Fantom Works

[padgett]

Well MotorTrend has just cancelled one of the few shows worth watching, Dan Short and Fantomworks. Maybe it was his dedication to safety rather than monster wheels on lifted truck or  bolt-together creations on an Art Morrison chassis, or comparison of interesting beards. There are a few of us who still use a razor.

 

BJ I mostly put on DVR and 3X unless something interesting or silly shows up.

 

This really just leaves Wayne and Chasing Classic Cars though I really have no interest in multi-million dollar barn finds. Are there any  "real" shows left.

[Paul Dobbin]

That's a shame, I too liked that show.   Maybe we should write to MotorTrend TV.?

It worked for me when "Barney Miller" was cancelled.  They brought it back and it ran several years.

 

[John348]

No loss for me, I find it too be just a tad too dramatic, (the countdown when he is locking up the brakes borderlines on being hysterical, is right up there when he give the bill with the surprise, NOBODY DOES THAT, cash flows constantly on any of those projects, once the money stops the car goes to storage or is returned because they are always ahead of the cash flow) I also always wonder why as a businessman he is all ticked off on a finding a big dollar extra and he was not even doing the physical work, just collecting the check.  I have a tough time making through an episode, before I hit the remote or take a nap. I do find it better then most of the stuff they put before us.

There really was nothing that left that shop that was impressive, really just cruise night specials

 

30 minutes ago, padgett said:

 Maybe it was his dedication to safety

 

I don't know if is dedicated to safety as much as he is dedicated to selling safety aspect to make money. 

Edited January 24, 2019 by John348 (see edit history)

[capngrog]

I also liked Fantomworks more than the other 'reality' auto shows currently available.  One of the things I liked about the show was that the star didn't sport numerous tats, piercings etc. in some lame attempt to look "badash".

 

Cheers,

Grog

[1937hd45]

REALLY?????????? Seriously would you give that guy a car to work on? NOBODY could run a restoration shop with his billing system. Owner sits down in his fake '50's diner and gets a tally of a gazillion hours labor and parts and a $125,000.00 bill and then smiles and just askes to see it. Four flat spotted tires so it "passed" the brake test. No loss, far better shows will fill the time slot. I always felt bad for the employees, I don't think the building had heat. 

 

Bob 

Edited January 24, 2019 by 1937hd45 (see edit history)

[Pfeil]

42 minutes ago, padgett said:

Well MotorTrend has just cancelled one of the few shows worth watching, Dan Short and Fantomworks. Maybe it was his dedication to safety rather than monster wheels on lifted truck or  bolt-together creations on an Art Morrison chassis, or comparison of interesting beards. There are a few of us who still use a razor.

 

BJ I mostly put on DVR and 3X unless something interesting or silly shows up.

 

This really just leaves Wayne and Chasing Classic Cars though I really have no interest in multi-million dollar barn finds. Are there any  "real" shows left.

 Flat spotting tires for safety??????

 Does anyone remember the hack job on the 1966 VW????? 

 I will ask this AGAIN. What happened to the show the AACA guys were in?????

[poci1957]

34 minutes ago, padgett said:

This really just leaves Wayne and Chasing Classic Cars though I really have no interest in multi-million dollar barn finds. Are there any  "real" shows left.

 

I am a harsh critic of the cable TV cars shows and do not watch very many.  I liked Fantomworks more than most and I like Chasing Classic Cars but it is indeed a step above most of our old car experiences. 

 

I despise Fast & Loud and the (many) others of that ilk with tattoos, yelling, swearing, dramatic deadlines, blatant profiteering, etc. 

 

My favorite is Wheeler Dealers.  I know the British host can be a bit annoying to some, referencing spanners and petrol and such, but I like the format and I like the shop segments FAR more than most.  They show a quiet, purposeful one man workshop covering a wide range of mechanical and cosmetic work plus the occasional venture to a professional service to see how specialty work is done.  Informative and not (usually) insulting even to an experienced hobbyist, Todd C   

[old car fan]

The show was one of the best.run and stop was his concerns,mine as well.He was also concerned about original car's.

[Matt Harwood]

I think Fantomworks will be glad to have the cameras gone. I bet that took a lot of time away from doing their real work.

 

Also, the thing that annoyed me about that show was that the guy would bring his car in and say his budget was, say, $10,000. Then they get in there and find all kinds of problems and do a huge amount of work. At the end, the guy comes in and Dan gives him the bill: "Well, I know you only wanted the hood repainted and a new bumper installed, but we found some extra rust and the suspension was bent and the engine threw a rod and the whole interior was wrong. You said your budget was $10,000 but we have 9000 hours in the project and about $12,000 worth of parts, so here's the actual bill."

 

**hands customer bill for $68,000**

 

Customer: "Well, gosh, that's a lot of money. I didn't expect all that and it's a lot more than I wanted to spend. But I really like the car, so it's OK."

 

I have just one question: Is this endless line of suckers walking into everyone else's restoration shop, too?

[Janousek]

The whole "invoice" thing was TV stuff.  I liked that he mentioned the price and timeline on some of the builds.  Nice reality check for the novice guys that think a car can be built for 20 grand or in a week.  

 

 The drama was added for TV also.  Coming from a restorer I thought it was a decent show.  Their customer base isn't Pebble but more of the cruise in crowd and it appeared they do a good job for that market.  

 

I work on a lot of high end cars from auctions and  purchased from some big name collectors including Premiere AACA jobs and a lot of them won't drive around the block safely if they make it at all.   It's pretty regular in my world to inspect an auction special and end up with full brake job, transmission rebuild, clutch, wiring repair, and more.  It would blow your mind how poorly most of these cars are setup.  Brass cars all the way up to the late 50's.  Seems like most of the cars just don't get sorted out.  

 

I also liked the fact that Dan would jump right in and get to work instead of holding a cup of coffee or run a comb through his beard.  

[Pfeil]

3 hours ago, poci1957 said:

 

I am a harsh critic of the cable TV cars shows and do not watch very many.  I liked Fantomworks more than most and I like Chasing Classic Cars but it is indeed a step above most of our old car experiences. 

 

I despise Fast & Loud and the (many) others of that ilk with tattoos, yelling, swearing, dramatic deadlines, blatant profiteering, etc. 

 

My favorite is Wheeler Dealers.  I know the British host can be a bit annoying to some, referencing spanners and petrol and such, but I like the format and I like the shop segments FAR more than most.  They show a quiet, purposeful one man workshop covering a wide range of mechanical and cosmetic work plus the occasional venture to a professional service to see how specialty work is done.  Informative and not (usually) insulting even to an experienced hobbyist, Todd C   

I liked Wheeler Dealers too...…..Then Ed China left the series.

ED CHINA WAS Wheeler Dealers. No Ed China, No Wheeler dealers.

  Also, all the early shows were in England and I liked seeing something different and how they do things in the UK and seeing the cottage restoration industry of parts supply, parts repair, plus rules and regulations that are different than the states. They seemed to have a better level of respect for each other and the language is much more civilized.

[old car fan]

RESTORATION GARAGE IS GOOD AS WELL

[poci1957]

1 minute ago, Pfeil said:

I liked Wheeler Dealers too...…..Then Ed China left the series.

ED CHINA WAS Wheeler Dealers. No Ed China, No Wheeler dealers.

  Also, all the early shows were in England and I liked seeing something different and how they do things in the UK and seeing the cottage restoration industry of parts supply, parts repair, plus rules and regulations that are different than the states. They seemed to have a better level of respect for each other and the language is much more civilized.

 

That was my initial concern as I also enjoyed Edd.  But turns out I like the new guy well enough too, although I would welcome a new show with Edd anytime.

 

I liked the earlier Britishness too, but even after the move to California this show does not have the swearing and shouting of other TV car shows, Todd C  

[Pfeil]

6 minutes ago, old car fan said:

RESTORATION GARAGE IS GOOD AS WELL

 Have you seen some of the cars that have been sold out of that place? There have been a few in Hemmings. Also, I'm not into tractors.

 

Here is the IMBb review says;

It's all about shop floor drama, gas fueled egos, and millions of dollars at stake. An oil drenched, history soaked, paint splattered garage where the dreams of lofty aficionados and grease monkey gear-heads meet. Car restoration and customization is a multi billion dollar industry worldwide. And everybody who brings their car to the Guild has the same dream. Whether it's a rare vintage Lancia, in for a complete restoration or a '67 Chevy booked for "go faster" stripes, every driver wants to be behind that wheel as soon as possible and turn every head on the road. But running such a specialized and demanding business isn't always smooth sailing, or driving...

[Pfeil]

4 minutes ago, poci1957 said:

 

That was my initial concern as I also enjoyed Edd.  But turns out I like the new guy well enough too, although I would welcome a new show with Edd anytime.

 

I liked the earlier Britishness too, but even after the move to California this show does not have the swearing and shouting of other TV car shows, Todd C  

 I wonder if Adam is going to bring in his new bride Christina El Moussa in to do interior renovations and restorations.

[poci1957]

6 minutes ago, Pfeil said:

 Here is the IMBb review says;

It's all about shop floor drama, gas fueled egos, and millions of dollars at stake. An oil drenched, history soaked, paint splattered garage where the dreams of lofty aficionados and grease monkey gear-heads meet. Car restoration and customization is a multi billion dollar industry worldwide............... But running such a specialized and demanding business isn't always smooth sailing, or driving...

 

I saw a few episodes and must say I liked it more than this annoying description would have me expect.  But to avoid the "...drama (and) gas fueled egos" I watch on fast forward just in case, Todd C

 

PS--never heard of Ant's Christina El Moussa until now but she is certainly good looking

 

[Matt Harwood]

21 minutes ago, Pfeil said:

 Have you seen some of the cars that have been sold out of that place? There have been a few in Hemmings. Also, I'm not into tractors.

 

Here is the IMBb review says;

It's all about shop floor drama, gas fueled egos, and millions of dollars at stake. An oil drenched, history soaked, paint splattered garage where the dreams of lofty aficionados and grease monkey gear-heads meet. Car restoration and customization is a multi billion dollar industry worldwide. And everybody who brings their car to the Guild has the same dream. Whether it's a rare vintage Lancia, in for a complete restoration or a '67 Chevy booked for "go faster" stripes, every driver wants to be behind that wheel as soon as possible and turn every head on the road. But running such a specialized and demanding business isn't always smooth sailing, or driving...

 

And the guy who owns the place isn't nearly as charming or cute or witty or quirky as he thinks he is with his ugly shirts and non-sense of humor.

[Pfeil]

1 hour ago, poci1957 said:

 

 

 

PS--never heard of Ant's Christina El Moussa until now but she is certainly good looking

 

Christina would certainly add some interest to the show. And now that you know who she is does that mean you'll be watching her show Flip or Flop? Don't be shy Todd. You can tell us. 

[Dosmo]

As far as I'm concerned, Fantom Works could sometimes hold my interest where others might not because of ONE thing:  Dan Short is willing to restore cars that you never see on other TV shows with a similar theme.  One guy brought in a '39 Hudson convertible and wanted it restored to original condition.  Another guy had a "39 La Salle convertible.  A couple brought in a '50 Buick Super 4-door sedan.  I saw a '60 Lincoln 4-door, and I even saw a '54 Chrysler Imperial 4-door sedan.  I saw numerous Ford & Chevrolet pickups from the 1950s come through FW's shop.  Now, some of these vehicles were not treated to full restorations - most of them were simply refurbished to the point of being presentable and functional.

 

Still, I give them credit for showcasing antique cars that you would NEVER see on Bitchin' Rides, Wrench'd, Fast 'N Loud, or the countless myriad of others, including Wayne Carini's Chasing Classic Cars.  I get tired of seeing Wayne find these fantastic classics from the 1920s and 30s, where he says he has always wanted one of these, blah blah blah.  One in particular that irked me on CCC was where he found that 1921 Stutz Bearcat Roadster in a shed in Georgia.  The car had not run since the 1930s, but it was in remarkable shape, nonetheless.  After buying the car, and getting it running, he drove it around some.  It is a FANTASTIC car.  After owning it just a few months, he decides he should sell it because he has enjoyed it all that he needs to.  I simply could not believe he sold that car after his saying he had never owned one, and he wanted this one for his private collection.  I just get sick of watching these shows where everything is about money.  It's the real world, I get it.  Everything really is about money, I guess, but I really don't enjoy being reminded of it all the time.  I can't watch the Barrett-Jackson auctions because of this.

[poci1957]

26 minutes ago, Pfeil said:

Christina would certainly add some interest to the show. And now that you know who she is does that mean you'll be watching her show Flip or Flop? Don't be shy Todd. You can tell us. 

 

Seems like a quandary—hot blonde good, tolerate another reality show not so good.  I am afraid not.  Unless she can really do car upholstery...........

[lump]

I'm in the business of marketing and advertising automotive clients' businesses. And with the steep decline in print magazines, TV and online stuff is where we have to look continually. I am always trying to figure out where to spend a clients' budget, and which automotive shows the "right" viewers are watching. 

 

Unlike advertisements in print magazines, it's fairly difficult to know in advance how many viewers any TV program REALLY has, and it's also more difficult to monitor the results of ads you place. With the cost of advertising on automotive TV shows, the decisions can be intimidating, indeed. 

 

Another challenge to be faced as we critique these automotive TV shows, is the absolute necessity of attracting younger viewers. The fact is that 20-somethings don't enjoy the same things most of us here do, and not in the same ways, either. TV producers try to reach younger audiences by appealing to younger audiences, with tattoos, wild cars, etc, etc. And since people today are indeed into "instant gratification," it's hard for many of them to get enthused about taking on a car-build project that will likely take them 5 or more years. 

 

I could go on and on. Working with this stuff for a living certainly reveals some insights into the world of automotive TV shows...I promise you that. 

 

 

[gwells]

1 hour ago, Dosmo said:

I just get sick of watching these shows where everything is about money. It's the real world, I get it. Everything really is about money, I guess, but I really don't enjoy being reminded of it all the time. I can't watch the Barrett-Jackson auctions because of this.

 

 

Agree 100%. When I got involved in the hobby in the middle '60s, old car people loved the cars, loved driving and working on them, and appreciated their historical context. When some cars starting bringing stupid money, it brought in enthusiasts for whom a car's value was the primary (in some cases, sole) reason for their 'enthusiasm.'

 

All the fake drama inserted into almost all of the TV car shows also turns me off big-time. I remarked to Donald Osborne the last time I was at Amelia that I no longer watched Leno's show because of this.

The lack of manufactured drama was one of the nice things about CCC, and I liked occasionally seeing people I knew on the show (Don Peterson was in the shot for a good while during one of the Bugatti auctions a couple of years ago.) But knowing what I know now about the Roger Barr situation (he'll no longer be on the show, I am told), CCC is probably going to be crossed off my watch list, too.

[padgett]

Interesting points of view. I generally turn the TV on in the afternoon and just put it in pause until it overflows.  Then 3X the commercials I've already seen and the uninteresting stuff. Since just one of my cars lacks ABS (even the 88 has and I like it particularly in a monsoon)) I can't slide the tires. Judge does get interesting with all four locked up.

 

For me it is not about the  money, rather the garage space (shouldn't have bought the last one but was too cheap, too nice, and too interesting to pass up). All are transportation, lifestyle, hobbies, and toys. Will admit that only my tow car has four doors.

 

So doubt that am the demographic they are looking for (not sure who is) but then MotorTrend seems to be trying to outdo Hot Rod & Rod & Custom so maybe rich millennials with no sense of hygiene.

[gwells]

7 minutes ago, lump said:

Working with this stuff for a living certainly reveals some insights into the world of automotive TV shows... I promise you that. 

 

 

Yeah, it's all about numbers and eyeballs in almost all media these days.

 

It's kind of like negative political ads... few candidates actually like to utilize them, but history says they work so everyone does.

[Pfeil]

On 1/24/2019 at 10:20 PM, gwells said:

 

Agree 100%. When I got involved in the hobby in the middle '60s, old car people loved the cars, loved driving and working on them, and appreciated their historical context. When some cars starting bringing stupid money, it brought in enthusiasts for whom a car's value was the primary (in some cases, sole) reason for their 'enthusiasm.'

 

All the fake drama inserted into almost all of the TV car shows also turns me off big-time. I remarked to Donald Osborne the last time I was at Amelia that I no longer watched Leno's show because of this.

The lack of manufactured drama was one of the nice things about CCC, and I liked occasionally seeing people I knew on the show (Don Peterson was in the shot for a good while during one of the Bugatti auctions a couple of years ago.) But knowing what I know now about the Roger Barr situation (he'll no longer be on the show, I am told), CCC is probably going to be crossed off my watch list, too.

 

Can you elaborate on Rodger Barr????? To me Roger is a gem and a big asset. I only wish he would use the lift instead of that creeper. Makes my neck ache.  

[gwells]

PM me please and I'll tell you what I know.

[John_Mc]

If you would enjoy seeing a REAL restoration program without all of the absurd timelines, tattoos, and unbridled arrogance from self appointed auto designers, take a look on YouTube at Roads Less Traveled, Restoring Cars. This is a fantastic program based out of Colorado.  It is ideal for those of us who appreciate fine craftsmanship and warm sincere personalities. And you will never see a “restoration” out of a UPS truck.  And by the way,  zero commercials and zero promos at zero cost!

[Pfeil]

YES! , Mark Clayton has it dialed in. A state of the art shop with good people that is hospital clean.

Glad that you mentioned that John.

[1935Packard]

6 hours ago, Matt Harwood said:

I think Fantomworks will be glad to have the cameras gone. I bet that took a lot of time away from doing their real work.

 

Also, the thing that annoyed me about that show was that the guy would bring his car in and say his budget was, say, $10,000. Then they get in there and find all kinds of problems and do a huge amount of work. At the end, the guy comes in and Dan gives him the bill: "Well, I know you only wanted the hood repainted and a new bumper installed, but we found some extra rust and the suspension was bent and the engine threw a rod and the whole interior was wrong. You said your budget was $10,000 but we have 9000 hours in the project and about $12,000 worth of parts, so here's the actual bill."

 

**hands customer bill for $68,000**

 

Customer: "Well, gosh, that's a lot of money. I didn't expect all that and it's a lot more than I wanted to spend. But I really like the car, so it's OK."

 

I have just one question: Is this endless line of suckers walking into everyone else's restoration shop, too?

 

I just appreciated that they told us the bill.  I always liked watching that show with my wife to help me by comparison.   "See, honey, our latest repair bill wasn't all that bad!!"

[babychadwick]

After watching their "restoration" of a late teens touring I turned it off.  Seeing a honeycomb radiator replaced with a modern aluminum and wood wheels pieced together.  And don't get me started on the T that they tried to turn into a brass car.   He is a corvette guy that does make from the looks of it a Very nice removable hardtop.

[chistech]

I also liked FW for restoration work rather than every car having to be someone’s pipe dream creation. Liked that they talked money and disclosed pricing on some shows and that Dan had been a fighter pilot, and veteran. Yes, sometimes there was dramatics for TV purposes but often way less than the others. You also usually learned a little more about the vehicles owner and their wants. Most other shows are always about the shows star interpretation and personal concept of the owners description. Again, a creation bythe Star, not a build for the owner as much. While the show was far from perfect, it was still better than most. 

Edited January 25, 2019 by chistech (see edit history)

[Restorer32]

If you watch FW closely and pay attention to the cars in the background you will notice many of the alleged "customer cars"  from past episodes sitting there. Leads me to conclude that many of the cars were planted to make the show more interesting, much like American Pickers. What they did to the early touring (Overland?) was criminal, especially painting it mat green because "old cars weren't shiny".

[Taylormade]

Unfortunately it all started with American Chopper, which began as a show about a small motorcycle shop building custom rides, but quickly evolved into a soap opera  with father and son screaming at each other for an hour.  The network quickly took notice of the show’s popularity and determined that the viewing audience wanted angst and hyper personalities over motorcycle building.  For years this conflict/aggression/soap opera approach dominated car and bike shows, and still rears it’s ugly head at times today.  CCC and Bitchn’ Rides have toned down the format, but the shows still use more gimmicks than actual restoration footage.  Graveyard Cars has some good restoration information, but all the cars are similar and you can only show pieces on dashboard restoration (farmed out) and installing the k-member and motor from the bottom so many times before viewers nod off.  So Mark Worman  makes faces and annoys everyone in the shop and we are supposed to be amused.  CCC bothers me because we always get to see what Wayne gets at the big money auctions, but never see what he initially paid for the car.  It’s always him going off to negotiate with the seller, then he’s putting it in his trailer.  Bitchn’ Rides is strictly for the resto-mod crowd.  They do really nice work after they set up their Art Morrison chassis, but the “funny” bits are not all that funny.  One thing producers finally learned is that viewers wanted to see a finished car at the end of the show.  The bit about having to complete a car for some show or event in record time got old and actually comical.  Now they shoot footage over a period of several years, then condense it down to a show or two.  That’s why you see unfinished cars from last season in the background of some shots in current shows.  I’m sure Phantom Works quit shooting a long time ago.  They are just using the remainder of the footage already shot.

 

We are basically a small group of restorers, affectonados and and enthusiasts.  A nut and bolt show about cars and restoration, played totally straight, would not have a large enough audience to survive.  I put together a long show on the 100th anniversary Dodge Brothers Meet in Detroit a few years ago ( I make videos for a living) that contained great shots of the cars, interviews with the owners, stories of their cars and restorations, the car parade at Meadowbrook Hall and visits to historic automobile sights in Detroit.  When I show it to car folks they watch with rapt attention and want a copy.  When I show it to friends and family they generally nod off.  There just isn’t a big enough audience to support the type of show we would all like to see.

[Jim Yergin]

A while back I took the Friday afternoon tour of FantomWorks that is conducted by Dan Short. At that time he said he actually lost money on the TV show. I wonder if Motor Trend cancelled the show or he just chose not to continue with it.

Jim Yergin

[Steve Moskowitz]

The answer to the question about the show that had our Director of the AACA Librarian and Past President Tom Cox as the stars all I can tell you was that despite good ratings and that the network wanted it back again their was no money to produce the show for a second season.  There are a lot of ways a show gets on the air but as I understand it many shows are self funded until the network picks them up and helps with $$$. 

[Graham Man]

Maybe we need to talk to PBS and see if we can get them to do "This Old Car" each week could show a interesting collector car, a restoration project and a detailed restoration job (like rebuild a carburetor).  It would be even better if they could get guest restoration people to help with the "restoration job" segment.  How long has "this old house" been on the air?  All they need is the right host.  I really don't need drama, burning tires, and car pimps (sorry flippers).

[1937hd45]

Just about all of us are clueless as to what it costs to run a show on Motor Trend TV, be honest it is the car channel. If Jay Leno still has his Garage show I don't know what channel covers it, nobody here ever mentions it. The one good restoration show only ran one evening, the Kissel Gold Bug that went on to win its class at Pebble Beach, if that type show could show a full restoration barn find to show field, people would watch. The following day you could complain about what was wrong, but it would be a restoration not a Hot Rod, so the constantly complainers would be happy.

 

 

Bob 

[danleblanc]

So, lots of assumptions for the termination of Fantom Works.  I follow them on Facebook, and, in December last year, Dan decided to call it quits.  Here is his post from the Fantom Works Facebook page:

Quote

 

Why DRS quit...

By the first few days of 2019, we will finish filming the television series FantomWorks. The shop will continue to build cars for years to come but the show called FantomWorks will conclude. Our weekly tours will continue as they have since long before the show began. A few weeks back, the network officially posted the cancellation of our television show. Because of that announcement, I decided it was time to explain why I quit and thank all involved.

I want to thank my crew of amazing technicians and the film crew that gave a group of mechanical artisans the chance to be in the spotlight. The crew of FantomWorks maintained the utmost professionalism building cars while dealing with cameras in their faces, sound equipment stuffed into nooks and crannies, radio wars (they were turned off 25 times a day), takes and retakes, working lunches, early mornings that turned into late nights, unwanted travel, and the general difficulties associated with being in front of the cameras 5 days a week, 51 weeks a year, 6.5 years non-stop. Right after the show began, employee turnover increased tenfold; stresses in the shop skyrocketed, and attacks on my company (bloodsucking leeches trying to suck “riches” that never even existed) came out of nowhere. In 2017 I announced to my crew my decision to leave the television show. To my relief, the crew responded very positively. As the cameras are now closing out the final segments of filming, the crew’s morale has skyrocketed and the love of building cars is effervescent again.

I am told that filming a television show on a “set” designed for filming and utilizing paid actors is a reasonably easy thing to do. However in the case of the show FantomWorks, filming was never easy by anyone’s standards. My thanks to those members of the network and film crew who truly cared about the shop. Some understood how difficult it was and helped in any way they could. We had eleven directors in six years, most of whom agreed this was the most difficult show to shoot they’d ever worked on (most one-hour cars shows are shot in a 2-30 day window while this show averages 548 days). Car restorations that averaged almost two years were a reality while we had to display “continuity” during the builds so it looked like they were seamless done in only days. Shop dust and oils affected film gear resulting in an unusual number of equipment issues that then resulted in countless “do overs.” We never filmed less than five days a week, many weeks six. Film crews worked 7AM till 6 or 7PM most days alongside our crews. Often times, filming went well into the night. All this while trying to keep 65 to 98 cars in build at a time. It was never easy. To add insult to injury, many customers were upset as they were never reimbursed for travel or other expenses. The film schedule was so demanding that during the final weeks of my father’s life, I was not able to attend to him. The show took over my life and to make matters worse, my wife and I now face almost a million dollars of debt we incurred keeping the production going.

I have only one regret related to leaving the show. That regret is that we have to say goodbye to our many fans. I have been honored to meet thousands of viewers of the show during the tours at the shop, in local car shows, and national events like SEMA. I’ve travelled the globe and been truly delighted and humbled by meeting so many people who have openly expressed their love of our the shop and the show.

Just a few months ago, a very emotional fan of the show shared a wonderful story. He and his father would watch the show FantomWorks together during the months before his aged father passed. His father suffered from severe dementia had forgotten almost everything; his surroundings and family. It was only during the hour that they watched this show together that his father’s mind became alert. He’d been a car builder in his younger years. While the two watched the show together, his father could “remember” and for that hour, they’d connect… they’d talk. When he told me about what the show had done for his relationship, I rationalized that all the financial hardship we’d been through to make the show and even dealing with the gutless faceless internet trolls for six and a half years were somewhat justified.

So when one of the senior executives from the network and I had a long talk. He suggested that if it doesn’t make any sense to keep going, it’s time to call it done. It was time…

God Bless.

Dan Short

 

 

[BearsFan315]

Yeah they are right around the corner from me

done a few tours, talked to Dan a few times, and that sounds about right. Really hard to run a shop and do a TV show. and the cost 

nice shop, people, and such...

 

hoping all his plans for hte shop come through and turn things around !!

[60FlatTop]

If it wasn't for glimpses I got of those car shows (sometimes I even tried them in mute), I never would have found out the number of times one can use the term "dramatize" when talking about the media.

 

One turning point, for me, was a show where two guys were driving in the desert. Some vehicle the driver wanted went by in the oncoming lane. He dropped the ride by the side of the road and u-turned to chase down the car. Later there was a scene of the ride abandoned at dusk with darkness coming on and having no idea how he was going to get home.

 

But someone was taping him. Were they staying the night? Why do I remember that? That's what left the biggest impression of all I have seen.

 

I have backed off on the news as well. When the news is made up of reporters interviewing reporters something ain't quite right. Most recently, while watching the news, I can't help thinking about Norman Rockwell's Self Portrait. Is this really now newscasters see themselves?

Bernie