♪♪
Man: Yeah.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Ah! Ah!
Got to turn
on your gas, dumb-a*s!
Whoo-hoo! Whoo!
Number one!
- I'm out of gas.
- Number one!
Victory lap, victory lap.
Ugh, will you
push me back in?
Yeah.
[ Tires screech ]
[ laughs ]
Whoo!
Narrator: Right now on
"Fast N' Loud"...
- Boom!
- Whoo!
Narrator: ...Hot rod hunter
Richard rawlings
and the Gas Monkey crew hit
reset on this '67 firebird...
Get it done, guys.
Narrator: ...But delays
cut into their schedule.
I don't know about his side,
but my side looks great.
- Oh, this sucker is heavy.
- Ah!
Narrator:
The weight of one project
could bring the mechanics down
and have the paint shop
singing the blues.
It's horrible!
- Need Richard.
- And I hate blue.
Narrator: And then Richard finds
three reasons to fall in love.
It is ridiculous.
Did you get enough leg
in there?
Never enough leg, Tony.
Narrator: Plus, when the guys
go on a mission
to rescue a rare VW...
Looks like it's going
to rain.
...It's Richard
who's all washed-up.
Ah! Holy...
Yeah, I can, like,
feel my eyelashes
- melt off.
- What?
Idiot.
That's why he's been so grumpy.
Yeah, I felt like something
was weird today.
Something was a little off.
The monkeys are in the middle
of building a 1967 firebird,
but mother nature
slammed the brakes
on getting the body
to the sandblaster,
and I'll get to that roadblock
in a Texas minute.
What's up with this?
The whole saga began a while
back on my other show,
"garage rehab."
this is yours?
Un-freaking-believable, man.
That's when I snatched up
a white '67 firebird
for 10,000 grand.
♪♪
What do you think about this
sweet-a*s cream puff?
I checked the market for
convertible firebirds,
and done right, they're going
for about 40 to 75 g.
With only 10,000 grand in it
to start, it made perfect sense
to preorder
a ton of expensive parts,
then set the monkeys loose
and get it built in 10 days.
Plan was perfect...
Big motor, new suspension,
fresh paint, wheels, tires,
sell it for a sweet profit,
boom, money is in the bank.
♪♪
But a quick flip soon turned out
to be a colossal headache.
It's been hacked up.
We cannot put this car
back together.
This car has to go to scrap.
This is a donor car.
Well, it didn't drive bad.
We cannot put our name
on this car.
Richard: We didn't have
the solid car
I thought it was to start with,
but with thousands of dollars
in new parts already on the way,
I needed another '67
firebird convertible pronto.
[ Horn honks ]
Cue my fixer, Russell,
to come to the rescue.
What'd I buy this for?
- $25,000.
- [bleep]
Richard: He found the right car
at the wrong price,
another 25 grand
out of my pocket.
You already got a motor
coming, transmission.
Everything is already
on its way here.
Richard: And time is money,
so I didn't get back
the three days we wasted,
and the monkeys
got seven days to build it.
But then even weather
was against me.
I don't think we're going
anytime soon.
Doesn't look like it.
Richard: The body
couldn't be sandblasted
because of the danger
of moisture causing flash rust.
So the weather is gone,
and the body
went to the sandblaster,
and I'm gonna go have a beer,
and when I get back,
they better have something
to show for it,
or I'm gonna be out 35 grand.
Firebird's here.
Whew.
It's not horrible.
It's better than the other one.
Dude, I'm going to tell you,
we're miles ahead
where we were on the other one.
- It still has a floor.
- Yeah.
You know, a couple small rust
spots in the hidden areas
but compared to the other one,
pretty solid.
- Yeah, I'm not hating.
- Firewall looks
really good on
this car unlike the other one.
We don't have any rust
around the windshield trim.
No, it looks good.
Much better this time,
much better car.
All right, cool.
Now y'all got a week to finish it.
- Whole week?
- Seven days, get it done.
I've got to meet Dennis to see
a man about a VW Van.
Okay.
Quarters are
still kind of [bleep].
Replacing these, or what
do you want to do?
No, we just don't have time.
Here is the plan, you and Jeremy
are going to tackle
the wheel tubs,
do all the prep work
we can before it goes to you,
put your suspension on
so you can set your doors
where they're gonna be
in your fenders.
I know it's gonna take
a little more time,
but that's the best way you're
gonna have to block the car.
I think with a convertible,
that's a good idea. [font color="#ffff00"]- Yeah.[/font]
Did we decide once we have
all the weighted hood
subframe connectors or no?
- I think we did.
- I think we should.
Just simply because of the power
this motor has now. [font color="#ffff00"]- Yeah.[/font]
The Butler is
a 600-horsepower motor.
It's gonna have at least
Applying all that horsepower
is gonna make the car
want to twist and flex
experience on a convertible,
so we're gonna add
subframe connectors
to connect the subframe
to the unibody to stiffen it up
and make it handle way better.
It's too bad if you got
a badass
Butler motor for
a silly convertible car.
Top goes down.
- Price goes up.
- Exactly.
That's what he's hoping for
because he's gonna need it.
- That's what he always wants.
- Let's get this thing started.
- Cool.
- [ grunts ]
♪♪
[ Dog barking ]
♪♪
What's up?
- Hey.
- What do you think?
I like this one.
Actually, I like the flat.
You like the flat?
I kind of like the flat.
Yeah, it looks good.
Mike: For the firebird, Richard
started out wanting copper.
For some reason, this car
tells me it wants to be,
like, a copper-brown color.
Mike: Then he asked
for gunmetal gray.
I want to go with
a combination of gunmetal,
black, and that bronze
on the wheels.
Aren't we kind of gunmetal-ed
out right now?
As much as I like games,
guessing what Richard
wants isn't fun anymore.
♪♪
I heard y'all got some
paint samples for me
for this firebird project.
Oh, yeah, that way.
I'm sure you're gonna
love it.
Well, if you did what I said.
- What's up, Mike?
- What's up?
You did not do what I said.
What do you mean?
That is horrible!
This is kind of
where I was going,
but I was thinking more gray,
and this has got
more green in it.
This is not
what I'm looking for.
Okay.
What are you looking for?
- I want to lean more gray.
- Okay.
I like a darker gunmetal
but flat.
Mike: Ugh, that leads to
another round of sprayouts...
I think I like this gray.
Well, that gray is as
plain charcoal as you get.
It's basically
black and silver.
I'm not fired up for any of
this right here, really.
What are some other choices?
Yeah, I can sh**t you sprayouts
for days and days and days.
- How long you want to talk...
- We don't have days and days and days.
I know. So what do you
want me to do?
...Which just goes to show
that Richard is
one of those people
who doesn't know
what he wants
until you show him.
Well, I'll show him.
Ready?
Richard won't know what hit him
when I show him this color.
I think it's great.
♪♪
♪♪
That's an I, not a y...
Tokio.
I have a stinking suspicion
that you're taking me
to some backwoods area.
Dennis had the bright idea
to come down here
to Tokio, Texas,
which there is actually
a Tokio, Texas,
and buy a car that's been
sitting in the woods for,
well, since '74.
There's a 21-window bus, like,
in the middle of the 168 acres.
- Like, in the trees?
- Yes.
Real samba, dude.
Richard: VW started making
sambas back in 1951.
They were sort of the luxury
version of the VW Van
and came with 21
or 23 panoramic windows.
They're a kitschy,
cool collectible that,
for reasons way beyond me,
can sell for a heck
of a lot of money.
Fully restored, I've seen them
top 300 grand at auction,
and that's 300,000 reasons
to hike through a briar patch
to have a look at one.
We're not going after, like,
another galaxie, are we?
Because I bailed on that deal.
Oh, it's worse
than the galaxie.
That sucks, man.
This isn't the first time
that Dennis has brought me out
on a wild goose chase.
There was that holy grail
q-code galaxie in Indiana.
- Is that it?
- Wow. - Yeah, that's it.
It looks like
a worthless pile of rust.
Oh, this thing will buff out.
Deal, twelve, five.
We dragged it out of there,
shifted back,
and I got cold feet.
This is my holy grail, Dennis?
- You just want your money back?
- I'll take it.
I sold it yesterday for $21,000.
Richard: I got out of the deal,
and he ended up selling it
and making some money.
I'm not going to leave any money
on the table on this one.
I'm here.
Let's get it done.
Dude, I don't want
to go traipsing
through the woods again.
He said he graduated
in high school in the late '60s
and parked it there.
So we're going to try
to pull... it's right here.
Whoa.
you can't even see the car.
Like, you'll walk
for hundreds of yards
before you can even see it.
I'm starting to hear the theme
from "deliverance" back here.
[ laughs ]
Let's go see him.
Get my glasses here.
Way down this trail out
in the middle of nowhere.
Let's go.
It's the thrill of the hunt.
It's the thrill of the chase.
I mean, where are you gonna
find a 21-window bus
that's been sitting outside
since 1974
in the middle of nowhere?
It's probably in the middle
of nowhere
because that's where
it deserves to be.
So what was the story with it?
He drove it in high school?
Had it in high school, drove it
out here and just left it.
This Volkswagen bus
has been here a long time.
That's a lot of history,
and it's got a title.
So there it is in all its glory.
Dude, look at this bus.
That cool?
It is, but it's quite rusty.
- Patina.
- Richard...
It's a Texas VW, man.
[bleep]
These little thorny things
are thorny.
Yeah.
If you had real jeans on instead
of those designer jeans,
they wouldn't be poking you.
Dennis, I don't know
about this, man.
I knew this would freak him out,
Chris. [font color="#ffff00"]- What's wrong?[/font]
Richard: This Van actually looks
like a cheese grater,
like a rusty
old cheese grater.
It's got more holes in it
than I got...
I don't even have
a frigging analogy for that.
This is coming
from Captain Patina.
There's not anything left of it,
hardly.
When was the last time
you found one?
I haven't ever found one.
Look, the tree, the tree
grew with the door open!
What does he want for this?
Like, $4,500.
You've got to be kidding me.
♪♪
Whoo!
Narrator: Coming up on
"Fast N' Loud"...
This is safety first.
Narrator: ...The VW Van
could leave Richard
all washed-up.
Man: ♪ yeah ♪
Narrator: And...
What do you think?
Narrator: ...Mike makes
a risky proposition.
- I know you hate blue.
- Freaking hate blue.
Done.
My work for today is finished.
There it is in all its glory.
Dude, look at this bus.
It's quite rusty.
Look, the tree, the tree grew
with the door open!
Dennis and big Chris
dragged me out in this field
to take a look at a 1964
VW samba bus
or what's left of it.
There's not anything left of it,
hardly.
Fully restored,
one could be worth
hundreds of
thousands of dollars
but like this,
hardly worth the trip.
It is originally green-on-green
at least.
- Hey, what's going on?
- Hey, Rick.
How are you, sir?
Great.
- Good to see you, Dennis.
- Where are your britches?
I don't wear britches out here.
My name is Rick Binner
from Tokio, Texas.
My boys drug me out here
because they said
that you had
some old Volkswagens.
- Yes, sir.
- What's the scoop with this one?
I rolled it twice.
My dad fixed it back up,
and then I hit a pole
in San Antonio.
That's where I got
the other dent.
You're not a very good
driver then.
- Not at all.
- All right.
It was a nice-looking car.
It ran great,
had good stereo in it.
It's just that I have
a misfortune
of having wrecks all the time.
Let's get a look at the front
where you hit a pole.
All righty.
So I've wrecked pretty much
every car I've ever had.
I'm only 67.
Richard: The tree grew up
with the door open.
Well, that tree goes with it.
Sometimes it's my fault.
I'm not saying all the time,
but everybody else will.
You got some serious-a*s thorns
out here.
Well, these are
called briars, Richard.
Richard, he's a city boy.
He was talking snakes
and varmints out here.
Well, that's what you got
in the country.
I wished a snake would've
come out and hit him,
[bleep] his pants.
So it's got the California
bumper art.
It's got the correct tags
on it.
Look, it used to have
a spare on the front.
Hmm.
I always wondered how it is
that people manage to hit
the pole damn near center
of the car every time.
I was looking at this thing as,
"I do not know why I'm here,"
and Dennis is all just,
"check this out! Look at that!
It's got this thing!"
I know they fix these,
and I know they restore them,
but...[ whistles ]
this one is gone.
What do you mean, dude?
It needs saving.
You can't leave that here.
It's rougher than
a stucco bathtub.
- Oh, yeah.
- It's wrecked in the front,
but it is a 21-window
bent-windscreen samba VW bus.
- Is it worth chasing?
- Absolutely.
everyone wants one,
doesn't matter
how rough it is.
I mean, you know what
these things are worth
when they're restored?
About what it costs
to restore them.
- Well, then...
- [ laughs ]
It costs a little bit
to get it restored or whatever,
but then they...
those things sell for anywhere
from $150,000 to $175,000.
I'm gonna give you
a good deal on it.
But what is a good deal?
$6,000.
- Oh, my goodness, no.
- No?
I think this thing is worth
about $20.
Well, that's not
gonna happen.
I agree.
What about $4,500?
You're going the right way.
How long do we have to stand
here to get you to 3,500?
- Not long.
- $3,500?
$3,500.
- Deal.
- Serious?
Before I could even
say anything,
Dennis is shaking his hand
at 3,500 bucks,
and we got to dig it out.
I don't get it, but I'm in.
I missed out on the galaxie,
so I'll go in on it as long
as you can dig it out of here.
And it looks like
it's going to rain.
♪♪
This is safety first.
[ laughs ] safety third.
Look at Chris
with the forklift.
Here comes the rain.
I told you
it was gonna rain.
I feel like Indiana Jones
or somebody like that.
Dennis and Chris found me
an awesome 21-window
samba bus complete with having
to remove it from the woods.
We can't get a grip
is our problem.
- Oh, really?
- Damn it.
It had to start raining,
didn't it?
Y'all can have my 1,200.
I'm out.
[bleep] fire.
I'm done.
My offer is officially off
the table,
and I'm gonna
go drink a beer.
I'm taking my 1,200 back.
It's your problem now, Dennis.
♪♪
I'm so tired
of doing sprayouts.
I think the car should've
been blue from the get-go,
and this is my last-ditch effort
to try to pitch Richard to see
if I can get it,
so, hey, wish me luck.
Walking into Richard's office,
and I'm like,
"man, there's no way
he's gonna pick this,"
but I've often heard
Richard say,
"you miss every shot
you don't take."
so I'm gonna take the shot...
- What?
- I want to show you something.
That's blue. I hate blue.
I know it's blue.
I know you hate blue.
- Freaking hate blue.
- I understand.
I understand, but everybody
out here is hating the gray.
Just look at it.
Just take it outside
and look at it.
Jason, come outside.
We're looking at colors
for the El firebird-o.
Yes, I need your help.
At first, I show him the blue,
and he hates it,
which is the reaction I thought
I was gonna get from him.
And then he started
looking at it,
and the gears started spinning.
So I told it back and let him
check it out,
you know,
"hey, what do you think?"
but we can't put a bunch
of black on it
then other than the top
being nice and clean.
Everything else has got to go
chrome-and-Polish combination.
And Jason has my back 100%.
I like that color especially
with the black
and chrome we're going with.
Good.
- Done.
- Really?
My work for today is finished.
- Really?
- Yes.
We're painting a car blue,
and I actually decided to.
And I think I got the guy
that wants it.
- Really, he picked blue?
- Yeah, he did.
- Awesome.
- What?
And I got...
You got a witness.
♪♪
[ Engine revving ]
What is that?
It's a trike, dude.
You got your honey way up high
in the back here.
Recently, I went to
Wyoming to see about a '79
super for sale
when destiny struck.
I've been trying
not to look at it.
And then I saw it.
This thing is just so crazy.
And I'm like,
"don't look at it, Richard.
Don't look at it.
You'll buy it. I know you will."
just the paintwork and stuff
is so crazy, too.
I know.
I'll give you 10 grand
for the pair.
That's right, folks.
My new badass ride
has training wheels.
Is it a kit,
or did somebody make it?
I don't really know.
It seems like
it's probably a kit.
The VW trike that I bought up in
Wyoming just got here,
and I can't wait to take it out
for a cruise,
but first, we got to get it
working properly.
So I got a couple of things
I need you guys to look into.
Number one, there's a lot
of slack in this throttle cable.
Number two,
it won't stay running.
It'll get some gas,
and then it's like, "bleh."
then, number three, I don't know
what these three switches are.
Just start attacking it front
to back
because I want it to have
a good bill of health.
I wouldn't mind actually
taking this out on the road.
We don't know what it is.
We just know that we've been
tasked to fix it.
Give it a once-over.
I got to know
what's going on with it.
We sell quality stuff here
at Gas Monkey.
♪♪
The electrical is disgusting.
It was a complete rat's nest.
It actually was a rat's nest.
Youse are free.
Tony brought us this
weber carburetor.
Hopefully it'll make it
run a little better.
♪♪
Look at that, bam.
♪♪
♪♪
Tony, check this out.
Ooh, that's poopy.
We have a really nice car here.
It's not all rusty
like our previous car.
The problem is, is someone
did poor workmanship.
The way the quarters
got put on,
I don't think they really knew
what they were doing,
but when we put
a big motor into this car,
the car wants to twist and get
a little bit more crazy,
and these weak-a*s welds, things
are gonna start breaking.
The more I looked at it,
the overlapping of rusty parts
over holes and whatnot,
it was just the best idea
to take them off.
♪♪
It's a little risky to cut off
the quarter panels
before the new ones get here,
but we're behind,
and any time spent waiting
is just time wasted.
♪♪
All right.
I got some good news for you.
Need to get
these quarter panels in so
we can get them welded
on and out the door.
Hope they fit.
♪♪
This side looks good.
Does that end fit, too?
I don't know about his side,
but my side looks great!
Whoo!
Narrator: Coming up
on "Fast N' Loud,"
it's all aboard
the firebird power train.
- Look at that.
- Whoo!
Narrator:
Then Russell and Richard
take his trike on a hike.
Whoa! It is ridiculous.
Oh, we're not doing donuts,
are we?
♪♪
Now, there's a lot more
that has to go into this,
but you'll be amazed
if we have everything organized
how quickly it'll go.
We got the firebird subframe
back from the powder cutter,
and I'm getting ready
to install the wilwood brakes.
We're getting down to the last
few days before deadline,
so every minute counts.
The guys already have
the ridetech coilover suspension
put on.
[ Imitates turntable ]
- Russell on the turntable.
- Sorry.
If I can get the subframe
done today,
we bolt that to the bottom
of a painted car tomorrow
and put the rear end on,
possibly, in 48 hours,
we can have a roller,
and at that point,
they can begin bodywork.
Now that we have the hubs on
and the brake brackets
that go behind
the rotor itself,
we're gonna put our rotor on,
and then brake calipers go on.
That'll finish all the brakes
and the steering on the car itself.
What a setup.
[ Honking ]
motor.
Hey, hey, hey.
That's right on time.
Dude, it is a beast.
Ugh!
You know how valuable it is
when they wrap it like this.
- Look at that.
- Whoo!
Dyno is at 550 horse.
On pump gas?
Pull the carb off, put a engine
hoist on it, and drop it in.
Since the Butler 467 motor
came ready to install,
we can fit it straight
into the subframe
and be ready for
the headers and transmission.
The subframe and everything
attached to it
will be one giant
time-saving pre-built unit.
- Watch your Jack stand.
- Right above it.
You look like you're centered
on that mount.
- Yes, sir.
- That's it.
We're gonna test-fit
these headers right now.
If they're all clear,
then we're gonna get
the transmission bolted in.
The trick with these headers
is squeezing them
in with a massive motor.
When you up the horsepower,
you usually lose a bunch of room
in the engine bay...
- Two firebird headers, right?
- Mmhmm.
...More power and more engine.
They need to fit
because there's no plan B.
Right here, it's supertight,
but it's not smashed into it.
It's just tight, okay?
How's about that transmission?
♪ Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo ♪
Jason: Silver sport
transmissions
that works with Butler guys,
since our car was
an automatic originally,
they gave us everything
to convert this
to the five-speed manual
that we have now.
- You want to stab it right now?
- I'm with it.
♪♪
- Got it?
- Yep, okay.
- It's there.
- It's there.
- There you go.
- Nailed it.
A transmission is always finicky
to install
because the input shaft
is dry as a bone,
but that's just how it goes.
Anyway, the last items
to go on the subframe
are the core support
and the radiator from Ron Davis.
And these things keep
everything super cool
with a motor
that size in Texas?
Yeah, that's a big thing,
and we're gonna have
- AC, all that.
- Yeah.
So we're gonna be pushing the
limits of temperature on this thing.
Once we get
the radiator installed
we'll basically have over
just right here on the subframe.
The next step will be
to attach it to the unibody.
- Wow.
- Smooth as silk.
Such a cool setup.
♪♪
Yeah!
I was born to be free.
Don't forget that.
I'm not wearing this
stupid thing.
♪ Three wheels on the floor! ♪
[ Engine starts ]
That's right, folks.
My new badass ride
has training wheels,
and it's time to take it
for a test drive.
Forward.
♪♪
We are literally going
to pop this thing up.
I wouldn't want to too much
with your weight.
- No, I...
- We might go over.
We will.
[ laughter ]
It is ridiculous.
[ laughter ]
Richard: Now, in the '70s,
the trike
became kind of a craze.
They were using Volkswagen
frames and motors
for the back
and motorcycle front ends,
and you could pile
all your friends on there
or, like my dad did,
couple good-looking chicks.
I can see where you could get
used to driving
and have some [bleep]
damn fun.
Oh, absolutely, right?
Richard: What started out as
a stupid fad became pretty cool,
and I think it still is today.
We're not doing donuts,
are we?
[ laughter ]
Yeah, baby!
Today, modern trike companies
are a big business,
which means I could
make big profit,
but I can't decide
if I even want to sell it.
I mean, now that it's running,
and I've ridden it,
maybe I want to keep it
and tweak some things
and make it even cooler.
Hope it didn't mess up
your hair.
It did, this silly helmet.
It matches the bike!
Well, then you should've
worn it.
No way, man.
Look at that.
We'll just put it right up there
in the gleaming sunlight.
That's a package.
I think I'm gonna keep it.
There's no reason
you need to keep that.
I've wanted one of those
forever, dude.
Well, now you've had one.
You've had your fun in it.
You can go take it
to lunch, and that's it.
If I keep it, great.
If I don't, well, we'll see.
♪♪
- We're good?
- Yeah.
I feel really good
about something.
I feel really good
about the car now.
Yeah, I mean, those quarters
look unbelievable.
The wheel tubs and everything,
the guys did it all.
What I'm thinking is, we've
got Jack stands over there.
We've got the subframe
connectors
laying there
with the subframe.
Let's just pick it up
and carry it over.
- Whoa. - Put Jack stands...
[font color="#ffff00"]- I'm gonna go back over here.[/font]
- No, you came at the right time.
- No, you came just in time.
- I've already got gloves on.
- This works out perfect.
- He's trying to skate it out.
- You want to carry it?
Want to pick it up?
- We're just going to carry it over.
- You already have gloves on. [font color="#ffff00"]- This works out perfect.[/font]
What could it weigh?
The firebird deadline
is almost here.
Everybody, grab a corner.
Josh: The goal right now
is to marry the body
with the new quarter panels
to the subframe,
which includes the front
suspension, engine,
transmission, and radiator.
The two sections get joined
by the subframe connectors,
and then we'll have
a rolling chassis
that we can send off
to Mike for paint.
- Is that not it?
- Ooh, this sucker is heavy.
- Ah!
- Yeah, it is.
Well, Mike,
can we start walking?
Yeah.
Literally, I'm gonna
drop this car.
Yeah, it's heavy.
Please don't.
Don't drop it, or if it...
It doesn't matter
what kind of car we had,
if it's good or bad.
Don't hit the Jack stands.
Russell, these two Jack stands,
right?
- Yep, where we set it.
- Just all the way to...
- on the subframe.
- Pfft.
- You guys go ahead and...
- Can we set on...
Nope, keep going, keep going
keep going, keep going,
keep going!
- All right, here we go.
- Okay.
- Here we go.
- All right.
- See that hole, Russell?
- Yep.
Yep, there we go.
- Okay.
- That was heavy.
Forklifts are super handy.
Wait, forklift?
Why didn't we use the forklift?
Never mind.
Next, we have to join the front
and the rear
with the subframe connectors.
Everything has to line up
dead-nuts straight.
Yeah, we do.
I need to look and see
how far off we are.
Okay, the whole mid-body
of the car,
the whole a*s of the car
needs to come over
to the passenger side.
One of the biggest issues
with a convertible car
is that they like
to twist under torque
because there's no roof
to stabilize the sheet metal,
so the bottom of the car
is gonna rock left and right,
and it is possible that it can
twist and disfigure the car,
causing your doors
not to open properly,
your fenders
getting into your doors.
With the motor that we've got
in this car now,
we went ahead
and put subframe connectors
to stabilize the frame
on the body of this car
so it stabilizes the car itself
with all that torque.
I need the body on the a*s
end to come this way.
Just watch that because it's...
If it falls off that Jack...
So I'm gonna go out.
I'm gonna kick the Jack
over a little bit.
- Okay.
- You tell me when you're good.
Okay.
Just little bit.
That moved a little bit.
Hold that real quick.
This thing actually can fall off
the lift
and crush those two guys.
Yeah, you're good back there,
I think.
That man gave me
what I needed right there.
That seem like it did it or no?
I'm pretty lined up.
If you're good, then we'll
grind them and weld them.
With the connectors in line,
we can get the car
up in the air,
grind down the bolt heads
and weld it all into place.
All right. [ grunts ]
Why is it so heavy,
and why am I so short?
Then we can install
the quick performance rear end
and the ridetech
rear suspension.
- [ Whistles ]
- yeah, I like that.
Yeah, it's a hell
of a setup, though.
Yeah, buddy.
Whoo!
Narrator: Coming up
on "Fast N' Loud,"
the paint shop gets ready
to sing the blues.
Is it done yet?
- Man: ♪ yeah ♪
- Narrator: And...
Work it. Work it.
Narrator: ...The trike goes up
for sale, or does it?
Oh, no, we're not selling this.
What do you mean,
you're not selling it?
Y'all are crazy if y'all think
I'm selling this.
Didn't you want to paint this
thing blue
- Yeah, yeah, exactly.
- In the beginning?
Yeah, you could have been
helping us sand.
Yeah, that'd be great.
Mike: Richard has been flying
all over the map
on what color
he wants for this firebird.
I finally got him to land
on a custom blue.
Good. Done.
My work for today is finished.
- Did he say, "do it"?
- Yeah, do it.
Mike: He wants to do blue.
I think we could have saved
a lot of time had he just been
a little open-minded to it
in the beginning,
but he's Richard.
♪♪
I'll get a few coats
of blue laid down
and then an extra generous coat
of clear
before the car
gets some dry time overnight.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Well, it's blue.
It's blue, and I got a lot
of trash in this one.
But we're gonna buff it.
I put a extra coat of clear
on it just...
- Don't wink at me.
- Don't wink at you?
I feel so uncomfortable
when you do that.
- Fine, I won't.
- [ laughs ]
Why don't you like my winks?
I don't.
It makes me feel uncomfortable.
- They're, like, manly bro winks.
- No.
- They're like bro fives.
- It makes me feel like
you're trying to flirt with me,
and I don't like it.
- I'm not flirting with you, dude.
- I know,
- It's like bro fives.
- But that's how I feel.
- Look, look.
- No.
- Look.
- No, see, no.
Why do you open your mouth
when you do it?
It makes it even weirder.
Is that was makes it weird?
Yeah, like you wink...
- Mouth shut, ready?
- It's hard for you to wink.
See, you still want
to open your mouth.
No. Just stop doing it.
Mike: Richard's deadline for
the car is coming up fast.
There's no time for a redo
on this one, but he approved it,
so I'm sure he'll like it.
Is it done yet?
We just painted it yesterday!
- I like the color a lot.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
- I got some trash in it,
but I put a lot of coats
of stuff on it.
There is some trashing.
Is this called orange peeling?
So all that will go away.
So all the texture and the trash
when we color,
sand and buff
it will go away.
The term orange peel comes from,
you guessed it, an orange.
If you ever look at an orange,
it has texture to it.
It has little imperfections.
What we do is, we go back.
We sand it. We sand it smooth.
We Polish all the sand marks
out, and, voilà,
you get a finished product that
looks nice and flat and shiny.
♪♪
Hmm. I don't know, man.
It is, like, fricking blue.
I don't know if I'm a fan
or not, to tell you the truth.
It's one of those things
I think
once it's all together,
you're going to love it.
Here is your windshield post
so you can see the chrome
against this blue.
And then the wheels are gonna
have a big chrome lip.
Yep.
I think it'll look really good
with chrome and stuff.
It's blue, though.
That's Richard in a nutshell.
That's what I deal with.
If I don't seem excited
out there, audience,
it's because I don't like blue.
- I like blue, so...
- Still has on his morning hair.
- You guys k*lled it.
- Hey, Jason...
Yeah.
Yeah.
He winked back, see?
- See?
- Because y'all are, like...
Stop winking, yeah.
Stop with the winking.
The blue is great.
♪♪
This gonna get their motor
running,
head out on the highway.
Selling the death trap?
- Oh, yeah, baby.
- Thank god.
Tell me you got that
dumb helmet in here, too.
- Now, that's the accessory?
- Yeah.
When we went for a ride,
I had to wear this,
mess up this head of hair.
But because you're on
the back or...
- Yep, oh, yeah, of course.
- Was Richard wearing a helmet?
No, Richard wasn't because
he liked his hair...
As the driver,
you don't have to, yeah.
Nope. He needs to look cool
and make sure that I rode b*tch.
This is actually all you.
This screams you, Tony.
Have you sat on this yet?
I'll hold your camera.
I have. I fit right on it.
- This is me.
- Do you?
This is you.
Oh, dude, I would love
to have this thing.
Oh, yeah, work it.
Work it, Tony.
Come on, yeah
work it, work it.
Work it.
We're gonna sell this thing
so fast now.
Yeah, oh, come on.
Did you get enough leg
in there?
Never enough leg, Tony.
What do you think
this is worth?
Dude, I have no idea on these.
I know you couldn't
build one today
for less than 10 or 12 grand.
No matter who buys this,
I am gonna be
so happy for them
because I'll never have to ride
on the back of this thing again.
Hey, hey, hey,
what's going on out here?
We're taking some pictures,
and Tony is getting ready
to get
rid of this hunk of junk.
Oh, no,
we're not selling this.
What do you mean,
you're not selling it?
Get out of the way, Tony.
Y'all are crazy if y'all think
I'm selling this.
Besides that, Russell, me
and you got some stuff to do,
so get on
we're going to lunch.
Why can't we take the car?
Why do we always have to take
this thing?
Because it's a beautiful day
outside!
Wait, do you need a helmet,
Russell?
No, I don't need a helmet.
See, thanks, Tony.
- How cool is this?
- Yeah, really good.
- Whoo!
- Look at that.
Now, that would sell that thing
if we were gonna sell it,
sell it in a heartbeat.
♪♪
Hey, watch you don't pinch
yourself, those things.
Set it back right back
down on the rack.
I forgot something.
Okay, we'll go back
on the rack real quick.
- You want to go back to your...
- Hey, you guys did a great job,
but we need to tape
the chrome off
because there is
no insulation yet.
Hopefully, second time,
we don't [bleep] it up, guys.
Richard put us on
an impossible deadline
to finish the '67 firebird.
But the guys have been
absolutely kicking a*s
to get it done on time.
Oh, cool, that's awesome.
What saved us was
the parts arriving
just in time
when we needed them.
Our suppliers have been
outstanding.
Damn.
For basically
instant turnaround...
Yeah, 18 to the front,
The wheels from American racing
will make the car look
like the super-resto mod
it was meant to be
and just in time
because here
comes you-know-who.
All right.
Somebody tell me something
about something
because this should be
on the ground running.
- Yeah, we're pushing down here.
- We're trying.
Actually, the car,
once it has the exhaust,
it's ready to fire up.
- Okay.
- I feel really good about it.
I'm not gonna feel good
about it until it's on the...
Actually, I'm not gonna feel
good about it until it's sold
because, you know,
somebody talked me
into painting it blue,
and I hate blue.
- It's a great color.
- Just get it done, guys.
I might have a buyer.
Is he gone yet?
♪♪
It's down to the final push.
Jon's getting
the wiring dialed in.
We've got the new top on,
and our buddy Emilio
is here with our seats.
Hey, look who I found
wandering around outside.
The new ultraleather interior
is the right choice
for a convertible.
This is the same stuff
they use in private jets...
Comfortable but durable.
Done and done.
All that's left now is to fuel
this baby up
and see if she fires.
Here we go.
I get nervous every time
we go to start a car.
It doesn't matter if it's
a brand-new motor
or a rebuilt motor.
All right.
We're ready to go?
Remember you got a manual
but, yes, moment of truth.
Make it happen.
[ Engine stalls ]
Sounds like battery
is a little weak.
Yeah, that battery is way weak.
- Pump it?
- The first time is always...
There's so many things
that can go wrong.
[ Engine stalls ]
[ Engine starts ]
Okay.
Whoo!
It just needed a little love!
That thing sounds nasty,
golly.
- Wow!
- God, that thing is rowdy.
- That was awesome.
- Yeah.
Once it warmed up, that thing
was purring like a kitten.
Oh, that thing sounded amazing.
As soon as I was...
able to give it some gas...
No?
- What do you think, Tony?
- I hear it.
Sounds like it's faster
than it is.
[ Engine revs ]
Dude, we can't ask
for more than that.
- That's great.
- That's awesome.
Tony is excited. I can tell.
That's his excited face.
[ laughter ]
Whoo!
Narrator: Coming up
on "Fast N' Loud"...
Going to do a donut?
Narrator:
...Firebird needs a buyer.
This is Gas Monkey style.
Narrator: But will Richard be
the one to pay the price?
$150,000.
[ Blows raspberry ]
What?
Look, Stevie, no hands!
[ Horn honks ]
There he is right there.
- There who is?
- Demarcus Ware.
Denver Bronco,
Dallas Cowboy.
- Hey, what's up, man?
- Hell yeah, what's up, man?
Man, you know those are my cars.
What's up?
I finally got the opportunity
to come to Gas Monkey.
Man, this is
like a man's dream.
I'm a big fan of putting cars
back like they were
but re-engineering them
to be better.
So what do you do
when Demarcus ware,
one of the all-time great
Dallas cowboys,
calls you up and says
he's thinking about
having you build him a car?
Well, you invite him over
and hope he brings
a pocketful of cash.
This is where
the magic goes down.
Oh, no! No!
No, no!
Four-link suspension,
coilovers, wilwood brakes.
It's got a punched-out
Butler motor
with about 560 horsepower.
You put a fire-breathing dragon
through something
that'll make traction
and put it on the ground.
You got your ride.
We can build a car faster,
better than anybody. [font color="#ffff00"]- Yeah.[/font]
The only time there's
ever crunch time
is when Richard changes
his mind about 800 times.
And that happens all the time.
You gonna blame that
on Miller lite.
♪♪
♪♪
Richard: The '67 firebird
project started out
as a pretty good deal,
especially since I got it
as an added value
from a "garage rehab" project.
I'm giving you
It's worth way
more than 10 grand.
Richard: Like everything
that's good to be true,
when we got it back,
the monkeys found that the car
just couldn't be built.
We just need another car.
[ Horn honks ]
Richard: Russ stepped in
and saved the day
when he found me
a firebird up in New York area,
and it was in great shape,
and I got the team to work.
I have no idea
how to take this apart.
♪♪
Richard:
When it came to drivetrain,
holy cow, did we do it up...
Butler performance v8
pumping
the power straight through
a silver sport
five-speed transmission.
Bam, that's what
I'm talking about.
♪♪
And when you're putting
your rubber to the road,
it's American racing wheels
and a complete rear end from
quick performance
to keep all of it
glued to the road
with pinpoint handling.
Now, when you got to stop
that movement, of course,
Wilwood brakes, and when
you want it to feel good,
ridetech suspension
and sway bars.
♪♪
The interior turned out great...
Classic instrument gauges,
Steele rubber products
weather stripping
and vintage air's ac system.
And let's not forget
Ron Davis radiators
keeping it all cool
while we're out there
in the sun.
Now, when it came to color,
I just couldn't make up my mind.
First, I wanted copper.
Then I wanted gunmetal,
and then I settled on blue.
We're painting a car blue,
and I actually decided to.
I don't know what I was
drinking that day.
And you know what?
It sure is blue,
but if I find a buyer
to fill my pockets
full of green,
blue is my new favorite color.
♪♪
Dude, you told me to call you
when I had the car,
and I know you used to have
a crappy-a*s firebird.
This is not a crappy-a*s
firebird.
Boom.
This is a real firebird.
- This is Gas Monkey-style.
- Blue.
I didn't realize I had these
in my pockets.
Stevie g is here,
- and I'm trying to sell him this car.
- What up, Stevie? -[font color="#ffff00"] Yo, man.[/font]
I'm Steve Goniwiecha.
I'm Richard's buddy,
met him a few years ago.
Yes, my last name is Goniwiecha,
so I just go by Stevie G.
We've been good friends
and drinking some beers
and stuff,
and he's like, "call me
whenever you have a car
"that you think I'd like
because I want a cool sports car
to drive around
and what have you."
if he's calling about this car,
he's a great friend
'cause this thing
is unbelievable.
And I thought of you
because it's blue, man.
That's Detroit.
That's where you're from.
It is. It's the lions.
And he was always telling,
"well, you know,
"when I was younger,
I had this firebird,
and if I could ever have
another one, it'd be so badass."
every single screw
is brand-new.
This thing is rad... AC, Stereo,
Bluetooth, all that stuff.
The color scheme
with the black top,
the gray wheels,
the lines on there,
all the lines are straight.
They're perfect.
It's just a real tight look
and a real clean look,
which is something I've always
wanted to have in my car.
Boom. How's that?
Butler, dyno-tuned, ran out.
That's a functional ram-air,
too, right?
- Oh, yeah.
- Yes.
So it'll get up and go.
He was always telling me,
"when I was younger,
"I had this firebird,
and if I could ever have
another one, it'd be so badass,"
so I'm like, "Firebird,
Stevie G, money, cool."
[ engine starts ]
You want to drop that top?
- That sounds pretty.
- Oh, yeah.
Ooh, that's nice.
Richard:
This is the car for him.
I just got to talk him into it
because shelling out 150 grand
is not easy for anybody,
and I did say 150 grand.
Parts and labor add up.
Did you bring your sunglasses,
son?
We're gonna go for a ride.
♪♪
♪♪
- Feels good.
- [ laughs ]
Gonna do a donut?
Oh, we can do a donut.
♪♪
Stevie: Test-drive was great.
Horsepower was there.
The feel was there,
an awesome ride.
Look, Stevie, no hands!
I took it for a ride, did some
donuts, laid down some rubber,
and, you know,
now if he buys it,
it's gonna have half-assed
used tires on the back
but still for sale.
Your hair hasn't moved a bit...
It's because I'm short enough.
...Neither one of them.
- Shut up.
- [ laughs ]
I think it's worth more
than six figures,
but I've got 85 into this one,
so I could be staring at a loss.
When it came down to money,
Richard always wants to get
top-dollar for his stuff,
which he deserves it
because of what he builds.
You gonna pony up
and buy this thing?
- What are we talking?
- It's too much car.
$150,000.
[ Blows raspberry ] what?
Man, I can't do 150.
My number definitely starts
with a one because this car
will bring that at any
auction, on the interwebs.
Right out in front of my shop,
I could probably
park it and sell it.
I didn't want to say
under $100,000.
We know that he's going
to counter,
and I'm gonna counter,
and we're gonna end up
back and forth.
The lower I start, the better
off I'm gonna be.
$105,000?
That's a five. It's one.
For that, I'm going to 145.
We got to get lower
than that, 130.
Will you buy beer for the rest
of the year
anytime we're together?
I can do that. I'll buy.
- $130,000.
- $130,000.
- Done.
- Deal.
At the end of the day,
we settle at $130,000.
Got my money,
Gas Monkey gets paid.
I got free beer for the rest
of the year,
and Stevie has got
one hell of a car.
Come on, man. My beers here
are only 7 bucks apiece.
Can I put it on your tab?
No. It's going on your tab.
[ laughter ]
And that's how we do it
as Gas Monkey...
Sell your friend a car
for a [bleep] ton of money.
♪♪
Welcome to our World! Where we serve you cookies to ensure you get the best viewing experience on our site.
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
14x09 - Flippin' the Bird
Watch/Buy Amazon
Richard Rawlings and prodigious mechanic Aaron Kaufmann seek out forgotten and abandoned classic cars for restoration at their Gas Monkey Garage.
Richard Rawlings and prodigious mechanic Aaron Kaufmann seek out forgotten and abandoned classic cars for restoration at their Gas Monkey Garage.