What Should I do With the #FairmontProject Videos?

[EricTheCarGuy]

I shoot and edit a lot of videos for both of my channels, but just because I work hard at that, doesn’t mean I’m giving my audience what they want. I thought I would put our sort of a ‘viewer poll’ to find out what you the viewers want in future content.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Topic

[Dave Tidman]

First of all, I still have my SCCA competition license, I’d be happy to thrash Oliver around Mid-Ohio for you. 🙂

I’m enjoying the detail of the Fairmont , in my mind, it’s done when it’s done. We (somewhat unfortunately) live in an instant gratification society so people think a project like this does not take significant time. They watch the TV shows where a car comes together in 1 hour with a crew of 25 working on it and I think some are trying to translate that to you. I also understand that this is your job and you are running a business and need to be cognizant of views, trends, ad revenue, etc.

So my vote is to keep going as you have been with the Fairmont, but if you are seeing a business impact, make the decision that is best for your business.
I have learned as much from the Fairmont videos as I do from your repair videos.

[James Franklin]

Hey Eric, I’ve been watching your videos for a while, but never bothered to join this forum until now. For background I’m an electronics tech (I work on radar systems mostly) who likes to do my own maintenance where I can.

I’ve enjoyed watching your Fairmont series; I always liked the “sleeper” concept, and I think the sprawling over time/over budget thing is great to show too if for no other reason than to bring home the idea that these projects will (probably) take longer and cost more than originally planned. I’ve also enjoyed seeing the different systems you’ve worked on in this one car, which has been educational for us. I do think you could at times get away with less detail, but then again we can always fast forward on youtube if we want to skip something. I’ve always wanted to fix up an old car/truck so it’s been fun to live vicariously through your videos.

As far as what else I’d like to see in your videos, I like anything geared towards the DIY/driveway mechanic since I do my own maintenance as much as I can (your brake videos have saved me hundreds of dollars, so thanks!). Things like homemade tools or “discount” alternatives to specialty dealership tools, those kinds of tricks and tips and workarounds that let the owner fix things himself rather than go to a pro.

I would like to see you mention/highlight some of the quirks that a given make might have (you do this all the time with Hondas, and I know that’s your experience base). I also know that you can only show what comes into your shop (I’d love to see a Hyundai/Kia if you ever get the chance), but I love to see the little idiosyncrasies that a ford might have compared to a chevy – the things that you might not know unless you’ve worked on or owned that particular car. Again, I won’t hold my breath, but it’s something to keep in mind with your future repair videos.

Another thing you’ve done a little of in the past is preventative/scheduled maintenance (I think you did one on the Element) I realize that at a certain point an oil change is an oil change, but I really appreciated that particular video sine regular maintenance is going to make up most of the work I ever do on a car.

There’s also that nice truck you’ve got lurking in the background; I don’t want to rush you, but I’m eager to see videos on that…

[Charles Putt]

I agree with the above replies, Eric. This is your YouTube channel, and whatever you post, I’ll watch. There are some things I’d like to see but I’m watching so many other things on YouTube and Netflix that I’m more than patient enough to see them. Most notable among those is the conversion of the truck back to its original manual transmission, if you decide to go that route. I also enjoy watching the old repair videos, especially on the Hondas, so that I can glean any similarities with my girlfriend’s 2006 Odyssey. They have already helped me immensely, as just last weekend my friend and I (mostly him) replaced the entire suspension, both drive axles, outer and inner tie rod ends, wheel bearings and front ball joints. It was a mighty undertaking, but watching videos from you and Eric Or made the whole thing more palatable.

Keep doing what you’re doing, man. And Stay Dirty. And let is know if you’ve put any more thought into this year’s Meetup(s). Would be an honor to meet you.

Charlie

[Jacob Austin]

Hi Eric,
A viewer in the YouTube comments hit the nail on the head for me. He said that maybe the conclusion of the project would generate more interest in the previous videos as people become curious about what it took to put the car together. I would call it “Netflix Syndrome”. At that point people can see the whole picture and/or chronology of the build and can better understand the steps involved in the process.

Another good suggestion I read was that some type of time table or chronology as the videos are released could be helpful.

You have been very good about updating us about the status of the build. Letting us know when you have needed to alter you original plan, part choices, or even rework certain portions altogether . Knowing that ahead of time, when I see the videos of things that you have told us are changing or will not be part of the end result I have tended to not watch those as much. In my mind, I think,”I’ll wait to see the video of you doing it with the final set-up”, and that helps me have a clearer understanding of what work was done that is yielding the specific results we will see at the end. That’s just the way my brain works. If others are doing this maybe their interest will peak as we get closer to the end and the bigger picture comes together.

When I was growing up my grandfather restored a 75′ Duster with my brother and I. Originally, we were going to keep it all original with the slant six motor, have the quarter panels redone, etc. Then he came across a 318 and a 727 transmission for dirt cheap, and he decided to swap the engine. This led to changes to the original plan, parts list, and timeline. I see what he went through, and it pales in comparison with the scope of your build and then the major changes you have had to make. Not only with the parts and mechanic work, but all the time and capital invested in filming and production of the videos. You have all that footage and time invested, and then you have to go do it that portion of the project again. I know that is par for the course when building a car, but not many other people who do that have to factor in the video side of it. As a viewer, I cannot and will not attempt to say I can relate, but I just wanted you to know that I see that from my perspective, as I’m sure other people do.

Lastly. Please be encouraged sir! We really love your videos and your channel! And thank you for the Exclusive video of the new tool box! That thing is sweet 🙂

[Christopher]

I think you’re on the right track, Eric. As a premium member I enjoy your style of videos that show the “real world” aspect of building a performance car. Stacey David puts together some monster machine in a couple shows and then says “oh it’s so cheap and easy and anyone could do it in their garage in a weekend!” I suggest his shows for the people who don’t have the patience or appreciation for your work.

And I certainly like these videos more than watching you fix cars that keep coming back to your shop because they belong in the scrap yard in the first place.

[James Franklin]

[quote=”c918″ post=185553]…And I certainly like these videos more than watching you fix cars that keep coming back to your shop because they belong in the scrap yard in the first place.[/quote]

I’d have to disagree at least in part – fixing older (not classic) high mileage cars is/can be worthwhile especially if you’re doing the work yourself, and once again there’s something to be learned from Eric’s experiences of doing a bunch of work on a car only to have another issue come up later on.

I said goodbye to my first car several years back precisely because the work needed to keep her on the road would have cost more than the car was worth, and it was a little daunting for someone living in an apartment with almost no tools. If I’d stumbled across online resources like this site and Eric’s videos, I likely would have spent the money on the tools/parts I needed and kept the car.

But that goes to the whole point of asking the question – each of us viewers has our own preference on what we’d like to see.

[Christopher]

[quote=”Jimmy88″ post=185558][quote=”c918″ post=185553]…And I certainly like these videos more than watching you fix cars that keep coming back to your shop because they belong in the scrap yard in the first place.[/quote]

I’d have to disagree at least in part – fixing older (not classic) high mileage cars is/can be worthwhile especially if you’re doing the work yourself, and once again there’s something to be learned from Eric’s experiences of doing a bunch of work on a car only to have another issue come up later on.

I said goodbye to my first car several years back precisely because the work needed to keep her on the road would have cost more than the car was worth, and it was a little daunting for someone living in an apartment with almost no tools. If I’d stumbled across online resources like this site and Eric’s videos, I likely would have spent the money on the tools/parts I needed and kept the car.

But that goes to the whole point of asking the question – each of us viewers has our own preference on what we’d like to see.[/quote]

I see where you’re coming from, but dragging in a car that was left for junk because it had a bad fuel pump (or wasn’t installed right, can’t remember) to get it going, and then it needs all the other commonly neglected items. But then it just ends up being a bunch of advertisements for parts store/website sponsors for these routine parts, and that’s when I start to get bored. Yeah the brakes on a Ford vs a Honda are different, but the principles are the same.

Plus, Eric basically said in the future he’s going to have to find a limit of how many times he can let the car come back for other things that need replaced after the initial repair. For example, if Eric changes a water pump and a timing chain to get a car going again, then a week later it needs an alternator, alright, but then what happens a month later when some other part fails that puts it right back in the yard where it started? He can’t allow people to keep coming back and rightfully so because he wants to help other people, or so he says.

[Kathryn Kaufman]

Hi Eric,

It occurred to me that you do so much for us, your fans, and that acknowledgement of your kindness, in the form of gifts etc. sent to your PO box (from fans) may be overwhelming. So, I say that if I could give you a useful gift in acknowledgement of all you do it would be in the form of some guilt-free, no-pressure, video-free time where you can just do what you love to do and just wrench on stuff. I know that you’ll always make videos for us your fans as long as you are able but that that effort has to be balanced with time to just do what you love to do without feeling obligated to be video-taped (and deal with all that entails) every time.

Thanks again for all you do and best of luck as you continue with the Fairmont Project,

Kathryn

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