From selling glitter out of a suitcase to traveling to European manufacturing and mining facilities chasing the perfect pigment, today the guys talk all the things that bling when it comes to paint with Manny Martinez the owner and founder of Tropical Glitz paints. Referring to customers and their desire to find the perfect paint, Manny states, “you guys have a vision, you have a dream so we’re here to give you a solution for that vision.”

Kevin and Willie discuss the current evolution and transitioning of the Automotive Industry to electric vehicle technology. From hybrid to full autonomous electric vehicles, the guys discuss it all. Kevin states, “It just keeps getting better and better and we love it, and now we’re at this crossroad…” Do you like electric vehicles or are you a muscle car purist? “After enough beat downs on the track, you’re gonna change your mind!”

The world has somewhat transitioned from solvent based paints to water-based paints but that doesn’t always agree with the art form that is painting a vehicle, especially when you’re trying to get that perfect look! Willie agrees with Henry Ford stating, “A customer can have their car painted any color they want, as long as that color is black”, but Kevin feels that “a color of paint wants to be on certain cars”. Often the paint for your vehicle can cost more than the vehicle itself. So, what to choose? 

Willie recently received an excited phone call from his twin brother exclaiming, “You’ll never guess what I found three miles from my house!” What he found is possibly the pinnacle small town elusive barn find – a 1970 Plymouth Superbird! It’s been stuffed in the back of a garage and the doors to the vehicle haven’t been opened since 1989. You can guess that this is one six-figure car that Willie really wants to get his hands on. The guys discuss the history of this classic, talk shop about many other classic and current rides that have always caught their eyes, and get emotional about some of the cars that got away… almost!

During his 15-year career as a professional race car driver, Cooper MacNeil amassed an impressive array of endurance championship wins, including the 24 Hours of Daytona (2023 GT3 Class), Petit Le Mans (3-time winner), 24 Hours of Sebring (2-time winner), and 24 Hours of Le Mans (multiple podiums). Now retired, recently married, and with a baby on the way, he sat down with Kevin and Willie for a look back at his life in racing (“After 15 years of doing it, I was just mentally, physically, and emotionally, for that matter, done with the sport”) and his future in the family business, working on product development at WeatherTech.

When you consider the manual way we tuned cars for decades, it’s amazing how far tuning technology has come, and how intimidating tuning a modern vehicle can be. Having the right diagnostic tool that talks to the systems on these cars is critical, requiring something a little better than a code reader; something that gives you an indication where to go, what procedure to tackle next, and can pay for itself quickly. Haresh Gobin of Launch Tech USA joins the podcast to drop some wisdom on the guys about these innovative, yet affordable devices, whether you’re a DIYer or professional shop technician.