We did SEMA a bit different this year. We made about a dozen appointments spread out the four days of the show. We were looking for a trend or stand-out new item. Quite frankly the new products section seemed the same as last year. What we come to figure is that the majority of the new products were new versions of previous products for the 2018/2019 model years. We looked to find new manufacturers, or products that were designed for older vehicles.
What I learned about the way we did the SEMA Show this year? Spend more time in the “First Time and Featured Exhibitors” areas where we saw Max Herman Jr.’s display of the Mavelizer to promote Marvel Mystery Oil. The car won the 4Cyl. class at The Race of Gentlemen. He has since taken it to the RPM Nationals. There’s a cool video on Marvel Mystery Oil’s YouTube Channel. Another interesting product we found in the First Time and Featured Exhibitors was SPEEDHUT Gauges. They feature simple round gauges which you can choose from different faces, bezels, and needles.
Speaking of custom gauges we stop by our friends at CON2R. You know we dig their “Your Wheel Your Way” custom steering wheels. They sponsored the wheel on our project Riff-Raff. They took the same concept and brought it to their “Resto-Fit” gauges. Now you can have gauges which match your interior paint with a layered design for ultimate individuality. No more looking at black, silver or white gauges. Their Super-Stock gauges are also available as RTS “Ready To Ship” which means they are assembled, tested and “RTS” with standard colors and markings. Now with their “Your Wheel, Your Way” and “Your Instruments, Your Way” you can have a completely matching custom dash. PS: We say it pairs well with an ididit steering column.
We have been fans of Prestone for a bit now and the 90 year old company continues to innovate it’s offerings. The “Core-Guard” inhibitors have taken over their entire line of coolants. At the SEMA Show they had parts taken from test vehicles showing a massive reduction of corrosion in the cooling systems. Coming soon is their line of Power Steering and Engine Oil stop leaks. We will be testing that soon, as our daily driver 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee has a minor leak in the rear main. Not worth spending the $600+ to fix it, we will give this a try and share the results soon. The big problem with this leak is that the leak drips right onto the exhaust cross-over.
Optima has a cool new batter tray and hold down that has shocks to reduce vibrations especially with off-road and high-performance applications. We are going to have to give that a test as well.
We met with 3M and they shared several new products such as the Fast Dry Filler from Bondo. Bondo also released three new DIY kits from Complete Dent Repair, Scratch and Rock Chip, and plastic Bumper Repair Kits. They also showed us a new line of sand papers with a silicone backing so it won’t slip either in your hand or sanding block. Cool stuff.
On a fun note, there was a distributor for M2 Diecast in the back wall of the North Hall. I’ve been diggin’ small toy cars lately, especially Hot Wheels. These M2 cars are 1:64 scale and feature kits to change out the wheels, tires and other accessories. What’s also new is their 4-post racks to store the cars on top of each other.
