Car buff prepares for live streaming of his repair work on Mustang, BMW over the Internet

Posted By FIONA ISAACSON/Examiner Staff Writer – December 31, 2009

“It has been by watching other people or helping other people and a lot of trial and error (that I learned). Sometimes you break stuff and you learn not to do that again. I guess I feel I’ve gotten pretty good at it over the years so why not?” Chris Savard

When Chris Savard was 15, his father told him that if he wanted to own a 5.0 Mustang 1983 GT he’d have to take it apart, rebuild it and get his licence before he could drive it.

Now about 50 cars later, Savard, 28, wants to show and teach the world how he repairs and refurbishes cars by broadcasting the repairs live on the Internet from January to March.

Savard, whose day job is working in the information technology department at Fleming College, has created www.theinfamousproject.com, where he describes his plans to fix up a 5.0 GT 1989 black Mustang convertible and a white 1992 BMW 325is.

“To physically do something and once it’s done you can point at it, you can look at it, play with it, drive it, wash it. It’s a lot more rewarding than sitting behind a computer desk all day,” Savard said.

The Mustang convertible has had a “rough life” — its missing body panels and a tree fell on the back of it, he said.

The BMW 325 needs a new engine because it burst into flames after a problem with the remote starter and a fuel leak, he said.

The cars need to be ready by March 11 because Savard said he hopes to enter them in the Performance World Car Show 2010 in Toronto.

Savard said he gets asked a lot by younger people about how he learned to repair cars, which is part of the reason he started the project.

“It has been by watching other people or helping other people and a lot of trial and error (that I learned),” Savard said.

“Sometimes you break stuff and you learn not to do that again.”

“I guess I feel I’ve gotten pretty good at it over the years so why not?”

Savard said he has seen videos online about car repairs and “they always cut out the little things.” For example, Savard said he was watching a video about an ignition tumbler being replaced and the camera didn’t zoom in to show where the mechanic was drilling.

He said he will repair the BMW first and it will take about two to three weeks. The rest of the time will be spent on the Mustang. He’ll have a mounted video camera and hopes to have people also film as he works.

Savard said he hopes to meet more people and car vendors through his project.

“Who knows maybe I’ll have my own TV show?” he said.

“I don’t know I guess I’m finally starting to show off a bit.”

ASIDE

NOTES: Chris Savard said a lot of companies, many in the Greater Toronto Area, have donated parts but the largest repair cost for cars is labour…. Savard has his own garage but is using his father’s for the project because it’s heated…. Savard hasn’t finalized what time of day he’ll be doing the repairs but it will be sometime after work and on the weekends. The schedule will be posted on his website, he said.