Sunday, August 3, 2014

Kickstarter: Why Not?

I've just started a new job that will finally allow us to wrap up the last few things we need to do to finally get the truck on the road. Should be rolling sometime in the next month or two. It will be a huge day that we'll document with video, as we did when we fired her up three years ago.

The next goal is a ground up restoration, which is certainly not an inexpensive proposition, especially if you want to do it right. I figure 30k minimum. With the focus being on just getting to the point of being able to drive this thing, I hadn't been thinking much about how to fund the total restoration. That is until I heard the other day about some guy who used Kickstarter to raise more than $50,000 to make potato salad. That project might indeed be a total gag, but it prompted me to take a closer look at using Kickstarter in an attempt to fund our project. I'm still waiting for the official approval, but based on my research of similar projects on their site, we should have no problem getting the go ahead to launch the project. Until that happens, here is the preview page. Please check it out and feel free to offer any feedback you may have, including how you think it can be improved. And of course, I hope you'll share it with others.

One of the keys to the success of such an effort is of course creating the incentive for people to back the project. I knew I couldn't just say "Hey everybody, here's my truck! Please give me money to restore it," so I came up with the idea of also equipping the finished truck for video to document trips to car shows and cruise nights, where we can walk around and feature other vehicles as part of a regular video series. As I mention on the preview page, this is where I believe my nearly three decades of experience as a radio air personality, producer and interviewer will come in handy. Another part of the regular video series will be documentation of the occasional extended road trip, taking in the sights, sounds and people as we travel to visit friends and family in various parts of the country.

From sideline enthusiasts to backyard mechanics to top notch hot rodders and restoration pros, a passion for all kinds of classic vehicles is something shared by millions of people around the world. But we need only a tiny slice of this market to jump on our bandwagon and make this project a success. Please take a couple of minutes whenever you can to check out the preview page, share any feedback you may have and share the link. Thanks in advance for your help!


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