The Best Episodes of American Hot Rod

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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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