
So by default, he's definitely...
We definitely can't get Bert Reynolds on the podcast.
We cannot get Sylvester Stallone on the podcast.
Me, you...
Anybody.
We're not...
And Dale Earnhardt Jr.
You can't do that.
Sylvester Stallone, talk anymore?
Oh, yeah, dude.
He's fucking talks like a...
Like what?
What were you about to say?
He talks like a what?
Badness.
He's got a different way to talk.
Yeah, he's got it.
But he's the only word he can pronounce narcissists.
I don't know how you would say that.
No, no.
It's a different way of talking for sure.
Yeah.
But you know what's him when he's speaking.
Yeah.
I think he's going to recognize, as this goes on,
he's going to realize that I am undoubtedly his number one biggest fan.
And I think he's...
He's going to come on the podcast.
He's going to see the...
He's going to see the...
He's going to grab watchpots.
That's what he's going to see.
Oh, girl, watchpots.
He's like...
He'll appreciate it.
I think we're going to get him.
I actually punched this into chat GPT thinking like there would be...
Some smoking gun.
There would be a smoking gun.
That would...
Favourite Stallone.
It broke.
It is...
It could be the most controversial topic.
It is the absolute 50-50 split even through chat GPT.
The fact that it spits back to you on the wins for Stallone and the wins...
It's even...
It's a great question.
It really is.
I mean, I gave you a 50-50 answer.
Which is fun.
Yeah, it...
And the percentage works out perfect with the rest of the podcast.
That's what he did.
The percentage is from the 50-50.
We did.
He spits down the...
All the way.
So it brought you by draft king.
He spits blood.
And eventually, he's coming on the podcast.
Yeah, I doubt it.
This has been absolutely fun time.
And we don't scratch the surface.
I feel like we didn't really talk about cars very much.
We didn't.
That's the point.
We have great conversations.
Everybody knows the bad-ass cars you build.
Yeah, you could go on your Instagram and you can check those.
Now they get to know you.
Right?
And you don't really talk.
And this is easier.
Literally the worst part about my shop.
Now they get to know you without you having to talk to them.
You talked at them.
That's fair.
Now they can just talk to Joe.
Yeah.
I'm done.
And they're going to come up.
People are going to be like,
Oh, dude.
That thing you said.
And you're not going to remember it.
Oh, 100%.
Oh, with the Mustang he's got.
That's a sick car with the Pantera wheels on it.
Yeah.
So Joe is taking credit for starting an entire trend.
People, everyone's going to have Pantera wheels on their muscles.
I've got a mint pair.
We pulled off a Pantera here.
Yeah.
Stick them on a 65.
He just got that, didn't he?
The Mustang.
No, he's had the Mustang since he was young.
The Pantera wheels just went on it like a year ago.
You guys seen it?
Have not.
I mean, dude, it looks racist.
He raises that thing.
Drive it.
He wouldn't put it on his own social media.
They're hiding that.
Keep it in the pocket.
No, it's not.
So he just commented on one of these.
I make fun of Joe every day about liking Mustangs.
I give him a hard time.
He's trying to sneak Mustangs into the shop under my nose.
And there it is.
There it is.
Yeah.
That's pretty cool.
Yeah.
It works on it, huh?
Yeah.
The front, the standard Mustang track with you just bolted them on there.
Well, it rubs a little bit.
Bruppin's racing.
Yeah.
Exactly.
No, yeah.
GTD.
It's a check out the license plate.
60 C code.
Yeah.
He's bragging about having a C code.
Oh, this is the one he just got.
Oh, this one.
Yeah, sorry.
I forgot.
Yeah.
So he did just get this car.
Yeah.
And it's got it running.
But it's pretty, it's pretty well preserved for being a car that's out outside for, you
know, 40 years.
He got different weather in California than we do.
Yeah.
Oh, 100%.
Yeah.
It's a 2024 sitting outside for the winner here.
That car would be a partial roof skin.
Yeah.
It was here.
There's so much stuff we got to get to.
I feel like this could be.
Um, unless Jesse hurries up and gets on, this could be the very first three timer.
You might be the first three timer.
Yeah, it could be.
We got a lot to unpack.
There's a lot.
I think we're going to, we're going to, we've got to do a west coast run here before the end of the year.
So we might do round three at your place.
Oh, anytime.
I, I mean, I, after seeing your shop.
Like not during not going shop hours, obviously, you see my shop, but we're, you're welcome.
I, you're welcome anytime.
And I think the price to loan ended up moving to Florida, I think, so we're not going to be able to hit this.
I mean, would I be able to hit his place?
Damn, we were so close.
Well, he might be out there.
He does.
He just knocked on his door.
He walked on in.
He films a lot of shit.
So we'll see.
We'll touch base before we go out there.
I'm going to send in a thing for make a wish for you.
Yeah.
You know what?
I'll work on Brazil first.
Let's start.
Yeah.
Let's start a land Roy.
Yeah.
That's obtainable.
Right.
And then we'll.
Before we go.
What do y'all.
We've done all these percentages.
What do you think the percentages of us getting chip boost on the podcast?
I think it's higher percentage of getting still on on the podcast.
Really.
70-30.
Still on.
You have to approach in the right way.
Chip, you could get him.
I feel like you could do it.
There has to be some incentive.
Like, there's got to be something other than just doing the podcast.
We're a little too.
I mean, we talked to Chip.
Chip flat out said no, he's not doing it.
So I don't know if there's a way to like.
That's kind of definitive.
You met your match.
Someone might be a little bit too vulgar.
Yeah, we.
We.
Yeah.
A little too.
A little too on the dirty side.
We'll just promise him that you'll, you know, bleep out the profanity and.
It'll have like a Christian sponsor or something.
Maybe after.
After Stallone, we could be like, dude, we've had like we've had Stallone.
So that's just low on the podcast.
So it's Stallone asked about you and why you haven't done it yet.
Yeah.
Yeah, Stallone was like that.
Chip Fuske.
You know what?
At this point, I don't want.
Chip on it.
That's it.
Oh, you're playing that game.
Yeah.
I don't.
At this point, there's nothing even to talk about.
I think the reverse, I call it Stallone.
Stallone.
Stallone.
We're going after Stallone.
There's because that's something I'm interested in.
Would you say the mean things that you do?
He did.
He'd slide nose.
Yeah, you would.
And I bet if I asked him, you or Bert, he'd say Bert.
Oh, that's a good question.
I doubt it.
Would that put it to rest finally?
Yeah.
There's a certain level of finality.
Okay.
That's it.
It might say me.
I'm a narcissist.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Ah.
All right.
We'll see you again next week.
Thanks.
And Doug.
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