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| About the FrameOff Foundation | |||
| Foundation Newsletter | |||
| FrameOff Equipment | |||
| American Challenge Productions | |||
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| Founded in 1999, The FrameOff Foundation is dedicated to supporting, encouraging, and assisting all aspects of the automotive restoration field. | ||||
| The FrameOff Foundation has provided restoration consulting, vehicle authentication, and vehicle locating services since it’s beginning, uncovering some very rare cars like this classic Ferrari. | ||||
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In
2004 FrameOff Equipment Company was established for
the purpose of introducing the FrameOff BodyMaster™,
a product developed from our research. This single compact piece of equipment replaces several pieces of heavy, expensive equipment currently being used to restore automobiles, reducing the time, space, difficulty, and manpower needed for complete frame-off and rotisserie restorations. For more information visit www.frameoff.com. |
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| In
2005 the BodyMaster had been available to the public
for only a few months when, as Craig Jackson of the renowned Barrett-Jackson
Auctions put it on their TV show Life On The Block “out of the woodwork Alan Lewenthal pops up”. Alan ‘Ferrarihat’ Lewenthal, Director of prestigious Marquis Auto Restorations and also the Director of Acquisitions for the Gateway Colorado Auto Museum, had won the bidding for the Harley Earl 1954 F-88 at the Barrett-Jackson auction for the record-setting price of 3 million dollars and had been featured on ‘Life On The Block’. Having followed that auction closely we were pleasantly surprised to be contacted by Alan and Marquis Auto Restorations. They were in the process of filming a pilot episode for a restoration-themed reality TV show. His shop manager had requested the BodyMaster, and wanted to use the equipment in their shop and during filming. |
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A phone conversation with Jay Leno about the proposed trophy led to the concept for an elite team restoration challenge to promote it. This concept was developed into a project where two teams of top restorers would be filmed for a reality TV show as they competed to restore classic vehicles, a high-visibility competition event designed to encourage current and future restorers, and to promote public appreciation for fine automobiles and the master artisans who restore them. |
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American
Challenge Productions was created to pursue this project. Mr. Lewenthal was invited to join our challenge |
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project
and was instrumental in presenting it to television executives. The
project attracted the attention of several networks and Mark Finkelpearl
of Beyond Productions, producer of many popular shows including Myth Busters and American Chopper. |
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| But the time and cost of authentically restoring automobiles such as Duesenbergs and Auburns proved to be too high. | ||||||
| In
2007 the FrameOff Foundation, in partnership with
RediAuto Sport (at the time America’s only
supplier of sports cars and adaptive speed equipment for the disabled),
created and sponsored a charity auction to be held during their RediAuto
Track Challenge event at Irwindale Speedway in Southern California on April 12. The winner of this autocross-racing event for the disabled won the opportunity to drive the Toyota Pace Car, specially outfitted by RediAuto Sport, for the 33rd Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The RediAuto Charity Auction featured automotive-related, racing, and celebrity donated articles including autographed items from Jay Leno and the celebrities from MTV’s Pimp My Ride. |
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The
FrameOff Foundation also assisted RediAuto’s PR director in
promoting the Track Challenge, arranging for live TV and radio coverage,
free radio announcements, press releases, and enlisting participants
and supporters. On the morning of April 12th the region was hit with a severe windstorm. Wind speeds of 90 miles per hour and above knocked out power for miles around and closed LAX airport. At Irwindale Speedway the sand-laden winds were so strong |
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that even tying the vendor tents to pickup trucks didn’t hold them down. Booths, equipment, goods, and food all went flying, forcing cancellation of the public portion of the event. But the race competition went on as planned, as the racetrack’s design provided some protection. | |||
| Over
two dozen racers representing numerous teams took part in the event.
Competitors included United
Spinal Association former CEO Clair Hesselton, Tiger
Racing's Carol Hollfelder, and the first physically challenged
driver to compete in a NASCAR touring series - Ray
Paprota. We would like to thank all those who stuck it out, and a special thanks to JayLeno, the cast and crew of Pimp My Ride, everyone who donated items for the auction, and Daniel Reyes - founder and CEO of RediAuto Sport and Go Technologies. |
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| In October 2007 the FrameOff Foundation met with Ohio State's Hydrogen Race Team at Bonneville Salt Flats during Speed Week, introducing them to Ray Paprota and George White as part of our ongoing efforts to support and promote the people on the cutting edge of clean/green auto technology. | ||||
| The Foundation brought the American Challenge Productions film crew along to capture the interview in HD, along with some of the action on the salt. |  |
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| The
Know No Limits Project, a collaboration between Ray
Paprota, legendary NASCAR racer Bobby Allison, and George White (former
crew chief for Bobby Allison and inventor of the racing harness designs
in use today) focuses on clean/green fuel and Ray’s ‘know
no limits spirit’ as he attempts to break the Guinness world
speed record at Bonneville during this year’s Speed Week. |
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| Since 2007 the FrameOff Foundation has continued to promote and assist the Know No Limits Project, most recently producing the promotional video “Secret Fuel Racecar - Special Report” to help bring the project to the public’s attention and encourage support. | ||||
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The
Know No Limits Project may be coming to TV! Join Ray and the Know No Limits team as they continue to break records and barriers. Go behind the scenes of today’s clean/green Motorsports technology and meet the people who never give up, overcome insurmountable odds, and truly Know No Limits! WE’LL KEEP YOU POSTED. |
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| While some of
the projects listed above were designed to increase awareness and
interest in various aspects of the automotive field, the Foundation’s
primary goal has always been restoration. We are committed to educating and exciting the public and auto professional about restoration, and to providing educational assistance, resources, the latest tools, equipment, and techniques available today, and the best (almost forgotten) methods from the past. |
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| In
1999 we established an Education
Program that provided mentoring and apprenticeship
opportunities for persons with potential, resulting in several
success
stories. The
FrameOff Foundation is currently in the process of developing and implementing our new Education Program, a mix of “classroom” courses and “hands-on” workshops covering automotive history and technology, restoration skills and methods, and advanced techniques. |
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| Students
will have the opportunity to learn restoration ' from start to finish'. |
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| With
help from our sponsors and supporters we can insure the future of
fine automobiles and the master craftsmen to restore them. |
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| The
FrameOff Foundation is a private operating foundation with non-profit
501(c)(3) status pending, and is registered in Santa Clara County, California. |
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| DONATION
INFORMATION If you would like to support any of the Foundation's programs, or to help the Know No Limts Project, call 1-866-350-0045 toll free or make a tax-deductible donation by mail or with PayPal. Please write the project name on your check or money order. 90% of donations go directly to the project. A receipt for tax purposes will be sent to you within 10 days. To make a credit card or debit card donation using PayPal click the link 'Send Money' near the top of their webpage and enter one of the following email addresses in the 'To' box. |
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| For
the KnowNoLimitsProject : knownolimits-support@frameoff.com
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| For the Foundation Education Program : edu-support@frameoff.com | ||||
| For
other Foundation
projects : foundation-support@frameoff.com
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| Send postal mail to the address listed below. | ||||
| CONTACT
INFORMATION |
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| The
FrameOff Foundation P.O. Box 320396 Los Gatos, CA 95032 Phone: (408) 559-3752 |
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| foundationinfo@frameoff.com | ||||
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| About FrameOff Foundation • FrameOff Equipment • American Challenge Productions |
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| ©1999-2009 FrameOff ® and American Challenge are trademarks of the FrameOff Foundation. All rights reserved. |