We add a new wrinkle to the podcast this week with our first special guest, Matt Couper. Matt Couper owns Autoworks Parts and is the builder of the world-famous Obsidian Mustang. Matt discusses his early life and we all talk about bad memories from cars. then we jump into those tech questions. We get our first ones form the podcast, so please keep them coming in.
Episode 5 Show Notes Below
Steve: Loud noises. Are we ready?
Shane: Loud noises.
Chris: All right. Shane, you sound good baby. So, you guys generally look at whoever you're talking to or just in general look around?
Matt: Basically.
Steve: Yeah. You can look around.
Chris: Do whatever you want.
Speaker 4: And we're good.
Steve: Look at this guy [crosstalk 00:00:13].
Chris: You don't need to look at that. Just look.
Shane: Yeah. Just look.
Steve: There you go.
Announcer: Welcome to Hot Laps. Brought to you by Heat Shield Products. Race, test it.
Chris: All right. Welcome back to Hot Laps. You're listening to... This is lap number five. I can't believe it but that's where we're at. And I think we should introduce ourselves because I think we've been spotty with that. So, I'm Chris.
Steve: You're a sales manager at Heatshield Products.
Chris: I'm a sales manager at Heatshield Products.
Steve: I am Steve. I am the Head Peon Heatshield Products.
Shane: I'm Shane, I'm the assistant to the Head Peon.
Chris: There you go. And actually it's cool. So, today we actually have a special guest.
Announcer: Hot Laps' special guest is on now.
Chris: Matt Cooper, he's the owner of Autoworks Part in Santee, California, which is basically just down the freeway. And we want to just give you a big thanks for coming up and being our number one, the official-
Steve: [crosstalk 00:01:27]. That's right.
Chris: Very first guest.
Steve: The trailblazer.
Matt: Well, thank you very much guys. It's great to be here and the opportunity is amazing, so. The first, I feel very, very honored.
Steve: That's got some awesome insight on car building. So, that it'll be great to have him here.
Chris: And just a quick insight to what you do, I pulled this off of your website but-
Steve: So, if he's wrong, correct him.
Chris: Yeah. Exactly.
Steve: And then yell at Richard when you get back, "Hey, you screwed that." [crosstalk 00:01:55].
Chris: So, Autoworks Parts specializes in classic Mustangs and strive to bring their customer the latest and best for Resto-Mod and Classic Restorations. And you're currently working on Heatshield Products-
Steve: The redemption [crosstalk 00:02:10].
Chris: The redemption. So, did I hit that on the head?
Matt: You pretty much did. Yeah. I think we were really just add that the parts that we bring in, there's a lot of proprietary parts that we build that you can't get anywhere else. So, that makes us just a little special.
Steve: Super bright LED interior kit lights? Anybody who's had an early model Mustang? That's what you need on your car.
Chris: Well, I've been down there. It's a great shop and there's a-
Steve: For example, that's just one of the many-
Chris: Yeah. Ton of killer things.
Matt: Right. Yeah. Thanks guys.
Chris: All right. So, traditionally we kick this thing off now with a question. So, you get to be involved with that [crosstalk 00:02:45]-
Matt: Oh man.
Chris: I want to get into the history of you and what you do and everything. But let's just go real quickly. All right? Number one question of the podcast number five, worst experience with a car you owned.
Matt: Oh man.
Steve: Oh man.
Matt: That would almost be where would I start? But one very, very embarrassing thing does come to mind. Not necessarily the worst but really embarrassing. I remember as a young guy, teenager being down the beach and I'm all that, right? And Oh man, I've got a Datsun, I can't remember exactly what model was.
Matt: No, that's right. That was a Toyota. Okay? It was a two door coupe. And I put a Datsun engine in it back then and had twin Webers, headers and all that good stuff. A nice five-speed transmission, put big wheels under this car. And I thought, "You know what? I'm going to do a donut right here."
Steve: I see where this is going.
Matt: Right? So, that was actually a pretty good idea because there was a lot of nice sand on the road, right? And it was perfect, "I'm going to do this. Awesome." So, anyway, I started on this donut and I'm a really good driver, right? Because I'm what? 16. Because of course I'm good, right? And it happens to get some traction because it got off the sand.
Steve: Oh no.
Matt: [crosstalk] it wasn't probably spinning the wheels enough right then. So, it actually ended up pushing and the thing went straight ahead and it smashed into like a big V nice high curb. And I remember going, "Oh my God, what happened?" So, anyway, I back up off of this thing, take a look and yeah, I got oil coming out of the engine.
Steve: Oh no.
Matt: So, anyway, I can tell you that that engine ran for quite a long time with no oil in it.
Chris: Wow.
Matt: So, I managed to make it all the way home because I mean, it was just terrible. I mean, what am I going to do to sit there and go, "Oh [inaudible 00:04:42]."
Chris: Get the wrecker out to get the car out of there.
Matt: Yeah. Things don't happen like that in New Zealand. You're there and you just got to go to wing it. The boys will give you a hard time if they see you. So, I grew up in a town of like 30,000 people. And everyone pretty much knew everyone if you're young, right? So, you're not going to leave that stuff down.
Matt: So, I limped home, took my pride, threw it in the trunk and yeah. And tried to fix the car before that night. So, I'm not sure that was the worst but that always stuck to me.
Steve: That's like a [grease 00:05:15].
Matt: Very embarrassing.
Chris: Well, who wants to go next? Steve? You want to go next?
Steve: I mean, there's a lot. It's hard to narrow it down.
Chris: Don't incriminate yourself, okay?
Steve: Well, yeah, there's a lot. Worst experience probably was for some reason that a lot of the worst ones were in a Mustang. This one was one of the Banana Mustangs, a '71 Mustang. This is when I was coming... Nothing traumatic or I mean, I had spun out been in people's yards, knocked over trash cans, stupid stuff like that all the time. But the most like, "Oh God, I'm so over this day," was I was working for the football team at SC. It's Thanksgiving so we had practice in the morning.
Steve: I was going to drive home, have dinner with the family and the car broke down and not on... Didn't just break down but I was coming down... I think it was on the 110, it took an hour to get to the 110. So, Thanksgiving day traffic in Los Angeles just got awful, pull over on the side of the road and the car starts cutting out and I got to basically have to get out on the freeway.
Matt: I wouldn't try this.
Chris: I don't know why this story has to be about a Mustang?
Steve: Well, just because it's what I've had one or two. This is the Banana one. And long and short of it was, is the car had something like the fuel tank had rust in it, came through, it was clogging the fuel filter, didn't get it diagnosed until like a week or two later. But normally an hour and a half trip home for me took, I think it was eight hours. I ruined everybody's Thanksgiving that year because they had to come up, grab me, there's traffic both... It was just brutal. And it was just was painful.
Chris: Man. Shane, how about you?
Shane: Yeah. There's a few I won't bring up because I would incriminate myself. But I think the worst experience in a car I had was when I smashed into the back of a landscaper and this little Toyota truck with a flatbed and the flatbed had a like a grate in the back and it just crunched there.
Steve: What car?
Shane: Crap out of that car. The Highlander. And on top of all that, I had four kids in the car for the after school carpool.
Chris: That's recent history. That's recent history. Your two kids and some someone else's kids?
Shane: Yeah. And the carpool kids. No. But it was like the guy pulled out, he pulled out right and I figured he went. And so, I look and usually I always yell at everyone that makes this mistake. But I guess I didn't look and I had slang late into the gas and I turned that way and there he was still stopped. He must've had a second... He thought about going, I guess. It was my fault but I'm going to partially to blame him.
Steve: What about you Schwartz? You got a plenty too.
Chris: Oh yeah. I'm just going to do a series of events, so.
Steve: Baja Bug rollover?
Chris: The Baja Bug was involved. So, I had a Baja Bug. I blew the third cylinder on it, which is pretty common because it's air cooled or cooled. And I was driving my stepmom's 1978 Datsun 510 station wagon.
Steve: Did that have a push button?
Chris: No.
Steve: Oh, damn it.
Chris: It was a floor automatic. So, I was coming, blew up my Baja Bug, driving that car, I came up when I was dating your sister. And she's like, "Oh, you need to come and see my horse." So, I'm like, "Cool." We went and did it. I went and saw the horse and I didn't realize that I was extremely allergic-
Steve: To horses.
Chris: This horse. So, I go back to the house and my eyes are swollen shut. She has to drive me back down to my house in San Diego. My mom gives me a Benadryl pill like the size of a quarter. And she's not thinking about it, I'm not thinking about it. We hung out for a little bit longer. I drove home and rolled my car on the 52 right next to Genesee, which is a-
Steve: Did you roll the Baja Bug?
Chris: No. No. I rolled the 510.
Steve: The 510. Okay. All right.
Chris: So-
Shane: Thank God you didn't hurt the Baja Bug.
Chris: Exactly. The-
Matt: I'd be more worried about the 510 actually.
Chris: Yeah. So, the highway patrolman shows up and ask what happened? I fell asleep is what happened. But I told him that a deer ran out in front of me and I-
Shane: Deer.
Matt: It was like an, "Oh deer."
Shane: Happens every day there.
Chris: So, I call my stepmom and say, "Hey, I was in an accident in your car but I'm pretty sure it was okay because it rolled into some trees." I get a phone call from my dad the next morning. He was like, "You need to get your butt down here." And I went down to the tow yard and the entire top of that 510 was flattened. I didn't realize it but it was and-
Shane: It was upside down when you were assessing the damage.
Chris: Yeah. And I think at that point, that was my fourth car at the age of 17.
Matt: Oh, you are that guy.
Chris: So, my dad finally said, "Screw it, we're going to get you a Ranger truck." And so, I got that. I was pretty stoked on it. But yeah, that was probably the worst. That all happened within two weeks. So, it was a nightmare, but.
Steve: That's rough.
Matt: It is. It is. One more comes to mind if-
Chris: Go ahead.
Matt: So, the boys used to have a Datsun 180B. I think, isn't it like a 710 or something here?
Steve: Should be.
Shane: Was it like a-
Matt: 76.
Shane: Like a Maxima-like vehicle?
Matt: It was like a rounded Datsun but it was four doors. So, four doors were real common in New Zealand [crosstalk] usually have-
Steve: In Australia, [crosstalk] the door factories down there.
Matt: Yeah. So, we got this and I put a Holden engine, a 253 V8 in this car.
Steve: Oh, that's a rocket dude.
Matt: Yeah. So, my uncle said that couldn't be done. So, that was the very good excuse to make it happen. So, my friend, Paul and I, we put this in. But anyway, that was the car that we would go around the town and hoon around in and all that sort of thing. So, a lot of fun. But I do remember one time when I changed it from a manual transmission to an automatic.
Matt: So, we're out driving and the road slightly wet. And I remember getting up to 95 mile an hour in this car, which wasn't fast for this car but it was for the conditions that we're doing, we're on a brand new paved road. And I remember, well, thinking to myself... There wasn't any other thing influencing my mind at that point by the way guys. But I do remember going, "Hey, I'm doing 95 mile an hour. I should change gear." But it was a big problem because it was automatic. And the boys didn't put any stops on that automatic shifting.
Steve: Oh no.
Shane: Oh no.
Matt: This is old teenage stuff. So, no. It was way worse than that. So-
Steve: Was it a Powerglide? What was in it?
Matt: It was a... Well, I don't even know what the Holdens had back then. It was like a three speed-
Steve: Okay. So, two Powerglides is like a two speed. So, okay.
Matt: Yeah. It was a turbo 350 I think what they used-
Steve: Okay. Okay.
Matt: Or even a 400. So, I slammed this thing into park at 95 mile an hour.
Chris: Oh my God.
Steve: Fudge.
Matt: That wasn't the first car I put into park though. But it was the first one at 95 mile an hour. And that car, we were going right obviously straight at 180 instantly on the way, right? And we're going backwards at 95 mile an hour.
Steve: Oh no.
Matt: And my partner in crime, Paul, he's sitting there beside me and I look over at him and he's got this really weird look on his face. I don't know... I remember today I can see his face, right?
Shane: He's praying.
Matt: And no, he wasn't at all. He says in a very, very high pitched voice. He goes, "I think we're going to die." So, I won't tell you where the car actually ended up but we ended up going up a curb through a brand new road iron gate. And there was quite a few things that run into the car where we were making an exit of that a particular place. And it ripped off the front suspension, did all sorts of stuff.
Steve: Oh my God. [inaudible 00:13:22].
Matt: It just spun around. And I mean, that was pretty bad. And we were racing solo speedway bikes at the time. So, in the back of the car, we had like the motorcycle wreck that you would see but it was on the back of this Datsun, right? So, that saved us a lot. The front was totally smashed and everything. But we ended up cutting that car in half and getting two cars and making it a nice V8 Datsun yet again that rode another day.
Chris: Wow. That's cool.
Steve: Man, that would make me change my shorts. I'll tell you that.
Matt: Like I said, there was no influencing factors in that story. There was... We were totally sober. Yeah. So-
Steve: Just adrenaline was the only a factor there. Because you were ready to grab another gear except that went... Yeah.
Matt: Yeah. And I think pretty much the morning brought the real light to that car. It was absolutely toast. But-
Shane: I use my team's-
Matt: We did not die.
Chris: Yeah. You used your team-
Shane: I use my team's story.
Chris: We'll ask that again.
Shane: All right. So, enough of that.
Steve: My girls might listen to this someday. So, I got to be careful.
Matt: And I definitely didn't do any of that. For my kids that are listening, none of that-
Steve: It didn't happen.
Matt: [crosstalk] We just made up that story.
Shane: I made up mine.
Matt: There you go.
Chris: So, Cooper, we get a lot of questions from customers and before we get into the history... Because I really want to dig into it. What you've done and all of the stuff that you've been involved with. But we get lots of questions. And a lot of them that come up they are repeats and I just want to try to get your quick interpretation of that. The first question is, what's the best way to reduce heat in your vehicle?
Matt: Yeah. I would say turn the heater off if it's on. Roll down the window, right? No. I really think that if you can keep the heat out of the car in the very first place, put in any heat shielding that you can in the areas where it's most hot or you wrap hitters and things like that just to keep the heat from making its way into the passenger's compartment first.
Matt: I mean, there's lots of ways that you could do that. And Heatshield Product has many of different products that you can use throughout the car. So, there's no real super quick answer for that. But it's stop that heat from radiating and basically stop that sheet metal from heating up.
Steve: Stop it at the source. That's the best way.
Chris: So, on some of your builds... And again, you don't need to get elaborate but obviously you use our stuff that's why you're here. But is there one trick that you like in particular?
Steve: Can I tell you my favorite trick that I seen that he's [doing 00:16:03]?
Chris: Go ahead. Yeah.
Steve: Like the sticky shield, thinking that's the heat shield you put into the car. I love how he made these little panels, especially like on that twin turbo 66 coupe, he made these little panels that he can take on and off. Because the whole point of that car... Another reason why instead of a Bronco that was built, we're going to build this car, shake it down and then make it look pretty unlike a certain Heatshield Bronco that was never done correctly.
Steve: So, he has this turbo car. So, one of the things he did is because he knew he was going to take it all apart and paint it. So, he built these super sleek little shields and then he stuck the sticky shield to it. And it looks awesome. It looks like a Ford where to go back and make a Restomod Mustang. That's what they would do. Of course, they probably wouldn't put a twin turbo and if they did it'd be a V6. And who wants that?
Matt: The beauty of that stuff though is you can make some air gaps in between the heat source and the floor or whatever the panel that you're doing or the firewalls. So, it's a great use of a very handy product.
Steve: Now you can go into your thing but that was my favorite thing I've seen.
Chris: Well, I just want to also let the listeners and viewers know that that's on YouTube, right? I mean, we have that up on our site?
Steve: I think that's one of the things we go to his shop.
Chris: We invade your shop and... Yeah, I mean...
Matt: Yeah. I think we showed the car when it was in its raw form. So, right now the cars are pulled apart and getting painted and doing a pretty powder-coat and all that sort of thing. Yeah.
Chris: All right. Is there anything else you want to add? I mean, what's your go to when you're doing that?
Matt: Yeah. We like the sticky shield. It's really a handy product.
Steve: Yeah. I think that's awesome.
Chris: All right. So, we'll do the history right? If you're ready.
Steve: Of Autoworks or of Matt?
Matt: [crosstalk] it's the same because he-
Chris: I'm interested in Matt.
Steve: One is easier than the other, so.
Chris: And you alluded to this question already but I'm interested in... And I'm sure some of the viewers are as well.
Steve: Listeners.
Chris: Listeners.
Steve: Listeners is [viewers 00:18:02].
Chris: Thank you. I can tell from your accent you're not originally born and raised in California. So, I'm just going to try to take a stab at it, Boston? Philly?
Matt: Yeah. Around that general area.
Chris: Australia. Just kidding. Don't punch me.
Shane: Wisconsin?
Chris: No. You're from New Zealand, which is really cool. And maybe you can just give us a shout about how you got here and how you're doing what you're doing at Autowork.
Matt: Yeah. From a young age, I've always loved cars. All my uncles have been into cars. They've been into various sorts of racing. One of my uncles races jet boats, sprint boats. So, I was always around some sort of car stuff. And my brothers... I got what? Three older brothers. No. Wait, two older brothers, a younger brother and a sister and all of those guys love cars, motorcycles, whatever is well. So, my brother, two years older than me, he would always be leading what I would be doing next. Because I could look what he was doing and then take it to the next level or-
Steve: [inaudible 00:19:04].
Matt: Yeah. Would try to. Let's say he-
Steve: That's competitive, it's between brothers. That's great.
Matt: Yeah. It's some pretty big boots to fill when I tell you that. But my dad, he was very handy. He's always out in the garage. We had not a lot of money. So, everything that we did had to be made from something else. So, we get it and fix it. So, it wasn't like we're going out buying a brand new BMW and racing that or something like that. Everything was bottom of the barrel. I've got to fix it. We work until two o'clock in the morning.
Matt: So, a lot of it came from necessity. Having to fix these things. I remember being out in the shop with dad and we're building this motorcycle seats. So, going, cutting out the sheet metal with sheers and tacking it all up and form it at all. And that's just the base for the seats. We'd do the foam and mum would do the cover for the top.
Steve: It's cool.
Matt: So, we just grew up doing stuff, always around it. Not always the best, that's for sure. I mean, where everyone else is out playing, I'm there working on something, one of the cars or whatever. So, yeah.
Steve: But you're learning where people are not.
Shane: [inaudible] good.
Matt: Yeah. No. I got you there. I have no regrets about-
Chris: That's awesome.
Matt: How we did it but-
Chris: That's cool.
Matt: Yeah. It certainly was fun. So, from there it progressed into... And I think I started driving when I was eight years old. And my brother's 10. So, the next one that he is two years older than me. So, we drove this... Dad got this Renault Dolphin from somewhere, 1952 Renault Dolphin. So, it kind of looks like your Volkswagen but more pronounced vendors and things like that.
Matt: So, we pulled apart that engine. I don't know how many times. It could've been 20 times, it could have been a hundred. I have no clue. I remember one of the things that used to have three lug nuts on the wheels and they were basically studs that would go into the drums. I think halfway through the life of that car, all of them were stripped out. We took the wheels on and off so many times off of that car, engine in and out.
Matt: I remember that was the biggest thing that taught us not to strip out stuff was this all Renault Dauphine and believe me, everything on that car was stripped by the time that we were done. All the aluminum housings, we have to put heli coils in it or try to figure out some way. A paperclip is a really good way to make thread states. So, you'd put a paper clip in it and then you'd wind your bolt in and then you'd torque it up to it, snapped off and then back it off quarter of a turn.
Matt: So, that was our torque wrench. No. It's just all of the stuff that leads us to Autoworks. And that was through our experiences in getting to know myself and what we're capable of and really doing things incorrectly. And you learn a lot from that.
Steve: Yeah. You learn more by your failures and [gaining] by your successes. So, how old were you when you came here?
Matt: I was 20.
Steve: Oh wow. You were young man.
Matt: So, that was like what? Two years ago.
Steve: Okay. Now, totally off topic. But was that a buzzkill to come from New Zealand where I'm sure you could probably drink, right? You could go into a bar then come here and you can't because it's 21. Was that different? Was that-
Matt: I was right on the cusp of 20, 21.
Steve: Oh, okay. So, [crosstalk 00:22:33].
Matt: Yeah. And the drinking age in New Zealand I think was about 13 and a half. That's the case [crosstalk 00:22:43]. So, I was over any opportunity to go out and do that sort of thing. So, if it was there, great. And if not, it-
Steve: It didn't matter.[crosstalk 00:22:51] That's cool. Yeah. Because it wasn't new to you. "Hey, I've been doing it for awhile."
Matt: Unofficially of course. Yeah.
Steve: Yeah. Yeah.
Matt: Growing up in a small town, there's only a few things to do.
Steve: That's right.
Matt: And it's just the way it was.
Chris: Right on. So, you got your interest from cars from your family. What led you to basically restoring or restoring Mustangs. I mean, because you guys specialize in Mustangs.
Steve: Yeah. He does a lot of early Ford stuff. But yeah. Mostly Mustangs. That's what a lot of his parts are that you make for.
Chris: What got you into-
Steve: This business. He getting another one [crosstalk 00:23:26]-
Chris: Because you're talking Datsuns and that kind of stuff back from where you're from. I mean, was the Ford thing when you got to the US, or?
Matt: Yeah. There was really no Mustangs in New Zealand from what I remember. Maybe there was like one or two that you might hear off.
Chris: All right.
Matt: And I remember one day before I left, some guy had a '67 Fastback that he imported. And that's probably the first time I'd seen a Mustang. So, I was probably like 19 years old before I even seen one. And then when I came here, my brother got me hooked up. Because he moved here as well. And he got me hooked up with one of his friends go to '67 Mustang Coupe, very, very cool car, six cylinder, right?
Matt: So, that was my first taste of a Mustang. And I realized being in San Diego, there wasn't too many people doing Mustangs. There was a lot of the guys doing the Chevy Camaro's and doing the Chevy trucks, the [inaudible] and things. But time as far as the Ford products and Mustangs, they really wasn't too many people doing it. So, I found a niche. And I really loved the cars. And it just really evolved from there.
Steve: Which is strange because they always sold more Mustangs in California than anywhere else. That's why they have a California special. So, it's strange that there was nobody really doing them. Of course I think that's the whole thing with the small black Ford versus small block Chevy. It was always just easier to do a small black Chevy because it was cheaper, a lot more parts and that kind of thing. So, yeah. It's good. You found a niche market and you've jumped on it and-
Matt: Yeah. I owe a lot to my friend Bob. No one's really met him. He's a older gentleman now and throughout the days, we would hung out. He was a car collector. So, I was able to collect cars with him.
Steve: Oh, that's cool.
Matt: And we had a lot of cars. So, got a lot of experience with all the Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles and any sort of Chevy's and a lot of the other models that, DeSoto's and stuff like that. So, through the years, I've got my hands on a lot of different cars. And it's just given me a little bit more experiences with [inaudible 00:25:30].
Steve: Is he the reason you've got a 440. Because you have a 442, right?
Matt: Right. Yeah. I've got a 442 and-
Steve: You've got all kinds of goodies man.
Matt: Yeah. So, my friend Bob. I really owe a lot to him right now. Unfortunately, he's a little sick right now. So, we look after him a bit. But he's the reason why I do a lot of the stuff that I do now. He gave me opportunities.
Steve: That's cool.
Matt: And so, I owe a lot to him. He is a great guy.
Steve: Kind of like I owe a lot to my dad and my grandpa. Same thing. There's always someone that seems to take you under their wing and help you along the way. That's what life's all about.
Chris: That's right. So, I've seen some of the vehicles that you've done and some of the newer things that you've done. But I know there's one that is a little bit... I mean, I'm the fence for you a little bit. But can you talk to us and elaborate a little bit on a project that you did called obsidian?
Matt: Obsidian. Yeah. What would you like me to tell you about that car?
Chris: Well, I mean-
Steve: It's very famous. It's been everywhere. We don't know where it is now, right?
Matt: No. We have no clue where it is now.
Steve: But I mean, that thing still is on the internet. And we don't know where it's been for how many years? Like-
Matt: Yeah. I think two or three years. [crosstalk 00:26:41].
Steve: But man, that car was super, super cool.
Chris: Well, tell me how you came up with the concept. And then, maybe what the drive train and that kind of stuff was in it. And then, basically, at the end, what happened to it and why is it missing, I guess.
Matt: Right. Yeah. So, a customer came to us and he said, "Hey, we'd like you to build a 67 Fastback." So, I said, "All right. No problem." And he brought me a pitcher at that time of a car that the Ringbrothers did. So, Mike and Jim, they built some amazing cars from way back then. And he goes, "Hey, I want a car that looks like this. But put your own twist on it." So, that's how we started. So, I did put my own twist on it but the customer wanted the car so that it would be more than anything else that had been done so far. So, we did a lot of body modifications to it. And people give us crap all the time for... Can I say that?
Chris: Yeah.
Steve: Yeah.
Matt: I just did. So, yeah. So yeah. Like a big hood scoop that was on the car. But it was to house the intercoolers that were underneath that has superchargers. So, they're like, "Wow. How come the hood scoop so big?" Well, everything on that car had a reason for being there. So, we didn't put any Gucci stuff on there if it didn't need it.
Steve: So, when you opened the hood, you found out why it needs to be there?
Chris: So, obsidian, I mean, the pictures I've seen. So, it was black. Is that the color?
Matt: Yeah. That's the obsidian rock. In fact, my wife is the creator of that name. I said to her, "Hey, we're working on... " We come up with lots of different names for the car. We knew it was going to be black. So, it had to be something that went along with that. So, I think she called me and she goes, "Hey, what about obsidian?" And I knew a little bit about the volcanic rock at that point. And I'm like, "You know what? That is awesome. Thank you very much honey." So, she actually came up with a name for the project.
Steve: That's cool.
Matt: Yeah, so.
Steve: Women are way better at that kind of stuff than we are. I mean-
Matt: I'd be zero without her.
Steve: Yeah. Me too.
Chris: Powertrain?
Matt: Yeah. 392 cubic inch [stroke] motor, the main base of the engine was built by total performance. And [inaudible] under our direction. Greg does great job. He still builds race motors today. So, he did an awesome job of that. And then we got hold of Roadtrek supercharges. And Roadtrek says, "Yeah. You can't put two of those on that engine." So, that gave us more of a reason to put two of them on the engine.
Matt: So, we did that, ended up being very successful. The car was very drivable. You could even go along in fifth gear at 800 ribs, believe it or not and put your foot on the gas and it would pull up from there. So, it had a nice-
Steve: Wow. It didn't bottom out.
Matt: Didn't go the joke thing and... Yeah.
Steve: It just went.
Matt: It did, so. Unfortunately, the way that that car went down when we actually got the car finished, it went through a few stages of progression because the owner wanted us to take it to various shows. So, I remember Carlisle, Pennsylvania, we took the car out there. And we had to put it back together real quick before that show and the car wasn't finished, right?
Matt: So, then it would come back to the shop, we got to pull all apart again. So, there was a lot of repetition-
Steve: Back and forth. Yeah.
Matt: On this project and we were actually going to produce those cars. So, we made molds for the body kits and this sort of thing. So, we built one other car. Probably not a lot of people have seen that but it looks like obsidian. Yeah.
Steve: He likes number two better.
Chris: Yeah. That's what I heard.
Matt: Yeah. For me, it was a little bit more refined in as far as the concept. You took something that you did the first time and then of course the second time should be better, right?
Steve: Yeah. Yeah. Because you learn by doing. You learn by-
Matt: Yeah. But the obsidian is a one and only... For me, I would never create anything like that again. We even did a belly pan on that car. And in fact, that's where Steve come in is using Heat Shield Products. We couldn't have done that car without them trying to keep all that heat out of the-
Steve: Well, he would've found a way but yeah. We assisted.
Matt: Well, I know. We tried some other stuff before and honestly not blowing any smoke, I have found a company that can provide stuff that makes my dreams reality.
Chris: That's great.
Matt: So, there's a lot of people that helped to build that car. And my brother actually came through it before the SEMA day we on that car and helped as well. He came from Fremont [suite 00:31:15]. He was living at that point. He stayed a week out there and helped us. But yeah. That thing didn't happen. There was a lot of-
Steve: That's a lot of work.
Matt: Our blood and tears. Anyway so, I wouldn't probably repeat anything like that. And from what we were told, it was ahead of its time for what we did to it. And I don't know of... There's a lot of great Mustang builders and builds out there. And it's funny, you look at those and then I actually had an opportunity to get the car back probably a few years ago from the gentleman that owned it at that point.
Matt: And when you get it in the shop, you looking back and you're like, "Wow. We actually built this car?" It's just blows me away still all the work and no one really knows. And I don't have enough time to explain what we actually did to that car and what's in it. But-
Steve: It's cool.
Matt: There's so many things. It's just mind boggling. I can't believe we actually did that project. It's crazy.
Steve: It's a cool car like that one and that's one that stands out to me, that Roadster shop, gen two Camaro, that's another one that always... Those cars where you just stop and you look at it and you're like, "Oh wow. That's pretty amazing."
Chris: [crosstalk 00:32:31].
Steve: It was like that. That was just a cool car. You just like, "Whoa."
Matt: Yeah. So, I think the first time was that SEMA was 2005 or six. I can't actually remember now, one of those years. And 24 hours before the show, we had no car. Okay? So, we had all these people working on things. We were doing it all, we're working 24 hours a day around the clock. I actually had narcolepsy for about three months after I finished that first SEMA deal.
Matt: So, yeah. My friend Brian, he was there helping and I took some time off work. So, it was a lot of us got together and I can think of 20 people off the bat that need a huge kudos but we don't have the time for that here to say. But I mean, it was friends and people coming together. It wasn't just me.
Steve: That's probably the coolest part about that build, right?
Matt: Yeah. Yeah. And it really was. But also the worst bit of the build too. Because it took so much out of us and it strained friendships that still hold together but how do you call on a friend to help you on something of that magnitude?
Steve: Right.
Chris: Right. And so, I mean, love, hate definitely with that. And now it's missing... You were elaborating on that when you're talking [inaudible 00:33:47]. Nobody knows where that car is?
Matt: Yeah. We have no clue. It hasn't come up on any social media that we've found. So, it's gone. It's vanished for right now. We don't know if it went-
Steve: It was sold at Barry Jackson?
Matt: Yeah.
Steve: Right. The guy that commissioned the car, he finally sold it?
Matt: Well, he actually sold it one or two times-
Steve: Oh okay.
Matt: Probably ended up there. Yeah. And it was Dan basketball player who had the car last. So, I think he's seven 7'3".
Steve: Wow. And he fit in that car.
Matt: Yeah. We built the car for someone 7'5". So, you could 7'5" people in there.
Chris: So, I definitely wouldn't be able to drive it?
Matt: No. You can drive it. It was totally made so you could be... Well, L height and then you could be basketball fame height.
Steve: Chris has going to be super cool race shoes and [inaudible] six inches long.
Matt: The New Zealand style race shoes, if you can't reach the paddles just cut some two by fours and stuck them up under there, right?
Shane: Yeah.
Steve: There you go [crosstalk 00:34:46].
Shane: Bobby are you [sure 00:34:46]?
Matt: Yeah.
Chris: Yeah. Cool. And I mean the last one. You're working on redemption, which you can follow online. I don't want to dig too far into that because I know you guys got some stuff up your sleeve. But what other cool things you got in your shop right now? And how can people see it?
Steve: He's always got cool stuff.
Matt: Yeah. You can look at us on Instagram. We've got a couple of accounts over there. You can follow us and check it out on autoworksrestomod and then mustangs_and_autoworks, kind of a mouthful there. That's there. And then our website, autoworksparts.com.
Chris: I saw the ROUSH yesterday, the motor that you guys had in there.
Matt: Yeah. That's the five liter C with a ROUSH supercharged unit. And we've got then in a 66 Fastback that we're doing.
Chris: That's cool.
Matt: Kind of cool car.
Steve: He's always got the Mustangs. But what I love? I love the F100 that you did. Remember that you and I went down that day, that red and white one?
Shane: Yeah. That was a F250, wasn't it?[crosstalk 00:35:44].
Matt: F250, that was a beautiful car. We put that on Instagram.
Steve: And then you had a '53 or something in there not too long ago or '55 that one had a coyote and a two.
Matt: Actually no. That 55 didn't have a coyote but it was just real, real clean.
Steve: That was super cool.
Matt: [crosstalk] coyote though.
Steve: The Falcon, the last time I went down there that he had, it's some cool stuff in the interior, like it just was like, "Wow. [inaudible 00:36:05]." So, he's got a lot of cool stuff. I mean, he's definitely got Mustangs but he's got other cool stuff too.
Matt: Yeah. Thank you. We enjoy doing what the customers want and I think the biggest thing that we've learned along the way is to say no.
Steve: Yes. Angry.
Matt: And now that we're all just saying no is easier. And it doesn't get you into so many trouble.
Steve: That's why I'm glad he's guiding me. Because we're going to do a plan. Like I said, we've had a really horrible experience before building a company, promotional vehicle. And he's like, "We're not going to do it that way, Steve. Settle down."
Matt: Yeah. [crosstalk] about this one. This is going to be amazing. Yeah.
Steve: "Switch to decaf," is what he tells me all the times. I'll slow your roll, dude. You can't do it that way. And it's good. It's good to be told no, because he doesn't want me to waste money and he doesn't... That's what's cool. He won't let his customers like, "Hey. No. You can't do that. I'm not going to just sit here and tell you. Yes. And I'm not an agent for like a kid coming out of college and I'll just be your gas man and tell you yes, yes, yes. Get into trouble." No. He'll hip check you.
Matt: I think what was cool on the phone when you talked yesterday is, Steve, I was listening and you were talking about building a car that you could take apart and basically service rather than just doing something that's like out of whack and then the next thing you know, something breaks because something always breaks.
Steve: Yeah. It might not be perfect but you got... It's a machine, right?
Matt: Yeah. And that's another thing that we've found throughout the years is guess who's got to work on the car that we built, right? And we don't go anywhere. We've been in business since 1999. So, the chances of seeing that customer again are usually pretty high. Even for a second car. So, we found that if you don't build it right now, you get to pay for it later. And it's usually us, because we've got to go back to the customer and go "Yeah. You can't get that part off because it's welded in or it's... " A lot of cars are built as hot rods but you can't build a driver.
Shane: Needs to be serviceable.
Matt: Yeah. So, imagine taking your new 2024 truck and then they say, "Yeah. You know what? We can't do an oil change because this and this is in the way." And honestly it happens in car build. Something as simple as an oil change or getting an oil filter off, you can't do it. So, we have to look at the whole picture and then design and build the car so that things can be taken off.
Steve: Some of these cars you look at them, like we've seen [crosstalk 00:38:32]-
Shane: Yeah. How do you get that oil filter off? [crosstalk 00:38:34]-
Steve: Or Hey, like light bulb goes out. Well, okay, I've got to disassemble my whole rear end to get into the tail light because the light bulb went out or whatever. You got to be able to work on it unless you're just going to park the car and look at it and let it collect dust.
Matt: And even then stuff goes wrong, right?
Shane: You're definitely not doing that.
Steve: No. No.
Matt: He's going to [crosstalk 00:38:55]-
Steve: Yeah. I don't have the property or just to sit and look at something. So, I got to drive it dude.
Matt: And we spent time in the desert yesterday and we were discussing how killer it's going to be to get redemption out on those roads.
Steve: That was the most uplifting thing about yesterday because Chris and I got to go to a wide open racetrack and unfortunately there were Mustangs. None of them ran or worked and the guy's like, "You have keys or just go ahead and... " Because we're going to help manage the heat and that thing. That was the most devastating thing. And that being obviously first world problems here because there's people have it way worse but what a bummer. Wide open racetrack and no car.
Matt: Yeah. That was good, right?
Steve: [inaudible] 250 just wouldn't [crosstalk] anyway.
Chris: Oh my God, that would have been good.
Steve: I needed the brakes to drive home. I would have ruined it. You know what I mean?
Matt: At the end of the day, I think redemption's in good hands. We're stoked to have you working on it.
Steve: Absolutely.
Chris: Thank you.
Shane: Of course.
Chris: Well, one thing I'm looking forward to, I haven't had a helmet on inside of any race car for a long time. So, if Steve actually lets me drive it, I think that'll be-
Steve: Oh yeah.
Chris: That'll be cool.
Steve: Plus we're going to... He was just telling me brave cheese and he's got some car events coming up. And Matt was like, "Dude, I'm just going to throw some suspects. I got something laying around here." One of his thousand Mustangs he has at his shop is like, "I'm going to go race a thing down at Qualcomm, so."
Matt: Yeah. That'll be fun. So, we're going to join with you a little bit of race-
Steve: Well, I think the F100, the shop truck will be done before the... Because it's not going to be pretty or anything like that. And it won't be turboed. So, it's going to be pretty easy. But I'll come down and run that with you when you run the Mustang.
Matt: There you go. The pressure's on. I got to finish something.
Steve: Oh, you're way ahead of me, dude. You're way ahead of me even on that.
Announcer: It's time to answer those burning questions. It's tick time here on Hot Laps.
Chris: This one, it comes from a customer with a Nissan or I think is you pronounce it Nissan?
Matt: Yeah. Nissan. Yeah.
Chris: Nissan?
Shane: No Datsun.
Matt: I had a Nissan. I had a few Nissans in fact, Nissan skyline.
Chris: This one's at 350Z. So, fairly new. The customer is looking to shield several areas on the Z but more importantly, it's the clutch line to the slave cylinder. He's saying that basically the factory rubber line was replaced by a stainless steel line and that's causing some heat on there. I know where you're going on this. I mean, it's a pretty easy one but if you could elaborate on the part a little bit more.
Steve: Sure. Is what happened when you replace the rubber line with the stainless steel one. While the stainless steel it's conducting heat to the inner rubber or silicone or whatever the liner is and it's cooking it that way. Plus a lot of... It sounds like he's probably had some modifications done. So, some exhaust's probably been moved closer to it and those types of things. So, yeah. You just want put a sleeve on there to prevent it from melting so the thing can actuate and the cable can actually move through the sleeve that's around it.
Chris: And our part you're kicking around?
Steve: The quick, cheap, easy... My favorite thing to use is the hot rods.
Matt: Hot rods. Hot rods sleeve, that's [inaudible 00:42:10].
Steve: That's awesome. But if it's already assembled given where it is in the car and there's limited air flow down there, one of the lava tubes would be what I would use on there.
Chris: Is the hot rod sleeve or lava tube?
Steve: If it was higher up and better air flow maybe one of the Thermo Fleck, the reflective sleeves. But if it's close, really close to exhaust and then the lava tube.
Chris: Cool.
Matt: Yeah. I'd agree.
Chris: All right. This one right up your alley got a 2015 coyote gen two. It says, "With limited space, I need to protect the starter against heat radiating from the headers. Would you recommend lava sleeve shield or do sticky shield? He says it's a smaller starter. I know the answer here. And I think you answered it very well but they're looking at something that's going to stop radiant heat but we make a product that you can actually put around the starter. And can you just elaborate a little bit more on that?
Steve: Just start a heat shield. It's a Velcro one thing. We've been making them since day one, since '85. Never had one fall off. People like Velcro will it stay on absolutely. This one's evolved a little bit. Yeah. That lava-
Matt: Hook and Loop.
Shane: Oh yeah, Hook and Loop.
Steve: Hook and loop, sorry. Yeah. Excuse me. Hook and loop. A trademark name there with Velcro. Yeah. But yeah. I would use the lava starter shield. That's just newer technology. There's nothing wrong with a reflective on its budget. If you can afford it, spend the money on the lava one.
Matt: Yeah. We recommend those in the shop all the time too. They're great. Absolutely excellent.
Chris: So, I got a second question in this because I actually posted a picture of our lava starter shield on Instagram. And instantly I had about four or five questions asking about, "Is that going to retain the heat in the starter to make it fail?"
Steve: Yeah. Because the starter has very little heat going through it. It's just what it engages. It's electronic. So, once the motors engaged through the solenoid, right? That's the only time the electronics can generate heat. Otherwise, it's just sitting idle. If it was constantly spinning, yeah, it's like we don't make a wrap for an alternator because you don't want to retain the heat in the alternate, you just want to get it survives that initial thing and where you go?
Chris: Right. So, just again here to debunk certain myths and I would say that definitely is one. So, that starter shield, I mean, it's less than a hundred bucks and you can really curb some problems with that. I mean, I remember my suburban and that wasn't raised out, I used to have to go under there and bang on it with a wrench in order to get it to start everyone's [inaudible 00:44:50].
Steve: That's why we made them basically it was for that big body... I think it's what? 3510, I think that's what the old number was.
Matt: The GM starter?
Steve: The GM starter because the headers anytime... It was just always in a bad spot.
Matt: Yeah. Because you're not trying to keep the starter motor from radiating heat because it doesn't have any, you're trying to stop the starter motor from getting heat from other things around it. So, anyway, you can do that, it's really good and that's the way to go.
Chris: Cool. Last one. And I think it's a product we don't nearly talk about but you've used, Matt, on your builds and the way you fastened is awesome. But Steve, elaborate, basically, these guys are asking about our Inferno Shields. And is it-
Matt: Oh yeah.
Chris: Possible once you buy the Inferno Shield and I think we do several sizes, like a 6' x 12' but if you don't need that size, they're asking, "Can you cut it with like a bandsaw or some tool that you would find around in a machine shop?" So, answer that but also tell me like what the material is and then what's the best way to fasten something that's not adhesive and-
Matt: Can I jump in a little bit Steve?
Steve: Yeah. Go ahead.
Matt: Yeah. So, I mean, we use that product all the time in the shop. And you definitely don't need any major tools, right?
Steve: Yeah.
Matt: Some scissors or a sharp knife-
Steve: There you go.
Matt: So, yeah. You don't have to have a huge machine shop or anything to cut any of that down.
Steve: Yes. It's not... Well, you just unfold it-
Chris: Okay. The stainless steel or aluminum?
Steve: 1100 aluminum or 321 stainless. And it's got the Inferno core, silica insulation in the middle there. Yeah. So, one thing you do is when you're resizing it, you trim the insulation to the size you want but you let the alloy aluminum or a stainless about an inch bigger so you can just fold it back on-
Matt: Back on itself. Yeah. So, you just want to make it look like dead really.
Chris: And so, fastening it... I mean, obviously, you could probably hold it together with wire but somebody who's looking to do a little bit more trick, like putting it on, could you riveted onto a pan, or?
Steve: Sure you get rivet it, put a screw through it, anything like that. Absolutely.
Matt: Yeah. We've done that a lot in the shop. We're actually making an aluminum panel that would be the same size as the shield that we're using. And we would attach it to that and then attach that shield to the car. So, you get yourself a small air gap.
Steve: Twin turbo 66. So, some of the [crosstalk 00:47:10].
Matt: All the Heatshield stuff, honestly, you get it and you try it. Okay? Just figure it out. I mean, there is a science to it but you have to think about air flow and is the radiant heat and heating up stuff around the thing you're trying to keep cool. And you can just try it and see what happens. There's no real wrong way to use a lot of this stuff unless you use the wrong way.
Steve: Yeah. That's right.
Chris: There you go. All right. New product highlights and it's getting close to lunchtime. So, I think this one's near and dear to everybody's heart that's sitting here. I notice who we got to a ton of barbecue sitting in the warehouse.
Steve: Oh yeah. Oh last time. I see the tie in there. I'm like, "Where are you going with this?" What's going on?
Chris: And just elaborate on the barbecues because I know you love the barbecue. And it's damn good.
Steve: Okay. I'm an amateur smoker.
Chris: But why are we making shields for barbecues?
Steve: The original idea came from when my... Of course, they're grown up now and they actually listen. Well, sort of listen. So, except for the little one. [inaudible] their dad and it was like if we had people come over, I'd have the smoker go on and you're worried about your kids touching it, right? Run up and touching it. So, I thought it'd make a heat shield for it.
Steve: The side effect to that was is it actually made it work better. So, now we're expanding it. Weber smokey... Because that's what I have. That's the reason why we did it, the 18 inch, the Weber kettle. Because that's the number one selling barbecue in the world I think. So, that one just got done.
Chris: And then my favorite.
Steve: We're going to do the trigger tailgater 20.
Matt: Wait, what does this do for us?
Steve: It'll protect you and you actually use less fuel. So, the first time I did it, when I put it on my smoker, if I didn't have so many sensors and stuff, I would've overcooked the meat.
Matt: Oh wow.
Steve: Because it just... I-
Matt: Retains that heat?
Steve: Retains so much more heat. I lit like a normal chimney and I dumped it in there. You light maybe 20% of what you normally do. And even then you've got a babysit because I'll do some stupid 18 hour smokes. I got a brisket... But I'm dumb. I do it really low, like 200 degrees.
Matt: Yeah. Now, that's awesome.
Chris: But it tastes good.
Steve: It tastes good. Yeah.
Matt: I was actually allowed to cook something on Thanksgiving, right? Now, I don't know if you guys remember it was raining?
Steve: Yeah.
Shane: Yeah.
Matt: [crosstalk] of barbecue was outside right in the rain. So, I moved to this closer to the area that I could where is I found a little bit of shelter. That barbecue would not stay hot. I should've called Steve.
Chris: You should have.
Matt: And I was out there adjusting the [temperatural] time. Then it would get hot for a second and then it would drop back down. So, man, awesome. I can't believe you guys have got something like that.
Steve: That's a great point. He brings up a great point. So, for us, we live where it's... I mean, the weather's probably better than Hawaii, so it doesn't rain. But it did on Thanksgiving.
Shane: 15 days a year.
Steve: But for guys in the Midwest and up North where it gets really cool, you can actually extend your barbecue season with this because it does it trap some... So, you basically, you can take... They have those... What's that? The Green Egg and the Kamado, those are very expensive barbecues. So, if you're a car guy like us and you're operating a... Get the lower end barbecue. I've hot [roded] mine. I've had that thing for 10 years now. So, I've hot roded my smokers. So, this is just another way to hot rod it.
Chris: So, a big safety is a big concern. And I really like the tailgater. Your trigger idea because again, camping, kids are running around-
Steve: Kids are running around, yeah.
Chris: And that safety is a big one. I'm not a real big barbecue, you've gotten me into it a little bit more but I think at the of the day it's a dual purpose deal and it's really cool. And as I walked through the warehouse, I'm going, "Man, we having barbecue every day?"
Steve: Oh yeah. You should.
Chris: It's pretty awesome.
Matt: You testing it out man, throw something on the grill.
Steve: Yeah. We should have to do carne asada again, so.
Chris: Yeah. All right. That's it. Thanks for listening again. We'd like to thank Matt Cooper.
Matt: Yes. Thank you-
Steve: For coming up and for putting up with me in the Mustang.
Shane: Yeah. for all the help.
Matt: This is absolutely an amazing opportunity. Thanks guys. And it's very cool.
Shane: Thank you.
Chris: And Matt, can you just tell the listeners/viewers some information where they can find you?
Steve: How to follow you.
Chris: How to follow you.
Matt: All right guys. So, you can check us out on autoworksrestomod on Instagram. And then, take a look at mustangs_and_autoworks, that also on Instagram. Can find us on YouTube at Autoworks Parts. What else is there? Oh, website.
Steve: Your website. Yeah.
Matt: Yeah, autoworksparts.com. And there's probably one more thing.
Steve: Get those LED kits for your early model Mustang.
Chris: Well, if you're local to San Diego, you're right just down the-
Matt: 52. Yeah. You can stop in and see us.
Chris: Santee.
Matt: Yeah. Like it if you made an appointment, if you're just going to stop by to hang out for a little while, that would be cool. But yeah, come on down, check us out and especially if you love Fords.
Steve: And Matt doesn't just love Ford's though. He drives a Dodge and he just bought his wife a Challenger for Christmas. So, he's in high con. He bought himself a lot of dog house time. Get out of jail free cards with that one.
Matt: Yeah. That was the RCM [de Baco 00:52:30] right? Just before Christmas, so.
Steve: You got her Challenger, right?
Matt: Yeah. Yeah. RT 6B.
Steve: So, yeah.
Matt: So, my wife drives a 6B.
Steve: That's it. And I got a video of... And she was on it, dude. She wasn't messing around.
Matt: That's good.
Steve: So yeah. Thank you for listening and subscribe, positive feedback. Shoot us questions. Whatever you got to do.
Chris: That's what I was going to say. So, please check us out on YouTube, smash that like button, subscribe definitely. If you have-
Matt: Check us out too.
Chris: Yeah. Check Matt out. If you guys have any other questions to be answered on a future podcast, [email protected].
Steve: Or podcast@heatshield-
Chris: Or podcastatheatshieldproducts.com. And you can always send us a question on the website as well.
Matt: We've got the full line of Heatshield Products on our website-
Steve: That's right.
Matt: Too. So, if you want to just go and check it out there, feel free.
Steve: Yeah. You know what? Matt will probably run a special on his Instagram. So, you always want to follow him. He's always offering some special.
Matt: You know what? After we're done with this, I'm going to talk to you about that. And we might just offer our viewers, listeners a special [crosstalk 00:53:28]-
Shane: Nice.
Chris: I like that. That's cool. All right. Well, that's it from us.
Steve: Thank you everybody.
Chris: Guys take care.
Steve: Like, subscribe, five star review please.
Chris: Oh bam.
Announcer: From everyone at Heatshield Products, we thank you for listening to Hot Laps. Leave that review, subscribe, tell a friend and most of all, stay cool. We'll see you next time. Right here on Hot Laps.
