Is Fantom Works really "Reality"?

Discussion in 'The Bench' started by Joe B, Aug 16, 2017.

  1. Joe B

    Joe B Well-Known Member

    I was watching Fantom Works last night, a repeat of an episode shown earlier. They were working on a Sport Fury with a 440 (383?) with tri power and sent the carbs out for restoration. That surprised me because you would think that a shop like this would have some who knows how to put a new kit on carbs. At one point they cut to Dan who says "while we're waiting for the carbs to come back the interior guys can get their stuff done". They shown the "interior guys" putting in new carpet and moving air vents and then have one of the guys (with 'supervisor' on his shirt) who says that "we got a lot done. The heater is blowing hot and the a/c is blowing cold." I immediately thought that their doing this was really amazing, given that the car couldn't run without the carbs and the a/c and heater won't work without the car running. That was it for me. I'm tired of more and more of these slipups being shown (poor editing?), Dan's ever increasing need for cussing (which should be cut out), his ridiculous countdowns for brake testing, featuring only a handful of employees when they have around 85 cars (so they say) in the shop at any given time, and acting like he is the expert of all things automotive and that his pricing is reasonable. On a recent show they restored a 1966 VW convertible and presented a bill for $60,000! If that's my bill for my car the glove compartment better be filled with Krugerrands! I just can't watch it anymore. I know that, besides doing real work, all of these shows are made-for-tv, but I feel that Fantom Works is really slipping.
     
  2. stangman

    stangman Well-Known Member

    The producers think they are relating to the car guy but in reality we are laughing in discuss because we see every little slipup and crap they try to pass by us. I cant handle none of it anymore.
     
  3. 1972Mach1

    1972Mach1 Just some M.M.O.G. guy.....

    No, and I hate Fantomworks probably the worst out of all of them. They massively overcharge and don't know what they're talking about.....They berated a '69 Camaro because "some idiot" put one of the rear shocks in front of the axle and one behind. They've never heard of staggered shocks?
     
  4. Chi-Town67

    Chi-Town67 Gold Level Contributor

    Dan is THE biggest drama queen on TV.
     
  5. OHC JOE

    OHC JOE Mullet Mafia since 2020

    MASSIVELY OVERCHARGE IS THE WORD
    PLAIN N SIMPLE
     
  6. JoeBlog

    JoeBlog Platinum Level Contributor

    About the only "real" car show is "Chasing Classic Cars", and he tends to specialize in cars none of us can afford the lug nuts to...
    Most, if not nearly all of the shows have cars that are real; the drama is what's full of bondo...
     
  7. bostoncat68

    bostoncat68 Platinum Level Contributor

    My sister is in TV and has produced multiple reality TV series. I've learned from her that all of these shows follow a script that is designed to create drama ("oh no it's ruined/ broken/ late -- wait until after the commercials to see the miracle that fixed it..."). The goal is to hold a diverse set of viewer's (not just car nuts) interest, they are not overly concerned about the details. Not saying they try to muck it up but it's not how they frame the story. You only see the footage that fits the flow. BTW -- they also "recreate" scenes if they missed them. "almost reality TV" ;-)
     
  8. GSX 554

    GSX 554 Gold Level Contributor

    90 % of those shows suck . Thats why I hardly ever watch them. As far as Drama Queen , Mark Wolman is #1
     
    Mark Demko likes this.
  9. 1989GTA

    1989GTA Silver Level contributor

    I am not a big fan of Fantom Works either and for the reasons given. I also like chasing classic cars.
     
  10. Mike B in SC

    Mike B in SC Well-Known Member

    Chasing Classic Cars & Wheeler Dealers are my two favorites...
     
  11. k.pascoe

    k.pascoe 73 Century Gran Sport 455

    I am a big fan of Graveyard Cars. Very entertaining.
     
    turbotimmer likes this.
  12. sriley531

    sriley531 Excommunicado

    "Reality" right up there with jack-a-lopes and the tooth fairy maybe......

    I wanted to like Fantom Works, I really did. But I couldnt stand it. The owner is a pompous ass, a horrible actor (which is how you can tell he really is an ass), and whoever is writing the script doesnt know a spork from a spark plug. The prices they spew out are ridiculous, and his "know-it-all everything I do is perfect" mentality is absolutely laughable after seeing some of the finished products. Chasing Classic cars is enjoyable, though a bit "snobbish" sometimes. "Bitchin Rides" (although I was originally put off by the name) is my favorite. Less about drama and more about the builds. Dave Kindig seems like a guy you could talk cars with and not want to punch, unlike the fantom works clown, mark worman, etc
     
  13. 70skylark350

    70skylark350 Jesus loves you unconditionally

    graveyard cars is good but Mark is starting to get irritating, he tries too hard to be funny, or weird, or something. His daughter is hot though. Phantom works is a joke. I like CCC, Stacy David Gears is a good one. now all these new ones, its getting silly, did you ever see Toy Makerz, oh my god I would love to punch that jack ass in the face!!!!!
     
    OHC JOE likes this.
  14. Big Bufford

    Big Bufford Well-Known Member

    Same here, I like the ones that focus more on the builds/cars than the drama. The ridiculous build times are more than old to me. If you took a rust bucket into any shop in the country and told them you wanted a Riddler award winner in 6 weeks you would be laughed outta the building.
     
  15. GMB-GS1

    GMB-GS1 Silver Level contributor

    I like Iron Resurrection; a bunch of fun loving folks having a good time building some pretty cool cars and trucks. You also have to love the Riviera he built and has in the shop. We also enjoy Diesel Brothers, those guys are really having a great time and providing some good entertainment. Neither of these shows have any drama.
     
  16. John Codman

    John Codman Platinum Level Contributor

    I too like CHASING CLASSIC CARS, but I also enjoy FANTOMWORKS. I would agree with anyone who says that the show could be improved, but I like the quality of their work. Prices? My local Goodyear dealer charges $100 per hour for labor. Do you think that you could do a flawless restoration of a '67 VW ragtop (including doing the interior twice) for parts and labor (@ $100 per hour) for less than $60 grand? I have spent 40 hours restoring one model T Ford wheel. If you can't put in the hours yourself, restoration is brutally expensive. I don't want a hacker working on a car that I care about. As a master technician, I would expect to be paid well. The automotive hobby is (very) expensive, and it ain't gonna get cheaper. FANTOMWORKS is a "reality" TV show and as such is scripted, but overall, I think they do a better-then-average job.
     
    bostoncat68 likes this.
  17. TTNC

    TTNC Well-Known Member

    Yeah I'm kinda surprised at the reaction to FantomWorks, everybody I've talked to in person about the show (myself included) likes it over a lot of the other shows. Sure, some mechanical issues they run into are over dramatized (brakes) but I don't think you can fault the owner for that. I haven't seen him get really fired up on the show about anything that wasn't justified. There aren't any physical altercations or extreme shouting matches like there used to be on certain shows.

    Chasing Classic Cars is fun to watch, but the hoity toity Pebble Beach crowd with their 7 figure Ferraris and brass era cars you never heard of just aren't my thing.

    Graveyard Carz is cool, I appreciate the Mopar encyclopedia between Wormans ears that we get to see a lot of. He is a little weird at times but does throw out some brilliant one liner insults that crack me up.
     
  18. telriv

    telriv Founders Club Member

    One of the members in the club I belong to had his Opel Cadet done at Phantom Works. It appears they did a GREAT job!!! Took care of ALL the issues plus some.
     
  19. BYoung

    BYoung Stage me

    Bitchin' Rides is pretty good. Dave Kindig is an artist.

    And I enjoy most of the others by taking them with a grain of salt.
     
    70skylark350 likes this.
  20. HotRodRivi

    HotRodRivi Tomahawks sighted overseas

    Diesel Brothers is cool, they dont hide the fact there lug heads. They are sometimes a bit too cute at times but hell they give away a truck i think ounce a year.
    American Pickers is my favorite.
     
    Mark Demko likes this.

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