Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Fanelli.
Hi Alex, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
It all starts back when I was little, my father was a master mechanic. He rode Harleys and loved muscle cars, Mopar’s to be exact. I guess you could say I followed in his footsteps, some of my father’s friends called me MJ growing up as in “Michael Jr.” because I am a lot like him.
I always looked up to him and we share a lot of the same characteristics, I’ve always loved cars and motorcycles, vintage muscle cars, Mopar, you name it. My grandfather is also a master machinist and owns a machine shop where he builds engines and pretty much anything you could dream up. I’ve learned a lot from him regarding cars and engines.
My father passed away in 2017 and I just continue to follow in his footsteps and build cool cars. Something really amazing happened to me in august of 2020, I finally met my dream man, who is now my husband, Frank Fanelli. You might’ve seen him on TV starring in ‘bitchin’ boot camp’ and also in ‘bitchin’ rides.’ frank is from Long Island, NY and we actually met.
Well, from tv hahaha. I was watching him on the big screen and wound up following him on Instagram and we started talking because he was moving to Salt Lake City to work for Kindig-It Designs after winning the ‘bitchin’ boot camp’ competition tv show. I know, sounds like a fairytale, right? Sure is. My husband had already been restoring muscle cars before we met and that’s another thing that I was intrigued by, his love for Mopar… Mopar nuts are few and far between!
Frank had been running Fanelli Restorations on the side while on active duty in US Army. We’ve dreamed of our business, Fanelli Restorations, being our full-time job, and hoping to be successful on YouTube and TikTok to help pave the road for our future! We both enjoy cars more than anything else and know that with the passion we both have for restoring and building them that one day, our dreams will come true and Fanelli Restorations will be the talk of the town. My husband has a 1966 dodge coronet who goes by the name “hefty” that he restored, she’s orange with a 383!
People definitely know him by that car! We’re currently building a high-performance 440 for my 1970 Plymouth duster in honor of my father, a 1969 Plymouth roadrunner, 1969 dodge super bee, 1969 Plymouth GTX, 1970 dodge super bee… With a bunch of others waiting in line. One of our favorite things to do together is going on cross-country road trips and we’re excited to announce something we have in the works coming here next week! Subscribe to our YouTube channel, Fanelli Restorations to support!
You can also find us on TikTok and Instagram at @moparrmama & @ffanelli66.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Life isn’t always perfect and pretty, but it’s part of the process! I feel like if it’s going extremely easy… There might be something peeking around the corner hahaha. We’re both pretty easygoing, so when things do happen, we usually aren’t too shaken up but some of the struggles we’ve encountered might be just creating content sometimes can be hard and also just being able to find time to get things done.
Time, I think is probably the biggest struggle because we’re both busy 24/7 and then trying to start a business and get content/to accomplish things on the side of having a full-time job, house, dogs, etc. It’s just a lot sometimes! But we manage to get everything we seek accomplished, even if sometimes it takes a little longer than planned. Just know everything happens for a reason.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My husband and I restore and build muscle cars, we specialize in Mopar’s, paint, body, metal fabrication & engine building! We’re mostly known for being the crazy Mopar couple, who never stops and no one can quite pin down what our next move is! Frank is recognized for his talent in restorations, and bodywork, and for how great of a human being he is. As far as I go, I think I’m known for being that Mopar chick that loves muscle cars and riding motorcycles.
I’m most proud of being me. I’ve always undoubtedly been myself and that’s also what sets me apart from others, I always just do me and I’m proud of being me. I love who I am, I love how talented I am and how much I strive to keep learning and also keep growing and working on myself as an individual. I’m proud to be a Fanelli and be crazy with my husband in doing all of the things we do together in this amazing adventure we call our life.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Traffic, no one likes traffic, sunshine & muscle cars!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fanellirestorations.bigcartel.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moparrmama/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fanellirestorations/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FanelliRestorations/videos
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/ffanelli66/?hl=en
Image Credits
Frank & Alex Fanelli
