American Hot Rod

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.