RoadKill Wanted To Play With The Big Boys, And Just Got Thrown Under The Bus.....

[Scott Liggett]

I have read DF's articles for near 15 years before I ever met him at CJTV's open house show. Always my fav automotive journalist. Always seemed to be on the same page with him. Then, I hung out with him at a few shows and swap meets and began to hear the list of violations on cars he looked at. I began to wonder how any car made it into HRM. My own cars were targets. Mostly small shit. It never bothered me. I didn't build my junk to please him or anyone else. Besides I knew he would never put my cars in HRM. I know guys who have spent a shit ton of money just to get in a mag or collect a trophy. The editors of PHR, CHP, and CC had no taste and did.
Even though DF grew up in and around the Hollywood system, he openly dislikes it. However it is obvious he also understands how it works, and what works. Roadkill's success is proof of that.
This whole deal with Gas Monkey seems below him. But, he may be stuck on the PR wave with no oar at this point. I would hate to think he is becoming what I heard and read him lament about many times.
I do wonder that now that Chrysler is sponsoring the build of General Mayhem, if it will become less of the gutted rolling wreck that it was last I saw it parked in Burbank.
BTW, he got it cheap and told me that it was what he could afford in a 68 Charger at that time. It was a mess and barely parts car material at that time. I am thrilled that they were able to make it run and drive at all. That alone was a feat.

[BangShift McT]

Ok...something that is bothering me about all of this: if FCA, via Dodge, wasn't sponsoring Roadkill, would there even be a shitstorm about all of this? Is it because a manufacturer stepped in? I'm trying to figure out when Roadkill went from "like" to "hate" for most people.

[dieselgeek]

both get downgraded IMO because the shows are more about dumb gimmicks and the comedy of "failure."

I miss the car TV shows where goals were set, and met, and performance was at least of a minor concern.

[tardis454]

both get downgraded IMO because the shows are more about dumb gimmicks and the comedy of "failure."

I miss the car TV shows where goals were set, and met, and performance was at least of a minor concern.

I miss Dave Bowman..

[Deaf Bob]

I've read this thread with some interest.. Saw the drama... Got to thinking...
WHO ARE THE BIG BOYS?
No! Really! ... Who decides?
Oh, I know I'm not a "BIG BOY" in the derby world, merely a big fish in a puddle...
Is CDMBill a big fish? Aaron? Squirrel? Bob Holmes? Randall? Braub? Tardis? Stiney?
Each has their niche, good in it..
I know damn well I am missing a few names.. Scott, Chad, Larry, Loren, hell! Where do I stop..
Can you guys build a competitive derby car?
I know I might build a decent (whatever class from those named above) but competitive, probably not!
Who determines "Big Boys"?
I'd call all above "Big Boys"

[tardis454]

I've read this thread with some interest.. Saw the drama... Got to thinking...
WHO ARE THE BIG BOYS?
No! Really! ... Who decides?
Oh, I know I'm not a "BIG BOY" in the derby world, merely a big fish in a puddle...
Is CDMBill a big fish? Aaron? Squirrel? Bob Holmes? Randall? Braub? Tardis? Stiney?
Each has their niche, good in it..
I know damn well I am missing a few names.. Scott, Chad, Larry, Loren, hell! Where do I stop..
Can you guys build a competitive derby car?
I know I might build a decent (whatever class from those named above) but competitive, probably not!
Who determines "Big Boys"?
I'd call all above "Big Boys"

No No No... I'm not a Big Boy... Shrubberies are my trade, I am a Shrubber.
My name is Roger the Shrubber... I arrange, design, and sell shrubberies...

[Deaf Bob]

Erich, yes you are a Big Boy in what you do..
Like I said, I'm a big fish in a puddle
If the kid and I were to go to Utah, Oregon Ill, and Kansas and won, then I might make the puddle a pond..
Oregon Ill has (used to?) Metal Mayhem.. A week long of insane bashing..

[tardis454]

Erich, yes you are a Big Boy in what you do..
Like I said, I'm a big fish in a puddle
If the kid and I were to go to Utah, Oregon Ill, and Kansas and won, then I might make the puddle a pond..
Oregon Ill has (used to?) Metal Mayhem.. A week long of insane bashing..

Trust me, being a shrubber is way better Bob..
I got Jeep and S-10 part interchanges memorized, whoop-De-Do, so do a bunch of other guys.
There's a lot I can do, but a lot I have no idea about.. I'm just an idiot observer for the most part..

In my opinion, the heavy hitters around here are: (my top 10 picks, in no particular order)

Squirrel, Jim builds computers, robots, and awesome rides, stuff I wish I had the skill and time to build.

SBG, Aaron is a crass, but bust-ass mofo. I love watching his builds. Always looking forward to them,...and his lawyer humor too.

STINEY, Chris, has good old fashion farmers ingenuity. I love his sand rails, hell I like all the stuff he cobs together in the barn. A 500 Caddy-Stang, I mean cmon!

TheSilverBuick, Randall is a cheap mofo like the rest of us who has the balls to tackle old tech with new tech. He works with what he's got, on a budget, and it all works.

NAS Backyard, the 61 Olds he pulled out of the junkyard is badass. When he started he took his time and fixed everything on the cheap, like the old timers did back in the day.

Deaf Bob, Bob, you build some killer derby cars. No doubt about that. I just wish you'd work on that damn 57 Chebby already!

Loren, Loren's Challenger is awesome, hell I suspect all of Loren's cars are awesome! I liked the thread where he put Gail's XJ back together, I like XJ's..

MP&C, those guys do some of the best metal work I've seen. They should be featured on the blog more often. There's some serious skills there.

Scott Liggett, Scott obviously knows his shit or else he wouldn't be doing tech support at Blue Print. I can't wait to see the new motor in the old truck.

Thumpin455, Todd is awesome. I've read and shared his threads many times over. He's got mad skills, and I hope he gets settled into a workshop soon.

There are plenty of folks here who contribute awesome builds and a lot of knowledge, but these are the people who make this site what it is, at least for me they are...
Fugg, the Assmonkeys, Roadkill is cool sometimes, yeah ok.. Bangshift is a group of real people building real cars.
There are no sponsors, there's no make-up or hair care products, we're just people building stuff in our garages, driveways and backyards.
And THAT my friends is what the automobile hobby is all about...

[Deaf Bob]

How in the hell did I miss Todd (Thumpin) and Robert (MP&C)

[tedly]

Ok...something that is bothering me about all of this: if FCA, via Dodge, wasn't sponsoring Roadkill, would there even be a shitstorm about all of this? Is it because a manufacturer stepped in? I'm trying to figure out when Roadkill went from "like" to "hate" for most people.

As soon as the second episode came out and it wasn't exactly like the first. Do anything different and people will flip their lids, call you a sell out, say you've gone Hollywood, lost touch with your base, etc, etc, etc...

Funny how it keeps getting bigger and bigger, yet so many people claim they don't watch it.

[tardis454]

How in the hell did I miss Todd (Thumpin) and Robert (MP&C)

Don't feel bad.. I forgot Bob Holmes and Bossman (Nick) I see their stuff on facebook more then here though..

[Deaf Bob]

There just are too many cool "big boys" on this site!

[Scott Liggett]

There just are too many cool "big boys" on this site!

If you think I am big, you have obviously never seen me in person.

[Deaf Bob]

If you think I am big, you have obviously never seen me in person.

Ok, "one to be respected".
Feel better?

[SuperBuickGuy]

Ok...something that is bothering me about all of this: if FCA, via Dodge, wasn't sponsoring Roadkill, would there even be a shitstorm about all of this? Is it because a manufacturer stepped in? I'm trying to figure out when Roadkill went from "like" to "hate" for most people.

you nailed it - I wasn't terribly thrilled with them before, but now they're sponsored by one manufacturer when there's actually 3 out there that we care about.