All language subtitles for Hot.Rod.Garage.S12E05.WEB.H264-RBB

On this episode
of "Hot Rod Garage."

Bondo, condo,
zero down, zero monthly.

Come on down,
we're giving 'em away!

Tried to.

[theme music playing]

Welcome back
to "Hot Rod Garage."

I'm Alex Taylor,
and this is Lucky Costa.

Hello.

So we have a new project car
for "Hot Rod Garage."

And by new, it's not just new
in the garage as far as

the vehicle goes,
but it's actually a new shape

and style that we haven't had
the chance to play with.

So behind me is a '51 Plymouth
on a '79 Monte Carlo chassis.

This falls in the group
of a lead sled.

Yeah, I think it checks all
the boxes for a lead sled,

except for the sleddy look
and the lack of lead.

Everything else, I think,
is on point.

I mean, I still think that it
falls in that category, though,

because even though
it may not be technically

done with lead, it's done
with Bondo, it's the look.

The lead sled is the look.

So lead sled -- lead used
to refer to the fact that

when the car was chopped
and shaved and reshaped,

it was filled in
with lead.

Now a lot of them use Bondo.

And then the sled part
refers to the fact

that it's chopped, lowered,

and it looks like it's just kind
of gliding down the road.

Yeah, chopped, channeled,
pressed on the ground.

-It looked like a sled.
-[Alex] Yeah.

So that's kind of a new
something that we haven't had

the chance to play with
on "Hot Rod Garage."

So we found this one...

pretty much sight unseen,
other than a couple of pictures.

And we picked it up because
it was a good price.

And now comes the part where
we find all of the quirks

and the shortcuts that most
likely come when you buy

somebody else's lead
sled project.

[Lucky]
If a lead sled has drywall
screws, Tek screws,

mystery parts,
and awning parts,

yeah, I guess
it is some kind of sled.

[Alex] No, I mean,
there is some truth to that.

However, I do think,
though, that we could get it

lower to fit the sled part.
-Oh yeah, yes please.

-[Alex] Yeah, OK.
-Absolutely.

So this one's a really good
starting point.

It's a decent starting point,
but we do need to address

a couple things.

First of all, we need to get it
running and driving.

There's a little bit of
a wiring issue potentially

may need to replace a starter.

And then also something
that's kind of important is

when the body is attached
to the frame.

This one...sits on there

and it's attached with a couple
zip screws, Tek screws,

whatever you want to call it.
There are no body mounts.

So we need to address stuff
like that and suspension.

And I'm sure once we get it
on the lift, we're gonna find

some other stuff for it,

but that at least
gets us going.

So the main goal for now is
to get it running and driving,

cram Lucky in the car,
shut the door,

and then Lucky and I are going
on a malt shop trip.

A malt shop trip is a perfect
excuse to go for a test drive

and see what this car actually
needs to make it a functioning,

cool lead sled.

You've come a long way,
grasshopper.

-[Alex] Oh, my goodness.
-[Lucky] Don't go under there.

[Alex] Wow.

You guys remember when I said
I had a good starting place?

It's got an interesting
starting place, I should say.

So this crossmember here,
it's just two pieces

of what looks like channel --
-[Lucky] Angle iron.

[Alex]
Angle iron?

[Lucky]
No channel iron, you're right.

[Alex]
Welded together with no other
structural reinforcement

with one bolt
through the middle.

Wow.

The exhaust held on
to said crossmember

with a very lightweight chain.

[Lucky]
This is like good chain for
hanging fluorescent lights.

-That -- yeah.
-So in the future,

if we need to hang some
fluorescent lights,

we have a little bit of chain
here that we can use.

That is just amazing.

Fortunately enough,
I have no tools.

-Lucky.
-I made this for you.

Aw, thank you.
It's a friend --

is this a friendship bracelet?
-It is.

Is that a -- did we have
a Tay-Tay moment?

[Alex] You know
the nicest thing on here

is the lines for the transition.
-[Lucky] Ooh, no.

These are the Amazon ones.

-These are like a -5.3.
-[Alex] So it's fake nice.

-[Lucky] Not even -6.
-[Alex] It's fake nice, OK.

-[Lucky] It's faux nice.
-Look at the motor mount, too.

-OK, that's nice.
-The other side's half attached.

Yeah, yeah.

I think that's, like,
grade 3 bolts, too.

This guy obviously lived closer
to a hardware store than he did

to an auto parts store.
-I actually agree with that.

Where are the body mounts?
Those are really missing.

Hey, look.
I mean, this is a new shock.

[Lucky] Look at the shocks.
Well, yeah, I'm sure

that was, like,
got everybody's attention.

And then the back half
of the frame...

-It's just gone.
-Yeah, this is --

[Alex]
What kind of connector is that?

[Lucky]
It's like air fitting.

-[Alex] That's bad.
-[Lucky] That is a legit
air fitting.

-It's a push-lock air fitting.
-[Alex] Attached to the...

-[Lucky] To the gas tank, yeah.
-...to the gas tank.

Huh.

So we have, I think,
a little bit bigger project

probably than we initially
anticipated.

We can get it running
and driving and all that.

But if we want it to be
anything nice,

we got a lot of work.

Or we can just opt
to have fun with this,

which may be the better option.

Do you still want to drive it?

I would love to drive it
so I can see you do this.

I appreciate you.

OK, I --
[chuckling]

if we're still going
to drive it,

we only have a couple of things
to do underneath here.

And that would be upgrade
the muffler hanger.

And then we pop the trunk.

I'm very curious to see
what's in that trunk.

I've only seen it through
the rear deck.

And then make sure
there's no fire.

Well, I know there's fire
about to happen in the trunk.

So we'll straighten that out.

And maybe we should
just make sure

the body's not gonna
slide right on off.

-It's a tall order right there.
-OK.

[both swooshing]

-Time to work.
-Remix?

-[Alex] Yeah.
-All right.

What are you guessing?
Lawnmower?

-[Alex] I don't know.
Read the cap.
-I do --

[Alex]
See what it says.

[Lucky] John Deere.
No, it doesn't say that.

-But it should.
-This mixed with this.

Someone went through the time
to make a mount...

for two and a half
gallons of fuel.

-That is definitely closer --
-[high-pitched scraping]

-That's the worst sound.
-Oh, it gets worse.

-[loud banging]
-Oh.

What a joke.

So they took the time
to make a mount,

yet it is halfway held in,

and it's a piece of wood.
So it's a very interesting --

It's like they almost did it,
but then they stopped.

[Lucky]
Sorry, I'm adjusting the fuel
system, my bad.

-Go ahead.
-No, it's OK.

OK, let me shut this down.
We're gonna put it up.

We'll do a muffler hanger,
secure the fuel cell.

Then I think we'll see
if it'll start up.

[Alex]
This may be the most interesting
test drive all year.

-Is it in park?
-Yeah.

How do you know?
No, that wasn't park.

-Well, I had my throttle.
-[Lucky] It totally was
not in park.

[engine whining]

-Sounds great.
-That sounds lovely.

[engine clicking]

Awesome singing voice.

-[engine clicks once]
-La-la-la-la!

-I -- it's done.
-[Lucky] That's it?

-That no more crank.
-[Lucky] Man.

-All right.
-[Alex] I think we killed it.

-Do you see smoke anywhere?
-Not yet.

OK, we're good -- all right,
I think I got -- yeah.

Let me just find something
to jumpstart this with.

-You want to check the battery?
-[Lucky] Yeah.

[Alex] Ready?

[loud scraping]

Good grief.

[engine whirs, stops]

[engine whining]

I think it's got
one start left in it.

[engine whirs, stops]

Boop.
[laughing]

-One more shot.
-OK, one more time.

[engine whining]

All right, let's put
a starter in it.

Call it, we're
changing the starter.

Look at us, we do stuff right.
Kind of.

I've never heard one
that bad before.

That's really bad.

So that was a really bad sound.

-Don't you agree?
-I concur with your diagnosis.

-I -- I think --
-That sound was very poor.

[Alex]
We were going to start by using
the old starter,

but that didn't start the car.

So now we're gonna start
putting this new starter on.

[Lucky]
Whoa, you're saying start
because it's a starter.

-[Alex] See what I did?
-[Lucky] That is hilarious.

[Alex] I know, I know.

So the flex plate,
not flywheel, flex plate --

-Flex plate.
-Eh, it's a flywheel.

The teeth are polished just on
the end, which means

the sprockets seem to be
too small.

And if you actually
look at these,

the teeth are starting
to be rounded off, so.

They're deburred,
they're just deburred.

They are more than deburred.

But that still looks usable...
-[Lucky] Yes.

...if we have the right starter.

[Lucky] Right, this Bendix
or gear right here

is larger in diameter
than that one right there.

This actually looks like
it's gonna be a lot better.

And that one looks like
it's more of a...

puree, less blend.

Yeah, it's definitely got
a different teeth angle

than this one.

-This one is starting
to fold over.
-Right, right.

So it may still grind,

but it's gonna be
a different kind of grind.

[Alex] Maybe it'll be
like grind start,

not grind not start.
-[Lucky] Maybe.

OK, hit it.

[engine whirring]

-OK.
-Yes.

So it started up.

I can clearly see
that it's 14.9 volts.

You can see
the alternator's charging.

There's no reason why
we shouldn't drive this.

Actually, there's lots
of reasons why

we shouldn't drive it.

See you in the streets.

-[Lucky] Careful, whoa.
-[Alex] Whoo! Whoo!

[Lucky] Simmer down.
Do we have brakes?

-[Alex] Kind of.
-[Lucky] Does it steer?

[Alex] I don't know.
OK.

Does something already
smell hot?

-You know what, maybe.
-I definitely smell hot.

I looked at the firewall,

and it seemed like it was
relatively sealed.

So whatever happens up there...

-Yeah
-...we'll see on the big
TV screen here.

OK.
My legs are hot.

-Is that the sun, or is that it?
-Yeah, it might be the sun.

I don't think it's the sun.

[Lucky]
There's a crater right there.

-[loud thudding]
-Oh.

Man.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Are you making it go faster?

-Yeah.
-Don't do that.

You're going crazy fast
right now.

This feels like 35.

Pretty sure we're doing 15
miles an hour.

-Eh, 15?
-[Alex] Yeah.

Look, OK, to be fair,
it's the car.

-It's not me.
-Yeah?

I've used that before.
It always seems to work.

Hey, when we make a right here,

find some shade to pull over in.
-OK.

Because I never actually saw
the electric fans come on.

I think it's overheating.

-[Lucky] Oh, be careful.
-[Alex] Oh, yeah, I got it.

-The body just moved
on the frame.
-It's --

We just fishtailed,
and the car didn't.

That's crazy.
Give it some gas.

-That's all she got.
-You're giving it the beans?

That's all she got.

All right.
That's good.

Make sure it comes off.

Oh, it's hot.

There is something
not happening.

Oh, there's some shade
right there.

Now listen.

-No spew -- yeah, no.
-I don't hear it.

Turn the key on and see if
the fan comes on.

-No.
-The key on?

[Alex] Yeah.

I don't hear the fan either.

-[soft whirring]
-Oh, the fans just came on.

-[Lucky] Did they?
-They just came on.

[Lucky] Oh, so there's
the problem, clearly.

Yeah, they were not
on that whole time.

[Lucky] Right.

So we went for the scariest
ride of my life down

whatever street that was.
-So dramatic.

-[Lucky] Seemed like it.
-It was a little scary.

We were doing 30, 35
miles an hour.

It was the craziest thing
you'd ever seen.

-And it started to smell like --
-It got hot real quick.

I often say she got
some steam in her.

It smelled like it actually had
some steam in her.

And then just standing here,
we stopped to make sure

the fans were working.
And they have not been running.

And then they just randomly
kicked on.

We shut the car off and turned
the key on to listen for fans.

I don't even know
if the key's on right now.

[Lucky] Oh, you know,
that's a good point.

-[Alex] Our key is not on.
-OK.

Turn the key on.
Maybe the fan shut off.

-Nope.
-No?

[Lucky] No, OK.

I'm sure it's one
of the red wires.

I'm scared to put my hand
in there.

You should be.

I mean...

it's running now...

violently.
-Are they going the right way?

I don't know.

All right, so the temp,
oh, maybe the thermostat

just never opened
that whole time.

Or with the temp center
hooked up, the fans work.

I'm sorry, what were you saying?

Let me shut that off
so we can finish talking.

The fans work.

-I guess it just smells hot.
-[Lucky] Well, you know what?

Has this thing ever been --
is this the maiden voyage

for this thing?
Maybe.

I mean, it doesn't ever look
like it's ever overheated.

Yeah.
OK, let's go again.

[Lucky] All right.

Hold on, let me turn
the fans on.

Help me!

Hold on!

Oh, I've been holding on
since this started.

-[engine accelerating]
-What are you doing?

So on the short list,
we need to overhaul

all the suspension,
lower the seat, close the trunk.

We need to mount the body.

I mean, it's not good.

That's the exact opposite of
what we always say.

Like, hey, it's not bad.

[Alex]
On the bright side, though,

giving credit where
it's due, it does run,

it drives, it stops.

It's got a long list of stuff
that we need to do,

but it has potential.

Whoo-hoo!

I think the frame --
Oh, what was that?

-I think it dragged.
-I don't know.

Oh, you know what?
It's exhaust.

Oh, yeah.

That hanger didn't quite
do so well.

[metallic knocking]

[loud thudding]

[Alex laughing]

On the bright side, we made it
back with all the parts.

Yes, and we have a mental list
of just a few things that need

to be taken care of.
-Uh, body mounts.

-Yes.
-Fan addressing?

-[Lucky] Yes.
-Seat height?

Yes.

Everything to do
with suspension.

-Right.
-And add exhaust to the list.

-We still have this one, though.
-Add it to the list.

All right.

-Isn't that everything?
-All of this stuff.

So after that little cruise,
we learned a couple of things.

First of all,
I barely fit in here.

I was potentially going to cut
a hole in the headliner

so my head fit in because
it's rubbing on the headliner,

but honestly, I don't know

what's gonna get in my hair
and my age.

I'm just happy to have hair,
so I'm not going to abuse it

by sticking it into the mystery
zone of the headliner.

So I'm going to address
the seat right now.

Pretty simple application.

We're gonna take
the seat out,

set it up on a bench, and figure
out a way to take about

that much out of it

and still be comfortable.

This is something you're not
gonna see every day.

Check out the way
this seat comes out.

Just like a back seat.

Looks like the base of
the seat cushion goes right

to the top of the trans tunnel.

So shortening up the frame of
the seat may be more difficult

than it's worth.

I think I want to concentrate
on shortening up

the actual pillow
that we sit on.

I don't know.
Let me try it out.

Does this seem normal?

[Alex]
So, one of the biggest issues
we found with this car is

that the body is not actually
attached to the frame.

And to fix that, unfortunately,
we're gonna have

to add a little bit of height.

We're going to be adding
one-inch body bushings

with actual mounts.

It's a necessary evil,
but it's gonna be for the best.

All right, so these are
universal chassis mounts

that we got from All-Star
Performance here.

And basically, they come
undrilled and extra length,

so that way we can cut them
to the length that we need.

So I'm just gonna go through
and pre-drill them.

I've got them marked,
pre-drill them, and then

we'll just cut off the length
that we don't need and then

weld this to the frame.

And then we'll be able to
actually put our bushings

on top of that.

So gone through,
I've marked them,

center punched them,
go drill some holes,

and then we'll cut them
to length

once we know
what that length is.

[Lucky] OK, so we've jacked
the body up off the frame

on one side just to make sure
that there's a little bit

of air gap in there.

There's my measurement
for how thick

I want these spacers to be.

I'm just using it
as a reference.

We're gonna be lifting
the body about one inch off

of the frame, and then
we have these bushings

that will go on these brackets.

Putting our body
right about here,

but we want to be able
to find a way to measure

between the two mounting
surfaces,

one of them we have to weld in.

So I'm just kind of using that
as a visual.

I'm going to dice and slice
to my content.

[Alex] All right, so I drilled
some holes in our prefabricated

chassis brackets, but then
I realized after that it needed

to be bigger holes.

And so Lucky's like, hey,
let me plasma that.

And so he is
plasma-ing out holes

so that way we can use these.

And then I'm gonna saw
the bushing

so that way it fits under here.
You'll see.

So all I'm doing is taking

the bushing
that looks like this,

and I'm shaping it to
look like that.

So basically, it fits in here,
and it'll sandwich.

And then we can put the washer

and the bolt through,
washer up here.

So we're close to having
body mounts

ready to go on the car.

OK, so what we're talking about
right now is the few options

there are to support the back
of the vehicle.

Like, it is just...

[soft squeaking]

That's the body bouncing
on the frame, as you're hearing.

Yeah, it's flexing,
and not the good flexing.

The frame is cut off here.
Clearly, the body goes to here.

Body mounts are here.

[Lucky]
Yeah, body mounts are all
the way towards the rear.

We could just drag a bar
from there to there,

piece of square tube.

-We have some over there,
some good stuff.
-Yeah.

Build a little frame,
you know, end.

But that's gonna interfere

with where we might want
to put the tank.

So we're gonna go ahead
and spend a little extra effort,

come all the way to the back,
come all the way across,

and go all the way
back forward.

So we're going to be boxing up
the rear of the frame

that they already cut off.
-Yep.

And that'll give us provisions
to put new body mounts

back here and support
the vehicle

the way it's supposed
to be supported.

You want to mount the front,
and then we can figure out

what we're gonna
do with the back?

[Lucky] We'll do a lot
of stuff underneath.

We can put the car up,

figure out where the mounts
are gonna fit.

-Maybe I'll fit some of
those brackets.
-Yep.

And then you can maybe do some
of the square tube welding

fabrication for the back
of the car.

But we can do it
all underneath.

So we'll be in the shade
and rust and dirt

under the car.
-Lovely.

-It's a glorious day here.
-Just need a breeze now.

We're good.

[rock music playing]

♪♪

So while Alex is over there
grinding and welding,

I've been doing a little
grinding and welding of myself.

I whipped up a couple
of the rear body mounts.

She started it.

I'm just kind of
helping her out.

Are you ready?
Are you ready
for the big reveal?

I hope she likes 'em.

There they are.

So the idea was, instead
of welding this to the frame,

cutting at the right angle,
just welding right to the frame,

the contact patch would only
be this amount

to hold the body of the car.

Potentially gonna fatigue,
crack, and fall off,

or bend, or something.
So I welded them to a plate.

That's gonna give us a lot
more contact patch and more

area to weld it on there.
Still gonna bend.

Still gonna fall off.

But it's gonna look good
doing it.

[rock music continues playing]

♪♪

I'm gonna hold
this up, actually.

[Lucky] This is crazy.

-That's the axle.
-[Alex] Wow.

But we were going up
and down before.

OK, you don't see the body
hitting the frame there.

That's because
it's mounted, OK?

Something new.

[Alex]
It is sitting one inch
higher now,

which we don't like.

But it is mounted to the frame,
which we do really like,

and we can deal
with ride height later.

One of the things I'm seeing

that we don't have still
is suspension.

The body's not moving,
but everything else is moving

like it shouldn't be.
-Right.

[Alex] I mean, I guess
that's what happens
when you heat springs.

That also explains
the terrible ride.

So we're going to replace them
with new coilovers

all the way around and get it
sitting as low as possible,

but also actually driving well.

Aldan hooked us up,
and we're getting ready

to do that before we do
another test drive.

I'm driving, you're riding, OK?

We're gonna see
if you're scared again.

We need an accurate test,

so I need to see
if Lucky reacts the same.

-I have to duplicate
the same screaming.
-[Alex] Exactly.

Exactly.
OK, I got you.

All right.

We have a suspension coming up,

and hopefully it's not as hard

as the body mounts have been,

but we are taking
a '79 Monte Carlo bottom half

and trying to attach it
to a '51 Plymouth top half.

Is it doable?
Yes.

Is it gonna be
time consuming?

[both] Nah.

But just think, there's gonna be
a great test drive

that I'm very excited about
to come after that.

Oh, I'm excited too.
Watch your fingers.

All right, we just put
body mounts

on our '51 Plymouth lead sled

that's on
a '79 Monte Carlo frame,

But "on there" was
a very loose turn.

Like you do.

[Alex] So we have suspension
coming up.

All new suspension, all four
corners from All-American.

And hopefully it really takes
our bounces and bumps

and makes them
a lot more smooth.

Smooth.

The only issue is that our lead
sled is turning less sled

and a lot more four-wheel drive.

Oh, the upside of that is these
are coilover conversions.

So we can set it at sled,
and then redial it up to,

well, why would you ever
take it off of sled?

Yeah, at some point,
we may have to address

the height issue.

But at least we'll have good
suspension and a mounted body,

and then we'll get
into some fun stuff later.

We couldn't throw this thing
away now if we wanted to.

Nope.
OK, it's time for your beak

to get a little more dust going,
'cause we got stuff to do.

Good times.

[upbeat music playing]

[Lucky]
So the Aldan American
Coilover Conversion Kit

comes with a upper shock
reinforcement.

The deal there is the shocks
are set up right now to just

stabilize the ride of the car,
because there's supposed to be

a spring in front of it that is
in a much more sturdy area.

Sturdy, yeah.

We're going to be relocating
the spring to the same location

as the shock, so they make this
pretty nifty little...

[Alex] Pretty nice piece.

-Pretty nice piece.
-...shock reinforcement.

I wonder if we can do this
without cutting the floor out.

Wow, wouldn't that be nice?

[Lucky] It's pretty close.

[Alex]
All we have to do is do
a little notch.

No, no, no, we can't disrespect
the Aldan American.

[Alex]
No, you just got to do a little
notch for 'em.

And then Aldan American sticks
down below so you can see it

from the back, and the braces
on the top.

Yeah, let's do it.

I hogged a couple of holes
to the correct size.

And this is actually
fitting right in.

Who would have thought
that if you did your homework,

stuff would work?

Huh?

OK, so the rear Aldan American
coilover conversion brackets

are all installed.
They bolted up no problem.

The billet aluminum shocks that
are adjustable for ride height

and compression and rebound are
all installed.

The reinforcement bracket that
stops the frame

from flexing in is
all installed.

I think we're about ready
to throw some...

tires on the back of this
and go join Alex in the front

for a brake party.

We're going on a "brake."

So, when we were doing
the front suspension,

looked at the calipers as they
were hanging there

and the brake hoses
that were there.

They're dry-cracked
and nasty and all this.

We're like, OK, if we're
already here, we might as well

go ahead and replace it if
we can get the stuff.

And we could, so while Lucky's
finishing up in the back,

our brake parts just arrived.

We didn't plan on doing it,
but luckily they had some

right down the road.

So going through,
packing bearings, which isn't

a bad thing.
That way everything's fresh.

Brakes worked before,
they worked well,

but now we can prevent having
any other issues.

So we wanted to go
for a test drive today,

but just like everything else,
one thing leads to another.

So we're gonna go ahead
and get everything

nice and right.

And then we can
hit the streets.

And then we can do
more work after that.

Mwa-ha-ha.

So there's a painless
wiring harness.

It was -- somebody attempted
to install it.

Luckily, I've seen this many
times where they leave

just spools and spools of wire

because, oh, they might
need them later.

If you're putting in
a harness in your car,

it's a harness for your car.

So tailor fit it to your car.
Cut it.

You don't need -- are you ever
gonna put power door locks

and windows in your car?
No, you're not.

Cut that out.
You don't need it.

You don't need
to spool up wires

in case you're going to decide
to move your taillights

or brake lights three feet
in some other direction.

If you put it in your car,
fit it to your car,

make sure it's safe.
Route it through grommets.

Zip tie it up.

This really, there's
no reason for this.

Makes zero sense,

except for in our case.

Luckily, they left spools
and spools of wire under here.

And I'm gonna be able
to thin it all out

and custom tailor it
to this car.

It will go from one fire
to the next.

All right, well, Lucky is
working on wiring

and the mess that that is.

I'm gonna address the hole
in the floor that we found

once Lucky pulled
the carpet out.

So I'm gonna make a pattern
off of this,

but since it's already a hole
and it doesn't really matter

what shape that hole is,
I'm going to go ahead

and square up the lines for it.

That way it's easy to cut
a pattern for, it's easy to cut

a patch panel for, and it'll be
easier to weld in.

So clean this up, and then make
a pattern cut and bend

and all that fun stuff.

[engine whirring]

No smoke.
Still runs.

However, it's lighter,

because I took about 40 pounds
of wire out of here.

So that's gonna help
the 60-foot time.

But it's not a drag car.

It is charging.
It started back up.

So yeah, nothing's on fire.
I think maybe that's a racket.

Let's see what else we got
going on here.

[Lucky]
Pump up the volume.

-[Lucky] Holding.
-[Alex] Holding.

[Lucky] How's the pedal feel?
Pump it up.

It feels good.

[Lucky]
Start it up, see if it actually
retains boost.

OK.

[Lucky] Pump, pump, pump.

Whoa, stop, stop!

Turn it off, off, off off!

Did we have
a coolant leak before?

[Alex] No.

-[Lucky] Yeah, we have one now.
-[Alex] Why?

So there was this time

when the body was loose
on the frame.

Oh, I see where this is going.

And the radiator was
dangerously close

to the front pulley.
-[Alex] Uh-huh.

Well, apparently,
if you jack it up...

Yeah.

it puts it just past
dangerously close

and directly into...

-[Alex] The danger zone?
-Yeah, a couple of tubes.

All right, so the deal is,
we started it up to make sure

the vacuum brake booster
was working correctly

after bleeding the brakes,
and the first thing I did

was cut a hole, a perfect hole
I might add,

right in the middle
of the radiator,

almost exactly in the middle.

In the spirit
of backyard hackism,

we are going to just
use a little Bondo,

smear it over the wound,
let it dry,

and then we fly.
Let it dry,

and then we fly.

[grunting]

Pull it forward more.

Yup.

All right, so now that we've
taken the racks of the tracks

off of the seat
and set it back in there,

it's giving us, like,
maybe an inch or two.

I mean,
I could do this before.

There is no us.
There is only me.

Me -- you're right, I'm sorry.

So there's a thing in here
called headroom.

You're not familiar with it
because you have so much of it.

-[Alex] Yeah.
-I, on the other hand,

was wearing a hat
in the shape of a dirty,

filthy, dusty hot rod.

-Well, that's unfortunate.
-Yeah.

But we have to test today.

I have to hit every bump I can
and make sure you're still --

Believe you me, it's a test
every time I ride with you.

It's already a test.

-Anyway, in a good way.
-OK, you exit, I get in.

Hey, stop breaking stuff.

We've been trying to get out
of this shop for two days.

I didn't know
it was telescopic.

That's cool.

[groaning]

-Get out.
-All right.

All right, so we rolled
our Plymouth lead sled out

so we can see it
in a different light.

We were hoping that maybe
once we got it out here,

the stance might look
a little bit better.

It doesn't.

So while we did put
coilovers on this,

and they are fully adjustable,
and they're really nice,

we have them set
at the very lowest setting,

and it's still sitting
super high.

This is not
an Aldan American problem.

Our ride is gonna be great.

Our looks, however...

not so much.

And yes, we could fix it,
but that's gonna require

a whole lot of work.

It's gonna require
cutting the floor up,

channeling the body over
the frame, do frame mounts,

all kinds of stuff.
Yes, we could do it.

No, we can't do it today.
Maybe we'll touch it one day.

Hopefully not ever.

[engine rumbling]

A little noisier than before.

It's a good noise though.

We can't hear
all the rattles though.

I want to say, hit it.

But it sounds like we're
in the back of a boat.

We're idling around the dock.

Hold on.

-That's a little better.
-Little better.

We have to put exhaust on this.

-Yeah.
-It's so bad.

[engine revving]

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

[Alex] We lived.
We didn't even accelerate.

Whoo, whoo!
That's better.

-It does drive better.
-Yeah.

I can hear the rattles
on the regulators

inside the doors.
-Yeah.

The car seems pretty solid.

I can't hear, so.

-Transmission works good.
-Yeah.

I said the transmission
works good.

Yeah.

Whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa!

Now you can go.

I'm sorry.

-I was watching our --
-I know you were.

I know you weren't watching
to see where we're going.

It's OK.

On the steering wheel,
you're going straight.

I get it.
Turns are new to you.

All right, I had a really
good drive.

I'm gonna enjoy my snack.
Thanks for waiting.

Anyways, so overall,
the car is still...

awful.

However, I'm liking it
a little bit more.

It did get us two treats.

-It did.
-It did.

So part of it right now is
we can't think straight

because it's so loud

and exhaust fuming in there.

-[Lucky] Correct.
-It's bad.

Which is on you because
you cut the hole --

-Oh, and the hole was
already there.
-It's on you.

-You didn't put
the muffler back on.
-Can't even blame it on you.

All right,
we're both responsible.

-Yeah, it's a 50-50 issue here.
-Cool.

So we have a hole to patch.
We have a exhaust to put on.

And then the car might be
halfway decent?

Yeah, unfortunately, that's it
for this episode

with this car.
-It's not.

We're only halfway through.

-Really?
-Yeah.

Great!

All right, that means you guys
can follow us right back

to the shop because
we have all of that to do,

plus we have a little special
treat, kind of like this.

Speaking of treats, um,
I finished mine.

Can I get a leaf -- a leaflet?

Thank you.

Crumbs.

Lucky and I went
on a test drive,

and we had an abundance
of exhaust flowing in the car.

So I just got to finish welding
this patch panel in.

And then Lucky is going to add
exhaust because we can't hear,

we can't think, and it was very
smelly in the car.

I'm hoping we might heat it
enough that it will...

bend up just far enough to get
the end over

the trans-crossmember.
I think this is gonna work.

Keep going, keep going!

Little more.
That's it!

We did it everybody!

OK, finally, that's it
for this episode.

Let's put this yard art
back in the yard

and move on to something fun.

-No, it's not.
-Why are you shaking your head?

[Alex] Because you know
that's not true.

It is yard art.

It's yard art, but we are not
done with this episode.

As much as we'd like to be,

everything else has
kind of failed.

This has been very interesting.

-Absolutely.
-Turns out, when you buy

somebody else's project

that's a '51 Plymouth
on a '79 Monte Carlo chassis,

stuff becomes questionable.

One man's junk is actually

another man's junk,
in this case.

Yeah, our lead sled turned into
a Bondo condo

because we took everything
that was somewhat OK about it.

We made it worse
by making it better.

So new suspension,
good, great brand.

However, it's now a high-rise
condo full of Bondo.

We have no lead sled
coolness going on.

So for payoff,
what do you think?

We drive about a mile that way
and pull over and break down?

-Well --
-We drive a couple
of miles this way,

pull over and break down?

You know, as interesting
as that sounds,

I was thinking maybe we took it
back to its friends.

-That way?
-The junkyard, yeah.

-Oh, the wreck yard.
-Yeah, junkyard

No, I'm sorry.
That's automotive
dismantler now.

-You know what I'm thinking?
-[Lucky] What?

I actually already have a plan.

Lucky just doesn't know it,
and we're going on a trip.

[scoffs]
Great.

[laughs] OK.
It's time for a road trip.

-What's wrong with this?
-It's going straight.

-What's wrong with this car?
-It's going straight.

That's it working pretty well.

I know, I forgot how miserable
this last ride was.

Hey, we actually
made an improvement.

We made some improvements,
because our hearing was shot.

-Yeah.
-Our brain cells were shot.

It's actually -- we can hear
each other talk now.

-Yes, it's a nice driver.
-I don't smell too much...

fumes.
-Yeah, not too much.

[Alex] Overall...

-I guess it's better.
-It's still a rag.

It is.

So, uh, do we have more stuff
to do with this thing?

I was wondering if we could
park down there.

I think it's got a better view.

Oh, yeah, you know what?

Yeah, they're surfing
down there.

You know, they got the flags.
You can't surf in this area.

-Let's go down by where
the surfers are.
-There's a couple spots.

-So, yeah, I think we can.
-[loud whining]

-That didn't --
-[loud thudding]

-Um...
-That's new.

Yeah, no, we can't go
down there.

Well, you know what?
Lucky for us...

-This do?
-This is a great spot.

This here seem all right to you?

Yeah, I brought
some stuff for us.

[Lucky] Like what?

-[Alex] Here, yep -- uh-huh.
-[Lucky] Is this for me?

-Thanks.
-[Alex] Yep.

-This for you.
-Nice.

There you go.
Uh-huh.

-[Lucky] Got it.
-[Alex] Stay there.

I like where you're going
with this.

-Please?
-Take.

-Just like new.
-Like -- like new?

We start the whole thing
off dishonestly?

-Just sit down.
-All right.

-Sit down.
-Well, can I have some popcorn?

[woman]
You want to give him
some popcorn?

She said no.

So, everything that we've done
with this car has been

kind of a bust,
and we made it worse.
-No, it's safer.

It's safer, I don't necessarily
know that it's any better.

Well, we made it the right --
we mounted the body correct.

It's not falling off,
I will say that, yeah.

But we put good suspension
and now it sits too high.

-We should heat it
a little at a time.
-We should not.

-We should not.
-We kind of are.

So what we were thinking is
maybe we could get something

good out of it, you know?

Have a good conversation with
passerbyers on the beach here.

And so we have "For sale."
You can take it, actually.

Just take it off of our hands.

I -- I -- this is a really
nice community.

I don't think
they're gonna take it.

They ain't --
Everyone needs flowerpots.

-You know, this is yard art?
-Yeah.

I think the yards down here are
a little expensive.

Yeah.
Yeah.

-Yeah, you want a car?
-Do you guys want to take
this thing off of us?

-[man] For free?
-[Lucky] Yard art.

It's so bad no one
wants to take it.

But you know what?
We're gonna sit here

and enjoy the beautiful breeze,

make fools of ourselves and try
to get rid of this.

-Hi, guys.
-Hey.

How are you?
We're running a special on

potted plants right now.

What, the '55 Plymouth -- what?

Yeah, '51 Plymouth
on a Monte Carlo frame.

Looks like the kind of projects
you do on MotorTrend.

-What do you know?
-The TV.

Oh her, I know you.

-That's so funny.
-You're on TV!

The driver.

-Yeah, that's me.
-And you're with her.

-I am.
I am, whenever possible.
-OK.

Well, we had a really
good interaction.

I thought we had a taker
for a second.

-Yeah.
-Oh, I do.

Who's walking who there?

-[laughing]
-What did you say?

Just yesterday, we were
sanding primer?

Yeah.

And today, we're getting ready
to pound sand.

That's what everyone's telling
us to do.

Hey, you want this?

You couldn't possibly give
that away.

It's too neat.

-Ooh.
-Ooh, yeah.

Tough call there.
Come on down.

Come on down to Winnebago Land.
We're giving them away.

Well, you guys take care.

Will somebody please,
please take this?

-This car is awesome!
-[Alex] Thanks.

I think my brother
would love it.

-[Alex] Really?
-Does it run?

Kind of. It drove here.
We'll put it like that.

It drove here, but it may not
drive away?

-We're hoping it does.
-This is awesome.

My brother, like, loves cars,
like, old cars.

Why are there, like,
stickers as, like, the gauges?

[Alex]
That's a great question.

We ran out of time to put
the real ones in, and, uh.

Oh, OK.
So that's just what it could
look like.

-Wow.
-We're trying to give it
some vision.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.
How much is it going for?

[Lucky]
Are you super attached
to that dog?

Uh, yeah, very much so.

She may -- we may
have a taker.

-[imitates dog whining]
-[Alex] Your brother may buy it.

So I feel like
in good conscience

we can't sell it right now.
-This deal's done.

I mean, we got to at least
vacuum it first.

She's going to fluff up Dallas,
and then we'll vacuum the car.

-Shampoo?
-Yeah.

-Smell pretty?
-Yeah.

-All right, it seems fair.
-Let's get your brother's info.

OK, sounds good.
Awesome.

Oh, wait, we don't get
to keep the dog?

-I'm sorry.
-Aw, man.

-Thank you.
-Thank you.

All right, we should probably
get back to the shop and get

this thing ready
for its new owner.

Call for a ride?
You got the app?

No, we have to --
we have to drive it back.

Maybe we can sell it.
Maybe it's ours.

[Alex] All right, well.

-Is it over?
-It's over.

Nice.
We made it.

-You've been trying to make --
-Safe.

You've been trying to end this
episode for, like, the last,

-I don't know...
-Seems like since it started.

-[Alex] Pretty much.
-All right.

I'm glad that is out there.

Yeah, you've been trying to
wrap it, so now we actually get

to wrap it up.
-Nice.

I was really worried when
we got started that there

wouldn't be enough to do on it.

I was really worried
when we got started.

Fair enough.

And then once we got it done,
I was really worried, like,

"Oh, we're just gonna go
sit by the beach

and try to get rid of our car?"

This truly is the definition
of it's not the destination,

it's the journey.
-[Alex] Anyways, as...

pain in the butt
as this has been,

it has also been, I mean,
halfway enjoyable.

There were some rewards.

It did get us through
historical, beautiful

Old Torrance.
-It did.

It got us some delicious snack-y
treats from a local bakery.

It did.
Snack-y treats, it did do that.

We had a fun test drive.

We've laughed a lot,

mainly at ourselves
and our situation.

Eh, the exhaust fumes inside
the car could have had

something to do
with that, too.

All right,
with that said,

we do have some
nice parts on the car,

which leads us
to a big thank you

to Aldan American.

The nicest part
on this entire car.

With that said, you have
social media?

I do.

I am MobileTechLucky
on absolutely everything.

-Do you have social media?
-I do.

I am
AlexTaylorRacing,

and we are
"Hot Rod Garage" show.

-Yes, we are.
-We can be done.

Please.