Extreme Makeover . . . . . . Explanation
There are a lot of questions and assumptions floating around out there about the EXTREME MAKEOVER so I am going to address it just this one time and from there on I will talk directly with the winners only about the makeover. In short, Chuck and I want to see the winners' vehicles completed as planned and they deserve it. Although the winners are very happy with the amount of work that was done to the makeover vehicles, WE are not satisfied and want to see everything completed as planned. Reality of the matter is this is not television or a video game, it is real-life and problems do happen during makeovers that prevent everything from happening as planned. Both winners have families and needed to get back home to their families and work on Monday so the cars had to be returned to them upgraded but not completed.
I know its been awhile since the contest was first posted but I do believe the intentions of the makeover was to do something very special for 2 very deserving people and at the end of the weekend 2 very deserving people received a whole lot of upgrades for nothing more than sharing their story and a little bit of who they are with all of us. How many of you actually read 4DEATER's letter that he submitted for the makeover? How many of you stopped by to congratulate 4DEATER and his family or wickedchargerrt or introduce yourself and get to know these guys? Both of them are class act people and if you didn't then you all missed out on what this was really all about. Cars are cool but this was about the people behind the cars first and foremost. Everyone will add their 2 cents because its human nature, but the only opinions we care about are 4DEATER and wickedchargerrt.
Bodykits were donated by GRIP TUNING for 4DEATER's Charger, and Xenon for wickedchargerrt's Charger. Both kits were FedEx'd to Keen's Body Shop in Columbus, Ohio to be painted on Friday. Upon arrival to pickup the kits, we found out they painted them the wrong colors. The black was not Brilliant Black and the yellow was not Top Banana yellow. They were told to sand and re-paint the kits the correct colors. Not sure how a professional bodyshop paints a kit and does not get the correct color code for the paint? But that is exactly what happened. After sanding and re-painting somehow they managed to over-bake the kits which completely ruined the Xenon kit and ruined the rear bumper of the GRIP TUNING kit. Also, the paint was not properly clear-coated, had runs in the paint, dust, fish-eyes, it was a nightmare. No way they were going on the car for the unveiling on Sunday looking the way they did, and there was no time to give them a 3rd opportunity to mess it up. The botched painting of the kits messed up a very well-planned schedule and put other parts of the build behind schedule. Everyone knew that the cars had to go back to the owners on Sunday afternoon and completed as much as they could.
Don't forget that 4DEATER received the first-ever Challenger-Style hood from TommyZDesign for the Dodge Charger. There is a list of people on the forum waiting for these and 4DEATER got to be the first in the country to get one. Literally, the hood was picked up fresh from the mold on the way from Michigan to Columbus, Ohio and installed on the SRT Charger. Because it is that new the flat black paint actually came out looking a bit glossier than it was suppose to but can be easily fixed. I am certain TommyZ will step up and get that issue resolved.
Honestly, it is very disappointing and disheartening to hear members of the LX community bashing the makeover or the LX & BEYOND NATIONALS for that matter but everyone is fully entitled to their opinion. Who else in the LX community do you know that has even attempted to make something like this happen? Doing one car is a HUGE task, and in hindsight 2 cars was probably too much for the size of the crew working on the cars.
We are not going to address anyone that is bashing the event. Why? Its kinda like professional football (or any pro team sport), its easy to sit on the sideline (or in the bleachers) as a spectator and talk about what should be done, or how you would do things, but until you put on the uniform, lace up the shoes and get in the game at full speed . . . . . . . you have no idea.
I challenge each and every person that has something negative to say, to step up to the challenge and come out here next year and help us make it better for everyone. I also welcome each of you that had a good time to spread the word and return next year with even bigger expectations. I think we have a very good foundation which to build upon and a lot of good and sincere people that want to see this thing become a yearly event that everyone can look forward to.
Anybody that has never setup and run an event of this magnitude in all honesty has absolutely no idea what-so-ever of the amount of coordination, man hours, e-mails, phone calls, letters, lack of sleep, lots of bulls---, lack of sleep or time that it takes to make this happen. Ask guys like Fatchance and Fondy, this takes a whole lot of time out of your life. This is something that we did because we are LX platform enthusiasts like the rest of you and enjoy the people in the LX community. Sure, everything did not run perfect, and Chuck and I never promised anybody that this would be perfect but we did promise you an opportunity to gather together, have some fun, share some stories and meet the people behind the forum names and cars.
The folks at Mike Ward's Racing of Columbus, Ohio should be commended for the work and support they provided for this makeover. They went above and beyond what was expected and requested of them. Also, all of the forum supporting vendors that came out and put their hands on these cars and supported the project should be recognized and commended: Pedders Suspension, Billet Technology, Corsa Exhaust, Roadwire Interior, Southern Hotrod and American Racing Headers just to name a few. There is a lot of stuff that went into and under these cars that were not announced initially and you guys did not see from the pictures. A full breakdown with pictures will be posted as the makeover continues . . . . . .
Take Care,
Anthony Carter
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