December 2016 Newsletter

11/22/2016

Welcome to the ETCG December 2016 Newsletter!

If you’re reading the email version of this newsletter, it’s not the full version, there’s so much more!

The email version has gone on a diet and just features the main topics to tantalize your interest. Click on an image, or ‘read more’ link, and you will be taken directly to the topic of choice at EricTheCarGuy.com where the full newsletter is displayed. If you’re reading this on the website, you’re getting the full monty already, read on.

For the rest of you poking your phones, feel free to poke this email as much as you like, but you might as well read the full newsletter. For that, Click here.

Past newsletters and the ETCG Blog can be found here. (those are also outstanding pieces of digital literature)

Thanks for reading!

Road to SEMA an Awesome Experience

On the day the last newsletter came out, October 31, 2016, I was driving from LA, actually Malibu CA, to Las Vegas NV for SEMA 2016. I’ve filed that day as one of the best of my life.

Not only did I get to drive some awesome machines provided by Dodge and Campagna Motors, I also got to take the trip with some of my closest friends.

Those friends were, ChrisFix, EngineeringExplained, HumbleMechanic, SubaruWRXFan, and BriansMobile1. I also had the pleasure of meeting Matt from BustedKnuckleFilms and Silvia from WooHoooGirls. Also great people!

We took the long way, through the mountains. Epic barely begins to describe it. In fact, I took some video of that drive that’s available to Premium Members of my website. Check it out.

The last leg of the trip I drove the 3 wheeler from Campagna Motors. It’s pretty quick. It’s also loud. It has a Harley Davidson VRod engine with no mufflers. I drove it from Barstow CA to Las Vegas NV. It’s a fun machine to drive, but because of how low it sits, every time a tractor trailer passes it feels like you’ve already been run over.

Still, it’s like driving an F1 car on the street. Power to weight is insane. I’ll admit it could use a bit more refinement, but I think that’s part of it’s charm. Out of all the vehicles traveling in our group, that one got the most attention. Made me feel like a bad ass driving into Vegas at night.

Did I mention it was an epic trip?

Special thanks to GarageMonkey, Dodge, Shell, and Campagna Motors!

LA Meet Up, The Peterson Museum

Before we took that trip, we had a couple of days in LA, and took the opportunity to have a couple of ‘Meet Up’s’. One was at the Peterson Automotive Museum in downtown LA.

The Peterson Museum was fantastic. We even got a tour of the basement where they keep some of the ‘private’ stuff that doesn’t go on display. Things like Elvis’ Pantera. He got mad at it once because it wouldn’t start and shot the steering wheel. They even marked where the bullet passed through.

They had several, one of a kind, priceless vehicles down there. A Tucker comes to mind. Some stuff George Barris made. Some of Steve McQueen’s cars. Lots of movie and TV cars. They even had one of Saddam Hussein’s Limo’s

One little snag. They were very particular about the video and pictures we were allowed to take in the basement. That means I was only able to get a couple of pictures, that I can share with you, from the basement tour.

The car show was great. We got to pick 2 of the winners. Sadly, our first winner left early, it was a Lancia rally car with a V4 engine. We had to pick an alternative winner as a result. We settled on another English ride, a Jensen Interceptor.  We almost lost that one too because he was leaving just as we announced him as the new winner.

I want to thank everyone that made it out to the show. We really did have a heck of a time picking winners. Our main criteria was something that gets driven. We didn’t want a ‘trailer queen’ to win.

Also, thanks to GarageMonkey, Dodge, Shell, and Campagna Motors.

LA Meet Up, Service and Supply

The second ‘Meet Up’, at Service and Supply, was a little more subdued. It was later in the day, and to be honest, a little more difficult to find. Not to mention parking. It is LA after all. That said, it was still great to meet all of you that made it to that ‘Meet Up’.

I’ll also admit we didn’t have much time to promote the events before they happened. Sorry about that. If we get this opportunity again, I hope to give you plenty of lead time so you can plan to make it out to the next one.

If you’re in the LA area, consider going to Service and Supply for a hair cut. It’s an awesome place.

Once again I want to thank GarageMonkey, Dodge, Shell, and Campagna Motors.

SEMA 2016 and My Time With WD-40

This years SEMA experience was a little different for me. I spent most of my time at the WD-40 Brand booth. Most times at SEMA, you’re walking for miles getting from one place to another. It was a nice change of pace to pretty much stay in one spot.

While there, I got to meet a lot of great people. Some old friends, some new. I even made a series of social media videos with them. Since many people use WD-40 in different ways, I decided to ask people how they used WD-40. I was surprised at some of the answers I got.

Also at the WD-40 Brand booth, a ’67 Camaro built in a partnership with SEMA for both the Camaro, and SEMA’s, 50th anniversary. The car is set to go to the auction block at Barrett Jackson. The proceeds will benefit Childhelp, an organization that provides services to abused and neglected children, as well as the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to students entering the automotive aftermarket.

More info on the car here.

What really got me was the custom Yamaha built by Cerberus Moto. Dave Hardgraves did a great job designing and building one of the coolest bikes I’ve ever seen called, Athena. Athena is a ‘bug out’ bike specifically built for utility. I want one bad, and I’m a car guy, not a bike guy.

More on Athena here.

In all, my time at the WD-40 Brand booth was a blast. A great way to spend time at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.

SEMA Ignited

Had enough of SEMA stuff yet? Well, I got one more for you. SEMA Ignited is the celebration that happens on Friday after SEMA ends. It’s the one part of the show that’s open to the public. It starts with a parade of vehicles, almost all the vehicles at the SEMA show in fact.

I made a video of this parade. It’s pretty long, but if you want to check it out, here’s a link.

After the parade, they had a drifting competition where I got a front row seat to the action. When I say front row, I mean in the press pit in the middle of the track. Like I said, it was an epic trip.

Once again, I got to share this time with some of my closest friends. ChrisFix, EngineeringExplained, HumbleMechanic, SubaruWRXFan, and BriansMobile1, and BustedKnuckleFilms.

I did get lots of video of this trip, I’m just not sure how or where I’ll be using it. I have plenty of other videos to edit as well. Perhaps a special release at some point. I make no promises but I’ll see what I can do.

Special thanks to GarageMonkey for setting that up for us.

The #FairmontProject

Given all that was going on during the month of November, I’ve made zero progress on the Fairmont. I have parts gathered and plans made, but no time to implement.

December doesn’t look much better. I’m hoping to take the last couple weeks of the year off for vacation. That means I have to work double time on edits to keep the videos coming each week.

It’s likely Brian and I will pick things up in January. Hopefully with a push to the finish line so I can put the project behind me. Who am I kidding? Project cars are never ‘done’.  

As long as we’re on the topic of the #FairmontProject, I’d like to address something that’s come up in the comments to some of the most recent videos. Mainly about the Oil Pan Modifications for Turbo and 4 Bolt Main Small Block Ford #DarkMatterPikachu video.

There were some that felt that I did not implement an acceptable way of modifying my oil pan for the turbo oil return. In fact, it felt more like I got caught punting babies for distance instead of posting a video about oil pan modifications. This despite the fact that the method I used was clearly outlined in the installation instructions for the turbo.

I get it. There are a lot of different ways of doing things, but just because something isn’t done the way you would do it, that doesn’t make it wrong. Some people took my methods personally and also lashed out at the machine shop that did the work, Kalvinator Engines.

I don’t see this as fair at all. They were only doing what I asked.

For those negative Nelly’s out there, you need to remember this is my car. If I screw it up, it’s on me. Please don’t take the videos you see on the internet so seriously you burst a blood vessel trying to prove a point. You’re wasting your time and I’m done with you.

If it leaks at some point in the future, I’ll own up to it. If it doesn’t leak, I’ll also be sure to let your smarmy butts know all about that as well.

**Please note, if you’re not one of the naysayers, please ignore the sentences above. You’re likely a mature and intelligent person. Please know those comments were certainly not directed at you.

Fixing it Forward

It’s official, Fixing it Forward is now a non-profit! As stated, time is still very short for me, but I’m getting some help setting things up for the future of the program.

The plan is to finish the Fairmont, then throw myself into Fixing it Forward. I’m hoping to start in Atlanta to work with McEachern Ministry Car Care facility. You might remember me mentioning them a couple of newsletters back. They already have an established program set up to help people with their automotive issues in the same way I plan to with Fixing it Forward.

I figure the more time I spend doing the actual work, the better Fixing it Forward will be when it gets off the ground. In fact, I’m even considering taking a break form ETCG videos so that I can focus on getting the program going.

It’s always been my intention to grow Fixing it Forward beyond just my YouTube channel. That’s going to take some effort I’m sure. So if I end up taking a break from ETCG videos for a while next year, you’ll know it’s for a good cause.

Premium Member News

This month there were 4 Exclusive Videos for Premium Members. Clearing the Truck Bed (Exclusive Video), Kalvinator Engines Machine Shop Tour (Exclusive Video), ETCG 2016 Drive to SEMA Through Mountain Pass (Full Video) (Exclusive Video), and Almost Every Vehicle at SEMA 2016 in One Video (Exclusive Video).

In fact, there were so many videos I didn’t have time to fit them all into the month. I’ll be carrying some of those over into December. Mainly they are more behind the scenes at the machine shop.

Premium Members get up to 4 exclusive videos per month. They also get additional perks on the website, and they help support the site with all of it’s useful, free, repair content.

Details on the new Premium Memberships here.

In Closing

Well, we’ve come to the end of another ETCG newsletter. I sometimes look at these as the ETCG diary. Someday, I should go back and read through some of the old installments just to get perspective on how far things have come. I’m guessing it’s quite a long way.

Just to put things in perspective. On October 31, 2007, I was fired from my job at the dealership. That story is on the website here if you care to look into it.

The reason I mention it is because on October 31, 2016, I found myself driving on a mountain road with an epic view in a brand new 2016 Dodge Challenger. Something I could never have guessed at back in 2007.

The point is to never give up. Believe me, back in 2007, I wanted nothing more than to do just that. In fact, I didn’t want to go home. I went to my shop and hung out for most of the day just to get my head right. I hated having to walk through the door to tell my wife that our lives as we knew them, were over.

Flash forward to now. I spend my time making auto repair videos trying to help people who might have also just lost their jobs.

In summary. You never know where you’ll end up, and if you have a chance to help someone, take it. It’s never a waste of time and is probably one of the best things you can do for yourself and the world around you.

Lastly, today may be your worst day, but know that tomorrow is another day that holds the potential to be your best day. Keep an open mind and Stay Dirty.

Thanks for reading.

Be safe

Have fun

Stay Dirty

ETCG

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