Hot Rod Garage

- Season 8

(2020)

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 ...

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.