The Round Six Podcast

“IT’S FUN TO LOOK AT THEM, BUT YOU CAN’T REALLY ENJOY THEM UNLESS YOU’RE DRIVING THEM.”

Steve Cook Creations has a reputation of building incredibly clean, detailed and subtle cars, and on episode thirty-eight, the Gearheads got a chance to sit down and talk with Steve, his son Mike, and Alan Childers. We dove deep into the design sense and philosophy of the build team. Steve lays out a lot of insight and perspective on cars as a passion, and the realities of building them as a career. Yep, realities. There’s a lot more dimension to putting together an award-winning vehicle, especially when it’s for repeat clients who are every bit as passionate about their cars.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* Steve talks about the passion of building cars

* The importance of focusing on quality in every aspect of a build

* Early automotive influences

* A great comparison of generations and the sources of their influences

* Alan’s early inspiration via the magazine aisle at the supermarket

– WyoTech and an art degree come together

* Cars run deep in the Cook family

* From motorcycle acing to Mom the Machinist

* Struggling with being a workaholic

– Trying to find a life-balance

* Being “so quiet, it’s scary”

* The life of an introverted car builder in a very social society

* “Simple is hard to do”

– Keeping things clean, neatly-packaged and subtle

* When Dad doesn’t understand modern color choices

* Building cars from memory

* Make everything look like it belongs

* Revisiting the theme of the car as a whole, from stance and overall look to the sound and more

* “Smell the ozone coming off of that electric car!”

* The fine art of patience on a build

– Keeping things moving forward over a three to five year build

– The evolution of a project over time

* On building a car that turns out to be ahead of its time

– Staying conscious of the car’s “right” timing

* On the value of research and communication in the shop

* Where inspiration lies and gets dug up from

* How being old school lends a unique thumbprint to build style

* The honor of being selected for a SEMA panel, and making the most of being the “odd man out” sometimes

* Building what the client remembers the car being, even if it is miles apart in terms of fit, finish and performance

* Hand-whittling a Duvall windshield by hand over in the corner

* The “hot rod family”

* Brian lays out the plan for the zero-gravity paint booth

“HISTORICALLY, I’VE FOUND THAT RASH REFERENCES NEVER PLAY WELL IN MIDDLE AMERICA.” BRIAN LOHNES BRINGS THE ADVICE.

The Gearheads were honored to welcome the man with the golden voice, Brian Lohnes. Recently named as the Lead Anchor in all NHRA TV broadcasts next year, it’s a dream come true of sorts for a guy who grew up watching it on television. More than just the sum of his manly chest, neck and head that you’ll see on race coverage, he’s a man with gasoline and room-temperature shrimp in his veins.

We talk early days, from his first thoughts (“hey, it’s much colder out here!”) through College, writing for car magazines, and eventually to television. We laugh, we cry, we explore, we invent things, and then we plot a reunion in three to five years. In many ways, it’s a lot like prison, but without most of the pesky romance.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* Things start off perpendicular to the finish line

* The “snowball” effect of episode thirty-seven

* MOPAR guys are the Star Trek fans of the drag racing world

– The 10,000 RPM limit and HEMI engines

– Birth of the Polish Pentastar Program (“Number one in Hamtramck!”)

* On being named as the voice of NHRA Drag Racing

* The ever-changing demographics of racing and the show here

* Debut of the Ira Spiderman Old Man-nequin

* No car enthusiast group is safe from generational ridicule

* Room temperature shrimp

* The greatest scam in the history of scams at the University of Massachusetts

– A Pre-Med, a Pre-Law, an Engineering and an Art History major score a College-sponsored race car

– The road to announcing is paved with road racing

* The requirement of looking out of the window versus at a computer screen

* Moving from IHRA to NHRA

* Steve Gibbs gives a big break

* The constant battle of not crying

* On “not Hindenburging” the show

– The dangers of mentioning skin maladies in color commentary

– How digestive jokes will make you the next Dave McLelland

– Eczema as a career-killer

* The reality of an announcing tryout

* The gang goes “Aristocrats”

* The value of doing your research before calling an event

* Launching Bangshift and its predecessors

* A t-shirt with “BS” emblazoned on it

– The value of a URL like manjunk.com in today’s dollars

* Why people from Buffalo are the toughest ones on the planet

* Put Up or Shut Up

* The Gearheads make their Race to the Moon pitch

– Private space programs as entertainment

– Ultimate Capture the Flag TV show idea

* Searching for old drag strips

– Brian suggests an Ancient Aliens crossover

“YOU START OFF BY GOING SEVENTY MILES PER HOUR STANDING UP.” ROGER HICKEY LIKES SPEED.

The Gearheads host entrepreneur, world record-holding gravity racer, aerodynamic expert, inventor and coyote attack survivor, Roger Hickey.

If you’ve never gone downhill on a skateboard at one-hundred miles per hour, been mistaken for an alien craft, or lit off your dad’s fuel car in the garage at eight years old, then you’re not our guest on this episode. Much like the Highlander, there can be only one Roger Hickey, and by golly, are we stoked to have spent the evening with him. From his days as an undefeated gravity racer to his current quest to help a stock-bodies 1953 Studebaker run 400MPH, the guy has nerves of steel, and has broken more bones than Brad has read books. And he’s a ton of fun, too. Lots to learn in this episode, so buckle in, and enjoy this downhill blast.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* “Cheese Guard”/Cheese garden

* Evel Knievel Lite

* Coming out of retirement to compete for a world championship after winning twenty of them previously

– “Your old shit ain’t gonna fly here”

– One hundred miles per hour on a skateboard

* Let that last one sink in

* Early attempts at downhill on Kellogg Hill

* Filming a GTE Superbowl commercial

– Being mistaken for an alien

* The case of the fuel car and the babysitter

* “The boat story”

* A history of speed in the family

– Racing since three years old

* “Control all of your variables and you can’t lose”

* The high degree of concentration required in gravity racing

* Researching and engineering in the pre-internet days

– The school of “crash and learn”

* The invention of Street Luge on Glendora Mountain

– F1 car inspiration

* Getting bit by a coyote at speed

* “Every rule has an elastic waistband”

INNOVATION THROUGH EXPERIMENTATION

* Portable skateboard ramps

* Composites return to the podcast!

– More pre-internet experimentation leads to innovation

* Setting Electric Car World Championship records… and then some

* The Hickey Law

* The science and theory behind cryogenics

* Running 326MPH on a 238MPH record with a stock-bodied 1953 Studebaker

* 6.000 HP on bald tires

* The modular streamliner design

* Return of the Saltomasochist

* “A chess match of nitro and exploding things”

LISTEN, SUBSCRIBE, RATE AND REVIEW, PLEASE

 

A THIRTEEN-FOOT CANOE, BEARS, SQUIRRELS AND A FEAR OF SNAPPING TOWELS.

The Gearheads went deep into the woods of the 2018 SEMA Show, and wandered into Camp Wannapaintem, PPG‘s latest show-stopping display. We were fortunate to fall under the guidance of camp counselors Cristina Fronzaglia Murray and Jeremy Seanor (of Lucky Strike Designs). We sat for a while and discussed paint technology, creativity, marketing, and the importance of passion Most important of all was the lesson that paint is fun. It’s not merely a tool or just  coating, but a vehicle in and of itself, capable of launching careers and forging lifelong friendships. Even after a certain podcaster suggests a prison-themed trade show booth.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* Talking SEMA Show booth themes

– Gathering items to decorate the booth

* The “Homeless Chic” John Jackson

* Where inspiration lives

* Jeremy paints a canoe

* Our own Brad’s connection to a past themed booth

* A terribly inappropriate booth theme idea made presentable

* Brian chooses a favorite among his sons

* How to turn a group of adults into a bunch of three year olds (HINT: it involves whistles)

* Paint is fun

* Experiencing color in different ways

* Waterborne and Envirobase paint technology versus solvent-based

– Adapting the new tech to creative paint

– Progressing with paint technology in both collision and custom work

* The changing times:

– Hot-plating enamels and crushing pigment from leaves

– Moving cure times from cigarettes between coats to social posts between coats

* The longevity of Deltron

– Hosting a fourteen year old paint job in the booth illustrates quality like nothing else

* Booth design as a team-building exercise

* The value of not having to be engaged in the “SEMA crunch”

* Brian offers the then-thousand dollar marketing idea

* History of the PPG theme booths

* A custom painter reunion of sorts every year in the booth

* “The greatest paint in the world, used by the greatest painters”

– The value and appreciation of humility

* The “prison” theme booth

– Alex offers the idea of carving a shiv from a paint stir stick

* More great booth theme ideas:

– “Paint Church”

– “Rascal in a China Shop”

– “Barefoot on Legos”

CAREER ADVICE FOR THE MOTIVATED LISTENER

* On the importance of being yourself and making mistakes

– Career growth through understanding passions

* Teaching the technical aspect, and the inability to teach passion

* Four-year education versus hands-on trades

* The value of a combination of traditional school degrees and trade school/knowledge

* The misinterpretation of trades being just “dirty work”

* Recognizing the minds and hands that aren’t meant to sit in a classroom, but rather need to be out doing things

* The epitome of “self-made”

THE GEARHEADS GO DEEP INSIDE OF SEMA SHOW 2018 AND SURFACE RELATIVELY UNSCATHED. WELL, MOSTLY.

SEMA Show 2018 winds down, and the Gearheads were granted some pretty hefty access. We took some time to sit and discuss the show from the Magnaflow stage in Hot Rod Alley. We wanted to thank some old friends, recognize some new ones, and reflect on what was easily the most memorable show in any of our memories.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* The dreaded “SEMA legs” syndrome

* Cue napkins and dirty words

* Brad is really old

* Our favorite vehicles of the show

* Tim Strange is awesome at hosting vehicle debuts

* The Squarebody Syndicate Indy Tribute truck

* Tuesdays with Chip

* The hot rod family

* Set-up logistics

– The weirdness of wandering the SEMA Show floor on Sunday

– From typhoon to fully-carpeted halls

* Carson makes it happen

* The Syndicate Series t-shirt boxes

* The Engle Brothers slip into yet another episode

* SEMA Show Zamboni adds to the ambiance

* Judging the BASF best paint award with Chip Foose

– Getting a private tour of Impostor

* Chip’s C/28

* Strope’s Olds

* The Speedkore carbon fiber Charger

* The art of walking ten miles per day

* The thunder of flip-flops and nylon bags

 

DON’T LIKE LISTENING? WATCH THIS EPISODE

Check it out, with expanded coverage right here:

 

COOL CARS AND SOME VERY NORMAL PEOPLE FROM THE LAND OF ED GEIN AND JEFFREY DAHMER.

The Gearheads grabbed a few valuable minutes of pre-SEMA Show thrash time to sit with David Salvaggio and Lyle Brummer of Speedkore. To say that we walked in as fans of their work would be understandable. Walking out of the studio as fans of their character and knowledge, well, that’s a no-brainer. Fantastically fun, intelligent and humble guys who are pushing the envelope with technology to build some of the coolest cars out there.

We dig into the business, the tech, the cars, and the carbon fiber in this informative, exciting and laid-back episode.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* The week-before-SEMA-Show thrash

* The logistics of bringing five vehicles to the show

– Last minute details and avoiding mishaps

– Working with carbon fiber and the supply chain demands thereof

* Discussing the early automotive influences of Dave and Lyle

– Wisconsin is proving to be a fertile land for breeding hot rodders

– David’s Grandfather came from Sicily in the early4-1900’s and built and raced cars at Indy (1929)

* Lyle’s start in cars came later in life

– Began with engineering and technology

– Speedkore’s commitment to bringing in the next generation

* On driving in snow

– A pitch for the Jamaican Rally Car Team

* The start of Speedkore

–On building a scalable business model

– The problem of sourcing and retaining talent

– The benefits and advantages of carbon fiber parts and manufacturing them

* Forays into the motion picture world

– Providing cars for The Fast and Furious franchise

* The Chris Evans Camaro

– The Robert Downey Jr. connection

* Return of cars as the great equalizer and common language

* The great things about carbon fiber

* A degree in Marketing VS working with your hands

* Digging into the manufacturing and design process

* On the value of experience over formal classroom time

– Induction to the Society of Automotive Engineers on a fourth-grade education

* Talking about the Evolution Charger that will debut next week at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas

* A discussion of design and the tactile experience

* Advice for up-and-coming designers

 

TRENDSETTER, HALL OF FAME MEMBER AND ALL-AROUND NICE GUY ZANE CULLEN JOINS THE GEARHEADS. THEN WE CORRUPT HIM.

The Gearheads spent the evening with our good friend Zane Cullen of Cotati Speed Shop. He’s a Goodguys Trendsetter, a Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame member, a father and husband. Zane is also a new product judge at the SEMA Show. And one of the three behind the Triple Gun of Excellence Award at GNRS alongside Darryl Hollenbeck and Charley Hutton.

We dig deep into the science of running a successful hot rod shop, personnel management and horribly inappropriate jokes. And probably some other things we should have edited. Our lack of detail is your gain.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* Conversation immediately goes all SEMA

* Talking radical 1968 Camaros

* Getting outside of the box of “expected” build styles

* Getting deep into the HR aspect of running a shop

– Finding the right personnel

– The importance of communication

– Balancing the talking with listening

* Effective communication between shop and client

* Evolution of a brand and a business plan

* The genesis of the shop

* The evolutionary process and continual improvement

– Competing against yourself to raise the bar internally

* Growing from two to sixteen team member

– Thinning the herd to keep things manageable

– Finding the “magic number” in the shop to keep things moving in the right direction

– Maintaining a good staff

– The importance of getting along

– Keeping a focus on the work VS making things personal

* On retaining a client base during the busy times

* Finding a balance between directing and welcoming creative input

– Building a complementary team of creative visionaries and detail-minded craftsmen

* Working to manage egos and behaviors as well as work output

* The importance of not forgetting the people involved on a project

– Taking the good with the bad

* Things go decidedly sexy

* Brian tales his share of abuse this time

* “You can’t spell TEAM without T-E-A…”

* Appreciating your team and employees

ONWARD TOWARD THE SEMA SHOW

* Behind the scenes at SEMA, judging new products with Dave Tucci and Tim Strange

– Having the opportunity to actually see the new products at a show dedicated to new products

– Finding the worst of the rest

– Brian develops the “Tick-Lock-Tach”

– Alex investigates the market potential of a build sheet removal tool/kit

– There may or may not have been discussion of a plot for an automotive-based heist film

* It all goes terrifyingly sideways

– The return of the “prison wallet”

* Rounding up new clients for a shop

* Remembering a client who recently passed

* Round Six’s fresh spin on SEMA Show debuts

– Trusting Brian’s creative vision

 

TALKING MAGAZINES AND MORE WITH PHOTOGRAPHER ROBERT MCGAFFIN.

The Gearheads spend an evening with Robert McGaffin. He’s an Automotive Photographer, industry good guy, friend and the Creative Director and co-Founder of Wheel Hub Magazine. From early days building and shooting model cars to school and a carer in Commercial Photography, Robert has some varied experience. Yet it all comes back to cars.

The guys over at Robert’s latest venture, Wheel Hub Magazine have been gracious in extending an offer to listeners of the Round Six Podcast. Head on over to their website at www.wheelhubmag.com/roundsix and you’ll receive a two-for-one special. Huge thanks to them, and to you, our listeners for your support.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* Growing up in Wisconsin

– From puddle of goo to model glue

* An early start shooting model cars with an Instamatic

* From College to Commercial Photography

* Burning dust with studio lighting

* Astrophotography

* Early influences

* First trip to the SEMA Show

* Favorite cars of all-time

– Rad Rides’ Chicayne

* Riffing on motorsports photography

– Rally driving

– Isle of Man TT

* Really niche photography

* Brian’s strange surgical history

* Rob’s Steve Strope story

* Brad takes a few more lumps

* Robert’s ’65 Olds project

* On the dynamics of print VS digital coverage

* Launching Wheel Hub Magazine

– Assembling the team

– Creating the Beta

– Developing the look

– Selling ad space

– The launch at GNRS

* On keeping it fresh when shooting the same car multiple times for multiple publications

* When a car owner wants nothing to do with a magazine

* Making do and improvising on a shoot

* On cameras and equipment

* Teaching four-week photography programs

* The importance of quality lenses over the latest and greatest camera body

* Suggestions for beginning photographers

– Happy accidents and learning on the fly

* The forthcoming Round Six Massage Parlor editorial

– Alex gets a new job description

– A “full release” of pure disappointment

* Things to look forward to at the SEMA Show

ALEX AND BRIAN JAM WITH JIMI.

Brad was off on a top-secret mission at Steve Strope‘s place, and that left Alex and Brian to do their thing. It was the perfect time to grab a guest we’ve wanted to have on for some time, Jimi Day of FM3 Marketing. We’re just weeks out from the SEMA Show, and it was a nice, relaxing evening talking to one of the amazing people behind may of the absolutely mind-blowing automotive events which his company produces and promotes.

If there’s any truth to the old adage of a podcast hitting its peak in their thirties, well, they’re starting off with a bang around here. Welcome to the big three-oh, kids.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* Jimi on planning an event

– The planning process for an event

– The “event plan”

– Moving from the event plan to the playbook

* Jimi’s headband

* The planning timeline

* Search for the Ultimate Street Car

* On building an NHRA-quality track on Woodward Avenue for a one-day event

* Brian plots the Altamont of car events

* On eliminating surprises and executing in the moment as necessary

* On the old days of car shows VS the modern

* From Imagine Motorsports and investment-grade restorations to driving cars

– Preservation vs enjoyment

* FM3 Road Trip Cars and Cones

– The incredible concept behind the event

– Sign up for 2019 at fm3roadtrip.com

* How investment banking bred confidence

* The gut/brain connection and how to utilize it

* Getting outside of your comfort zone to create something new

* Drive Auto X

– Getting  people involved

– All about seat time (12-14 runs per day!)

– No more shagging cones

* On exit strategies and economic indicators

– Planning on the fly

* The Pony Car Steeplechase Challenge is pitched

For more information, or if you;re looking to create your own signature event, please reach out to Jimi and his amazing team at FM3marketing.com, or hit Jimi direct on email at [email protected].

For information on the Drive Auto X program, please hit www.driveautox.com.

THE GEARHEADS GET INSPIRED BY STEVE STROPE.

The Gearheads spend the evening talking with the always opinionated, always fascinating and extremely insightful Steve Strope of Pure Vision Design. We talked cars, bass guitar, Millennials and even splitting wood… And it all came back to a central point: Just get out there and do something. Steve isn’t one to mince words, and his motivational style is representative of his East Coast upbringing, which he and show host Brian share. From Summers mowing lawns to Winters spent shoveling, a kid learns to hustle. Steve has made that into an art form, applying that work ethic to the humblest of beginnings with his own shop.

It’s not all fun and laughs, as the conversation gets a bit deep into family matters, adoption, health issues and more, but Steve’s impressive and contagiously positive attitude make for one heck of a learning experience.

An incredible episode with a dynamic guest.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

* Steve on reality TV

– His new show “Hand Built Hot Rods”

– Joe Rogan’s Nova

– “The fall of Camelot”

* Talking projects in the shop

* Where Millennials can send their job applications

* Making the move to the West Coast from New York

* The black Camaro that got Steve into cars

* Growing up in a small town

– A grammar school Road Runner art project

– “This is my drug”

* Cars are not a “phase”

– Retaining the excitement

* It all starts with BMX bikes

– Steve’s vintage BMX bike collection

* The power of great inspiration

* Doing what you have to do

– Building a car in a parking garage

– “I wanted to bad enough”

* Heading on power tour with a Kinko’s-made promo pack

* Family life

– On finding out he was adopted

* Character-building stuff

– Yard work and responsibility

– Mowing the lawn as therapy

– Porno crop circles

* On music

– Playing bass guitar

– Starting with a short bass purchased by his Mom at a garage sale

* Commuting from

– Living next door to the beach house from Top Gun

* A day in the life of Steve

* Starting out

– The struggles of sleeping where you build

* On riding the “trend pony”

– Personal pride in a build

* Hot Rodding in Bill’s Eye in Street Rodder

– Hot rods as the great social equalizer

* Brad’s Grindr profile