I am Chip Foose from Overhaulin, ask me anything!

Thank you everyone who participated in our AMA. Hopefully reddit will have me back again one day. Keep watching, our Overhaulin' season finale is this Sunday on Velocity at 9/8c. Can't wait to share the new season 8 we're filming now (some really cool, DIFFERENT cars). Catch up with us at www.chipfoose.com, www.facebook.com/chipfoose and www.twitter.com/chipfoose -CHIP

Chip,

I've been a big fan for a long time and love Overhaulin'! I wrote to you once probably around 10 years ago and I included a sketch of a Mustang I drew with my letter. I didn't expect a reply but got one within a week or two that not only had a hand written letter from you, but a (much improved) sketch of the car I had drawn. It really made an impression on a young kid like I was at the time.

My question is this: As a person that hasn't had access to the settings, tools, and money required to learn skills like welding, fabrication, suspension, engine work, etc. What is a good first step to take in learning what it takes to build a project car? Are there apprenticeships to be had or are there programs you would recommend?

Thanks!

Thank you for the kind words. If you know anybody in your local area with a body shop or custom shop, see if you can volunteer and learn by observing while youre sweeping the floor. I swept the floor at my Dad's shop when I first began at 25 cents an hour! Wish I was back there, too, I'd do it all again.

Hi Mr. Foose, HUGE fan! Always dreamed of working for you.

Can you explain some the reported tensions between yourself and Boyd Coddington, back when he was still with us?

Thanks for the AMA!

The tension was on Boyd's side. I worked with him for 8 years and loved every minute. When he went bankrupt in 98 is when my wife and I were forced to start our own business. The talented employees from Boyd's wanted to work with us and Boyd was unhappy about it. I have no ill feelings for Boyd. Would have stayed there forever if the shop was still running.

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Final sketches range from an hour to 3 hours. The rough sketches usually 5-15 minutes. I still tear up as well, thanks for watching!

Hey Chip, love your work with cars but I'm more interested in your work with Progeria research. Could you tell us a bit more about how you became involved with it and what currently is going on in it?

I got involved with Progeria when I found out about the Progeria Research Foundation from my mom. My Mom is the President of California chapter. I do a show with Year One in Braselton, GA every year with Kevin King and his crew to raise money for the foundation. My interest is based on the fact that my youngest sister Amy had Progeria and passed in 1986.

Hi Chip! I've loved watching Overhaulin' from day one. It's so great to see your dad and, now, your son on the show sometimes.

I was curious; are you teaching auto fab to Brock because he's really into it, or as something that would just be a useful life skill for the future?

Basically I ask because of something my father told me once: he wished he'd had the foresight to teach me his trade (carpentry) as something I could have with me my entire life, but he didn't necessarily want me to get into that business.

Thanks!

Brock likes cars, don't know if he's going to do this for a living. I wouldn't force him, it will be his choice whatever he does. I only let him work on OH or here at the shop during summer break. Homework comes first.

Do you like big trucks and cannot lie?

I love big trucks, I would never lie about that. Have you seen the Foose Experience Tour big rig?

Hello sir my name is Adam Williams I am a huge fan I sold my 1970 mustang a few years ago that I purchased when I was in the service and I recently talked to the gentleman that I sold it to and he agreed to sell it back to me but just having a baby I have other financial obligations my question is have you ever considered overhauling a Harley I know you stick mainly to the classics but your very talented and I think it would be awesome I would be more than willing to donate mine and also if I was to get my first classic car back how would I go about getting it overhauled thank you for your time sir

Have somebody submit your Harley at www.overhaulin.tv. Would love to do one.

Hey Chip! My father and I are huge fans, and we sit down to watch Overhaulin' every time we see it's on.

1. What's your favorite kind of restoration? Modified or unmodified?

2. Do you still do restorations out of Overhaulin' or in your free time?

3. Have you ever been to Puerto Rico? Did you like it? Is there a chance of Overhaulin' coming to Puerto Rico?

Thanks in advance if you answer, and never stop doing Overhaulin'. You truly are an inspiration for my father, who has been trying to restore an old '73 VW Beetle, but hasn't had the time or money to start!

What's your favorite kind of restoration? Modified or unmodified?

Modified of course.

Do you still do restorations out of Overhaulin' or in your free time?

Always working on something. With a wife and two kids it seems like there's never free time.

Have you ever been to Puerto Rico? Did you like it? Is there a chance of Overhaulin' coming to Puerto Rico?

I've been to PR several times. I was just there a couple months ago at a show and visited the Museum of Transportation which was very cool.

Chip, as much as I love your show and the way your projects turn out, it is your artwork that fascinates me. On the show it appears it takes you hardly any time at all to turn out the finished sketch. How long does it really take and where did you acquire your artistic skills?

Rough sketches are 5-15 minutes, final renderings are usually 1-3 hours. I started drawing when I was 3, sitting next to my father, copying what he was drawing. Then I met Alex Trembulis at the age of 7, he was a professional designer that worked for several different manufacturers. When I saw his artwork I knew that's what I wanted to do. He told me about Art Center College of Design, which is where I graduated from in 1990.

Hello Chip, I'm a huge fan and a huge car guy. I'm currently watching Ultimate car build off on Netflix, and loved your comment on the pull me push me cars on how they should have lowered them. My questions are how do we convince the rest of the car guys that lowered vehicles are the best? I hate seeing a beautiful modern muscle car sitting at stock height. Also, it is possible to hire you to do a rendering? I’d also love your opinion on my 1977 Datsun 620 Imgur. Thanks!

Thanks for watching! If you want to convince somebody that a lowered car is better look at any performance vehicle. As far as renderings, I'm currently only doing work for Foose Design and Overhaulin' because my schedule is so busy. Your Datsun sounds like a great project, best of luck

Hey Chip, I met you finally in person two years ago in Detroit at Autorama when I was there with the guys from Torq'd Design Lab and their Thunderbird. You are truly an inspiration to those of us who love custom cars. What are your thoughts on current automotive styling moving more towards a European Feel and away from the American Muscle car, for example the new Corvette strongly resembles something out of Ferrari and while the fastback design still rides with the new Mustang it still has a lot of European influence to me. Also do you think we as consumers are more interested now with the Tech gadgets in our cars as opposed to our cars themselves and enjoying the open road and seeing the sights around us like someone on Route 66 might have back in it's hayday. Please keep up with all that you do and you never stop amazing us. Oh and if you ever talk to Jonathan Peace tell him to cut his hair. LOL.

You never know where your influence is going to come from. When there are trends that seem to be very popular, a lot of designers will draw from that. As a designer myself, I would rather run away from trends, the reason for this is that it costs so much to build a car I never want it to be trendy. If you do good design, it is timeless. Let your project be its own product. The ultimate complement to the work we do is in time if a group of talented craftsman come together to restore a car we built and put it back the way we built it, rather than updating it. This is what we strive for.

Morning chip thanks for the AMA. Just wondering if you could give a shout out to my dad Steve. He loves your show, gets a lot of ideas. At the moment he's customising his 55 chev :)

Hi Steve and best of luck on your 55 Chevy! I like the fact that your customizing it. Hope I get to see what you're doing to it one day. Send me some pics on twitter when you're done.

Hey Chip, thanks for doing this AMA. I have a question that's a little more personal.

What's your favorite sandwhich and drink combo?

Thanks in advance and keep up the awesome work! Love watching me some Overhaulin!

Peanut butter and jelly and ice cold milk!

Chip - Awesome ideas seem to fly out of your head. more work than we all think I expect. I have a red 71 Plymouth Barracuda convertible. Has a Ray Barton 528 Hemi in it. Wanna play with it? Could be a cool project...

Sounds like a great project! I love the 'cudas, we've never done one on Overhaulin'. If you're interested, send it to www.overhaulin.tv or call us at Foose Design.

Hi Chip, I work as a prepper ( painters assistant) at a local dealership. 99% of what we do is collision repair on modern vehicles. What can I do to expand my skill set to where I'd be a candidate for a painter at a high end restoration/ hot rod shop?

Start asking or expressing the fact that you would like to paint to your bosses. Or paint projects at home,anything you can do to get the experience.

Chip, I love you, man. It's clear you pour your heart into your work. It has always seemed to me that you maintain a positive culture among your colleagues, where other shows thrive on drama. Is this just creative editing? Please tell me your work environment really is as peaceful as it seems.

Life's too short to be full of drama. I always want to show professionals coming together, having a great time, doing something special for someone. The drama is fabricated, by Chris usually, in the way that we trick the owner, while we the builders trick out their car.

Hey Chip!! You are the reason I watch the show Overhaulin. You just have so many good ideas and I can tell you love your job. Hey - where did you get your art wooden chest of drawers when you do your mock-up drawings. (Coming from an art lover/collector).

Thanks! I got the wooden chest from a local art supply store.

Hi Chip, thanks for doing this AMA!

I'm an Automotive Design student, so these questions might be more design orientated :D

• What's your design process like? Do you rough out ideas with sketches or go straight into a line drawing/render?

• What's your favourite part of building a car, either for a client or for Overhaulin' ?

• What's your opinion on Rapid Prototyping technology, have you used it on any projects? I know CNC milling plays a big part in your builds and was interested if you'd played around with 3D printing at all.

Thanks again and have a great day!

What's your design process like? Do you rough out ideas with sketches or go straight into a line drawing/render?

Depends on the project but it usually starts with loose sketches. Loose always before a finished line drawing. The drawing is only the tool to build the final art, which is the 3-Dimensional piece.

What's your favourite part of building a car, either for a client or for Overhaulin' ?

My favorite part is the design and layout and the responseof the owner when they see the final project.

What's your opinion on Rapid Prototyping technology, have you used it on any projects? I know CNC milling plays a big part in your builds and was interested if you'd played around with 3D printing at all.

Rapid prototyping is a tool you're going to see grow. I think 3D printers will be in every home, one day. Rather than something coming in the mail that you ordered, you may order it and it's printed in your own home. With this technology you'll be able to design and print small projects everywhere you go.

Hi Chip! Love the show, just watched it this morning! A cup of coffee and Overhaulin is the way to kick off the day. Just wondering, is Chris single?

Other than the cup of coffee, I kick off my day with Overhaulin on the set, building the cars we share with you. Thanks for watching. And yes, Chris is single!

Has there ever been a project that you've really wanted to do that was just too over the top or out of budget? If so, what was it?

Duesenberg!!!!!!!!!

Hi Chip! Thanks for taking the time to do this! I've always been a classic and muscle car fanatic, a mustang girl and a HUGE Foose fan, and I love seeing your interpretations come to life on cars that have seen better days. I just wanted to say I think you're awesome!

Thanks for being a fan! If you're ever in Huntington Beach, stop by the shop.

Hey - do you ever do any events or shows in the Temecula/Murrieta area?

I'll be in the 3M booth at an event in Riverside, first weekend of May.

Hi Chip, I've enjoyed your shows. I love seeing something not so great turn out wonderful. My dad has a 57 Chevy Bel Air that I would say he loves more than us, however he sold his first 57 when I was born, to get something more reliable. His second 57 he sold to help me buy a car after mine was trashed by a falling carport. Can you think of something 57 Chevy centric I can get him for Father's Day to show him how much I appreciate him?

Try to find a painting/photo/artwork, maybe something black and white so it's not specific. Of a 57 that he can display.

Mr Foose, I'm a huge fan who is building a 58 Buick. I want to use Foose wheels as an homage to the guy who inspired me to start building. I'm looking at an 18" + 20" stagger. Which Foose wheels would you recommend? Thank you

I would recommend a wheel but I don't know the theme of your car. The wheels need to match the same theme you're building the entire car with.

Hi Chip! I am a huge fan and I am so excited you are answering questions. Before my dad died we would always watch overhaulin together. Since he died I have been left trying to finish the rebuild on my 67 El Camino and his 64 Plymouth Fury.

Do you have a place you prefer to go to for rarer car parts? I have been looking for a patch panel for the Camino for over a year and no one makes it. What do you do when you can't find the part?

Thanks again for everything you do. I was so happy to see Overhaulin back and I can't wait to share the show with my kids like I shared it with my Dad.

If we can't find it we build it. You could check with an El Camino club to see if any members have the parts you need (ebay?).

Hi Chip,

As someone who has used their talents to create a brand based on yourself and your image, do you ever wish you could go back "behind the curtain" wizard-of-oz style and just churn out amazing looking cars, rather than doing all the face-time?

I'm lucky that I get to build the cars that we do at Foose Design and Overhaulin', but I've also been blessed to have worked with some of the manufacturers, designing and building show cars, where just like the wizard of Oz I am behind the curtain and the work is confidential.

Hey Chip, I love all your work my family and I are huge fans! My dad is a big time mopar guy, we own a 70 hemi cuda', a six pack superbee and a few other cars. sadly, they are all in peices just sitting. with a little work, they would be up and running. My dad has a huge passion for cars but just doesnt have the motivation to get up and get started on these projects. Off the top of your head, what would be a good way for me to convince him to get started? He needs somewhat of an intervention! haha

Ask him if you can have one if you finish it. Show interest in it or tell him that you want to build it with him. Hopefully this works and that you enjoy the project together.

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It would be a new Foose design concept car

Chip,

What's your opinion on the current "stance" movement among the younger crowd? You know, lowering the car extremely low without air suspension, putting on wheels to wide for the car/too low offsets making the wheel stick out past the fender, and using excessive negative camber/stretched tires in order to make it fit?

Reference : http://www.farmofminds.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/that-stance-n-camber.jpg

As a car guy, I hate it and cringe when I see a performance car like an M3 stanced like that

When somebody is customizing a car the greatest thing about it is the fact that you can do exactly what you want to make it your car. This is what personalizing means. It may not be what I would do to my car, but it's not my car. I love the fact that they desire to modify their car and that the love affair with the car is alive and well.

Hey Chip, I'm a big fan of your work and your show! I have a '69 charger in the UK and I need help selecting which Foose wheels I should go for! If I tweet a photo of the car will you give me your opinion? Thanks Adam

I would put the Foose challenger wheel that we used on the SEMA Overhaulin' Challenger and Charger, based on the Chrysler rally wheel.