Boyd and his crew attempt to resurrect a forgotten classic — a scruffy 1956 two-door Chevy salvaged from the junkyard — only to find that integrating classic hot-rod looks with 21st-century technology isn't as easy as it sounds.
Three weeks into the project, the team finds itself running several days behind an already tight schedule. Problems arise when the doors won't fit properly on the body, but after some after-hours hammering sessions, the boys manage to tame their junkyard dog — until a snafu with the gas tank nearly blows up in their faces.
With most of the major body work completed, the team moves on to the next phase. Six layers of custom Boyd Red paint later, things seem to be on schedule ... until the boys discover that the specially made motor doesn't quite fit in the front end, forcing them to come up with a quick fix.
With only days to go until the big show in Las Vegas, Boyd and his crew feel the heat, and taking a break to barbecue in the shop only creates more tension. Without Charley, last-minute changes and costly delays put a ratchet in the works. Will the crew have the car ready in time for Boyd to test-drive before the unveiling?
The metal starts flying when the Coddington crew sets out to create a one-of-a-kind signature roadster — the all-aluminum Alumatub — from scratch in just 16 weeks. And when the tension between shop rivals Jimmy and Bluebear reaches a fever pitch, Boyd sets up an impromptu boxing match to work out their differences, the results of which may knock out Boyd's most ambitious project yet.
A Swedish intern joins the team, his fumbling nearly setting off an international incident in the shop. Already days behind schedule on the chassis, the crew hits another snag when Kevin falls asleep at the wheel-making machine. But with Duane barking out orders, the pieces finally come together, and the chassis gets shipped out to Marcel's Custom Metal, where the 'tub begins to take shape.
When the Alumatub's body comes back from Marcel's one week ahead of schedule, Boyd and the gang are thrilled. Not only is the workmanship top-notch, but the extra seven days offer much-needed breathing room on the project. However, when Mike discovers that the water pump won't fit under the svelte aluminum body, the whole 'tub nearly goes down the drain.
With the finish line on the horizon, the crew bears down to complete their unique aluminum roadster. The pressure mounts when their momentum is stymied by a freak snowboarding accident. Bitter disputes break out, culminating in an all-out paintball war that throws the shop into turmoil.
With only two weeks to go, the crew throws things into fifth gear, even avoiding a few last-minute potholes — like a too-small manifold that won't fit on the custom-built engine. But when the 'tub suddenly loses all oil pressure on the morning of its big debut, Boyd nearly blows a gasket. With everything on the line, the guys will have to push themselves like never before to get the Alumatub to the finish line.
This time around, Boyd Coddington and his crew set out to create a rebuilt 1932 Hi-Boy Roadster. Traditional touches abound, including a front-mounted moon tank, a louvered deck lid and conventional wing-style gauges. But the real trick will be shoehorning a 21st-century 400-horsepower Chevy motor into this old-school beauty. It's going to take maximum effort from everyone involved to get this Boy on the road.
When the '32 Roadster hits a major speed bump with parts missing and the shop in an uproar, Duane reaches his breaking point. His shop on its way to a full-blown disaster, Boyd makes a shocking decision to change the build that will either make or break the roadster.
Falling dangerously behind on the prize '32 Roadster, the Coddington crew is forced to make radical moves in their bid to bring their beast under control. As the deadline fast approaches, the two Coddington shops find themselves fighting over the roadster and control of the car's destiny.
With only two days left to assemble the entire '32 roadster, Boyd's team bears down to fight its way to the finish line. But when Mike refuses to work over the weekend and a boxful of crucial parts fails to come back from the chrome-plater, Boyd faces the possibility of heading to his hot-rod event with nothing to show.
Boyd's next mission starts with the unlikely discovery of a '65 Ford Mustang in an old barn. But as the team begins to tear apart this ailing American classic, full of holes and rusted metal parts, they discover they must complete the rebuild in a record seven weeks. Then, just as the crew is getting started, a feud emerges between Bluebear and a newcomer that turns into all-out warfare in the hot-rod shop. With morale plummeting, Boyd and Duane decide enough is enough and one of the crew is fired ... a change nobody saw coming.
The Coddington team find themselves knee-deep in controversy over the '65 Mustang. With the shop tearing itself apart, Boyd decides to use a little positive reinforcement to boost morale by taking some of his hardworking crew to judge a different kind of contest. But when the same old problems return, Boyd introduces the crew to his own version of positive reinforcement: a military boot camp to get everyone into shape. Then, as the Mustang nears a crucial deadline, Charley realizes that he's low on a crucial element. Will Boyd let Charley take the heat for all the delays, or will he send another shop member to the firing squad?
With only seven days left to finish the '65 Mustang, Duane cracks under the pressure with fewer crew members to complete the job and key parts still missing. Just when Boyd's crew reaches their deadline in time for the car to head to upholstery, Charley is put to the test again when the engine's paint job cracks, leaving him to pull another all-nighter for his team. Will this American beauty reach the finish line after its most severe crisis yet? The Mustang project must come to an end — whether or not the car is completed in time for the surprise reveal at Indy.
After months of disagreements over what constitutes a classic hot rod, Boyd puts Bluebear's "theories" to the test and challenges him to a build-off — one that will end with a race from L.A. to Louisville, Ky. But the chance to be in charge quickly goes to Bluebear's head, and he refuses to heed Boyd's advice, even on important safety issues.
The tension between Boyd and Bluebear rises to a dangerous level as the young, headstrong builder goes against the master's orders. As the crisis grows, Bluebear begins to alienate members of his own team, and the entire competition threatens to unravel.
As the build-off between Boyd and Bluebear grows more tense, Boyd desperately tries to lighten the mood. But his attempts fall by the wayside as Bluebear's stiff resistance to Boyd's suggestions only hardens Boyd's resolve that the issue must come to a head. In a shocking confrontation, the two men lay it all out on the table. As emotions reach a fever pitch, Bluebear's future in the shop will finally be determined.
With the build-off finally over, the race across the country will determine the winning hot rod. Through desert, forest and mountains the teams race their cars while facing every possible tragedy and triumph. Finally, a winner is crowned, but a huge surprise awaits at the finish line in Kentucky.
To boost morale, Boyd brings in a fun new project: a classic '42 Woodie. However, no one else in the shop seems excited by the build, especially when they find out they have less than eight weeks to complete the project before its debut at a car show in Hawaii. With a tight schedule and a less-than-teamwork attitude in the shop, this build might not make it out of the starting blocks.
With a lot of work to do, and little time to do it, Duane's stress reaches the boiling point, leading Boyd to suggest he take a vacation while the car's being upholstered. Meanwhile, Charley confides to Beetle Bailey that he is considering a job offer from another shop. The tension can be cut with a knife as the Woodie finally heads into the body shop.
To meet the Woodie's deadline, everyone pitches in, despite several hotheaded stand-offs. But at the last second, when the guys try to start the car, they discover a major leak, which takes hours to correct. In the end, the car makes it to its unveiling in Hawaii and is a huge success; however, Boyd and Charley remain at odds, and after a very emotional showdown, Charley quits to take a job with a rival shop. What will Boyd do without his heavy hitter?
Still reeling from Charley's departure, the crew embarks its next endeavor: a '63 Corvette. But what sounds like a dream project turns into a nightmare when the owner requests that the 1,500-horsepower Corvette be a race car, show car and street car all in one; as a result Mike and the guys quickly lose interest in the difficult project. With Duane pulling double duty to fill in for Charley in the body shop, Scott is put in charge, and the search for Charley's replacement is on.
As the shop struggles to turn the car into both a race car and a hot rod before the rapidly approaching deadline, Boyd asks everyone to work extra hours ... including semi-retired Roy. And it's the ever-grumpy Roy who faces the biggest challenge: dealing with his new (and very talkative) assistant. Faced with the unfamiliar demands of building a race car, and unforeseen complications at every turn, the team falls way behind on the Corvette.
With only two weeks to go before the '63 Corvette's debut, Boyd faces a mutiny when some of his best guys walk out for an overdue day off. Meanwhile, a mystery painter steps into the booth to paint the car in Charley's absence. But with so little time before the deadline hits, the team must pull together and work around the clock to get the car completed. Boyd stalls the crowd until the car is finished, and when the Sting Ray finally rolls out in front of the anxious spectators, it's a huge success for Boyd and his loyal team.
The Coddington crew travels to St. Louis, Mo., to visit the Anheuser-Busch headquarters in preparation for their newest hot rod. But Bud Light challenges Boyd, choosing the hard-to-find '33 roadster for their build. Unable to find anything but a '36 coupe, the gang is forced to turn it into a roadster, a big metalwork job that falls on the semi-retired Roy and his assistant Lee. And to make matters worse, Al drops the bombshell that he's leaving Boyd Coddington's shop.
Master car builder and mentor Al resigns from the shop, and leaves Boyd and Duane with one less pair of hands to tackle the difficult challenge of turning a '36 coupe into a roadster. With no one in the body shop and a car that's going to require a lot of body work, Duane is forced to find some outside help. As the shop falls further and further behind, Duane's frustration increases, and Boyd and Thomas butt heads over the workday hours.
The garage's new guy, Bernt, feels the pressure as time runs out to finish the hot rod for Bud Light. Tensions run high as everyone scrambles to meet the deadline.
Join the undisputed master of custom car building, Boyd Coddington, as he takes a road trip accross America to find the ten best hot rods. The most extreme designs, the biggest engines, outstanding fabrication and craftsmanship. From a '29 Roadster, to a '66 Nova, to a car that defies definition, these are the most extreme hot rods to ever take the streets. And while each car is as unique as it's owner, they all have something in common: they are the best.
Vern Hildebrandt brings his dad's '34 roadster into Boyd's shop to be restored to the condition it was in back in 1956. The crew is challenged, as they must find parts ranging from 1934 to 1956 to use on the car.
Boyd's and Mike's creative differences on style and paint — Mike prefers to preserve the roadster's authentic style, while Boyd wants to update the look — generate tension as Boyd undermines Mike's authority during the restoration.
As the NHRA opening looms, Boyd and the crew get off track with the completion of Vern Hildebrandt's '34 roadster when the engine builders have a difficult time finding the old parts to finish their work.
Boyd and the crew take on the challenge of rebuilding a 1959 Impala two-door coupe — nicknamed "Ghetto Princess" — and turning it into a classic lowrider with an extra-low stance, wide wheels and a Chevy big block.
The garage continues to add speedster style to the Impala and to build a matching one-off motorcycle also requested by the client.
The pressure to finish the 1959 Impala and matching motorcycle intensifies.
The builds finally complete, Boyd unveils the new masterpieces at Camp Pendleton in Southern California to boost morale among Marines being deployed to Iraq.
Boyd and the guys take on the nonprofit Coddington Foundation's first project: a '63 Dodge Polara designed by Max Cohen, a 17-year-old leukemia patient who will also help build it.
Work continues on the "Max Hemi."
Boyd and his crew complete the hot rod and unveil it at the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Another SEMA build is underway and the tension is still thick in the shop. Who will get mad and walk out?
The shop is short staffed and the ones that are left are making costly mistakes. Will the builds be completed or will replacing the crew be the next priority?
With the SEMA show deadline upon them, tension mounts as they race to complete 3 projects.
The latest project for Boyd and the Coddington crew is to add a new twist to a '56 Chevy convertible. With a shrinking staff, Boyd is forced to hire some new guys to help out with the build. But when the new team members add more problems than anything else, the usual crew has to pick up the slack before this hot rod build stalls out.
The guys continue working on their latest build, a '56 Chevy convertible. Having lost some of the recent hires in the shop, Mike steps up to work on the taillights and has some trouble adjusting to working side by side with Lee. A new crew member has a hard time fitting in at the shop and is let go. And when Duane heads to Nashville for some drag racing, things fall behind in the shop and the build gets off course.
Running out of time to finish their latest build, a '56 Chevy convertible, the guys in the body shop are forced to work over the holidays. Duane and Boyd decide to give Tony another chance, and bring him back to the shop as an unpaid intern. As the team works together to finish the car, Scott's frustration hits an all-time high. The car is revealed at Autorama in Sacramento, Calif.
Boyd and the Coddington crew get to work on their latest project — a 1961 Chevy Impala Bubbletop. While the car is being taken apart, Lee finds himself a new partner in crime in Tony. The two of them add some spice to the shop and cook up some chili for the crew. Scott and Chris take a trip to Mexico and decide to build a truck as a side project, but when it adds more work for crew, Duane's temper boils over.
The guys continue working on their latest project, a '61 Chevy Impala Bubbletop, but they get behind schedule when they run into some problems. Boyd and Jo head to Denver to pick out the paint scheme with the car's owner. The mood in the shop turns sour as the deadline approaches. Scott's unhappiness with the shop continues to grow, and that is reinforced when Boyd returns and doesn't like some of the work that he did. Tony makes improvements as he spends time learning from the more experienced crew.
With the '61 Chevy Impala Bubbletop way behind schedule, the body shop works overtime to try to get it back on track. Frustration builds in the shop when Brad doesn't show up for work, leading to an explosive confrontation. When Tony gets into a serious car accident, it means the shop is down another guy, leaving more work for everyone else. Tired of the tight deadlines, Scott decides that it is finally his time to say goodbye to Boyd and the Coddington crew.
With the deadline quickly approaching for the '61 Chevy Impala Bubbletop, the Coddington crew kicks it into high gear. When Boyd questions the paint job, a crew member grows frustrated and threatens to walk out. Once the car is in final assembly, Scott packs up and says goodbye to the hot rod shop. When the wheel shop closes its doors, Diane has a hard time leaving it all behind.
Boyd and Jo head to Sacramento to pick up their next build: a 1940 Ford. Asked to turn this beauty into a hot rod for John Sullivan's birthday present, Boyd learns of the tight deadline that they will be up against. Once back in the shop, Tony and Lee work on taking the car apart. The Coddington crew soon realizes that this car needs more work than expected, cutting into their already tight schedule. Boyd hires a new sheet metal guy, in an attempt to finally replace Roy, hoping this will help keep the guys on track. Tony pitches in, but ends up being more of a liability than a help to the guys.
The Coddington crew continues working on their latest build, a 1940 Ford. Already behind schedule, the guys slip even further behind. With Tony making more and more mistakes in the shop, he is transferred to the CNC Shop, in hopes of finding his niche. Duane and Bernt go on vacation, leaving Dan in charge. But when Dan and the BodShop guys butt heads, the car gets even more off course. Duane returns to the shop, and tempers flare when he finds out that the car still isn't done.
Boyd and the guys race to finish their latest build, a 1940 Ford, on time. Duane is upset that they have gotten so far behind schedule. Fortunately, the Coddington crew pulls it together and finishes in time to reveal the car in Sacramento.
Work starts on the ‘36 Ford, but typical last minute changes threaten the project. One member of the team is so frustrated that he storms out.
Work continues on the Ford, staying on schedule is harder than expected. A small side job is taking up too much time.
The first annual Boyd Coddington collector-car auction is getting close and the team races to complete three cars.
The crew is working on a 1940 Ford Woodie that is headed for Mississippi for a Hurricane Katrina event.
The crew continues to work on the 1940 Woodie, they struggle to keep it together. With a deadline looming will the pressure be too much?
The deadline is upon the broken team. They rush to finish the project before time runs out.
The team starts their latest project - a ‘69 El Camino that the owner wants to use to carry his Harley. At the same time Boyd is asked to take on another project by a construction company who want a unique promotional tool - a '31 Model A Truck.
After some minor set backs the team refocuses and hit’s the double build head on. Bets are made, anger erupts, and hood does not fit.
Work is continuing on the El Camino and the Model A, but further set back put both builds in jeopardy. A ‘Boyd’ extra stops by that leaves the team seeing double.
Restoration of a classic 1957 Chevy begins; Boyd heads north to lend his expertise to a local crew attempting to restore a car in 36 hours.
The '57 Chevy build goes smoothly, so Boyd and the guys travel to an auto show in Arizona. Meanwhile, back at the shop, one crew member decides to mix things up, creating chaos.
The body shop races to finish the paint on the '57 Chevy, and Boyd brings a little Christmas cheer by giving the guys a day at the drag strip.
Boyd visits Hershey to get a brief on a car they want built - as a tribute to Elvis Presley. Boyd and Jo tour the factory to meet the people then head off to Graceland to get some idea's for the car. The final choice is a 57 Caddilac and Boyd gets to work.
Work continues on the Elvis tribute car. Duane does not like the colour and tries to get Boyd to change his mind. Boyd and Duane take a pink dare. Jo and Robert visit the USAF Thunderbirds and get to go up in the air for a spin.
The Elvis car starts coming together and to everyones suprise the colour looks really good. Chris doesn't like the wheels though but Boyd won't change his mind. Gabe is pleased to be working with white leather for a change. The car is unveiled at the Reese's store in New York city.
Sobe ask Boyd to build a promotional hot rod based on a 1960 Mercury wagon. Meanwhile the construction company are back with a special build - a wheelbarrow - in time for a convention.
Work on the Mercury continues but is going very slowly as everyone is waiting for things to happen.
As the deadline looms, the stress starts to affect Dwayne and the countdown clock is not helping. Everything starts coming together and the car gets into shape, including some custom surfboards. With the car complete, Boyd heads off to unveil the car at a surf event in Florida.
Boyd's team starts work on a double build - a 1959 Corvette and a custom Bella Haye. The team has a new female member - will the guys accept her?
Work continues on the 2 builds, while finishing up a 3rd for good measure. Duane's management style starts to take its toll and morale sinks to a new low. Al quits and Liz leaves as her and Jo don't get along. What is happening to the crew?
Boyd takes some time out to make a trip to Tulsa, to watch a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere being removed from a time capsule. Will they be able to make her run?. The team finish work on the Corvette ahead of its debut... in a drag race against a modified Corvette Z06.
Boyds newest project is a Model T than he plans to turn into a racer for Jo to drive at Bonnieville. To get the Delahaye back on track he enlists the help of one of his customers.
Work continues on Jo's Bonnieville racer and Boyd opts to put Rocky's car on hold. Duane's temper annoys everyone and there are problems with the engine.
The team finish Jo's car and head off to Bonnieville. Before she can attempt the 200mph record Jo must first earn her licenses in a car she hasn't driven before.
From the producers of American Chopper comes American Hot Rod, a peek into the life of legendary hot-rod builder and designer Boyd Coddington and his crew. This series documents the construction of classic cars. Along the way, you'll get to know Boyd; his sons; his wife, who helps Boyd run the shop; his ex-wife, who runs his accounting department; his publicist, who tries to keep his schedule straight; and the rest of the Coddington hot-rod team. And, of course, you'll also become familiar with the drama, tension, comedy and frustration that come to the fore as the guys race to complete their classic cars amid looming deadlines and constant complications.
