Episode Transcript
[00:00:09] Speaker A: Hey, welcome to the DIY Garage, the podcast for hands on, do it yourself automotive enthusiasts. I'm your host, Brian Joslin, coming to you from inside the workshop studio of the Eastwood Company in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. With me today are my guests, Ed and Melissa Sweeney from a little place called Proper Noise. Together, Ed and Melissa are involved every day in the business of restoring classic sports cars just up the road in Reading, Pennsylvania. Ed's also a judge for numerous Concord delegance events, including our local one, the Red Rock. Concur.
At one point, we were fierce competitors. Well, more friendly than fierce, I guess. But I was managing another nearby restoration business. Now we're just friends with similar interests in old cars.
Before we get deep in the weeds with Ed and Melissa, I just want to let you know that you can catch the DIY garage podcast in audio format on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, and most other podcast services. And if you're not already doing so, you can catch the video version of the show on Eastwood's YouTube channel. You can also just go to eastwood.com garage and click on the podcast tab for the links to the podcast in either format. Whatever your preference, we hope you'll subscribe so you never miss a new release.
So with the business stuff out of the way, Ed, Melissa, welcome to the DIY garage. I'm really glad you could stop by.
[00:01:22] Speaker B: Thanks for having us.
[00:01:23] Speaker A: Yeah, we'll get started here. You have one of the best names for a classic car business, proper noise. Let's just start with that, because I think that's a great starting point.
[00:01:33] Speaker B: We spent a lot of time working on that, just coming up with different names and thinking about it long before we actually took off with a business. So we work on mostly english cars, british sports cars from the classic era, fifties and sixties.
[00:01:49] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:01:50] Speaker B: And so the idea of a car making proper noise is a very english thing. And we watch Goodwood coverage and races in England and Top Gear, and it was something that stuck with me because it makes sense. And we focus on making cars mechanically as perfect as they can be. We're not a body shop. We don't do body and paint, and so it fit. And it also was nice that when you google it, nobody else was using that name. So there was something special and unique there. So.
[00:02:27] Speaker C: And we wanted to also convey just that, you know, kind of a nod to the hobby and the enthusiasts and, you know, keeping it fun. And we've tried to do that with our shop, too. Obviously, tons of work gets done every day, but we like to have it be a place that, you know, you can really just enjoy the hobby of owning a vintage car.
[00:02:50] Speaker A: Yeah. So, yeah, you've made it really connected to the. To the audience with that name. I think. First time I heard it, I'm like, what's proper noise? And it makes so much sense, especially once you've been there.
What is the kind of quintessential proper noise for an old british sports car? How do you narrow that down?
[00:03:08] Speaker B: I mean, it can be anything, really. It can be.
It's making it perform or sound the way it's supposed to. So proper noise for a Rolls Royce is silence. It would be the. You don't hear the valves, the doors shut with just a solid clunk verse.
A jag straight six should have kind of a howl when you're really getting towards red line or, you know, whatever it is. I mean, that's. That's why I don't want to act like we had that all figured out.
[00:03:43] Speaker A: We just.
[00:03:43] Speaker B: We liked the name, and then as it went along, we're like, I think we got this. Right. Cause it kind of can apply to whatever.
[00:03:50] Speaker A: Yeah. But for you, it's an essential element of the character of those cars.
[00:03:52] Speaker B: Right.
[00:03:53] Speaker A: For sound is. We were talking about that last week with the electric car conversions and so on. Some cars, some engines. Well, Rolls Royce is a great example, doesn't really have a sound other than silence. But some cars have very definitive exhaust notes and other mechanical think like a. An air cooled Porsche. It has a very worry sewing machine.
[00:04:13] Speaker B: Machine kind of sound car.
[00:04:16] Speaker A: Wouldn't be the same without that.
[00:04:17] Speaker B: Right. A british four cylinder is probably the most common sound coming out of our shop, but that in itself is part of the experience. And so we really like that to be the focal point, because mechanicals are what we're known for. So making that engine sound sweet and start on the button and, you know, it's worked well for us to kind of build our brand and what we're trying to accomplish with these cars, it's certainly unique.
[00:04:47] Speaker A: I mean, it's memorable. Yeah, it's easy to spell, too. I mean, everyone knows how to spell it. You grew up around cars, right?
[00:04:53] Speaker B: I did, yeah.
[00:04:54] Speaker A: Tell us a little bit about that. What was your first car, and when did you buy that? A lot of us had cars before we had licenses. I don't know if that was your story or not.
[00:05:03] Speaker B: I didn't buy a car before I had a license, but, I mean, the first car I bought with my own money was an MG I had. I was driving a Honda Civic. That was a hand me down car through my family, and it's actually a great car. A Honda Civic hatch DX five speed. You know, it was great, but I wanted something vintage because I grew up in a house my dad had and still has an MGB.
So I wanted to get a BGT because it was a good car to use, I thought, as, you know, kind of a commuter car, daily driver. Because it had a roof.
[00:05:37] Speaker A: Yeah. A little less leaky than the roadster.
[00:05:39] Speaker B: Yeah. And I did. I bought a car that ended up being a good purchase because it didn't have a lot of rust and it just needed some maintenance and mechanicals, and I used that for years, and we drove it in our wedding, and I don't have that car anymore. We sold it for other things and, you know, weddings and babies and everything else, so.
But, you know, I was committed from the beginning, and that car is actually what led me into working at a garage. So I was in school. Melissa and I both went to Temple University and have marketing degrees, which has, in the end, served us well. But, you know, I started working part time as a mechanic at a garage, motorcar garage in New Jersey. And I was there for seven years, but I was just. I was going to buy some parts and got to talking, and the owner was a great guy, and so that led to the start for me.
[00:06:41] Speaker A: Yeah. So seven years of basically on the job training. Right. You didn't go to tech school, obviously, but you grew up like a lot of us did. Just working on your own cars.
[00:06:51] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:51] Speaker A: Learning on as you. Each new project's different anyway, right?
[00:06:54] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, it was.
It was in the DNA. You know, I worked on stuff with my father and his MG and, you know, the type of household where you don't throw out, you fix and that sort of mentality. So it wasn't a big leap to start doing it professionally.
[00:07:15] Speaker A: And they were pretty simple cars. They are to learn on. Right.
[00:07:19] Speaker B: They can be.
[00:07:20] Speaker A: They can be. They get more complicated as the deeper you get, obviously.
So you worked your way through college, you guys met in college. What did you think of Ed's obsession with cars at that point? What did you think of the GT?
[00:07:32] Speaker C: I definitely had no car experience other than you just get in and it takes you where you need to go.
So it was really cool. And I've learned a lot over the years, and I definitely have my lane of preferred cars. And I think generally I like a little flashier, maybe a little bit newer than Ed does. He likes the, you know, the projects but, yeah, it was really cool. And it. You know, that car in particular has such strong memories. In our early life, our twenties, Ed would commute, like, visit me in New York when I was living there, and we drove it around philly. He had it at Temple, so it was really cool.
[00:08:17] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. So you connected with that one.
[00:08:20] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, definitely. Yeah.
[00:08:23] Speaker A: Back to the shop real quick. You guys obviously work on a lot more than just british cars. I mean, british cars are kind of your specialty, but last time I was there, you had, what, 1911 Buick, was it? How old was the Buick that was there? You've got a bunch of stuff that's not.
[00:08:37] Speaker B: Yeah. Like Melissa said, I like older cars, and we've started to kind of gravitate to older still, so we work on anything pre 1980. So we kind of. It's not a hard line in the sand in the industry, like, but it's essentially pre fuel injection, so, like, 80 and earlier. But the Buick that we're working on is actually a 19070 seven.
[00:09:03] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:09:04] Speaker B: And we're rebuilding the planetary transmission. So it has a gearbox similar to, like, a model t. Yeah.
And it broke, so we had to make a new main shaft for that.
[00:09:16] Speaker A: That's what you were saying. You took it on a test run.
[00:09:18] Speaker B: And I was driving.
[00:09:19] Speaker A: Yeah. It broke under your hands.
[00:09:20] Speaker B: It did, yeah. Thankfully, you know, we kind of all knew that that was really a strong possibility, and then I was sure it needed to be rebuilt when it broke in half, so. But we have. At the shop, we have a full machine shop, so we were able to buy bar, stock, machine, that main shaft in house, send it out for heat treat, and then reassemble it. So.
And having that capability, I think, is why we've extended into some other stuff, because we always say we'll work on anything if it's old and it's cool, because we just. We like to fix cars, and if it's a new, interesting project, we would consider taking it on.
[00:10:04] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:10:05] Speaker B: So, yeah, it has shifted older, but also american. We've worked on plenty of american cars as well. It's not really what we're known for, but it's also not something we don't at least entertain.
[00:10:20] Speaker A: Yeah. And I'm sure, like a lot of shops, you've got a good clientele list that has a variety of cars, and if they trust you, they want you to work on everything, so.
[00:10:28] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. It's, you know, if you have an MG, but then you get something like, you know, what was the. The last big american car we worked on. Oh, it was the 68 mustang, you know, and we. He had an engine that he needed to install and set up, so we took care of that.
[00:10:48] Speaker A: Yeah. You're effectively a fabrication shop. I mean, if you're working on 1907 Buick transmissions, there's no parts catalog for that.
[00:10:56] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:58] Speaker A: And you have a marketing background, not really an engineering background. So you have to figure a lot of stuff out on the fly. I mean, what kind of resources do you have available to make that happen?
[00:11:08] Speaker B: So my father actually works at the shop, and he's our in house machinist, and he came from the machine tool industry, so not in the automotive realm. So our machine shop doesn't bore cylinders and turn cranks, but something like that where he knows the metallurgy and what to spec out, and then we can essentially, it's reverse engineering at that point. You pick the best material and then just make it to the dimensions you need, which he can do and I cannot. So that's where it's a good team. We have great people there, and so it's. I will do the research and say, like, this is how it's supposed to look. This is how it's supposed to perform for a 1907. And then he can make the part.
[00:12:01] Speaker A: Yeah. And I imagine he can look at a part and almost intuitively guess, you know, what metal it should be or might be and go from there.
[00:12:11] Speaker C: I think Ed really enjoys the research aspect of it, too, like, when we get a new project in, you know, kind of scouring our books. We have a small library at the shop, a lot of Internet stuff, and I think he really enjoys that process a lot.
[00:12:27] Speaker B: Yeah. And then Melissa's the glue because she will take the mess of papers where it's like, I bought a piece of steel from Iowa, and I had to order a Buick manual from Detroit, and that guy needs to be sent Venmo because he doesn't do anything else. So she's able to.
[00:12:43] Speaker C: Yeah, we have a variety of. I would say our vendor network is far and wide in the industry, for sure.
[00:12:50] Speaker A: I wanted to talk about Ned because I think it's so cool that every time I'm in, you tell me what Ned's doing, and it's like he's just another guy in the shop. You know, Rob's doing upholstery, Ned's doing this, and Ned's your dad, right?
[00:13:01] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:13:02] Speaker A: So I just love that, you know, he's just another guy in the shop.
[00:13:04] Speaker B: I mean, and that's. We. We. This was part of the plan. I mean, we were living out closer to Philadelphia and decided to open our own business. And there was an opportunity here with another shop that was closing. It was a british car shop called carriagecraft. And so he was winding things down, and so it kind of all came together. We realized if we take over his operation and open, then when my dad was ready to retire from his regular job, he could join us. And so that's what we did. We operated for, I guess it was about three years, and then he joined us, and that's really how we have it structured. He wanted to just come on as the. As a machinist employee, and that's how we have it set up, and it's worked out great. And, you know, we're able to do the things we do because of that sort of skill set.
[00:14:00] Speaker A: Yeah, it's always impressive seeing the shop down there and what he's working on. I think the one time I was in, he was working on fender for was an MGA, some sheet metal, and.
[00:14:11] Speaker B: Yeah, we do rust repair on, really. We're not really known for full restorations, but we do a few a year. And obviously with english cars, really, I guess any car, any old car. Yeah. Rust repair in the northeast is a big part of that. And that was an original owner car. And so it was, in many respects, people would have said, this is a car that you would be better off buying another one, but that's ignoring the sentimental value.
[00:14:45] Speaker A: So, great owner, and that's actually the business you're in.
Otherwise, it's a repair shop. You can't justify the cost of restoration.
[00:14:56] Speaker C: Professionally without experience is a huge part of it.
[00:15:00] Speaker B: Yeah. You know, great owner went in eyes wide open, and we've been able to do that car. Right. And it's in paint right now.
[00:15:07] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:15:08] Speaker B: And.
But, yeah, Ned is also our best tig welder, so whenever we need to do that sort of work, he does that.
[00:15:16] Speaker A: Yeah. And I saw you guys had a couple acs aces there, right?
[00:15:22] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:15:23] Speaker A: Frames, cages, body. Body.
[00:15:25] Speaker B: Yeah, we're set ups. That's kind of, you know, as your business develops, you don't know where you're going to go. Essentially. You have a rough idea and you kind of take it as it comes. And so the AC ace is what eventually evolved into the AC Cobra, Ford Cobra, shelby cobra. So.
But it was an english car with an english six cylinder engine originally. And once the engine they had was phased out, they started sourcing engines from other people. So it had a six cylinder, an in house six cylinder Bristol engine was that Bristol engine came next.
[00:16:03] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:16:04] Speaker B: Which was actually also a pre war BMW design, but that's a whole other story. And then that became. Then the final version had a big Ford Zephyr, straight six, 2.6 liter.
So then the nose had been extended for that, and Carroll Shelby saw it and had lots of room for a v eight. Sure. So the rest is history. But we work on a lot of them, and we're involved with, at this point, like eight or nine restorations.
[00:16:35] Speaker A: Really?
[00:16:35] Speaker B: Yeah. There's an odd sell of those in this area because they're all from Pennsylvania.
[00:16:42] Speaker A: Yeah. So they're non Cobra acs.
[00:16:44] Speaker B: They're original acs, yeah. Yeah. And so we do the mechanical frame assembly on those.
They're painted elsewhere, but we do all the frame alignment and bushings and things like that. The frames themselves are built on a bench at a coach builder, but they come to us in kind of raw form. So suspension, pickup points, we have to verify that, adjust as needed, and build them into rollers so that they can then build the bodies.
[00:17:15] Speaker A: Yeah. And you sent them off to coach builder locally for.
[00:17:19] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:17:19] Speaker A: Bodywork.
[00:17:20] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:17:20] Speaker A: And that's all aluminum on those cars.
[00:17:21] Speaker B: It is, yeah. It's. It becomes part of the. It's actually riveted to the frame. So they're. They're a difficult restoration. There's. There's. If you take it off the frame, at a minimum, you have to replace the lower parts of the body because it's wrapped around.
[00:17:38] Speaker A: So you're gonna damage it. Just. Yeah.
[00:17:40] Speaker B: I mean, it can be carefully.
If it's beautifully preserved, there's a certain amount that you could anneal it and peel it away, but it's challenging, so.
But, yeah, some of these are very nice, original cars that are being brought back to life. Others have. They were raced, they were crashed, they were fragile to begin with, but they're just. They're the best to drive. Yeah. They're like a lighter, faster Healy with six cylinders. So they have a great sound.
We love them.
[00:18:10] Speaker A: Yeah. So I wanted to ask you about Pebble beach, because last year you had a customer card that won its class in Pebble beach. What was it like to prepare and then eventually received the award for that honor? I mean, that's something else.
[00:18:25] Speaker B: Yeah. That was huge. And it was a. We didn't win the class. We got second in class, but we're still proud of that.
[00:18:32] Speaker A: That's still a trophy.
[00:18:33] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. It was great. So it was in preservation, which is something that I really appreciate, because it's not pure restoration. It's conservation, and you can.
In some ways, it's more difficult, but it was really.
You hear about Pebble beach, and it's the best show in the world and kind of has that vibe. And so that was my first time going and assisting with a car.
[00:19:01] Speaker A: What was the car? It was a Rolls Royce. Correct.
[00:19:03] Speaker B: It was a Rolls Royce Silver Coast, 1924.
[00:19:07] Speaker A: Okay, so. Well, 100 years this year.
[00:19:09] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:19:09] Speaker A: 100 year old car.
[00:19:10] Speaker B: Yep.
And it was original paint. It was.
Most of the work done was the interior. So, unfortunately, stored poorly. So the interior needed to be completely redone. And we do have an in house trim shop.
[00:19:28] Speaker A: Right.
[00:19:29] Speaker B: So that was how we received the car, was to redo the interior. And the pebble beach acceptance came kind of mid job, so that made things shift.
[00:19:39] Speaker A: So it was going to happen anyway. But you got the invitation while the work was underway.
[00:19:43] Speaker B: We actually didn't know. We weren't aware that that was on the table, but it was great. It was fine because it was already being done to that level. We didn't have to change directions on the job, but it just kind of changed the gravity of the situation.
[00:19:59] Speaker A: And that car also did the tour. Right. So it had to be a functioning car on public roads and really where.
[00:20:05] Speaker B: We had to kind of adjust, because then it meant also doing a mechanical prep on a car that hadn't been driven in 60 years, and it had been running. There was some work done to it in the early two thousands, and so we knew the base was there. And so, like, the fuel tank, it had been already cooked out. And the engine, we had heard. We knew it had run. We didn't hear it run, but we knew it could run. So there was a certain amount of confidence that would be okay. And so. But it was still close. It was down to the wire, but we got it done, and it did the tour no problem, which was cool. And in the preservation class, doing the tour and completing it is kind of a little extra badge of honor because you can't refresh everything.
[00:20:57] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:20:58] Speaker B: So we were pleased.
[00:20:59] Speaker A: So that's obviously one of the challenges. It can't just roll off a trailer and look good on the lawn. It's got.
[00:21:04] Speaker B: I mean, it can, but that comes into the judging. They do take that into account.
[00:21:10] Speaker A: So factor that.
[00:21:11] Speaker B: Yeah. So that was kind of our first. It was like our test run, and, like, this is great. I don't know if we'll ever get back, but we are going back this year with a few more projects, so Melissa's gonna come along this time. Now that we kind of know what it's gonna be like, and we're going to do it again.
[00:21:30] Speaker A: That was not your first trip to pebble, though, right?
[00:21:32] Speaker B: No, it was, it was, yeah.
[00:21:33] Speaker A: So as a. Well, not really a competitor. I mean, you were there to support the owner, but. Yeah, but to have skin in the game, so to speak.
[00:21:41] Speaker B: Yeah, it was exciting.
[00:21:43] Speaker A: That's pretty intimidating.
[00:21:45] Speaker B: I think in some ways it's better to not know. Like, I had never been there at all, so. But, yeah, now this year, there's a couple more projects going. Nothing. And again, we're not really known for full cars, so these cars that are going, one of them we did an engine, another one we did at top, and then another one, a mechanical service, but still, it's nice to be there.
[00:22:09] Speaker A: Yeah.
I'm going to shift gears here a little bit and talk about running a restoration business, because I think it's. I mean, as we both know, I had a brief time in that world, but it's not an easy business to be in the. You kind of alluded to the fact you kind of never really know how the business is going to be shaped. You know, you don't know what the next project come in, the door that you're going to accept will be. And how have you found it as a profession? I mean, you're making a living at it and the two of you together have a business, is it?
[00:22:41] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, as a husband and wife, people have warned us that, you know, like, that can be an extra challenge, but I, you know, we're making it work, and that's where Melissa is. That's like her focus on the business and able to keep things flowing because it's not my strongest suit, so she can.
[00:23:03] Speaker C: We're definitely a left brain, right brain combo, which is. I think it's good.
[00:23:09] Speaker A: It's the way it survives.
[00:23:10] Speaker C: You need both sides to run it successfully. I think, yeah, it's been challenging, but really rewarding would be the best way I could describe it. Yeah.
[00:23:24] Speaker A: And customers don't often understand the true cost involved. We've talked about this before. You can't.
Whatever the labor rate is applies to a $10,000 mg or $100,000 ac.
[00:23:39] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, it's difficult because I am an enthusiast first.
You know, we're always probably too sympathetic to the costs and.
But, you know, the rate is to cover the cost of running a business. And, you know, I don't have a collection of cars. I have one MG, and, you know, we really want to just put out the best work possible. So we, especially now, I mean, we've been open eight years, seven years. So, you know, we just keep folding it back in, and it means equipment and facilities and things like that just to be able to do better work, so.
But it is. It's challenging, and we're always trying to find ways to just be more efficient. Yeah, that's really it. I mean, the quality is the standard. We want to be able to always offer the best quality. And like you said, it doesn't matter the type of car, really we have. Half the shop is full of, you know, single owner, like in the collector antique car world, most people only have one car. And we appreciate that. That's cool. Some people have 200 cars, but it doesn't really change our approach. So we just talk to the customer, figure out what they're looking to do, and if we can help them, then it works out great.
[00:25:02] Speaker A: One of the things I liked you mentioned early on when we were talking months ago was a lot of times you just tell people, take it home, do what you can. You know, if it's brakes, you can do, or rebuild the car, do that on your own, you know, and bring, bring it to me when you run out of talent and tools. Right.
[00:25:22] Speaker B: We've definitely done that. I mean, the. Thankfully, we're busy enough, we're not looking to expand jobs that don't need that. And, you know, we make a priorities list, and sometimes it's like, we'll deal with the safety and, you know, you can be a diY, you can do.
[00:25:40] Speaker A: Tanker on your own.
[00:25:41] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, you know, mounting mirrors or whatever, like, happy to do it. And for some people we do, it's like, it can be full service, but, you know, I had a customer show up yesterday with a. He couldn't get his spare tire cover to go on his 33 Ford, and he, he needed. He wanted to leave it there to do it. And, you know, I looked at it and it was. The seal didn't fit. So I showed him what I thought it was, and he just took it home to do it. And, you know, that's fine. It's probably better that way than have it there.
[00:26:18] Speaker A: Yeah. We've talked extensively about how cars kind of come through the door and often don't leave. Right. Hotel California syndrome.
[00:26:27] Speaker B: It could, yes. And, you know, we're constantly working on that part of the business.
[00:26:31] Speaker A: Never enough space for.
[00:26:32] Speaker B: There's never enough space. And working out logistics and job flow and stuff. It's.
I probably say yes too often.
[00:26:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:26:40] Speaker C: Space and scheduling, other than I would say parts, space and scheduling, those are really. They have to be really in harmony for it to go well because, you know, it is the type of work that you can't always anticipate what you're going to find. And so a job that on paper should take a week once the guys get in there and start looking at it, sometimes it can be a month, but then, you know, maybe the part has to come from England and there's a delay there. And so, you know, we. Keeping the calendar is definitely a priority.
[00:27:19] Speaker B: But it's challenging and something that, you know, mentioning space, like if somebody's venturing into a full restoration themselves, it's important to know that it takes three bays to do a car if you take it apart, because like, let's say body on frame.
[00:27:36] Speaker A: Body on frame. Mechanicals.
[00:27:37] Speaker B: Body frame mechanicals, yeah. And if it's not, if it's a unibody car, it's the car, the mechanicals and a workspace. You know, you gotta pull the fenders off to sand them. And so, yeah, it takes up a lot of room.
[00:27:51] Speaker A: It does.
And they often don't go away. I mean, it's kind of a running joke in the business that you end up doing free car storage. We had customers that would do their annual oil change kind of thing on their safety service and they'd bring it in and leave it six, 8910 months because it was convenient. It happened to be over the wintertime. They'd drop it in the fall and no rush to get it back. So it's a definitely a tough business to manage expectations from a customer standpoint. I imagine you're probably in a position where you can't really write a hard estimate on most of the work. Do you give a kind of a.
[00:28:28] Speaker B: Guideline or if we can, sometimes not even that. I mean, it's difficult and I wish we could, honestly, it would be easier for our business if I could, but you just don't know. Especially with things like rust or body work or anything not surface level until you begin, it's just impossible to give. And it can shift so quickly.
With some of the work we do, that is more repetition.
We do a lot of mgbs, so I can give a pretty good idea on an MGB clutch job and give a worst case and best case scenario and you're going to fall somewhere in there.
But that Buick transmission, who knows? Yeah, I mean, not until you begin time and materials. Yeah, yeah, time and materials is kind of the game for most of it, but we can give a bracketed idea for certain jobs, but some stuff just has to be. We have to begin, and then we can talk about it.
[00:29:31] Speaker A: Yeah. Do you find that an objection to a lot of people that are with their, like, maybe their first restoration project or whatever?
[00:29:37] Speaker B: Sometimes, yeah. I really try to explain it as well as I can because it's.
It's a difficult.
Like I said, I come from the hobby side first.
[00:29:49] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:29:50] Speaker B: So, you know, if you get a deck put on your house, you're gonna ask how much it's gonna cost. But I, you know, not to take anything away from them, but I think that's easier to quote.
[00:30:00] Speaker A: Right.
[00:30:01] Speaker B: In a sense, they know materials and they have a design and they have.
[00:30:04] Speaker A: A materials list until they find termites in the foundation that you're about to bolt the deck when you start something new.
[00:30:13] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:30:13] Speaker B: But, yeah, it's a challenge. I mean, we work on that as a lot and try to keep getting closer, and we are getting more information as the years go on to have a better idea of how to give an idea just for planning purposes.
[00:30:31] Speaker A: As a business owner, what's the hardest position to fill for employees for you? What's been the hardest one to.
[00:30:40] Speaker B: For us right now, just right now, if we could find another mechanic, I think we have space for that. And it's a skill set that is somewhat unique because we do focus on older, often european cars. So it's not, you know, we don't have a bunch of mustangs. We don't have, you know, stuff like.
[00:31:06] Speaker A: That, like specialist in anyone live Ford Chevy.
[00:31:08] Speaker B: Like that stuff is. We're certainly not doing muscle cars. And there's a lot of great mechanics and enthusiasts that have that skill set that doesn't.
[00:31:17] Speaker A: And we're in an area where there's actually a lot of support for those.
[00:31:20] Speaker B: Absolutely those vehicles, but it's great. But there is some specific skill with tuning su carburetors and things like that. That is.
It's hard to find. Not that it's not out there, but it's difficult. And we would be open to that if we could find it.
[00:31:42] Speaker C: I think, on the management end to sourcing parts takes up, I think, a lot more time than talking to us. Seven years ago, I don't think we would have anticipated spending so much time looking for parts, you know, dealing with a lot of international shipping things that's kind of been. I mean, Covid really threw off the supply chain for everybody, and I think we're still feeling a little bit of the ripple effects of that. Certainly, 2021, 2022 were worse but, yeah, we spend a lot of time sourcing parts.
[00:32:21] Speaker A: Yeah, I think that was another lesson from my experience, was we constantly talked about the need for a parts manager after one had left. And it's not a matter of finding the website, picking up the phone and call and make sure they have it in stock and you order it and it comes five days later. A lot of times I found reaching out to clubs, the mark specific clubs or the model specific clubs to, because they've got a wealth of knowledge. A lot of those guys have the last known edition of the repair manual or whatever, the parts list. And some of those older manuals had critical specs and things that you can at least rebuild something from or create something new. And it's not like a dealership parts department where.
[00:33:05] Speaker B: Yeah, it's not just finding it. It's sometimes there's a bunch of options, and based on prior experience, you would know which one to pursue. And so right now, we are the parts managers, and as a result, it's like that load is on top of all the other work we're handling. So you're definitely. You're right. That's a big one.
[00:33:30] Speaker A: I'm gonna switch back to Melissa at this point. Cause there's a few things.
Did you ever think your life would revolve around old cars?
[00:33:39] Speaker C: No, but I always knew my life would revolve around numbers and math and things like that. I definitely was, you know, that was something that I was skilled at, I think, even through college. And even though the degree was in marketing, you know, I also had some international business experience working with family before we opened proper noise opening and running small businesses. And so, you know, it's like, it's interesting for me because we run a business on my end. We run a business that happens to work on cars. But to me, the business is like my bread and butter, kind of the numbers and cents, the spreadsheets, all of that, and I love that. So I definitely am a numbers kind of gal.
[00:34:28] Speaker A: Yeah. You didn't come from a car family. We talked about that earlier. I didn't really either. My dad was a woodworker. If he couldn't do it with wood screws, he didn't know how to fix it.
But how have you come along in the car world? I mean, you're inundated with it, so you must have picked that up for sure.
[00:34:47] Speaker C: And I going to the various events, not just the car shows, but we've started to go to some international trade shows and international car shows and things like that. That has given me such a great perspective on just what's out there and kind of the crowd for each event and how it differs and what's important to one type of enthusiast maybe isn't as important to another and starting to decipher that. So I would say, and I definitely have my preferences and usually not the same as Ed, so that's okay.
[00:35:25] Speaker A: So let's talk about that. What do you like in old cars?
[00:35:28] Speaker C: Well, or cars. Let's just do it. I'm originally from Italy, so I definitely love an italian cardinal. We always say, like, a little Fiat 500 would be my dream car, but probably only if we live overseas. I don't know if I'd drive that around reading, but, yeah, I like the little italian cars.
You know, I still. I still like a car based on the color and look of it. You know, I'm not so interested in.
[00:35:56] Speaker B: The mechanicals, but she's a good sounding board when I get two in the weeds on the. On the, like, mechanical stuff and, like, just perspective on a job, because I do tend to hone in on, like, obsession on, like, little stuff, and she's like, well, but, you know, what about, like, does the door shut?
[00:36:18] Speaker C: Okay, are there seatbelts? What's happening?
[00:36:21] Speaker B: You know, like, yeah, I need to get it to run, like, a little leaner and, you know, that sort of stuff.
[00:36:27] Speaker A: Yeah. You mentioned Italy. You've got family, obviously still in Italy. And you guys mentioned you were there last summer for. It was a trade show, right. Or swap meet, kind of.
[00:36:35] Speaker C: We were there in October for Auto Depoca, and that was our first time there, and it was fantastic. It was really great. But, yeah, we have strong connections to Italy. I have a lot of family there, and we go for a vacation. We try to go as often as we can with our kids and stuff. So, yeah, that's been a really nice tie in for us. Just starting to kind of venture into that international market a little more, working.
[00:37:04] Speaker B: On foreign cars often. I mean, our next. We're thinking we're going to try one of the trade shows in England next because it was amazing. Like, talking about trying to source parts.
The Internet is wonderful, but in some ways, you realize we lean on it too much now.
[00:37:22] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:37:23] Speaker B: Because there were a ton of businesses there that I never heard of. I never found a. And I know it'd be the same thing if we went to some of these other shows and just sourcing those things to help with our jobs here.
[00:37:37] Speaker A: Which one are you thinking about?
[00:37:38] Speaker B: In England, we would either do Beaulieu or the NEC show in Birmingham. So we have to figure out what makes the most sense.
[00:37:48] Speaker A: England's actually got a really thriving classic car industry, not just culture, but industry. They really do support the old stuff pretty well. At least ours, at least the british stuff.
[00:37:59] Speaker B: It's on the list. And then we also get to travel, which we love to do. So if we can make that, it.
[00:38:05] Speaker A: Makes the rest of business more tenable. When you get to travel a little.
[00:38:07] Speaker C: Bit and see what everyone else is doing, you can definitely get a little.
Have the blinders on just being here in the northeast. And we were out in Seattle visiting some family a week or two ago. It was just really cool to see what people are doing. Classic cars out there, too.
[00:38:26] Speaker A: It's a big country.
[00:38:27] Speaker C: I mean, yeah, it's great.
[00:38:29] Speaker B: They're spoiled on the west coast, though. There's not as much rust. I know it rains in Seattle, but there's a lot. There's so many more old cars just on the road.
[00:38:37] Speaker A: So I've been told by someone who used to live in Portland, Oregon, that that is where you go. Cause it's really not the rain that eats the cars. It's not the water. We wash them all the time. It's the stuff that goes on the road and then eats them from the bottom up so they don't have salt. Pacific Northwest, the ultraviolet effect is a lot lower than Texas. Southern California, where we typically like to think about buying cars. And, yeah, I've been told Portland, and Portland, of course, being Portland, there's some weird options for cars. There are some. Some weird survivors there.
[00:39:08] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, that kind of. It's off on a tangent, but, like, we tell people, buy the best car you can afford upfront.
[00:39:17] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:39:17] Speaker B: I mean, unless you're gonna do it yourself, that's a different story. But, like, even then. Even then, you probably should, because, trust me, there's plenty to fix anyway.
[00:39:28] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:39:28] Speaker B: So if you. If you want to get a project, you should. Don't rush it. Find the right car, because especially rust. I mean, metalwork and rust, it'll just. It'll eat up your budget. And if you can buy a car that needs less, especially if it's your first project, you don't want to burn out on it.
[00:39:47] Speaker A: Right.
[00:39:48] Speaker B: If you're on your 10th car and you want to do a challenge, that's. That's. You know, you could. You could argue that, but, yeah, get a good car.
[00:39:57] Speaker C: Paying the shipping cost from the west coast.
[00:40:00] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:40:00] Speaker C: You still will probably save that money in the long run.
[00:40:03] Speaker A: Right? Yeah, yeah. I picked up a car once in southern California, and for the reason, the same reason. It was really solid, you know? Car.
[00:40:11] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:40:11] Speaker A: I repainted it, reupholstered it and all that, but it changed my mind, I would say almost for good, except we're looking at a deep project over there for other reasons. But, yeah. As someone who came from the midwest, most of our fun stuff rotted away if it got used. It saw salt every year and disappeared and replaced a lot of rockers.
[00:40:35] Speaker B: We've done a lot of MGB rocker panels.
[00:40:37] Speaker A: Yeah.
I don't think people really appreciate just how good modern cars are in terms of rust proofing.
You just don't see in general the kind of body cancer that existed so commonly.
[00:40:52] Speaker B: Anytime we do metal work now, it's like you're going to do weld through primer, you're going to do internal frame coating after you do all the metal work and everything's closed up. And as much as you can that.
[00:41:04] Speaker A: Way, it was never there in the first place, but you may as well do it right.
[00:41:07] Speaker B: Right. And that way, if you do get caught out in something, you don't want to have to do it in the future. So we've been able to come up with a pretty good system where it's like, once and done.
[00:41:17] Speaker A: Yeah. Do you think a lot of the cars that are being restored today are going to last far longer than they ever did the first time around?
[00:41:24] Speaker B: Yeah, they're just not.
[00:41:25] Speaker A: They're just being put down.
[00:41:26] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, believe it or not, we have a couple customers, less than a handful, but that still daily drive old cars and around here and. But it's rare. Most of them are getting less than 1000 miles a year. So with simple maintenance, there's like very little that can go wrong when you're doing that sort of low mileage. Yeah, it's like tires and fluids.
[00:41:52] Speaker A: I wanted to ask you because it's an issue with my wife all the time.
You ever get tired of the gas and oil smell at home?
[00:41:58] Speaker C: Oh, my gosh, yes, 100%.
[00:42:02] Speaker A: For someone who's not a car person.
[00:42:04] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:42:04] Speaker A: You know, that was even.
[00:42:05] Speaker B: I'm tired of it.
[00:42:06] Speaker C: I'm sensitive to it, for sure. And, you know, anytime we have a car parked at home or we have, you know, Ed's driving a car home to test drive it or something, it's. Yeah, it's for sure. That was an unexpected. Unexpected for me. I'm sure he knew very well that.
[00:42:23] Speaker B: That would happen, but there's no avoiding that. Yeah.
[00:42:27] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:42:27] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:42:28] Speaker B: You definitely know if I bring a car home for a test drive, it's a good way to figure out if we've fixed all the fuel leaks.
[00:42:35] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:42:36] Speaker B: You can tell when it's in the garage at the house.
[00:42:39] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:42:39] Speaker A: Just the vaporing.
Yeah. When I started running the restoration shop, that was one of the first things my wife was like, those are gonna come off outside and stay out there.
[00:42:49] Speaker C: Until we have a really distinct smell. And I think for people who work in spaces where that's happening all day, you do sort of lose your sensitivity to it, and then you go to, like, a public space, and it's, wow, okay.
[00:43:03] Speaker A: Yeah. And I have to say, ed, you have amazingly clean hands for soap. Do I? You really do.
[00:43:08] Speaker B: Okay. We have good soap.
[00:43:10] Speaker A: It's a thing around here. When I first worked at Eastwood and was running the store nine years ago here in Pottstown, the staff told me when I came through, and it was clearly on my job interview, that was the first thing they did was looked at my hands, and they weren't convinced I was real. Cause my hands weren't dirty enough.
[00:43:28] Speaker C: But you always know when it's been a bit of a rough week at the shop because Ed's got scratches and bruises and it's really dirty.
[00:43:38] Speaker B: If I was doing a front suspension, you would see it.
[00:43:41] Speaker A: Yeah. There were times I came home, I threw in a lot at the shop, too, and would come home, and she's like, oh, we're not back to that again.
Because I had a small tuning shop back in Chicago for years, we were hands on every day and come home, and I've gotten better about the gloves, too, and AIDS, basically. Yeah.
So back to you again.
You mentioned, like, a little fiat 500 or something.
[00:44:09] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:44:10] Speaker A: If you're dream bigger, is there something you'd really like to have still? I mean, after all the stuff that's come through the shop?
[00:44:16] Speaker B: I mean, I can help you answer, because I. At shows sometimes you may not know what it is.
[00:44:22] Speaker C: Yeah, I just. I like that. Or I like that. I mean, I like. I've always like the alphas, I think.
[00:44:28] Speaker B: Yeah, she likes that art deco. Big, flowing. Oh, the bigger.
[00:44:32] Speaker A: Like a six c or something like that.
[00:44:34] Speaker C: Definitely curvy, for sure. Red or white? Yeah, yeah. Only red or white for me.
[00:44:42] Speaker A: Well, that's going big. Yeah.
[00:44:43] Speaker C: I mean, yeah, I definitely. I would never want one of those.
What's that gray car we have in the shop right now?
[00:44:51] Speaker B: Oh, the. It's a Rolls Royce Phantom.
[00:44:53] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean, beautiful car, but definitely something a little sportier maybe convertible? I don't know. We'll see.
[00:44:59] Speaker B: Definitely convertible.
[00:45:00] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:45:02] Speaker A: Same question kind of came up last week at your cruise inn and you went kind of shot for the moon with your, like, go big or go home, right?
[00:45:10] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, it was. I forget the guy asking, he was like. He meant. No, no, he didn't actually mean dream car. What car do you want right now? Yeah, I mean, I've had the chance to work on some really special stuff and so I do really love Bugatti's. I know that one is not really in my future, but the engineering on them is amazing.
[00:45:35] Speaker A: But you did work at a shop that did Bugatti engine rebuilds and some mechanical stuff.
[00:45:39] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, I got to work on them quite a bit.
[00:45:42] Speaker A: So you've been up close and you know the magic of those engines.
[00:45:46] Speaker B: Yeah. We haven't drawn a Bugatti into our shop yet, but hopefully in the future we can. So I can be around one again, because they're just. It's that perfect blend of art and science and engineering and just everything's hand built and machined. It's beautiful.
[00:46:03] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. The thirties especially were a time of that blending of art and design or art and engineering. The design was very art driven. It felt like, you know.
[00:46:15] Speaker B: Yeah, that's where modern cars lose me, because they are safer and they're better in every way, but they're just. They're a little sanitized because so much is dictated by safety that it has to be a certain dimension and, you know, the pillars have to be a certain size for the curtain airbags and things like that. So I know it's better, but it's for different reasons.
[00:46:39] Speaker A: They become much more appliance, like. Yeah, I. For someone who's going to buy their first DIY restoration project, what are a couple recommendations from a car and then some general word of advice or warning for someone who's going to tiptoe into their first restoration at home, if you.
[00:46:58] Speaker B: Can, you should experience one that's done, because we have seen many times where a nice restoration is completed either by a shop or by somebody at home, and it just doesn't live up to their expectations.
[00:47:13] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:47:14] Speaker B: And for whatever reason, it's, you know, they had one when they were younger and for some reason now it feels smaller and hotter and not as, you know, convenient and.
[00:47:24] Speaker A: Oh, it's an old car.
[00:47:26] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:47:26] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:47:26] Speaker B: So it's just that disappointment of, you know. Oh, it's. I put in all the time and effort and it's not what I thought it would be. So car clubs are great. If somebody has one, they're willing to take you for a ride.
That would be kind of the number one thing just to know what you're getting into.
[00:47:45] Speaker A: Yeah, it's easy to get lost in the romance of an idea, but the reality you have to live with.
[00:47:51] Speaker B: Yeah, but if you go and you enjoy it, then there's that motivation to do your own and have it. So that's definitely first piece of advice. Just same with buying a car. Probably shouldn't buy the first one you look at. You should look at a bunch and get kind of an idea of pricing and what you can get for your money.
[00:48:12] Speaker A: It feels like the market's been so hot lately that I think it's impulsive to just want to jump on one when one's available. If it's a car you've been interested in, there's a feeling that you're going to miss out. There won't be another one, but that's not really the case.
[00:48:28] Speaker B: Yeah, and often another one. And if it is, the first one you look at, and you should actually look at it. Like anything sight unseen online is.
I've seen it work out, but usually it doesn't.
I mean, they never look as good in person. The pictures, they can hide a lot, even if it's not deceptive. It's just like, take pictures, it looks great, and then you see it up close and you're like, oh, yeah, I didn't notice that bumper didn't match. You know, something like that.
[00:48:59] Speaker A: So, yeah, pictures can really be deceiving these days. I mean, even if they're not photoshopped, you know, working in media, you know.
[00:49:06] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:49:07] Speaker A: Sometimes we go to do a photo shoot in a car and the owner would be, you know, obsessed about a scratch here that won't show. Like, the photos don't show most of what you see with the naked eye. So, yeah, you really do have to see it in person.
[00:49:22] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:49:23] Speaker A: And should drive it.
[00:49:25] Speaker B: You should if you can. I mean, if you can. Most projects, I mean, we joke about that a lot. Usually cars come to us on a trailer, and then the hope is they can drive it home, you know? So if it's a project, it often means it's not safe to drive.
[00:49:40] Speaker A: Right.
[00:49:41] Speaker B: So it, you know, brakes first, then you can go on the other safety systems, and then we can talk about performance.
[00:49:49] Speaker A: Yeah. Are there any. Any cars or conditions you'd recommend just walking away from entirely? I mean, that's kind of a loaded question. It's probably an easy one to answer.
[00:50:00] Speaker B: I mean, no, not really. If there's. I think there's a reason for every enthusiast car to exist, even if it's not for me, but by far it's like, well, I guess this is me being biased to what we do at our shop because, like, a body man is going to take a rusty car that runs before somebody that's good at engines. So I think if you're not going to do it yourself, you should probably find a shop before you buy it and maybe even have them look at it.
We do offer that service if somebody wants us to evaluate. I mean, if it's just a link to pictures, I'll do that for free. I'm happy to. And I usually tell them not to buy it, I mean, to be honest.
[00:50:50] Speaker A: But you have to assume the worst if you're only looking at pictures. Right. So.
[00:50:53] Speaker B: But I can if it's like, well, if this is what you're thinking, check this one out. You know, because I just want people to get good cars. It's, it's nicer to work on good cars and everybody ends up better off. So we'll, we do that or we'll do a full evaluation if they want and have it sent to the shop.
[00:51:11] Speaker A: Yeah. And that's probably the best way. I mean, if you're getting in, especially the more valuable cars. Right. You wanted to know. I mean, we looked at a fair number of e type jaguars.
They were hot at auction. Everyone wanted to have one. It's gorgeous car. It's natural to want an e type, but I don't think most owners understood how complicated those are to.
[00:51:33] Speaker B: It's a tough car to restore well, and it's expensive and they've recently, within the past ten years, really went up in value. But prior to that, it's one of the few english cars where the restoration can actually get close to coming under the value when it's finished.
So now there's some really good restorations happening on e types, but for a long time that wasn't the case. So, you know, be careful.
[00:52:03] Speaker A: Yeah. And the value of the car has nothing to do with the value or the cost of restoration. I think that's the bottom line.
[00:52:10] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:52:10] Speaker A: That's just about every.
[00:52:11] Speaker B: Yeah. Agreed value. Insurance is, you know, because it's. If you, if you have a car that it doesn't matter. If the market says it's worth 30 grand, it might take a hundred to restore it.
[00:52:27] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:52:27] Speaker B: And that's just the reality of it. And, you know, it doesn't make it worth 100 when it's done, you can insure for that in case something happens. But, yeah, it's weird. There's a weird imbalance in the industry. If it costs that much to fix it, why isn't it worth that much? But that's just the way it is.
[00:52:45] Speaker A: Yeah. Yep.
Any other words of wisdom for someone who's tipping into their. Into their own restoration?
[00:52:53] Speaker B: I mean, you have to. You have to enjoy the process. Yeah, that's really it. It's not, because if it's only about getting it done to drive it, it is a lot of work. So if you are able to engage with the process and that, you know, the satisfaction of each part being nasty or broken or dirty and then having it nice and new, once you get into that mindset, then the whole thing is fun. You know, you can just keep overcoming those challenges and, you know, and buy lots of ziploc bags and sharpies so you can. Because you will forget, like, if you.
[00:53:30] Speaker A: Take it apart, lots of pictures these.
[00:53:33] Speaker B: Days, you will forget.
[00:53:34] Speaker A: You'll still forget.
[00:53:35] Speaker B: You have to make lots of notes and take digital photos and bag and tag.
[00:53:40] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:53:40] Speaker B: But, yeah, enjoy the process because that's really more. You're probably doing that more than driving it.
[00:53:47] Speaker A: Yeah, that's true.
[00:53:48] Speaker C: And also maybe know when. When to ask for help.
[00:53:52] Speaker A: You know, that's a good one.
[00:53:53] Speaker C: When you've hit your limit and, you know, maybe when it stops becoming fun or when it's, like, becoming overwhelming, you know.
Know when it's time to ask for help.
[00:54:03] Speaker A: Yeah, that's. That's sage advice for sure.
[00:54:06] Speaker B: And don't take it apart if you intend to take it to a shop.
[00:54:10] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, yeah.
[00:54:11] Speaker B: We get a lot in projects and boxes cost more.
[00:54:14] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:54:14] Speaker A: Yeah, they do. You're not saving any money by disassembling anything if you.
[00:54:20] Speaker B: If you take it apart. And it will cost more than if you paid us to take it apart.
[00:54:24] Speaker A: Basically bringing a puzzle to you. Yeah.
[00:54:26] Speaker B: It's an inventory that you have to go through. I mean, obviously there's some exceptions to that rule. If it's a car that we've done a ton of, sure. But it's better for us to see it in its whole entity.
[00:54:40] Speaker A: And you never know that you've got it all anyway. If you get it in boxes.
[00:54:43] Speaker B: Yeah. Like, if the windshield is off, if it was still on and we noticed, well, that doesn't fit the cowlite. Why doesn't that fit the cowl? And you could fix that in the process rather than. It's painted and you got to put the windshield on and now it doesn't line up. Well, we didn't see that because we didn't take it off. So, yeah, that's.
We could get into that.
[00:55:05] Speaker C: But that unpopular opinion, maybe.
[00:55:07] Speaker B: Yeah, because people want to be involved and taking things apart is easy, but please don't.
[00:55:17] Speaker A: I really appreciate you guys coming by for this.
We obviously run into each other all the time, so it's great to have you guys here and part of it and look forward to seeing you guys out this season. I know you do your monthly kind of gathering at the motor club up there in west radio.
[00:55:36] Speaker B: I mean, Pennsylvania is great for car culture. There's lots to do around here. And we've started to do a few little things just because we are still. We are enthusiastic and you guys are.
[00:55:46] Speaker A: In the shadow of the Redding hill climb.
[00:55:48] Speaker B: Yeah, the hill climb is still. I mean, our shop is.
We're in Mount Penn. We can see the pagoda from our shop. And so that event, I mean, I went to that when I was a little kid and so it's cool to be kind of around there. And so, yeah, we go to west reading for our monthly meetups. And we have some cars and coffee events coming up.
[00:56:08] Speaker A: So we'll be out there judging any concourse this year.
[00:56:11] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. That's been a great thing for the business. I'll be judging at Radnor Hunt, the local show. I do audrain.
That's up in Newport, Rhode Island, Greenwich, Concord in Connecticut.
Unfortunately, I usually go to a great show down at the Greenbrier, but I have to miss that one this year, unfortunately.
That's enough. Yeah. But it's a great reason to get to the shows.
[00:56:42] Speaker A: Yeah.
Thanks again and we'll see you guys around. I appreciate it.
[00:56:47] Speaker B: Thanks a lot, Brian.
