E-Delivery

SMALL SHOPS, BIG RESULTS My summer me drive sat there in the garage like a wounded duck. A flat re on the driver's rear is what awaited me on a Sunday morning. With a heavy sigh, a coffee cup filled up with a proper weekend mix (even had some coffee in it), I removed the wheel. My preferred re shop was shut for the weekend, so I made a few calls. I needed a simple plug patch, so it was frustra ng to hear them tell me to drop of my re and leave it for a few hours, knowing a junior re tech would be doing it when they felt like it. I called up my buddy JP who owns Low West Hot Rods for some sage advice. "Hey, where do I take this damn re, I'm ge ng frustrated." "You haven't seen the new shop, bring doughnuts," he said. I was sold. I brought in the coffees first like some peace offering for interrup ng their Sunday. He proudly toured me around his new place, showing me some of his new projects in the skunk works. As JP put his tech to work on my re, my wandering eye and a hundred ques ons dragged him away from his work. If I had the choice to sit in some stuffy big box shop wai ng room, or tour around a sweet joint like this while ge ng my re fixed, I'd bring it here every me. Then it dawned on me. I DO have a choice. Yes hot rod shops do custom builds, one off projects and miraculous things with steel, but we forget that they can also do re work, oil changes and a host of other mechanical work. So why don't we take in our daily drivers for winter re change over, or maintenance? Your local rod shop certainly has the equipment, knowledge and overqualified staff for all these tasks, and to be honest, some could really benefit from a li le extra work. Why not go to them to get great work done in a cool environment where you can ask a few ques ons and learn a few things. Sure not all shops are ready to welcome some of these extra tasks, but why not check in and ask? While I was hanging out, Glen, the President of the Edmonton Street Rod Associa on, showed up to share a few lies too. What an entertaining place to handle some of my more rou ne automo ve issues. In a place like this you get great work, reasonable prices, in a sweet environment that inspires and educates. Why not support them? I hear some people say that you can't get good quality work done like you used to. To that I have to say: are you going to the specialized shops with skilled personnel like you used to? You hear the phrase 'think outside the box' bantered around a lot these days. I say its me we with think outside 'the big box', and support our local builders! BRAD FERSOVITCH, GARAGE|SHOTS 7

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