Over the years I have gotten to know Mike, the owner of Revive Wraps. His company has come a long way from wrapping out of his garage and evolved into something great! Revive Wraps is a shop that will strive to spark new life into any vehicle. I'm going to take you inside Revive and show you a little about what drives his passion.
I asked Mike a few questions about the company and his passion for cars.
Josh: Why the name Revive?
Mike: The idea behind the name Revive was to bring new life to your vehicle. I've always loved the transformation and how a vinyl wrap can completely change the look. For those who get bored or constantly need to change things up, it can really make you fall in love with your car again.
Josh: What sparked the idea to start wrapping cars?
Mike: One of my supervisors and good friends in the Air Force introduced me to it. Back in 2012 he decided to wrap his BMW and I had never heard of it. I started to help out, learn more about it and really enjoyed the process. After he retired and moved back to Ohio, I continued to learn to do installs myself.
Now, coming to learn and enjoy a process only builds character and with that comes growth. So why not take it a step further and start a small business.
Josh: Did you think you would own your own business someday?
Mike: No, I didn't. Owning a wrap business was never really the plan. I started wrapping in my garage on the side of my full time job and really enjoyed it as a hobby. I started to pick up freelance work with other companies in town so that I could network and get more experience installing. It got to the point where I wanted to have a warehouse so that my customers had a more professional setting to drop off their vehicles. The warehouse also provided more space, better lighting and cleanliness. As word of mouth spread and my jobs became more consistent, I saw the opportunity to turn it into a business.
Anyone who has been around Mike for at least ten minutes knows, this guy has to be an enthusiast! Why else would you want to have such a cool hobby?
Josh: What got you into cars and sparked you to be an enthusiast?
Mike: Being in that environment around my brother is what really started it. Seeing his knowledge grow from nothing to full rebuilds and great fabrication work was really inspiring. I would have to say that playing Need for Speed and Gran Turismo definitely played a big roll in my passion as well.
With family influence as well as the never ending amount of video game images and magazine articles, there had to be at least one car that stood out.
Josh: Favorite car you’ve owned?
Mike: I would have to go with the 260z. The build on this car has been more extensive than any other car that I've owned. Most of my other cars have been modern to where you just do a few bolt-ons, vinyl wrap and wheels. Its been awesome to transform this car and make it my own. Starting with a stock 260z and adding the ZG flares, G-nose and doing a full paint color change is really turning it into the vehicle that I had pictured in my head. I haven't gotten as much seat time as I would like but that car definitely means a lot to me.
Josh: Why Nissan?
Mike: Back when I was in middle school, my brother’s friend/neighbor picked up an S13 coupe. Shortly after that my brother picked up his s13 hatch and the community of these Nissans just kept spreading. As I got closer to the age of buying my first car, I was really wanting a Z32 300zx or an FD Rx7. Prices were out of my range at the time and we started hunting for an S13 coupe on the forums. My brother came across an S13 vert with rod knock that was pretty immaculate outside of the convertible top. We decided to pick that up and started digging into this build together. I've owned mainly Japanese cars because I really love the styling and the diversity of builds that you see from different people in the community.
With that diversity and passion for building comes room for growth. There is never an end point in what Mike has planned for the Z.
Josh: What are your future plans for the Z build?
Mike: The next move for the Z is going to be ditching the L26 inline six for an SR20DET. The motor will be getting rebuilt as parts roll in. Putting in this motor will give it the modern touch that I'm looking for. I would also like to dive into the suspension and replace everything. The S30 chassis has some great companies that offer all new adjustable arms and suspension pieces. I will also be replacing bushings to make it feel less like a 46 year old sports car. Outside of modifications, my plans are to enjoy the car. I'm really looking forward to taking it to more shows and events. The Z platform is so rich in history and people of all ages really connect with it. Older generations always seem to have stories of owning one in high school or knowing someone who had one growing up. Its not a common car to see out on the street anymore so people really light up when they see it.
One of the most important questions I think for me as well as others has to be this final one.
Josh: How far do you want to take Revive?
Mike: At the moment I'm pretty content with the business. My focus was never on getting bigger but getting better. The jobs coming in are staying consistent and I'm hoping to focus more on content creation as time moves on.
Being an enthusiast with a genuine skill is always a plus. Being able to bring spark to a vehicle again is something a lot of enthusiasts run into. What's the final touch I can put on? What next step can I take in this build? For many its a complete color change. That's exactly what Mike at Revive Wraps does. He is continuing to push the boundaries and making other people's dreams come true!