The Velocity Channel is in a Rut
 

It seems like every time I sit down and look at the guide there's a show that features guys with tattoos and weird beards/hairdos working on 60s muscle cars somewhere in the high desert. Yes, there's Wheeler Dealers and Chasing Classic Cars, but the others bore me. If I see another rusty Camaro frame I think I'll scream. And all the scripted, made-up drama. Enough!

Yep. and they all want to put HUGH tires, slammed to the ground and a monster engine in it. Same old same old. I do like the Fantom Works show because they mostly build and restore the car to normal specs. He has built a few of the big tire mods but they work on rare older cars.

All of the guys on those shows are so unlike all the car guys I know, and I know a few.

Velocity channel new rule:
ya gotta have DB facial hair to have a customizing cars show.

I too enjoy Fantom Works for the reasons stated above. Takes on some non car projects too. Would love to have the 53 Caddy he restored. Dan Short is retired Army Major started as enlisted and moved up. Think he flew helos. Does odd stuff too. Heinkel(?) 3 wheeler, Citroen
2CV. Neat stuff.

I so agree! Nailed it.

I have people say to me - you're like those guys on TV - restoring old cars, buying and selling. I say no because I don't have enough tattoos and enough drama to keep it interesting for the viewing public..................

i like how you can watch 100 hours of those shows and not learn how to install a battery. or do an oil change. or adjust a seat.

I wish they’d do an ‘old motorcycle’ show again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Speaking of motorcycle shows... have you seen the Henry Cole series from England?

Henry Cole’s The Motorbike Show

Just make sure it doesn't include the Tuttles......

Cheers
JB

I agree the only shows I like are CCC and Wheeler Dealers.

Restoration Garage (they guys in Canada) is pretty good but sometimes they get into shop drama. I like it because they restore some really unique cars.

I used to like *****in' Rides but all their cars look the same. The GM Futureliner was really cool on that show however.

The formula. Lets see, it has to have "rims", 26" . Preferred black so they dont show brake dust. Air bags for stance. Thats so you cant go over speed bumps without planning ahead. It also has to have that cool patina. Real handy if you are too lazy to paint and do body work. Too many shows doing the same thing.

Cue-ball Bernie = drama queen!!

And the best way to test drive a car you just spent thousands fixing up is to do smoky donuts in the parking lot.

Fantomworks is the only car show I can stomach, they actually restore old cars and do European and American iron.

I also like Jay Leno's garage but they just show cars not work on them.

Texas Metal is the one I watched last night...more of the same from owners demanding crazy builds, in short timespans.....but it is better than watching Hallmark Christmas movies that my wife wants to watch.

Fantom Works dragged an old, ratty Stearman fuselage into the building on one of their episodes recently.

Dan said they knew it would be at least a year long process. They put it in a corner... that should be interesting once they get it going.

Garage Squad is pretty good. They don't pimp their builds out too much.

For me, when there's a 60-70s era muscle or pony car, it just looks silly once the wheels go beyond one inch over stock diameter. On any of those shows, just once I'd like to see them stay with stock diameter or at most 1" over.

Remember when "Plus One" was the concept that online tire places were offering? Like if your car had 14" wheels, they'd sell you a complete wheel/tire package with the tire of your choice and it was because it was for better handling because of the smaller sidewall? And they'd calculate the O.D. of the larger tire so it wouldn't screw with your speedometer too much, if at all.

That made sense. I never ordered a set, but it was a reasonable idea. Now, putting 17s and 18s on cars that were designed with 15s, etc. just looks sooo wrong. I often don't even want to see the final part of the show because it turns my stomach with the goofy tall wheels.

To be fair, it's been all downhill since the early days of Speedvision :cool:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/keQapOSxuYU?rel=0" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5X7Xd8hDt0g?rel=0" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZlPE4NiPCn8?rel=0" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gL-cCXL9cF8?rel=0" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I liked the old Speedvision. I enjoyed watching David Hobbs host “Legends of Motorsport”.

Velocity could be worse though, do we really need another show with Muscle Car rebuilds?

Agree and would add Legendary Motorcars and FatomWorks; these are the only two shops I would let work on one of my cars......

My least fav include Graveyard Carz and Grease Monkey........

I liked the old Speedvision. "two guys garage" was authentic, working on real problems,not selling a sponsors products. Chasing Classic Cars is now just high lighting the auction markets. Just my take.

^^ When I’m watching CCC and most of the episode is covering some auction, I usually tune out. I want to see Roger working on old cars, I don’t care how much money Wayne made on a flip.

Fantom Works and Wheeler Dealers are all I watch anymore. Some of the others start out interesting but quickly go to the gotta have it done yesterday drama and who cares about one more muscle car "build".

I really like that Fantom Works often gives you a good idea of how long the restoration took timewise and what the restoration actually cost.

Fantomworks is alright, I like some of the cars they work on. Dan seems to get irritated about... everything (probably part of the script). I feel bad for the employees, they’re always dripping in sweat, including Dan. They must be making some form of profit from the show - how ‘bout investing in some AC for the shop.

For sure. Roger makes that show I love watching him fumble around an old (really old) engine...squirting gas into the carbs with his little squirt bottle...they don't make mechanics like that anymore.

When we were in CT in 2016 I wanted to stop at Wayne’s place, not to meet Wayne but to meet and shake Roger’s hand. I think he would have enjoyed the fact the we were driving a 1985 911 to Maine from Oklahoma. The folks that answered the phone would not tell me if Roger was going to be there. I guess stalkers are a real issue. Since it was out of the way for our trip we skipped it. I regret it. I could care less about Wayne. Roger is the star.

Fantomworks is in Norfolk, Vs. It gets hot there.

I enjoy seeing the new "Garage Rehab", even with that douchebag Richard Rawlings just to see what the shops look like. I was watching a few new episodes of GR, and flipping over to "Graveyard Carz" on commercial breaks. Those idiots on Graveyard Carz never failed to annoy me on every single time I switched the channel with their petty bickering, constant drama, and VERY little car content other than bone stock 45 year old Dodges.

I heard they are returning on their old network DiscoverySmileWavy

I gave Wheeler Dealer another chance... didn't last ten minutes... you can only milk the English accent for so long.

Roger's hilarious. I remember one episode where they start a Cobra that was stored for years. Roger is breathing the fumes that were filling the garage.
He then says "Somewhere enviromentalist's are having a headache and they don't know why". Wayne then looks at him shaking his head and walks away. :D

I agree with all the comments above.
The Restomod thing was cool, now its just the same old "rinse, wash. repeat" on every show. I do like the fact that us car guys have a dedicated auto channel and we're not watching house flips or Guy Fieri over and over.

Back in the day Speedvision was great!! I was actually canvassed by them in 2003 to feature a car I built at home as part of a series where they featured home built hot rods (as opposed to showing up at a shop with an open check book), sadly the show did not take off but I certainly was excited for a few months.

And then you watch AmeriCarna with Ray Evernham and you see Bob Keith's B Gas dragster from the 60's discovered 40 years later and re-assembled by the original builders.

What a great show.
Maybe you have to be of a "certain vintage" to enjoy the nostalgia.
I remember building the Revell models of these same cars back in the 60's.
I can still smell the glue.....

Never was a fan of Wayne. Buying cars from old widows, painting the brake drums and flipping them at auction. Ugh.

True but compared to other shows when I watch CCC I learn of obscure or very old cars and their history. I could do without the auction stuff, I like seeing cars other than the typical 50's and 60's cars featured on every other show.

That is another great show. Yes, he is a true car guy and delves into the real history of old cool cars.

Of course the Jay Leno series on YouTube is nice and the TV show is not bad. Jay is likely the only celebrity in the entertainment business I would really like to meet and hang out with.

Yes, CCC, Fantomworks,WD and Legendary. *****in Rides once in a while. Beyond that, it is as above, beards and ink and muscle cars.
I record everything I do watch on Velocity and ff through the voluminous commercials. They really need to address 30 - 40% of their programming being commercials but are part of the Discovery networks which are all the same format.

I love a good hotrod as much as anyone here but agree with the above... how many times can you watch... buy classic old car>repaint>stuff corvette drive train under it


And don't get me started on the whole "bagging" a classic.

Actually - I have an interesting story about this particular show. It is titled "Dragster Diplomacy" I'll share it with all here. Until I saw that show last year or so - I never made the connection.

You can find it on U-tube. You should watch it first - then my post will make sense.

I met the last owner of that car who was selling it in pieces. Or more to the point, he was selling the engine but keeping the chassis. This was early 1980's. A buddy of mine heard there was an older guy near where we live (Warrenton Va) who had an old slingshot rail and he was selling the engine / parts. It was reported to us it was a blown / injected SBC intact.

At the time I was looking for a fuel injection unit, possibly a blower for a drag car I had. My friend wanted the long block, another guy needed a blower too. After a few phone calls, the 3 of us headed to this guys house outside of town.

We get there and it's clear to me the guy is older and retired-military. I can tell, he has an air of dignity and authority. He leads us to the garage, opens the door and there in the floor with all of it's glory - 1 blown/injected small block. Alright - cool.

So then we ask, where's the car? We heard he had the whole thing. He said " Look up" - so we do - and hanging in / over the rafters is an old FE slingshot -with blue side panels.

My older friend wanted to buy the whole deal - car and all but he only wanted to sell the engine complete. One of us asked why - he said that car had raced all over the world, set a few records and for now he wanted to hang onto the rolling chassis.

Now - that statement meant nothing to any of us at the time, but later it would have much meaning to me.

So we focused on the engine, he said it was a "Bored / Stroked 283 on gas" which we thought was odd because it's much harder to tune instead of alcohol. He said it was in a top gas class at the time.

Short story is 3 of us agreed to buy the whole engine together. I getting the long block, I was supposed to get the Enderle Shotgun injection, the other guy - the blower.

So we loaded it up in the P/U, took it back to the 1 friends garage, then proceeded to part it out as we each wanted.

The long block and ultimately the blower ended up in a T-bucket street car that belonged to a guy in Culpeper, Va. My buddy (same) put it in, installed carbs, tuned it. After a short time, the owner of the T-bucket brought it back and had my friend remove the blower and multiple carbs as he said it was too fast and scared him. So he installed a single plane intake and 780 carb. That was the last time I ever saw that car with the engine.

I used the fuel injection, but could never get it tuned right as I was also running gas.

Fast forward to when I saw that show, it all came back to me when The original builder / owner said he had tried to track down the car, had heard it was in or near Manassas, Va. but never found it after contacting local speed shops and drag-strips.

Prior to the shows airing, the original owners / builders finally gave up trying to find the car and opted to re-create an exact duplicate. At some point after Ray Everham did find the car (and still has it) but the engine was long gone.

After seeing the show, I contacted Ray and told him I may know where the engine is if he's interested. He initially blew my off. I said OK - but before you do, here's what I know. ................................................

So I told my story with exactly where the car was which was not in Manassas, Va but outside of Warrenton, Va, off of Rt XXX, also that there was an decommissioned Army base near there and thst's where the last owner retired from. That 3 of us bought the complete engine with the rest of the story.

He then called me, confirmed what I said was accurate and no one else could have known that. So I started calling - the 1 friend that ended up with the engine had passed about 9 year ago, and after lots of searching, the trail went cold.

So that's the 'rest of the story' as they say - Each of us owned a real piece of drag racing history - but then to us it was just parts.;)

I have to admit that does seem to be the case more often not - lately & especially with episodes aired by our cable service provider.

Cheers
JB

To asphaltgambler: That's a pretty cool story - Thanks for sharing