Street Rod Jim’s Factory Five ’33 Hot Rod Story
Customer and first-time builder, Jim P. (Street Rod Jim on YouTube and the FFR forums), has finished his 33 Hot Rod V2. If you have been watching the journey unfold via his build videos, his new videos are taking it to the next level.
“A childhood dream of mine was to always build a kit car. While researching, I came across FFR and decided to build the 33 Hot Rod for its timeless cool factor. The sloping 33 front grill was the best part. Plus, it came with a manual. I’m in!
After deciding to take this venture, I started saving money and researched cars, engines, and the technology mainly using YouTube. I noticed many of these channels had a massive following, despite having low-quality video and editing. I thought to myself, I have been in the media business for over 30 years, what if I put my expertise and dream project together and create a YouTube channel that might pay for itself down the road and help support my next car projects? F9R anyone? After spending some time creating my YouTube identity, I launched the Street Rod Jim channel with a few goals in mind. Firstly, I wanted to put FFR’s marketing slogan to the test; “you can build this in your garage with just a few tools.” The other was to really show the honest trials and tribulations as well as emotional ups and downs of building a show car for a first-time builder. And lastly, I would simply be Street Rod Jim and anonymously build this car. There is no reason to intertwine my career identity with the channel.
After four years in the making, I now have over 11K subs with over 450 videos; most of them being the 33 Hot Rod V2 build. Many followers have commented that they bought cars after witnessing my efforts. After creating this channel, a community formed. Hearing from subscribers that my videos helped people decide on buying an FFR car as well as provide ideas on how to approach their build, was truly a heartfelt feeling. Because the last few years have been very isolating, the positive reinforcement from my subscribers has motivated me to continue my efforts.
About 2 years ago, I came up with the idea to do a music video for the celebratory release of the 33 Hot Rod. I wanted to create a love triangle between the car, its owner, and a beautiful woman. Despite having put in years of work into this project, I have barely teased it on my channel for the last few months. My followers of Street Rod Jim know my perfectionist ways, and if I decided to do a crossover and show my audience what I really do for a living, it better be epic. I believe the song I chose to cover and the unique stylistic choices I made, meets this criterion. And of course, like I don’t have enough on my plate, I had to go and create a full-length documentary about the making of the music video to go along with it. Ha, it must be in my DNA. I am always taking my projects to the next level.
I hope everyone enjoys the effort I have put into this channel, including the music video and documentary. I thank FFR for all the help over the years. I would also like to thank everyone who helped me on this project and to my subscribers, as I would not be where I am without you. Many people have asked where and when they can see the car in person; I plan on making it to many car shows this 2023/2024 car season in AZ and CA.
About the Car: 33 Hot Rod V2, LS 376cc Hot Cam, Holley Mid Rise Terminator X, 4L60E, HVAC, Power Steering, Protonic Blue, Hard Top, Bike Fenders, Leather Bench Seat. Double Stitched Leather lined Hardtop & Door panels and custom center console. The whole bottom of the car is matching Protonic Blue tinted Raptor Liner. Estimated 450 HP. Sponsors: Eddie Motorsports LS Drive System, Anodized Battery Holder and Fire Extinguisher and cup holder.”
Link to Jim’s YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/streetrodjim
Photography by Joe Ancona.
