FantomWorks

[H8tulooze]

I dont watch it, I like Bitchn Rides!!!

[hifi875]

I watch it. He don't pretend to be a high end builder and doesn't do any high end work. His prices didn't seem to high to me vs other shops that do that level of work. It's not a kindigit rad rides by Troy shop

[vintageracer]

Welcome to reality TV.

Just remember that "Dan" runs a BUSINESS!

Dan is Responsible For & MAKES A PAYROLL every week. HE PAYS the unemployment taxes, workers comp, rent, equipment, utilities, insurance and all the other things that are REQUIRED for an ongoing and thriving business that people who "DRAW A PAYCHECK" (Workers) have NO understanding about or really care about as all they are interested in is their paycheck since they put in their "40" so Where's My Money!

So ya Dan does have an attitude which he should since his name on the door and he is responsible for a LOT of ONGING EXPENSES, a LOT of people who WORK FOR HIM and NO the customer is not always right!

All of this starts as a neat opportunity for the hobbyist car owner however it's a BUSINESS for the shop doing the work and the TV production company pimping the show. As with anything else where a contract of some sort (tell us there was a written agreement) agreement/contract that outlined the responsibilities of both all 3 parties involved it's the hobbyist who usually gets the "Short End of The Stick"!

SOME people talk about their passion as a HOBBY while for other people this hobby is their BUSINESS!

Which one are you????

Are you on the Money SPENDING side of the hobby?

Are you on the Money MAKING side of the business?

The perspectives are certainly different depending upon which side of the hobby you are on.

It really does not make any difference at all since the whole hobby/business is "ALL ABOUT THE MONEY"!!!!!

The "Reality" is that our hobby or business (are you Spending Money or Making Money) is NO DIFFERENT that any other hobby. You got the "Spender's" and the "Money Makers". Each have different goals and responsibilities. Every now and then BOTH the Spender's and Money Maker's get what they want!

Throw the "Third Wheel" of a production company in there who could care less about the Spender or the Money Maker as the goals of the first two are rarely of any interest to the production company and thrill of success in many cases will pale in comparison to the requirements of hard deadlines and drama required by the "Third Wheel" (Production Company)!

Yes the thrill of being on TV can be intoxicating, exciting, expensive and humbling all in one. Just be prepared for the ride as that ride will rarely if ever be what you originally imagined when you jumped at the opportunity to be on TV!

I enjoy the show as Dan does bring the REALITY of owning and running an Automotive Restoration Business to the viewer whether you like it or not.

[badazz81z28]

I like watching Fantom Works as I really haven't noticed any problem with Dan. What I do notice is many of these shows have mechanics with not much skill and knowledge. I watched a Fantom Work episode on a GTO where it had a broke rocker/pushrod guide. Dan told him to pull the head...Pull the head? Why not pull the intake and the pan first?

Also on GMG when a new rebuild had some metal in the oil, they freaked out. Needed Aaron to tell them some metal is normal for break-in...


I like watching most of them because they are car shows...I really can't stand "what's my car worth" and the new episodes of Horsepower TV.

If anyone is ignorant...that guy that specializes in the Mopars.....Graveyard Garage. Wow, that guy is someone special.

[raustinss]

Mike maybe you should re read the post with the email from the Mustang owner..... Dan is a idiot....stroker motors aren't reliable! Wow....along with how many other examples. Think about it like this. If there's only one grocery store in town you'll probably end up shopping there. To the uneducated they might be convinced to give Dan their business. Or possibly because he's the only one in the area

[vintageracer]

Mike maybe you should re read the post with the email from the Mustang owner..... Dan is a idiot....stroker motors aren't reliable! Wow....along with how many other examples. Think about it like this. If there's only one grocery store in town you'll probably end up shopping there. To the uneducated they might be convinced to give Dan their business. Or possibly because he's the only one in the area

I ran a 347 stroker motor in my 66 Shelby GT350 vintage race car for years with no problems. I must the only one!

As far as Dan being only "one" in the area that may be or not true however I don't see why that's a big deal.

My response was directed more to toward the HOBBY and how different folks may have a different opinion of the HOBBY as it relates to how they participate (hobby or business). Throw in the lure of TV and the reality it brings to the build and you really have a big mess just a stated by the Mustang owner himself!

Search the site and read about that high dollar Corvette build by Boyd years ago before his death and what the car owner had to say about all the drama TV brought to that build.

[badazz81z28]

Mike maybe you should re read the post with the email from the Mustang owner..... Dan is a idiot....stroker motors aren't reliable! Wow....along with how many other examples. Think about it like this. If there's only one grocery store in town you'll probably end up shopping there. To the uneducated they might be convinced to give Dan their business. Or possibly because he's the only one in the area

Strokers not reliable? Since when? I guess it really depends on the amount of stroke, but some factory motors are merely stroked versions of smaller cube engines.

[TheJDMan]

Any shop owner can tell you that no matter how hard you try to satisfy the customer, sooner or later you will do work for "that" customer, the one that simply cannot be pleased no matter how hard you try. Now as for the guy with the Mustang, he clearly started changing the build parameters on the show and the engine he supplied to the shop which was supposed to be in perfect shape, turned out to have rust in the cylinders. Keep in mind that in any disagreement there are ALWAYS two sides to the story and the Mustang owner certainly made a point to tell his side. But in the interest of fairness, I would not form any opinion until I had heard both sides.

I can totally understand where Dan the owner of Fantomworks is coming from as it is pretty obvious that most of the customers on the show are not gear heads. So he has to make informed decisions on the builds and communicate the issues to the owners. My take on DRS is that they do not build high end show cars like a Kindigit Designs, rather they build nice cars that normal people on budgets can take out and drive on weekends.

Now if you really want to watch a true ass**le, take a look at Mark Worman on Graveyard Cars. That guy is a piece of work and not in a good way. The sad part is that he appears to know his stuff when it comes to MoPar but that knowledge gets lost in all the BS drama.

[72BBSwinger]

Strokers aren't reliable? I guess ive been lucky with the 3 ive built then. Anyone that says a "stroker" isn't reliable watches to much TV or spends waaaay to much time on Mustang boards.....

[72BBSwinger]

Any shop owner can tell you that no matter how hard you try to satisfy the customer, sooner or later you will do work for "that" customer, the one that simply cannot be pleased no matter how hard you try. Now as for the guy with the Mustang, he clearly started changing the build parameters on the show and the engine he supplied to the shop which was supposed to be in perfect shape, turned out to have rust in the cylinders. Keep in mind that in any disagreement there are ALWAYS two sides to the story and the Mustang owner certainly made a point to tell his side. But in the interest of fairness, I would not form any opinion until I had heard both sides.

I can totally understand where Dan the owner of Fantomworks is coming from as it is pretty obvious that most of the customers on the show are not gear heads. So he has to make informed decisions on the builds and communicate the issues to the owners. My take on DRS is that they do not build high end show cars like a Kindigit Designs, rather they build nice cars that normal people on budgets can take out and drive on weekends.

Now if you really want to watch a true ass**le, take a look at Mark Worman on Graveyard Cars. That guy is a piece of work and not in a good way. The sad part is that he appears to know his stuff when it comes to MoPar but that knowledge gets lost in all the BS drama.

I thought he knew his stuff too until I watched him put main bearings in backwards, after that I quit watching it, although he is pretty funny....

[alocker]

Typical TV BS. I feel bad for anyone who brings their car in for brakes because they are guaranteed tires with flat spots when they pick it up.

Not sure if anyone here remembers the show Rides from the mid 2000's but Joe Rogan is pretty open about what goes on behind the scenes when they built his old Cuda "Sick Fish". He said it was a nightmare because the builder (Rad Rides) and the TV producers pressured him build the car a certain way at a higher cost to make it better for TV. They also wanted Joe to pay for it.

[Removed user as requested]

Vintageracer - Based on what I read from everyone, that guy doesn't run a TV business. He runs a scam. I mean, seriously, there is no justification for taking someone ELSES car and painting it whatever the hell YOU Wanted to do against the OWNERS wishes. How is that running a business? Thats vandalism, guy should be put in jail for that. If I paid you money to do something for me and then you disregarded what I asked you to do and went and did your own thing on MY vehicle, not YOUR vehicle... I would look into grand theft auto for that. All your dribble was complete waste of time and non-sensical. Next time reply BEFORE You have too many drinks.

[vintageracer]

Vintageracer - All your dribble was complete waste of time and non-sensical. Next time reply BEFORE You have too many drinks.

Read my post again and enjoy while I drink my beer!

[raustinss]

I'm sorry but any clown who talks to employees the way he does ...makes decisions the way he does etc etc etc will eventually find himself up the creek be it with his employees quitting ,lack of customers or driving the business into the ground based on his "superior" knowledge. Yes the man is running a business .Yes he obviously has done some things correctly and yes there is tv drama . As a responsible business owner he needs to step aside and realize his show is somewhat educational and some people will take it as church. Installing bearings backwards,wrong ways to shims frames and panels saying stroker motors aren't reliable is the best way to make people who are educated realize you are a moron.

who cares about business vs hobby ....im a red seal fabricator i have the highest qualifications this country can prove . Does that mean that someone who thinkers in their garage is a idiot and i know more then them . NO NOT EVER . the minute i take that approach i might as well be dead because we have two ears and one mouth for a reason.

the guy talks to his employees and once or twice customers like s**t. hey we all know that boyd was a innovator and a trend setter but ask anyone who worked for him, he was a a**hole. he learned the hard way. $$$$ issues etc. the one thing boyd had going for him was he was in California and got lucky with a few celebrities which helped spread the word and bring money in the door . A fine example of the same thing is Ryan at west coast customs only difference is hes not a A**hole to work for

[jlcustomz]

As with any tv show or movies, I try to watch them mostly for the CARS, not the rest of the drama or bs, whether made for tv or not. Life's too short to spend any worry on stuff like that.

To me the best invention ever for viewing these shows is the dvr. I have went through hour long shows like street outlaws in 15 minutes or less, sometimes just stopping to view the cars, not the bs.

As far as actually working for someone like Dan, or Boyd Cottington, maybe that's why I'm still in the door & window business as a day job.

[Dave B]

All those shows are the same, there should be more about the cars, and less drama. I run a business, I have staff, and overhead, and I don't deal with near the drama they create on that show.

[TheJDMan]

All I can say is that Dan Short of Fantomworks is an amateur compared to Mark Worman of Graveyard Cars in terms of being an A**hole.

[raustinss]

Yeah thanks Steve....now your actually making me look him up lol....we don't have the "pleasure "of having that shows aired in canada if or at least that I've seen here in my province

[rohrt]

All I can say is that Dan Short of Fantomworks is an amateur compared to Mark Worman of Graveyard Cars in terms of being an A**hole.

Oh come on Mark W is hilarious! My favorite part was when he was making a list of names for one of the relatives/employees and started laughing at himself. It was either short turd or long turd. Have you never worked for a small company were there is some back and forth and giving each other some crap?

You guys must be changing the channel to the Bachelor? Wasn't that long ago that there were no car shows on. No Velocity or speed channel. Went three years with no cable and that sucked so I'm happy to have them even if they don't do it right all the time.

[CampbellshotrodsAZ]

I like Worman. I didn't make it past the first 2 episodes before, honestly. Too much fabricated drama back then. But the show is a lot better now, and is one of my favorites on tv actually, because he is very knowledgeable. He's even mentioned how heavy the drama was in the early episodes. I think he has more control over it now, so it's a lot more informative. He'll explain things to the camera like he's talking to a car audience. But I don't mind his humor, probably because the jabs we take at each other at work aren't too far off from what they do! But I like that his humor is self-deprecating, he's not afraid to joke about himself.