TMCP #505: Chasing the Dream with Zip Simons – 10 Years of Building Elite Rides at Street Metal Concepts!
Many years ago I was in the middle of a surreal experience of realizing the dream of building my parents car, that I grew up in, into an auto-cross machine that was made better than I ever imagined. I met lifetime friends that donated time to make the dream happen. Street Metal Concepts turned the metal handiwork of Jeff Allison, into the gleaming, flawless paint, perfectly gapped, SEMA Show car that it became.
Almost 10 years later my Chevelle is back at Street Metal Concepts for a few tweaks and updates so I wanted to check in with Street Metal Concepts to see how things are going, what life lessons they have learned, and to catch up with my buddy Zip Simons!
TMCP #501: SEMA’s Colby Martin – What is the Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act All About?
This week I spoke to Colby Martin of the SEMA Action Network to get all of the nitty gritty details on the Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act. The news of the act finally being able to move forward after 7 long years of it becoming law has been huge! Specifically, it now means that a licensed replica vehicle manufacturer can build up to 325 replica “classic” cars per year! Unlike current replica and “kit” cars, the customer can purchase it fully completed (running/driving) and register it in their own state accordingly. It’ll look and feel just like the original, but there is one catch; it has to be emissions compliant with “modern standards!” Clear as mud, right? Colby was here to sort out the minutia of it all.
TMCP #489: SEMA Show 2021 Special #5: Martin Beckenbach – Creating Legendary Auto Interiors, James Thomas – SEMA Young Gun, Talbert & Mike Goldman Customs – ’65 Chevelle and ’55 Chevy Apache Truck, Vibrant Exhaust, Make it Your Way, Coverlay Plastic Dash Covers
Martin Beckenbach – Creating Legendary Auto Interiors, James Thomas – SEMA Young Gun, Talbert & Mike Goldman Customs – ’65 Chevelle and ’55 Chevy Apache Truck, Vibrant Exhaust, Make it Your Way, Coverlay Plastic Dash Covers
TMCP #480: Ask Rick – To SEMA or NOT To SEMA? That is the Question!
It is October and time for the spooky boys and girls to get their costumes ready for some trick or treating fun! It is also time for another impactful and insightful Ask Rick segment with our friend Rick Schmidt. In this episode we broach the exciting topic of what exactly is Rick’s favorite candy bar? Other topics include the upcoming SEMA show attendance and why the 1993 Ford Mustang Cobra R model is so sought after.
TMCP #470: Pro-touring update with Larry Callahan – THE BIG EVENTS ARE ALL BACK!
Larry Callahan is back for the second quarterly Pro-Touring Update for 2021! He has the latest information directly from the pages of Pro-Touring.com and he gave me an update on his tech laden, power stuffed, cutting edge, classic muscle, home projects! The big news is that the event list for 2022 is at full force; more events are back than ever!
TMCP #441: It REALLY IS Possible! Chris Holstrom Customs on How to Create a PROFITABLE and FUN Custom Car Shop! – Ask Rick, How To Choose a Catalog Cover Car
This weeks interview is with Chris Holtrom, longtime friend and many time repeat interviewee dating years back to TMCP Episode #50. Chris is also famous as the owner and namesake of Chris Holstrom Concepts and the creator of many show winning automotive creations at huge venues like SEMA. Just recently we asked him on The Kibbe and Friends Show (K&F Episode 159) to discuss the experience of his entire family contracting COVID-19! It was a remarkable insight into his realities of it all. At the end of that long interview he dropped a tiny comment about changing his entire business from a fun but (at times) consuming job into a highly profitable and life-fitting business! And then “with that bombshell, goodnight!” the show ended. I knew in that second that Chris was coming back on to explain himself. This is that show, and believe me it is amazing! If you own a shop, a business, or would like to this may just be revolutionary for you.
TCMP #413: Dan Kahn; The Inside Baseball of the SEMA Show – Jon Chase; Catching up on HOONIGAN!
This week is a special Thanksgiving Special SEMA show with Dan Kahn and Jon Chase. This is a fun to listen to show with a couple great guys live from the show floor!
Interview #1 : It was a huge pleasure to sit down again with my friend Dan Kahn and do a “State of the Nation” style discussion on the topic of SEMA – both the trade show itself as well as the organization. Dan and I met each other years past and hosted a popular podcast called “Cars for a Living” for several years together. Today Dan’s company “Kahn Media” is the PR powerhouse of choice for automotive aftermarket companies businesses. He is heavily involved with SEMA and sits on the board of directors – and just a few hours after this interview he was suprprised to win the 2019 SEMA Person of the Year award! In this interview he explains his involvement with SEMA now and many insights into one of the most interesting parts of this industry. The Battle of the Builders discussion itself is worth the price of admissions! Check out Kahn Media at their website Kahnmedia.com
Interview #2 : Jon Chase of Hoonigan fame is another person I met years past at SEMA, thanks to the podcast . He himself has been a guest on our show – twice! The first interview was episode #159 where he talked about his dream job designing automotive toys for Maisto, as a designer for Muscle Machines. Later Jon was back on the show in episode 368 where he talked about his new dream job of Brand Manager and Art Director at Hoonigan. He has also designed clothing, promotional media, and raced his ’55 Chevy against Mike Finnegan’s (a re-match is in the works). HOONIGAN is a huge success in our industry today and this was a full discussion on that as well. You can find out more at Hoonigan.com.
TMCP #412: SEMA Show Special 2019 #2 – Kyle Tucker: Detroit Speed’s Square Body Truck Suspension, Scott Bowers: Ron Francis Wiring, Larry Callahan: Pro-Touring.com, Jeff Teel: Holley Performance Products Dual Quad Sniper EFI, Kevin Huth and Jordan Henke: The Tokyo Trans Am
This weeks installment is the second LIVE from the show floor episodes from SEMA 2019. This year was not only epic as an overall show, but also epic in the number of interviews with the best-of-the-best in the industry that we were able to conduct! This second show features Kyle Tucker from Detroit Speed, Scott Bowers at the Ron Francis Wiring booth with Larry Callahan the Godfather of Pro-Touring, Jeff Teel from Holley Performance Products, and Kevin Huth and Jordan Henke from JH restorations with their “Tokyo Trans Am – my favorite car of the show!
TMCP #411: SEMA Show Special 2019 #1 – Phil and Jeremy Gerber: Roadster Shop, Rick Love: Vintage Air, Sean Barber: New Legend, and Mike Pennington: Meguiars!
This weeks installment is the first of multiple LIVE from the show floor episodes from SEMA 2019. This year was not only epic as an overall show, but also epic in the number of interviews with the best-of-the-best in the industry that we were able to conduct! This show marks the very first appearance of the […]
TMCP #400: We Made it to 400! Celebration Show with Jeff Allison of Allison Custom
This weeks show features the return of Jeff Allison, Owner and operator of Allison Customs, Airline Pilot, and You Tube sensation. I asked Jeff to be on the show as a fitting tribute as to how far the show (and Jeff) have come in the last 400 episodes. Back in episode 72 (Feb 2011) I announced that the Chevelle was going to be built and that Jeff had offered to build it for me. Since then it has not only been an amazing experience with the car but a fun journey with a great friend.
For a long time Jeff Allison ran a construction company as his main source of income and flew airplanes as a side business and had dreams of owning a hot rod shop. Jeff eventually moved up to captain and dropped building houses but now had time to work on cars as the side job. He said that eventually he wants to retire from flying and go full time in the custom business. The automotive jobs he takes are never rush jobs and the customers understand that it may take awhile since this is not the main source of income.
Jeff Allison, Scott Bowers, Rob Kibbe, in the Ron Francis Booth
As a car enthusiast, Jeff liked to fill his down time with automotive information and The Muscle Car Place became one of his main sources of entertainment. In January of 2011 Jeff offered to help bring my Chevelle dreams to life and so began a great friendship. The build was featured start to finish on The Muscle Car Place and over the next four years it went from mostly rust to a stunning SEMA show car that attracted attention for TMCP and Allison Customs as well as Ron Francis Wiring who hosted the car in their booth. Today I use the Chevelle as intended as an autocross car and it attracts attention where ever I drive it.