Autorestomod Manic Mechanic Gasoline Media

How fast are YOU?


We’ve been flying low at Mach 5 with our hair on fire for a little over a week now.


A “normal” week looks like this:
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday are production days. Even with editing help, I’m still hands-on—about six hours per video from start to post.


Filming days:
• Manic Mechanic: Monday (sometimes) and Wednesday
• Autorestomod: Saturday
• Sunday… I rest (kind of)


Then there’s Fairlaner filling in all the cracks.


Now layer in real life: three teenage boys (14–16), our oldest out on her own navigating life (and car drama), and a stepson getting married. As well as church leadership with Pat and Gail Lee, and a wife who’s also my best friend—so yeah, I actually want to spend time with her.


Last week and this week?
Throttle pushed into war emergency power.


Last week: planning, bachelor party, wedding, exhaustion.
This week: condensed work schedule—we’re headed to West Point for Plebe Parent Weekend to grab Jackson for spring break.


So… why did I post Autorestomod on Tuesday?


Honestly? I don’t know.

Wasn’t even planning to post Manic Mechanic this week—I need some time and input from Larry at Palmetto Paint.


But I sat down, powered through an episode, finished it and hit publish.


Funny thing is… I don’t think anyone noticed.


But I did.


And after this week, I think I’m backing off war emergency power just a bit—and taking a breath.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 28

Autorestomod Manic Mechanic Gasoline Media

We're looking for where you need us to go next on the Lizard, our 1970 Torino GT. We have a heap of things to do. Take the poll and let us know what you want to see.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 19

Autorestomod Manic Mechanic Gasoline Media

Last weeek we went to Florida to work with Riley Schlick from Riyley's Rebuilds rileysrebuilds.myshopify.com/. Our goal was the get a Mustang II front suspension in her 1966 Fairlane Sedan. We succeeded. We also set out to interview Rick Schmidt from National Parts Depot www.npdlink.com/ . Again, we succeeded. So why am I showing you two SD cards? Becasue they failed. Epicly

We normally do a three camera shoot using our Canon XA11 cameras, they are robust full function video cameras with the capabilities for relay and dual record. We use the dual record function on almost all shoots. The likely hood of having a malfunction on two cards in one camera are pretty bad. In 12 years of using these cameras it had never been a problem. Until this last week when the camera three cards BOTH had an issue (our detail and face camera). Yes, both cards. As in the cards telling me that in order to use the cards they needed to be formated. I was gutted.

It took a few days for me to get the cards info back. I think we have about 95 percent of what we need. but it is now Friday and we have no time before Sunday and the Tuesday post times to edit due to a scheduled trip the mssus and I have planned.

Sorry that we won't be able to post anything until next week. But that is where we are at.

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 20

Autorestomod Manic Mechanic Gasoline Media

He folks, we've been bitten by the computer glitch bug AGAIN. I know what the problem is now: I have to shut down our editing program and restart it before I can upload the video. If I don't do this, it will not have sound. So, we'll try this again tomorrow evening. Technology can eat it sometimes....

1 year ago | [YT] | 41

Autorestomod Manic Mechanic Gasoline Media

Welp, yet another week where computer glitches in the upload have chomped on my rear. This is getting almost predictable. The Manic for this week will be posting tomorrow at 6:30.

1 year ago | [YT] | 41

Autorestomod Manic Mechanic Gasoline Media

Hey folks! Story time.

As some of you may know I have an editor that chops the video for me. We work between Google Drive for the main Adobe Premiere 5.5 video (our editing software) and Dropbox for the files. The file sets can be anywhere from 4 to 20 segments per video with three to four sub -sections per segment (we use three cameras plus our mobile phone so these make up the sub-sections). These are culled into Premiere at his location and brought into a manageable size by removing the pre-footage (lights, camera, action) stuff and any post "cut" junk. Then he does a bare cut that allows me to edit it down to what you see.

On one level this works well. It allows me time to work on things that are needed but not seen in the videos; at times things need to be done that we have covered recently on the show and this is where the other "things" lay.

Add to that the maintenance of four acers, six buildings, several cars that don't appear on the show, plus cleaning up after myself from these projects. I also help Diona with the tech for RRS-USA. Light bus maintenance for our bus business (not that often, but you know when it rains it pours and usually when there is a problem elsewhere). Plus helping to run our Journey group for church and being a part of Aiken Horsepower. Oh and the family things like kid transport, discipline, fun, etc.

The family things takes up a heap of time. Diona and I are busy raising 5 boys between 20 and 12 as well as helping to guide her beautiful, spirited, red headed daughter who is 21. Lots. To. Do.

Lots.

All of that has been a side show to the issues of production lately. Dropbox seems to be screwing with the footage. Terribly. And none of it is consistent. One week it is audio (like this week), the next is it is black footage WITH audio for three quarters of the episode. Crunching the files at times (making then sorter and therefore causing half second gaps in the footage; annoying and very noticeable). The next it will be the footage stopping every four to 20 seconds while I am trying to cut (arguably the most frustrating problem of all). If I close out of the fresh edit from my editor and restart, SOMETIMES the issues disappear. Often it consumes hours of my time fixing the issues. Usually, the audio issue is fixed by me simply restarting Premiere. But in the busy day-to-day I sometimes forget to do that.

Yes, sometimes my brain does not brain well.

I apologize for the video issues this is causing. I am working on a solution and just have not gotten there.

If you got all the way to the end, you are my hero. Thanks for reading.

Jeff

1 year ago | [YT] | 47

Autorestomod Manic Mechanic Gasoline Media

Due to a series of events beyond my control, we will not be posting our Autorestomod video tomorrow. Our Manic Mechanic will be up On Tuesday as normal.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend and take a moment to honor those who sacrificed so we can be free.

1 year ago | [YT] | 76

Autorestomod Manic Mechanic Gasoline Media

In observance of Easter our video for today will be up tomorrow evening at 6:30. Have a blessed holiday.

Matthew 28:5-6: "The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.'"

2 years ago | [YT] | 184

Autorestomod Manic Mechanic Gasoline Media

Due to an injury sustained to my knee on Friday, we will not be posting an Autorestomod video today.



We have the video done, I just could not do final edit. I will post it as soon as I can sit at the work station comfortably.

2 years ago | [YT] | 184

Autorestomod Manic Mechanic Gasoline Media

But WAIT! There's MORE! So While all the shenanigans were going on with the popped water pipe (my repairs are working super well btw) we had a space heater hooked up in the offices since our HVAC heat pump was born in the late 1990s and is cold averse (68 in the house at night with ambient outside temps in the 20s). This space heater popped a breaker. My work PC is on the same breaker (yes I have an uninterruptible power supply with surge protection). The breaker trip made my PC very angry and it decided to throw a fit. Why? Because PC. So after mucking around (I know a bit about PCs too) for a solid four hours, I am now back up and running. But this has backed up production as well.

I am weirdly calm.

2 years ago | [YT] | 63