HOT ROD Garage is the project build show from HOT ROD Magazine hosted by Alex Taylor and Lucky Costa. Check out HOT ROD Garage for the tips, tricks, and wrenching that you've come to expect from the crew at HOT ROD Magazine.
Genre: Sport
Cast:Tony Angelo , Lucky Costa , Clarence Barnes , David Freiburger , Mike Finnegan , Alex Taylor , Michael Edwards , Colin Wolf , Jimmie Caldwell , Eric Rhee , Colin Jones , Roy Putman , Pat Devlin , Dustin Burr , Brandan Gillogly , Michael Skudlarek , Greg Jozwik , James Crosby
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.
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.
Mike Finnegan gets tips for strengthening sheet metal using a bead roller from world-famous fabricator, Jamey Jordan, owner of Handmade Seat Company.
Kirk Brown stops by the shop to school us on the art of sand casting traditional hot rod parts.
We revamp the Muscle Truck, our 1974 Chevrolet C10.
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.
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.
We've got a brand-new Dickies Roadkill Project Car Update on the Crusher Camaro.
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.
We revamp the suspension on our 1969 Chevy El Camino to turn this lowly hauler into a real corner-carver.
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.
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.
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, presented by Lincoln Tech we're kicking off 2015 with a new project car, the EBC Brakes 2005 Mustang GT. Our plan for this car is simple: build an S197 Mustang with easy bolt-on parts to answer all the basic questions we
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, presented by Lincoln Tech, we look at the EBC Brakes 2005 Mustang GT project car. This is based on the premise that the '05-'10 Mustangs with the 4.6L three-valve V8s have gotten affordable to drive, and they can be hopp
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, presented by Lincoln Tech, we jump back into the suspension of our EBC Brakes 2005 Mustang GT, with a complete handling package from Ford Performance Racing including full front strut assemblies, sway bars, pan- hard bar
On this episode it's the final installment of the EBC Brakes 2005 Mustang project car, we get it ready to stand out in traffic and throw in a Dana Performance one-piece aluminum driveshaft. Eagle 1 comes in to show us a really cool new clay mitt, which wo
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, presented by Lincoln Tech, we're welcoming a new project car to the show, a 1970 Chevelle that we're building for the owner of OPG. Original Parts Group sells just about everything you'd need to
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage presented by Lincoln Tech David Freiburger and Tony Angelo will show you how to get the most out of an affordable paint job. Our hosts will run through what to expect from a Maaco paint job, and what you can do before and
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, presented by Lincoln Tech, Tony Angelo installs a cleverly disguised HT502 into the Original Parts Group 1970 Chevelle https://www.opgi.com/70chevelle/ and gets it running for the first time! Then it's off to t
The guys been working on installing a 630-horsepower Lingenfelter LS7 in their 1973 Chevy Van, and they finally fire it up.
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, we've been working on installing a 630-horsepower Lingenfelter LS7 in our 1973 Chevy Van, and in this episode we install the Moser 12 Bolt Chevy Rear End and show you how to order your own custo
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, we try to get all the power from our HT502 Chevelle to the ground! Watch Tony Angelo take you step by step detailing a complete rear end overhaul and upgrade. Watch as we take our old, beat up 2
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, presented by Lincoln Tech, we finish up the build on the OPG Chevelle. Starting with interior upgrades, https://www.opgi.com/70chevelle/ we install a brand new Supersport dash upgrade, and add a Vintage Air conditioning
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, presented by Lincoln Tech we take our well-used 1974 Chevrolet delivery van and start the process of stuffing it full of Lingenfelter Performance LS7 goodness! We are going to turn this rusty T-shirt delivery van into an
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, presented by Lincoln Tech, watch Tony Angelo finish up his 1973 Dodge D200 Cummins Swap. With the help of special guest Brenden Jones, they turn this project into a coal spewing monster, with lots of power boosting upgrades along the way. They install a big turbocharger, larger injectors and more in the hopes of doubling the power output of the engine. Once together, they run #rollsmokey on the Dyno to see if they hit their goals.
Tony Angelo finish up his 1973 Dodge D200 Cummins Swap.
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, Tony Angelo shows you how to bring a long-forgotten car back to life. Tony demonstrates with his first car, a 1971 Dodge Demon 340, that hasn't been on the road in nearly 20 years. We sta
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, presented by Lincoln Tech, watch Tony Angelo and some friends install a completely new and upgraded suspension by Qa1 into his classic 1971 Dodge Demon340. Full tubular subframe and control arms in the front,
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage presented by Lincoln tech, we deliver the basics of Fabrication! You've seen us build all sorts of things in the HOT ROD garage; engine mounts, exhausts, brackets, etc. But we've never really addressed how w
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage presented by Lincoln tech we dig into the seized 1971 340 Engine from our #Greemon340 project. Watch Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa investigate the dead engine for signs of failure and damage. A complete tear-down and analys
Earlier this year, the Motor Trend family lost one of it's own, Mark Lenardon in a tragic motorcycle accident. Mark left behind an Rx-7 that he was in the processing of swapping in a 1999 Camaro LS1 and t56. Watch Tony Angelo, and some of Mark
On this episode of Hot Rod Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, we take a Hot Rod institution, The Crusher Camaro. We turn it from a jacked-up drag racer to an autocross ripper and take down the HRG test track record in the process! Special Guest David Freib
Tony Angelo Bought his 1971 Dodge Demon 340 in 1995 and it has sat dormant since 1997. To get the #greemon340 going in Hot Rod Garage style, we refreshed the engine, installed a full QA1 Suspension system, convert the front brakes to power discs, but that
In this episode of Hot Rod Garage, presented by Lincoln Tech, we've got #Rollsmokey, our 12 V Cummins Turbo Diesel swapped 1973 D200, back in the shop for a complete handling overhaul. To deal with the 750+ft lbs of torque from the Cummins engine
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, presented by Lincoln Tech, we try to decide what's better, traction or no traction! Lucky's LS-swapped Chevelle burns tires everywhere, and he's looking to fit a big tire underneath. Watch Tony Angel
Which home-tuned system is hiding more horsepower, a traditional carburetor, or a Holley Electronic Fuel Injection system? Find out in this episode of Hot Rod Garage presented by Lincoln Tech! Watch Tony Angelo turn screws on his 4bbl Carb'd 1971 D
In this episode of Hot Rod Garage presented by Lincoln Tech we set out to build some dirt-cheap speed! With a modest budget in-hand we set off to find a suitable project car, and once we find the #bonemaro in the California Desert, things start rolling. W
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 par
On 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
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 in
Watch Project X get a nasty LSX 376 GM Performance crate engine with a Weiand blower and two proper Holley carburetors.
Watch Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa install a monstrous Magnuson supercharged Blueprint Engines-built 427 LS in the Crusher.
Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa perform a complete suspension upgrade on the most iconic 1957 Chevy of all time- Project X.
Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa install 4 Piston disc brakes, an upgraded transmission, and axles to handle the power of our big-block Mopar.
In this episode of Hot Rod Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, our hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa take the HRG project cars from last season and drag race them against each other. We've got the Bonemaro, Project X, Rollsmokey, Furyroadmaster, Lucky's Chevelle, and Tony's Demon 340. First, we've got to get them all track ready, and that means fitting new brakes and 15-inch wheels and tires on the Project X-and the Bonemaro and Lucky's Chevelle each get drivetrain upgrades. See which is the fastest.
Tony is building a 1972 'Cuda, dubbed "Fishtail," into a Drift Muscle car to be featured at the 2016 SEMA show.
Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa install the brand-new Mopar Performance 392 Crate Hemi kit and a Tremec T56 Magnum six-speed into project FishTail.
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, watch hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa complete the hustle of all hustles to get the 1972 'Cuda drift car, Fishtail 'Cuda, to the SEMA show on time!
Out of all the cool projects they built last year, there was still one important thing missing: a shop truck. Tony and Lucky went out and bought a 1966 Ford F100, but it's a total dog and really a slouch of a truck. So the guys also got their hands on a 2007 Crown Victoria cop car from the guys at cruiser connections. Why? Because it's built on an incredible platform with a ton of modern components. How to perform the ultimate body swap and build a solid budget shop truck.
Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa, finish the build of their new, ultimate shop truck: the Crown Hick.
Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa decide to go with the wind in their hair in this 1965 Pontiac Lemans convertible.
Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa get the #HRGLEMANSTER back in action with a complete QA1 suspension system, and fire up 326 with the new Holley Terminator Stealth EFI system.
Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa take their trusty shop truck, the Crown Hick-a 1966 Ford F-100 sitting on a 2007 Crown Victoria complete chassis-and add boost for more power.
Tony Angelo's dream drift muscle car build, gets some suspension upgrades and sees some track time.
Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa swap in a junkyard-fresh 5.3L on our low-buck drag project, the #bonemaro-and perform some critical upgrades along the way.
Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa transform a banged-up 1987 Chevrolet G10 work van into a 1977 Boogie Van clone.
Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa take their '65 LeMans project and turn it into a road-trip hauler.
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.
Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa try to stuff 10 pounds of engine into 5 pounds of car.
Lucky Costa's personal '66 Chevelle gets major upgrades to its 6.0L LS truck engine.
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 rear view baby monitor and a killer roof rack for carrying family gear.
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.
Most of us didn't get our dream car the first time around. As a teenager, you probably got a random hand-me-down, or saved up and bought a beater. On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, watch Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa turn a very plain-Jane S-10 into a car that a kid would be stoked to own. For around $3,500, the guys do a complete color change, lower the car, and make it handle. Of course they throw in some tunes too.
Watch hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa take a very plain 1979 four-door Chevy Malibu and make it ready to outrun anyone and anything. The guys install the 500hp LS-based V-8 from the engine comparo episode and run all that power through an American Powertrain TK0600. The result is a whole lot of tire smoke and lots of giggles. Stay tuned to see Part 2.
Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa take a 500hp 1979 Malibu sleeper and turn it into an actual getaway car. The must-haves for anyone running from the law: hydraulic handbrake for quick 180s, off-road high-travel bumpstops for jumps, and a Currie 9-inch differential to handle all the abuse. After the build, watch a HOT ROD Garage version of a reenacted 1970s car chase.
Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa take a mostly stock 1985 Ford Mustang 5.0 to a dragstrip. They set up shop at the track for two days to install a ton of go-fast parts to see just how much faster the car will go after each upgrade. The guys install all the typical mods: exhaust, intake, carb, cam, and even cylinder heads in their attempt to go quicker and quicker.
Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa take their High School Special S-10, a truck that had been upgraded to drive, look, and sound better in a previous episode, and cram a 375hp Vortec V-8 in place of the original four-cylinder. The Vortec V-8 is a perfect candidate for a budget buildup with tons of potential. Watch the guys modify a $600 junkyard engine, and nearly double the power while keeping the stock heads. After the install, Angelo pilots the budget S-10 at the eighth-mile drags against some modern muscle and more than holds his own.
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? Is it a drag race car? We don't really know. Watch the #dieselcamino tow just about everything we had around, including a big rig.
Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa dig into the history of an old clunker 1956 Chevy 210 to find out the car was a 1965 NHRA H Class Champion. Once they've got an idea of how special this old Chevy is, they start on the long road getting the car back into racing shape. Watch the guys hunt down an original drivetrain, rebuild it to H/S Class specifications, and get this car back on track after sitting for decades. Will it run how it did in 1965?
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa take a trip to a local SoCal auto auction with a stack of cash and some high hopes of finding a muscle car. After money changed hands and the dust settled, the guys left with a 1991 Mercedes-Benz SL500, not our typical project. Watch Angelo and Costa get the SL500 back into driving shape, and then cram in a 575hp Toyota 2JZ-GTE turbocharged, six-cylinder in place of the tired German V-8. Once the car is an absolute screamer, the guys go on the hunt to find some '80s exotics and show them what this old 'Benz can do.
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.
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 drag strip, 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 drag strip and totally redeem themselves.
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!.
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.
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.
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.
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.
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa take their LS-swapped '71 Sedan deVille and turn it into a rolling party machine. The car was already a highway-crushing cruiser with a 5.3 LS and 4L60E overdrive transmission, but the guys needed it to finally have the style to back up the new power. Watch them install a complete state-of-the-art airbag system, with full electronic controls, and then add a 100 shot of nitrous, just for fun. This Caddy can now cruise anywhere at stock ride height but with the flip of a few switches, everything changes. It's now slammed on the ground, has an open-pipe exhaust, and an extra 100 hp of nitrous oxide.
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa take a bone-stock 150hp 1986 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe and bring it into the 21st century. Can you extract modern performance from an 80s engine by applying liberal amounts of new turbo technology? Can this 2.3L Pinto engine hang with the new Ford 2.3 Ecoboost? Watch and see. The guys will install high-flowing manifolds, a dual ball bearing turbo, big intercooler and exhaust, and one serious modern computer to control it all.
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.
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.
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.
Big block. Big fenders. Big smiles. After months of cutting glass and gluing panels, painting uglies, and stretching dollars, Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa finally finish backdating their '74 Vette with a '69 look, proper power, and real driveability. On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, watch as they transform it from a tire-shredding husk of car to a fit-and-finished (and still tire-shredding) cruise night star.
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa attempt to do the impossible: build a fast, cheap Mopar!!. It's the end of the season and the budget is tight but it's been too long without a Mopar. Angelo has dug through every online classified to find a 1973 Duster with some goodies on it, and Costa does his best to cram a 2005 5.7L Gen III Hemi into the car on the cheap. Can it be done? Will the myth of the cheap Mopar die in 2019? Watch and see.
On this episode of HOT ROD Garage, hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa are going to take on the legendary Aussie engine, the Ford Barra. It's a beastly 4.0L six-cylinder turbocharged unit that churns out enough combined tire smoke yearly to blot out the sun. These engines are the best that Australia has to offer, and they reign supreme in the land down under. The boys think that Chevrolet might have just built something in the Vortec 4200 that could be a better Barra. Both engines are around four liters, both are inline-six cylinders, both have 24 valves, so there's only one thing to do, and that's build a couple of these Vortec engines up, bolt turbochargers to them, and see what they can do.
Three cars that desperately need redemption get out to the track. Tony and Lucky dig into a Cummins-swapped '70 El Camino, a Hemi-swapped '70 Duster and a ratty '79 Camaro with a turbo LS, get them track ready and then just see what they can actually do.
Tony and Lucky 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.
We've done Chevys, Fords, and Dodges, lots of 'em! But we've never done an AMC. The American Motors Corporation was a scrappy little upstart company that made big waves in racing. The AMC V-8 has long been seen as a strong engine, but they just aren't durable. Watch Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa build up a 401ci AMC V-8 that will live to take any abuse you can throw at it, making killer power along the way. The guys will perform crucial oiling modifications to keep the engine spinning happily-and of course the usual big performance upgrades! Stay tuned!
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.
First hot rods are a learning experience, and things can go south in a hurry. One of our favorite projects, an LS-swapped, bagged, big-body '71 Sedan DeVille was too good for our HRG director to pass up, and he bought the car for himself. Having never owned a hot rod, and being somewhat unaware of how easily old parts can fail, the Cadillac overheated badly, destroying the 5.3 LS engine. Hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa decide to make it right, raiding the Drift This limo for a 6.0LS and installing it with a hot cam and lots better cooling! A fully built Gearstar transmission plus lots of gauges to keep tabs on everything make sure the "Cecil B DeVille" will keep rolling long after Haven calls "cut!"
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.
This show is called 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.
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.
The 1997-2004 Chevrolet Corvette is the best overall bang for buck in the used market. Our host Tony Angelo scooped a high-mileage 1999 six-speed manual transmission 'Vette for 7,000 bucks, and it was begging for upgrades. Watch co-host Lucky Costa tear out the well-used 5.7 liter LS1 engine and upgrade it with a complete top-end kit from Texas Speed and Holley/Hooker/MSD supporting parts.
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, watch Tony Angelo and his buddy Mike Edwards get it all set up to handle the turns.
Our hosts are on separate coasts, but that doesn't keep them from having a full-on supercar battle. Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa each get 6 thousand dollars to buy and modify a car for a variety of speed, handling, and braking contests. Tony Angelo scoops a wrecked Mercedes-Benz E 55, and Lucky grabs a Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 Twin Turbo.
Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa put together a cheap rear-end package for our 1973 Gen-3 Hemi-swapped Plymouth Duster. Once the cheap rear is built, the guys swap it into the Duster, and then drive it across LA to the 1/8 mile track at Irwindale, where it goes faster than ever.
Last season Tony bought a 170,000-mile, 260-hp, five-speed Ford Mustang GT for $3,000 as a great, affordable muscle car. After he and Lucky got through with upgrading just about everything, they realized it was a great car, but seriously lacking in the muscle department.
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.
HOT ROD Garage hits episode 100 in a big way. "Bonemaro," our 1979 beater Camaro, is a cheap/fast/ugly project that was the show's first big hit back in the day. It's been upgraded here and there but has always stayed fast and trashy. It's time for hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa to finally put a shine on the car that has been so big for HOT ROD Garage. Lucky comes through with a complete fuel system upgrade including a proper Holley EFI system, and the car gets sent to Tony and his boys in Pennsylvania for a one-piece fiberglass front end and a proper paint job. You will not believe this thing is the same car. Until you see the ending.
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.
Hot Rod Garage's first traditional hot rod build, our 1927-ish Ford T-bucket truck that we slapped together was in need of a good bit of love. Last time we worked on it, we got it running and driving, but only barely. This time, watch our hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa completely revamp, well, just about everything. Brakes, frame, steering, suspension, even the engine gets a sweet-looking 3x2 carburetor setup for primo old-school looks and performance.
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.
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.
This time on HOT ROD Garage, we dig back into the Grand Trashional, the cheapest running turbo Buick EVER. We scooped a 1985 T-Type for 3800 bucks, fixed a ton of rust, cleaned up the interior, and took it to the track, where Tony Angelo promptly blew the non-intercooled 3.8-liter engine up. Watch Tony and guest host Jimmy Caldwell attempt to get this thing making serious power. The guys swap in a much-preferred 1987 intercooled engine and then bolt up a ton of modern performance parts: a dual ball-bearing Garrett turbo, Holley EFI, flowmaster manifolds, and a complete front-mount intercooler system. This thing will make all the power in the world, right? Watch and find out.
This time on HOT ROD Garage, our dirt-cheap Turbo Buick T-type, the "Grand Trashional," comes back for redemption after a total dyno letdown in the last episode. We know if we can just get the right Gearstar transmission and torque converter on there, it will finally sing the proper tune, right? Afterwards, the G-Body gets a complete suspension upgrade for some major G-forces, and hosts Tony Angelo and Jimmy Caldwell go head to head in a driving battle to see who gets to unveil the next HRG project.
This time on HOT ROD Garage, we take our Coyote-engine-swapped 2004 GT and upgrade the chassis and suspension to handle the 400+ horses the 2015 F-150 Coyote V-8 puts down. Watch our host Tony Angelo and guest host Jimmie Caldwell replace the entire rear four-link suspension with a Griggs Racing torque arm setup with QA1 custom coil-overs. After the suspension and chassis are sorted, they upgrade the whole interior, seats, harnesses, and belts then take the car out to Willow Springs to set some fast lap times with a pack of quick track-day racers.
This time on HOT ROD Garage, we take our Crown Hick pickup and make it more awesome than EVER. Watch hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa be reunited on this iconic HRG build. The Crown Hick is a 66 F100, sitting on an entire 2007 Crown Victoria frame, with suspension upgrades and a supercharger. The guys built it years ago, and it's been ridden hard and put away wet again and again. It's time to get this thing built right and huffing serious boost. The old stock engine comes out, a forged Modular Motorsports long-block goes in, with a Vortec intercooler and the smallest supercharger pulley available, with a Holley Dominator to control it all. What could go wrong?. (Watch and find out.)
This time on Hot Rod Garage, watch hosts Tony Angelo and Lucky Costa stray way off the beaten path when they get their hands on a 1990 Plymouth Voyager five-speed, turbocharged minivan. These cars are super rare and as '80s as it gets. Tony scooped this project sight unseen off the internet, and it's time to get it back to 100. The boys refresh the suspension, engine, and accessories until this 250,000-mile van is as good as new. Stock is never good enough at Hot Rod Garage, and they don't stop there. A custom exhaust, upgraded ECU, and more boost is applied to the grocery getter, and then it's time for this dadmobile to hit the dragstrip.
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 stress testing before it goes back to street service.
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 builders, they give it an absolute flogging on the track. You can't fix it until you know what's broken, right?
Join Hot Rod Garage as we welcome the 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 10's for 10k Bonemaro build into some 9-second timeslip territory. A solid plan of weight loss, a trans brake, and a booster seat should all add up to the fastest pass in Bonemaro's history.
This time on Hot Rod Garage, the Grand Trashional gets one more shot at making the power it deserves. We're putting all our faith in heads, a cam, hopes, and a dream. And because we're gluttons for punishment, we introduce another creampuff to the fleet: yet another must-have GM turbo V-6. But at least this one will be fast, right?
With HRG's Javelin finally sorted in the suspension, braking, and power departments, it's time to get seating sorted, safety started, and the nut behind the wheel trained. We're talking seating for two, roll cage, and some on-track tuning by MT's resident hot-lapper Randy Pobst. After a couple of quick and dirty road course lessons, Alex and Lucky strap in to do battle with the Javelin's hottest lap times.
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.
A little work gets you a little faster, but a lotta work gets you a LOT faster. Join Alex and Lucky as they bounce between our forgotten hero of a turbocharged five-speed Voyager minivan and the newest member of the HRG stable: a desert-fresh, soon to be tube chassised '55 Savoy. Which one is destined for greatness? Hint: It's not the minivan. At least not yet.
This time on 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.
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!.
Freshly stoked off of their win at Roadkill Nights, Alex and Lucky are taking 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?
Roll Racing has been hot on the street for a minute, and we've all seen or heard those three-honk freeway starts. Just like drag racing before it, it's 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. It's a gas-mashing battle on the front straight of Big Willow, with a little extra dose of competition from a more expected roll race competitor called the GT3.
After its Gen III Hemi went on loan to Engine Masters, the MythDuster has been resting in pieces. A report card showing the early Gen III down nearly 100 hp from its later brethren just didn't inspire a reinstallation. So this time on HRG, we upgrade our early Gen III Hemi engine with the much improved later Eagle heads to get our MythDuster making some actual power and some actual passes.
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.
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 car that got Lucky into cars, she hatched a plan to find him one. A light tuneup and a few lies later, Lucky finally gets what's coming to him-a super secret '63 Ford Galaxie Country Sedan.
We're inventing a holiday, everybody!. 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. We may have gotten a late start on the invites this year, but they're already in the mail for the next one... Grab your helmet and make a plate because HRG Day is here to stay.
HRG is back and so is our 80/90s Super-Truck, the granddaddy of go-fast SUVs, our '92 Typhoon!. Rod knock will be a thing of the past as Alex and Lucky refresh the drivetrain and pit it head to head against today's top-of-the-line, ultra-lux, supercharged people-mover.
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. But more important, they're out to serve justice by finally putting a quarter-mile time on the Red-Eye-powered, big-tire Savoy.
This time on Hot Rod Garage, Alex and Lucky explore new territory in the world of land speed racing and continue down a well-worn path with the Bonemaro. But more than the cars, this one is all about goals: setting personal targets on the dry lake beds of El Mirage and (fingers crossed) breaking personal bests running the Bonemaro into the nines.
