Hunter Ring & Ryan Fielding of The RingBrothers
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Car
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is a popular sports car in the U.S. that many people love for its speed and style. Some people have strong opinions about it, either positive or negative.
Company
Ring Brothers
Ring Brothers is a company that customizes and restores cars, making them unique and often better than the original. They are famous for their detailed work and creativity.
Brand
Aston Martin
Aston Martin is a famous brand that makes luxury sports cars. They are known for their stylish designs and fast performance.
Concept
American muscle
American muscle cars are powerful cars made in the USA, known for their big engines and speed. They were especially popular in the 1960s and 1970s.
Concept
supercar
Supercars are very fast and expensive cars that are designed for high performance. They are often seen as the best of the best in the car world.
Concept
exotic car
Exotic cars are special and rare cars that are usually very expensive and have unique designs. They are often made by luxury brands.
Car
Rolls Royce 62 Cabriolet
The Rolls Royce 62 Cabriolet is a fancy car from 1962 that can be driven with the top down. It's known for being very luxurious and stylish.
Concept
hot rod
A hot rod is a car that has been changed to make it faster and more exciting. People often take old cars and add powerful engines and cool designs to them.
Concept
race cars
Race cars are cars made to go really fast in competitions. They are built differently than regular cars to help them win races.
Concept
go carts
Go-karts are small, simple cars that people can race on special tracks. They're fun to drive and are often used for racing games.
Part
welding
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Volkswagen Type 2 (23-window bus)
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Car
Volkswagen Bus
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Honda 50 Mini Trail
The Honda 50 Mini Trail is a small dirt bike that is great for kids or beginners. It's easy to ride and helps new riders learn the basics of biking.
Concept
Le Mans
Le Mans is a famous car race that lasts for 24 hours. Cars race around a track, and it's known for being very challenging and exciting.
Concept
drifting
Drifting is when a driver makes the back of the car slide out while still controlling it. It's a popular style in racing and car shows.
Term
long wheelbase
Long wheelbase means that the distance between the front and back wheels of the truck is longer than usual. This can make the ride smoother and more stable.
Car
Ford F100
The Ford F100 is an older model of a pickup truck that many people appreciate for its strength and usefulness. It's part of a long line of trucks made by Ford.
Term
360
The 360 is a type of engine made by Ford that is known for being strong and dependable. It was often used in their trucks.
Part
rag joint
A rag joint is a part in the steering system that connects different parts together. It helps the steering feel smoother and can absorb bumps from the road.
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Hyundai Kona
The Hyundai Kona is a small SUV that is good for city driving. It’s popular because it looks nice, is affordable, and has a lot of useful features.
Brand
Honda
Honda is a car company from Japan that makes many popular vehicles, known for being dependable and efficient.
Part
coilovers
Coilovers are parts of a car's suspension that help control how the car rides and handles. They can be adjusted to make the car sit higher or lower, and to change how stiff or soft the ride feels.
Car
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a famous sports car known for being fast and stylish. It has been around for a long time and is loved by many people because of its great performance and unique look.
Car
McLaren Senna GTR
The McLaren Senna GTR is a supercar made for racing, known for its speed and advanced design. It's very rare and costs a lot of money.
Car
Ferrari 488
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Car
McLaren 750S
The McLaren 750S is a super-fast car made by McLaren. It's built for speed and has a very powerful engine, making it a favorite among car enthusiasts.
Car
Porsche 911 GT3 RS
The Porsche 911 GT3 is a special version of the 911 sports car made for racing. It's built to be very fast and handle well on a racetrack.
Car
Ford GT
The Ford GT is a fast sports car made by Ford. It's known for being very powerful and has a design that helps it go really fast.
Concept
track records
When a car sets a track record, it means it was the fastest to complete a lap on that track compared to all other cars. It's a way to measure how well a car performs in racing.
Car
Bugatti Chiron
The Bugatti Chiron is a newer supercar that replaced the Veyron. It's extremely fast and has a lot of advanced features, making it one of the best cars in the world.
Car
Bugatti Veyrons
The Bugatti Veyron is a very fast and expensive car that was made to be one of the best in the world. It was built to be super powerful and luxurious.
Car
Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is a sporty car that looks really cool and goes fast. It was made to compete with another popular car called the Ford Mustang, and many people love it for its powerful engine and fun driving experience.
Term
horsepower
Horsepower is a way to measure how powerful an engine is. The higher the horsepower, the faster and more powerful the car can be.
Car
Jeep Wrangler
The Jeep Wrangler is a tough-looking car that can go off-road, meaning it can drive on rough paths and trails. Many people like it because it’s great for adventures and has a fun, open-air design.
Car
Willys Jeep
The Willys Jeep is an old military vehicle that was used during World War II. It’s known for being very tough and able to drive on rough terrain, which makes it popular for outdoor activities.
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Chrysler LeBaron
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Car
Lexus Sc400
The Lexus SC 400 is a fancy two-door car that was made in the 1990s. It’s known for being smooth to drive and has a powerful engine, making it a nice choice for people who want something stylish and comfortable.
Car
Volkswagen Passat
The Volkswagen Passat is a medium-sized car that is comfortable and has a lot of space inside. Many people choose it for family trips or daily driving because it’s reliable and safe.
Car
Volkswagen Jetta
The Volkswagen Jetta is a small car that is easy to drive and good on gas. It’s popular because it’s comfortable and has a nice design, making it a great choice for everyday use.
Car
Volkswagen Touareg
The Volkswagen Touareg is a fancy SUV that is good for both rough roads and comfortable driving. It has a nice interior and strong engines, making it a great choice for people who want a mix of luxury and practicality.
Car
Chevrolet Nova
The Chevrolet Nova is a small car that was made a long time ago and is known for being simple and affordable. Many people liked it because it was reliable and easy to drive.
Car
Ford GT40
The Ford GT40 is a famous race car from the 1960s that was built to win races. It’s known for being really fast and stylish, and it even beat a well-known car brand called Ferrari in a big race.
Car
Pontiac GTO Convertible
The Pontiac GTO Convertible is an old-school car that was really popular for being fast and stylish in the 1960s. It’s a convertible, which means the top can come down, making it fun to drive on sunny days.
Car
Dodge Charger
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This year, I think I could completely say you guys fucking won the SEMA.
Like, if there was a winning SEMA, yeah, that's winning SEMA.
Regardless of whatever you look at, there's people that love it and people that hate it.
And I think that polarity is actually what's blowing up that car so much.
Precisely what I was going to say is I didn't have anybody look at me like, oh, it's a Mustang.
What I had people say was, you know, when I saw this car or I saw Larry Chen's video
or that they got those Mustang vibes, they're like, nah, here in person, like, it's...
I can see what you did there. I can see the lines that you're going for.
And we're just talking about on the way down here, how many people think that that car is AI?
Yeah, but I remember being in, like, my mom's office in her house
and coming up with the name Ring Brothers and going through logo designs and all that.
So I very much remember that and kind of having that level of engagement with the company.
How old were you at that point?
Probably eight or so.
Collectively, this is the one.
Despite our challenges.
Yeah, we prevailed. Cheers, man.
I love it.
Yeah, we found common ground.
We did.
It's nice. I like this.
What's the time stamp right now?
It's a 232.
You're taking that house.
Telling Elliot what to take home.
You're listening to another episode of Oil and Whiskey.
This week we have Ryan Fielding and Hunter Ring,
Ryan underscore FabGuy and the ever creative just Hunter Ring on Instagram.
It's easier to find that way, honestly.
It is easier.
Yeah, gets it done.
It does.
FabGuy underscore Ryan.
Yeah, what did I say?
Yeah, you said Ryan underscore FabGuy.
Okay.
Anybody to find you?
Yeah, get it there.
It's fine.
FabGuy underscore Ryan.
Yeah.
We'll edit that out.
We were just talking about how it is to listen to yourself and have this conversation with
the headphones.
You're the first dude that I think out radio voices, Josh.
He's got a good voice.
Yeah.
I don't like it.
I don't like he's buff.
He's got some tattoos.
He's got the beard going.
It's getting gray, though.
It was not near as gray.
I mean, just six weeks ago, it wasn't that great.
The total package is almost like a better version.
That's amazing.
Thicker, longer, fuller beard.
That's a toss up.
I set that one up for you.
Yeah.
He's got a better.
Yeah.
That's fine.
He's got nicer glasses.
I can't see.
He's 28.
And he looks like that.
Wait till he's 47.
That's what happens when you're building fucking hot rods for that.
Right.
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Guys, it's good to have you.
You guys are going to be here.
It's going to be fun.
We've got all kinds of things to talk about.
Coming off of a whirlwind SEMA, kind of shook things up a little bit.
Yeah, it was definitely a little busy week for sure.
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, it was far and away our most just crazy SEMA, right?
Everything surrounding the car, surrounding the show.
It was a whirlwind for us, absolutely.
Well, and team that off with doing all the racing stuff at the track with Ben Collins
and the exotic car group, everything was just, there's a lot.
Yeah, there's a lot.
Long week.
Long week.
Lots of stuff to do.
For all the people.
Look at that.
Ten days in Vegas, 11 days.
Yes, something like that.
I mean, is with factoring four days of driving on top of that.
Right, with drive time is two weeks.
That's a long time to be in Las Vegas.
That's two weeks too much to be in Las Vegas, actually.
Right.
We were just short of that because we were out there with you guys.
I think we did ten days, nine days?
I did nine.
We did...
11.
Shit, yeah.
We were up there.
It's a lot.
I would say we've had so many people call.
This used to happen more in the past.
Like guys calling, looking for chassis sponsorships.
And they would tell you that like, well, you know, like a one SEMA in 2011.
Or like, oh, nine, dude, we won SEMA.
We're going to win SEMA.
There is no winning SEMA per se, but I would say...
We used to think there wasn't.
This year, I think I could completely say you guys fucking won SEMA.
Like if there was a winning SEMA.
Yeah.
That's winning SEMA.
We really appreciate that.
And honestly, you know, it's so great to hear you guys say that.
Obviously, you know, we're proud to have your chassis on that car and what we did with the
best on RS.
I mean, that's an award that we've won a lot of awards.
And that one was extra special to us because it's one we haven't had.
And I tell you what, the smiles were pretty big that night.
And we really appreciate it.
Reading the comments and talking to people throughout the week, you know, they kind of
kind of went with with what you're saying.
And that was that was really, really cool to hear people saying, you know, calling it
the best car SEMA.
And it's just it's it's wild to hear, you know, to get that kind of response.
And it's just it's really important to us and everybody back in the shop, right?
Like, you know, hearing that something you spent so much time, blood, sweat and tears
on really getting recognized like that from all different people from the the
tuner crowd to the four by four, you know, the Carolina squad bro truck crowd.
I mean, they get seemed kind of unanimous.
Everybody was was excited about what we brought.
And that's that's a really cool feeling.
Is it hard to stay that humble when you brought such a banger and you know that it's
fucking winning?
You know, honestly, it's one of those things where you guys know, right?
Like you you're so intimate for so long with that vehicle that you're you're too
close and you know that you to see it for what it is sometimes.
And you're you're almost shocked to hear some of the responses because we're
we're so close to it and to be able to have somebody that has never seen it
give their give their first take.
That's that's really exciting.
And there was there was a couple people honestly at at SEMA that and you
know, we brought like Gary and on to to hear what they had to say about it.
And there was they knew about it, but they had not seen it.
They had not seen any videos.
They just had no knowing about the Carl Carl Cox was one of them.
The DJ Carl Cox.
He's a he's a British guy.
He had heard we had done an Aston Martin but knew nothing about it.
So we got a fresh take from him.
We came around the corner and he was able to see it and look at it
and give us his real time first impression.
That was pretty cool because he's an Aston Martin guy.
He's a he's a super car guy, an exotics guy and an American muscle guy.
That's why he was at SEMA and he came back three or four different times
throughout the week with his whole entourage to to check out the car.
And that that was really, really special for us.
I think the initial reaction has got to be not able to speak after
looking at it like there's so much there to take it all in.
It's such an insane car that hard to pick out, you know,
what your initial reaction is.
But that's again, that's where, you know, for us,
we know each one of those little details intimately.
And for somebody that's never seen it to just kind of stand back.
I know Hunter, you did it as well to let to bring somebody to the car
and just let them open the door, pop the clamshell and just let them take
whatever time they wanted to really observe.
And it's really interesting to me to see what people pick out.
Unprompted, unsolicited to see what really catches their eye.
And it's surprising sometimes the details that people pick out that you think
you might might get overlooked and you'd have to point out.
But it's sometimes the things they key in on first.
And that's that's really, really cool.
And it speaks volumes right to the industry and the type of people
that are looking at these cars when they see things that that,
you know, most people you think would glance over.
Did any of the fucking morons that make the Mustang comment all
over social media, any of those guys say that to your face?
And what's interesting?
Interesting ones for sure.
Yeah.
And once we have the balls to sit.
Well, actually, walking into SEMA, it's kind of hard to tell for myself
what the reaction was going to be because we debuted it at the Quail.
So it already been out since August.
So whether or not we were going to have like a good crowd for the
showing, what to me was kind of a toss up because it's already
been seen to some degree.
So either it's going to be low because of that or it's going to be high
because more people want to see it.
But similar to what you were saying is like the comments are all over
the place.
Like if you look up that car on doesn't matter if you're looking
at different forums, if it's American based, it's loved by a
lot of people.
If it's European based, it seems like it's trashed on by a lot
of people.
But regardless of whatever you look at, there's people that love
it and people that hate it.
And I think that polarity is actually what's blowing up that
car so much.
So in that, in addition to SEMA, it's actually kind of cool to
see the reaction that people have to it in person.
And we've had a lot of people that saw it through social
and said it either looked like a Mustang or didn't quite
understand it.
And then they saw it in person.
And to them, it just totally changed the way that the car
felt.
So seeing comments like that is also very interesting.
And that's precisely what I was going to say is I didn't
have anybody look at me like, oh, it's a Mustang.
What I had people say was, you know, when I saw this
car or I saw Larry Chen's video or they saw pictures of it
or our Facebook or whatever the case may be, that they got
those Mustang vibes.
But they're like, no, here in person, I can see what you
did there.
I can see the lines that you're going for.
And that's pretty cool.
It is very wild, specifically on that car.
One time of the polarity of it is that speaks volume
to how far you push the envelope when there is that
much discussion across such wide range of people
and enthusiasts.
Because it means you're pushing the envelope versus doing
something so vanilla and generic.
If it's a black tuxedo, few people are going to be like,
oh, I would have done it a different way.
It's classic standard.
You haven't pushed the envelope.
But when you start getting into fashion, wild and crazy,
you're going to have both sides of it.
But where I was going with that, seeing the car
in person, very rarely, if ever, in 20-something years
of doing this, have I ever felt so differently about it?
Not differently.
It's probably the wrong word.
The car in pictures, awesome.
Seeing in the car in person, it's like it's a completely
different car.
The aura, the scale, being able to see, even if you take
a front three-quarter, even if it's a video that you're
seeing on your phone, seeing the car for the first time,
scale proportions and just the vibe can't come across
in video like that car does in person.
That is a big car.
It's way wider and bigger than it looks like in pictures,
no matter what.
If it's somebody standing next to it or whatever.
I mean, we were doing the shock testing here.
That was the first thing.
It was like, I'd seen pictures.
You'd sent me stuff.
We'd seen stuff and seen it in person.
It's like, this is different.
It's completely different.
It grabs you in a different way.
In a good way, but rarely does cars do that.
You see so many teasers of stuff before you see a car
and especially before SEMA, everyone's showing stuff.
We got all these booth cars, pictures.
Most of the time, you're kind of getting the vibe.
Stuff will surprise you quality-wise or fit and finish
or colors or how it hits you, but scale and proportions
of that car is wild, what it does in person.
Absolutely.
The other thing that's pretty cool for me was the amount
of people that followed the car.
We had done the racing and Ryan had posted a little teaser
of that thing going down one of the straights.
The amount of people that I talked to about it,
there's probably only four out of everyone that I asked
that have seen that video that said no.
A bunch of people saw it.
I had a buddy that was actually flying in to come
hang out with us during SEMA.
He was sitting next to a little 12-year-old kid
and his dad.
They're just there talking.
The kid wanted to come to SEMA because he wanted to see that car.
What he was so fascinated by was just how different it is.
To me, I think that's something that's so wild.
They should have all these random people want to see something
that we created in such a small town, Wisconsin.
It's a small town, Wisconsin.
We posted the video on it.
I'm so infatuated, I guess, and I shouldn't read them,
but the comments...
You're going to wear that seatbelt, aren't you?
Yeah, I'll wear the seatbelt.
The comments always astonish me just by...
I feel like the trending direction of stupidity
of the entire fucking nation of the world.
It's incredible, really.
It's clear.
I said something about amazing to see a couple of farm boys
from Wisconsin put this together.
It wasn't a derogatory thing.
Anybody listening to it would be like,
he's having fun, it's humorous.
Some dude fucking says something about,
what the fuck do you think, genius?
Who do you think built this
that a couple hard-working guys from Wisconsin
couldn't do something like this?
Were you dumb shit?
Looking at the car, one might think
that something like that came out of...
I would envision it in a Formula One-type environment,
this clean, sterile group of all fucking British dudes
with crazy technology.
You don't think that it's a bunch of badass dudes.
People take it far too serious.
Just an hour ago, we rolled that Rolls Royce
out of the back of the trailer
for you guys to do a little touch on.
We were commenting about the fact that
this beautiful 62, two-door Cabriolet Rolls Royce
is getting driven around by a bunch of rednecks
from Spring Green, Wisconsin,
getting gas at the local shell station.
Here's this gorgeous car that is just rolling around.
It's absolutely not derogatory.
We're proud of the fact that we're from where we're from.
Jim and Mike and myself and Hunter
and just about everybody there is local
to that region of Wisconsin.
We're proud to be from there
and we're proud to be a bunch of farm kids
that are able to put together a car
that people seem to like.
To your point, it doesn't have to be
a bunch of Germans and white lab coats
in some clean room designing this car.
It's a compliment to think that that's
what people think happened in order
for that car to become a reality.
It's a bunch of hot rodders that decided
to step up their British game a little bit.
One other thing, it's kind of funny,
you talk about polarity and what people think and what not.
We were just talking about on the way down here,
how many people think that that car is AI?
You'll see that in a lot of comments of still photo.
Every picture of the color and the tint on the window
made it look like it had.
There was a couple we were talking about
that Huck took when we were out to the quail
when we were in California.
The fog rolled in and it looks like
that was photoshopped or something.
It really wasn't.
We were doing a photo shoot and the fog
just rolled in through the valley.
He turned the headlights on,
it was cool, but even us looking at him
in the moment on his camera,
we're like, that's fake.
To be fair, AI is...
AI is...
Impressive.
Impressive isn't a word for it.
We had a conversation with my wife
because she struggles with it.
I'm like, honey, that fucking cat
can't walk on its hind legs
while in.
It's funny, but that's not...
Oh my God, I can't believe this cat is so talented.
Some things are not so funny.
There was one going around the other day.
A guy with a t-shirt cannon was...
He's gonna die.
I love that word.
A bunch of people sent it to me like,
oh my God, that's not real.
Me and Phil have been hooked
on the chiropractor ones.
Oh yeah.
That's beautiful.
He's populated my whole feed
and I can watch that for hours.
Those are the best.
Josh, you seem to have an opinion about AI.
I want to hear it.
No, I understand.
There's a lot of things that are funny,
but it can also be used for bad as well.
Absolutely.
There's somebody that's listening right now
that his day is coming
for what he's using AI for.
You're gonna get a little bit of it
because you facilitated it.
Honestly.
I didn't know what direction he was going with it.
He asked for a picture of you
and I facilitated the picture of you.
This sounds fun.
It was off-putting, dude.
Something I can't unsee.
I didn't honestly think you could do that with AI.
I thought there was rules.
Every time I try, there are rules
and it lets you know you can't do it.
I guess there's different platforms to use.
He's using it on the video side.
Unlike chat, GPT won't use people's faces.
If you want to fuck with somebody
and make something,
they tweak the face
or they'll tell you that they can't.
Speaking of faces,
what's coming for him will involve his face
and it won't be AI.
It'll be in real life.
That's good old fashioned.
He's gonna tote one.
He's fine.
He's wiry too.
Was it the color of the scooter that threw you off?
The scooter wasn't even the one
that was the worst.
The scooter wasn't nearly as off-putting.
I would have been fine with that one.
I don't think we sent the other one.
Nobody needs to see that one.
Let's move on to one of you two.
Let's move on.
We talked about the car.
We need to get back to the...
It was just a little hint at what's coming.
I want him to look over his shoulder
for the rest of his life because it's coming.
We need to talk about
who you guys are
and the story.
I want to know
how you ended up where you're at.
You didn't exist and now you exist.
There's a lot to get in.
You're how old? 23?
24?
I'm 32.
It still has to...
We gotta get into the miracle of
how you were born to 65-year-old.
Mom and Dad loved each other.
Dad decided.
I'd like to meet his dad.
We met the grandpa.
We just haven't met him yet.
It's a weird link in between there.
Yeah, that's going to be a fun one to unpack.
We've never had...
Yeah, we did Tucci,
the Tucci boys.
Yeah, but not near the age difference.
They look like brothers.
I always felt that when I was a kid,
one of my friends had a dad
that was old as shit.
I just always felt so bad.
He was like,
old, old, like grandpa, old.
I was like, dude,
he doesn't play catch with you or anything.
What did you do for three or four hours every night
when they went to bed at eight?
You just spend for yourself?
They were already in REM sleep by eight.
Was it already eating dinner
at four o'clock growing up?
Oh, this is going to be fun.
What's your favorite episode of Matt Locke?
Ryan, you're right.
How did this all start?
How old are you?
46.
You're kind of right in the same wheelhouse here.
Where did it all start?
It was short of the long.
It goes back to my grandfather, actually,
on my dad's side.
My grandfather was a professional stuntman
and motorcycle racer
and circle track race car driver.
He was with a traveling stunt troop
called Jimmy Lynch and the Death Dodgers.
Such a cool name.
Yeah.
They're pretty righteous.
Back in the 30s and 40s,
they would do state fairs,
county fairs, that sort of thing.
They traveled all around Midwest, Nebraska, Iowa.
They're based out of Iowa,
but Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois,
they'd be all around.
They'd go out South Dakota and North Dakota,
but they would do a thrill show.
They would all come in
and they would jump over cars
and they would circle track race
and flat track race.
They actually did a motorcycle demolition derby,
which is super wild.
But then, yeah, they were doing
evil Knievel stuff 20 years,
30 years before evil Knievel
was a thing, right?
I see you're pulling up some stuff,
but yeah, that's who he was with.
I'm real fortunate to have
some pretty cool pictures
that survived of my grandpa.
He was doing that as a late teen,
so like 17, 18, 19 years old.
And
fast forward a little bit.
He went off World War II
and came back and
was done with the thrill show stuff.
Grandma told him to basically
park the bike and he started up
a hot rod shop and he was
building hot rods and race cars
and go carts and back then
you did whatever you had to
to support your family.
He was welding and doing collision stuff
and he would buy wrecked cars
and fix them up and put them out front
and sell them, but at the heart of it
he was a hot rodder and built
trikes and choppers and all sorts
of pretty rad stuff.
My father grew up in his shop
and
kind of similar story.
Dad
was around all that, didn't do the stuntman
thing, but he was, you know, bikes
and hot rods were in his blood.
My mom too,
that was in their blood.
They had a poor speedster.
They had a 23 window Volkswagen
bus that she still
when she listens and watches this
podcast, she's going to turn around, she's going to slap
them on the shoulder and say, yep, that's the one
you shouldn't have sold because I think it went
something along the lines of, yeah, I'm not going to sell it
and then like she came on one day and it's gone.
Those are cool.
But anyway, so that was
that was history and building hot rods
and bikes. I grew up
in his garage
and
I tried
I went to college and I went to engineering school
to try
to keep that on the side
and it just pulled me back in.
It's so ingrained in my DNA
and in my blood that
as much as I wanted
to try to keep that on the side
it consumed me completely.
Nights, weekends, every moment that
I wasn't
otherwise occupied it was
building cars, building hot rods, painting, air brushing
pinstripe and all the different things that are associated with it.
What part of the country? Wisconsin?
In Wisconsin, yep.
Yeah, I mean I went to the same high schools, Mike and Jim
like, you know, 70 some plus years apart
of course.
Little red school house.
Yeah, I think they had like seven
seven students and then
three sided building.
You went to school in color.
Right.
But yeah, so
at one point then
right around early
2000-2001 I started my own shop
and I had that for quite a number of years
until we stayed in touch
with Mike and Jim and
again close proximity I was next town
up and
we'd stop in and talk to one another and shoot the breeze
and kind of kick around the idea always
of teaming up on
one of these things and it came around here
some years ago
Mike called me up
and Jim called me and
said, hey, let's build some cars together and here we are.
That's awesome.
Was
grandpa around when you were a kid growing up?
Yeah, so yeah,
unfortunately he never got to see
my shop or of course what I'm doing now
but yeah, I was
real fortunate to have grandpa around when I was
a little boy and I've got some
pretty cool moments I remember with him
he built my first
go-kart, brought that up
and I remember that one
he brought it up and they hadn't put a governor on it or nothing
I think I was three years old, got in they showed me the gas pedal
I stood on it and I ended up
straight up and down in my ma's
flower bed and I just stayed on the throttle
and it was just digging a hole
and they finally went over and tipped it down straight
and decided they needed to regulate the
throttle a little bit
same thing with my first dirt bike
I was at the same year
a little Honda 50 mini trail
if you remember those
they never told me about shifting
so I only knew first gear just wide open
and all of like
5 miles an hour or whatever
that was a lesson learned
there because I wasn't
tall enough to have my feet
touch the ground so if I crashed I had to walk
the thing back to the steps that dad had made
and climb up the steps, kickstarted
and then ride around and if I fell off again
however far away I was I had to walk
you got pretty good enough falling over
that's fine I was just telling my son
my son's like super nostalgic stuff
he's big into dirt bikes
so he's asking me what's your first dirt bike
what was your second what was your third
let's tell him about this first dirt bike we had
and it was this little thing, remember that thing with the chainsaw
motor came out of like was it
sharper image or something?
I think it was Abercrombie and Fitch before it was like an actual clothing store
it used to be like a
apothecated
it was like a real
dirt bike like it had like
forks and shit but it had
chains it was tiny because we were
tiny when we were riding it and
I'll never forget it was my dad and my grandpa
we were all in the front yard and they put my cousin on it
who just couldn't do anything like
mechanical wise
and he fucking whiskey throttles this so I'm telling my son this
and somehow he gets himself
into a wheelie and
lands on his stomach
and maintains the fender kind of peels back
so it was like a wheelie bar and just keeps it
pinned
and our fucking driveway was like a quarter mile long
and this thing all the way down
the fucking driveway
and it was like an old ass driveway
the street was all old just
I mean
that's amazing but yeah it was cool
I remember
I remember being probably about
9 or 10 and
somehow my dad
threw whatever
came about a yard cart
right you know a little go cart
with 5 horse briggs
just standard flat
frame and it had the
slick small tires
and it feels had the
the pencil cart
fun
and then it was a little bit enough
to fuck around with throttle stop
and carbon you get that thing and kind of run it
I remember in my dad's church
parking lot pretty big wide open spot
it's all asphalt
in the back area
you know it's just nobody parks there
so it's kind of just dusty gravelly
it's still asphalt but it's slick
so you could go through there
and you could do some donuts
and then you could get as you figured out
high speed you could get some drifts
and carry that thing right
so as you get accustomed to it
you're like this thing is awesome
and it's so wide you're so low
it will never flip
until it flips
until you're upside down when everybody got there
it caught an edge and it was like one of those
like a sprint car accident
it was like a sprint car like one of the 24 hour
Le Mans races where you just see just a portion
just fucking
and I mean I come out of that thing
it flipped
230 times it had to
and then I end up up against like a brick
like retaining wall thing
I remember like
at that point in time there's the worst
I thought I was dead I remember like
your knees and elbows is the only thing that's messed up
but you were fucked
you hit it from your parents
the way you hit
injuries back then
I did the just be prepared
are you bleeding?
I don't know where this came from
limping and wall
same exact thing but remember the dingo
the black one
it had this stupid ass
roll cage that came up the back
but it had these big ass ATV tires on the back
little tires on the front so
you and me we took the cage off it eventually
we hot rotted it
it was faster
I did the same shit and it was like the first time
I ever wore a helmet
fortunately in the intersection
on juneberry and
orange brace
it was again like gravelly pavement
just drifting this thing out
and it hit same thing dude
it had to have looked like one of those sprint car
and they walked away with it
but on that the tire comes
hits me in the head, grinds my head and helmet into the ground
and you're just destroyed
I thought I was dead too
no blood at first because this is all white meat
and then it starts pouring
and there is no way you're telling
dad wasn't home but there's no
I'm limping we had to go to dinner that night
I thought my legs were broken
what's wrong nothing I'm fine
I'm good
we all grew up different
at that point
I went in and said I wrecked
I'm hurt I'm bleeding I did this
it wasn't, oh my god are you okay
oh my god little baby come here
let me pamper you
what were you doing
what else was broken what did you screw up
what are we gonna have to pay money on
any of that kind of stuff you ruined pants
you ruined jeans you did this
and it was nuts
I gotta tell you my mother is a saint
for me
she looks like she had it tough
I dumped this
or wrecked that or broke that
but the amount of times I remember one
one specifically so live it out in the country
right in the middle of nowhere
and I didn't have four-wheelers
when I got a little bit older because you could buy
there's a guy up the road that you could buy
a $50 car and that's a lot more
worth and he can fix it
it's got a small block you know whatever
it's a big go-kart
take the glass out put chicken wire in there
so the kid doesn't get hurt we got hundreds of acres behind the house
it's awesome
so I was like I think 11 maybe or so
it was a 1980 Mustang had a four cylinder
those little pieces of shit
but anyway we got that I remember
we brought it home with a vice grip for a steering wheel
we got a steering wheel on it and then off I went
well I took reverse out in like
a half an hour so no more reverse
alright fine well then
I'm sliding it around on the road that we live on
running into the ditch and bringing it sideways
and getting you know because I couldn't really break the tires loose
but I could in the ditch
so I do that and I lose it
and I'm pointed down in the ditch
and I hit a telephone pole not going very fast
but I hit the pole pointed downhill
I got no reverse so I
sneak through the woods into the house tell Ma
and she makes like she has to go get groceries
with the minivan goes a long way around
comes back around pulls me out of the ditch
and then off like nothing happened
I'm sure she told the old man when she got back later
but as far as you know 11 year old
me was concerned like I got it
you know but
it's funny how we grew up
and the stuff you pull and
you get to
having your own kids and
you seem to forget all of those
moments and it's back to
like hey what the hell were you doing
it's funny how you get
especially in
car wise and that young
maybe this is probably we're going to get to the root
of my psychological
damage from long wheel based trucks
but 13 years old
my granddad my mom's dad
they lived in Alabama
we lived in Georgia at that time
so the summers I would go over there
like they would just be like you want to go with your grandparents for the summer
so three months I'm just with them
and I would work construction and stuff with him
he was a fireman and also
you know fireman always has to have you know 17 jobs
can't be a fireman right
so he built houses and stuff too so do that
13 years old I remember the summer
I come over I was 13 and
he's like you need to learn how to drive
absolutely I do I think that's a great idea
and
76 Ford F100 long wheel base
with a 360
and for 360 Ford
not 390 360
it's a real thing
brown two-tone brown on brown
and he's like we'll go drive
and they were out in the country just nothing but dirt roads and stuff like that
and he's like you know how to do it
crank it put it in gear
go drive just don't wreck anything
so you know go and the first time you're just
you know absolutely just driving
normal right well as
you know the weeks go on you're getting the customer
has this driving things not that big of a deal
you waited that long
I mean you start doing stupid things but then you start
getting like oh well
invincible I've read so many magazines
I've watched so many videos like it's
what's how hard is it
but on those dirt roads you start that's when you start
like you're talking about the ditch you know
this thing they have a lot of power it's not like you go power break it
and you know but you can
a little yank you know and then you start getting
oh wow and then you do a little bit
more and you do a little bit more and then that first
time I never hit anything but I remember that first time
it was just like a slow
oh whoa
and then you know it's also a big steering wheel
and you know busted
rag joint so it's you know you got like
300 degrees of play before
it turns and stuff and a bench
so it's just like slow
in the dirt like right through a dirt
intersection stuff that was like
for the for the summer for this summer I think
that's a good night I think we've done enough of that
playing around I was terrified for
my granddad to this is his truck I don't
want to like but it's funny
how you start getting no big deal no big deal
no big deal not the courage
yeah and then a little thing happens you're like
I'm gonna be good I'm just gonna drive this thing back to
put the wheel
it was like this
so
before we get to hunter
you glaze past I've seen
so many and I've heard a few stories
we're at the bouncer security
like that come into play
I mean it through college right like so I went
to college down Chicago and
you know I just worked clubs
and and you know it made
my way through college you know it's it's a
it's a good gig for a for a young man
from spring green to move to the city and
and find yourself you know you make make a lot of friends that way
oh yeah I've had a couple of buddies that did
that for quite some time yeah the stories and
the it's a
you all are often forgotten
about
the VIP access
that you guys really have for the job that you're doing
right yeah it's a cool story
yeah you meet some really interesting people
lifelong friends
and then you know people that
that you have access to that
you know you become close with and yes
some of those some of those VIP
situations that you're
become a part of or privy to
is you know there's some stories for sure
but that carried through
you know carried through my life and
it just was always something that that I enjoyed
and again from just those relationships
that have been maintained for for all
those years you know
it's kind of it's another thing that's kind of in your blood
you know throughout the years
people call you up and like hey you know
I've got a gig and we need somebody to go on the road
with us whatever and that parlays into
you know I've got one of my best friends
owns a venue and and you know
hey you know would you run my security
detail for for the venue
and you know take care of that and then that
you know you see my stuff right where we have
you know different festivals and
and it's just you know that's a fun
a fun side note to
you know to my day-to-day and it's just
it kind of tracks right like you know
we know each other and it's just
it kind of tracks and it's just
it's part of that
you know just being out and
meeting people and spending time with people it's
it's really what I what I thrive on right is
you know making connections and meeting new people
and and and those stories not
for nothing you know they that's one of
Hunter's favorite things that I that I say not
for nothing he used to keep
a time he used to keep a tally
if I if I'd use it more than once inside of
like a paragraph
first time I called him out on it he had to
probably pause for a good two minutes to think of
something new to say
hang up if I don't say not for
nothing but yeah no it's it's fun
and you know it really
it's it's like you know you
you probably heard me say it seem a
bunch of times you know it's like a big family
reunion for for us you know so many people
that we don't get to see except
online throughout the year you're back
together that seem if it's at your party
or if it's just at the show
so many people and it's it's it's
really like a family right it's all it's
hugs and smiles and you know how you
been and you feel like you know what they've been up
to but to have that connection
in person is is really special
and it's the same with with with what I do
in the music industry right like these people that
you've known for decades
you know become really close and
you know especially with touring musicians right like
for them
especially I think having
a grounded friend you know when you come into
your city that you know you hook up
with is is really special especially
you know for these guys that you know I've
got friends that have been on the road 20 30 years
and you know for them to be able
to roll into the Madison area and
you know have a solid
friend we go to dinner and just catch up you know it's
I think that's special and and
it's just a it's an interesting
lifestyle to be to be a part
of sure and to observe you know
you gotta have some good stories from
that certainly
how much more exciting is the hot rod world
in the music industry you know honestly
it's not even a
comparison yeah it's it's
interesting yeah there's there's
certainly some some interesting moments
and honestly just some some amazing
people in both right in
in I think in any industry in any
world any environment no matter what it is
if you really take the time to get
to know the people that are
that are passionate about whatever that
may be I don't care if it's music or cars
or if you go to something completely
completely separate from
that whatsoever glassware right if you
really deep dive into
somebody that is all about
glassmaking in the art of glass and
the history behind it there's some
there's stories to be had everywhere
and I think you guys get that a lot right
with what you do with the podcast
anybody that's passionate about
what they do is always exciting and
they're exciting to talk to you know I
no matter what your passion is if
if you're excited about it like I'm
just that type of person that I get
excited to hearing about it and
passion and drive creates movement and
movement creates stories and events
and things that are memorable if
you're moving and you're not passionate
and you're just going through the motions
it's easy you just you just
bounce through and you don't make any
stories and don't make anything memorable
and it's you're just living versus
driving and on the
the security thing I think
of just listening
it's gonna be a little less fun
for you but way better for us you're
gonna can you do the security for our party
at SEMA next year? Of course yeah
I'll bring a little earpiece and everything
but I'm pretty surprised for a
group of
and I'm included in this
I'm not worried about in the party
but for a bunch of degenerates including myself
miscreants like everybody's very well
behaved right? I'm worried about the
thing that you have nothing that you have no idea
to go on I'm worried about the door
I'm worried about the entry not worried
about any problems going on in the party
it's on the entry side between
you had a few of them? Draze really
screwing up their security staff
couple problems on entry
then we got that part handled and then there's the
the late arrival groups that are just
like absolutely
have no ticket
I'm shit faced but I mean there's
a party going on like I deserve to be in
there right? I just need
yeah that just needs to like be handled
consider it handled
I'm floored nobody ended up in the pools
yeah that was my first
thought like oh that's gonna be filled with people
I'm sure
there is a whole world growing up
30 minutes 30 minutes longer it was the pool
was happening we're getting there yeah it was trending
that way
yeah alright good
you said it on there so it's happening
on that like musicians
give me somebody who's a bad
ass musicians Taylor Swift
what's somebody cool
that you've worked with or a cool store
give me something I love
concerts music like I always
talk about this if not that I have
musical talent but it's the one thing that entices
me that if I didn't do this
I would love to be like a broke
traveling musician living on the road
yeah I mean I got it it appeals to me
I've got a ton of those you know but one
I guess it's uh that's you know it's
safe for uh you know safe for the
podcast right um and it's just
it's just a cool story out of you and a
relevant band to now because I mean I've
I work with with rock country
you know with
female rock art we've had
Joan Jett we've had George
good you know Trace Atkins
I've got uh Clint black coming up
here in a couple weeks um just
had um um Jody Messina
you know Brett Michael
Sebastian Bach
you know Whitey Morgan in the 78s
Whitey's great yeah that's awesome
Whitey Whitey
Whitey's concert and the
security needed for that is completely different than
current Clint black flans absolutely
Whitey's also like seven feet tall
I'll tell you
one that was a problem um so
the first time so we've had Jesse James
a number of times with Jackal
the first time we had him at the venue
um our
bar manager severely underestimated
the drinking abilities
of Jackal fans
during the opener we ran out
of beer and every one
of the 2100 people in the venue switched
to brown liquor
during the opener okay that
became a problem
that was the
we should have just taken the doors off
because the number of times that I had
to open the front door with somebody's head
was was significant
it was a lot of
people that weren't accustomed to drinking that much
whiskey um that was that was
a problem but um but no
whiskey Myers if you know whiskey Myers so
this was a pretty cool story
so everybody remembers COVID right there
was no music venues were shut down
like it was a problem um where
we are in Wisconsin is a
um you know a high tourism area
and um we've got this great
venue and nobody's touring
we haven't been open and
um my friend reached out
to uh to whiskey and we're just
talking about you know what we're gonna do
and how we're gonna do it and
they were like you know this is the tail end of
COVID nobody did nobody had a live show yet
and um they're like you know
we we want to do it and
we kind of talk to the city and they're like you know I can
let's do it so we
had the first uh live
concert in the state of Wisconsin
post COVID and that was whiskey Myers which
we could have never gotten
at any other time
because they're they're just that big right
um they're much bigger than our venue
but nobody's playing no venues are open
and um they made a concession
to like you guys are willing to like we want to play
some music and you guys
are willing to open your doors and we
we did it we we made it out
we made an outdoor concert so it's like the
backside of the the venues we were able to use
all of our equipment and stuff but uh
and it was great we had a pile of people there
and the electricity in the air
for the you know after two years
of no live music and then if you know
whiskey Myers right like I mean they just yeah
they came out just like they were
playing for their lives where do we see him
Indianapolis yeah with some right that was
like that might have been their next show
yeah either was it before
that was after code that was like
because everything was like shut down
I thought that was like the tail end of
covid it was it was because
it was weird going we saw
it Indianapolis somewhere
outdoor venue with Jamie uh Jamie
Johnson yep yeah
whiskey Myers the Jeff
how am I Jeff hog the
drummer for whiskey Myers he's a he's
a car guy yeah he's a
truck built and stuff like that so many
car guys in music
I don't know why he didn't reach out and get a chassis
we've actually spoke a couple of times so
I won't hold that completely against him but yeah
he's a he's a drummer for whiskey Myers
and it's like in the
hot rods and muscle cars and shit like that
yeah they do put on
a yeah the show
or I saw him again where the hell is today
I've seen him twice it's probably
at the uh bourbon thing yeah
bourbon beyond I think they played out there
yeah great what were we gonna say hunter I'm
sorry I could rudely interrupt
sorry I was just here the beverage that
you had to pull in
I'm sorry
the I thought you had like
so a lot of beer see I did oh yeah
yeah we had to you know we had
to keep these people filled
up so yeah we ended up having to call
like other venues right
in like hey can like what can
we buy your cooler like we're just out of stuff
and it's just it's wild and that's
kind of stuff happens all the time people don't realize it right they're just
at the bar all you're out of there but there's just
there's I know you and your team
are confident in your
abilities right you're confident and you're working together
it was was that a time
to where you're like hey it's a
law of averages I mean there's probably gonna be
one fucking bad apple in every 30
that we're gonna have to handle but then when the
entire crowd you're like
once they start figuring out there's
power in numbers like there's there's only
like 12 of us yeah no it's
you know at the end of the day I mean people are there to have a good time
right but but certainly
that was it got spicy
so how do you like I'm trying to think how do
you train for that is that
like you put like sweat pants
on is it jazz dance you work on ripping
people's throats out you practice that
like how do you watch that movie over and over
you know honestly what's the
honestly 99%
of it is in communication
right you
can deescalate anything
because here's the here's the deal with any of those
situations
99.999% of the time the problem
doesn't exist with
security it's it's some issue that's happening
amongst some people that are there right
and you can come into it
and inflame that
problem or you can
separate and try to you know
talk it down and there's people that just don't
don't want to have any of it and they're just
they're just angry at the world
and whoever happens to be in front of them and that's
that's a different situation but
but really you know having people
skills I don't care what industry you're
in or what your job is
you know you can get a long way with
being able to talk to people and being able
to to to know how to
in the moment how to adjust
your your speech to whoever it is you
happen to be talking to right because there's times where
a calm tone is
going to be the the path and there's other times
where you you have to be the
bark louder you know and
but but generally
just it just comes down to knowing how to talk to people
we had out there again another
Seema story this this this year Seema
we had
one of the nights on a Tuesday Wednesday night
um
maybe Wednesday night anyway the night started
rolling on and you know you know
you uh like as a
snowball rolls downhill you start picking up people
in the group right group starts getting bigger
and uh
then you start not having a place to
drink at the group
size that you have right so
we're at the cosmo um
started getting a little bit uncomfortable at the
at the bar there and so like that so
chairs like we need to see if we can
get a table at the uh
barbershop right so barbershops will speak
easy in the back of the barbershop there
got a live band stuff so go there
there about 30 minutes from opening
make a reservation sweet talk the guy
made a little deal so we get
a group in well now that group has even gotten
larger right he was very nice
and he's like this is your cap right so
we got to that cap and more people are
coming in with the group anyway
great night the guy
you know we have everything handled
he's the main security guy
this dude no lie I asked him how tall he was
so he was six seven right um
and he went like three eighty three ninety
um
awesome dude super fucking
cool took care of everything right
he's man and they're kind of like our group
and stuff and like 20 minutes
into it or whatever he grabs me he's like hey man
let me know he said I just want to let you know
if you got any trouble let me know
and I was like
I said is there
trouble that breaks out in your vicinity
because I'm pretty sure right just the
side of you he's like oh you'd be surprised
so then we know I can't
smoke in there so I smoke I had to pop out and
smoke so he was always man in the door and we
shoot the shit when I was smoking stuff so got to talk
to him a little bit and I was like you
seriously like there's
nobody that wants to fuck with you he's like
really amazed at what people do when they
get drunk enough and they said
luckily I've got the size and he said
sometimes it gets a little fun you can just
kind of toss them like a rag doll and sometimes
you just got to do that and I'm looking at the
dude and like you have your this is your calling
yeah it's funny so I've got
and I've got a guy on my team
and he his name's Ryan also he's
big Ryan okay I'm regular Ryan
and it's funny because you know
I'll talk about big Ryan and people a
lot of times will be like in what world
is that a big fucking dude
right so big Ryan is
seven way small I've given you a shit
right you're way smaller now than used to
be yeah I mean but you're looking good
thank you thank you thank you yeah
yeah but no big Ryan goes seven one
and in combat boots
and yeah it's
he's a seven seven
changes things right when you put the seven
the front right seven changes
things no it's funny because I'm normal
Ryan stature yeah
so big dude yeah he's
he's enormous and it's funny because people is like
oh yeah I that tracks
I see why you call him big Ryan like it's I mean
like I remember one time he was at my house
and
eight-foot ceilings right in the living room and ceiling
fan and the fan is off
but the blades like you stand in there and the blades are
on either side of his head
his eight-foot ceiling ceiling fan drops down and
it's you know just that's just normal just a different
way of life though you gotta admit that's got to be a
different way of life well certainly
I one of my favorite pictures of big rise so we
have my buddy actually the one that owns
the venue where at his house we're doing a cookout and stuff
and all the seats and tables
were all taken and he's kind of standing
with the plate and we we're just kind of
watching him for a moment he sets his plate on top
of the normal sized refrigerator
and then just sat there
hahaha
no granted it wasn't down I mean it was it was up here
but it was still I took a picture of it he's
it's you know it's like here and he's just
using the top of a normal refrigerator for
a place to put his plate
I would just love to see a montage
of the videos of like
it's getting out of hand
two dudes are about to go at it
or they're going at it you know a hand
on the shoulder and before the dude
turns around he's like I'm ready to go
I don't care if it's a security and then oh yeah
yeah well fuck
okay whatever you say
sir whatever you
say right a montage of cousin
Mikey leaving that night
he got he got I feel like
I've never been in that situation I've always
been just like even in my
worst nights I'm still like with it
and respectful oh yeah and Mikey
that motherfucker just
off the deep end dude he
that I said that guy was
this close to yanking him
out of it he did get yank cousin
Mikey just quickly disappeared
he doesn't have but one you've met
cousin Mikey before yeah yeah yeah he
was gone and he has no recollection
of how he got gone
but his
behavior
definitely would
require or prompt a guy
like that to extract him from
he got extracted I mean it's obvious
he was there and then he wasn't
you're telling me as long as
all of us have known cousin Mikey
when has he ever made a responsible choice
and removed himself from a situation when
he's been over served the only
reason he was there and not there
is because he got bounced
yeah he got bounced
Hunter
so much to unpack
obviously your story is you were born
into this right Hunter ring right
we're going to go through all different
types of stuff when was the first time
that you have a memory of
understanding
what your family business was
what you did
what age what you know what was going
on I mean it's kind of interesting because obviously
grew up around the shop and all that
but
it wasn't until
pretty late did I
register it because
growing up around what they did
just totally changed
how I saw
classic cars so it took me
a very long time to actually appreciate
the
prudeness that came with like the older
classics just because
of how refined they
built stuff so I just
saw that as the norm
they always started this way but they always ended
this way just what you start
with right exactly so but
you're at your you said you're 32
correct so I mean
you had the
opportunity to still be
a young young boy
prior to
your dad your uncle really
sort of making a name for
themselves right like they were correct
like I remember they were cutting their teeth
like in the early
2000s mid 2000s
I remember being in like my mom's
office in her house and coming up with
the name ring brothers and going through
logo designs and all that so I very much
remember that and like I don't know if
you guys remember some of the older cars
like Lucy which was a red convertible
or a black one called Kona like
we actually named Kona
after our dog Kona
and getting
ride-alongs with my dad in that car
and kind of having
that level engagement
with the company
how old were you at that point
probably eight or so
that was the Kona was when I met
your old man at
good guys Columbus I think
but as far as like
actually getting involved
it was within the last
three years whenever somebody asked
it's in officially 32 years
and officially about three years
so through that time
high school and all that
what was your in your mind
career path which what's your plan
you see what they're doing is cool
I always love the company
but they kind of pushed
all three of us kids away from it to some
degree they wanted us to create
our own path in our own life
and not get kind of
felt like we had to follow
the family business
so I grew up
and went to college
for construction
kind of following more of my grandpa's path
because he owned a construction company
out in California
so did a little
work ship with them thought that was really cool
seeing all different projects, different buildings
all that so went that route
graduated college for that
moved actually out to Arizona
for a handful of years working for
a big mechanical company
doing intel data centers
hospitals, facebook
superconductor plants and all that
so
gained
kind of a management skill set through that company
and through that college experience
and actually
the only reason I really
got part of the family business
was through a
random customer at SEMA
so in my
random off time
of work and college
I always helped at SEMA
so just as like an extra hand talking to people
would come to SEMA
and just kind of like speak about the car
speak about what we had
kind of like get a little impromptu from the guys
as far as like what have and trying to regurgitate as best as I could
run security before you have
obviously
break out
kind of just starting to hit
a wall on the construction
side and
coincidentally
one of the people that I talked to that previous year
at SEMA had reached out to
my mom about future projects
and other things that they wanted to work through with
ring brothers
and they actually mentioned
how much
they appreciated talking to me during that time
and
right around when that was happening
their current sales manager
and operations manager was
indicating that
they were looking to move on in the
short future
so they had a conversation internally
with Jim and Peggy about
potentially bringing me on board
and trying to train me into that position
so kind of how I fell into it
that's cool man
you hit the ground running that's for sure
I'm more inch I mean
that's all fucking awesome but I'm more
interested in
like you
just because
when you have kids
you think about this stuff like I remember growing up
and like you know sort of
like the pedestal you put your father on
and like you see what he does and you grow up around
like his cars and his projects
I mean what's that what was that like
at a 8 to
12 year old
your dad's building some of the coolest shit out there
now at this point
established themselves
I mean how does it how does a kid
like you how are you looking at your
dad and your uncle like is this like
dude like your
semi-small town or your friends like
oh man Hunter's dad
like he's he builds the
coolest fucking cars are you like
are you into it or are you playing video games
well he wasn't that old then
but at that point are you playing
video games do you not fucking care
is that like did you hear dad
coming down the driveway in this
nasty Mustang like what's
there's no right or wrong answer
I mean like the answer to that
evolved as time went on
so like yeah in high school I loved it
I always thought it was fun being around like the cool cars
and getting to take
the Winnebago to high school and pick up
a bunch of friends and drive that to different
events I picked up a bunch of friends
so like it definitely always evolved
but I don't know if I really
grasp the magnitude of what
they've built for themselves until
I got out of high school
and into college and actually
experienced people outside of our little
spring green area so like
going to Arizona
and seeing
a shelf stocker from Home Depot
recognize a ring brother's
logo and we now have a
10 minute conversation about
my dad's company or
going to college and having our
students recognize our logo
and be thrilled that he's
now got a ring
brother's son at
his university like
as those experiences
continue
I think it just
dawned on me how much cooler
they've built but
to your degree
of course you always put your dad on a pot of stone
I always loved what he did and I thought it was so fun
I did always love going to the shop and
like being around the cars and seeing it
and Dragon was the first one
that I ever got to like drive even though
I was just moving it around
those little bit obviously
stick with you and sure
it's probably what brought me back
at the end. You would take anything to
school, pull up
and the Winnebago is probably the only
one. That was
probably the most dangerous though. That thing was
so fun.
Having
the dean know
and having a random stock person or whatever
those are like moments like you said those are starting to be triggers
where you're like ah
we're part of something bigger than I gave it
credit for
your
both of your memory the first time that
you said oh wow this is bigger
I think is the famous
actually probably the same place we were just at
a couple weeks ago right? Is that
still the same? Is that the first time
where you're like that was the first time
we were ever recognized. Right. Yeah.
And that was in
Vegas. Yeah.
At a gentlemen's club in Vegas.
But that's not
it's a great story. It is
a great story that was pretty cool.
But it's everybody's got those
memories where it's like
it's a snapshot of like oh hold on pause
for a second this is
bigger than I've given it credit for.
You don't get a big head
you don't like stop working and whatever
it's a it's like a pause in time
for your mind to
try and recalibrate
the interest or the
the where you've been placing yourself
right you know it probably needs to recalibrate
a little bit. Your t-shirt
the recognition at that show.
Oh fuck I forgot about
that. That was a good one.
That was a really good one. Yeah we were at
we went to a cultural wall concert downtown
it was at the you've probably done this event
where the
the Chicago Auditorium.
That place is cool. Cool as shit.
We're sitting there. We came straight
from work to get to there in time
and we're the three of us
and Kyle's sitting there and
I came straight from work out of an oil and whiskey shirt on
right we're just sitting there drinking
and you can hear mumbling in the back right
and this guy finally taps on the show and he's like
hey do you think I shouldn't podcast
and the other buddy's like dude
they're fucking tell him that he's fucking stupid
like oh actually yeah he's
he's you guys. So that was really really fucking cool
right. Talked to him. He was fucking amazing
local you know
and he's a welder
worked for Caterpillar and that stuff and he listens to the podcast
all the time. My
my proud moment that I was going to go with
was my daughter
right in college
sorority. They did it. They do a sorority
and fraternity what they do all you know they do
a party Tuesday night Wednesday night Thursday night
whatever you know it's fucking party time
there's a couple of years ago
and
you know Maddox real well right you know Maddox
is
she knows how to she knows
the inner workings of life better than
most kids at that age
than most people right and
but she plays it cool and she knows
she's very much
like me right and she's got a lot
of skill. Better looking. Oh of course
right completely she got
that from her mama not from me
there was a time and
my wife told me about this my daughter
didn't tell me about this
they're having this party and they're at
one of the fraternity houses and
you know they get into stories about cars
right well one of the girls brought up
like well you need to talk to Maddox you know
her dad they build cars they do
this blah blah well then a couple of the other
like frat boys whatever like oh yeah
okay well my dad's built this and they start
pulling up pictures on the TV
of my dad's got this car
and this guy and other guys like well
yeah my dad's had this car built and this stuff
so it's cool Maddox
you know she's cool she's like
at one point I'd kind of like alright
it's every you know it's like a bar story
right oh you think that fish was big
wait about this so then she just it was
like a week after we'd done
Rogan's podcast right so she just
pulls up the podcast and
just starts playing as everybody's talking
like what's this oh that's my dad he's
there with Joe Rogan
you're like wait oh no
what did you say about him in his cars
it was just like that she's like alright
I had enough and
I don't want to she's not that type of person
but she you know sometimes you just like
alright you're not listening to me like
we're all talking about our dads and cars
and you're not listening to me so let me just show
that was a cool like oh you forget
about those kind of things it's like yeah
that's really cool I had something similar to my daughters
she went to Milwaukee she's
actually next
next month to be graduating with her
masters so I'm yeah
shout out to her for being way smarter
neural man good but
but anyway no number of times
like she'd have like a ring brother
shirt or like a you know jacket hoodie
hat whatever you know and stuff and she
bartending on Brady Street through college
in Milwaukee there it's the big you know
Brady Street walk anyway and
a number of different times like she would
like it had sent me a text
or whatever and it would be somebody that
noticed the hat right same for like you
were talking to her like notice the the logo
and be like what do you like what do you
know about ring brothers like oh my dad
and I fab guy Ryan's your dad like
you know it's because there's it's just
it's a marker right there's very little we get
to right to give them right and
when they get that it's great right it
really is it's it's it's it's a
really special feeling and it's a it's a
proud dad moment right where you like
it's you know it's it's it and I'm
sure you hope right that that she
like I'm sure your daughter did like felt
like you know what Mike dropped this my dad
oh yeah it's Joe Rogan no big deal yeah
that's you know Joe Rogan's with my dad
how about that yeah she didn't go into the
years of trauma she's like well I never saw him
till I was like 13 years old because he was doing all that
that's fine it made up for all those years
right right yeah take the win
100% I think one of my favorites
is actually when I was still working in
Arizona we were just happenstance
within our little office talking about
ring brothers and like what we do and
all that and sure that was
shortly before we were about to step into
a kind of sales pitch meeting
with Milwaukee tool
and trying to use a bunch of their tools for
the project and
happen to be wearing like a ring
brothers hoodie walking into that meeting
and one of the main people running the show
asked how I was
how I knew ring brothers and I
obviously told him it was my dad and he
freaked out kind of just
lost his mind and like
prior to that everybody thought
I was joking whenever I said there was like
people that recognized the logo and all that
and now they get to all see in person that
there's like actually people that are
following that group
well I run into
with honestly with the
ring brothers name
probably more so than most
other like
things in the hot rod industry like I
figure about it for people
absent of the hot rod industry like a good
thing in mind like brought it up out of
nowhere like dude like
I know what you guys do this like you guys
doing like Carson you're the ring brothers
these guys are fucking awesome
you know those guys dude
like we do stuff kind of like that too
like
the logos in the back of all like the
Honda
I did what I brought this up for a
specific reason I don't want this to I
don't want people to listen that maybe
brought came in at a different time this
is not what this is about I brought it
up very specifically because of a
moment that me and Phil had
at the at Vegas
and he made me think about something
and I thought about it we've done
this is actually
another bit of news this is like
197 or 198 we're coming up
on 200 podcast right so
some specials coming for 200
but we've talked so much
to so many different builders and
the you know so much good so
many great stories and
we hear so much great feedback from
from people have been in the industry for a long
time people that aren't in the industry that's just like
I just like to consume this and get to know these people
for so long
everybody's been purposely
steering away
from talking about themselves nobody wants to
to come across as having ego
right nobody wants to come across as bragging nobody
wants to come across as like I got this this
there's there's a way to do it
the right way and then most people do it the wrong
way right you're like I'm dude I'm sick of hearing about the
awards and sick of hearing about the that your accomplishments
but for
for quite some time everybody's gone the opposite
direction and downplay everything
downplay every accomplishment downplay
everything never want to come across
as being proud of what you've done
for it being taken the wrong way
I think that there's a proper level
to do that but I think we've
everybody's done themselves a disservice because when
you do that for so long
and you become so ingrained to make sure that nobody
thinks that you're having ego
nobody thinks that you're resting on whatever
current accomplishment every builder that comes
on here is like I'm not worried about that car I'm
worried about the next one I'm not worried about that award
I'm worried about the next one that's great all those
are great things to say we're at the party
was winding down
we're at the backside looking at all these
people we're looking at you guys we're looking
at all these great fucking builders
and a very emotional moment
of like man this is fucking awesome
we're looking very specifically at the
at the high
wall there in between the thing and you've got
Troy Japan yeah you got Adam
you've got
Ellen Johnson you've got Angie Johnson
Bobby Allaway Cindy
they're all in a line having the time of their lives
dancing having fun
these are all people that we
have all looked up to and wanted
to just even have a conversation with
never would we think that they'd be
partying and having that much fucking fun
especially as reserved as most of these people are
and all these conversations are like oh yeah
Alan Johnson you know he doesn't want to talk to
anybody he's an asshole
look he's having the fucking time of his life
right and Phil said he said this is a
time to stop and smell the roses
and it hit me like a ton of bricks of
100% right
we always
because even when we were talking the conversation
we mentioned it
but I'm talking about next year
hey next year we need to do this
we need to change this I didn't like the flow of this
we got to do this
cause we're not even worried about like what's happening
worried about how to make it better next year
and I didn't like the way this is doing and he said
it's time to stop and smell this is the time to stop
and smell the roses so I think it's very
important that there's times when we
have these discussions we talk about when's
the time that you were like
puff that chest out not in a bad way
be proud be proud
your daughter was proud my daughter's proud
your son's proud all the time your kids are proud all the time
there's times when you can do it
in a proper way and say
you know what all that fucking hard
work paid off
not going to rub it in anybody's face
but I'm going to at least take the three minutes
to be happy for myself
and talk about it now let's move on
let's kick ass and let's do the next thing
I think it's important to
talk about those moments and other people
that are out there
there's a right way to be like
I feel like crying and cheering at the same time
I want to clap
awesome speech I think it's
important
I agree
you dismiss everything
you dismiss it quickly because we're always
all of us are kind of the same
you're not going to
uh
live in that stardom
that you got from that ass and martin
I mean the press the feedback is amazing
I
I know you guys like you probably went right
back to the fucking shop on Monday
there's work to do dude like there's
other cars to build and it is
it's not like I fucking
built this ass to martin
like bring me some sausages
like we are in spring green
I want some good sausages
like it is
it's fucking let's get the fuck to work
there's more cars to build
hammer down like
but to Josh's point maybe
give yourself a minute maybe it's the night
maybe it's the night of the party maybe it's whatever it is
just make sure that
everybody gives themselves that moment
because we've the other thing we've talked about in this
podcast all the time of
you know the saying that
I wish somebody would tell us in the
moment that these are the good old days
instead of thinking back about the good old days
because everybody's got those stories that was the most
fucking fun and you think back about
doing it but in the moment that you're doing it
you know you're either worried about
the next thing or somebody comes up and gives you
a compliment and you know we're all
awkward and we don't know how to take a compliment
you're like oh yeah yeah yeah
you don't have to be like you're damn right
it's the best motherfucking car you've ever seen
there's a proper level of being like
man I really appreciate it
this is probably the best one that we think we've ever done
it means a lot to me doing that
and then sit there take it in smell the roses
realize that these are the good old days
seven minutes I'd give it like
it's an interesting number but at seven
minutes it's good don't take it to double digits
like ten minutes you're starting to get a little
better we've heard enough
we've heard enough
and with that I will say that
in reflection
I know that I had that moment
and it was a quiet moment
for myself and you guys were there for it
you just didn't realize it
when we were at the track and that car was going around
I took a moment
nobody's talking right you guys
were kind of down by the wall
Mike and Nancy
were kind of at the
base of the tower
Jim was second floor with Peggy
Hunter was kind of by Mike and Nancy
we're all just
and nobody was talking we're all just watching
and that was
that was a marker for me of like
that's like that's cool
that's our car out there and
Ben Collins is
like it's not just some
Uber driver like running around for a photo shoot
like that's one of the
premier car drivers on the planet
is out pushing that car
and hearing them break it loose in the corners
like that's like
you know what and it's doing the thing
it's doing it well it's doing the thing
there was a lot of nerves going into that first corner
but I mean that was really
it was I in that moment
it was just for a second I kind of looked at everybody
to see I just I was curious what
you know if we're biting fingernails
what we're doing and everybody was just locked in
and that was that was
you guys included that was just that was special
and
I still I brought it up
I don't know how many times in the interviews
during SEMA with
what he said the first time when he came in
about it's too stable
I looked at Josh I'm like can we can we get him to say that again
but like put a roaster shop shirt on
and one more time but louder
I've never heard that
statement
in a negative
the way he was kind of like
you know you're asking for things that we should change
it's too stable
it's too predictable it doesn't do anything scary
it's like you know what
those tits are too big
and she's too hot and the nipples are perfect
it's weird
I don't know what to do about that
that whole experience
I don't know
I think you guys need to step back and like
really really think about that
what you guys accomplished there because that
that's fucking unbelievable really
like when you think we've been around
the autocross world
and the road race kind of world
for a long time with some of the cars we've done
and you watch
it takes a long time
to build a car and bring it out
and make it work and make it perform
and get it around
like a road course
a road course is fucking violent
on a car right
how many cars were built for that track back in the day
for the Optima thing
it's a dedicated
Optima challenge
like I'm winning Optima challenge
I have this car sorted I've spent
this is my third Optima car
it's out here to win
and fails out of the gate
because of a mechanical error
to bring a car of that caliber out there
and have it do what it did
almost effortlessly
that's fucking wildly
impressive
and then show up at the show
I think that was the coolest part
but that was the only indication
that the only indication
that the cars been punished
like the car showed
beautifully
and we did a trailer between the two
I was just gonna say
that we were at the track with
all those exotics and getting compliments
from a true
exotics car manufacturer
that to me was super special
and then to then drive it
from the track and do
driving video shoots with it
during sunset and then drive it to Vegas
and
never once did it get back in the trailer
until after SEMA
that's what I was just gonna say that was another
special moment I think Hunter and I
were in the duly with the trailer
and we're an hour
and five minutes from Vegas
and we're following the
Aston Martin through the desert at sunset
with the Stig driving
and it's one of those like if I wasn't
actively driving the truck
you just kind of, you just have to sit back
and just like observe
and that was just really special
just honestly just seeing that car out in the wild
no
no people
talking, no interviews, no
video, no TV stuff
we're just following the car we built
through the desert at sunset
it was honestly
not to make too much of it but it was
an underlying spiritual experience of just
watching this thing that was
a pile of nothing 18 months ago
is now being driven by that guy
through the desert
you should make a big deal about it
and it also goes to show
where the industry has evolved to
where you guys and a lot of other builders have evolved to
because you think, one
like you said, you raced it
you tracked it, you had somebody else track it
you didn't track it, you had somebody else track it
sometimes when you track it
you don't want to show that it tracks
but I know the car
you had somebody else track it
that's also doing a video
to show how hard they're pushing it
so their whole
goal is to push it hard
Ben's whole goal was to push it hard
he pushed it hard, it did it
this is all before the show
you do that at the show, then you drive it to the show
and then you do the show
good guys Columbus
we brought that up so many times
you would get to the show
and then hope it would drive to the booth
and then you're looking at the thing
like if we can just get to there
that's the difference
think about that dichotomy
that whole shift
of let's just get to Columbus
hopefully we get some notoriety
some pick and if it does get through awards
it should make it through there
we might have to shut it off
if it's sitting there for too long
let's just get through and get to our awards
and then we'll get back and we'll start driving it
it's not a shift
some people have evolved
there's still
I promise you there's a group of people
doing that exact same thing
that are sweating bullets
just
it's sick that that car makes it
through that Columbus
builder's choice
but there's less than there was
people have gotten better
the manufacturers are getting better
the customers demand more
there's less puddles of coolant
100% there's less
but that is still
don't make light of that
that's
crazy
I don't know that anybody's ever done that
how is it for you guys seeing
something like that with your system in it
I think
we were probably
more in line
with your uncle's
attitude
and mental state
on the nervous side
your dad was cool as fuck
he's out there and he's just like
ah they're fucking running this car
that was the second half
first half not so much
Jim was
fucking nervous
he was nervous
and for us it's like
I'm confident in what we built
for you guys
we did with the coil overs and stuff
and I got to drive the car
I know the car was planted
had we not done that
I would have been
way more nervous
that's not a dig at anybody
it would be like
it went to the coil
and now they're doing this
having the ability to drive it
and do the testing
they're not fucking completely out of their minds
it's a little different
in our position that
there's a lot of components wise
that crosses over from a lot of stuff we've done
it's a pretty
proven package we're pretty confident in it
if it was my
car that I built the car
I'd be right there next to your uncle
sweating fucking bullets
nervous as shit because that's
dude it's a lot
there's so many things that can go wrong
you as the fabricator and the guy behind it
you know the working
components
things take a long time to flush out
they just do
I don't care how good you are
but for something to go out there
and just do what that did
honestly I was more worried about that drone
cranking it
that guy was not
stupid
my favorite one I can't wait to see the video
when it comes out
Ben was going 100 miles an hour
and he came up over the top of the car
in the hood and spun the camera around
to watch Ben as they're going through corners
and then
shot 200 feet straight up
just watching it like the playback
made me queasy
my favorite was when
he was doing the sunset shoot
and he went flying up with his drone
dive bomb past like a street sign
behind our park trailer
comes tailing behind the
Aston going probably 60-70 miles an hour
and then
drags along the side at probably
window height or lower
and then within what looked
like probably four feet of the nose
comes shooting across the front of the car
and comes
sitting over the top and just follows back
and lets it go
I've flown a lot of drones trying to do stuff here
and flown them into a lot of things
and that little thing can go like
120 miles an hour I believe you said
carrying a drone or carrying a camera
probably the size we got mounted here
that was another one of
a mini lessons in my life
of don't judge a book by its cover
because earlier when we got there
I saw him walking through
and I'm like what the fuck is this dude doing
and he's got the chest rig on
and he's kind of like trying to be like a fighter pilot
I'm like there's fucking no jets around here
and then I'm like oh he's with the camera crew
why is he fucking dressing like this dude
fucking douche like seriously
and he's got the great mustache and I'm like
then I saw him like rig up
and he's got the headset on
and I see the thing and I'm like
oh you can
absolutely you are a fighter pilot
holy shit that shit is
fucking amazing it was wild too because you got
a different guy that's operating the camera
and those two the way I was explaining to people
it's like if you've ever seen the videos of the blue angel pilots
when they're sitting at a table
like pre like going through their flight routine
and talking through like
I've watched that documentary that's great
so that's all those two were talking to each other
and timing because he's
like telling that dude like I'm about to go
you know straight up
a hundred feet and then I'm going to dive bomb
the nose and come around and the camera guy needs to know
what the hell is going on
it was wildly impressive
I mean honestly when you talk about it that way
I get like double Dutch rudder vibes
but it's like somebody else is doing
it feels like somebody else is doing it
step
somebody else is doing it
somebody else is doing it
is doing it
side note that
Zinger that silver one that was there
that we saw you know who that was
no Owen Wilson
was it really just got got popped on the
Instagram even driving through on rodeo
drive the blue the silver with the blue interior
and stuff killer car is
raising some
wild cars there
yep yeah that was my
spiritual moment as we were driving in after getting lost
in the parking lot for 25 minutes trying to
figure out where to go
your mom not knowing how to use a cell phone
your dad
still using a flip phone
he officially just got an iPhone
but he left it at home
he left it at home the whole trip for Vegas
I mean that doesn't help when he leaves it dead
because he doesn't know how to charge it
when did he transition from a pager to a flip phone
that's a good question
I couldn't tell you that one that's probably been a while
can't be that long
five years max I'm guessing
like oh hey just
page Mike back in the shop
he's got a question for you
he's got a backpack fax machine
with a power bank
9-1-1
what was your moment
like we drove in and you're like oh shit there's
a conus egg
oh there's six of them
there's three Bugattis there's the
SSC
SSC yeah
and then three of them
and then you're like oh there's two McLaren
a Senna GTR
with like the
Marlboro Liberli
and you're like oh shit there's the Ring Brothers
and they're like fuck this is like the coolest of the cool cars
yeah it really was
and like you guys were holding your own in
five million dollar
car land over there of just like
the unobtainium
that's the worst time to read exotics
stupidest
stupidest thing ever
we decided which it was fun
in hindsight it was fun
the trip there and back was fun
the idea wasn't of being cool
it was just poor timing
we had to get there and we had no cars
so we're like let's work out here early
we worked our asses off
getting to the show to do what we did
and we're like let's fucking treat ourselves
on paper when you go to the website
it looks reasonable
we're like we're fucking running a couple exotic
cars because we're going all the way up to Trump
we've been up there before
granted by just so everybody knows
we had a four and a half hour delay out of O'Hare
we checked into the rooms
at 1.30 that morning
1.30 Friday morning
and then we were at this rental car place
it was 2.30
it was 2.30 by the time you were up in the room
okay by the time I checked in
so 2.30 we lay our heads down
we meet back in the lobby
to go to this rental car place at 4.45
right
so that's how much sleep
has been had
because you were there at 7.38
so we thought
this would be fucking awesome
we're going to enjoy ourselves
we're going to splurge a little bit
it's a great road
we're running exotic cars dude
so we get a
488
and McClaren 750S
is that what it's called
you go to the website dude
it's not pretty clear
okay it's expensive
it's justifiable
well
the fees
after you
swipe that credit card
and you think that you have rented said vehicle
the fees
well they
they pitch it as dude
I'm going to give you the
high mileage package for the day
at any rate
the massive expense
aside it was fucking fun as hell
488
and McClaren up there we switched back and forth
I think max speed was like 170
that we hit
going down the track
way better in the McClaren than it was the Ferrari
yeah the Ferrari
little dicey little floaty
at high speeds
on the track
McClaren planted dude
that car was planted
but we pulled in
they were like fuck I mean they were rental cars
but
it's again the whole the point
of the story is like man this is really fun
was not doing it
to show anybody it was just the experience
drive out there you know it's an hour drive
that's a fun ass road we've done it many times
it's 6 30 in the morning
on a Friday morning driving through the desert of
Vegas what better thing to do than
and rip some exotic cars
so then we're just trying to find you guys
oh we're around here so we're like oh great
we're gonna pull up one of the little casitas
or whatever and hang well you round the corner
and it's all those cars that Phil just
described and everybody's out so you're like
back up
back up back up park down there
no point in time would you have
it would have been fine
you pull up in a rental car and it's just a rental car
but you pull up in a used
rental 488
and a used rental McClaren
750 you're like
at least the 750 was fairly new
who ordered the rental cars the guys
down there started to bring them up here
I noticed you were parked down
we didn't exactly
we were in the cheap seats
pulled up there and seen that group
of cars
that will go down in history
is one of my craziest memories
going to the SEMA show afterwards
dude it was like
what do you see there that
compared like those
look at the fucking top even that
SSC
that was quite an experience
because that car I've followed it a lot
on Instagram
you know it got like there was some
there's some bad press
from some people like talking smack about it
so you know the drama kind of
gets to you and like
you see that car in person
that fucking car is
unbelievable
from like engineering quality
fit and finish
even the performance like that was
hands off to those dudes because
out of that whole group of cars
it was you guys
that there was a GT3
which is a fucking purebred race car
you know GT3 RS
that's the track dude
there was one guy in a newer
the newer Ford GT
and then
that SSC
and they were kicking the crap
out of those cars and that thing coming on that back
straight was wild
to watch it
I understand now as a customer
you know and he's got
I'll say I think the
SST was awesome
the Zinger
mind blowing
it was mind blowing to me the
level of fit and finish I wasn't prepared
for that I'd been following that one
and I knew it was going to be good
but I once you see a couple of things
that you're like oh whoa
then you really like just like
finger fuck the fuck out of it without touching it
you know you're starting to like alright let me see
that's actually pretty cool about the Zinger
so they debuted that one at the coil as well
but when they showcased that they also showcased
another one which is their race car
that race car
set five track
records at five different tracks
in five days and drove it from track to track
well and actually
they went off and tore off part
of the mirrors and stuff and they showcased
it during quail with the damage
because it was cool
I was just not prepared for that
level of
I mean that car
that car beats
every riddler car for the last 15 fucking years
on fit and finish
you got to see it next to Bugatti
Veyron's and Shyron's
or whatever they are
and you're measuring it again it's a
completely different I mean you're seeing
the backside of the inside of stuff
you know and you're like
how the hell did they do that
right um
performance styling all that all that's great
I'm just saying how
the things built I mean things that are rubbed out
like car builders like us would go to look at
um
and if I know like oh yeah we designed the engine
as well we made our own engine from scratch
they are
that's a nuts so company
cool ah shit
I started digging into it a little bit there's
it's crazy weirdness
in a good way
yeah intelligence
dude that amount of intelligence
wrapped up in that intelligent
it's crazy it's a young dude
it's like
the wedgies and swirlies
to net worth ratio
in that company is
well the net worth is far
far exceeded the wedgies at this point
well that's what I'm saying
from how many wedgies and swirlies
to how many net worths
yeah the net worths
yeah
the wedgies and swirlies definitely
helped facilitate
they grew them exponentially
yeah cool ass
really cool ass company
yeah it was
I wonder with cars like that though do you ever look at a car like that
and wonder if so the guy
the mastermind behind it do you think
he's looking at it and seeing its flaws
100% for sure yeah
absolutely you know no matter what
industry you're in if you
are passionate about what you do we talk about
that so much that that passion is
equaled with self-criticism
and right being your own worst critic
and that's that's how we improve constantly is
you know there's something that
you wish you had the opportunity to change
and you do and that's
what you know that's that's the difference right is
is looking at that thing
that you wish you could do different and then
on the next build remembering that
and and making that change
and that's where you know over the course
of decades you get to
hopefully a point where
you can
really be proud of what you're doing but still
still learning and still making
those mental notes on the next one because there
we always you know you you talk about
you know that we it's on to the next
one and and you know don't worry about the last
one but it's it's true
you know we always want to
push ourselves on that next one
and the the next one we do
it should always be better than the last
one that's that's what this is about
and and you know
and not not in a
in a negative way about any of the any
of the cars or any of the products you've ever built previously
but you should always everybody
you know pushes each other
and and to find
inspiration in what you've done and to see
things that you make the little mental note about
like ah the next time I get a chance
to do this I'm going to do it that way so yeah
absolutely if you pick your favorite
car the one you think is absolutely
the most perfect machine ever built
I guarantee the guy that had
hands on it he can point out five
things that irritate him that he just
you know like that pisses me off and look at that
and see how this is and it might be something
that even after it's pointed out you're like that's
that is nothing but to guys
that are that
invested in that product or that
project or that build
those things just that's what keeps you up at night
right is that that door gap that
when it's you know it's just
you can't do anything about it it's just that little
tiny bit
talk to any like top builder
when you have that credibility do that car
oh this fucking piece of shit you have fucking
doors doing this you're talking to Jim
really you're talking to Jim this fucking
piece of shit this fucking cock sucker
fuck
no everyone's yeah to your
point no one's ever happy and they only see the flaws
and then you make the next one better and then you always
realize that you make the next one better and at
the same time to what to what Josh was saying right
you need to be happy and proud of
everything you're doing but also I think it's
important to to to stand back
and recognize where you can improve and then
and then do it right make yeah make
that improvement that's something I think I
I feel like from the outside looking and I
noticed that more with you guys than
anybody else that year over year
the like
not that I'm not saying I'm looking at your
flaws but year over year I see
the unbelievable
like escalation of quality
and innovation
and what you guys do it's like dude how the fuck
did you go from this
to that like last year
what you guys brought last year at the
annual like truck that was over the top dude
and to to back it with what you guys
did this year it's
that's really impressive because some guys
hit just like
look at like a guy like Roy Brizio like
he's he just hit like
not bag and I'm he had a sweet spot
where he builds some of the best 32's
ever
best classically nostalgic
styled hot rods
ever and I wouldn't
say that they've gotten better or worse like
he's sort of maybe
he's nailed it he's nailed it he's got
a product yeah people want to worry if
I if I had him the money
to to bike have builders
spelled cars a 32 would be one of my
stable and Roy Brizio would be the
guy to build it because you know
that's the thing now you're not going to
go to Roy Brizio and have him build a custom
one off fucking Aston
or a Maserati or or even a
69 Camaro yeah I
appreciate what you're saying you know and honestly what
what it comes down to
is and I'll
say it I'm blue in the face
the incredible
team that we have and that
isn't just inside the
the walls of ring brothers right
that's you guys that's
that's our partnership with
all the companies that we work with and I'm not even going to start
to name them because I will forget one and I'll
feel like a jerk as soon as we're done filming
that it's not good it's I hate it better
alright so you you know who you are
but honestly it's and I said it up
I say it a thousand times
if I say it once it really does take
a village to do these things we couldn't
build the cars that we do and and for
you to recognize you know that
that level being up to every time it's because
of the incredibly talented group
of people that we have
number one inside the walls
of ring brothers right from our
machine shop guys to our designers
to the fab shop guys the paint and assembly
and wiring every every single
person involved are
passionate and they want
to be there and they're incredibly talented
but then outside
of those walls everybody that we work with
being at the top of their game and being
I mean you guys are some of the most passionate
people in the car industry that I've ever had
the pleasure of getting to work with
and having
having you guys and having all of the other
companies that that we work with have
equally passionate and driven people
be excited about a project
that's how we're able to put together
the kind of cars that we have been
been lately because everybody that's
involved is just
that driven to make
something special and
it's it's it's really powerful
you know I again talk about
it being a family and
taking a village it really it
you know it may sound
kind of cheesy but I really believe that
like it's it's you know
you see the hugs and the handshakes and
the smiles that these shows right that's
because we all we all want to see each other
succeed and when we get to build something
together and use your
specific niche
and make your contribution whether it's in
technology or in chassis or in
the engine or in interior whatever it is
everybody that had that
little part is at the top of their game
and they're giving everything they have
that's the only way that you can make these vehicles
be what they are it's like an orchestra
all those individual instruments
doing their shit at the
fucking best and the pinnacle
right creates
whatever like a good thing of orchestra
yeah whatever that thing is I got I had
the orchestra part all right and the instrument
I would say the composer
composition
credit to you guys that
when you bring a product like that
to the table I think it
I don't say forces but
gives all the other guys the opportunity
to step their game up as well
and you
you don't want to let you down in the process of
you know carrying our
into the load so I think it's
helped a ton of people in the industry take
their product their people
their skill set to the next level to be inspired
to be a part of that type of project
and that's the stuff that I think
just innovates the entire industry and keeps it
moving forward and one other
key member of that
that family honestly is the client
we were so fortunate to have
a client like we did with
this one in Eric that
let everybody involved
do the absolute
best version of
the thing that they were tasked with doing
there was you know he was
so excited about every step of that project
and having somebody that really
let us push
all of the boundaries associated with building a car
and not pumping
the brakes but being also excited
about like what's next
that's awesome like how can we do this
and like
being blown away and wanting to push that envelope
and you know it's guys like
that as the reason that we can do this without those customers
none of us can do any of the things that we do
you can be passionate all you want
but that only goes so far if you don't have somebody
willing to help you
fund that passion
build some cool go-karts
absolutely I got one question
and we're going to go to a little bathroom break
I hate to do it but if we're going to do it now
or we're going to do it later there's no way we're getting all the way through
it's uh
yeah gotta do the bathroom
we can use all kinds of other words but
I got a question
when Mike and Jim were here like did you have to do that like every 12 minutes
or at this point in the podcast
when Mike and Jim were here
their chins were right here and we were talking amongst ourselves
because they were already done
have you never watched that episode
I've seen bits and pieces of what not to do
I wonder you got
very strict instructions
oh I got strict rules before they came
he finished he finished that
like you know one ounce pour and it was that was
nope
that was
like
it's funny I got one other thing before I forget
I don't know which chair it was but I was talking to Justin
from Dakota Digital this afternoon and apparently he broke
one of the arm rests off and I was
he broke that when I fixed it
yeah he's like oh this chair is garbage and where did you get this
like you know wish.com or something
you're like big Ryan except you make gauges
right well like what's he like 6, 8, 300
he's also
he's got an awkward body type right he does
like the arms just do things
all the time yeah it's weird
he thought the chair was resisting a rest
yeah it was
full cop shit
I got one question and what we can edit this
if you don't want to talk about it I'm always
interested as all builders out there going to know
when a car like that right
you mentioned the client clients are always
awesome when you when they allow
you to just go it's funny
there's there's two
again over generalizing there's two types of clients
there's a client that comes in that
talks about those things and you're like man this is
this is going to be one of those
types of builds right and you're having
you're questioning if they
understand the gravity right
and they're like no yeah no problem
and sometimes those clients
it's never a problem all the way
through then sometimes there's a client's like
no I get it money's no
object no problem
unlimited do whatever it
is and even as great as the client is
sometimes there's a point that
no matter how unlimited
right Troy Troy's always done
you know that this George
always talked about Troy Japan is the only
person that would break an unlimited
budget right no matter
what it is love Troy but there's
always those times not and say anything
which one of those was
would he ever squeal or no he was
he was all for it fucking absolutely all
for it congrats
for you I mean
when you got the right builder you got the right
customers you get those guys in line
and you can make something right and what it comes
down to is there's a reason for it and you can articulate
that reason exactly right instead of
just like because
that's very different than here is why
and here's what we want to do
and this is what that is going to cost
right that's so cool you
you can articulate it to me awesome do it
there's nothing on that car that I would consider
like in excess right
right there's nothing that you're like
well they just did that because they are
unlimited fucking budget well
I mean the whole car
the fact that it exists but I know what you're saying
we know what I mean there's nothing that you're
like well yeah solid gold steering wheel
or something it's like dude you could have
machined everything like you built
it's a well built
car there's restraint
and the reason that none of those things
look in excess is because of how well built
it is because not one thing
jumps out right it's
cohesive SSC company
like they were the ones that were giving us
tons of compliments and the fact that they
found how do you know when to stop
yeah they found that so
fascinating as far as like we put all this
time in r&d into that one
car and to them
like the number it's very reasonable
because they're selling multiples of those but they can
only do it because they're
selling a hundred they got moq of this
and a moq of that he could
not he asked both of us several
times like but also only
just the one like he could not wrap his head
around the fact that we are spending that much time
in that many one off parts
to have it be one off
at the exotics event
we probably had the biggest
crowd going into the unveiling
of the new to Tara
and we didn't even know who we were
talking to and it was
Jared Shelby
the founder of SSC
so well
just chilling and then talking about the car
and then all said oh I gotta go do this unveil
of my super car
cool dude I met him out there
nice guy but yeah we had I mean we talked
for a couple hours before and he never
let on of you know like obviously
we knew he's there and he's we got one of the cars
but it wasn't he was genuinely
interested in what and how
we were doing what we're doing in the car
guy man yeah and that's the beautiful thing
you know I get that so and I know you want
to get back
one of the things that I get
I get asked often is
you know in and you guys probably experience
the same thing right in in dealing
with some of these ultra exclusive
clients
whether they're domestic or international
right people want to know
like what are they like what's it like talking to these guys
and I said at the end of the day they're
they're car guys they wouldn't be doing this if they weren't
they're car guys like it's
you very quickly
forget that there's a title
associated with this individual
because you're just talking about like
you know like how it how
it tracks and like horsepower and how the
feel is and like you know just the
driver experience and
you forget that this is like in his
day-to-day world he is a giant
somebody
but right now we're just talking about this
cool Aston Martin or this
69 Mustang or whatever
whatever car it happens to be
at the end of the day they're car guys that's why they're there
that's why they're talking to us
and it's it's really special
it really does you know
not to make too much of it or again sound
cliche or cheesy but it it bridges
so much this industry
really does you have people that are
you know mega billion
ears right that are talking
to some farm boys from spring
green about a Mustang because they're
car guys and they genuinely
there there's nothing about it that
that they can't obtain but they're
except the knowledge and they're just
no there is there is something
that they can't obtain that
thing that they're trying to obtain
because no amount of money
it doesn't matter you can't just snap
your fingers and that create right you
have to have that customer
your shop and
the relationship between those two
if the relationship's not there
and the cut it doesn't matter about the
customer in the shop the relationship's not there that
creation doesn't happen so it takes
a little bit of fucking sign a
little bit of magic right it takes the
person the want
the car guy that has the financial
means it takes the financial nut
it takes the shop and it takes
the the the gelling
and the relationship because I don't care
a guy could come in the
prince of you know
whatever sultan of brunei
come in tomorrow and say
absolutely
no budget spend it all spend everything I got
build the crate if there's no gel
right if there's no like what do you want
like what it's going to excite you
what's the thing to do it doesn't matter
the money doesn't buy things right no
matter how much money you got if you don't
have the relation it takes the chemistry
it takes the shop to feel his passion
and his excitement and his energy
so that's why it is key for those guys
for those car guys and that and they you know
sometimes it goes great sometimes it doesn't
but that that meshing of the people finding
the people it's not just because
a guy's got a shit ton of money
and he calls around a bunch of shops
and whoever answers the phone first he
dumps out money and says I want to build this
and that thing gets created right it's not
it's magic it's fucking
stars aligning it's it's the
relationship it's the quality it's the
person it's those conversations
and that's what creates the
thing it's the personality of it yeah
the money doesn't mean shit
I mean you know but the money
but the money doesn't but money
alone doesn't create it I say I
said that wrong the money alone doesn't create it
I'll tell you one thing and I've
I've thought this as long as I've been in this
industry if if it weren't
for having to pay bills
I would literally I would do
this job just for the reaction
of the person who gets to drive that car
the first time of G
we pulled the cover off of the Mustang the first
time you ever saw it I absolutely
that smile that that but there's
a there's a thing in the yeah that thing in the
eye if it weren't for having to pay bills
I would do it for that alone with you
honestly it's payment enough to see
that something that they've you know a
lot of times their entire life this is a
once-in-a-lifetime bill a lot of times for these
guys yeah and that that is that thing
come to life and to know that that you nailed
it and to watch them like
pick out all those little details that's
that's that's it that's what
all about like absolutely drives me
like 100% you know
I would do it like just like
you if I could just eat
and build the most
badass shit in the world have enough
food and
be able to put clothes on my kids
like I would do that to build the most
badass shit
in the world to have like guys come
to me and be like dude just go wild
with it you know because it's not
the it it's not the
exchange of money it's like
the thrill of
that response
is priceless yeah it truly is
nothing like it like
putting Brent just picked up his truck
drove it from
and like I didn't even think twice
about it it didn't I wasn't
your uncle fucking nervous as shit
sitting up there sweating bullets
we sent his truck Brent's truck out
it went from SEMA to
Dino's get down and Brent picked it up
and drove it back from
Arizona all the way up to
Pleasant in California
so confident in the truck
that it didn't I'd no stress
about it sends me a text fucking
truck was awesome unbelievable
ride quality amazing
me and my son absolutely loved it
like dude that's it that's you cannot
put a price for me you can't put a price on that
we're going we're going to bathroom break
but I'm gonna I'm gonna give one I'm
gonna give one last you know
Roger at Iron Works
and Troy at BBT they do these classes right
they do all this you know it's most
inspirational thing right slide there
they're coming there
Rogers coming out they're doing another class in February
it's amazing with the work that they do
I'm gonna give you something for free you gotta pay us
for shit right this is the best piece of advice
if you're dreading
talking to
yeah let's put a paywall up or something
Roger and Troy are making a good money
alright so charge for this
well I you know what fuck it
I'm gonna give away for free it's
we're coming up on 200 episodes this is free
if you're dreading
talking to that customer
fire that customer
that any customer you need
that any customer you need you're not gonna
give that customer his do if you're
dreading talking to that customer
then that's that relationship ain't there
it ain't yeah it's easier said than done
to great theory
I'm just gonna pay bill sometimes
I understand that but there's
a lot of customers out there there's a
lot of people that jive and if maybe
if you ain't jealous with none of your customers maybe it's you
maybe the customers maybe it's you
sometimes you can't fix that dude
you can't fix yourself
yeah man maybe you shouldn't be in business
you can fix that you can be working for the place
that you quit you could be not
you can be still working from the place that you
quit to go start your own shop and then realize
that you can't jail with any customers
that's an option
yeah it's a harsh reality check
to get at the end of the day nobody likes
the conversation but if you're dreading
talking to that customer
that you're building a car for for whatever
reason somebody's doing
something wrong
I don't care if that's not easier said than done
everybody can find something that they work with
it might not be the car that you're super excited with
when you've only been in business 18 months
and they don't like the color but if you can't jive
with them about something
and find the thing that makes them
and you're dreading taking their call
that's shitting an end well
it ain't
now it's pee time
I'm gonna go TT
yeah I was out there
taking a potty break
smoking a cigarette
nothing more badass than smoking a cigarette
and a potty at the same time
oh yeah I'm fucking took a
going TT
with a cigarette
smoking a cigarette and taking a fucking badass potty
and
to the knees right
yeah just pull him down
like a little boy in the snow
I was pulling up Instagram
like the first four pictures
that's a figure in one hand
phone in the other hand and
pointed out straight
the first four pictures of Aston Martin
like four different people
that's the algorithm
it is the algorithm
it is
we were talking we were having a podcast
fucking great ass podcast
before I forget
towards the end
you gotta tell your dad and your brother
both have been doing it
a remote podcast up at the barn
right so that's gotta happen
so you gotta push him
we can do it at like 12 in the afternoon
if we have to
yeah that's a good call
nice room nice and close
I mean we're losing the season
in this fucking Midwest weather
it's not really conducive
it's inside doesn't matter snow outside
let's wait till we get snow I think that'd be a beautiful
it would be cool
this time of year where it's just miserable
no let's wait
let's do it in January
we'll make it out
you got some snow machines up there
oh yeah
if not in case you get them
oh yeah
it's just
even it's almost coming up on 10 years
of being around this
it's just so different
I'm sure y'all think
the southern thing is
the accent
it's just so unique
drive about 4 hours north of where we're at right now
and then you really get heavy
then for guys like us we're like holy cow
you go up to my buddy Dean up there in Iron Mountain
oh yeah
go down to the fish fry there
oh yeah I get some pasties
oh yeah
what are pasties
a pasty? it's like a fucking hot pocket
they have fast food
restaurants that are
Damien's pasties
is that what it's called?
something pasties
it's a fucking hot pocket dude
like a meat pie
yeah it's whatever goes in it
the UP is a wild place
fucking wild
dude
especially if you get up there during
snowmobile drag race days
it's just off the rails
Michigan has to be the most
diverse state
there's a black dude
between when you cut
you can enter Michigan
but I think it's like new buffalo
there's a black hole there
and when you get up north
and you start going like
maybe an hour north of Milwaukee
it's another black hole
and it fucking time warps you back
to like 01
and then
most of Michigan is very
behind the times
Michigan, Wisconsin
it's just
I think of them as like a hole
but you think about Michigan
this is completely off the rails at this point
but you think about Michigan
you talk about how many
rednecks there are in Michigan
it's been wild
bringing it back to Whitey Morgan
he explained why there's so many rednecks
in Michigan
then you talk about Detroit
completely the opposite of rednecks
there's some places you shouldn't be
then you talk about the UP
it's the UP
Michigan
it's the UP
it's a thing that's of itself
and then you got like Traverse City
and you've got in the summertime
the Bahamas right there
one little section
then you've got
the offshore boat
the race boat season that comes through
then you've got southern Michigan
like southern Indiana
you're making a case for why it's good
no I'm not saying it's good
I said it's diverse
there's very little
other states
that have that much diversity
in interest and population
and then in types of
you're right there is a lot going on
there's a lot
I like Matt Sexton's
labeling of
Shitsville
just where Mikey lives though
Shitsville, Michigan
alright we're going to get back to
the actual
podcast at hand
so
we talked about
growing up in the family business
making your own path
and then getting dragged back into the family business
specifically
what are your daily duties now
what do you do for the Ring Brothers
I think kind of like everybody
we've all got multiple hats
official title
is sales manager
and operations manager
what that encompasses is
quite a
lot of stuff
so I basically will help out with sales calls
I take most if not all
tech calls I'll do
make sure all of our machining guys
have the material
what they need
I basically direct them as far as
what's going on for R&D stuff
what we're doing for
production
getting everything that the assembly
guys need
make sure our inventory is correct
following sales numbers setting our sales
working with our marketing team
and all that so there's
a lot basically anything involved
with our aftermarket part
side is all under my scope
that's a big lift
Ryan you're fabricating hands
on and your fab shop manager
yep so yeah fab shop manager
and oversee the build program
so everything that's happening
we refer to it as fab shop jail
you guys know that
the majority of that time is spent
and a lot of changes
and decisions to be made
like Hunter said we all wear a lot of hats
and honestly
for myself that's part of what
drives me is being
involved in as many different
aspects of the industry
and of the company as it possibly
can be right and if it's
being hands on
if it's laying paint or striping
or helping on the body shop
or helping an assembly we all
pitch in where we can
especially on these projects like the Aston
I know we talk a lot about the Aston today
but that's one that really pulled
all of our skill sets
from some pretty
deep places we had to all
reach deep and be
a jack of all trades
in the moment as it was called for
and I think that's true for everybody
at the shop right where
wherever you can be
an asset
it's welcomed
and the more rounded that all of us
are the better that we can make each other
and I think it's really important
and you'll see and you guys know
we pick on Jim and Mike a lot
but those two
it gets asked a lot
how often are they there well
they're there right
they are hands on they're doing it
and that goes for everybody in the shop
and it starts at the top
and those guys
and everybody else involved is
in it you'll see Jim
in the paint booth helping mask up
you'll see Mike in the fab shop
helping hold a panel
or beat stuff with a hammer
we're a small shop
we're a very intimate shop
and we are
we're all over the place
and I think it's important
to have these builds
be filled with as much
personality as they are
that everybody really is
not just pigeon holed
into you well exhaust
or you're the
suspension guy but we're all
we're all in it and Hunter and myself
no exception
wherever we're needed that's
where we're at
and I think both of us thrive on
that I know I do
if I get called into
another building
or a role that
is needed in the moment
I thrive on that right like
wherever I can be
you know helpful to
the project or to the company
that's where I want to be
and I think we have a team that
in the same way everybody wants
to do everything they can
to make these cars come out
the way they do and it's
exciting and it keeps us
driven and passionate when
you're not just exhaust welding guy
you're doing something different every day
and that's no different
for myself for Hunter
for everybody there
we come to a very
very special standard
questions brought to you by
HRE wheels
very special for two reasons one very special
because it's brought to you by HRE wheels
the standard in wheels
HRE
very pivotal in
most of your builds
very pivotal in the Aston Martin
also because this is a
dual guest and because we're going to go
extended format in the standard
questions we're going to do more
okay more than the standard
standard questions so very special
that's why it's special
did you follow any of that?
it seems like it's over your head
I don't think the whole
it's special because it's special part
was way over my head
I apologize
next time I'll
might be because he's a little special
it's possible, yeah
you were too geared up
you just went try special
I straight geared it
stop
learning express
I like that better
come on
don't leave me hanging
the answer is right there
the answer is there
both of us had
my mom
my mom got upset about that
did she really?
yeah she got pissed
we brought it up
Maddie said something about she's getting
geared up
and then my mom
she's like I'm like
geared up for learning mom?
don't act like I didn't try to help you
out
the whole
geared up for learning mom
I love the name
it's a terrible name
I think it was
I don't know if it carried through
at least sophomore year
I don't know if it was junior year
I love it
it was not great
it's not exactly something you drop on the chicks
to like
what do you do in seventh period
because I get out of geared up for learning
six
six
we could duck out of here
let's show you some colored pencils
oh man
standard questions
first up
I got
SEMA specific standard questions
what were you
outside of your realm
outside of the Aston Martin
SEMA specific
what were you most
surprised about
so I'm still stuck on the geared up for learning
things
do they have shirts
I'm sure they had shirts
bright blue
it was just
brand ride's logo kind of thing
you probably
spring green was probably a small high school
oh yeah
in our high school
we didn't go to a big high school
but how many people would you say was our graduating class
300 per class
that's the size of our school
the high school
there's a section of the high school
like the back
hall
what the fuck was the name of the hall
where we had the cage
geared up for learning was next door
it was just across the cage
what the fuck was that hall name
e-hole might have been
anyway our hall
geared up for learning was a
you forfeited one of your study halls
and
yeah they checked
your planner
they geared you up
for learning
you had to be accountable
for every single thing
my fucking
trapper keeper
it was called a channelers
is what we called it
it was a calendar
not a lot of good shit
the pictures and things were not something
you would necessarily want to show
to a teacher
like super bad
and my buddies would steal it
because they knew that I had to go there
so you would open the next page
and then it would be a surprise
like oh don't
don't look at that
but yeah they made sure
you did your homework they would like check your bag
make sure you had enough like writing utensils
in there
it was all those
kind of things because I
I didn't exactly fall
in line
like I didn't do anything per se
as far as like homework
or
any other thing that you were supposed to do in school
here's the win
here's the only win that you're going to get on this
and I can't believe you
haven't come across it so
very similar
albeit different paths
these are this is a program
so the difference
that I can't believe Jeremy hasn't figured out yet
the difference in
Jeremy's was a program
that they had within the high school
I'm sure you had the similar
talks about it's not about your intelligence levels
about you applying yourself
if you would just apply yourself
they would say Jeremy's very bright
right he just needs to apply himself
I got the same kind of thing you just need to apply
I got the same speech
about applying myself about as many times
as I've got about the narcissism
speech after growing up
you don't have narcissistic
I think the 14 year olds
no but you have the
lack of ability to
apply yourself that then turns into
becoming a narcissist
I think there's a path there
right but anyway yours was a program
within a high school
the answer center in the very name
was a center
that I had to go to
for my entire senior year
it was not a program inside
I'm aware of that
you should have caught on to that earlier
you at least went to a normal high school
I went to a normal high school up till
I finished my 11th grade year and they said
we've tried to get you to apply yourself
maybe you will apply yourself
at the answer center
because it has the answers did you find the answer
I did not
I copied all the answers
we rolled through our paces
because you worked your own pace
they give you your paces
yeah
it's a win
it was a huge win
in geared up for learning
we would have
don't make it cool
stop, gear up for learning
before you try to make it cool
gear up for learning
it was kind of like underground
I knew that this was coming
there were a lot of gears
there were multiple speeds
you were two steps away
from geared up for learning
you went to the cage
it sounds horrible
the cage was bad
the cage was this place
where the teacher had to accompany you
to
your lunch period
it was
they had their own trays
and the teachers would follow them
from the cage which was pretty far away from the cafeteria
because they couldn't handle
the cafeteria with the rest of the kids
so the teachers
they were like special teachers
that will teach them
put them in a cage
we nicknamed it the cage
I don't think they called it the cage
I doubt they did
and then the teachers would bring them back
from there
the next step was
that was the
A.H.M
I don't know how you spelled it
but that was the school you went to
high school
it was when you could no longer conform
you couldn't be in the traditional high school
I had a couple of friends
that made their way over to Budsman
I was nowhere near that
nowhere near
but all other
nine periods
you got a couple, you got lunch, you got gym
so like seven periods
were pretty normal
out of those seven one of them was geared up for learning
it's not a big deal
let me get my shit straight
we got to organize
I don't know how much help they did
I didn't have to go to any sort of special facility
it was right there in the main school
it wasn't a special facility
it was just a different facility
I went to a different facility for my senior year
they said this probably
maybe this center has the answers for you
I was
I don't know how to make
the correlation between the two
but
for me
I was basically like in a timeout
you were in maximum security prison
if you had to compare
like if you had to compare
our two positions
I don't know
I don't think so
the answer center was maybe like in more of an elevated
like oh you don't need high school
you've already kind of surpassed
is that how they sold it
you already have the answers
come to our center
now that I think back about it
that's honestly where it was
did they bring you in as like a guest speaker
did you go to the answer center
and then they brought you from the answer center
they take the smaller bus
and they bring you back
and then they're like oh
Josh here is a standout
he's an AP student
at the answer center
he can smoke and check his Instagram
at the same time
and he's going to tell all you guys
about the answers
no it wasn't that way
maybe you're right
have you gone back since like Adam has gone back
and had classes at his school
has he
I didn't know that
Adam from Red Rides
oh Adam
did they call you back
that was university
and if they did would you be a representative
of said high school
or would it be Josh Henning
of said high school
or would you be Josh Henning
of the answer center
if you were playing professional football
when you do your announcement at the beginning
would you be Josh Henning
the answer center
no that's how you would have said it
but it would have been
I would have still been Jeremy Gerber
dear from high school
also part of your
you wouldn't have even had a sense
you're right
all my other classes are normal classes
I hope you feel good about yourself
yeah we worked through it
I have to say that
you have to say that you went to a high school
I have to say that I went to the center
I would just like to point out if the answer center
or geared up for learning or listening
to please reach out to the roadster shop at any point
so we can have some guest appearances
and we can do some sort of outreach
borderline success story
we'll get a bronze bust or something
we should
maybe a section of the library
I would like to be
alright we started this podcast
off about like sometimes you need to stop
and smell the roses
tell me who else
that went through the fucking answer center
or geared up for learning
is where we are today
name somebody
I can't say
did he go through there too
how I wish I could say it
remember Phil
Asian dude Phil
this guy was the shit
oh man was he cool
oh yeah he was bad ass
did he do something with his life
I don't think so
I don't care
I don't want to hear the characters
Jeremy Gerber and Elon Musk both went to
geared up for learning
Elon Musk maybe
nobody has came through geared up
or the answer center that has done
what we have done
I think this is a win
I think collectively
this came full circle
to collectively this is a win
despite our challenges
yeah we prevailed
cheers man
I love it
we found common ground
I like this
after all the time stamp right now
it's a 232
you're taking that out
telling Elliot what to take out
back to the question
now that we've gotten through
our learning disabilities
hope that was fun for everybody
next time you see somebody handicap
kick the shit out of them
obviously that's what we do
knock them the fuck out
that's obviously what we do
on this podcast
learning disabilities are fun to laugh at
everybody is laughing
yeah
you make another marker
that's what feels like
plus or minus five minutes
time marker
you're talking about the old
traditional crutches
one of the handles on them
some polio crutches
come on
with the elbow brace
we talked about that
what happened
this has gone off the rails
so why not go ahead and get
do you notice things like we notice
no, this is staying in
this is the beauty of the podcast
this is the deep
subject matter
that other automotive podcasts don't dare to touch
nobody's touched on that
so
when's the last time
I'm going to go
rapid fire on some of these questions
when's the last time you've seen a roly-poly
do you know what a roly-poly is right
a little beetle that rolls up
like a little small one
remember
being a kid
when's the last time you've seen one
exactly
a slug
same thing
you peel up an old sheet of plywood
that's been laying in the dirt
slugs everywhere
when's the last time you've seen a kid
in elementary school or high school
with a cast
when's the last time you've seen a broke arm
where did it all go
they can't break their arm playing fortnite
when's the last time you've seen
those old school crutches with the handles
with the braces
what happened
fireflies are coming back
people aren't having fun like they used to
that's the only answer
we broke arms riding bicycles
playing cops and robbers falling out of trees
doing
when's the last time you know anybody
got stung by a bee
besides Phil
these things are 80's
super 80's
I had this conversation at the dinner table
Macaulay Culkin in that one movie
that didn't end well
but I had this conversation at the dinner table
when we were talking about the same fucking thing
about a cast and broken arms
and my son who doesn't say anything
he's like this is a kid in gym class
broke both his arms
imagine that
and then my daughter chimes in
she's like oh yeah I saw that
two broken arms
a kid he fell in gym class
and broke both of his arms
oh man that sucks
that's rough and he's got like the
OG
I know what path he's on
he's geared up
wasn't a physical disability
that was
there were shortcomings on the learning side
Josh
the same type of people that hurt themselves
it's a lack of attention
to yourself
you're very smart Jeremy
just apply yourself
so Sema
you're looking just terrible right now dude
am I?
you're looking like a monster
how many speeches did you get about
applying yourself
yeah but I also didn't like
make fun of the other kids that didn't
apply themselves
I'm not making fun of the other kids that didn't
apply themselves
in 2005
the most surprising thing to either of you
two-part at Sema
trend
vehicle anything
what was like oh wow I wasn't expecting that
you got one
mine's a little more personal
I think for me
the more I come back to Sema
the more I think
I enjoy it because
I was always just kind of like some
random person and
not being like with the company a little bit
and get to know people and get to know
the players within the industry
it's a lot more fun having
like Ryan was saying going there
and feeling like you're part of that family
and feeling like you're somebody that
people actually try to seek you out
and talk to and all that
and not really used to that experience
I thought that was kind of special for myself
that's cool
honestly
you know we get so
focused on what it is that we're doing
in the year between Sema
that
it surprised me how
how inspired
I got from everybody
and all the energy like it's such an energy
field right yep
just from date and it goes
I tell you what Monday
we moved in Sunday but Monday you're kind of set up
and I remember
having a boy that's Wisconsin
we talk about accents right saying member
instead of remember
you know having a moment
where
we said like it's going to be Friday afternoon
before we know it and that happens
every time
but it surprised me this year
just how much energy
didn't it feel different this year though
it really did like it felt new
or fresh or something
it felt like so much more positive energy
like thank you just
we're all ready to go
versus the first years
it's not that it's been bad energy
but there's just kind of like yeah we're doing Sema
you know I got this car over here and I'm dealing
with all these struggles and you know
like a more of a bitchin' and moaning
and this year was like just
positive energy yeah
it really did and that's a great way to describe it
that's I mean honestly I just
it surprised me because again you know
you're tired from the drive
and the lead up and all the pressure
and you want it to go well
but like day one
right welcome to see the announcement
comes on and Sema is now open and it like
from that moment it's over
it is over
and it surprised me how
like just the feeling
just a vibration
that I think everybody felt like
it was you say positivity like
everyone I ran into
was just happy and excited
like I didn't I didn't hear about any
real issues like every there's no drama
there's nobody MF and somebody else whatever
it's just like it's just good and I
just kind of yeah I don't know if
surprise is the right word but I was
it was it was noticeable to myself
that this was different and
I really enjoyed that
yeah I agree man and it seems
like that you know the industry
sort of like self regulates
itself it does
the body purges all the toxins
like it's just in it's
it's doing so well right now like
there's everybody
just like really gets along
respects each other there's
it's just a lot of a lot of action a lot
of movement a lot of good shit
happening like good products a lot of good companies
from a builder
standpoint felt like a good year
across the board from top to bottom
brand new to
you know you know
you've been around for a while
the comradery
and it runs
lifting each other up and it's amazing
pointing out cool stuff what other guys
are doing trying to
put interest into the younger guys help bring them up
yeah I mean going
to some of the other aspects
of the car world like
you see a lot of hate and a lot of the
off-road stuff a lot of the lifted trucks
a lot of the pre-runners and it's just
guys shredding each other it's just
we don't get any of it
yeah it was just
just exciting
energy right electric
yeah it was a really really good time
you're right though that
it's so wild how
as soon as the show opens
man we got a week of this and then
the only night that drug on
was Thursday night
the party
the party itself
was literally over like that
the problem was the night continued on
yeah
quite long after that
that was in a long time
in a very very long time
that was a rare one
where I'm like oh it's time to go to sleep
and it's like it's not the sun
is coming up that sun is fully
been up and stretched his legs
and is up for a while
it's full blown daytime
it's been a long time since
I can't remember I mean it's
entering the casino
in daytime that is
you haven't got your room yet in this daytime
it was a great night though
great fucking night
but it was it is good to see
we've talked about it a lot of times
on the podcast
we've all been doing this for a while
like you said the industry self-regulates
there's those times where it's like
you can just feel the
kind of the tension you know and everybody's
like oh this car sucks did you see this
and you know I can't believe this
drama did you hear this drama that wasn't this
you know it's
everybody's got their
niche in their lane and you're trying to help out
and there's so many like you said young builders
and these young builders are building parts
and everybody's like hey can I help you
yeah I use that that's fucking awesome
let me do this can I do this
it's a really really good
I can't remember a as good
of a place
healthy comradery
amongst the builders
and the manufacturers
as it is this year at SEMA
there's been good times but I can't remember
as good of a time
totally
alright next up standard question
we're going to go to car
we're going to get through the car thing
two different genres
ish
you're very similar to my genre
you were very
we're going to start with you first
and then we're going to get to you
your very first car was it a gift
or did you purchase it yourself
first one I drove like with a driver's license
yeah your first transportation
at 16 right so
that was a 94G per angler
oh we're supposed to guess
oh shit no problem
I would not have guessed that
I'm glad you got it out of the way
I didn't know the rules
so you had a specific question about how I
how did you acquire that
was it green
tan interior
100%
so no
there's a company
we haven't lost it completely
there's a company down kind of by Dubuque called
it was
Leo's Repairables and you bought salvage
like insurance
total vehicles and stuff
so the summer I turned
15
me and my dad bought that and it was
it needed a frame it needed a body
you bought a car that needs a frame and a body
so you bought a motor
yes basically
but you know
Houston for smart parts
I don't know if you guys ever deal with
they're kind of by Milwaukee but anyway
you can pretty much get anything you know you need
like a pull apart
yeah kind of like copart is right
you can get a whole front clip from a late model
whatever if you need to
so we got a tub
a Jeep tub from there
we were able to salvage the hood and the fenders
and the soft top and a lot of
JC Whitney parts
but that's how I spent the summer
that before I turned 16 was
doing that with my dad
yeah so you know at the time
so that was maybe a year
and a half old vehicle but it
it had rolled over so we were able to get it
for next to nothing we fixed it
obviously ourselves other than having to get
that frame and that body tub
we were able to pretty much do everything else
and fix all the stuff so
you're driving at 96 or 97
96 yeah
did it roll over again
no it got stuck in the middle of the Wisconsin
River a number of times
but did not
you were trying to do wheelies in it
I would definitely do
because it was the four cylinder right so it didn't have any guts
but you could definitely do the clutch bump
and I pretended
I saw Snoop Dogg Doggy Style
was the album of the
fucking ass
but people are listening they're probably like
that's a stupid question
you could
yeah Jay Gustafson had a
96 97
same thing
but you turn the wheel
all the way like one direction
and you just clutch dump it and it would like
dive and then you dump it again
Jay Gustafson
I don't know
you would
you would yank the front wheels off
so we call it
I was there the day
his parents gifted
said some of the blue Wrangler to him
it was an S.E.
Jay Gustafson thought it was special edition
we made sure
it was not
it was like sport economy
it didn't even have wheels
but it was that
almost like pinkish
purply like
blue I guess you call it
our math teacher
what the fuck it was
Jeff Summie was his name
flaming gay
so we called it Summie blue
me and Fen made sure to let him know
it was a Summie blue
Jeep Wrangler
and then it's
extremely hurtful coming from a guy driving a purple lebaron convertible
did they make
a non convertible lebaron
it's a Maserati
they always say a lebaron convertible
it's just a lebaron
you always try to sex it up
when you're an owner
when you're an owner you call it a lebanon
it's a
French sports car
but
at school we'd put that sucker with me and Fen
would jump out on our free period
kick that sucker into neutral
and just push it across the parking lot
like right up into the front
steering wheel would lock so you'd be committed to whichever direction it was going
but you could get
if the wind
was blowing the right way
the moon the sun the stars the line
you could get that thing right into the front
like foyer of the school
and then we'd take the doors off
because it had vinyl doors
and then we'd just walk into whatever class
he was in
with your arm in the door
and just bring the door in
and then just give him the door
he would get pissed
great friends
as far as you can do wheelies
I absolutely did that
and the reason I bring up the Snoop Dogg album
was because we would topen the doors off
and we'd act like we had hydraulics
and along with you guys pushing his Jeep
up to the foyer
what used to happen to mine is
we live in Wisconsin and Hunter knows this
they pile all the snow in one spot
and it gets huge
well at some point during the winter
my buddies would get enough chains
and they would put the trucks together
to go up and over the pile to my Jeep
and then hook it to like three trucks
and then drag my Jeep to the top of the 40 foot snow pile
and I come out at the end of the day of school
and it's like there's I can't get down
like I have to wait till spring
or I have to
yeah
so it's good
it's really good
I hope that kids like
they're not
creativity
the driver every single
like he's earliest with his license
pop that thing in neutral and just put it in everybody's
front yard no matter where he was at
well that was the problem you couldn't like the doors
had vinyl doors you could just unzip them
and then there's a manual so they'd put it in neutral
and then they'd drag me to the top of the snow pile
horrible car for a teenager
alright next up Hunter
alright so don't give it away
we're gonna go
so a couple of clarifying questions first
one
at this point in the podcast we're about to kill the bottle
tell you you're never gonna guess it
that's fine
it's quite the challenge
what year were you 16
oh 9
oh 9
alright was your vehicle a gift
or did you purchase it
more of a gift
were you in the cars at that point in time
was it in the family
like a repurposed vehicle
from mom, dad, grandpa
oh you're getting a little specific
you're trying to get a little specific
we tried looking
for a car for myself through ebay
and they ended up coming across a limited edition
Mini Cooper that was like a midnight blue
with the cherry mirrors
that we actually ended up using
for bailouts
paint job
you did not get that
my mom got that
oh so your mom got that
and then you got something else
um
this is interesting
oh 9 you said
oh 9
I think I know
because I know your dad so well
I think I'm gonna go
it's a fucking Audi
a3 or a Golf
no
siblings got a4s
this is cliche
this is mom's car though
this mom's car
this is champagne
Lexus SC400
hard top retractable
no no the actual just
coupe
I'm the german vibe
yeah we're heading in the right direction
with the Audi deal
so this was mom's car
mm-hmm
Passat
fucking Passat
there were
myself and
three other high school girls that had the same car
it's SUV
girls
it's a fucking X3
can I change mine to a VW T1
T1
that's BMW
it's BMW
Volkswagen
girls car gotta be a Jetta
what was the small
I don't remember
the T1 was a small SUV
but that's T1's after
T1 wasn't an O9
T1 came after the Touareg
historic
no
they only made three cars
out of the
entire world of cars
we got pretty close
we're german we're within
family of cars in the SUV
I was off you guys are close
two
no blue
what is it
05 blue Beetle
you drove a fucking Beetle
what the fuck is wrong
the requirement
is that it had to be a manual car
and since they bought this limited edition
Cooper they didn't want to give
a 16 year old a Cooper
and I got ratted out a few times
by the car because apparently if you go over
90 or 100
the little tail fin pops up
and it locks and I didn't notice it
the first couple of times
I'm in trouble for driving a little faster
that serves them fucking right
they were trying to
actively trying to not become
grandparents
they gave it their
best shot
hope we give them this there's no fucking way
and all my buddies all had trucks
being in the middle of farm
field and all that
they'd all take their trucks through
the fields in the winter
and I was like fuck it I'm gonna take this
Beetle through the field in the winter
and since it's a front wheel drive I can't do
shitties with it so I did reverse shitties
in the Beetle
in the Nova Cornfield with a bunch of four other trucks
honestly this says more about your parents than it does
I really
have lost so much
respect
I can't believe they would do that to you
the golf came after
that's just
I mean a beetle
for your son
I just I mean I'm so surprised
I really am
so surprised
and disappointed
actually got passed from me to my little brother
and then he totaled it
you should have totaled it
you have to go through the pain
I
never saw that coming
no that was it that's a fucking wild card
wow didn't see it
alright next up
a little rare rare standard
question
Ryan if you were doing anything else
for a living other than
in the hot rod industry or building cars what would it be
I'd be in music
music yeah
some some variation of
production or something yeah just being out
putting on a show something to do with the
right what about you Hunter
so I've always loved doing stuff like hands-on
so like my side hobby is working on our house
so
honestly even though I'm within the car world
I think getting more hands-on with
the cars or being
some sort of carpenter
would be pretty cool
carpenter
I'd like however
I only want to do like
fine joinery
and I just want somebody to pay me to take
as long as it takes
yeah joint
woodworking
just a box that I like
with whatever inlays I want to do
and when it's done it's done
that's the type of woodworking I want to do
would you put a lumber rack
on top of the beetle then
I wish
I can't believe that
I can see you out there doing like that
crazy
like Asian joinery
like where they're doing it
fuck yeah
yeah the hands-on I got a couple of those hands-on
those things are crazy good
yeah
stack up six things then you just go like that
so they just fall together
hell yeah
one little tapered pin you
yeah I hell yeah I would
I can see you doing some stupid
that's fine
I mighter that shit
put a biscuit in it glue it
I like I want to
I want to see things incidentally part of the outreach
program at the answer center
dealt with that
yeah
yeah
focus your attention
when you get like a little wild they use that
to calm you down
I hate you so
I hate you so much
I hate you so much
it's the wording
when you got a little
wild they use that to calm
you down a little squirrely
we didn't have a cage
and I tell you that at the whole entire answer center
we didn't have a cage we did and I wasn't
in it yeah but that's the type of place
you went they have to have a cage
you were a step away
then you say that was the next step
you were closer
you were closer to a cage than I was
by far
the cage was still that was an intermediate
between Budsman which would have been the answer center
no we had an entire center
you had just a high school we had an entire center
and no cages to be found
I stayed in the other 20 minutes on this one too
yeah
next up
we talked about that we're going to go
we're changing it up a little bit
best piece of advice you've ever received
I tell you what
boy there's a lot
but the one
that sticks with me still
Flip Cacord
has been a mentor of mine
he's a very successful
winemaker
distiller
and he's been a business mentor
and friend for decades
and early on
he told me
don't be afraid to surround yourself
with people that are smarter than you
and
I feel that
we talk about
not having ego in our shop
a lot
and everybody having a voice
and again we've talked a lot
about having people involved
in these projects that are
absolutely at the top of
their niche
and the best at what they do
and that goes to that right
surround yourself with people that are smarter than you
in other words if you have to be
the smartest guy in the room
you're capping
where you can go
you've already answered how far
you can go, how high you can climb
but if you are in a room
where everyone around you is way better
at the thing
let me rephrase that
that they are at the top of their game
and whatever it is that they do
if you're the best machinist I've ever met
and you're the best painter I've ever met
and you're the best welder I've ever met
that's the way to
conquer the world to build your empire
if you have to
be
the best at everything that is part of your company
or in your circle
you're limiting yourself and you're shooting yourself in the foot
and you're frankly holding yourself back
on what the potential is
for ego alone
so throw the ego out and surround yourself
with people that are
supporting you, we talk about that a lot
and I firmly believe that
the second one I'll give you, my father
I've still got it, he gave me
when I started my shop
back in 2002
he gave me some tools
and inside one of the boxes
they had a bunch of Milwaukee grinders
one of which was my grandfathers
it was just a note handwritten with Sharpie
on a piece of
legal pad and it just said
win in doubt, make it stout
and that hung in my welding shop
and I've still got it framed just out of my house
and I mean
it's true, win in doubt, make it stout
there's nothing wrong with
making it stronger than it has to be
more metal than brains
so those two things
man, I wish I heard your first piece of advice earlier
because I've got geared up for learning
in the answer center
well they've surrounded themselves with you
so you're...
that's why we keep filler of
stop being so mean
that was my first shot
I've been sitting here quiet for like half hour
Hunter, what about you, best piece of advice?
mine's something that
very much goes against
what I normally do
but it's just don't be afraid to fail
obviously you don't learn anything if you're
not failing
and I personally would admit I struggle
with accepting that
just because I want everything to be
perfect
and try to be very meticulous in making it
so
but yet obviously my biggest
learning hurdles have obviously come from
the points where it's
been the biggest
failures for sure
sure
second to last
favorite car movie
well I mean
the generation we come from
I'm honestly going to be interested to hear what Hunter's is
because I don't even know what
the movies were but
the cars
probably
but for me
well there's going to be a flashback time
I hope you're going to love it because
I'm all about it
number one license to drive
you remember that with the Cori's
never thought a Mercedes would fit in the trunk
of a Cadillac
number two
Cannibal Run
and then smoking to ban it
I mean but license to drive
segue into the final question
we don't need to even get into the final question
but
Hunter car movie
probably gone in 60 seconds
or
honestly I don't know if it's called
but it's the
like
it's like a baby driver
oh baby driver
is it baby driver?
where's the headphones
yeah
that's a great movie
in gone in 60 seconds
Nick Cage or Angelina Jolie
or the cars
Angelina
how's that even a question
and she was something
I bring that up every time somebody mentions gone in 60 seconds
because that movie with Angelina Jolie
incidentally I just saw a thing the other day
that was news to me
and now I can't unsee it or unknow it
there was a moment in history
where Steve Buscemi and Angelina Jolie were
absolutely
unidentifiable as being different people
I can see it
yeah
it's like a crate or something
like they had their yearbook pictures and they're like it's the same person
it's wild
I like some Steve Buscemi
absolutely a lot
boardwalk empire
watch that boardwalk empire
amazing
amazing series
dude I just watched
for some reason I was
jones and for Ford first Ferrari
it comes up a lot on here and I just watched it again
that is such a good movie
so well done
I just saw something on Facebook
they were doing a Ford vs Ferrari 2
I don't know what the round 2 would be
I mean the Ferrari beats Ford
yeah the GT40
continued on for a couple years
like 2 more years
I don't know what the story anybody knows
it would be interesting for the movie wise
it would be good
yeah
but it very well produced movie
it was a good movie
enjoyed it again for the second or third time
well
last up
kind of obviously
know what the answer is going to be to this
Sylvester Stallone
or Burt Reynolds
yeah Burt Reynolds 100%
like every time I see a
meme pop up that stupid arm wrestling
movie like get back to reality
man like what even was that
the 80s were a wild
it's so interesting
it's so interesting
are you done is that your favorite movie ever
I like that movie quite a bit
when
on top right yeah
when do we call it
never I don't know dude
I got one more car movie though
do you remember Convoy
oh yeah
that's the J.W. McCall
yeah
there's so many
in that era
I feel like you know that
Cannonball Run with the Lamborghini
every time I pass one of those car hauler
double decker
semi trailer deals
I think about that scene
Cannonball Run does not give
get the credit that it deserves
everybody's like oh I've seen pieces
oh I remember if you would watch the movie
and realize who you're watching
in it the amount of talent
that is in that you got Terry Bradshaw
you got Mel Tillis
you got all kinds of actors
it's an amazingly funny
fucking movie
when you talk about talent the same goes for Dazed and Confused
right
like look at it is the talent
that was hidden in there
you know McConaughey's first
that was his first on screen
and it's funny
I watched the thing the
alright alright alright was
total improv
it was like his brother or somebody that he said
he was trying to emulate
well yeah and he was
it was part of that but he was listening to a live Doors album
and Morrison
came out on stage and you can hear it
if you listen to I think it's Roadhouse Blues
live at like
whiskey a go-go or something and he comes out
and he's like alright alright alright
and that's
like yeah I'm gonna be Jim Morrison that's who I'm gonna be
that's funny
what's next from the Ring Brothers
where and when
yeah I mean
you know we're work as Jeremy
said you know we got back from Seaman
it wasn't Monday for me the guys were there Monday
it was Tuesday because
we came back I took Monday off
and Tuesday morning we were back in the shop
but you know
we've got a couple of chassis sitting there we're taking
one back with us tonight
and we're already on to
the next builds we've been talking about
65 GTO convertible 68 charger
both of them are gonna be
pretty wild and you know
no exception we're pushing ourselves
on both of these cars
and it's exciting because
we haven't done either one of these before
we've never done a GTO
and we have not done a 68 charger so
that's exciting as far
as the the wind and the where
you know that stuff creeps up like
stay tuned yeah we always
you know it's like hey next weekend we're gonna do
this show we're gonna be at this place
and you know
we're looking forward to it always you never know
guys it's been absolutely amazing
I'm gonna ask one question before we go
this is a new
new part because it's so fresh
and so new and you guys were such a
pivotal part
of the party
if we could change anything about the party
what would your suggestion be
what do you want different from the best on our
road sure shot party
I wouldn't change a thing I think is amazing
and also an answer
easier access to the stage
come on now
I tell you what honestly it was
tip to tail
that was an incredible event it always is
every year that we've been there
the new location I think that was incredible
right with the
side it's so honestly surreal
like the whole location
it was a vibe if I didn't have to plan it
I'd go back and we could live it tomorrow night
right as we could go back and do it tomorrow night
and just experience it I'd do it again
and I tell you what shout out to Tim strange rod builder
oh yeah that guy needs to keep doing exactly
what he's doing because Tim rocks it did
oh man if there was ever somebody
built for wearing a sequin
smart coat
he did a good job he shocked me the
the
little preparation that goes into
kicking that off
what are you talking about we prepped that
we get notes and emails and all kind of stuff
five minutes before everybody started
piling in and he gets up there
you did it five minutes I did it 30 seconds
before and Tim just rips it
it's just calling man he's good he's so good
he kills it I
I had the fur coat
on Tuesday
then all of a sudden Tim shows up with the sequin
sport coat and I'm like well I should
he brought it
he had a much better fucking entrance than we did
Tim
like Tim on stage
fireworks coming up
and then it's us on stage
what we paid him to do it
half of that went back to the AV
for them to do the same thing
I know how much the fucking sparklers
in the air cannon cost because they tried
to pay for it
I was shocked at how he did a good job
how little ball busting
Tim did with three of us
I told him that your feelings have been getting hurt
I actually well committed it's like an
I told him I said dude honestly it's like an annual
good humbling
I've seen him after these parties fucking in tears
balled up I said you've got to stop
you've got to stop
well next year enough's enough
I can assure you two things
are going to happen at the next year's party
I will see to it that your security
is top notch
and I will also see to it that Tim knows
all about the answer center
and the geared up for learning
that will be brought up immediately
upon his with his monologue
yep they're start gearing up
I guarantee you
look we've been around Tim long enough
I promise you he had his own little special school
he had to go to
it's just got a different name
it's the Indiana
he's from Illinois sorry
Illinois special school
I guarantee you where he's at
I think back then they just called it
special ed
that's old school special ed
fellas it's been
absolutely fucking amazing
love to be able to hear the story from behind the scenes
and especially you growing up in it
you coming in as fabricator
everything
the insight that you guys lent
on the industry it's always great to hear
from the other side versus just the
the faces the owners the CEOs
and stuff like that so it's been really a fun
time we've gotten to know each other a lot
more it's a fucking autograph
time it's autograph time and we also
sometimes we forget that
this is oil and whiskey we had
to talk about the whiskey and we
the whiskey a lot of time and this is a killer
fucking bottle fill
it was it was
the table and somehow scored
that that boy said there was actually
quite a few of them sitting on the shelf but that is
that's a rare bottle and a good
bottle we've killed
a couple of these at my house
the only time that we've ever opened that
bottle it has been killed yeah that's
that's three that's right that's the
third time that bottle's been open and it
always gets full full phenomenal
bottle probably one of the best
releases
in the past several years I would
say it's an amazing drinker
fifty five dollars to that's
that's awesome seven years got an age
statement hundred proof
fifty five bucks if you see that on the shelf
by two or three of them
it comes with a great little bag
honestly they didn't have the bag
they didn't have the bag
oh wow
for sixty bucks you might have gotten it but it's
weeded bourbon right
hundred proof weeded bottle and bond seven years
delicious you can't it's got the flavor
but it doesn't have the fucking kick in the ass
that's that is the exact
type of bourbon
to kill with a group of friends
and speaking of thank you
thank you guys all for
having us on honestly it's
it's our pleasure and honor to be here
and you know just
love spending time with you guys out in Las Vegas
and back here
back in the Midwest we gotta clear
our schedules next scene a little bit
to be able to have some more time but it's always
like during work events
that we get to spend time we need to just like
hang one
night we need to just turn it all off and be like
alright tonight is the night we just hang out
part of their crew otherwise it gets all
booked like within I know
three months of semen there's a part of their
crew that goes to bed at seven o'clock well we can
go up to the we can go
run their bed up and down
like that this
falls solely
on your uncle he's the guy that
he's he's got the key to the castle
he's got the hangout spot
you guys are two hours away from us we
we got to do the podcast up there we'll make it happen
and if you get some story ground we'll make it happen
Peggy will put something in Jim's
applesauce and he'll be up till
at least 90
a little cappy
with that
oh god I just
pictured that it is so perfect
so we put a BC powder in here
gonna be up all night
but I don't kill tonight we get an autograph
get to put it up there was some of the greats
good time man awesome
podcast appreciate you guys coming out
fab guy underscore Ryan
Hunter ring check them out on Instagram
I mean let's face it you're probably already following
them great episode
can't wait to see what the next
creation from the ring brothers
we'll see you again next week
fascinating it's accompanied
by his natural ally Doug
uh Limu is that guy with the binoculars
watching us cut the camera
they see us only pay for what you need at
liberty mutual dot com liberty liberty
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affiliates excludes Massachusetts
About this episode
Hunter Ring and Ryan Fielding of The RingBrothers share their experiences from SEMA, discussing the excitement and energy of the event, their recent builds, and the importance of collaboration in the automotive industry. They reflect on their childhoods, the evolution of their careers, and the significance of surrounding themselves with talented individuals. The episode also touches on the camaraderie among builders and the positive atmosphere at SEMA this year, highlighting the unique stories and connections made in the automotive world.
American muscle
Aston Martin
coilovers
drifting
exotic car
go carts
Honda
horsepower
hot rod
Le Mans
Bugatti Chiron
Bugatti Veyron
Chevrolet Camaro
Chevrolet Nova
Chrysler LeBaron
Dodge Charger
Ferrari 488
Ford F 100
Ford GT
Ford GT40
Ford Mustang
Hyundai Kona
Jeep Wrangler
Lexus SC
McLaren 750S
McLaren Senna
Pontiac GTO
Porsche 911
Volkswagen Bus
Volkswagen Jetta
Volkswagen Passat
Volkswagen Touareg
Volkswagen Type 2
Original notes
This week on Oil & Whiskey, we’re joined by Hunter Ring and Ryan Fielding from Ringbrothers, one of the most innovative and recognizable shops in the custom car world.
Hunter and Ryan talk about growing up around the brand, how they found their roles inside the shop, and what it’s really like working behind the scenes at Ringbrothers. From fabrication stories to the culture inside the building, the guys share an honest look at how the next generation is helping push the craft forward.
We dig into:
How Hunter and Ryan grew into their roles at Ringbrothers
What shop culture looks like from the inside
The balance between tradition, modern creativity, and big expectations
How major builds come together behind the scenes
The future of Ringbrothers and where the brand is headed
If you’re into high-end builds, shop culture, creativity, fabrication, or the future of Ringbrothers, this episode is a must-watch.
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