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Take Five: An Interview With Tyler McCormack of Reversion Raceworks
Here at GMEFI Magazine, we’re always looking to work with everyone we can in the industry that can be beneficial for both companies. Where one company produces innovative and interesting products for the automotive performance aftermarket, the other company can help the other get their products in front of their customer base, namely, our readers.
We’ve been working closely with Reversion Raceworks for for the last year; watching them grow, thrive, and constantly create new products from their 3D printing business based out of New Jersey. Going from very humble beginnings, to getting shelf space in some of the big box retailers in a very short amount of time, you can’t help but take notice.
We first became acquainted with Tyler McCormack, Nick Taormina, and the rest of the crew at Reversion Raceworks while at Holley LS Fest East 2023, when a 3D-printed ’79 Z-28 fender vent caught our attention. Intrigued, we inquired about it, and we were given the Cliff’s Notes version as to who they are, and what they do. This gave us an idea, and provided an opportunity for us to work with Reversion Raceworks, using our ’88 Fiero project car. We’ll dig deeper on that at a later time, but let’s learn more about who they are, and what they do.
GMEFI: What was the idea behind Reversion Raceworks when the company started? What inspired you to do what you do today?
Tyler McCormack
Tyler McCormack: At Reversion Raceworks, our passion lies in innovation within the automotive hobby and industry. We’ve all spent countless hours building project cars, and we know how frustrating it is when parts don’t fit or products don’t meet expectations. That’s why we’re dedicated to making your building experience more enjoyable and stress-free. We also believe in making technology and equipment more accessible by offering services with low minimums, allowing garage builders and shops to experience their true value without a major investment.
We started by creating restoration components and gauge bezels for friends, and it was the gauge bezels that really took off. While we still value the challenges of restoration work, gauge bezels provided a more scalable and marketable product at the time.
GMEFI: Who is your target audience; the hardcore racer, the casual enthusiast, or the resto-modder?
TM: We offer a wide range of manufacturing methods and techniques to suit any budget or aesthetic goal. These include 3D printing (FDM and SLS, depending on requirements) as well as partnerships for sheet metal, CNC machining, powder coating, and more. Our goal is to provide affordable production parts for both racing and casual automotive enthusiasts.
We also offer engineering services for restomods, hot rods, and other projects that require a unique touch. 3D scanning and printing are especially valuable in this area, as they enable cost-effective one-off and low-volume production.
GMEFI: How long does it take to develop a part from start to finish, including R&D time, finalizing design, and getting it ready to market?
TM: This is a difficult question to answer just because it is so project specific. When it comes to a more standard gauge cluster for production, we can sometimes go from concept to initial prototype in a day or two. Then of course we need to test fit it on a vehicle and ensure everything is perfect before going to production, so if we have the vehicle on hand this is also a quick process. Oftentimes we have to send the part out to someone to test fit though since we only have so many vehicles at our disposal. Regardless of other factors, having a farm of 3D printers in house has absolutely sped up our ability to prototype and get parts to market as fast as possible.
GMEFI: Tell me more about the science that goes behind creating your products; such as the scanning tools, CAD software, and so on. Why did you select the hardware and software that you have?
TM: Just like a mechanic is only as good as their tools, the same applies to us. This is why we have been very selective about what products we use. To start, we have been using Peel3D scanners since the inception of the company, this has been our most invaluable way to develop products and do so with the least amount of iterations. We believe in this equipment so much that we have teamed up with Peel3D as a reseller to bring this technology into more shops across the country.
We feel any and all hot rod and manufacturing shops should have this technology to accelerate acquiring CAD data and accuracy into their design process. Aside from selling it, we are also working on some training courses to help get the industry up to speed and help a shop wanting to learn in their new venture of tech. 3D scanning is only a part of the process though, from there it still needs to be designed or reverse engineered in a CAD program.
Internally, we use both Solidworks and Fusion360, this really depends on the goals we have for the product and what tools we want to utilize in each program. Regardless of which of the two programs you choose though, Peel3D still has solutions to help in this process. We use their Peel CAD package to get more reverse engineering tools within the software to speed up the process and add more complex reverse engineering tools to our toolbox.
Now that we’re done with the software side of things, we also have a growing 3D print farm of 20-inch cubed machines to produce the majority of our production parts, custom parts, and offer 3D printing as a service to our customers. For crazier applications, we also have a 40-inch cubed machine to produce massive parts, productions to mold making; it’s done a little bit of it all. Much of what was selected with our 3D printers started as a commercially available base product but has further developed with proprietary upgrade components, custom written firmware and countless hours of profile tuning.
GMEFI: Where do you see RR in the future? Is the long-term goal creating full-on body panels, center consoles and more, or do you see yourself staying more focused on select interior components, centered around gauge panels, screen housings, and more? Also, you’re pretty heavy on the American side of things, but do you plan to expand into JDM and European cars, soon?
TM: Our customer base has traditionally been focused on domestic vehicles, but we’re seeing growing interest in models from BMW, Nissan, and other foreign car manufacturers, and are excited to expand into these foreign markets with our current products. Beyond our traditional offerings, we have ambitious plans to broaden our manufacturing capabilities. This includes exploring casting, metal 3D printing, additional CNC machining, and other processes to achieve our future goals.
We’re committed to staying ahead of the curve in this dynamic industry and are conducting market research to identify customer needs and preferences. Of course, we always welcome customer requests and are happy to discuss custom projects for unique vehicles.
Epilogue
Tyler and the team at Reversion Raceworks are taking the game to the next level, with their 3D printing solutions. They typically don’t make too many one-off items, but the possibility is there. They’re always growing, always expanding their product line, and always looking for new ways to take things to the next level.
They last time we checked in, they were working on engine components for popular engine platforms; things like intake manifolds and so on. We’re looking forward to what Tyler and the crew at Reversion Raceworks
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
