All language subtitles for Full.Custom.Garg.S09E04.1080p.WEB.h264-CBFM_track3_[eng]

[Ian Roussel]
Temp's in the high 90s.

The breeze is just right.

There's many ways
to start a new project.

Got a lot of considerations,
a lot of thoughts.

But you know,
out here in the desert,

I feel like
all you really need

is a couple good car parts,
and a dream.

You know me.
You know I got
parts laying around.

It's just a matter of time
till I start seeing

configurations
and possibilities.

I gotta say, this is
a pretty non-traditional
horse ranch we got.

So, why not build
a non-traditional roadster?

It's a fiberglass
body. It's already
non-traditional, right?

In my eyes, anything goes.

I'm thinking about
hotrod roadster
for the desert.

I found some
of just the right stuff.

The rest is to be determined.

[sighs]

If I can only remember
which way was north.

My shop's
around here somewhere.

All this wandering
around the desert can
really wear a guy out.

As you could see,
I am in need
of some transportation.

Water.

Water.

Got a little body.

Got a little chassis.

And I got an engine,

this fine piece of Americana.

Some folks say it's a 360.

Some folks say it's a 390.

The universal agreement is,
it's a Ford FE engine

from 1975.

What do I know?

It has some cool valve covers.
So, I bought it.

What can I say?
I like sparkly things.

I mean, big old
valve covers? Sold.

Next on the list o' parts

is this gem.

1991 Ford Ranger chassis.

Two-wheel drive.

It's got this
twin I-beam
front suspension.

Really strong.
They make awesome
free runners.

The rear suspension is soft.
They ride great

out in the wild west.

The three Fs:

Ford, Ford, and Ford.

This isn't my first foray

in building
a desert-inspired vehicle.

I made Mr. T,
which came out really cool.

I built my wife, Jamie,
this awesome dune buggy.

And then, of course,

the Interceptor.

Something I've learned
living out here,

you need a vehicle
that can take the bumps,

and can get dirty
and keep on ticking.

And they all
turned out really good.

But this time,
I'm looking for something
a little more purpose-built,

but still
with that funky style.

Like most of my great ideas,

it's not as easy
as putting together a puzzle.

Body's definitely not designed
to fit this chassis.

And for me, of course,
it's all about the look.

Like, wheelbase
is radically different.

I mean, this is
a pretty noodly-looking
chassis here.

It's all over the place.

I mean, look at this
roller-coaster effect.

I don't know where they
came up with that or why.

When you look at
the Model A or T,
[scoffs] looks like a ladder.

That doesn't bother me.

I put this body on,
start making adjustments.

That's the essence
of hot rodding, right?

Just do what
you can with the stuff
you got lying around.

Well, the chassis
is not too, too wide.

Look how the wheel arch
is so far away from
where the tire is.

Problem number one.

Looks like the body's
gotta be sitting somewhere.

That orientation.

The wheelbase
looks extremely long as well.

You can see how much
the chassis is hanging out
of the back end of this rig.

One of my main challenges
at this point

is to not cut the chassis.

I don't wanna
disrupt the geometry

of the way this thing
was built from the factory.

I gotta find a way to make it
look good in stock form.

Well, we know
the body don't fit.

Let's see how bad
the engine mesh-up is.

This truck would have a V6
or a four-cylinder in it.

And I'm stuffing
a big old Ford engine in it.

That's all about
the mock-up stage, right?

Just keeping an open mind,
we're just kind of stacking
parts, as usual.

So, the stock engine
would want to fit here,

where this little
cross-member is.

What if we took the engine,

moved it rearward,

and dropped it down

so that it would be straddling
that cross-member?

Back to the firewall,

like it should be
in a roadster.

Then, you got
the look of the hot rod
with the tires out front, no?

Not looking at the chassis.
Just looking at this.

Body and the engine
have to look good together.

I'm not looking at
the front of the chassis,

or the rear of the chassis.

It looks good.

You might be wondering,
"Ian, are you suffering
from heat exhaustion?

Do you need glasses?"

[chuckles] The answer
is "Yes" and "Probably yes."

That engine works, like,

clears the cross-member,
it's very low.

You know, what if I
lowered the body?

If I notched it,
kind of fit up
with the engine again

for that hot rod look...

Ooh.

That's looking better.

You know,
that don't look half bad.

Puts a little rake
in the body, too.

I was originally thinking
I was gonna...

"Oh, man, we'll
drop that body right
over the chassis," but...

Right away, I'm thinking
about hot rodding, right?

So, I'm lie, "Oh, yeah,
channel the body
over the chassis

to get that ultimate look."

But upon
further investigation,

maybe that's
not the best idea.

So, right now, this is like
the Flintstones special.

The unfortunate aspect
of channeling it is,

as the body comes down,
the floor seemingly rises up.

Less interior room.

Feels like you're in the car.

I'm sitting 10 inches higher.
Them all of a sudden,
you're out of the car.

This is actually
a running theme

through pretty much
every one of my projects.

Shrink it down,
it looks so cool.

The tires look
massive next to it.

Then, you put
this big carcass in there,
and everything changes.

I have to fit in it
one way or another,
and that's a pretty big task.

I gotta try to fit my
big, fat task in this car.

Being that this is
an offroad desert car,

I definitely wanna have
some kind of canopy over me.

A rollcage is a great place
to put that sunshade. So...

Rollcage is a definite.

But I'm thinking,
what if I left the body
up in the back,

and raked it
even more in the front?

Like, what if I took some
off of the nose of this thing,

just dropped it down?

What if it sat on the car
like that, but lower?

Starting to get
a little funky attitude
right there.

Yeah, I'll put
the valve covers up here.

I'll put you on the seat, too.

Think I just
made up your mind.

By cutting this back,
like, this bodyline,

look, if we kind of transfer
into this a little bit better,

it's either... They're not
perfectly parallel,

buy they're definitely
more in agreement
than they were.

That way, this just
kind of rolls off,
shows the frame.

Throw the dice.

Commit and cut.

[thudding]

Ooh.

Maybe we drop
the engine a little...

I love the valve covers
being up like that. [laughs]

This makes the engine look
so much more pronounced.

This is what I was
hoping for, you know?

Just one
quick move, and that sets
the whole project in motion.

The last thing I had
was this cool grille.

You know what I'm saying?
Something in this area.
I don't know.

This is gonna have
some kind of offroad tires.

You think I got everything
in order before I start
the project? Heck, no.

This is just
the mock-up phase.

We're on our way.

All that's left to do
is everything.

Typical business
at Rancho Russelo.

What this thing needs next
is a little TLC.

A little
Tender Loving Cutting.

Got some ideas.

We got our
initial mock-up in place.

Now, it's time to bring
some envisioning to life.

My favorite pastime.

That's where I want
the body to land.

Over here, ever after.

I'm really not happy with
seeing this trailer hitch and
all this cross-member stuff.

I'm gonna put
a rollcage in it.

But firstly, I wanna get rid
of this rear cross-member,

and replace it
with a round tube,

look a little bit more
race truck.

The whole idea here
is to make it appear,
like with a hot rod.

You know,
pretty much the tires
are the main statement.

It's not a bunch
of extra stuff.

You know, a truck
without bumpers, tow hitch...

None of that on this rig.

Chassis welds are gonna stay
because they're supporting
the leaf-spring perches.

Gonna make
the tube frame first,

and then, cut all this out.

For this part of the project
and the rest of all
the tubing fabrication,

I'm using inch and a half
with one-eighth inch wall
round tube.

Probably not the stoutest
choice for a serious
offroad machine.

But for this desert cruiser,
it'll be perfect.

The thing about
off-road vehicles is, like,

the functionality
of these tube structures,

that's the aesthetic.

These things get tricked out.
Some look super-techy

and some are more artsy.

Mine will be more artsy,
still looking techy.

Yeah, see,
that already looks
more like a desert vehicle.

A little spreader...
put some support.

In the words
of every great welder,

"That ain't going nowhere."

That looks a little more
offroad-appropriate.

I really wanna carry
this aesthetic

of the fabricated-tube look
through the entire project.

That's really kind of the key
to this offroad appearance.

It's gotta
perform in the desert,
it's gotta look cool.

So, I got to thinking,

"Self, if you could build
any kind of rollcage
for this car,

you wouldn't really follow
the perfect CAD design

of the ultimate
structure, right?

And I said,
"Yeah, that's right."

So, why don't we
curve some tubes
to match the back of the car?

So, I did.

And here it is.

It has the potential.

Following the back
of that car, does it not?

It'll also add something.

The funk factor.

So, they don't turn down,

they turn to wherever
they land on the rear hoof,
like that.

So, we splice it
with a straight shot.

That look weird to you?
Looks pretty weird to me.

Just carry on.

In a perfect hot rod world,
you'd have a chop-top, right?

But this isn't
that type of thing.

Headroom is gonna matter.

Most of the time,
it's all about
the look, right?

Like, I don't care
if I'm crunched in there
like a monster.

But if you've been offroad,

and ever had the rollbar
banging against your head
the entire ride,

you change your mind
about things.

Principal factor in this look,
'cause you think of a hot rod,
chopped, channeled, lowered.

This thing is pretty tall,
and the roof, it looks, to me,
is gonna be even taller.

Dang it. [sighs]

Why did Mama make me so tall?

Can't even build
a cool dune buggy.

Man, that's fun-buggy style,
for sure.

But I don't know.

That looks really tall.

The real challenge here
is to have a true rollcage,

it's gotta protect yo' neck.

[laughs] And if it doesn't,
then what is it?

At the same time,

you don't want it to look
like, you know, one
of those big high-hats.

I think what's gonna
sell this is having
the rest of the cage in place.

Right now, it's just
throwing me off 'cause
I'm thinking about, like,

a Manx-style buggy
where it just had
one hoop over the back,

and that proportion
is everything.

We're gonna have
a structure. Structure.

Did a little trimming
and I cut down
the overhead rollbars

as much as
I felt comfortable doing.

I wanna get the rest of
the cage structure in place,
and then, see how it feels.

These little cuts here
are called fish mouths

because...
[makes popping sounds]
That's why.

The whole idea here
is it's adjustable.

Right now, these
little fish mouths
will allow these bars to pivot

So, just kind of

centering some stuff.

[welder crackling]

Once you start climbing in.

when you're 6'2"...

So, you can see this, right?

It looks a little awkward
but this is me sitting
right on the chassis.

No seat.

So, what might help
put it in proportion more,

so maybe it doesn't look
like it just has a big box
stuck on top, is the rear bar.

That's sort of what
I was seeing back here.

But the question is, where?

This doesn't just
turn down to here.

This is gonna come as
a straight shot back to there.

This is where
the old duct tape
helping hand comes in.

You see,
that's gonna hit there.

Yeah, I can see that working.

[machines whining]

I'll plug weld
outside of this joint,

and then it'll have
this big, strong center.

Very strong.

Seeing those
rear bars on there,

it doesn't look
so much like there's
a big box stuck on top.

Though it's definitely
tall, right?

But it doesn't look
so out of proportion
with the body.

Now, I want to cut
the front of this off,

and then decide
what the tubes do,
going back to the cage...

But the steering box
is gonna be
the limiting factor,

'cause it's ahead
of this cross-member.

So, you can see,

we've got a big old
steering box sticking out
ahead of this thing.

I guess I'll just
keep it at that.
I'll cut right to that box.

Just like
the back of the chassis
stuck out so far,

the front of this chassis
is gonna stick out as well.

Sometimes, limitations are
a good thing, you know?

We can all just dream
of idyllic situations.

But occasionally, you gotta
work with what you've got.

I think maybe a curve
in the nose section

instead of coming down
to a hard taper like that...

I'm thinking
maybe it'll have like,
a bend, you know?

It'll just curve up
and forward.

'Cause I'm trying to make
the front of the chassis look
as minimal as possible.

You know, seeing something
like that as the front
of the chassis instead.

And maybe I could
pull that back

to, say, here.

It gets that hard edge
off the front of the chassis.

That steering box
is definitely
a permanent install.

We're gonna work around it.

Oh, yeah.

Looks like a hood line now,
albeit a long hood.

At least it has
some kind of a flow.

Before I get the front part
of the cage welded,
I wanna get the engine in.

The positioning of the engine
is pretty critical.

[welder crackling]

This is what I was
really trying to show off.

Get that...
[makes whooshing noise]

I mean, these valve covers,
they're not gonna be yellow
in the end, obviously,

but let me express
my enthusiasm.

I love the way
that the valve covers
are showing above the cage.

It's got, like,
an aggressive look.

So, I'm pretty charged up.

It's all about flavor, right?

It's time to get
the old spice rack out,
get to work.

Just getting these tubes
in place is really helping me
with the proportion.

You know, the roof height
was a real problem for me.

But now, seeing this long
stretched out front,

you know, gives
the tube chassis

a little more proportion,
I think.

The rake being transferred
down to the hood, it all
looks like it's in alignment.

The thing that's bugging me,
proportion-wise,

are these puny
little trailer tires.

When it comes to options
for tires and wheel-style,

the sky is the limit,
as usual.

Is it a sand car?

Will it have paddles
and skinny tires on the front?

Is it a monster truck,
you know, with
the huge 44 inch tires?

So, it's like, ah, this thing
is looking pretty functional.

Definitely needs
something with tread,
something meaty looking.

But I thought that, like,
something like this
would be best.

Yeah, I saw an ad
for these babies,

and it just seemed right.

They're 35 by 12 and a half

on these
centerline-style wheels...

So, you could
really see the difference

between these guys
and the 14 inch trailer units.

[chuckles] Yeah, look at that.

Now, that's
quite a bit larger.

When I saw these tires,
I knew they were
just the right thing.

The first thing
it made me thing of
is one of those RC cars

that are, like, so capable,
you know, jumping,
and going over everything.

Even though it's a hot rod,
the big and little combo

isn't really what
I'm thinking for the desert.

That beast stood up a bit.

Oh, yeah, this changes
the proportion issue,
like 100%.

All of a sudden,
it looks like it should
be this way.

That's what I was looking for,

even though it's...
I didn't know what
I was looking for.

I love the discovery process
of these builds.

You know, you get a part,
move forward,

make a couple decisions,
find some more stuff,

carry on.

And that's always been
a real kick for me.

Source what you got.
Got an old
pickup truck engine,

-newer pickup truck chassis.
-[bars clanging]

This is the most expensive
part of the build,
the steel tubes.

My approach is always,

parts first, ideas second.

The parts lead to the ideas.

It's like looking
in front of you
at a buffet.

But I do want
something coming across.

Right now, the steering box
is the front bumper.

[laughs] That's not
a good thing.

So, I'm gonna at least
want a couple tubes
to protect that.

Set this down here,

boom, steering box
is out of the way.

I'll just come in
with another one,

just set back
just a little bit,
give it a little motion.

Yeah, but that grille
is definitely too tall.
I like it sitting there.

That'll be 39.

Forty one.

That means we have to take
two inches off.

What I liked
first and foremost

when I saw it was,
I couldn't identify it.

It's almost like
a '32 Ford grille shell,
but it's much pointier.

Not too much, not too little.

So, I'm gonna make
an insert out of this stuff.

Every time I see
one of these bottoms

for the old fashioned
house screen doors,

you know, you would see
just, like, this little mesh
down here,

and then it was like,
regular screen. [chuckles]

They just got
all different styles.

So, I just pick 'em up
every time I see one of them.

Sweet.

Yeah, so I don't know
what that'll have long-term,

if it'll have maybe
another screen behind it

just to give it a little more,
you know, effect of a surface.

But that's a cool little
different kind of a grille.

The primary thing in
this whole front arrangement
is that it looks complete.

Now, it's like,
okay, tube chassis vehicle.

that's got the Model T
roadster body,

and it's got
the T-style grille shell.

And the cool factor
for me is that

you've got this really sturdy
knot-welded grille shell,

and like, the bottom
of the opening
is the Ranger chassis.

So, looking at it from
the front, from the back,

yes, I think
we can live with that.

But I think, visually,
it would just help out...

These linear tubes.
I'd like to see
something I could step on.

It's gonna be a monster
to get into this thing.

It's gonna be like

trying to get in over the edge
of a swimming pool here.

Why not a side bar?
Just like a brush guard,
you know?

Something that
would keep things
out of those tires.

See, I got these tubes,
and they're all tubing around,
doing tube things.

Sometimes, as they say,
you just gotta keep tubing
until the tubing's done.

So, yeah,
this little sidebar...

Actually, you know,
it looks tubular
like the rest of it.

But more so,
it's a step, right?

So, you're just getting in

into the cockpit.

It's gonna be easy.

Getting the rest
of the cage in place,

all of a sudden,
the proportions seem to work.

We're off to the races.

At this point in the project,

there's only
three words for this.

Yabba-dabba-doo.

It's gonna be awesome.

Now that we have
our structure structuralized,

it's time to get
some mechanics in place

so we can get
this buggy down the trail.

[power tool whining]

The next two necessities
for this thing to operate

are fuel and a radiator.

I picked this guy up online,

and I had this left over
from another project,
which is perfect.

This cooled a big block
Chevy engine, no problem.

So, I've made a shroud

for the big electric fan

that operates just fine
with this radiator.

So, basically,
brand new, but repurposed.

I know I'm gonna
put the gas tank
down here, underneath.

So, this bar is
gonna come across here
to support the tank,

and I have to notch it
into the body a little bit.

All right.
I'll give that up, right?

You see those race cars
with the parachute
on the back,

just a little box
on the back of the car.

Fine. I've got
a box on the back of the car.

The second thing,
where does the radiator
go back here?

Uh, I've seen buggies, trucks
where they'll mount them on
this bar here, kinda angled.

Ultimately, it comes down
to the look.

I don't want
a big aluminum panel up here
with a fan showing.

There's gonna be
airflow right through here.

So, I was thinking about
getting this radiator

mounted somewhere in the body

with some sort
of duct or something.

First thing I wanna do
is get this gas tank in.

Bottom line here is,
it comes down
to function, right?

It's gotta look good,
and it's gotta work.

But primarily, for me,
it's gotta look good.

Yeah, it gives
a little bit of that
junk-in-the-trunk look.

I like it. It works good.

The next thing
is that radiator.

That's where
the plot thickens.

The bodylines on the Model T,
they're very petite,
so to speak,

and the radiator
I'm choosing is very large.

So, therein lies the mashup.

Can't put
the radiator in the front.
That's a challenge.

I kind of see
the radiator sitting
in the body.

But I wanna open
the body a bit so that it can
get a lot of air, obviously.

Cutting, like what you would
see for a rumble seat...

Like, this used to be a lid.

Then maybe we can
push this down a little bit

to expose the radiator more,

or maybe we just
cut it out as if it was
just an open panel.

Just in thinking about
hotrods and old Fords,
I'm like,

"Man, maybe like
the Model A style

where there was
a rumble seat in the back."

"Maybe make an open area
where there could
have been a lid,

and sink
the radiator in there."

[metal crackling]

Yeah, look at that.

That's the sound of success.

Right?

Now, does that not look like

a port-of-cooling-air
potential?

I like it already.

Just what I was thinking,
is if I could get
this thing in the body,

we wouldn't have to see
a heck of a lot of it.

Aesthetically, sticking up,
not so good.

So, if I trim out
some of this material,
I'm able to lay that back.

Surface area is still there,
it's just reclined,

kind of like what you'll see
in the front of a Corvette.

In my world,
everything's up
for the slice and dice.

I mean, if the radiator
doesn't fit,

all we have is a giant hole
in the back of the car.

[rivet driver clicks]

See, that fiberglass
is so flexible.

I just shored it up
with this piece of steel

so that I can push that down
and tuck it up flat down.

Yeah, that's getting close.

Do you see now?
That radiator's just direct.

Right to the atmosphere.

This is exactly
what I was envisioning.

You know,
the radiator's tucked in,

you got the feeling
that there could be
a rumble seat in there.

thinking about the mix
of, like,

a hot rod
and a desert vehicle,

you know, this has
the look we're going for.

But, I got one more idea
for the deck lid area.

So let's see
if we're gonna do another one.

And then
about that distance, I think.

This is just something
I've seen in race cars

to lighten them, etcetera,
but I'm like,

"I need some airflow."

It'll help come down
into the radiator

and out the back of a car, so,

it kinda of looks more racey
and it works to move the air.

Heck, yeah. Thats lookin'
more like it now.

The old Swiss cheese effect.

Gotta say,
I'm pretty relieved.

It's a pretty
unorthodox approach.

But I think it's gonna work.

So for the next thing,
aesthetics-wise
and functions-wise, of course,

is the intake
and the exhaust, you know.

Like, how's it breathe?

That's always a huge part
of the character

of a machine as well.

And I got a couple ideas.

Somethin' old, something new.

Anybody in there?

I made some progress
on getting
the engine squared away

and I'm inching
towards that first run

down the desert.

Uh, it's got a new alternator,

fuel pump, starter, and I got
a new carburetor for it too.

It gives a little flair.

Then I got to thinking,

I had this thing laying
in the back of the shop

for quite a while.

Does it have a blower? No.

But does it have the look?

Uh-huh.

So it has an air filter
that goes in there,

but come on, look at that,
all right?

It gives it that vibe, right?

You know me, I like
the cartoon stuff

where the engine's, like,
literally, like

jumping out of the vehicle,
that type of thing.

So this air cleaner on top,

yeah, the engine's growing,
it's taking up some space.

Well, does the exhaust,
is it just...

mild? Is it under the car
and out the back?
I don't think so.

It's gotta have
something weird looking.

Well, sir, if weird
is what your are seeking,

you've come
to the right place.

I got some exhaust headers
with this engine.

They're Hedman Hedders.

They're perfectly usable.
They're just dirty.

I got some rust, but I mean,
that's par for the course.

So you could see
the way that that comes out.

This chassis?
100 per cent's in the way.

I mean, does it look
kinda cool

hanging outside the rig?
Yeah, it does.

And it's like, well,
what if we just did this?

What if we put it up
into the back?

That's pretty wild looking.

But I love
the bottom end of these.

You never even see this,

'cause this is under
the vehicle all the time.

So it's got, like, that cool,
twisty, tubey effect.

Yeah, I think I wanna get
a couple of bolts

and just put these on,
see how they look.

Yeah, I mean, who knows?

Stranger things
have happened, right?

Yeah. [laughs]

Yeah, that's just weird enough
to sell it for me.

[wings flapping]

Like a bat.

I mean, what you gotta do?
Run a pipe out here

that you have to climb over

when you get
in and out of the car?

I don't think so.

What I do think...

is those,
uh, like sprint cars,

they run
these little mini mufflers

so it's like a header dump
right now exhaust.

Yeah, look at this.

Basically, you know,

it's... It makes it legal
for the track.

It's just a simple...

The simplest
of simple baffles.

I was like, "Man,
that looks pretty, like,
industrial-strength.

It's all business."

So, I mean,
if I cut this back,

shorten it up
as much as possible...

Why not, right?

Is it gonna be loud?
[chuckles] Yeah.

So I'm gonna cut
the end of this off

and see what it looks like.

I'm gonna weld that right on.

Perfect harmony
with everything else

that I've built.
It looks way faster

than it actually is, so...

That's a bonus.

Definitely like,
"Whoa, is it a race car?

Is it a jalopy?

What's going on here?"

Everybody's got goals
for their projects

and personally I go for, like,
the head-scratcher mode.

It's like,
"What the heck is that?"

That's really always been
the spice for me

is when I can't figure it out.

So the big question
on my mind was...

seating arrangements.

These things
are very tiny inside.

Once I put that transmission,

I was like, "Whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa."

[chuckles] We ran out of room
real quick.

By putting these bars in

I snugged up
the interior space

by a good six inches as well.

So I'm just gonna throw
this piece of plywood in

as a reference
of the floor height.

I was over at my buddy
Tom's house
and uh, he's like,

"Dude, come over,
I got the seats

for your hot rod,
check 'em out."

So I did. I checked 'em out.

Ford Econoline van seats.

I love the green
and black, two tone.

This curved bottom.

It's super cool.

And I chucked it in the car.

Look at that.
Is that not perfection?

The height. The colors.

The stitching.

The fact that it's Ford.

Everything on this is Ford,
it's awesome.

[sighs] I mean, yes,
yes and yes.

But there's one thing
I wasn't considering

and that's... that's this.

Look what happens
when you put this in that.

[exhales heavily]

You run out of room...

real quick.

[sighs]

There's no way
to put this other leg.

What if I put it over here?

I just make it a bench seat.

It's what I was trying
to get away from.

As much as I like it,

I mean, you could see
that this is
five pounds of trash

in a one pound bag.

Nothing's easy
in the land of Full Custom.

I mean, those seats
look perfect.

Now it's time
to figure out something else.

See? By sitting down lower,

you got some room.

Get into some terrain,

it's gonna take a lot
to beat your head.

But you can see
the roof doesn't actually
look that tall now

once you got a big,
giant monster in the car.

What I learned
from that other seat fit up

is I need to keep
the seat as low

and compact as possible.

I mean, what if it was
just right here, center steer?

Shifter right here, I could
bend it over this side.

Then there's tons of room.

Accelerator on the right.

Steering wheel
front row center.

Some folks might think
havin' a single-seater

might get a little lonely,
but that's not the case.

I mean, my wife Jamie
has her own dune buggy

and that's the whole
spice of life,
the game of chase.

I think I just solved
my own problem.

I really didn't have
any other option.

There was no room, so...

It's just me.

I cut a whole bunch
of these eight inch plate tabs

and I'm welding them
into the roll cage,

'cause that's gonna
support the seat back.

The new seat back
that'll fit me.

Maximum interior space.

So, yeah, I think
something like this.

But I'm gonna have to build up
a bottom for this.

I'm gonna use this
as the dimension right here.

Set up my marks.

You see this angle here?

Just locks it in.

Locks it to the back.

That ain't going nowhere.

It's not have
any formal floors.

It's just a screen.

I got this expanded mesh.

So, yeah, I'm just gonna make
a couple templates,

cut it out for the floor pans.

I'm not gonna weld this in
until it's running

and it's proven that
the transmission is working.

It's not all metal
and plywood.

I have a softer side,
you know?

I have an idea to enhance
the driving experience.

So I was thinking
what would be super durable

and usable as a seat cover...

[exhales] This is Dude's
dog bed.

Dude is no longer with us,

so I don't think
he's gonna be needing his bed.

And I think
he would definitely approve

of having the seat
made out of this.

It's got all this good,
plush padding.

And then I can nip and tuck...

this good canvas
to fit the seat back.

Is that not tailor made?

Yes, it's true,
in his younger years,

Dude was a little hesitant

to share
his prized possessions.

This is being repurposed.

It's just part
of what we do here.

I know,
it's your favorite accessory,

but look at that.

Don't look so concerned, man.

I'll get you another one.

As time went on,
his priorities changed.

He became a little more open
to sharing and repurposing

part of his lifestyle.

I mean, besides treats,
one of Dude's
favorite pastimes

was actually
just laying around, so...

I think the Shop Inspector
would approve.

Mechanically it's represented.
It's all there,

from the seat to the radiator,
exhaust, etcetera.

What's it gonna
look like in the end?

I don't know.

This cage has
a pretty strong presence.

The T Roadster
has sort of faded away.

It's its own thing now.

You know me, as usual,
I got a couple ideas.

I have a few more
final details to attend to
in the upholstery department,

but we're getting there.

I can almost taste
the sand in my teeth.

[Ian] I just did a quick scuff
with Scotch-Brite

and just flat black
and the whole thing.

Fuel cell, chassis, engine.

The headers are coated
with a high heat.

I think it's startin' to look
a little bit better.

We're at the critical point.

Got all the busy work
attended to.

Now we got a blank canvas.

What's next?

I'm not one
of the great painters
in the world for sure,

but I've done some stuff.

My style is basically simple,

so I'm gonna keep this
with a spray can finish.

Well, is it racing inspired?

Is it...

cartoon inspired?

I think so.

I think I wanna bring
a little bit
of Roadster hot rod

back into the equation.

Me lookin' at it,
the big statement right now

is the exhaust, right?

Some of the effect
has gotta be represented

coming out of that. You see it
a lot in hot rodding.

Flames.

So that's why
I'm not gonna do 'em.

Just thinking out loud,

I'm just wondering,
what other natural elements

we could incorporate

to really make
this project speak out.

I'm talkin'
about something heavenly.

Something from above.

Greased Lightning.

Maybe that.

The funny story is
the Greased Lightning thing

has been brought up before
on that Ford project, but...

I just wasn't going
for it, so...

I mean, come on,
it's an iconic, sort of,

hot rodding scene
in that movie.

That, I think,
it was a '41 Ford.

The white car,
with that silver,

kind of, lightning bolt thing
on the side.

Super gaudy.

Like, one of
the worst paintjobs ever,
I think.

That's why it deserves
some recognition.

You might be wondering,

"Ian, why are you lookin'
for inspiration

from something you just called
the worst paint job ever?"

One thing can be said,

it stuck in my head
all these years.

It might just be right
for this project.

Maybe take the flow
from the exhaust,

from the cowl
and the exhaust height,

and just kinda
drape it down, you know,

sort of centering up the tire
and then maybe coming back up.

But I'm talkin' about just,

like, Zorro hit it with a...
with a lightning bolt.

Just... [swishing] all over.

I think the parallel
I'm drawing

with the style of artwork

is the way that
I'm building this project,

it is just a...
a rudimentary mashup of parts.

So, yeah, this little weird
blast of artwork on the side
kinda fits.

Just tryin' to represent
the negative space

in here of what
the image will be.

So, see, it's in here
that's getting painted.

Does that look like
a messy teenager did that?

It's startin' to.

Yeah, so I'm just
coverin' up everything.

I don't wanna paint.

It's not even like lightning
at this point.

It's just like
a abstract shape.

But if you think
about superheroes

like Shazam, right?

So it's like, is the...

Is that the center
of, like, the... the blast?

Is it radiating
from the middle of that?

I mean,
you could tell a story.

Ready to apply some liquid.

I'm not a man of indecision.

Once you give it
the double tape to certify,

what else is there?

It's about as low tech
as it gets.

This is called
stainless steel, this color.

This isn't gonna be
just a simple, you know,

one shot deal on the layout.

So I'm leaving
the rest of the car masked

and I'm pulling back against

that negative shape
of the design.

A guy in his garage.

A can of spray paint
and a dream.

That's weird.

That's weird enough
to be a keeper.

Checkin' this out,
it's like, yeah,

it gives you
a feeling of motion.

The body was pretty boring,

just this matte black shade.

So this little graphic
really spices it up.

What I'm thinking
is a border...

on the silver.

Give it a nice little frame...

surrounding that.

I have a plethora
of options here.

I've got some pink.
Got some blue.

And I could go wild.
Look at that pearl.

I don't know,
that could really take it
over the top, huh?

I got options.
I got spray cans.

We'll see what develops.
I mean, anything can happen.

Then we ride.

Out here in the desert,

you need a vehicle
for every occasion.

This one is for pure fun.

This desert hot rod

is ready
for its maiden voyage.

Got the paint set up,
very simple.

Bold graphic.

This thing's
gonna get nicked up,

scratched up, scuffed up,
so, gives it some flavor.

I felt mostly like
it really works

with the exhaust,
pretty dramatic.

Sort of like an old race car
would have, you know?

Something pretty primitive,
but flashy.

I was gonna put
that blower on the engine,

but I felt like
it was just too much.

While it did look
really aggressive,

I thought it might
just kinda cause some stress.

This thing's gonna
be bouncing around a lot

and the last thing I want

is a big bobblehead
on top of the engine.

I got these KC Daylighters.

They're the real deal.

They got the KC logo
right on the glass.

I like old school.

The wheel and tire combo
really gives this thing

an aggressive look.

Dog bed upholstered seat.

And what more does a man need?

Proportions for me were always
the issue with this.

Getting the roll bar in place
and the length of it,

like, it works, but it's still
super cramped inside.

I barely fit.

I put the steering
outside the body.

It steers perfect.

Two universal joints right to
the Ranger steering box,

it's ready to go.

Seeing the car out here,
you know, the graphic
and the look of it,

it works for me. It is the toy
that I always build, right?

So it fits like that.

It looks like it could be
a small little scale model.

It's got the look, right?

It's definitely
a cartoon machine.

There are a million ways
to go off-roading.

I just happen
to like the weird stuff.

And my friend Crafty B
does aluminum casting.

He's like, "Ah, man. I got
just the badge for that ride."

This car fits
right in my mental state.

It's got the weird
mashup of parts.

It's got the weird exhaust,
weird artwork.

Little bit of
a weird roll cage.

Let's roll.

Always got the cartoon monster
in my head.

It's like,
"Well, who drives this?"

I think once
we get to drive in it,

a character will emerge.

This rig is perfect for
this environment, you know?

It is built exactly
for this terrain.

It's gotta be able
to take the rough stuff.

It is excessively hot

and it is brutally bumpy.

So for a machine to hold
together out there,

it's gotta hold up
to those demands.

The Ranger chassis
just sucks up these rocks.

The manual transmission
spins these tires

like nobody's business.

I mean, this engine, I think,
was the optimal choice.

It's got bottom end torque
for days.

The sound of the exhaust,
right there, in stereo.

Pure adrenaline rush.

It's intense.

[laughs]

[Ian coughing]

I mean, how much more fun
than that do you need?

[laughs]

I call that a success.

Feels good.

Exactly what I needed
to ride around in out here.

I don't know.
Something just struck me.

I think I might have
met my soulmate.

This is how
it's meant to look.

That's why if you wanna
get crazy with the paintjob,

it's supposed to look dirty
and desertified.

I mean, Dude...

would definitely
appreciate this.

Even after being out here
for the whole shakedown run,

this project
still doesn't have a name.

Definitely something
to do with dirt, [chuckles]

I'll give it that.

I gotta say,
I need some ChapStick

and a ice cold adult beverage
after all that.

What a day!

It's time to have
a little more fun.

[engine revving]