Hidden Gems: Meet Ben Smithson of Smithson Speed and Engineering

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Smithson.

Hi Ben, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
To start with, I’ve always had very supportive friends and family and quickly learned that surrounding yourself with the right people was imperative. I was raised around classic cars and grew up going to car shows and automotive events. At a young age, I began drawing/designing cars, building model cars, working on go-karts, and tinkering with just about anything with wheels and a motor.

As time progressed, the “toys” just got bigger and more expensive. At the ripe old age of 13, my parents bought me a short bed fleet side 1967 Chevrolet C10, my dream truck. I and Dad spent the next several years restoring this thing and that’s what I drove throughout high school and college. At 17, we finished a 20+ year project my Dad had started which was a 1931 Ford Model A street rod, which I still have.

At 19, I began building a 1932 Chevrolet coupe. Since I was in the engineering school at the time, I designed the frame in AutoCAD and built a custom chassis for the car. I would work on the car off and on when I came home from college and as funds would allow, and at 25, I finally finished it.

After graduation, I began my career at an aluminum die-casting plant and moved on to work in manufacturing engineering and project management roles at companies such as Nissan North America, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, and Destaco. At this time I was also doing side work on classic cars and really found that was my passion.

I had built my home shop up to 3,000 sq. ft. of workspace and the plan was to keep doing side work until the numbers made sense to branch out full-time. In the spring of 2018, there was a corporate restructuring at Destaco and my position got cut from the organization, so that was the last little push I needed.

Four years later, Smithson Speed and Engineering, LLC now has 4,500 sq. ft. of shop space, five employees is a distributor for over 20 industry manufacturers, and has had the opportunity to work on and build numerous classic cars and trucks. It’s been quite the ride and I’m amazed at how awesome the car community is.

I’m still learning something new every day and am excited to see what the future brings!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been seamless, but all things considered, I don’t think it has been that bad. Luckily, I already had some shop space and quite a few tools and equipment before I started the business, so the capital expenditures weren’t near as large as a normal ground-up startup.

Learning the business side of things (bookkeeping, taxes, licenses, etc.), building a website, developing relationships with vendors, and communicating with customers has been a learning curve, but it’s just part of it.

I’ve definitely leaned on other business owners and friends who have given a lot of great insight and helped get me pointed in the right direction. I’m still learning and continually trying to improve so we can keep moving forward each and every day.

We’ve been impressed with Smithson Speed and Engineering, LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We’re a hot rod and custom car shop located just outside of Nashville, Tennessee that specializes in domestic cars and trucks over 30 years old.

We like to build and work on modified vehicles such as hot rods, street rods, customs, and resto-mods and our services include metal fabrication, body work, brake and suspension upgrades, engine swaps, and retrofits, wiring, and retrofit heat and air conditioning installation.

We will do a full turnkey build but also accept most smaller jobs as well. We don’t specialize in one brand or type of vehicle as we’ve worked on anything from a Ford Model A to an International Scout to a Chevrolet C10 and everything in between.

We also sell aftermarket parts and since we sell what we use, we can help ensure you order the right components and get them installed correctly the first time.

What do you think about happiness?
Just living life and enjoying the people, places, and opportunities that arise.

Obviously, I enjoy car shows, drag races, autocross events, etc. but I also enjoy spending time with family and friends, traveling and seeing new places, going to the lake, fishing, riding Harleys, riding pit bikes, and dirt bikes, and playing guitar.

Anything outside will usually bring a smile to my face and I like staying busy and active in everything I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.smithsonspeed.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/smithson_speed
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/smithsonspeed
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCtQ9scYSzZA6idZd0yV3ttA
• Other: www.tiktok.com/@smithson_speed

Image Credits
Paige Michelle Photography