Hot Rod Garage

We have fun showing you how to install a 4L60-E overdrive transmission into a 1969 Chevy El Camino, drop a 700hp blown small-block into a 1974 Jaguar XJ12, get TIG welding lessons from the guys at ToxicFab, and do smoky burnouts at every opportunity.

In this episode of HOT ROD Garage presented by Lincoln Tech, Finnegan blows up the stock clutch in a borrowed 2010 Camaro SS at the drag strip after installing an SLP supercharger kit and a pair of drag radials. The blower pushed the power output from 420 to 575 horsepower and except for a couple extra holes in the valance, bolted-right onto the stock LS2. During the Roadkill Project Car Update presented by Dickies, Freiburger and Finnegan prepare for the ultimate cross-country road trip in Finnegan's Hemi-powered Bel Air Gasser with the installation of an Aeromotive Stealth fuel tank and fuel system. The install offers tips on assembling soft and hard fuel lines, relay wiring, and gives a closer look at this righteous street/strip car. Finally, the guys answer viewer questions about the cars, the show, and their personal lives before getting an in-depth look at custom piston design from Bryan Moreland, Engineering Manager at CP-Carrillo.

On this episode of HOT ROD Garage Presented by Lincoln Tech Mike Finnegan gets tips for strengthening sheet metal using a bead roller from world-famous fabricator, Jamey Jordan, owner of Handmade Seat Company. Then he and David Freiburger eliminate a few electrical gremlins in the Roadkill '73 Chevy C30 ramp truck and pick up more power on the dyno by replacing the old quadrajet carburetor with a new Holley Ultra Street Avenger and the stock HEI distributor with a new part from MSD. Finally, Freiburger tests Duplicolor's Vinyl and Fabric Coating, a spray-on dye for restoring interior parts. If you aren't sick of their faces by the end of this episode, stick around to watch the duo answer questions from the Hot Rod Garage Facebook page and insult a good portion of the Motor Trend staff.

On this episode of Hot Rod Garage Presented by Lincoln Tech, Kirk Brown stops by the shop to school us on the art of sand casting traditional hot rod parts. From flip-top gas caps to old-school friction shocks, Kirk creates parts that turn vintage iron into period-correct hot rods under his Crafty-B moniker. Finnegan also drives the infamous Roadkill '69 El Camino to Camarillo airfield to find out how badly the factory brakes perform and then Wilwood Brakes gives the Elco a serious binder upgrade. The Elco is fitted with 11-inch disc brakes at all four-corners and tested to see how much the stopping distance is affected. Next a monster set of 14-inch discs and six-piston calipers are swapped onto the car for the ultimate brake upgrade. How well do the new parts work? Stay tuned and find out! Oh yeah, Finnegan and Freiburger also take a break from wrenchin' to answer viewer questions posed on the Hot Rod Garage Facebook page.

On this episode of Hot Rod Garage Presented by Lincoln Tech we revamp the Muscle Truck, our 1974 Chevrolet C10. In episode 28 of Roadkill we ripped the stepside fenders off the bed and cut the front sheet metal to make room for aggressive off-road rubber so that we could roost through the Imperial Sand Dunes. The fenderless version of the Muscle Truck was fun but it’s high time we restore the truck to her former glory. We’ll replace the rapidly deteriorating particle board bed floor with new oak slats and bolt-on a new pair of aftermarket front fenders. We’ll also add a bit of functionality to the truck by covering the massive step notch in the rear frame rails with sheet metal, which will keep stuff from falling out of the bed.

On this episode of Hot Rod Garage Presented by Lincoln Tech, we turn a lowridin’ 1965 Pontiac LeMans into a corner-carving muscle car with a budget-minded suspension system, a quick-ratio steering box, and disc brakes. Classic Performance Products supply the parts, which bolt in place and result in dramatic improvements to the handling of Hot Rod Magazine staffer Brandan Gilllogly’s car. Once the LeMans is sorted we work on our 1973 Chevy Ramp Truck during a Dickies Roadkill Project Car Update. The electrical system has seen better days and so we play detective to trace a battery drain and replace both batteries with new units from AC Delco. We wrap up this episode with a question and answer session with Mike Finnegan and David Freiburger as they ponder the mysteries of the universe and cars in general.

On this episode of Hot Rod Garage, presented by Lincoln Tech, we catch up with David Freiburger’s Hemi-powered Dodge Super Bee project car as it gains a much needed fourth gear and a few more in between in its three-speed 727 trans. During the Dickies Roadkill Project Car Update we bolt-on a Gear Vendors Underdrive/Overdrive unit onto the Torqueflite, which results in lower cruising RPM, better fuel economy, and gear-splitting capability. Plus, we’ve got another Q-and-A session with Finnegan and Freiburger as they discuss road trips, muscle cars and of course, Carlos Lago’s ability to drive a car.

On this episode of Hot Rod Garage, Presented by Lincoln Tech, we’ve got a brand-new Dickies Roadkill Project Car Update on the Crusher Camaro. Freiburger installs a single stage nitrous oxide system from NOS onto the Mast Motorsports LS7 to break the car into 9-second territory at the dragstrip. He also re-geared the 9-inch rear end, changed the transmission from a 4L65E to a 4L80E, and swapped converters. Off the bottle, the car slowed down from its previous best pass of 10.03 seconds, but with the go-button in play the car ran a respectable 9.94 ET. Finnegan also dropped by the garage for a new Q –and-A session and we’ve got a brand new quick tip from the staff of Lincoln Tech.

After a last-minute thrash to assemble Mike Finnegan’s ’55 Chevy Bel Air, it famously cruised from Los Angeles to Charlotte, North Carolina, to attend the start of Hot Rod Power Tour 2014. The summertime road trip revealed the good and bad traits of the street-legal gasser and now it’s time to exorcize some of its demons. On this episode of Hot Rod Garage Presented by Lincoln Tech, the crew tunes the FAST XFI 2.0 electronic fuel injection system for wide-open throttle performance, lowers the front suspension, adds a pair of Viking adjustable dampers, and installs a Hurst Roll Control line lock for better burnouts. Then Finnegan takes to the drag strip to find out how well the car performs on the same wore-out pair of Firestone Cheater Slicks that he drove cross-country on. In the Q & A session, Freiburger and Finnegan discuss vintage Mustang Sportroofs, old Roadkill project cars, the F-Bomb Camaro, and of course, the staff of Motor Trend.

On this episode Hot Rod Garage Presented by Lincoln Tech we revamp the suspension on our 1969 Chevy El Camino to turn this lowly hauler into a real corner-carver. The crew from Ridetech not only helped swap out the old mismatched suspension and steering components, but gave us a couple of shock-tuning tricks. The Elco received new triple-adjustable dampers, front and rear sway bars, adjustable control arms, and coilover shocks at all four-corners. We’ve also got new tech tips from Lincoln Tech and AC Delco and a brand-new question and answer session with Freiburger and Finnegan.

On this episode of Hot Rod Garage, Presented by Lincoln Tech, we round out a season of El Camino upgrades with a big heart transplant. Gone is our old 383ci Small-Block and in its place is Chevrolet Performance' LS376/525 an all-aluminum, fuel-injected, crate engine that is probably underrated at 525hp and 475 lb-ft of torque. Using parts from Hooker, Aeromotive, Holley, Gearstar, Flex-A-Lite, and Chevrolet Performance, the swap only requires a few holes drilled and a bit of exhaust pipe fitting to make happen. In the end, our 1969 El Camino lost some weight and reset the track record on our autocross course. In this episode we also have a new Lincoln Tech Quick Tip and another Q & A session with Finnegan and Freiburger.

On this episode of Hot Rod Garage, presented by Lincoln Tech, Mike Finnegan journeys to Sonny Leonard Racing Engines in Lynchburg, Virginia to help assemble his new engine, a 771ci Big-Block Chevy topped with Hemi heads, which is primed to produce ridiculous pump-gas horsepower and torque. This all-aluminum, rule-injected beast is built with parts from Brodix, CP-Carillo, ARP, Sonny Bryant, Trend, Holley, and Accufab and weighs just 595 pounds. Once assembled, Sonny dyno-test the engine to verify the power output on 92 octane gasoline before shipping it home to Mike so he can fab a turbo kit for even more power. We've also got a brand new Lincoln Tech Quick Tip and the last Q&A session of Season 1 with Finnegan and Freiburger.