From the SEMA Washington, D.C., office
Content Creator Spotlight: Eric Bardach
Follower counts: 4,525 on Instagram; 317 on Facebook; 48 on YouTube.
Focus: Diesel, dually trucks, overlanding and camping, any form of racing and modified vehicles.
Eric Bardach is a content creator and diesel fanatic who grew up around all things automotive. Whether it's racing with his father for small, grassroots race teams or taking cross-country camping trips in his custom-built overlanding rigs, Bardach lives and breathes cars.
A SEMA member since 2021, Bardach is dedicated to supporting all corners of the car world and is now using his platform to help SEMA fight for the specialty-equipment industry and enthusiasts everywhere. Read more about Bardach's passion for cars, as well as his experience visiting lawmakers in Washington, D.C., with SEMA staff, in the interview below.
SEMA News: How did you get into the automotive industry?
Eric Bardach: Growing up, I was always around cars and trucks, thanks to my dad. He was on a small, grassroots drag-racing team—he helped build the car and go racing—to his friends putting lift kits on their trucks, while also teaching me along the way. As I got older, he and I would watch Saturday morning car shows like "Horsepower TV," "This Week on MotorTrend" and "Trucks," to just name a few.
When it was time for me to start driving, I couldn't wait, and when I got my first truck—it was an '88 Chevrolet K5 Blazer—I realized all the custom car things those car shows would talk about were very expensive. My father, being the metal fabricator and carpenter that he is, showed me that we could build what we wanted with the materials we had. So we built a sub sound system for my Blazer and it worked great.
From that point forward, I understood that you don’t always need the latest and greatest to make it custom or make more horsepower. You can take used parts from other vehicles and make them work for what you want, or start from scratch, build it exactly how you want, while also saving money. That mentality still rings true today, even more so than ever.
SN: What's been your biggest motivator?
EB: One of my biggest motivators is to show that we are all in this car world together and that we should be supporting each other no matter what. Even if we don't like each other's vehicle or the custom work they have done, it doesn't matter—as long as the person whose car it is is proud of what they have done, that's all that matters. I respect what they have done and would appreciate that in return.
Another motivator is how can I build a vehicle using used parts to compete with someone who bought all the latest and greatest parts and still perform as well if not better than theirs? One of my current trucks is an '03 Dodge Ram 4x4 3500 dually Cummins, which I turned into an overlanding truck. It has a custom, 6-in. lift kit that I did with a mix of going to a truck suspension shop, plus ordering an add-a-leaf rear suspension to make the truck have the lift I need while not ruining the towing capability.
I also wanted to fit 37x12.5R17 tires in the rear while keeping it a dually and not using wheel spacers. Not having the money for fully custom new wheels, I found an old-school fabricator to modify my current wheels by changing the offset to have them fit. My other truck is an '00 Dodge Ram 2WD 3500, and I didn't like the tow mirrors. So I found a set of West Coast mirrors meant for a late '90s GMC/Chevrolet medium-duty truck that had similar body lines. Between my father and I, we modified them to make them fit, and they turned out great. It makes the truck stand out for being different while using used parts from one truck and putting them on a different truck.
SN: What's been your favorite part of being a part of the automotive community?
EB: My favorite part of being a part of the automotive community is exactly that—it is a community. When I am at the racetrack helping my friend set up his car and a complete stranger comes up and asks, "Hey, do you have a set of tools I can borrow?" or "Do you have a certain part I can use for the day?" we all collectively stop what we are doing and start going through our parts and toolboxes trying to help. Then we all go to their car and try and help them get the car back on the track for the next round.
Another time, I was off-roading and I bent my steering arm center link on a rock and couldn't turn my wheels. A complete stranger came by and started giving me a hand to bend the arm back into place so I could get the truck home. He took a few hours out of his time enjoying being out in the woods to help me and make sure I made it home. It's moments like that that make me happy to be a part of something so large, that we are all family and in this together.
SN: As a content creator in the industry, how do you hope to make an impact on your audience?
EB: As a content creator in the automotive industry, my goal is to show--even if it's just one person--that you don't need the newest car or the best tools to make your vision become reality, and if you think outside the box while getting creative with what you have, you can make it happen. That would be a good day for me.
Also, spreading the word on respecting all builds and letting people know if you like what you are building, and you put time, effort and your personality into whatever it is, then I support what you are doing. I've got your back and will help you along the way if I can.
SN: Why is advocacy important to you?
EB: By nature, I always want to help people in any way that I can. If a friend needs someone to go on a road trip to pick up the next vehicle project--what time are you picking me up? If I get a phone call that your car broke down and it's raining and we need it running in a few days--no problem. Have it towed to my house, push it into my garage, I'll order some pizza and we'll have it back on the road in no time.
I want to advocate for: if you win, I win. I want to see people around me--and myself--succeed in everything we do. When I post about stuff like that, I hope I can make someone start to do the same because there has been too much negativity going on in the automotive industry, and I hope to change that one day at a time.
SN: What's been the biggest moment of your career thus far?
EB: I have two that come to mind. One being when I built my camper--I had turned it into an off-road overlanding camper while building my '03 Dodge Ram 4WD 3500—and taking it on a two-week, 7,000-mile cross-country trip camping along the way. That was a pretty big moment for me. With all the long nights working on both for months, and two days before my girlfriend and I left, we finished the last thing, gave it a final once-over, and off we went.
The other one is actually when SEMA contacted me to be a part of their Washington, D.C., Fly-In to talk to Congress about the California electric vehicle (EV) mandates. That was such a huge honor to be a part of something so monumental and life-changing that I can say I was a part of; it really made an impact on my life. I have always been a person who has no problem rolling up my sleeves and getting to work, and not just complaining about a topic. I will take action, and going to D.C. was one of the top moments for sure.
SN: What is on the horizon for you in 2025? Anything you're looking forward to?
EB: I have a few things I would like to accomplish. One--as always--is to continue to grow my social media presence, and focus more on my YouTube channel, filming more on the projects I have going on and new projects I want to start.
I would also like to build another camping rig--like an RV on steroids--while also attending more car shows and getting more involved with my community at the same time. If it's in the cards, build a shop big enough to house all my trucks and build them indoors for a change. I will always do my best to achieve those goals but only time will tell.
Also, I can't wait to see what SEMA and PRI have planned this year and hope I can be a part of more, helping out any way that I can.
SN: What are you hoping to see from the industry in the next few years?
EB: My one concern that I hope to see in the next few years is that all these EV mandates get denied and our automotive freedom really stays free--from what engine we can have in our vehicles to working on our vehicles in our driveways to what fuel goes into them. I have no problem with EVs. If someone wants to drive them, that's great--just don't force me to do the same.
Are you a passionate automotive or racing content creator? Do you want to get involved with SEMA/PRI and spread the word about important advocacy initiatives? Contact Lauren Wilbor from the SEMA Washington, D.C., office at laurenpw@sema.org.
