TMCP #629: SEMA 2025 Show Spectacular #3 – Scott & Perry with Heights Suspension Mopar Bolt-In IFS/IRS, Jason Bruce with Blueprint “Compatible” Crate Engines, Tab Chapman with Diamondback Classic Radials (Custom Sidewalls), Terry McGean with Hemmings Marketplace Media & Rally Adventures
TMCP #629: SEMA 2025 Show Spectacular #3 – Scott & Perry with Heights Suspension Mopar Bolt-In IFS/IRS, Jason Bruce with Blueprint “Compatible” Crate Engines, Tab Chapman with Diamondback Classic Radials (Custom Sidewalls), Terry McGean with Hemmings Marketplace Media & Rally Adventures
SEMA 2025 brings exciting innovations in the muscle car world, featuring interviews with industry leaders. Heights Suspension showcases their new bolt-in independent front and rear suspension systems for Mopars, emphasizing reversibility and performance. Blueprint Engines discusses their 'compatible' crate engines, designed to enhance performance while maintaining OEM dimensions. Tab Chapman from Diamondback Classic Radials reveals their unique custom tire offerings, allowing enthusiasts to modify sidewalls to their specifications. Terry McGean from Hemmings highlights the evolution of car buying and selling, emphasizing the importance of digital content and modern transaction methods.
SEMA 2025 continues to deliver, and this third installment of The Muscle Car Place show is packed with killer interviews and industry insight. From Heidts Suspension’s bolt-in Mopar independent suspension systems, to Blueprint Engines’ OEM-style “compatible” powerplants, to Diamondback Classic Radials’ one-of-a-kind custom sidewall tires, and finally to Terry McGean from Hemmings sharing how the iconic brand is evolving in the modern collector car world — this episode is all about blending classic muscle with modern technology and real-world drivability.
As we head into the holiday season, we’re leaning into tradition as well. Don’t miss the annual Planes, Trains and Automobiles movie review over on the Kibbe & Friends Show, and be sure to tune in this Friday for the final SEMA 2025 episode. Big interviews, big moments, and big laughs are still to come. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
"...full independent, front and rear, bolt-in suspension systems, even for mopars. Yeah. So this is actually our all-new Mopar independent front suspension, independent rear suspension."
Independent suspension means that each wheel can move up and down without affecting the other wheels. This helps the car handle better and makes for a smoother ride.
Independent suspension allows each wheel to move independently of the others, improving ride quality and handling. This type of suspension is commonly used in performance and luxury vehicles.
"...even for mopars. Yeah. So this is actually our all-new Mopar independent front suspension..."
Mopar is a brand that makes parts and accessories for certain car brands like Chrysler and Dodge. They focus on performance upgrades and customizations.
Mopar is the parts, service, and customer care division of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (now part of Stellantis). It is known for its performance parts and accessories for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram vehicles.
"...Great part with this suspension is actually bolt-in. So somebody that if they ever want to go back to stock, they can actually do..."
Bolt-in suspension means you can easily attach or detach the suspension parts without needing to cut or change the car's structure. It's a convenient option for car enthusiasts.
A bolt-in suspension system is designed to be easily installed or removed without extensive modifications to the vehicle. This allows for flexibility in upgrading or reverting to stock parts.
"...first time I'd seen a bolt-in front suspension system for a Camaro. Well, they made their name as a hot rod suspension company..."
A bolt-in front suspension system is a part that you can easily install in the front of a car to improve how it drives. It helps make the car handle better and ride smoother, especially in older cars like hot rods.
A bolt-in front suspension system is an aftermarket component designed to replace the factory suspension in a vehicle, allowing for improved handling and performance. This type of system is particularly popular in hot rods and muscle cars, as it can enhance the vehicle's ride quality and handling characteristics without extensive modifications.
"... I'd seen a bolt-in front suspension system for a Camaro. Well, they made their name as a hot rod suspensi..."
The Chevrolet Camaro is a fast and stylish car that many people love to modify and make even cooler. It's been around since the 1960s and is famous for being fun to drive and looking great.
The Chevrolet Camaro is a classic American muscle car that was first introduced in 1966. Known for its powerful performance and sporty design, it has become a symbol of American automotive culture and is often discussed in the context of customization and hot-rodding.
"...they made their name as a hot rod suspension company, and I still think of them that way, but that is wrong on my part."
A hot rod is an old car that has been changed to make it faster and look cooler. People often add new engines and other parts to improve how it drives and how it looks.
A hot rod is a modified vehicle, typically an American classic car, that has been enhanced for performance and style. Hot rods often feature powerful engines, custom bodywork, and upgraded suspension systems to improve speed and handling.
"...What they were debuting here was bolt-in front and rear suspension systems for Mopars."
Suspension systems are the parts of a car that help it ride smoothly over bumps and keep the tires on the ground. They include springs and shocks that work together to make driving more comfortable.
Suspension systems are critical components of a vehicle that connect the body to the wheels, allowing for a smooth ride and better handling. They include various parts such as springs, shock absorbers, and control arms, which work together to absorb bumps and maintain tire contact with the road.
"Then we're going to have Jason Bruce with Blueprint Engine. So first featured them last year at SEMA."
Blueprint Engine makes engines that you can buy to replace or upgrade the engine in your car. They focus on performance and quality, making them popular among car enthusiasts.
Blueprint Engine is a company that specializes in manufacturing high-performance aftermarket engines. They provide a variety of engine options for different vehicles, catering to enthusiasts looking to upgrade or replace their engines.
"So first featured them last year at SEMA. And look, Blueprint is basically like the OEM of the aftermarket engines."
SEMA is a big car show in Las Vegas where companies show off new car parts and accessories. It's a place for car lovers to see the latest trends and products.
SEMA stands for the Specialty Equipment Market Association, which hosts an annual trade show in Las Vegas. This event showcases the latest automotive products, trends, and innovations in the aftermarket industry.
"If they're an OEM in the aftermarket, it's them. They think that way."
OEM means the original company that made the parts for your car. They create the parts that are used when your car is built.
OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer, which refers to companies that produce parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. In the automotive context, it typically means parts made by the car's original manufacturer.
"They sell you an engine with a ZF-8 speed transmission on it. They had ZF come over, I think from Italy, isn't that where ZF is from?"
The ZF 8-speed transmission is a type of automatic transmission that helps your car change gears smoothly. It's used in many high-end cars for better performance.
The ZF 8-speed transmission is a widely used automatic transmission developed by ZF Friedrichshafen AG, known for its smooth shifting and efficiency. It is commonly found in various luxury and performance vehicles.
"They had ZF come over, I think from Italy, isn't that where ZF is from? Just to do factory tuning so that when you drop it in there, it's like a new car from a drivability perspective, complete with warranties."
ZF Friedrichshafen AG is a German company that makes parts for cars, especially transmissions. They are known for making reliable and advanced technology for vehicles.
ZF Friedrichshafen AG is a German company that specializes in driveline and chassis technology as well as active and passive safety technology. They are known for producing high-quality transmissions and other automotive components.
"Hemmings is a mainstay in the industry of selling cars. Everybody and their brother picked up a Hemmings 40 years ago, and they still go to Hemmings to buy and sell cars."
Hemmings is a popular website where people can buy and sell classic cars. It's been around for a long time and is trusted by car lovers.
Hemmings is a well-known platform for buying and selling classic and collector cars. It has been a significant player in the automotive marketplace for decades, providing resources for enthusiasts and collectors.
"...He was actually my introduction to Heights suspension. And I remember in 2010,..."
Heights Suspension makes parts that help improve how a car rides and handles, especially for older models.
Heights Suspension is a company that specializes in aftermarket suspension systems for various vehicles, often focusing on performance enhancements for classic cars.
"...and we're standing next to Steve Stroke's beautiful, is it a road runner? Yeah, Harakka. It says 70. 70 purple road runner built by Steve Stroke."
The Plymouth Road Runner is a famous muscle car from the 1970s. It's known for being fast and having a unique look, making it popular among car enthusiasts.
The Plymouth Road Runner is a classic American muscle car produced in the late 1960s and early 1970s, known for its performance and distinctive styling. The 1970 model is particularly sought after by collectors due to its powerful engine options and iconic design.
"...tanding next to Steve Stroke's beautiful, is it a road runner? Yeah, Harakka."
The Dodge Road Runner is a fun and fast car from the past that many people remember for its cool sound and looks. It's a classic that collectors really like to find and restore.
The Dodge Road Runner is a classic muscle car that was produced in the late 1960s and early 1970s, known for its performance and distinctive 'beep beep' horn. It has a strong following among collectors and is often discussed in the context of classic car shows and restorations.
"Yeah, so this was actually our all new Mopar independent front suspension, independent rear suspension."
Independent front suspension means that each front wheel can move up and down separately. This helps the car handle better and makes the ride smoother.
An independent front suspension allows each wheel on the front axle to move independently, improving ride quality and handling. This design helps the vehicle maintain better traction and stability during cornering.
"Yeah, so this was actually our all new Mopar independent front suspension, independent rear suspension."
Independent rear suspension means that each back wheel can move up and down separately. This helps the car ride better and stay stable when turning.
An independent rear suspension allows each rear wheel to move independently, which enhances ride comfort and handling. This setup helps improve traction and stability, especially during turns.
"A great part with this suspension is actually Bolton. So somebody that if they ever want to go back to stock, they can actually do that, keep the value of their car."
Bolton means that you can add parts to a car without making permanent changes. This way, you can take them off later if you want to go back to how the car was originally.
'Bolton' refers to parts or modifications that can be easily installed without permanent changes to the vehicle, allowing for easy reversion to stock configuration. This is beneficial for maintaining the car's resale value.
"even up like your Hellcats and all the new blatant great stuff."
The Hellcat is a powerful version of the Dodge Challenger. It has a supercharged engine that makes it really fast and strong.
The Dodge Challenger Hellcat is a high-performance variant of the Challenger, known for its supercharged V8 engine that produces over 700 horsepower, making it one of the most powerful muscle cars available.
"So we started off with the E-Bodies and you know, you figure E-Body, B-Body is going to be our most popular product line."
E-Bodies are a type of car made by Chrysler in the 1970s, including models like the Dodge Challenger. They're known for being sporty and powerful, making them favorites among car fans.
E-Bodies refer to a specific platform of cars produced by Chrysler in the early 1970s, including the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Barracuda. These cars are known for their performance and are popular among collectors and enthusiasts.
"...you figure E-Body, B-Body is going to be our most popular product line."
B-Bodies are a category of cars made by Chrysler that includes models like the Dodge Charger. They're known for their classic design and strong performance, appealing to car lovers.
B-Bodies are another platform of cars produced by Chrysler, which includes models like the Dodge Charger and Plymouth Road Runner. Like E-Bodies, B-Bodies are also popular among car enthusiasts for their performance and classic styling.
"is going to be our most popular product line. So challengers, chargers, kudos, things along those lines."
The Dodge Challenger is a big, powerful car that looks tough and is really fun to drive. It's a newer version of a classic car that many people loved back in the day.
The Dodge Challenger is a modern muscle car that pays homage to the classic models of the 1970s. With its aggressive styling and powerful engine options, it has gained popularity among car enthusiasts and is often mentioned alongside other iconic muscle cars.
"Everyone enjoys having high horsepower, but you need a suspension that can handle all that extra power."
Horsepower tells you how powerful an engine is. The higher the horsepower, the faster and more powerful the car can be.
Horsepower is a unit of measurement for power, commonly used to quantify the power output of engines. It indicates how much work an engine can perform over time, which is crucial for understanding a car's performance.
"Follow it up by your Camaro's. Nova's still very hot sellers for us. We still do a lot with TriFibs also."
The Chevrolet Nova is a smaller car that people loved back in the day for being easy to drive and fix up. It's still popular today, especially for those who like to restore old cars.
The Chevrolet Nova is a compact car that gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, known for its simplicity and performance potential. It remains a favorite among classic car enthusiasts and is often discussed in the context of restoration and customization.
"...d hot rod chassis are in there. We are also doing C10s. You know, like all the way up to 87."
The Chevrolet C10 is an old pickup truck that many people love because it's sturdy and has a cool look. It's often restored and made into something special by car enthusiasts.
The Chevrolet C10 is a classic pickup truck that was produced from the late 1950s to the late 1980s. It is highly regarded for its vintage styling and versatility, making it a popular choice for restoration and customization projects.
"Come standard with adjustable coil over shocks. You're going to get a power rack with that."
Coilover shocks are special parts of a car's suspension that help control how the car rides and handles. They can be adjusted to change how high or low the car sits.
Coilover shocks are a type of suspension system that combines a coil spring and shock absorber into a single unit. They allow for adjustable ride height and damping, making them popular for performance and custom vehicles.
"who make their LS as an example. GM Motors and LS."
LS refers to a type of V8 engine made by General Motors that is popular for its power and can be used in many different cars.
The LS is a family of V8 engines produced by General Motors, known for their performance and versatility in various applications, including sports cars and trucks.
"Holley provided the fuel injection and the carburetors and things for"
Fuel injection is a way to get fuel into a car's engine so it can run. It helps the engine work better and use fuel more efficiently than older systems like carburetors.
Fuel injection is a system that delivers fuel to an engine in a precise manner, allowing for better performance, efficiency, and emissions control compared to traditional carburetors. It is a critical component in modern automotive engines.
The BMW 327 is an old car from the 1930s that many people admire for its beautiful design. It's a piece of history and is loved by those who enjoy classic cars.
The BMW 327 is a classic car produced by BMW in the 1930s, known for its elegant design and advanced engineering for its time. It represents an important part of BMW's history and is often discussed among vintage car enthusiasts.
"that would be using Broncos some of the Roadster"
The Ford Bronco is a tough SUV that can handle rough roads and off-roading adventures. It's been around for a long time and just came back with a new version that many people are excited about.
The Ford Bronco is a rugged SUV that has a rich history dating back to the 1960s, originally designed for off-road use. Its recent revival has sparked renewed interest, making it a popular topic among outdoor and adventure enthusiasts.
"...and people love it. And there's a Orange67 Shelby GT500 that was frankly fantastic. What have you noticed..."
The Shelby GT500 is a super-fast version of the Ford Mustang that many people love. It's known for being really powerful and looks awesome, making it a favorite among car fans.
The Shelby GT500 is a high-performance variant of the Ford Mustang, known for its powerful engine and racing heritage. It represents the pinnacle of Mustang performance and is often celebrated among car enthusiasts for its speed and distinctive styling.
"And it started as a newsletter for people who were interested in Model A's and Model T's, Ford's. And it was only about vintage Ford stuff."
The Ford Model T is one of the very first cars that lots of people could afford. It was made a long time ago and is important because it changed how cars were built and sold.
The Ford Model T, produced from 1908 to 1927, is one of the most significant cars in automotive history, as it was the first mass-produced car that made automobile ownership accessible to the general public. Its innovative assembly line production changed the industry forever.
"...d like the number one car you guys sell online is Corvette. Number two is a Mustang."
The Chevrolet Corvette is a super cool sports car that's really fast and looks amazing. It's been a favorite for many years because of how well it drives and its stylish design.
The Chevrolet Corvette is an iconic American sports car known for its sleek design and high performance. It has a storied history and is often celebrated for its engineering excellence and racing pedigree, making it a frequent topic of discussion among car enthusiasts.
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The Muscle Car Plates, online podcast, episode number 629.
This week is our third of four feature interviews right from the SEMA 2025 show floor.
First up, we have Scott and Perry from Height's Suspension, then Jason Bruce from Blueprint
Engines.
Then we have Tab Chapman, CEO of Diamondback Classic Radials, and then Terry McGean with
Hemmings.
And Terry knows everything about him.
He even helped unload Finnegan's boat in that swimming pool at SEMA.
We're going back to Height's, where we're going to start.
They were the very first high-performance suspension company I ever met in this industry.
And they offer a lot more now than I thought.
You're going to hear that.
Lots of full chassis systems.
I didn't realize that.
And they have something pretty sweet once again.
Full independent, front and rear, bolt-in suspension systems, even for mopars.
Yeah.
So this is actually our all-new Mopar independent front suspension, independent rear suspension.
Great part with this suspension is actually bolt-in.
So somebody that if they ever want to go back to stock, they can actually do
that, keep the belly over the car.
I don't know why anybody would ever want to go back to stock after bolt-in this suspension
in, but we give that option.
This is the Muscle Car Place online podcast, brought to you by National Parts Depot.
This is the weekly show dedicated to people worldwide who love American muscle cars.
If you're buying, selling, restoring, even racing them, this is the place for you.
Now here's your host, Rob Kibbe.
Yes, indeed I am Rob Kibbe and welcome to the Muscle Car Place podcast.
Well, here we are, show number three from SEMA 2025.
Just in time to fire up on your way to Grandma's house for Thanksgiving, or maybe you're at
Grandma's house, maybe you're hosting Thanksgiving, and you need something to keep you occupied
while you cook for all those loving faces on their way to see you, or maybe you
need something to listen to while you go to the gas station.
Thanksgiving morning.
And by the stuff they said they would bring, but they didn't.
And now you're going to pay $30 for a 12-pack for Uncle Ned to shut him up.
Who knows?
Well, we're here to help.
So let's kick off show number three like this.
So lots, I was going to say no filler again, just meat, but this is all meat probably
with your favorite gravy from here on out.
So first interview with Scott and Perry from Heights.
So I met Heights in either 2009 or 2010.
It was the first time I'd seen a bolt-in front suspension system for a Camaro.
Well, they made their name as a hot rod suspension company, and I still think of them that way,
but that is wrong on my part.
Hot rods, tri-fives, trucks, full chassis for numerous lineups, and we do discuss
all of that in here, some custom optional stuff for a system, even if you don't
have a car necessarily that any of their offerings fit.
What they were debuting here was bolt-in front and rear suspension systems for Mopars.
Steve Strop had a car there, and that's what they were featuring there, but it's remarkable.
I will say that.
And it offers you a whole lot for a year dollar.
It's a very interesting interview.
We're lucky to get this one scheduled in, and I got a lot more than I bargained
for.
It's really cool.
Then we're going to have Jason Bruce with Blueprint Engine.
So first featured them last year at SEMA.
And look, Blueprint is basically like the OEM of the aftermarket engines.
If they're an OEM in the aftermarket, it's them.
They think that way.
They make and improve upon every factory design.
They have their own castings.
That was a good example.
They sell you an engine with a ZF-8 speed transmission on it.
They had ZF come over, I think from Italy, isn't that where ZF is from?
Just to do factory tuning so that when you drop it in there, it's like a new
car from a drivability perspective, complete with warranties.
Then we have TAB Chapman with Diamondback Classic Radials.
They, it's almost impossible to describe.
You got to hear the interview, but you can order custom tires from them.
They custom build tires to your specs.
You order from them the tire that you want with the sidewall that you want,
and they will make you that.
It's about a two and a half week lead time process.
I've never even heard of such a thing until we did the interview,
but that is indeed what they do.
And then finally, we'll end with Terry McGean from Hemmings.
Terry has been at Hemmings for a long time, running their magazines,
website content.
He knows all the stuff about car sales.
He's involved with everything.
He listened to the Kibbe and Finnegan show back in the day.
Hemmings is a mainstay in the industry of selling cars.
Everybody and their brother picked up a Hemmings 40 years ago,
and they still go to Hemmings to buy and sell cars.
And Hemmings is, of course, in the space where you can buy a car online
in an auction setting they've come up with, in my opinion,
a better mousetrap to handle the transaction and the inspection
of the car and the transportation of the car.
It's very cool.
So all that's coming up here.
On Friday morning, we will release one more show from SEMA 2025.
And think of it as like this.
You go down Friday morning.
Everybody's still asleep.
You open the fridge.
And you know how yesterday at Thanksgiving,
everybody ate the pecan pie and you didn't even get one piece
even though it's your house.
You paid for everything.
Well, you open the fridge.
And then you find in the back of the fridge, hidden, your wife,
she took that pie.
She cut away half of it for you and hid it back there
just so you'd get some.
So put on a pot of coffee.
Enjoy.
Eat it before everybody wakes up, though,
so you don't have to share.
That's what this last episode from SEMA is going to be for you.
That'll be Friday morning with Holly McGuire's in Center Force.
So with that said, let's get to it.
Well, you know what?
I'd be doing you a disservice
if I didn't do one more thing for you.
This is coming out before Thanksgiving.
And on the Kibben Friends Show this week,
we will have our annual review of plane trains and automobiles.
It's a crowd favorite.
It's also a rebroadcast, a rerun, if you will.
But just in case you missed it, here you go,
just to hold you over.
Now,
why did you kiss my ear?
Why are you holding my hand?
Where's your other hand?
Between two pillows.
Those aren't pillows.
Ah!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
See that bears game last week?
Yeah, hell of a game.
Hell of a game.
Bears got a great team this year.
They're gonna go all the way.
Oh!
Yeah!
There you go.
Out of all the clips I can pull from that movie,
that seems to be the one you're supposed to do.
So from me to you, happy Thanksgiving.
Okay, let's go ahead and get to the interviews here.
Don't forget, once per month, we do have
Mr. Rick Schmidt from National Parts Depot
on to talk all things National Parts Depot,
but you can ask him anything you like.
Send in your questions to me,
Robert at themusclecarplace.com,
and of course, visit
nationalpartsdepot.com to peruse
for all your muscle car parts needs,
because they find the source,
they spec the best,
there is a difference and they've got the goods.
You can send in your questions
for our January 2026 show.
Alrighty, interviews are up.
We have Scott and Perry from Heights,
Jason Bruce with Blueprint,
Tab Chapman from Diamondback Classic Radials,
and Terry McGeen with Hemmings.
Enjoy.
The Muscle Car Place Weekly podcast interview
is brought to you by our good friends
at National Parts Depot.
See them through the link
at themusclecarplace.com.
Vegas!
Well, blast from the past.
I have not been to a Heights SEMA booth
for an interview in years.
Thanks for the invite.
We have Scott and Perry.
How you doing?
Thank you for having us.
Okay, well,
way back in the day,
a former employee,
I don't know that we need to mention his name,
but it was Mike Holly,
used to harass me upside down,
left and right.
And he was a good dude.
He was actually my introduction
to Heights suspension.
And I remember in 2010,
seeing a Heights Camaro running around
a good guy's autocross.
Yeah, or 71.
It was white, as I recall.
Yep, still is.
Still is, but it still is.
And he was killing it.
Randy Johnson at DNZ,
he did like one of the first
Heights IRS rear suspensions
that I remember on his Camaro.
Yeah, he didn't even repeal it.
The repealed Camaro.
Orange one, as I remember.
And now it's 2025 here,
and we're standing next to Steve Stroke's beautiful,
is it a road runner?
Yeah, Harakka.
Harakka.
It says 70.
70.
70 purple road runner built by Steve Stroke.
What's new under here from you?
Yeah, so this was actually
our all new Mopar
independent front suspension,
independent rear suspension.
A great part with this suspension is
actually Bolton.
So somebody that if they ever want to go back to stock,
they can actually do that,
keep the value of their car.
I don't know why anybody ever want to go back to stock
after bolting this suspension in,
but you know, we give that option.
So independent rear suspension is good
for up to 800 horsepower.
And our front suspension is good
for any kind of legacy Mopar motor,
even up like your Hellcats
and all the new blatant great stuff.
Yeah, now this one's running
like an old school 440, right?
Yeah, 440.
So why Mopar?
Why not Mopar is probably a good answer,
but why Mopar now?
We toyed with the idea of Mopar for many years.
A couple of years ago we finally decided
just to dive into it.
So we started off with the E-Bodies
and you know, you figure E-Body, B-Body
is going to be our most popular product line.
So challengers, chargers, kudos,
things along those lines.
There's a lot of cars out there.
People enjoy driving their cars.
Everyone enjoys having high horsepower,
but you need a suspension
that can handle all that extra power.
Sure.
And this is what we were able to provide.
There wasn't a great solution in the market already
that it really offered what we can do,
being Bolton and giving you not only
the ride improvement,
but also the handling improvement.
We dove in kind of head first
and we learned a lot.
We're always known as a Chevrolet
and a Ford reseller,
but Mopar has actually been incredibly hot for us.
Well, when I think of heights,
I think of hot rods suspension
and maybe I shouldn't.
You know, that's probably a little dated, isn't it?
It is.
It's a dated way of thinking.
For sure.
Yeah, I mean, hot rods and street rods
are still a big part of us.
Classic trucks are huge for us,
but muscle cars,
about 10 years ago
is when we really made the change around
and muscle cars is our core business now.
Okay.
Yeah.
Perry, why Bolton versus...
I think Scott said earlier,
it's reversible.
A lot of these cars are valuable.
You always have the option to weld it in.
Our kits, like a rear IRS,
come with cradles
and you drill some holes,
bolt them in
and you bolt up your complete IRS up into that.
If you wish to weld it in,
you could weld it in.
But the things we found
when talking to a lot of Mopar people
is the reversibility.
These cars are rare.
A lot of Mopar guys go,
it's a one-of-one or one-of-ten
or whatnot.
They break it down granular
and they wanted to be able to reverse
and go back if they wanted to.
Like Scott said,
I don't know why they would want to,
but they have the option to.
Okay.
My kid's into racing now,
so everything that I was sort of hearing
from people that were out doing pro-touring work,
I'm now hearing all the time
like Roll Center
and adjustable caster in the feel.
How adjustable are these
for people who are hardcore track people
versus I just want a good cruiser?
Adjust all the parameters.
You've got camber, caster adjustment,
your roll centers are set.
You've got adjustable sway bars
and same with the rear with the IRS.
You could set toe, you could set camber.
There really isn't any caster
adjustability in the rear,
but you've got your toe and your camber
and your roll centers are all adjustable
and your sway bars are adjustable
and your shocks, your spring rates, everything.
Okay.
Is this all in-house design stuff?
It is, yeah.
In-house design,
we actually welded it all up
in-house in Chicago, Illinois,
so still proudly making
our product here in America.
I know we just talked about Mopar.
Is Chevy or Ford still the biggest seller?
It is, yeah.
We're still going to be a very high seller
with the Mustang parts
that is our bread and butter there.
Follow it up by your Camaro's.
Nova's still very hot sellers for us.
We still do a lot with TriFibs also.
We're actually doing even full frames now too.
Really?
We went away from that for a little while,
but we're definitely getting back into it.
We are a full shop.
Like I said,
people always just put heights
with a hot rod, street rod market,
but in most of the cars
is where it's at with us at this point.
What full chassis do you offer?
Full chassis.
We do classic trucks.
We do TriFibs.
Yeah, 47 to 54 Chevy trucks,
55 to 59 Chevy's.
There's a lot of street rod
and hot rod chassis are in there.
We are also doing C10s.
You know, like all the way up to 87.
Yeah, I guess that is old.
It's a great market though right now.
The C10 market's hot.
What's universal super red?
Universal super reds are awesome.
So I mean, obviously we've been
working with the universal Mustang too,
as it could go into your random
make some models a lot of your dodges
and some of your older,
where it just doesn't make sense
to have a dedicated suspension.
Super ride's nice
because it actually gives you
more adjustability in the control arms.
Come standard with adjustable coil over shocks.
You're going to get a power rack with that.
You're just going to get something
that's nicer riding, better handling.
So we actually released
our independent Super Ride 2 front suspensions
late last year,
along with our universal four-link kits.
Heavy-duty four-link kits
can actually handle all the power now.
So if you're a custom car builder
or you're trying to make something
that's a little off-menu,
is this where you would start?
This is exactly where we would start.
This is why we came out with these
and produced these.
They're really, really good front-ends
to start with,
especially if you got something
really off the wall.
Like Dodge Truck, like he mentioned,
we had some people in here yesterday
asking for a design of front-end
for a Dodge Truck.
Well, we've got one that'll work for you.
So universal components,
probably a package for all of the
popular muscle cars,
independent and bolt-in.
Yes.
And a bolt-in also to go back
to what we were talking about,
it makes it easier.
Not everybody's got a well there.
Yeah.
So it makes it easy for anybody
to install it.
You can do this kit
in your own home garage
without having to be like a fabricator.
I see how they cradle
and they wrap up around the subframe
and everything like that.
They're meant to just tuck up in there.
It does.
It's very easy to install.
I mean, the front-end,
you're generally looking at
around 10 to 15 hours,
because IRS is around 15 to 20 hours.
Mm-hmm.
These are like real world times
that a normal person can do.
It doesn't have to be done at a shop.
Yeah.
Are the Mopar ones,
I see outboard brakes on that.
I remember the Camaro stuff
had inboard brakes.
Yeah, so we actually started
with the outboard brakes
with our third and fourth-gen Camaros,
and now we've actually done that
with all the Mopars,
and we're actually even going
backwards and doing that
with our first and second-gen Camaros
and Mustangs too.
So the outboard brakes,
actually, it's a better suspension
overall with the IRS.
Nicer riding, better handling,
more adjustability.
So we do still offer
some of the inboard brake systems,
because they're cool-looking.
Yeah, they're a nice legacy.
They're super cool-looking.
They're awesome at car shows,
and they do handle well,
and they ride really nice,
but the outboard kits are just,
it's the evolvement.
I mean, it's just an improvement
over what our original.
Yeah, technology's changed,
and we've got to adapt with that technology
to make a better suspension.
Brake kits are getting bigger.
Engines are getting bigger.
Drivers are driving their cars harder,
so we've got to adjust and adapt
with that, and you design a better product.
So you have to keep updating
your legacy product line
just to handle more motor
and tires probably...
Because we've even updated
our Pro-G Front Clip
first-gen Camaro,
you're able to fit a 315 Front Tire.
Really?
Yes.
What can you fit
on the front of a B-body?
Mopar.
Oh, that's up to the car size.
Well, first-gen Camaro
is a good measuring stick.
So if you put a 315 on the front,
that's quite good.
Yeah.
That's usually where they need
all the bite.
Everybody's got a plenty of rear bite.
Everybody's got the rear bite.
Yeah, so it's actually been
a hot seller, too,
but it came out.
I mean, we just listen
to what our customers ask for.
I mean, every year we do
a nice meeting,
and we plan for the following year,
and it's, you know,
we're just keeping our notes
of what customers want.
How about rear tire
on the front?
First-gen Camaro?
335.
Yeah, whatever you can fit.
You're limited by the car
at this point.
Yeah.
You know, your Minitub
or your Stocktub.
You're just limited by that,
but our suspension will take
anything you can fit in
the back of the car.
Cool.
Fellows, thank you.
Appreciate being back.
Thank you.
Sure.
Anytime.
All right.
Here for a return visit
to Blueprint
with a person I don't know,
Jason.
I don't even know
your last name, Jason Bruce.
Jason, what do you do
with Blueprint?
So, I'm the sales and marketing
manager for the Blueprint
engines product line.
Okay.
We did our first formal sit-down
one year ago
right here at this show
with Norris,
and I live in Iowa,
but I mean growing up
in the hot rod industry,
I knew the name Blueprint.
Friends with Dan Kahn.
Yeah.
Knew the whole story
inside and out,
so I thought.
Yeah.
And then sat down with Norris
and I knew nothing.
Yeah.
That's how it works
with Norris.
And what a wise man.
There's more up there
that reveals it seems to be,
but.
For sure.
The end result was
he was in the engine rebuild
business and then realized
he could be in the,
oh, what we used to call
the crate motor business.
Yep.
And today,
it's a full product line
of what we call
compatible engines.
Yes.
Can you highlight
why we use the word
compatible when we say
Ford or GM
or Chrysler
or something like that?
Right, so the philosophy
behind it is
General Motors,
Ford and Dodge,
they're the ones
who make their LS
as an example.
GM Motors and LS.
Mm-hmm.
What we're building
is our version
of the LS.
Mm-hmm.
So we refer to
use the compatible word.
So we'll say it's an
LS compatible engine.
Dimensionally on the
outside,
our LS blocks
are identical,
say, to an LS3.
But internally,
we've done the
hot rod or thing
and done some
improvements to that
design.
For example,
we use primary
main oiling,
which the
GM LS does not.
We extend the
piston skirts
to five and three
quarter inches,
which keeps the stroke clean.
Mm-hmm.
Really helps with
boost and helps
with nitrous
and those type of uses.
So we do a lot of those
type of things
that hot rodders
would have done back in
the day,
back on a small
block Chevy type motor.
We've done that
throughout our entire
line.
We vertically integrate
and what that means
is every engine
we do is new.
We don't use
a reman
or a seasoned block.
We're not using
a hodge podge
of various internal
components.
Everything is designed
for that engine.
The block,
the cranks,
the rods,
the pistons,
the rings,
intake manifold,
cylinder heads,
all the components
are designed around
the engine.
So what we have
is something that
dimensionally matches
an LS3,
but it's not.
It's not a GM motor.
It's a blueprint motor.
So it's an LS
compatible engine.
I'm trying to
call it,
did North say that
the castings are done
in the same place, though,
that the OEMs did anyway?
No.
Okay.
Our blocks are,
the foundry is actually
in Germany.
I remember the
Germany block.
There are some vendors
that we use that are
OEManufacturers,
depending upon the part,
but I was referring
primarily to the blocks,
which is kind of
the framework of which
the engine kind of
aligns.
Yeah.
Those are cast in Germany.
They're shipped over
to Kearney, Nebraska,
and they're all fully
machined in Kearney,
Nebraska
by the staff at
Blueprint.
Okay.
Kearney, Nebraska.
I know where
Kearney, Nebraska is,
it's like halfway,
right?
Yes.
Dead center.
I recall there's a big bridge
that goes over there.
Yeah.
There it was.
The big arch.
Yeah, the big arch
in Kearney, yes.
You have this monster
company sitting right
there in little Kearney,
and you're not from
Nebraska.
No, I'm not.
How do you work
at Blueprint?
I've been in the
industry 38 years.
This is my
actually 30th
SEMA show.
I cut my teeth
on performance brands
like Holley Performance
Hooker headers,
that type of thing,
sales and marketing
for those companies.
And a few years back
I got connected,
Blueprint was a customer
of Holley,
which is where I was
working at the time.
How about that?
Holley provided
the fuel injection
and the carburetors
and things for
Blueprint engines.
And so when I left
Holley and got connected
with Blueprint,
you know,
just fell in love
with the company.
It's a throwback
to when I started
in the industry
in the mid 90s.
It's a privately owned
company,
Norris Marshall,
our president,
CEO and founder
of the People of Nebraska
are some of the nicest
people I've ever seen
in my entire life.
They even call it
Nebraska Nice.
It is just a place
where everybody
cares about everybody
and that care goes
all the way to the
consumer so that
our customer service
is at a level
that I have
rarely ever seen
in this industry
or in any other
industry.
Just good
salt to the earth,
Midwest people.
Business is not
that difficult.
You build something
with very good quality
and give that
consumer a good value
and if they've got
a problem,
you treat them right
and make it right.
Period.
If you do that,
you will be successful.
What all is the
product line here?
I mean, I see everything.
Small block,
Ford and Chevy,
the old school kind.
Yeah.
I definitely see
all the modern platforms.
Are there small
block old cell
Chrysler's here too?
Yeah, for sure.
So our product line,
you know,
we primarily focus
in currently on
kind of the
legacy muscle car
hot rod street rod
platforms.
So you would see
small block Chevy
compatible.
And within that
small block Chevy
compatible line,
you would see
your 350s,
your 327s,
383s and 400s.
On the Chrysler side,
we do a 408
small block Chrysler
compatible
and we do a Gen 3
Hemi compatible.
So we cover the
later model
Gen 3 Hemi 427
Gen 3 Hems
and then we have
a 408
small block as well.
Yeah.
And then you've got
your small block
Ford compatibles,
which are 302,
347,
Stroker and your
427 versions.
454 all the way to 632.
Is there anything you
don't offer that
people constantly
request?
Well,
I'm sure there is.
There is.
Yeah.
I mean, and we
constantly are
figuring things out.
We are in the
process of
in developing the
engine line is
primarily kind of
street driven type
power.
We are now working
more upstream
into motorsport side
of things.
So we're getting into
the blueprint
motorsport side.
So we're taking
our LS
power being a little
more aggressive on the
cam being a little
more aggressive on the
internal construction
to make race motors
for the grass root
level racer.
Circle track guys.
Yeah.
Circle track drag
racing drifting off
road.
That's all relatively
new.
Those came from
consumer recommendations.
We actually
have collaboration
that we did with
ZF transmission
product line,
which ZF
transmissions are
a high level
eight speed
automatic transmission
company based out of
Italy.
And supercars,
European supercars,
the higher level
challengers
and chargers,
that type of thing.
So we worked with
as a collaboration
to take our LS
compatible product,
LS compatible engines,
connect them to a
ZF eight speed
automatic transmission.
And so that's
straight from you
with a warranty.
Straight from us with a
warranty all bolted
together, fully wiring
harnessed and just
connect and go.
I definitely see,
I mean, sitting here
looking the 427 Ford,
I assume that's a
Tremac that's on the
back of that one.
You know, I'm supposed to
be in the media
interview business,
but Norse
sold me.
So
he's the
he's the preeminent sales
person.
You just kind of
trust him.
Yeah.
So my brother in law
needed a
replacement.
He had a 67
Cheval with a
blown big block.
And he said,
I think I just
need another motor.
And I really want
junkyard LS.
He said,
I don't think you do.
Yeah, no.
For a little money
and a lot of
peace of mind,
so he ended up
buying a 383
from you.
Yeah, awesome.
Awesome.
It's kind of funny
because the small block Chevy
compatible line,
people think that all the
LS's are this whole
thing and there's nobody's
buying small block Chevy's
anymore.
Last year we set
our own personal record
for the number of small
block Chevy's we sold.
Is that right?
It was crazy.
So the demise
of the small block Chevy's
been greatly exaggerated.
We sell tons of
383s.
That is such
a great product line.
Makes a lot of
horsepower,
really good street car,
engine.
Someone's doing a
small block Chevy
or in the market
for a small block Chevy
type motor.
The 383's
almost always the way to go.
Is there any future
for old school
big block Chrysler's
or anything like that?
I think there could be
part of what happens
is we're listening
to customers
and kind of where
the recommendations
come from.
The Mopar guys
tend to be a little
more of the
build their own motor.
Mopar guys tend to
be really interesting
because they have
their combinations
and they're kind of
stuck with their
expectations so we'll
see a lot of that.
But we are seeing
more of our
small block
Chrysler Compatibles
increasing in sales
so it could definitely be
we just listen to
our customers
and what's requested
and build it from there
and if the volume is right
because one thing
for us is we're
actually a factory.
We're on
211,000 square feet
facility in Carney.
We have around
300 employees
working
tirelessly to build
engines.
We're not going to
build ones or two's.
So where a
local engine builder
can rock out a big block
piecemeal, all the parts
together.
We do production runs
in 10s and 20s
and things of that nature
so we need to make sure
whatever we're doing
has some volume
so that we can
actually support the
customer demand
appropriately.
But just buying one
is super easy.
Literally just
go to the website,
click, click, click
and you just
pick what level
of power you want
and then it shows
up at your house
in a day.
Absolutely.
Yeah, for sure.
And then those folks
who are not comfortable
we have five to six
folks that are on
operations.
Technical support
and sales support,
after care,
all those type of things.
And then we're also
sold through all the
major distributors
and retailers in the
industry.
Summit, Jags,
Speedway Motors,
they're fully supportive
of our product line
so you can't really
throw a rock in the
industry and not hit
somebody who is selling
or supporting blueprint
engines.
For the modern engines
that require
computers and wiring
and things like that
do they come wired?
So ready to go
or do you assemble
that
installing?
In some cases no.
Right.
So with our blueprint
fuel injection
the wiring harnesses
are installed.
We have some engines
that utilize the
Terminator X Max
EFI system
and those throttle
bodies and all that
are installed
but not the wiring
harnesses.
But they're all
really easy to use
from a self-learn
capability
and so they're
pretty simple to install
which is wonderful.
Okay.
Final one
and Norse started
walking me through
this last year
the low volume
production package.
Coyote.
Is that
happening?
So it's running
it's very, very close.
So the SPMV
the small
production motor vehicle
motor that we've
using
is a Ford
truck Coyote motor.
Uh huh.
So this will be used
for any
car builder
that would be using
Broncos
some of the Roadster
shop folks
like the Superformance
Factory 5
could use this as well.
That has taken
a long collaboration
over many years
probably three years.
A lot of tuning
a lot of calibration
work that's been done.
That engine
is running
and running well.
It's doing a
really great job.
We are currently
in the final phase
which is the Carbio phase.
So once we get
our Carbio number
then we can
commercialize.
That's the emission side.
That's the emission side.
So the Carbio number
is the Carb Executive Order.
So we've got the engine
running.
Now we have to go
through the testing process
emissions testing
and once it passes
that and you
go through the paperwork
for Carb
they give you what they
call an executive order
which basically means
that your engine is
small legal.
And so at that point
the SPMV manufacturers
can utilize that engine
to create their
small legal version
of that
of their brand new car
whatever their brand
new car is.
And they don't have to say
we used a donor car
because they didn't
correct.
Now it's a brand new
license legal
title car
under their name
and that emissions
compliant drivetrain
was basically the
requirement
but also the missing piece.
That's correct.
Is this the first one
that exists?
I believe
this particular marketplace
we would be first.
Wow.
My understanding is
there was a
I think a BMW motor
something that was done
maybe first
but for this
particular marketplace
the SEMA performance
market we would be
the first one.
Okay.
I don't see Norris
here he's probably
running SEMA now
that's my understanding.
Yeah he's
doing lots of work
Norris is an animal
he is all over the
place he comes in
and out of the booth
and does SEMA work
he is the
new chair-elect
of the SEMA
board of directors
things in Kearney
with his family
and here at the SEMA show
so he's
invested in the industry
and we have
multiple staff members
at the company
that dedicate their time
and donate time on
SEMA councils
and things as well.
Jason's been a pleasure
Nice to meet you
I'm sure we'll
cross paths again
hopefully not
a whole year from now
but it's really fun.
Awesome.
Thanks a lot of time
appreciate it.
SEMA
SEMA
SEMA
SEMA
First interview
of SEMA
Everybody say five
with Tab Chapman
CEO of Diamondback
Radials
Diamondback classic
radials yes
in a nutshell
what does Diamondback
do
or make?
So, we take a
new tire
and we can modify
the sidewall
into just about anything
it's similar technology
this retreading
but we transferred
all that
technology to the
sidewall
we are able to put
a white wall
just about any tire
redline, goldline
whatever it is
red, white and blue
we can do stuff
like that.
Probably back in 1935 with my grandfather got into retreading and then back then prized
more passenger.
Obviously the war hit and they had rationing couldn't get a new tire here in the States.
So retreading became a necessity.
So he took what was you know local little shop and built it into an actual factory
doing a lot of retreading.
My dad came into the business in the 60s and grew up more.
So we were at one point we were running 600 tires a day in a retread plant.
And into the 80s it was really good 90s hit new tires from overseas got so cheap the
retreading had no margins anymore.
So him and my brother started looking at working on the sidewall doing vintage white
walls is a challenge because he was in old cars and he's like you know let's try it.
So they modified some of their equipment to be able to work on the sidewall so the
tread and they kept working at it and let's say we're close to 40 years later
this is where we are.
You manufacture all these tires in South Carolina?
No we don't.
So we modify all these tires in South Carolina.
A lot of the tires you see here are manufactured overseas but we use other name brands as well.
We still have them on site.
Okay.
Yeah.
So I see Auburn here.
Yeah Auburn.
And then I see premium line.
What's the difference?
So you got the Auburn Deluxe over here.
It's a straight up bias looking radial tire.
Okay.
So this is going to be a little bit pre-muscle car era.
A lot of these guys these old cars like 32 Roadsters you have cars 40s, 50s.
They want that original look but want to drive the car and enjoy it.
You want a radial.
This is riding so much better.
So what we did is we took the bias design that people wanted and married it to a radial
construction which is also what people wanted.
So you get the best of both worlds.
Do people send you tires to modify or do you provide all in house?
We stock all these tires.
We have a 25,000 square foot warehouse just for tire storage.
Okay.
And you're out of South Carolina?
South Carolina.
Yes sir.
Near the beach.
Our audience is muscle cars.
Yes of course.
But every version of the sun so 14's, 15's, 17's, 18's and everybody's taste and wants
are different.
Yep.
So what would they call you for specific?
Most of our cells in muscle car realm are red lines and we have those from 14 inch,
really 13 but there's really no muscle cars with 13.
It's starting 14, a lot of 15 inch, 16's kind of skip but 17's, 18's, 19's and
20's.
We do a lot of muscle car tires and all those diameters like specifically red lines.
We got some gold stuff.
Or red, white and blue.
That's what we got right here.
I mean it all depends on the amount of saw while you got.
Some limitations of course but that's really with the muscle car area that's what we're
looking at.
Kind of like this is a great example, I don't know if you can see it.
True street radial?
Everything you see here is kind of a, I call a canvas for some of the stuff
we can do.
This blue line right here, we can put it on the 17 inch tire.
We have certain lines or brands we use like 17, 18, 20 and all those sizes we can cover
just about any stagger fitment that you desire.
So really it's a custom tire company.
Yes, we customize the tire but we also have our house brands that we manufacture for us.
We own these molds right here and we have this tire manufactured for us exclusive.
So nobody else can buy this tire except for us.
So I know you come from a family business but why are you in this business?
Because this is a hard business.
It seems very unique.
Let me say it that way.
Well, I came into the business after college and I don't know why, I can't really tell
you.
But I told my dad, I was joking with him on the phone one day, I said something about
coming to work in a family business and he was like, I really, really wish you would.
I thought about it and I was in Charleston, South Carolina at the time and I worked
as a surveyor.
It was a fun job but I didn't see any growth there.
So it was the one of the times in life where you just kind of make the move
and I said, yeah, I'll come work in a family business and they had the ups and downs but
the creation part is really what I did and there's a lot of creativity in this business.
What is the typical customer coming to?
So do they typically have a look in mind that they want?
They know the size they want?
More often than not, people know the size they want or they're translating from
a original bias size to a radial which that's easy to do.
Sometimes they need help with larger diameters and stagger fitments.
They need a little bit of help trying to dial in the size and we're well trained in helping
people to get just that right fitment.
I'm not sure on this one but if somebody says, I want Eagle GT and it has to say Eagle
GT for my car, you can't do that, right?
No, we don't do any custom raise white letter style.
Technically I would know how to do it with the right tooling and the right investment
but then you get into the trademarking.
I can't put Eagle GT on a tire even if it is an Eagle GT, I don't know the rules there.
I know how it can be done, I just haven't pursued it yet.
You can only pick a few battles at a time and I've got more ideas than I could possibly
ever follow at any given time.
So you pick the ones you think are the most valuable and then you kind of go for those.
What's the big white walls down there?
Again, these are the Auburn Deluxe.
We got range of sizes, 15's, these are all 16's, that's a 17 right there.
This is the big 18 they're leaning on.
Geez, look at that.
Perfect street ride tire.
People love these tires.
There's people claiming that they have the world's first bias looking radial and we've
had these for over 10 years and it just cracks me up that people actually make a
ludicrous claim that there's the first and it's this year.
I didn't have gray hair when they came out of ours but here we are.
I got one for you.
Yeah.
So one of our network shows is called the Kibbe and Friends Show, it's all pop
culture.
Okay.
I don't know how old you are but I'm guessing we're sort of in the same ballpark.
I'm 48, so.
50.
There we are.
Did you grow up watching TV shows like Knight Rider and Dukes of Hazzard?
Of course, yeah.
Of course.
Okay.
All of that pop culture seeped into our brains and bodies and we can't let it go even
now that we're old and we should know better.
Yes, true, true.
So we have a whole network show dedicated to pop culture cars, nerdy people like
us like to put bias ply looking tires on general ease because they look super
sweet that way.
Yeah, of course.
So if I wanted to do that, I have one, if I wanted to throw 14s on it, what would you
recommend for me?
That's a tough one because to have a original bias look and a certain size
tire, you really have to design it from ground up whereas you got to get the
molds designed and you have to have molds made then obviously the tires
produced.
There's some time and investment in that.
So if you needed like a, what would be a 215-7014 equivalent, well I think it
would be an F7014.
If you needed a radial equivalent but you wanted to look like a bias tire, I would
have to go develop that tire.
And then I'd have to look at the quantity, how many of these am I going to sell a
year?
Am I going to sell 100?
It's not worth it.
Am I going to sell a thousand?
It's probably worth it.
Because you've got to have the money and the molds probably, I'm going to
say 20, 25 grand and that.
And then minimum run of tires and then the marketing.
There's a lot to it.
Now we do have, we use other brands that are more of a modern radial look
but we can still put a red line on it.
That they generally didn't have.
No, but like in the end, generally had any tire they threw on is what truly had
on it.
But 14's and 15's that look bias plie, that's a thing now.
Yes.
You know, people want that.
Well, there's different areas of bias.
If you look at like tread signatures and shoulder signatures, the 40's and
then the 50's is going to be a little different than like late 50's and 60's.
The podcast or earlier era of bias, and then you got like more of your
teardrop and then really into the muscle car area, they didn't have much of a
shoulder at all.
It was kind of smooth all the way up near where it transitioned into the tread.
So there was slight shoulder and I always wanted to actually make a tire that
had dual shoulders.
You had like a teardrop on one side and a really short one on the other.
So you could essentially make two skews out of one tire where, you know,
if you were looking for this look, you could put that side facing out.
And if you want this look, you could put that side facing out.
The same tire.
It's kind of radical and I don't know if it worked, but I thought about this
long ago.
If you go look at bias tires throughout the ages, throughout the eras, you'll
see what I'm talking about.
You're kind of a creative genius.
Ah, I've always been creative.
I think of weird stuff.
Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's terrible.
Well even stuff like teaching me the eras of bias plie, now that you
say it all out, yeah, that's absolutely right.
Like firestone or polygons or something, but like pie crust and
things like, yeah, that does look like old timey stuff.
What's the best way people can find you, figure out your product line
or just call you because they need help?
dbtires.com is our main website.
We're about to launch a brand new website or an updated website.
There's going to be a lot more user friendly, not the hardest
it now, but we're always trying to improve what we have.
It's going to be the same website, dbtires.com.
Cool.
My name's Tab.
You can talk to Tab, hi, Johnny, Cliff, Mike, Richie,
all of us will help you out.
Family business.
We have the best vintage tires in the market.
I can guarantee you that one, had them forever 30 years,
and we're going to keep on doing it.
Plus Southern Charm, I'm sold.
I like it.
A little bit.
Thanks, Tab.
Yeah, man, appreciate it.
Here we are, sitting, thank you, Terry, with Terry McGinn
at the Hemmings booth.
So here's my cheat.
We use Hemmings online all the time to do carpeg segments
because it's good content and people love it.
And there's a Orange67 Shelby GT500 that was frankly fantastic.
What have you noticed?
Being with Hemmings.
I don't know how long you've been with Hemmings.
Almost 20 years now.
What have you noticed are the biggest changes
with how people consume content?
Because what people used to think of Hemmings is the book.
Sure.
I'll admit I haven't picked up a book in years,
but I use the website probably every day.
Well, yeah, you've kind of hit that on the head.
I mean a lot of us who are crazy for cars
grew up reading magazines.
And a lot of us still love magazines.
And Hemmings still prints what we call the big book,
the original Hemmings Motor News, every month.
And it still has a magazine section in the front.
But we have evolved over the past number of years.
Of course, we've had a website for a long, long time.
We have content on that website.
We do a daily newsletter that goes out.
We've done that for many years.
And of course, we do social media.
But probably the newest facet of our content is video.
We've got guys on the West Coast who do some stuff.
But in Bennington, Vermont, where Hemmings is based,
we have a really pretty cool shop.
It was a museum.
We turned part of it into a functional shop.
And now we've been using that to create content,
the tech content working on cars.
And we're also starting to do some buyer's guide
content, just something we did in print for years.
The same kind of content, but now in a video presentation.
Little history on a particular kind of car.
Point out some of the good features.
Point out things you should look for if you're
looking to buy one of those.
So that's probably the latest evolution
in how we've been creating content.
Would you say Hemmings is a place people go to buy cars
or where people go to get media?
I think it's always been known as a place people
go to buy cars and to sell cars.
And I think hardcore enthusiasts years ago identified that
as sort of ground zero.
So Hemmings has been around since 1954.
And it started as a newsletter for people
who were interested in Model A's and Model T's, Ford's.
And it was only about vintage Ford stuff.
And it was started by Ernie Hemmings
who worked for his family's auto parts business.
And the mid 50s is kind of when auto restoration really
started to become a thing in our country.
And it grew faster than he anticipated.
And in the 60s he realized I can't do this anymore.
It's taken on a life of his own.
He sold it to another guy named Terry Eric.
He's the one who brought it to Bennington, Vermont.
And he's the one who turned it into what most people know
as Hemmings Motor News.
So that has always been there and continues to this day
where still I believe the world's largest
collector car marketplace.
Content for Hemmings began in the 70s
where they started a magazine called
Special Interest Autos.
Did that for years.
And then that evolved into our classic car magazine
in the early 2000s.
They started Muscle Machines as another monthly magazine.
We did for a time a magazine called Sports and Exotic
which was import classics.
And for again over 20 years there's been a glossy magazine
section in that original Hemmings Motor News publication.
So media has been a part of Hemmings
for quite a long time.
And we're kind of maintaining that balance.
And it's kind of a symbiotic relationship.
Again it's always been known as a place
to buy and sell cars and parts.
And the media just sort of supports that enthusiast world.
We keep doing that.
And again it kind of a symbiosis.
We have the business side of buying and selling
and then the enthusiast side of the media.
Yeah.
What have you seen from a car buying and selling
perspective as it influences your media?
So the reason I asked that, I was talking to Brandon
earlier and he said like the number one car
you guys sell online is Corvette.
Number two is a Mustang.
So in our wheelhouse certainly
do you make more content for people
that like Corvettes and Mustangs?
Or do you just do what you dig?
That's an interesting question because
for most of our existence I would say
we make the content that we think the audience wants.
And that's kind of what we've done.
And that would include things like Corvettes and Mustangs
but then also much more than that.
But more recently we just did a project
on a Corvette this past year.
We took a 72 Stingray and bought it
from one of our dealers, did a five episode series of videos
kind of getting the car in shape,
refurbishing it mechanically
and then it ran on the Great Race event
which Hemings is the title sponsor of.
We did that project in partnership with Coker Tire.
They also in their group own a bunch of Corvette parts
suppliers and they are the owners of the Great Race.
And so when the idea came up,
they were like well we'd like to build a car with you.
We'd like it to be Corvette
because we're Corvette parts specialists.
And we would like you to take it on the Great Race.
That means it needs to be 74 or older.
And when we thought about this we were like
well Corvette is the center of Hemings wheelhouse
in terms of the marketplace.
So that's kind of a perfect fit.
So in that case, yes the pieces of the puzzle
came together and it did make sense for us
to aim right at the center of the target
of our own audience and make that content.
We did a Fox Mustang project about two years ago.
We still have that car, we'll do more with that.
So I guess I've given you the long answer.
The short answer is yeah, certainly I think
we would like to provide content
for the people we already have
and keep that symbiosis going that I mentioned earlier.
But I think we will always continue to do
a much broader scope of stuff too
because the Hemings audience is very broad.
If you go on the marketplace in Hemings
while we have a ton of Corvettes
we got everything you can think of on there.
Some really obscure stuff.
And it's always been that way.
And so I think we still want to play to that.
We have a space for anybody who wants to sell anything
on wheels that gives us the freedom to kind of do
really any kind of motorized content.
The interesting thing about this day and age is
you used to see an ad in Hemings
and then you'd call somebody
and then you try to figure out a way to go look at it.
That may not even happen anymore.
As I recall, I think John I would mention last year
I don't remember the name of the service
but you can have an inspector go look at a car for you.
He can give you the thumbs up.
You can make the transaction happen.
You can get it shipped door to door
and you see it when it shows up at your house as your car.
It's true.
The digital age that we're living in
has created this situation
where you don't have to buy a car locally anymore.
And of course people who were buying on a Hemings
were always buying stuff from very far away
but it was a lot harder to do
and there was a lot more trust required.
That trust part is the scary part.
Exactly.
Most people like us do not have
an unlimited amount of disposable income
so you do want to kick the tires a little bit
and take a peek.
And back in the day,
you were probably dealing with another hardcore enthusiast
if you were doing that kind of long distance transaction
40 years ago.
The collector car market is a lot bigger
and unfortunately there's a lot of people in it
who are just trying to make a buck
so you do need to be a little more careful.
So we've tried to create those other facets
of the process to strip off as much of the unknown,
reduce the risk so that a guy sitting in New York
who's trying to buy a car to California
really has a pretty good idea
of what he's getting by the time it shows up.
So modern photography helps, video clips help,
various forms of communication.
So we have our make offer product
and you can just immediately start messaging
with the person offering the car.
That direct line of communication helps.
And then the services,
we have our pay and title service even.
So now even exchanging the funds
and the title of the car has a measure of security to it.
It gets rid of that, okay,
well am I sending you a cashier's check
or am I getting on a plane with a suitcase full of money?
All those things that people have done for years
that are maybe not the greatest idea.
Yeah and it is the most nerve-wracking thing
in the world where you're waiting for a FedEx
to show up with the title and then like,
I hope I didn't just screw myself here.
So that's off the pay and title services
intended directly for people like you
who used to have to sweat.
It's sort of like a digital escrow service.
So every party is kind of putting their piece in
and then the other party knows that that piece is in
and again the trust doesn't necessarily have to be there
because the system enables each person to know
that the other person did what they were supposed to do
and in that way the sweat factor is hopefully reduced.
I will say Hemings takes a unique and diverse approach.
So we're sitting in here,
where Chip Fousa just did some signing.
I may still be here.
I think Mike Finnegan's got a boat
that's gonna float in a pool tonight surrounded by beer.
It's not just legend, it's true.
Also with Hemings.
Yeah, tonight is the Hemings SEMA party
which we've been doing for several years.
We do it with Christian Sosa at his Sosa Metalworks shop
which is a really cool place.
And it's evolved rapidly into a really cool thing
and one of our guys, Dan Stoner,
he's one of our marketing guys,
Dan always kind of comes up with the theme of the party
and puts the whole thing together
and he wants the party to have a theme every year
and this year it's drag boats.
Old school, huge V8, flat bottom drag boats.
And so of course Mike Finnegan
has kind of gotten to be known for drag boats
because it's pretty serious pursuit for him
apart from four wheeled ventures.
So our guy wanted the game over boat
that Finnegan used to own
but of course Mike doesn't have that boat anymore
but he does have this other boat he just finished.
Dan came up with this crazy idea
that he was gonna get a big pool
and fill it with water and put Mike's boat in it
so it will be floating at the party.
Mike Finnegan to his credit did not know Dan Stoner
prior to Dan reaching out to him to do this.
And Dan described it, said what he wanted to do
and Mike said that sounds like a terrible idea,
let's do it.
And I can tell you from firsthand accounts
that that boat is currently floating in that pool.
It's at the party site right now, so.
We just had a hot dog with Mike.
He said I don't have a lawyer.
And then that's all that's where it ended.
Yeah, the funny observation last night
because we were there and I was one of the people
that helped lift the boat up
so they could pull the trailer out from under it
while we were standing in the pool
before it was filled with water.
The person least concerned seemingly
about what we were doing was the guy who owned the boat,
Mike Finnegan.
The thing has a fantastic paint job on it.
It's brand new, no worries.
Did you wait in there while they filled the pool?
So what we did was it's an inflatable pool
but custom built so it's really big.
They deflated the pool.
They had it laid out in the shop,
flattened out the one side of it.
We took that caddy trailer that Mike has
which he put inside his box trailer to get to Vegas.
We rolled the caddy trailer by hand
into the pool with no water
and then lined the boat with about 12 people
around the whole thing.
All around it.
Mike says this whole boat weighs about 1,200 pounds
so there's no reason we shouldn't all be able to lift it up.
One, two, three, we picked it up off the trailer
and we're standing there holding the boat in the air.
And his guy Joe and another guy pull the trailer out
and they put motorcycle tires down on the pool floor
and we very gently set the boat down
on those motorcycle tires.
Everybody cheered and we stepped out of the pool.
They turned on the air pump
to begin inflating the pool again.
Pool inflated and then, okay next step
is to fill this thing with water
and so they started filling it with water
and eventually we had lift off
and the boat was floating in the pool
and when the water level got to about
where it should have been, we turned it off,
pulled the motorcycle tires, fished them out
and Mike's boat is floating in that pool.
Floating in a pool.
Not your grandfather's Hemmings,
I guess would be the title of that one.
And that's kind of what the message we were trying
to convey when we started the party
because while we do everything Hemmings used to do
we do a lot of other things
and we aren't necessarily your grandfather's Hemmings
and a lot of us are enthusiasts
and that idea to do that boat in that pool
came right out of the minds of one of our veteran staffers.
Yeah, I think Finnegan put it well.
That's a terrible idea.
Let's give this a try.
Yep, we enjoy having fun
and we like doing stuff with our industry
but also with these cars
and getting out in the world and experiencing them.
That's kind of one of our pushes these days
is collector cars are for collecting
but I think a lot of people understand
that they're for enjoying
so we should be going out in the world
and driving these things
and we just started a rally series in fact
that one of our other guys, Mike Musto
who you probably know, Mike Musto.
Mike's kind of heading up that venture.
What is that?
Well, they'll come up with a route
and they've done two of them in California
and they're gonna do more next year
all around the country
and they'll come up with like a great driving route
and then they'll put it out there
and say, hey, this is the package.
We're gonna meet here on this date.
We're gonna do this trip on these cool roads
over this number of days.
We're gonna stay in these places,
sign up and here's the package
and we have space for X number of people.
Come join us.
We're gonna go drive our cars and have some fun.
It's a new thing for us
but right out of the gate,
it took off pretty hard
and they just did one like two weeks ago
and they had a lot of fun with it.
So they're looking at 26 to do a bunch more of them.
That is awesome.
And Musto's behaving?
You know, you know, Mike,
he stays at a jail but he has a good time.
He does, he does.
Nice talking to you.
It's great talking to you.
Thank you for letting us come crash again another year.
If Finnegan survives his boat party,
I will be the first to cheer as well.
Yeah, there might be another story
to go with the boat from tonight.
He's fairly confident.
It's not going to,
it's gonna leave that pool
one way or the other tonight.
One way or another.
Hopefully in the same shape it arrived.
Hemings.com?
Hemings.com.
We're always there.
Thank you, gang.
Great.
Okay.
That's it.
That was show number three from SEMA.
Now, don't forget.
We will be back Friday morning with one more for you.
But before we exit,
I do have one more clip for you.
And I love all the Charlie Brown holiday specials.
The Christmas one is of course my favorite.
I would say that of the three holiday specials,
well, and not including the Easter Beagle or something,
but of Halloween, thanks to the Christmas specials
or something,
but of Halloween Thanksgiving and Christmas Thanksgiving,
their episode probably gets the least amount of love
and press here.
It's the least classic of the three for some reason.
Here's a little clip from it.
If you can't find a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
anywhere else that's on Apple TV.
In the year 1621,
the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast.
They invited the great Indian chief,
Masa Syte,
who brought 90 of his brave Indians
and a great abundance of food.
Governor William Bradford and Captain Miles Dandish
were honored guests.
Elder William Brewster, who was a minister,
said a prayer that went something like this.
We thank God for our homes and our food
and our safety in a new land.
We thank God for the opportunity
to create a new world for freedom and justice.
Amen.
I usually get a lot of my history lessons
from Charlie Brown.
Another good one there.
Okay, we'll be back Friday morning between now
and then hit me up on Facebook or Instagram
anytime.
Be sure to sign up for our weekly email newsletter.
You can do all that on the homepage
of themusselcarplace.com website.
And as always,
don't forget to keep chasing your dreams
like you've let me chase mine.
Thanks for listening, everybody.
Happy Thanksgiving.
See you Friday.
Bye-bye.
It's your last conversation
from the more action amazing.
Thanks for parking at the Mussel Car Place
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