By Rich Hail

James Thomas, who entered but fell just shy of advancing in last year’s Young Guns competition with an unfinished version of the same ’49 Ford F1 that helped him win this year, was motivated to return and win.

James Thomas is the winner of the 2020 SEMA Battle of the Builders (BOTB) Young Guns NorCal virtual regional qualifier. He will go on to compete alongside top vehicle builders in the BOTB competition in November.

Thomas, who entered but fell just shy of advancing in last year’s Young Guns competition with an unfinished version of the same ’49 Ford F1 that helped him win this year, was motivated to return and win.

The first-generation Ford F-Series pickup was formerly a piece of yard art that Thomas hand-excavated from within the earth. He has always been drawn to older pickups like this one, and the patina on this septuagenarian told a story that he couldn’t help but pick up and give a new ending to.  

At Chico State, Thomas honed his skillset of engineering, 3D modeling, CNC machining and welding, all of which played a part in bringing the truck back to life. While most builders would opt for a Coyote or an LS powerplant, Thomas defied the norm and went with a 2JZ paired to a replica GT45 turbo complete with a T51R Mod. A T56 six-speed sequential shifter from S1 Sequential with a custom-built adapter is bolted up to a transmission donated from a Ford Cobra.

Most of the frame was replaced, having been designed in 3D Space and built by this very capable Young Gun. The independent front and rear suspension come from a Supra while the airbags, which were modified to fit the hand-built shock towers, came from a Mercedes Benz. A modified engine harness from Tweak’d Performance and a CAN bus-controlled tablet run all of the electronics via the touch-screen dash.

Thomas states, “[My] goal was to set out and do something no one has ever done before. To make people love to hate it.”

With the exception of the AN fittings, which were donated by Phenix Industries, he built most of the components himself, from the intake manifold to the intercooler to the fluid tanks. After all the pieces were put in place, the truck was tuned by Bend Calibration out of Bend, Oregon.

The Battle of the Builders competition celebrates the amazing craftsmanship and talents of people who create and build some of the most unique cars in the world. The Young Guns program is a feeder to the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition, and offers up-and-coming builders who are 27 or under the opportunity to compete to earn a spot in the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition. Furthermore, the Young Guns program recognizes and inspires the next wave of young builders and gets them actively involved within the aftermarket industry.

To enter the 2020 SEMA Battle of the Builders competition or the SEMA Young Guns program, visit www.semabotb.com or www.semayoungguns.com.

By Ashley Reyes

The SEMA Businesswomen’s Network’s (SBN) general membership meeting and networking event will take place virtually, September 8, at 12:00 p.m. (PDT).

Held for the first time as a virtual meeting, the SEMA Businesswomen’s Network’s (SBN) general membership meeting and networking event will take place September 8, at 12:00 p.m. (PDT), making it easier than ever for members to participate. Membership meetings are the ideal time and opportunity for SBN members to get more involved and learn how to maximize their network membership.

“Making connections, networking and getting involved may require juggling commitments, but the SBN makes it rewarding and an added bonus for my career,” said SBN Chair Lana Chrisman. “I strongly encourage all SBN members to join us on September 8 to take an hour and connect with our members, find a few gems to take back to work to help you over the next few months and learn how you can get the most out of your network membership.” 

The meeting will include breakout sessions on networking, career paths and coping with COVID-19 to help members engage and connect like never before.

The Select Committee will also discuss current SBN programs and resources to help members discover how they can further enhance their careers and positively impact the growth of the automotive aftermarket.  

Register here.   

Questions regarding the event can be directed to SBN Council Director Nicole Bradle at nicoleb@sema.org.   

By Ashley Reyes

The SEMA Businesswomen’s Network’s (SBN) general membership meeting and networking event will take place virtually, September 8, at 12:00 p.m. (PDT).

Held for the first time as a virtual meeting, the SEMA Businesswomen’s Network’s (SBN) general membership meeting and networking event will take place September 8, at 12:00 p.m. (PDT), making it easier than ever for members to participate. Membership meetings are the ideal time and opportunity for SBN members to get more involved and learn how to maximize their network membership.

“Making connections, networking and getting involved may require juggling commitments, but the SBN makes it rewarding and an added bonus for my career,” said SBN Chair Lana Chrisman. “I strongly encourage all SBN members to join us on September 8 to take an hour and connect with our members, find a few gems to take back to work to help you over the next few months and learn how you can get the most out of your network membership.” 

The meeting will include breakout sessions on networking, career paths and coping with COVID-19 to help members engage and connect like never before.

The Select Committee will also discuss current SBN programs and resources to help members discover how they can further enhance their careers and positively impact the growth of the automotive aftermarket.  

Register here.   

Questions regarding the event can be directed to SBN Council Director Nicole Bradle at nicoleb@sema.org.   

Last month, FCA revealed the highly-anticipated Ram TRX—an ultra-high-performance fullsize pickup  with a supercharged HEMI V8 from the Hellcat line. However, this camo-free validation prototype broke down near I-75. The situation necessitated the prototype to be flat-towed, making it do the proverbial walk of shame back to the lab.

The TRX will be powered by the 6.2L HEMI V8 making 702 hp. The supercharged HEMI V8 will be mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The combo will be capable of propelling the truck to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, down the quarter-mile in 12.9 seconds at 108 mph and up to a top speed of 118 mph.

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde

Last month, FCA revealed the highly-anticipated Ram TRX—an ultra-high-performance fullsize pickup  with a supercharged HEMI V8 from the Hellcat line. However, this camo-free validation prototype broke down near I-75. The situation necessitated the prototype to be flat-towed, making it do the proverbial walk of shame back to the lab.

The TRX will be powered by the 6.2L HEMI V8 making 702 hp. The supercharged HEMI V8 will be mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The combo will be capable of propelling the truck to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, down the quarter-mile in 12.9 seconds at 108 mph and up to a top speed of 118 mph.

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde

Last month, FCA revealed the highly-anticipated Ram TRX—an ultra-high-performance fullsize pickup  with a supercharged HEMI V8 from the Hellcat line. However, this camo-free validation prototype broke down near I-75. The situation necessitated the prototype to be flat-towed, making it do the proverbial walk of shame back to the lab.

The TRX will be powered by the 6.2L HEMI V8 making 702 hp. The supercharged HEMI V8 will be mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The combo will be capable of propelling the truck to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, down the quarter-mile in 12.9 seconds at 108 mph and up to a top speed of 118 mph.

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde

Last month, FCA revealed the highly-anticipated Ram TRX—an ultra-high-performance fullsize pickup  with a supercharged HEMI V8 from the Hellcat line. However, this camo-free validation prototype broke down near I-75. The situation necessitated the prototype to be flat-towed, making it do the proverbial walk of shame back to the lab.

The TRX will be powered by the 6.2L HEMI V8 making 702 hp. The supercharged HEMI V8 will be mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The combo will be capable of propelling the truck to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, down the quarter-mile in 12.9 seconds at 108 mph and up to a top speed of 118 mph.

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde

Last month, FCA revealed the highly-anticipated Ram TRX—an ultra-high-performance fullsize pickup  with a supercharged HEMI V8 from the Hellcat line. However, this camo-free validation prototype broke down near I-75. The situation necessitated the prototype to be flat-towed, making it do the proverbial walk of shame back to the lab.

The TRX will be powered by the 6.2L HEMI V8 making 702 hp. The supercharged HEMI V8 will be mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The combo will be capable of propelling the truck to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, down the quarter-mile in 12.9 seconds at 108 mph and up to a top speed of 118 mph.

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

President Trump issued an Executive Order on August 8 to establish a voluntary deferral of workers’ federal payroll taxes for September 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020, and the U.S. Treasury Department issued a three-page guidance document on August 28 on how the program would work. The payroll tax deferral program applies to individuals with wages below a bi-weekly threshold of $4,000 (an annual salary of $104,000 a year or less). The deferral only applies to the 6.2% Social Security tax, not the 1.45% Medicare tax.

The Treasury Department is giving participating companies from January 1 to April 30, 2021, to remit the deferred taxes, implying that companies may give workers an option of double withholding their Social Security tax during the first quarter of 2021 as one way to remit the owed taxes. The deferral policy does not address unknowns such as getting uncollected taxes from workers who quit or were laid-off or companies that went out of business.

The payroll tax deferral program has received a tepid response from the business community and Congress. Since the payroll tax is simply being deferred, not forgiven, many companies are concerned about employees understanding this distinction, or being able to pay the future obligation. Businesses would then be required to remit the deferred taxes after January 1, 2021, even if the worker has not arranged with the company to reimburse the owed taxes. An employee earning the maximum salary under the 13-week deferral program would owe around $1,612 in back taxes.

The Trump Administration has stated its desire to forgive the taxes, but that requires Congress to pass legislation. Such action is considered unlikely since the taxes are used to fund the Social Security program, and delaying payroll taxes does not help Americans who are unemployed as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.  

For details, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

President Trump issued an Executive Order on August 8 to establish a voluntary deferral of workers’ federal payroll taxes for September 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020, and the U.S. Treasury Department issued a three-page guidance document on August 28 on how the program would work. The payroll tax deferral program applies to individuals with wages below a bi-weekly threshold of $4,000 (an annual salary of $104,000 a year or less). The deferral only applies to the 6.2% Social Security tax, not the 1.45% Medicare tax.

The Treasury Department is giving participating companies from January 1 to April 30, 2021, to remit the deferred taxes, implying that companies may give workers an option of double withholding their Social Security tax during the first quarter of 2021 as one way to remit the owed taxes. The deferral policy does not address unknowns such as getting uncollected taxes from workers who quit or were laid-off or companies that went out of business.

The payroll tax deferral program has received a tepid response from the business community and Congress. Since the payroll tax is simply being deferred, not forgiven, many companies are concerned about employees understanding this distinction, or being able to pay the future obligation. Businesses would then be required to remit the deferred taxes after January 1, 2021, even if the worker has not arranged with the company to reimburse the owed taxes. An employee earning the maximum salary under the 13-week deferral program would owe around $1,612 in back taxes.

The Trump Administration has stated its desire to forgive the taxes, but that requires Congress to pass legislation. Such action is considered unlikely since the taxes are used to fund the Social Security program, and delaying payroll taxes does not help Americans who are unemployed as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.  

For details, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.