Motor Trend TV

[Willy]

I watch it often, but am disappointed, because most of it is hot rods and super cars. “Chasing Classic Cars” seems to be mostly about very expensive antiques. Most of us are not wealthy, restore various antique cars. I would like to see AACA members contact MT, and ask them to have some programs on restoring Fords, Dodges, Chevys and the like. Maybe shop talk, locating hard to get parts, before and after. Am I asking for too much?

[rocketraider]

In a word, yes.

 

Most MT-TV shows are financed by aftermarket companies' advertising looking to peddle their product. The hotrod and modified crowd is the audience and sales target, not us.

 

I like "Roadworthy Rescues" and "Wheeler Dealers", and "Garage Squad" and "FantomWorks" are pretty good too for hands-on work. But a lot of car TV is lowest common denominator tripe.

[Willy]

I have a 1918 DB Touring, 1928 Whippet coach, 1947 Ford tractor and a 1952 Dodge Pilothouse pickup - none of which are shown on any MT programs. Isn’t “Wheel Dealers” mostly foreign cars? And “Garage Squad” seems to deal with vehicles in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s. I can’t relate with anything they do. “Fantom Works is about the only one I enjoy. I do watch how they do repairs, painting, modifying. 

[Xander Wildeisen]

There is a lot of talented people who post videos on YouTube. These videos cover every type of task, on every type of car. From restoration to modifications. Search a title like Packard restoration, flat head engine rebuild, fender repair or any year and make of car. 

 

[Xander Wildeisen]

 

[Xander Wildeisen]

There is a lot of stuff posted on 1952 Dodge pickups.

[46 woodie]

It's all about "target marketing". How many people do you know that have a 1918 DB Touring or a 1928 Whippet. TV is all about paying the bill's and there are a heck of a lot more Camaro's, Mustang's and Hot Rodder's out there.

[rocketraider]

I'll add that these shows' sponsors bear a lot of responsibility for the ludicrous idea that old cars have to have fuel injection, four-wheel disc brakes, fabricated frames and all the other tropes to turn them into modern cars in order for them to be roadworthy and usable.

 

I also suspect a lot of that mentality is driven by trying to impress people who, by and large, aren't worth the aggravation, time or effort. Old car sheeple or lemmings, if you would. I know I run into that a lot here.

[31Buick96S]

I agree that the majority of content on MT isn’t directly applicable to my projects. That being said, I do enjoy the craftsmanship on display. Recently, an episode of “Bitchin’ Rides” showed a casting from design thru the foundry and the finished product that clarified the process for me.  Joe Martin always seems to slip in a little metal working lesson into “Iron Resurrection “ episodes. 

[Dave Mellor NJ]

I used to watch woodworker shows and wish they would do a woodie

Edited December 13, 2023 by Dave Mellor NJ (see edit history)

[plymouthcranbrook]

To me much better material is available on You Tube. Even Fantom Works has a channel with current projects not ones from 2019 and before. 

[avgwarhawk]

Chasing Classic Cars, even with the expensive cars they work on, is still the best show for/about our hobby IMO.  No matter the price all need a rebuild of mechanical parts. Paint. Interior.  I do like Wheeler Dealers as well.  Other than that the rest is crate engines and cutting up cars.  Not my cup of tea.  I spend a lot of time on YouTube finding what I like to watch.

[Willy]

Xander, I joined one on Facebook, called “ Dodge Pilothouse”, and like that one.

Edited December 13, 2023 by Willy
Added photo. (see edit history)

[Xander Wildeisen]

There is a lot of stuff out there. Posted on different websites and in groups. You can find a lot of content that interests you if you go looking for it. And you can follow individuals or businesses that continue to post their work. Large production shows will always be geared for the masses, they have to be in order to stay afloat.

[Willy]

I spend as little time as I can on my phone - I need both hands to do my daily chores, work on my vehicles, cut firewood, etc. Sometimes, I have to look for it. I will look, but not often.

Edited December 13, 2023 by Willy
Spelling edit. (see edit history)

[TAKerry]

7 hours ago, avgwarhawk said:

Chasing Classic Cars, even with the expensive cars they work on, is still the best show for/about our hobby IMO.  No matter the price all need a rebuild of mechanical parts. Paint. Interior.  I do like Wheeler Dealers as well.  Other than that the rest is crate engines and cutting up cars.  Not my cup of tea.  I spend a lot of time on YouTube finding what I like to watch.

We had a guy in Canada restore a pre war (WW I) motorcycle. He has the original factory drawings and made many parts needed to factory specs. He joked about a shop down the street from him that built 'box motorcycles'. He would say, the parts are delivered in a box and leave a motorcycle. This was 10 yrs or so when the chopper craze was going on.

[Farmallregular]

Unfortunately, a lot of these shows aren't a whole lot more than hour long advertisements for how great that particular shop is.  Some of the projects are interesting, but I get tired of all the nonsense & drama that goes along with the build.

 

I like the various iterations of Road Kill, which are basically car related entertainment that doesn't try to be anything else.  Roadworthy Rescues & Chasing Classic Cars are also entertaining.

 

Keith

[TAKerry]

One of the better car shows had a guy named Dan from VA Beach. Dont know the name of the show off hand. But they would put things into perspective by outlining the amount of days worked on the car, in the end he would give the owner a bill sometimes it would be publicly stated, others he may say what was spent on parts and the time in hours. Multiply by the hourly rate and you get the picture. I think I read here about a quote from 'Dan' about how hard and stressful it was to tape the show over a long period of time, one of the reasons it ceased.

Another is the bloke from Canada that has a place called the Guild. Thats a decent show as well. Of course Dennis Gauge is an easy watch.

[Andy J]

My favorites are Iron Resurrection and Full Custom Garage.To me, both of these are down-to-earth,low tech shows that I can relate to,especially Full Custom Garage.

I also really like Shorty's Dream Shop because Shorty is very passionate about what he does.I also watch Roadside Rescues,but for my taste the man has drifted away from where he started.I liked it when he just got old cars to run and drive,but it seems now he hot rods everything.

 

 

[rocketraider]

51 minutes ago, TAKerry said:

One of the better car shows had a guy named Dan from VA Beach. Dont know the name of the show off hand. But they would put things into perspective by outlining the amount of days worked on the car, in the end he would give the owner a bill sometimes it would be publicly stated, others he may say what was spent on parts and the time in hours. Multiply by the hourly rate and you get the picture. I think I read here about a quote from 'Dan' about how hard and stressful it was to tape the show over a long period of time, one of the reasons it ceased.

Another is the bloke from Canada that has a place called the Guild. Thats a decent show as well. Of course Dennis Gauge is an easy watch.

That's Dan Short with FantomWorks in VB and David Grainger with Restoration Garage in Bradford ON. Two of the better ones since they show hands-on work, have competent people doing it, and show the aggravation of finding parts and info for cars that can't be restored from an aftermarket catalog.

 

FW had a tech named Jon that I truly enjoyed watching him work. Kid could diagnose and fix anything and had a nice methodical approach to everything he did. I always figured he was ex-military by the way he carried himself and the way he worked.

[TheFairbanks]

A guy in partnership with Ridgeline Lubricants teased a 1928 Willys Whippet project as part of their sponsorship of the Motorama Custom Car Show in Tornoto this year. 

 

 

He'll be posting more content soon on his YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@Parallel_motion) and Instagram for those who have social: https://www.instagram.com/parallel.motion/

[dship]

I like Iron Resurrections Martin Bros Customs TV show.  The head guy on Famtomworks gets a little too grouchy IMO. 

[Gronk]

Roadworthy rescues , Derek inspired me to not be afraid to drive any shit box home from where ever!

[Pfeil]

Wheeler Dealers, since the move to the U.K and the addition of Marc Priestley made all the difference for me. Marcs attitude brings a combination of calmness, knowledge, willingness to tackle jobs well beyond the other two mechanics. The other thing I like about him is he knows his way around the machine shop, welding and paint shops. He also knows his way around the racetrack.

 I like his ability in the machine shop because us old school tech's/mechanics were taught how to be machinist as well as mechanics and that was part of our foundation. Watch the episode where Marc goes through a Porsche 997. He's no parts replacer for sure. Very mature and disciplined for his age. 

  

Edited March 27 by Pfeil (see edit history)

[69merc]

On 12/12/2023 at 12:42 PM, Willy said:

Am I asking for too much?

What REALLY sends me into orbit, is the televised auctions (Mecum, Barrett Jackson etc) where they only linger on the high dollar muscle cars, resto-mods, modern cars(!), etc. but when something really interesting is about to go on the block they cut away to commercial or to that dufus in the staging area where he talks about... you guessed it; high dollar muscle cars, resto-mods, modern cars(!), etc.  😡

[Willy]

I watch for tractor auctions - they show nicely restored antiques for auction. I agree about Mecum - very frustrating!

[MotiveLensPhoto]

I would imagine that the pandemic slowed/halted production on a lot of shows, as well as the various strikes in Hollywood. While not all the trades were on strike and the reality shows didn't really need writers, some of them halted work in support of the creatives.

[Peter Gariepy]

On 12/12/2023 at 10:42 AM, Willy said:

I watch it often, but am disappointed, because most of it is hot rods and super cars. “Chasing Classic Cars” seems to be mostly about very expensive antiques. Most of us are not wealthy, restore various antique cars. I would like to see AACA members contact MT, and ask them to have some programs on restoring Fords, Dodges, Chevys and the like. Maybe shop talk, locating hard to get parts, before and after. Am I asking for too much?

Motor Trend isn't focused on antiques/restored. Their target market is elsewhere.  Contacting them would seem fruitless. 

 

Better to search other sources.  YouTube is a great example. So much content there.

[ABear]

13 minutes ago, Peter Gariepy said:

Motor Trend isn't focused on antiques/restored. Their target market is elsewhere.  Contacting them would seem fruitless. 

I would have to agree on that.

 

Only a couple of shows that I found somewhat worthy of my time to watch is Fantomworks and The first few episodes Roadworthy rescues, perhaps garage squad..

 

Fantomworks showcases that restorations can be accomplished (although at insane costs) on most anything although the owner seems to be a bit way over the top hyper about making them 100% perfect (something that the car was never, ever intended). For goodness sakes man, nothing built on a assembly line is going to have body gaps to the 32nds of an inch tolerance!

 

First few episodes of Roadworthy Rescues with Derek just amazed me that one simply rigs a battery, some fuel and toss a couple of wheels on it and runs it many miles on public roads to get it too his garage.. A lot of time and effort had to gone into those cars to do that.. Something I would rather just backup my trailer to and winch on and take it my garage and work on it there.. Got to give the guy some kudos but man you have to have some nuts to try that real world.. PoPo wouldn't have let those slide..

 

Both cases, a lot of "made for TV" semi reality shows but they are entertaining, and often show things being worked on, making. finishing parts..

 

Garage squad is a bit cool in the fact they "offer" help in someones garage to fix up long given up projects.. The downside to that one is it feels a lot like an infomercial as they tend to overhype their "supplier" Sponsor a bit to much/hard.

 

The rest of MT lineup is just plain garbage, Giant wheels, giant lifts, severe chopping and reforming the vehicles shape or profile until cartoonish look is fully achieved..

 

The problem is, restoring back to original is considered "boring". Oversized wheels with sky high lifts and often gaudy paint jobs are considered as something that excites the intended audience..

 

I have at times been able to scrape up info on how to do or make things I need from some shows, I remember many yrs ago a show called American Hot Rod, they often used old school ways to do body work, things long forgotten and now pretty much illegal like body leading and they would show it on the show.  My Dad did some body leading but it isn't as fast as plastic body fillers so for things he didn't care about plastic body filler was used. Yep, one of my projects I am using body leading instead of using plastic body fillers which here in the rust belt lasts only a few yrs..

[Matt Harwood]

None of them are worth watching if you want to learn something about fixing cars. They're all ridiculous.

 

My favorite part about "Fantomworks" was the end when they give the guy the bill:

 

Fantomworks guy: "You brought your Corvair in for an oil change and to replace the cracked steering wheel. But we found a lot of other problems with the car and ended up doing a full restoration instead. The estimate was $600 but the actual bill is $87,000."

 

Customer: "Gee, that's a lot of money. But I really like the car. OK, I'll pay it."

 

Fantomworks guy: "Oh, and by the way, we painted it the wrong color and changed a bunch of other stuff on it so it looks weird."

 

Customer: "Cool!"

 

Reality TV rots your brain. Don't watch it.

 

 

[STEVE POLLARD]

I use to watch and enjoy Shadetree Mechanic on the old TNN network years ago....

 

 

[ABear]

54 minutes ago, Matt Harwood said:

None of them are worth watching if you want to learn something about fixing cars. They're all ridiculous.

Well, they are "made for TV" reality shows so a "from A to Z repair manual they are not..

 

However, I like to look for little things that may help me improve or develop skills.

 

For instance, my Dad could weld sheetmetal using oxy-acetylene torch and a metal coat hanger or braze with brass rod without even so much as one pucker in the sheet metal on the entire length of the panel..

 

Watching a lot of shows showing body repairs using MIG or TIG encouraged me to try my welding skills (in reality not all that good) with my wire feed MIG..

 

So far, with what my Dad taught me about controlling the heat and with bits of info I seen on some of the shows I was able to install entire quarter panel without one pucker using my MIG welder..

 

Ground down the welds and then gave it a small fill in with leading..

 

One more quarter panel to do then off to other repairs..

 

Weld pix first then pix after leading with a coat of primer.

 

Just needs some small imperfections in the leading to get filled and that seam is all but gone. Most likely for the fine fill in I will use some small amounts of plastic filler but there is no way I will ever plaster that stuff on to make it show perfect.. Plastic fillers just don't last well in places that have cold winters and lots of road salt..

 

Did "TV" teach me?

 

NO, but it is possible to learn a few hints and tricks once and a while.

 

 

 

 

[69merc]

I miss Fantomworks and Chasing Classic Cars. It's weird to be a car lover and not have anything worth watching on MT.  Well, I guess My Classic Car with Dennis Gage is something. My favorite episodes are when he goes to the NPD headquarters in Ocala Fl. to look at that pristine American iron in his private collection. In my metro area we have Cruise In on our local cable sports channel which goes around to the local shows and cruise ins. I like Wheeler Dealers occasionally.  🚗🚘

[Buffalowed Bill]

I'm waiting for the first time that I see a customer say "you screwed up my car, I hate it!" Irrespective of what it looks like the customer seems obligated to give it a thumbs up. I'd like to be that fly on the wall when the customer says what he really thinks!

[ABear]

6 minutes ago, Buffalowed Bill said:

I'm waiting for the first time that I see a customer say "you screwed up my car, I hate it!"

Highly doubt you will ever see that conversation broadcast, you only get small snippets of the entire process and much of what was caught on camera has been gleaned to provide you the audience a "positive" outcome. Much of the footage recorded has been edited out hitting the cutting room floor. Really bad interactions unless they feel like they can create some "docudrama" that they can spin into ratings or more advertising money will simply never make it into the final release..

 

It is nothing more than a "unscripted" made for TV scripted drama, in most cases (unscripted as the footage is done live but on the editing end they will create a script of edits they want to use for the final release).. You can see that formula used in many other cable TV channels shows.

[Pfeil]

3 hours ago, Buffalowed Bill said:

I'm waiting for the first time that I see a customer say "you screwed up my car, I hate it!" Irrespective of what it looks like the customer seems obligated to give it a thumbs up. I'd like to be that fly on the wall when the customer says what he really thinks!

It happened on my classic car. Wayne painted a guy's car what he thought looked best, not what the customer wanted and ended up painting it over.

[rocketraider]

Wasn't that Cars drummer David Robinson's Mangusta?

 

That's like those knuckleheads on Trans Am who, without the customer's OK, replaced the Olds 455 in that customer's Vista Cruiser with some type of GM LS engine and had to eat it.

[Pfeil]

14 minutes ago, rocketraider said:

Wasn't that Cars drummer David Robinson's Mangusta?

 

That's like those knuckleheads on Trans Am who, without the customer's OK, replaced the Olds 455 in that customer's Vista Cruiser with some type of GM LS engine and had to eat it.

Glenn, all I can remember was the guy was in a band. Didn't pay much attention to what band he was in.

Don't get me on the subject of turning Cadillacs, Buicks Oldsmobile's and Pontiac's into Chevys.😝

[TAKerry]

13 hours ago, Buffalowed Bill said:

I'm waiting for the first time that I see a customer say "you screwed up my car, I hate it!" Irrespective of what it looks like the customer seems obligated to give it a thumbs up. I'd like to be that fly on the wall when the customer says what he really thinks!

There was an episode on Fantomworks I think, they did a full blown resto mod on a mustang. This was like a 2 yr project the customer kept changing his mind and direction of the build. In the end he said he could not stand the car and it was assumed in lieu of paying the bill the shop took over the car. I think it started as the owner and Dan being good friends and enemies towards the end. Most likely a lot of extra bs added in for entertainment value. 

 

The show with the Guild in Canada is ok to watch, and my one go to is My Classic Car. Stacey David is ok, and Sams Garage is ok, but they are mostly just commercials for the products 'they are using'.

It would be nice if you could get tips or techniques from these shows but its all just mindless banter. If I need to know how to do something and all else fails I will go to u tube. But even then I weed through about a dozen videos and take the average.

[JV Puleo]

Regarding youtube...I've looked for videos on a few occasions. In about 80% of the cases it's clear that the person making the video isn't equipped for the job and doesn't really know how it should be done. It's a "tractor mechanic's" (to use Ed's term) playground. I don't bother with TV at all...I don't own one. I did try watching a couple of these car shows in a hotel room once. In less than 5 minutes I switched off they were so stupid.