Hot Rod Garage Episode Rating Graph
May 2014 - present
May 2014 - present
6.2
Browse episode ratings trends for Hot Rod Garage. Simply click on the interactive rating graph to explore the best and worst of Hot Rod Garage's 137 episodes.
S9 Ep6
10.0
4th Oct 2021
This time on HOT ROD Garage, we do the unthinkable-we are going to SELL A CAR. After months of agony searching for overpriced projects, host Tony Angelo decided it's time to sell something. Our best-looking and most complete car is a 1974 454-powered Chevy Corvette wearing a custom 1969 custom wide body and killer paint. Tony is joined by Mopar legend and C3 Corvette enthusiast Steve Dulcich for a final set of sweet upgrades to the 'Vette, as well as a few memorable test drives.
S4 Ep2
10.0
11th Mar 2016
In this episode of Hot Rod Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, we take our low-buck drag project, #bonemaro, upgrade the engine for boost, and build a turbo system using the best ebay has to offer! Using a CX racing turbo kit designed for a truck, some parts from Craigslist, and a ton of elbow grease, Tony and Lucky work to get the Camaro boosted and ready for action. Once on the dyno, the #bonemaro makes over more than 500WHP 500 hp on mild boost, -- more than enough to propel this thing to some wicked fast times on the track!
S11 Ep7
9.0
20th Oct 2023
Lucky Costa and Alex Taylor join forces to build hot rods in every shape imaginable; from the American RWD V-8s that would be expected to oddball and niche performers that wouldn't, they build them fast, build them cool and build them right.
S10 Ep13
9.0
23rd Jan 2023
The crew from Hot Rod Garage is inventing a holiday. HRG Day is the most magical day of the year where we rent a dragstrip, order up a taco cart, and invite our friends to come out and play cars! This is -- without a doubt -- the best job ever.
S7 Ep9
9.0
26th Aug 2019
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa take the Twinpala, a twin LS-engined ’06 Chevy Impala SS and turn it up to 11! A completely insane twin-turbo system boosts the two stock LS4 engines to more than 900 WHP. The stock transmissions can’t hang, so the boys install two Gearstar upgraded 4T65Es and get ready for action. At Maple Grove Raceway, Angelo pilots the Redneck Veyron to crush the quarter-mile at more than 139 miles per hour, and 10.40 e.t. on street tires! HOT ROD Garage has never been wilder!
S6 Ep2
8.7
12th Feb 2018
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 20 years, you have heard of the three hottest engines in all of motoring, the LS-based Chevy V-8, the Toyota turbo six-cylinder 2JZ, and the beastly 5.9L Cummins Turbodiesel. These engines are absolutely legendary and have been swapped into every chassis under the sun, but they’ve never gone head-to-head. On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, watch Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa hop up each one of these engines and put them to the test on the same dyno!
S6 Ep1
8.7
15th Jan 2018
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa turn a 2005 Dodge Magnum into the ultimate ride for a new “Dad,” the Dad-Rod. Angelo and Costa do a complete performance upgrade: more power, better handling, and enhancements to make it look awesome. Then they added the dad-specific modifications: a custom rearview baby monitor and a killer roof rack for carrying family gear.
S8 Ep5
8.5
27th Jul 2020
When the HRG director picked up a '71 Sedan DeVille for himself, it was his first hot rod. Unaware how fast old parts can fail, it overheated badly, destroying the 5.3 LS engine. Tony and Lucky make it right by raiding the Drift Thislimo for a 6.0, plus other add-ons that should keep the "Cecil B DeVille" rolling.
S8 Ep2
8.5
6th Jul 2020
Tony and Angelo pick up a complete running and driving 2004 Mustang GT on the cheap, with the goal of turning it into a really fun car. They install better suspension and brakes, give it more power, and throw in some interior and exterior upgrades.
S9 Ep12
8.3
24th Jan 2022
This time on HOT ROD Garage, watch hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa dig into Lucky's personal '66 Chevelle to wake it from a long slumber. Last time we saw this car run was years ago. It left our garage with a supercharged LS engine making big power. Like any good hot-rodder, Lucky turned it up until it popped, and the car was sent to the back of his shop. Now it's time to get this thing back on the road with a sweet 475-hp NA LS engine, built with AFR heads, and a rack-and-pinion conversion to make it drive even better. Of course we have to take it to the track for
S9 Ep5
8.3
27th Sep 2021
This time on HOT ROD Garage, we take our rowdy 401 AMC V-8 engine that we built a couple years ago and cram it inside of our very crusty 1974 Javelin. On the way in, we pair the V-8 with a proper four-speed Super T-10 Transmission, longtube headers, and a ton of other hot parts. The goal is to have this package turned into a 1971 Trans Am tribute racer, so once it's running and driving the first step is to take it onto a road racing course and see just how far we have to go with this car.
S11 Ep13
8.0
2nd Feb 2024
HRG Day is back and features friends, horsepower and tacos; lining up the newest members of the fleet for dragstrip duty.
S11 Ep8
8.0
22nd Dec 2023
The '32 Roadster land speed car is finally starting to take shape, and it's ready to take its maiden voyage down the dry lake bed of El Mirage; that is, of course, if the lake bed stays dry.
S11 Ep5
8.0
6th Oct 2023
The team's long disappointed Grand National has finally earned its keep at Hot Rod Garage; with whiff after whiff at the dragstrip, the team has pulled out all the stops, called a few friends and finally got to the bottom of what's holding them back.
S11 Ep4
8.0
29th Sep 2023
After years of living a polarizing existence with an electric motor, Alex and Lucky have been given the go-ahead to bring Project X back to its glory days as a gas-huffing machine; there's no better way than a simple 1,000-hp crate 632 from GM.
S10 Ep11
8.0
9th Jan 2023
Let's face it, we've all got budgets. Sometimes the best hot rodding you can do is with that old truck in the field, and Roadkill Garage's old project Tater Truck has been loafing around the MotorTrend offices for years just begging for some love. What can we do with this sluggish, tired, and granny-geared F250? Two words: Spud Life.
S10 Ep9
8.0
28th Dec 2022
Just like drag racing before it, roll racing is starting to get organized and move to the track. As stewards of speed, it's only right that we try our hand at this rolling-start craze. We're just one Vortech V7 install away from pitting Lucky's soon-to-be 1,000-hp Chevelle against last season's 1,000-hp Caprice PPV.
S10 Ep8
8.0
19th Dec 2022
Freshly stoked off of their win at Roadkill Nights, Alex and Lucky take on double the cars for double the seat time. A broken but Coyote-swapped '04 Mustang and a leaking but eager '74 Javelin track screamer are both just barely on the disabled list, and it's time to get them off. When some friendly sparring on the road course is just a few wrenches away, how do you not?
S10 Ep7
8.0
17th Oct 2022
With the 28-day thrash from field car to big-tire Savoy complete, Alex and Lucky prep the Crown Hic and DiesEl Camino for a burnout competition with the Roadkill and FWF guys. Then it's down to business as Alex flexes her stick shift skills in the Influencer Grudge Match drag race at Roadkill Nights. Woodward Ave, here we come!
S10 Ep6
8.0
10th Oct 2022
On this very busy episode of Hot Rod Garage, the gang gets sick, loses the shop, and still manages to finish the Savoy. Not just finish it, but transform it from its shell of a self into a blown, injected, six-speed, tube-chassised, big-tire Savoy. It's a feat of endurance and one heck of a sight to behold.
S10 Ep4
8.0
26th Sep 2022
Having near-zero experience in the sport of drifting, Alex and Lucky bring a pair of unexpected stock into the HRG stable -- the catch all of entry-level drift cars, two Nissan 370Zs. Drift-prepping the twin-Zs with ultra basic upgrades, these once abused and beaten Zs will continue to be abused and beaten, except this time under the watchful tutelage of an actual pro drifter.
S10 Ep2
8.0
12th Sep 2022
The Grand Trashional gets one more shot at making the power it deserves. Alex and Lucky put all their faith in heads, a cam, hopes and a dream. And because they're gluttons for punishment, they introduce another creampuff to the fleet -- yet another must-have GM turbo V6. But at least this one will be fast, right?
S10 Ep1
8.0
5th Sep 2022
Hot Rod Garage welcomes its newest member to the HRG team, host Alex Taylor! Coming from a long history of fast cars, she and Lucky set their sights on pushing our 10s for 10K Bonemaro build into some 9-second timeslip territory. A solid plan of weight loss, a transbrake and a booster seat should all add up to the fastest pass in Bonemaro's history.
S8 Ep10
8.0
30th Nov 2020
On this episode of Hot Rod Garage we put our C5 through some new, sideways paces! The 2000 Corvette has already been pumped to around 500 hp and ripped down the dragstrip in an earlier episode by host Lucky Costa. This time, Tony Angelo and his buddy Mike Edwards get it all set up to handle the turns.
S8 Ep7
8.0
9th Nov 2020
We call this show HOT ROD Garage, and we’ve never built a proper prewar hot rod. When we gave Lucky Costa the chance to decide what we were building, he decided to rectify that once and for all with this mashup of parts! It’s a 1927 Ford truck body on a mostly 1929 Ford Model T frame, powered by a small-block Chevy with a good helping of random speed parts gathered over a few decades. It all adds up to a whole lot of ratty awesome hot rod! Watch Hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky slap this thing together over a very long week and take it out for a maiden cruise!
S8 Ep6
8.0
3rd Aug 2020
Tony and Lucky fastest project ever is the 1,000 hp 2006 Chevy Impala SS, with an entire second V8 drivetrain crammed into the back. The front engine needs work, so the guys pull it out and use this chance to upgrade everything, including new headers, intake manifolds and EFI.
S8 Ep4
8.0
20th Jul 2020
The T-Type, Grand National and Turbo Regal were '80s monsters with their turbocharged V6 engines. Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa buy the absolute cheapest turbo Buick they can find and piece together a 1984 T-Type, overcoming much rust, corrosion and awful previous repairs.
S9 Ep13
1.0
31st Jan 2022
This time on HOT ROD Garage, hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa dive back into the '72 Javelin project. The guys built a ripper of a 401 AMC motor years ago then finally dusted it off this year and shoved it under the hood, which proved two things: This motor sings at 7,000 rpm, and the rest of the car stops, steers, and handles like a flaming dumpster on wheels. But hot garbage no more. This time, the guys pull out everything old underneath then upgrade it with tubular, heim-jointed, rack-and-pinioned, four-wheel-disced, and Ford 9-inched goodness. Then, like all good
S10 Ep12
5.0
16th Jan 2023
Lucky tells a lot of stories, so when you hear a new one, you listen. Alex loves surprises, so when she heard the story of the vehicle that got Lucky into cars, she hatched a plan to find him one. A light tune-up and a few lies later, Lucky finally gets what's coming to him -- a super secret '63 Ford Galaxie Country Sedan.
S4 Ep10
6.0
27th Oct 2016
In this episode of Hot Rod Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, host Tony Angelo unveils a new passion project. Coming from a Hot Rod upbringing that turned into a career as a professional drift racer, Tony is building a 1972 `Cuda, dubbed “Fishtail,” into a Drift Muscle car to be featured at the 2016 SEMA show. This first FishTail episode covers the design and fabrication of a completely custom suspension system using a full inventory of QA1 parts and supplies. Watch Tony and cohost Lucky Costa turn this `Cuda into a sideways-handling monster!
S7 Ep4
6.0
8th Apr 2019
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa give you the lowdown on drag racing! Watch the guys take our 10-second turbo Camaro project and a bone-stock 1986 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, prep them for action, and hit the racetrack! There’s a full rundown on exactly how to do everything at the strip—burnouts, launching, nailing the tree, and even how to shift and slow down. Whether you are a total newbie or have been down the strip a million times, there’s lots of great info in this one.
S8 Ep8
6.0
16th Nov 2020
Our C10 short-bed conversion truck has been in need of a serious power-up for years now, and it’s finally time to cram some big power into this killer street truck. Hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa are stuck on opposite coasts, but they aren’t going to let that stop them from getting the job done. Watch Tony grab a 1968 Chevy big-block and do a complete top-end upgrade. Aluminum heads, a big camshaft, and killer accessories all go onto this 454 in Tony’s Pennsylvania shop. Once it’s up and running strong, it gets shipped over to Lucky and current owner Mikey P for install with a killer Gearstar 6L80E transmission. Once it’s in and running, watch Mikey P tear it down the dragstrip with all that new power!
S7 Ep3
6.5
11th Mar 2019
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa decide to build a boat of a car, a 1971 Cadillac Sedan deVille, and drop it on airbags for a sweet-and-low cruiser. The Caddy, however, had other plans. The 472 Cadillac V-8 exploded on the first test drive, and it was clear we needed to swap in a serious powerplant. A 5.3 LS setup for a carburetor and a 4L60E overdrive transmission swap become the new focus of the episode. After the car is running, the guys take it on a high-speed desert blast to make sure it won’t let them down again!
S9 Ep1
6.5
30th Aug 2021
We're kicking off Season 9 in a BIG WAY. 1,000-horsepower BIG. The guys set out to build a 1,000-hp Street car, using a 2014 Caprice Police Patrol car, a built 5.3 LS, and a turbo big enough to boost three cars. Tony Angelo is on the East Coast building the giant turbo system, and co-host Lucky Costa is in L.A. building the 5.3 to killer spec. Can the boys build a car with more power than anything coming out of Detroit? Who knows. The fun is in the finding out.
S9 Ep3
6.5
13th Sep 2021
Hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa have set out to turn a run-of-the-mill 2014 Chevy Caprice PPV into an insanely powerful street car making over one thousand horsepower. That's more HP than literally any American car produced today. (OK, Tesla Plaid makes 1,020 electric horsies.) We take one built 5.3 truck LS engine (of course), and bolt one giant Garrett turbocharger on there and let those things sing. This is the nastiest car we've ever built, period.
S11 Ep2
6.5
15th Sep 2023
Last year's newly minted annual holiday, HRG Day, was a wild success for everyone but the Bonemaro, the Crown Hic and the Savoy; all three came home hurt, and Hot Rod detectives Alex and Lucky are on the case to find out why.
S1 Ep9
7.0
18th Dec 2014
After a last-minute thrash to assemble Mike Finnegan’s ’55 Chevy Bel Air, it famously cruised from Los Angeles to Charlotte, North Carolina, to attend the start of Hot Rod Power Tour 2014. The summertime road trip revealed the good and bad traits of the street-legal gasser and now it’s time to exorcize some of its demons. On this episode of Hot Rod Garage Presented by Lincoln Tech, the crew tunes the FAST XFI 2.0 electronic fuel injection system for wide-open throttle performance, lowers the front suspension, adds a pair of Viking adjustable dampers, and installs a Hurst Roll Control line lock for better burnouts. Then Finnegan takes to the drag strip to find out how well the car performs on the same wore-out pair of Firestone Cheater Slicks that he drove cross-country on. In the Q & A session, Freiburger and Finnegan discuss vintage Mustang Sportroofs, old Roadkill project cars, the F-Bomb Camaro, and of course, the staff of Motor Trend.
S4 Ep3
7.0
7th Apr 2016
In this episode of HOT ROD Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, we set out to build a good old-fashioned sleeper! We found a very innocent-looking and long-forgotten 1965 Plymouth Fury III wagon and began to revive the old Mopar 400 big-block from Rollsmokey. Watch Tony and Lucky take that shaky, low-compression 400, strip it to the block, and rebuild it into a 512ci stroked beast! After the new 512 big-block gets stuffed into the #furyroadmaster, it’s time to hit the streets for some fun!
S4 Ep4
7.0
5th May 2016
In this episode of Hot Rod Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, we finally see what kind of times we can hit with our dirt-cheap 1979 Turbo Camaro, #bonemaro! First we spend the rest of our 10k USD budget to get all 530 whp to the pavement. Tony and Lucky install subframe connectors, drag shocks, slapper bars, and a mini-spool on the car before hitting the track!
S4 Ep5
7.0
2nd Jun 2016
In this episode of Hot Rod Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, we get our hands on a hot-rodding icon, Project X! In 1965, Popular Hot Rodding purchased an unremarkable 1957 Chevy 210 and began a 50-build legacy using it as a testbed for every hot, new part. It’s been sitting for years with a Pro Touring look and fuel-injected big-block, so we decided it was time to take it back to its roots! Watch Project X get a nasty LSX 376 GM Performance crate engine with a Weiand blower and two proper Holley carburetors!
S4 Ep7
7.0
28th Jul 2016
In this episode of HOT ROD Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, watch Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa perform a complete suspension upgrade on the most iconic 1957 Chevy of all time— Project X! The guys also execute an exterior transformation to make X look like it did in the ’80s!
S4 Ep8
7.0
25th Aug 2016
In this episode of Hot Rod Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, we decide to upgrade all the necessary things to make our 1966 Fury Wagon (which is housing a 512ci V-8) safe. Watch Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa install 4 Piston disc brakes, an upgraded transmission, and axles to handle the power of our big-block Mopar. Once that’s sorted and she’s a reliable driver, we turn the power way up with cylinder heads, an intake manifold, a header, and a big, new Holley carburetor—just to make sure this car is still way out of control! Once we’re done, watch Tony literally tear the tires off the #furyroadmaster in our most epic testdrive ever!
S5 Ep3
7.0
13th Apr 2017
In this episode of Hot Rod Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa decide to go with the wind in their hair in this 1965 Pontiac Lemans convertible. The only problem is that it’s half rust and half dirt, and this thing needs a bunch of sheetmetal repair. Watch the guys replace most of the rear end of the car, and once that is all handled, they install a full frame bracing kit and make the underside of this car WAY prettier than the top side.
S5 Ep9
7.0
28th Sep 2017
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, watch Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa transform a banged-up 1987 Chevrolet G10 work van into a 1977 Boogie Van clone! After completely changing the body over to a 1977, Costa installs a front-end suspension drop, while Angelo and special guest Lindsay Ross install a recently uncovered set of original ’80s bubble windows. A complete set of heads and side pipes give it some growl, and the guys finish it off with a seriously radical custom graphics package.
S5 Ep10
7.0
26th Oct 2017
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, Lucky Costa’s personal ’66 Chevelle gets major upgrades to its 6.0L LS truck engine. Tony Angelo and Costa install a set of AFR heads and a Magnuson supercharger on this high-mileage, well-worn engine to really wake up the powerplant. Without any upgrades to the 100,000-plus-mile bottom end, the #66ChevHell puts down more than 500 whp!
S5 Ep12
7.0
21st Dec 2017
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa dive into the red-hot C10 truck market and show you how to build a killer shortbed truck on a longbed budget! Watch the guys cut, shorten, and weld a longbed C10 into a sweet shorty using a Brothers Trucks kit and bed parts. Then they turn their new shortbed C10 into a killer handling machine using the brand-new QA1 complete suspension system.
S6 Ep8
7.0
30th Jul 2018
Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa shoehorn the 5.9L Diesel Turbo Cummins engine from an earlier episode, which made more than 400 hp and nearly 1,000 lb-ft of torque, into a 1970 El Camino! Is it a tow truck?
S6 Ep11
7.0
22nd Oct 2018
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa revive our old lightweight runabout, the 5.0 MG! This is a ’64 MGB roadster that we crammed a 5.0 Ford V-8 into last year, resulting in one sketchy little rocket ship that didn’t handle, or stop, but it sure did GO! This time, watch the guys fabricate a complete three-link rear suspension, convert the front end to a coilover suspension, and drop the car on seriously sticky rubber. Then you’ll be given a killer introduction to suspension tuning while they tear up the Streets of Willow Springs International Raceway!
S6 Ep12
7.0
19th Nov 2018
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa drag out our 1985 Ford Mustang 5.0 GT that was a total failure. They took the car out, threw a bunch of go-fast parts at it at the dragstrip, and tried to make the car faster and faster. It did not exactly work out. On this episode, the guys investigate what went wrong, and come up with a proper plan to make things right. After rebuilding the 5.0, they hit the dragstrip and totally redeem themselves!
S6 Ep13
7.0
17th Dec 2018
On this episode of Hot Rod Garage, Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa put together a killer street Big Block Chevy engine on the CHEAP! The guys try to commandeer the exotic ZL1 427 From Project X that’s been sitting in a cage and get denied by the big bosses. So, instead they take a run of the mill Vortec 7400 from a junkyard, and try to make the same power numbers as the Zl1 for about 25% of the price! Watch as a bunch of go-fast bits turn this old truck engine into a killer street/race engine!!
S7 Ep1
7.0
14th Jan 2019
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa revive one of the most popular HRG builds ever, the Crown Hick. This do-everything shop truck is really a 2007 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor dressed up as a 1966 F-100. The Hick has been out of commission since it dominated the Roadkill truck shootout, leaving it battered and broken. The guys set out to get the truck back on the road, and make it better than ever. A Gearstar 4R75W replaces the trashed cop gearbox, a set of ADTR.net adjustable coilover suspension enhances the handling, and a bunch of fabricated bracing makes the whole truck more stable! At the end of the episode, the Crown Hick is king once again!
S7 Ep2
7.0
11th Feb 2019
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa dream of a 1969 big-block, widebody, four-speed Corvette, but they just can’t afford it! Watch the guys transform a beat-up 1974 Corvette into the ’69 widebody they really want. Installing a low-buck, 475hp big-block with killer side pipes is step one. Step two is to cut the entire body off and get the car ready for a complete 1969 changeover! Before the new body parts go on, though, there are lots of burnouts!
S7 Ep7
7.0
2nd Jul 2019
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa build one of the most insane project cars in the history of the show! The guys head to Angelo’s personal shop in Pennsylvania to build the Twinpala. Watch them figure out how to cram an entire second drivetrain into the rear of the Impala: engine, transmission, and suspension all have to go into the car where the rear seats used to live. Once it’s all together, they put the car through its paces at Englishtown Raceway Park and light up all four tires for the most insane burnouts of all time!
S7 Ep8
7.0
29th Jul 2019
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa jump headfirst into the dirt track world! Watch the guys scoop up an old beat-up Nova, build a basic 350 for it, and take it to compete on a superfast half-mile dirt oval at Selinsgrove Speedway. You’ll see everything you need to do, and not do to make a competitive dirt car!! The action is wild and the failures are constant, so buckle up!
S1 Ep1
8.0
22nd May 2014
We have fun showing you how to install a 4L60-E overdrive transmission into a 1969 Chevy El Camino, drop a 700hp blown small-block into a 1974 Jaguar XJ12, get TIG welding lessons from the guys at ToxicFab, and do smoky burnouts at every opportunity.
S1 Ep2
19th Jun 2014
In this episode of HOT ROD Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, Finnegan blows up the stock clutch in a borrowed 2010 Camaro SS at the drag strip after installing an SLP supercharger kit and a pair of drag radials. The blower pushed the power output from 420 to 575 horsepower and except for a couple extra holes in the valance, bolted-right onto the stock LS2. During the Roadkill Project Car Update presented by Dickies, Freiburger and Finnegan prepare for the ultimate cross-country road trip in Finnegan's Hemi-powered Bel Air Gasser with the installation of an Aeromotive Stealth fuel tank and fuel system. The install offers tips on assembling soft and hard fuel lines, relay wiring, and gives a closer look at this righteous street/strip car. Finally, the guys answer viewer questions about the cars, the show, and their personal lives before getting an in-depth look at custom piston design from Bryan Moreland, Engineering Manager at CP-Carrillo.
S1 Ep3
17th Jul 2014
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage Presented by Lincoln Tech Mike Finnegan gets tips for strengthening sheet metal using a bead roller from world-famous fabricator, Jamey Jordan, owner of Handmade Seat Company. Then he and David Freiburger eliminate a few electrical gremlins in the Roadkill '73 Chevy C30 ramp truck and pick up more power on the dyno by replacing the old quadrajet carburetor with a new Holley Ultra Street Avenger and the stock HEI distributor with a new part from MSD. Finally, Freiburger tests Duplicolor's Vinyl and Fabric Coating, a spray-on dye for restoring interior parts. If you aren't sick of their faces by the end of this episode, stick around to watch the duo answer questions from the Hot Rod Garage Facebook page and insult a good portion of the Motor Trend staff.
S1 Ep4
7th Aug 2014
On this episode of Hot Rod Garage Presented by Lincoln Tech, Kirk Brown stops by the shop to school us on the art of sand casting traditional hot rod parts. From flip-top gas caps to old-school friction shocks, Kirk creates parts that turn vintage iron into period-correct hot rods under his Crafty-B moniker. Finnegan also drives the infamous Roadkill '69 El Camino to Camarillo airfield to find out how badly the factory brakes perform and then Wilwood Brakes gives the Elco a serious binder upgrade. The Elco is fitted with 11-inch disc brakes at all four-corners and tested to see how much the stopping distance is affected. Next a monster set of 14-inch discs and six-piston calipers are swapped onto the car for the ultimate brake upgrade. How well do the new parts work? Stay tuned and find out! Oh yeah, Finnegan and Freiburger also take a break from wrenchin' to answer viewer questions posed on the Hot Rod Garage Facebook page.
S1 Ep5
4th Sep 2014
On this episode of Hot Rod Garage Presented by Lincoln Tech we revamp the Muscle Truck, our 1974 Chevrolet C10. In episode 28 of Roadkill we ripped the stepside fenders off the bed and cut the front sheet metal to make room for aggressive off-road rubber so that we could roost through the Imperial Sand Dunes. The fenderless version of the Muscle Truck was fun but it’s high time we restore the truck to her former glory. We’ll replace the rapidly deteriorating particle board bed floor with new oak slats and bolt-on a new pair of aftermarket front fenders. We’ll also add a bit of functionality to the truck by covering the massive step notch in the rear frame rails with sheet metal, which will keep stuff from falling out of the bed.
S1 Ep6
2nd Oct 2014
On this episode of Hot Rod Garage Presented by Lincoln Tech, we turn a lowridin’ 1965 Pontiac LeMans into a corner-carving muscle car with a budget-minded suspension system, a quick-ratio steering box, and disc brakes. Classic Performance Products supply the parts, which bolt in place and result in dramatic improvements to the handling of Hot Rod Magazine staffer Brandan Gilllogly’s car. Once the LeMans is sorted we work on our 1973 Chevy Ramp Truck during a Dickies Roadkill Project Car Update. The electrical system has seen better days and so we play detective to trace a battery drain and replace both batteries with new units from AC Delco. We wrap up this episode with a question and answer session with Mike Finnegan and David Freiburger as they ponder the mysteries of the universe and cars in general.
S1 Ep7
30th Oct 2014
On this episode of Hot Rod Garage, presented by Lincoln Tech, we catch up with David Freiburger’s Hemi-powered Dodge Super Bee project car as it gains a much needed fourth gear and a few more in between in its three-speed 727 trans. During the Dickies Roadkill Project Car Update we bolt-on a Gear Vendors Underdrive/Overdrive unit onto the Torqueflite, which results in lower cruising RPM, better fuel economy, and gear-splitting capability. Plus, we’ve got another Q-and-A session with Finnegan and Freiburger as they discuss road trips, muscle cars and of course, Carlos Lago’s ability to drive a car.
S1 Ep8
27th Nov 2014
On this episode of Hot Rod Garage, Presented by Lincoln Tech, we’ve got a brand-new Dickies Roadkill Project Car Update on the Crusher Camaro. Freiburger installs a single stage nitrous oxide system from NOS onto the Mast Motorsports LS7 to break the car into 9-second territory at the dragstrip. He also re-geared the 9-inch rear end, changed the transmission from a 4L65E to a 4L80E, and swapped converters. Off the bottle, the car slowed down from its previous best pass of 10.03 seconds, but with the go-button in play the car ran a respectable 9.94 ET. Finnegan also dropped by the garage for a new Q –and-A session and we’ve got a brand new quick tip from the staff of Lincoln Tech.
S1 Ep9
7.0
18th Dec 2014
After a last-minute thrash to assemble Mike Finnegan’s ’55 Chevy Bel Air, it famously cruised from Los Angeles to Charlotte, North Carolina, to attend the start of Hot Rod Power Tour 2014. The summertime road trip revealed the good and bad traits of the street-legal gasser and now it’s time to exorcize some of its demons. On this episode of Hot Rod Garage Presented by Lincoln Tech, the crew tunes the FAST XFI 2.0 electronic fuel injection system for wide-open throttle performance, lowers the front suspension, adds a pair of Viking adjustable dampers, and installs a Hurst Roll Control line lock for better burnouts. Then Finnegan takes to the drag strip to find out how well the car performs on the same wore-out pair of Firestone Cheater Slicks that he drove cross-country on. In the Q & A session, Freiburger and Finnegan discuss vintage Mustang Sportroofs, old Roadkill project cars, the F-Bomb Camaro, and of course, the staff of Motor Trend.
S1 Ep10
8th Jan 2015
On this episode Hot Rod Garage Presented by Lincoln Tech we revamp the suspension on our 1969 Chevy El Camino to turn this lowly hauler into a real corner-carver. The crew from Ridetech not only helped swap out the old mismatched suspension and steering components, but gave us a couple of shock-tuning tricks. The Elco received new triple-adjustable dampers, front and rear sway bars, adjustable control arms, and coilover shocks at all four-corners. We’ve also got new tech tips from Lincoln Tech and AC Delco and a brand-new question and answer session with Freiburger and Finnegan.
S1 Ep11
22nd Jan 2015
On this episode of Hot Rod Garage, Presented by Lincoln Tech, we round out a season of El Camino upgrades with a big heart transplant. Gone is our old 383ci Small-Block and in its place is Chevrolet Performance' LS376/525 an all-aluminum, fuel-injected, crate engine that is probably underrated at 525hp and 475 lb-ft of torque. Using parts from Hooker, Aeromotive, Holley, Gearstar, Flex-A-Lite, and Chevrolet Performance, the swap only requires a few holes drilled and a bit of exhaust pipe fitting to make happen. In the end, our 1969 El Camino lost some weight and reset the track record on our autocross course. In this episode we also have a new Lincoln Tech Quick Tip and another Q & A session with Finnegan and Freiburger.
S1 Ep12
29th Jan 2015
On this episode of Hot Rod Garage, presented by Lincoln Tech, Mike Finnegan journeys to Sonny Leonard Racing Engines in Lynchburg, Virginia to help assemble his new engine, a 771ci Big-Block Chevy topped with Hemi heads, which is primed to produce ridiculous pump-gas horsepower and torque. This all-aluminum, rule-injected beast is built with parts from Brodix, CP-Carillo, ARP, Sonny Bryant, Trend, Holley, and Accufab and weighs just 595 pounds. Once assembled, Sonny dyno-test the engine to verify the power output on 92 octane gasoline before shipping it home to Mike so he can fab a turbo kit for even more power. We've also got a brand new Lincoln Tech Quick Tip and the last Q&A session of Season 1 with Finnegan and Freiburger.
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The first episode of Hot Rod Garage aired on May 22, 2014.
The last episode of Hot Rod Garage aired on February 02, 2024.
There are 137 episodes of Hot Rod Garage.
There are 11 seasons of Hot Rod Garage.
Yes.
Hot Rod Garage is set to return for future episodes.