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.

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.