Brian posted up a farewell video on his metalshaper channel, it was shared on OWF today.
I personally never crossed paths with Brian in person but his videos are a great resource to our Willys community and will be missed.
Thank you Brian for all you have contributed to our small slice of the automotive world. You have helped alot of people over the years.
Good luck with your future endeavors!
If you ever need anything feel free to reach out to us at eWillys!
https://m.youtube.com/@metalshaperJeep
Bummer I really have enjoyed his videos. His tooling, and fabrication skills are far beyond mine. I have gotten some good information on working metals.
This guy has AMAZING videos – well worth the time to review his channel. But I get it–tough to make a living if people aren’t paying for his time and expertise. I’d like to see him obtain payment up front–but maybe that’s too simplistic a solution.
Wish him the best.
Interesting…….I was not aware of Brian nor his MetalShaper videos. I will have to catch up on them. Brian seemed rather bitter in the video and I hope he is able to come up with a plan that works for he and his wife.
I am also wondering if his experiences says something about the current state of our great Willys Jeep hobby ? I found it very interesting that he was not going to take in any new Willys Jeep work or projects, but would possibly consider hot rod work or vintage race cars ?? I also participate in the hot rod world to some extent and the vintage race car world as a lurker after most of my projects are gone. Again…..would be interested in any comments or observations from others as to what he may have been trying to say about our hobby and maybe some of the people in it.
I have no personal connection to Brian, but I was a subscriber and watched his videos. They helped me for sure. Just wanted to toss up a thanks!
I tend to lean on the more positive side of Willys, there are some great vendors and support for our rigs right now. Along with some serious professional historians that are recording the accurate history of Willys.
It’s going to be up to us to keep these rigs going and get future generations excited about these vehicles, all while maintaing the history and ability to pass on the knowledge of the hands on work required.
Like many of you, I greatly appreciated Brian’s videos. His effort to document his work was fantastic and had to have been time consuming. Over they years I added some of his videos to posts, which I had always hoped sent viewers to his videos; you can search him on his last name: http://www.ewillys.com/?s=hainer.
I am no expert on the life of a YouTuber, but my guess is that these days one needs to drive viewers to YouTube channels via TikTok, Facebook, Instagram or some other social media platforms which is also time consuming.
Additionally, his recent illness sounds like it took a toll on him and, perhaps, provided him with a forced time out that gave him time to think about life. I know my Long-Covid issues coupled with my eye-sight concerns (last month I had to go in for another round of laser surgery on my retina, this time on the right eye– so far, so good) forced me to re-evaluate my priorities over the last couple of years.
He seems a smart guy and I expect he will do well how ever he applies himself. I wish him the best!
Super nice guy, and incredible shop!!! A wealth of Willys knowledge and craftsmanship there. Went there a few times but first time there I was dropping off some parts and picking up others but somehow ended up dumping over $2000 on an incredible literature collection!!!! Worth every penny
Best of luck Brian and family, you rock!
Even the best get sick believe it or not and when we do it hurts. There are more than a few good Willys men and women out here. You have a reputation for doing fine work and I’m sure for your customers you will be missed. Hard to imagine that customers have engines overhauled and truck bodies painted and just leave them there. Maybe a large payment up front could help you with your cash flow. Let’s hope those chickens DON’T get sick. All the best Brian. Frank Frain