Hot Rod Garage

- Season 9

(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.

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. ...

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 ...

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...

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 ...

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 ...

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...