SPARKS, NV (May 4) – The Reno/Sparks area is blessed with many shops catering to a niche market and Scudders Performance is one of them. Owner Clayton Scudder is good example of how chance can lead one into a career.
“I’ve been doing this since 1979 and had a residential carpenter license at 18 so was building and framing houses. My claim to fame is building Lakeside Apartments as that’s where I started,” he said.
He explained back then winters were stronger than they are now so the carpentry work only lasted six months out of a year. He had friends at Sierra Foreign Car Service so asked if they needed help cleaning the shop as Scudder was available.
“Wasn’t more than a couple of weeks later he called me up and said ‘come down.’ So I cleaned up the shop and made $5 an hour,” he said. “From there it was a matter of finding your niche in life and I found my niche. I was like a dry sponge soaking everything I could as far as information on Volkswagens and then some. My niche was fine tuning a Volkswagen to where you don’t have it come back on a tow truck.”
He added there are lots of ways of doing things but there are only a couple of ways of doing it right. Over the next several years he had a mobile business as well as competing in drag racing and off-road racing. But he was dissatisfied.
“Just wanted to do my own thing as I couldn’t feel I could do it working for somebody else cause I went through that route,” he said. “Worked for a few different places in town that just didn’t treat customers right. For me its Service and keeping people happy so my motto is, ‘what ever it takes.'”
He started his current shop in 1984 and while close to the current location only had a slice of that area. Back then his current shop had a locksmith an antique and other things in it. At that time he had only 1,200 square feet for his shop.
“I clearly ran out of room quickly so when this place opened up it turned out to be a good investment. So we’re right about 3,200 square feet,” he said. “At one time, back I the heyday, we had six or seven people working here. We were kicking out some cars along with racecars, dune buggies and the Volkswagen stuff was always there.”
When Scudder started his shop they worked on Datsuns, Toyotas, Porsches and Volkswagens. Then after a decade he started only working on air-cooled Volkswagens, where his niche is to this day. He also helps people, like those that do it yourself types as much as possible.
“We kind of teach people that to it yourself this is how you need to do it. By giving that information out to people they kind of trust you. If I’m saying something I’m not saying it to pat myself on the back, it’s just a matter of giving people the right information,” he said.
Many times he’s approached by people that wonder if he’ll look at something. He will and doesn’t charge a fee for that and will give those potential customers a list of things he feels they should do. Goes back to helping and keeping people happy.
Asked about what services Scudder Performance offers he said it’s a long list but explained some of it.
“We do everything from brakes, tune-ups, servicing, replacement of fenders, complete overhauls and we’re an inhouse engine and transmission builders, ” he said. “We do performance work, stock work. We’ll work on a stock VW production so it looks like it’s from the factory or we’ll do something hot rod.
We’ll put big motors in cars, we’ll make them do wheelies, we’ll do off road cars and we’ll race them. So there’s a lot of things we do from A to Z that we fill in the blanks. The only thing we don’t do is paint and bodywork but we have great places for that.”
In addition to this he tests off road vehicles at Sand Mountain and can put someone in the seat of their own off road race car. For those with youngsters he’s a Trophy Kart dealer as these racers are for youngsters 8 to 12-years-old.
Since he gets most of his parts from California that’s been a recent issue. Many times the accessory houses have been ordered to shut down so their employees are laid off. In that case the owner will fill the order and get it shipped. However he’s well prepared for this.
“We have a full stocking parts department so we’re fully loaded with what we need. We’re ahead of the game right now and there’s not much we can’t get finished or done. One way or another we’ll get it finished. If it’s a restoration of course that’s going to get on the back burner for right now but we’re doing okay,” he said.
Another challenge for a niche shop is getting good help. For the past few years Scudder has been a solo operation however now he’s found a good mechanic Cody Wood that’s helping him.
“We’re busy and finally got some good help. It’s a tough industry to get qualified people that want to do what we do anymore. It’s a dying breed as there’s no computers or technology involved in these cars. It’s all about love and passion to do it right. Finding somebody that has that kind of quality is very tough,” he said.
Another aspect of the shop is that their work I not a “get it in and get it done.” He’s also not trying to short change any other shop as far as bidding the work cheaper.
“We don’t do that, this is what we charge, we’re not a discount auto shop or anything like that. You know we do it right, quality first, quantity second,” he said.
He and Wood practice the social distancing while working although sometimes they need to combine forces on one thing or another. They always wear gloves, have the necessary PPE, sanitize steering wheels and any knobs or handles a person might touch.
Looking forward Scudder said, “Well the enthusiastic people with their Volkswagens are adamant about building their car. They want their car done by May or June so they can go cruise and do their thing. I think it’s going to be bigger and brighter in what I do in restoration, tune ups and servicing of air cooled Volkswagens.”
He explained another challenge is getting people to relax a little bit because they can still get their car serviced or anything they want done.
‘We’re here but just taking our time doing it. We are a one-stop shop, have new and used parts and about anything you might want,” he said.
The shop is located at 630 Victorian Avenue in Sparks, about one block east of Pyramid. Easily spotted by the large black VW spider perched on the roof. For further information please check their website at, www.scuddersperformance.com.
OTHER RACING NEWS:
• The Northern Nevada Kart Club has canceled its race scheduled for May 10 so the first race of the season will be on June 1.
• MRANN released its revised schedule and there will be no races in May. All three have been postponed.
• In a live feed this weekend VORRA announced the Fort Sage event will be either postponed or canceled. However the Yerington race has moved to a more traditional date on Labor Day weekend. If there is enough interest they are going to try and have an event at Wild West Motorsports Park, east of Sparks, sometime in June and the Fallon race is still a go.
• This weekend Indy Car raced it’s final Simrace so the next one will be live. The coming NASCAR invitational will be Saturday at North Wilksboro, a track that used to be part of the circuit. Everything will be retro including the signage at the track and on mnay of the cars.
• Teresa’s Garage Radio Show is on from 2 until 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. The show covers all things automotive and can be heard over the air in the Reno/Sparks area at 1180 AM.
I have a preview article at 2:15 and we can also be heard on a Podcast at amm.streamon.fm as well as live on Face Book.
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We now have seven very appreciated sponsors supporting this site. Please patronize them as they not only support your sport but they help nvracingnews continue.
During this time of shutdown and social distancing please patronize our sponsors. It helps them survive this period our uncertainty and in the case of PJ&Co, when they finally open back up please have some meals there. Food is good and your support will be very appreciated.
Our newest sponsor is G.I.S.L Land Services that, while having a global client base it has a Western U.S.A. Focus. Owner Greg Ekins is a long time off road motorcycle racer competing in the MRANN Series as well as the AMA National Hare and Hound series.
Among the services offers are Surface and Mineral Title Reviews and Cartographic Services. The website is www.gislandservices.com.
Another great sponsor is General Transmission and Power Train Specialists. The shop is located at 2515 Sutro Street in Reno, a few blocks below Hug High School.
Former motorcycle racer Pete Attashian is the owner and they not only service older and newer transmission but now have a section dealing with high performance units including those used for towing.
The phone number is 775-786-5888 and the shop’s website is www.generaltransmissionreno.com.
Last year fantastic race photographer Melissa Coker joined the family of sponsors. If you have raced at Summit in Elko, Battle Mountain, Lovelock, Rattlesnake or Diamond Mountain Speedway she probably has a photograph of your car on the track.
She’s also been at the IMCA Duel in the Desert was well as the Wild West Tour and IMCA Super Nationals in Boone, Iowa. Melissa not only has photos of the cars, and many times drivers, but she can produce hero cards and even a book of from your season.
To see her collections or to place an order please check her website at www.melissasoutonalimb.smugmug.com.
Two of our sponsors are first class motorcycle shops located in Reno.
Our first sponsor is Reno Motorsports (RMS). Not only do they have about anything a rider might want or need and the store also has a full service shop.
Their location is at 964 Terminal Way, by the intersection with Mill Street. Store’s phone number is 775-322-1499 and the site is, www.rms-renomotorsports.com.
The next shop is Moto Source located at 3180 Mill Street. Once again they are a full service shop plus about any thing a rider might need or want.
The phone number is 775-856-3855 and the website is, www.moto-source.com.
The next sponsor is an excellent place if you need collision repair on your car or truck. It’s Concours Body Shop, located at 250 Telegraph Street in Reno and has a long history of first class repairs.
Brian Saul is the owner, a car enthusiast himself and he’s committed to continuing the shop’s reputation of quality work. Phone number is 775-329-4557 and the website is, www.concoursbodyshop.net.
Hungry, want a great place to eat, then try PJ&CO for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and it’s a great place to watch your favorite sports. If you’re a rider, well Wednesday evening is Bike Night, always a great time to see some great looking bikes and meet like-minded people.
The location is 1590 South Wells Avenue, just north of the round about. Phone number is 775-323-6366 and their website is www.pjandco.net.
Unfortunately PJ&Co is closed until things open up again which hopefully will be soon.
Have a business targeted toward motorsports or an off road demographic? We are always looking for more sponsors and will expose your business to the racing and off road community in this area.
You can contact us either through the comment section of this site or on our Face Book page.
