During his tenure at the Gas Monkey Garage, Aaron Kaufman established a reputation for himself and was even dubbed a “magician” in the field of mechanics.

Kaufman developed an early interest in taking things apart and putting them back together, and he spent most of his adult life honing that skill.

He met infamous mechanical genius Richard Rawlings at a nearby shop and soon after began working for Rawlings as a self-taught fabricator, technician, and hot-rodder.

When Fast N’ Loud premiered in 2012, he was quickly promoted to the chief mechanic at Gas Monkey Garage and became a household name.

After the Gas Monkey Garage, there’s Life.

Unfortunately, the show drifted away from Kaufman’s vision over time, and he left the reality show in 2017 to pursue his own goals.

The reality star talked to Arts Of Gears about why he decided to leave the show and the world-famous garage.

He mostly desired to build automobiles that were “large or bigger,” but the show’s dynamics limited him to working on smaller vehicles. But, he emphasized, it wasn’t just that.

Making His Own Way

In order to be loyal to himself and his art, Kaufman decided to open his own shop, Arclight Fabrication, where he could pursue his true love.

Soon later, he negotiated a deal with the Discovery Channel and returned to television with his own show, Aaron Needs a Job. The show revolved around his ability to pick up new skills and excel at jobs in which he had little or no prior expertise.

In terms of his store, Arclight Fabrication, he’d made it plain that he wanted to play with bigger toys, so it’s mostly focused on projects that are larger, take longer to make, but are one-of-a-kind in the end.

It’s no surprise that the gearhead preferred the classics, specifically the vintage Ford F-Series. He’s been working on those ferocious machines from his Texas shop.

A Passion for Racing

The motor enthusiast got down with FASTR in April 2020 to talk about his newfound interest in fast cars and racing.

He appeared to have gained a new understanding of the peculiar world of racing, and he revealed that he was a hot-rodder who built cars for the F-100 and aspired to a career in racing.

He and the team would work on hot-rods when they weren’t working on racecars or maintenance, and they wouldn’t exchange that for the world.