iamsuperdan

Cool looking van? Two questions, roughly what scale is it? Have any "before" pics?

Thanks guys. Yeah, not 100% accurate, but that won't bother me. The grille isn't the exact one I wanted, but it's close enough that it'll keep me satisfied. No pics, but I got the front end shaved down and smoothed. Will hit it with some primer shortly and make sure it looks right, tough to tell with the plain plastic. Also have the sunroof mostly filled, hoping to get close to done over the Christmas break.

I'm not religious at all, but I don't take offence when people to share their beliefs. A lot of people here add religious notes in their posts or private messages. I don't think it's a big deal and it's never bothered me. If it helps someone deal and cope with a traumatic experience, then I'm all for it. Politics though? Nope. Nope. Nope.

By the way, here's the 2019 Ram 1500. Mostly undisguised.

The next model year vehicles typically arrive in August, but manufacturers are starting to launch them sooner. The 2018 Chev Equinox was here last February. In fact, most 2018 models from all manufacturers seemed to hit the ground sooner than usual this year. The 2019 Ram 1500 will start arriving by spring. And we should be able to start ordering these 2019 GM trucks by spring, with arrivals in early summer. As for myself, I'm hoping the truck looks better in person. I'm a big fan of the styling of the current GMs, and this just seems a little too "concept" for my tastes. Still, other than the grille, I like it.

First off, the guy in Lethbridge he went to visit does not have exclusive rights to anything. Alberta's towing world is a free for all much like BC. That guy was just a very focused businessman, who had his fingers in a few different pies. As he is no longer with us, would be interesting to see what becomes of that operation, and if it can survicve new management/ownership. And comparing operations in the US to operations in western Canada just isn't realistic. Even with the exchange rate taken into account, equipment in the US is a lot cheaper than it is here, and operating costs are significantly less. Look at the fuel costs. That alone would be a huge savings when your'e running a fleet of large diesel trucks. THen you throw in protected territories and basically guaranteed income, and you've got a much different situation. I think if Jamie set up a location in the US northwest, he could do quite well. Plus it's closer to home base for him. Second, the Albereta experiment was definitely a huge mistake for Jamie. I think his business would be much better off financially if he had focused on "home" instead of coming to Alberta like so many other people did to try and take advantage of what was a booming economy. That was a huge expenditure for him, and he came at the worst possible time, the tail end of the boom. Had he stayed home, he would never have had to incur the costs of setting up operations in Alberta, which because of the boom at the time, was insanely expensive, and then deal with zero work. Plus, I think by sending his fleet and crews to Alberta, he gave up a lot of BC business, allowing other tow companies to come in and scoop up the business he left behind. So yes, I wonder how his fleet would look if he hadn't tried the Alberta experiment. I'd bet he'd still be running his rotator. And Colin's baby would still be there. Third, after this season, I too wonder why I watch. This season was kind of dull, and I think the show has been going downhill for a while. I guess for me there's only so many ways recovery can be made interesting, and after seven seasons, they're running out of things we've never seen before. I don't watch a lot of tv, as there's really not much good on it. So when a show I like jumps the shark and becomes less interesting, yeah, I get disappointed and hold it accountable. I'm going through the same thing with Walking Dead too. The weather isn't helping either. Tough to recover huge wrecks when the weather isn't causing as many headaches. And throw in a more efficient BC highways maintenance crew, and you just don;t see as amny incidents. Seeing a lot of that around here of sure. Heck, I have a plow that I built in September, as we usually move a handful of these. This one is still sitting here, on display, not surrounded by snow, and as I type this, it's plus 6 degrees. Kind of tough to move snow equipment when there's no snow or ice. And in seeing the weather around Penticton rtight now, and how unseasonable it is there, I wouldn't be surprised to see fewer big wrecks and recoverys further south. Fourth, there's nothing wrong with old trucks, but to go from a fleet of new and cutting edge, and then to get excited about an early 90s truck (the Python) I just can't do it. I get that it's what Jamie has to do to try and keep the fleet profitable and the doors open, and yes he still has to put on the positive face for the show, but I'd bet he's not 100% happy about where things are at right now. At the very least, he should have the fleet painted in JD red and white, make it look uniform. With all the different colours and old units, it looks cobbled together. Make the fleet look like a fleet, make it look like everything is part of the master plan. I think that would actually do wonders for morale amongst the staff, and would improve public perception. And the public perception thing is something I deal with constantly, and help my clients with. It's simple, but wow does it work. And personally, I think that old Pete rebuild he has is the most interesting truck on the show. And if he can get Bruce's old truck restored and running, that would be very interesting. Because it has real history with Jamie. Unlinke Mighty Mo, that may be a histoprical truck, but just didn't seem like a historical truck in Jamie's life. Other than it was a truck his buddy owned. Let's see Jamie truck down and restore the first trucks he owned. The first unit that really made a difference. His first heavy wrecker. I think a personal connection is one of the things this season was missing. Fifth, for the record, I've been to Jamie's shop, and through work have had conversations with Jamie while they were setting up in Alberta. They've done business with us in the past, and we've discussed future work. At the time, we just weren't a good fit, especially when Toyota throws free trucks at him! That door wasn't fully closed, so in the future, we may end up doing something with them. So yeah, I have a good sense of Jamie's history before the show and I know that there's a much bigger picture than we see. It's like Top Gear. Most people don't realize that Top Gear was around for more than a decade before Clarkson, Hammond, and May came on board. Like a lot of things, there's a much bigger history than we are shown. Actually, that might be interesting for a show. Have Jamie discuss his history, not so much the history of Holmes tow trucks and where they came from. Let's go deeper into JD. We got a bit of that in the finale, and if they could refine that idea, make it more personal, they could be on to something. And get rid of some of these other companies. Focus on Jamie and Al. We just don't need the four or five other companies shown.

E36 touring?! Uh oh, I sense a purchase coming up...

My fav colour! So glad you went with something not red! Looks great!

THis whole thing fascinates me. Thanks for posting those!

Interesting. Can you post up a couple of pics of what you've been able to do wit htheir $75 file? I'm genuinely curious about this.

Rustic waterfront property with huge potential. Lots of open space, open concept main floor.

The power struggle is real though! In any negotiation for a product or services, all parties involved want to be in control. THe consumer wants to dictate terms and get what he/she wants, and the seller wants to dictate their terms, informing the consumer what they're willing to give. As much as one tries to avoid that, i think it's inevitable. Informed customers are fantastic. However, informed customers that get cocky about it I'll usually walk. The customers that come in and tell me right off the bat that they have researched and know exactly what they want make my job a lot easier. However, it crosses the line when they not only tell me exactly what they want, but they also start talking about how they know what to pay, and they know what I've paid for the vehicle, and they know exactly how muc gross there is, etc, etc; and they won;t pay a penny more. Thank you, but we're done here. Those are the "know-it-all" customers I refer to. I'd rather walk them than try to explain to them why their internet research is wrong, and that reality is a lot more different than they think. And I 100% agree with you Bill. Pushy salespeople, or salespeople that do not listen to my needs, will not get my business. It's a total cliche, but I want a salesperson that I can trust. This is a relationship, and if everyone listens to each other, and can be reasonable with their demands and expectations, then we're doing business.

I would absolutely love an old Datsun Z, epecially a ZG! I've drooled over these things for years. Had an opportunity to buy a project car a few years ago, but as I'm 6'6", it just wasn't happening. There's no way I'd be able to make myself fit. Which bummed me out. Looks great so far, can;t wait to see more!

As someone in sales, success is really quite simple. It's a cliche, but say what you do, then do what you say. And don't be afraid to say no. I have so many clients that I've turned down on occasion because what they wanted at the time and what I could offer just didn't fit. Too many sales people feel they have to close the deal. Not so. I'm in charge now, and I'm constantly asking my team why they're quoting certain vehicles to certain people. "Well, they asked for a quote and we want the business." That may be true, but if it's the wrong fit, or out of their budget, or they're just shopping us, then everyone's time is being wasted. Customers will appreciate the honesty. And the know-it-all customers will be shocked when you say thanks but no thanks. Puts the sales person back in control of the relationship. As for your realtor problem, I'd have found a new guy a long time ago. I give people three attempts. If I try to get info three times, and they're not doing it? Three strikes, you're out.

Yes! That and/or the Thunderbird, same era. Just take my money!

Anyway... I was thinking. I also NEED a couple of VW kits. Volkswagen T3 Doka. Volkswagen B3 generation Passat, especially in wagon format. Admitted, the cars pictured are not stock, but that's how I'd build the kits. Replicas of my old cars. I actually think the Doka would sell in quantities big enough to justify production. MY beloved wagon? Not so much.

So I was looking at the Volkswagen B3 Passat wagon, $75US. Help me understand here. For that $75, I get the 3D print files, that would need to be "loaded" into a 3D printer, so I could print the model itself? Kind of a cool idea.

I already have a whole list of accessories for this one!

I'm almost ready to go! Most of the parts are in, still waiting on some bits, will be ready to go Jan 1!!

Tamiya Mercedes-Benz AMG 500SL 6.0-4V, represents an early 90s car.

I ordered up another one, going to build it as a custom. Thought about ordering a couple, as turning one into a base cargo van could be interesting.

That grille is definitely mid-80s, so doesn;t match the random Blazer I posted above. I've had trouble nailing down exactly what grilles and body treatments were available on what years. Single headlights, dual healdights, upright indicators, horizontal indicators, wider door frames, thinner frames. When I'm done this one, it won't be 100% accurate, but I should be able to acheive the overall look I'm after.

Holy heII. THat is beautiful!

Great looking truck. Makes me want to stretch and modify a kit I have here. Also, can't help but notice you have Big Mouth on the TV behind your build there. Is that not the funniest thing on Netflix right now? lolz. The hormone monster deserves and Emmy for best comedy actor!

Drove through some southern BC fires last summer. Crazy stuff, and not nearly as photogenic as the sunset above! ROlling road closures, water bombers and helicopters picking up water right next to the road, ash raining down on the truck. And there's no way we could have turned our rig around if the fire shifted.