Anyone catch last nights show? Aside from the highjinks, whining and screwing around - which there seems to be less of nowadays, I found the program interesting. Some mistakes were made, granted, but it's easy to criticize and think perhaps if the car had one person sheparding it through the build process some of the simple stuff that happened during fire-up wouldn't have happened. Some of it so obvious you'd think it was done for TV, but I don't think so. Done a few of those myself, they were just as dumb and since I was the guy overseeing - and doing - the whole project I had no one to blame and no one to clean up the mess. Sometimes dealing with the guy in the mirror is tough. Aside from all that I think the AlumaTub turned out nice. Good style lines on all except for where the roof turns down in back. A personal choice in design, but I wonder how it would have looked with a reverse turn-down similar to the back of a 34 Ford sedan would have looked. A little more of the old hot rod flavor I think. Anyhow, main reason I posted was to say how much I enjoyed the section on upholstery. Those guys are really skilled and it gave me a new appreciation for what sometimes seems like a Black Art. I think too, they made a wise choice in having Gabe's son do the voice-over explaining what was going on and how things worked. Nothing quite like the voice of experience about a particular thing. I got a kick out of the son confessing - sorta - to watching his dad upholster stuff and when he started out, found how much work and skill were involved. Something most of us have gone through with our dads I think. Maybe too, the producer should try a new script or maybe a couple of them. Most of us would tune it to watch a car being built from start to finish and it wouldn't have to be a one-off like the AlumaTub. Howsa bout a show that doesn't have everyone running around watching the clock, screwing off, whining about each other and simply getting together as a team and seeing the project through? I know a lot of the drama et al are in there to attract the non-building, perhaps not hot rodder viewer, but I think folks who fit this category wouldn't have a problem watching a show that rolls through the building process and sees the cars done by the skilled builders the guys on the show are. Hot rodding is a complex and somewhat intellectually demanding hobby/sport/interest and catering to the viewer who's caught up in the drama of the day doesn't cut it with the great majority of us who are serious about hot rodding. TV has a lot of smart folks working in the industry and maybe it's time to let them strut their stuff and knock out a program or two that's serious about what can be a serious subject. Nuff said....
The "Drama" gets in the way. I like the show "A car is reborn". We all know you can't build a car in an hour. So what's wrong with taking a few episodes and showing us what really goes into it?
I saw the show last night and enjoyed it. There seemed to be less drama and the car turned out great I thought. That car had been on the drawing board for years. In 1998 I bought the original makings of it from one of BC's bodymen. I have the chassis under my RPU currently (minus all the high-zoot suspension that was destined for it) and it came with a steel '28 two door sedan body. The chassis was built and body bought before BC got on his alloy car kick. I'll dig up the original concept drawing and post it later today. Anyway, it kinda makes me wish I had kept the sedan body. A traditional version could have been cool. We finally got an explanation for why the machine shop supervisor speaks without moving his face too.
[ QUOTE ] We finally got an explanation for why the machine shop supervisor speaks without moving his face too. [/ QUOTE ] I missed that part, what gives?
He was racing at El Mirage with Boyds son and rolled the car, broke his face to shit. He has 9 plates in his face in his pallet, around his nose and mouth. Nerve damage and all makes it difficult to speak, eat, feel and all that. Mike
The guy and Greg Coddington crashed in a car real bad at El Mirage awhile back and they had to rebuild his face from metal plates. Apparantly his whole face was destroyed in the crash.
Well said, Jay. I enjoyed the program and also thought the upholstery segment was a highlight. Trimmers are some of the craftier folk in the movement and can make or break a project through their creativity and skill, or lack thereof. Boyd's tub was greatly enhanced by Gabe's work.
I loved it. The upholster segment was very informative (although I'd like to know the differece between the green foam and the white foam) I'm sure it's the density but I wonder which is which and why it was used there. It's so refreshing to see the mistakes that inevitably take place. That makes it real for me. They could have edited them out and make it seem like they are super men. Keeping it "real" warts and all makes it so much more appealing to me. They aren't gods. They just fix their mistakes like we all do. It looks like they are going to start a Brookville roadster. I can't wait.
I only saw the tail end of the show (when the car had no oil pressure). Boy, it sure was lucky for the staff that Boyd got another day to get the car there! He was bleep! Did you ever notice how on these shows (Monster Garage, Monster House...anything with a deadline) that it all comes down to the last minute. I'd like to see Jesse and his crew finish just one project with still a half a day left and they order some pizza and beer and just set around and shoot the bull. It's all about the "drama".
I dunno Donzie... it seems that no matter how much time I give myself I'm always working up to the last minute anyways!
watching the 54 chevy monster garage made me realize why shows like AC and AHR are not as enjoyable. we dont need to see $100,000 cars or bikes being built to enjoy the process. the way the chevy MG went, there were six experts, real experts , not just people that do that for a living. they worked casually together , they didnt have to break ground, just do the things they were good at, they didnt add the dramatic music to make the viewers think the shit was going to hit the fan. they built a car for $20,000 that I appreciated a hell of a lot more than boyds "just another belair". its not all about the peferection and making something that has never been attempted on a ridiculous deadline, its about making cool shit , with people that are good at what they do. that said , I still watch AC and AHR but I just try to close my eyes when the drama comes around. ian
I like the old sheet metal guy too. The drama I can live with-out, but mistakes happen, I can understand those. I liked it a whole lot better with-out the top on. And with-out the hood, but I like things topless !
the sheet metal guy and charlie the body shop guy seem like the only 2 that know what the hell they are doing. ian
I like the show myself but seem to be a week behind you guys in its air time, the first show of the alumitub just aired so I'll have to wait for the rest of it. I thought about sending boyd a message on his board about making a hotrod with an under 10,000 budget just to see them build something out of nothing with used parts and stuff just to see how they do it, compared to myself, having to swap and trade this and that to get something else I think it would be interesting to watch them poke around the junkyards and whatnot I somehow doubt they would make a show along that line but its free to ask and no harm done
Anyone have pictures of this AlumiTub? Notice how anything real important gets sent out? Does anyone know if Marcel DeLay even worked directly for Boyd? Or was he always on his own? I know Marcel and Sons did the Aluminum Model A truck a couple years ago, and the Lincoln Zepher before that.
C9, I have to agree with you on the upholstery part. Most people have no idea what all goes into doing a complete interior. My dad had his own upholstery shop for 30yrs.and my granddad(Dads dad) did it before him. I saw them do alot of interiors over the yrs. I would have kept the family business going but my dad shut the doors cause you can buy funiture cheaper than you can recover it. And around here there isn't as many people fixing up old cars as there once was. The good thing is he kept his sewing machine and button press so we can do our cars as father/son type of projects..Which is great!...Mike
Marcel & Sons did a top chop on a 36 body for the new issue of STREET RODDER. They've been around a long time, and do work for anyone who will pay for it, not just Boyd. I thought the AlumaTub was only the second cool car to come out of Boyd's garage EVER...the first being his Center-Door T from about 1971 or so! I love the way the AlumaTub looked with the top on it...pretty neat little car, actually! Roy is 'the old sheetmetal guy' on the show (Roy Johnson or Roy Schmidt, depending on which episode you're watching...I noticed that some last names changed in later episodes!!) When they said they were taking the car to the Salt, I wondered if they'd mention what happened to Mike out there...I thought it was cool that they explained it and let him take the car for a spin on the white stuff. Cool that he's able to come back and live a semi-normal life again! You notice, though...that the body, engine and interior were all done by outside shops...even though Boyd has all those buildings, bells and whistles! I dunno about that engine builder, though...you think he'd realize that he had Vortec heads and a non-Vortec intake, and you'd expect that he'd know enough to check the oil pickup-to-pan clearance during assembly...and even if he didn't, you'd think he'd hand prime the motor to check for oil pressure before sending it back to the customer. That aside, I thought it was hillarious as they were loading up the car and Mike casually says, "Uh...we don't have any oil pressure!". He knew that the night before, but didn't say anything...the look on Boyd's face was PRICELESS!!
I was getting a little tired of seeing these " It normaly takes three months to do this but we will do it in an afternoon" scenes. But if you guys say it has gotten better, I might watch again.
[ QUOTE ] I loved it. The upholster segment was very informative (although I'd like to know the differece between the green foam and the white foam) I'm sure it's the density but I wonder which is which and why it was used there. [/ QUOTE ] The white foam is much softer than the blue...The blue is used on the edges for support...If the white were to be used on the edges, it would break down very easily and would look ike crap in no time...The blue is easy to form, and holds up very well when getting into and out of the vehicle... JP
What car did Mike And Greg crash? Did Greg get hurt? I met Greg at the Pomona fathers day show right after his T was finished. He was real down to earth, and didn't mind talking to me. Dean
Haven't seen the last installment of the Alumatub yet, but definitely like that project more than the Junkyard '56 from the creative standpoint, outside-the-box thinking behind it. The '56 was sweet, but seemed like not much of the original Junkyard Dog was left. Really like that show, though. Anyone know if they're bringing back Southern Chopper, or was that a one-time deal?
they should do a "japan chopper" and follow Kaz Yamaguchi from zero choppers around for a little while , this guy knows his shit and makes the only choppers I would actually ever consider owning. http://www.zerochop.com
C9.... yep it was interesting to listen to the boy talk about his dad's interior work and the fact that it looks easy and it ain't....My wife has doen interiors on our cars and she intently watched that part of the show for any little tips Also interesting about the goofy kid with glasses talking about the earlier incident where a car rolled at El Mirage and he took a helicopter ride to the hospital. About like anything I guess. I work on automatic trannys. these things are dirt simple to me ....now, after a couple of decades of working on them...
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