Rust Valley Restorers is a unique motoring show set in the Canadian town of Tappen, which is located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia. The area is known as Rust Valley because of the vast fields which are full of rusting and rotting classic cars, and the Rust Bros Restorations shop is located right in the middle of all these potential projects.
First screened on the History Channel in Canada, the show has now been picked up by Netflix, making international stars of the larger than life crew at Rust Bros Restorations, including owner Mike Hall, his son Connor, and their chief mechanic Avery Shoaf.
10 Hall's Business Went Viral When He Tried To Sell His Land And The Cars On It
Mike Hall may now be a household name thanks to his starring role on Rust Valley Restorers, but he hit the headlines long before the TV series went into production, thanks to his decision to sell the land he owns in Rust Valley, including all the vehicles that had found their way there.
This real estate story became big news when Hall decided to increase the asking price to $1.45 million, even though the business had been on the market for months.
9 He Still Says He Wants To Sell Rust Bros.
Even though Rust Valley Restorers has made Hall an international TV star, he insists that he still wants to find a buyer for the business and his junkyards in Tappen.
There are still over 400 vehicles on the land which is owned by Hall, and though he has been able to supplement his income thanks to the success of the reality TV show, there is not a lot of money to be made in restoring rust-bucket cars in rural Canada. Hall says he would still like to sell up and enjoy his retirement.
8 Avery Is Often The Voice Of Reason When It Comes To Buying Cars
Even though he has dozens of cars on his land that would make a good restoration project, Rust Bros Restorations still spend a lot of time shopping around for vehicles that might help them to turn a profit.
Hall is much more likely to buy cars based on an emotional connection, regardless of whether or not there is any profit in them, while mechanic and engineer Avery Shoaf is often the voice of reason when it comes to choosing which cars they should and shouldn’t buy.
7 Mike Hall Had Featured On A Reality TV Show Before Rust Valley Restorers
Eagle-eyed TV viewers in Canada might have recognized Mike Hall when he first appeared on Rust Valley Restorers. Those trademark dreads and sunglasses were also in evidence when he previously appeared on another reality TV show, working at his day job as a rock blaster. Calling himself the “Rasta Blasta”, Hall appeared in a couple of episodes of Highway Thru Hell, a series about a heavy trucking company in British Columbia.
This was when Hall first met Tyson Hepburn and Matt Shewchuk, TV producers who would go on to make Rust Valley Restorers.
6 Avery Shoaf Is The Star Engineer On The Show
Mike Hall may be the boss at Rust Bros Restorations, but there is no doubt that his partner in crime Avery Shoaf is the engineering brains behind the company’s and TV series’ success.
He and Hall have worked together for years, and it is clear that Shoaf is very much considered the second-in-command when it comes to the practical, hands-on decisions. He has always had a passion for restoring old vehicles, but he also has a head for business, judging by the advice he gives Hall about which vehicles will make a profit.
5 He Always Explains What He Is Doing So Anyone Can Understand
One of the things that fans of Rust Valley Restorers love about Avery is that he always explains exactly what he is doing in words that anyone can understand. You don’t need to be an expert in mechanical engineering to understand and appreciate what Shoaf is doing when he gets to work on a restoration project.
That doesn’t mean that everything goes smoothly; Shoaf once backed his trailer into a customer’s car and even wrecked an expensive transmission system, much to Hall’s dismay.
4 Hall Has Been Known To Charge Tourists To Take Photos Of His Creations
Hall may have problems picking out which of the rust buckets on his property are going to turn a profit, but he is always looking for opportunities to make a few dollars. Tappen isn’t just home to Rust Bros Restoration, but it is also the site of the White Post Auto Museum.
Some of the vehicles which have been featured on Rust Valley Restorers can be seen in the museum, and Hall has even been known to hang around on quiet days. Sometimes he even earns some extra money by charging tourists and reporters who want to take photos of his creations.
3 Shoaf Is Happy To Embrace New Tech While Mike Keeps Things Old School
Shoaf isn’t just the engineering genius at Rust Bros restoration; he is also interested in new technologies and how they can be used to revamp old vehicles and restore them to something approaching their former glory.
Mike Hall, on the other hand, prefers to employ old-fashioned techniques in the repair shop, to make sure that the finished vehicles are as authentic as possible. In fact, Hall isn’t even interested in fixing up cars that rely too much on modern technology, preferring old-school, all-American vehicles.
2 Mike Leaves The Business Side Of Things To His Son
Mike Hall has always been more interested in getting his hands dirty than making a quick buck. The fact that he increased the asking price for his land after failing to get any interest shows a misunderstanding of how to run a business – even if the media attention as a result of this unusual decision did help him to get his reality TV show!
Luckily the third member of the Rust Bros Restoration team, Mike’s son Connor, is happy to take care of the business side of things at the company.
1 The Team Get On Well On And Off-Screen
Many of the most successful motoring reality TV shows have become successful thanks to the soap opera-style antics of their stars. The father and son team on American Copper had such legendary arguments that they even became a meme!
Rust Valley Restorers is different, as the team, have been friends for a long time, and they all get on well with each other both on and off-screen. The good-natured antics of the cast seem to be more about making each other laugh than about entertaining the TV audience.