All language subtitles for Mythbusters.S13E02.1080p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-NTb_track3_[eng]

Remember kids,

Don't try anything you see
on this show at home.

We're experts.

And this was like this
when we got here.

[ piano music plays ]

Narrator: On this episode
of "mythshiners"...

The team gets loaded with a
double shot of moonshine myths.

Okay,
go ahead and fire it up.

First, could your hooch house
be blown to bits...

This entire house is gonna leap
five feet in the air.

Narrator:
...By an exploding still?

And could a tank of that
old white lightnin'...

I think this thing is running
on moonshine and a prayer.

...Have enough juice
to run your car?

This is what moonshine
is all about!

Find out as the mythbusters
hit the hard stuff.

Whoa, nelly!

Who are the mythbusters?

Adam savage...

I got the chicken! Ha!

Narrator:
...And jamie hyneman.

I'm ready.

Narrator:
Between them, more than 30 years

Of special-effects experience.

Together with grant imahara...

R-a-a-a-a-h!

Narrator: ...Kari byron...

Always makes me feel dangerous.

Narrator:
...And tory belleci.

There's something
you don't see every day.

Narrator: They don't just tell
the myths.

They put them to the test.

-- Captions by vitac --
www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

Deep
in the appalachian mountains,

The moonshiners
battle the elements...

...Each other, and the law...

Man: You never know
when you got to run.

Narrator: ...To continue the
proud tradition of moonshine.

It's a tradition
steeped in legend,

And where there's legend,
there's the mythbusters.

So, first up, adam and jamie
are starting with a bang.

You ever tried moonshine,
jamie?

Do you think
I should answer that?

Eh, probably okay.

Well,
then I probably have.

Have you ever made moonshine,
though?

Do you think
I should answer that?

[ chuckles ]
probably not.

Well,
then I probably haven't.

But you are familiar
with the idea

That moonshining carries with it
some dangers

That can achieve
mythical proportions.

You mean like it can burn
more than your throat?

Exactly.

What we've got here
is a story

About a moonshiner
makin' moonshine

When something goes wrong

And blows his entire moonshining
shack to smithereens.

That sounds great.

According to this legend,

A moonshiner is distilling
his liquor,

When suddenly...

No more shack.

But could a still really blow
your hut to high heaven?

How do you think the best way
to tackle this story is?

Well, this story's about
an exploding moonshiner shack,

So we're gonna have to build
a shack.

Of course.

But if you're
gonna make moonshine,

You're gonna need a still.

Well,
maybe that's where we start.

Just go downstairs,
make a still,

And start brewing
our own alcohol.

You betcha.

Adam is testing his "metal"

By building
an authentic copper still...

It's important to really get
into your work.

Narrator: ...And it's
a "riveting" process.

[ laughs ]
what am I doing, you ask?

I'm having fun.

Narrator: Fun,
but every last joint and bolt

Must be carefully sealed...

Beautiful.

Narrator:
...To ensure it's airtight,

And the moonshine vapor
will have nowhere to go but up.

[ laughing ]

I feel like a drink.

Narrator: From there,
it's the job of the condenser...

That's the last time I make
everyone slinkys for christmas.

Narrator: ...To twist that vapor
back into liquid hooch.

Adam: [ laughs ]

Well, that was easier
than I thought it would be.

Jamie: While adam's
scratch-building his still,

I've got ahold of this
stainless steel milk canister,

Which has been modified
just for the purposes

Of using it as a still.

There's the heating element.

It's the same thing they use
in a water heater.

It's perfect for this.

And there we go.
Ready to start shinin'.

Narrator:
But before they shine on,

They'll need the most important
ingredient -- the mash.

So, this is the stuff
we're gonna get alcohol out of.

Absolutely.

What is it, exactly?

Uh, it's a good, old-fashioned
corn mash.

This is predominantly
about 65% corn

And malted wheat,
malted barley.

A little messy
but it works.

Mix those together, end up
with about 10% alcohol

That we can then distill
out to a higher proof.

It's a process that's as old
as the appalachian mountains.

But just how does it work?

Adam:
At the bottom is a pot.

It's filled with a mixture of
water and components of alcohol.

At the bottom of that pot is
an electrical heating element

Which is heating
that mixture up.

Now, when that heating element
reaches 172 degrees,

Which is the boiling point
of alcohol,

But not yet
the boiling point of water,

Alcohol vapor starts to form.

It moves up the column
on the left there,

And then it starts to go down

Through the twisty copper
in the condenser.

That water
that's in the condenser

Is cooling down
the gaseous alcohol

Until it comes out of the bottom

As really nice
high-octane alcohol.

Isn't that cool?

Narrator:
Yep, and soon we should see
some ill-gotten grain alcohol.

Well, actually,
not so ill-gotten.

Normally, when we say,
"don't try this at home"

There's a safety issue involved.

In this case,
you shouldn't try this at home

But for a different reason --

It's illegal
to distill on your own.

So, we went ahead
and did it right.

We got a permit, that's what you
need to be able to do this.

Jamie: Wow,
it's actually working.

Yeah, it looks like
we got something. Mmm,
it tastes dangerous.

That's high proof.

Yeah,
that is high proof.

We should, uh, grab
a hydrometer, give it a test,

See what we're coming out at.
[ chuckles ]

I thought it was gonna be
a drip, drip, drip,

But that's a faucet.

Looks like we got
about 156 proof.

We not have a couple of working
alcohol distillation machines.

Now it's time for us to go out
into the field

And see how these working stills
can fail.

[ coughs ]

Narrator:
Next, kari, tory, and grant

Are fueling up
for a moonshine run.

I'm really excited

About this whole "moonshiners"
crossover episode.

What are we testing?

Well, we've got a myth
that's really common.

I mean, it's been
on "back to the future,"

"lawless," "dukes of hazzard."

And that is that you can run
a car on nothing but moonshine

Without any modifications,
and it'll be totally fine.

Well, this gives
a whole new meaning

To driving
under the influence,

Which is illegal.

But, I guess they're
moonshiners, so they don't care.

Man: Contact.

Narrator:
There's a reason the moonshiners

Call their stuff
"white lightnin'."

That's
some fine sippin' liquor.

Randy, you could run your car
on that.

But could you really run your
ride on that old mountain dew?

All right, so I get the concept.

Can an unmodified car run
on moonshine?

But it's a little vague,
right?

True, I mean, they don't say
what kind of car,

What kind of moonshine,
or even the definition of run.

All right, well,
why don't we start off simple?

Let's get three different cars
from three different decades.

We'll get a carbureted one,

A fuel-injected one,
and a brand-new car,

And we'll fill it up with the
most typical type of moonshine

And see if the cars
even drive.

Narrator:
Okay, so it's not just one
for the road, it's three.

All the cars
are the same make and model,

But grant's flashing back
to the '90s

And tory's groovin' in the '70s.

You guys ready to party?

Whoo! [ laughs ]

Grant: So, this is our course
for today's experiment.

It's designed to put our cars
to the test in various ways...

[ tires squeal ]

...Including starting
from a stop, acceleration,

Precision maneuvering,
and three-point turns.

Now we're gonna put moonshine in
and, assuming they start,

We'll put each vehicle through
three laps and score them.

And based on that, we'll
find out which era vehicle,

If any,
performs the best on moonshine.

What I have here
is traditional moonshine.

Now, this is what we're gonna
be using to fuel our cars.

Now, this particular moonshine's
about 192 proof,

Which means
it's about 96% ethanol.

That goes down smooth.

Now, ethanol is the fuel
that race cars use,

So there is a chance
that this could work,

However, our cars
are far from race cars.

They're not tuned up
for this kind of fuel,

So is this gonna be
an effective fuel?

We're about to find out.

[ sputters ]

Narrator: First to cruise on
the booze, it's tory's '70s car.

Tory:
I'm driving a '73 vehicle which,
by the way, has a carburetor.

Now, a carburetor's job is

To mix the fuel and the air
together

So that the engine
runs smoothly.

Now, if there's not enough fuel
and too much air,

The vehicle
is gonna be running lean,

Which means
it might not run at all.

Okay, here we go.

This is moonshine
in a carbureted car

In three, two, one...

[ engine sputters ]

Oh!
Oh, my god. Here we go.

[ engine turns over ]

[ cheers ]

All right.
Kari: Let's do it!

Whoo-hoo!

I think this thing is running
on moonshine and a prayer.

I think it's just running
on a prayer at this moment.

[ engine sputters ]

Is that stalled?
I think it's stalled.

Oh!
[ chuckles ]

It stalled.

[ engine turns over ]
oh, started again.

I'm not getting away
from any cop

If I'm driving that car
on the moonshine.

Narrator: So, after less
than one complete lap...

Man, moonshine
in a carbureted car --

Not the best gas.

...It's clear the carburetor
can't handle

The 4% water in the hooch.

[ tires screech ]

Three, two, one.

[ engine turns over ]

Whoo!
That was a good start.

But could a different way
of dispersing fuel

Give the '90s car the edge?

Grant: Now, these '90s-era cars
are fuel injected,

Which means that the fuel
is pumped

Through a tiny nozzle
at high pressure

And that atomizes the gas
immediately.

All right, here comes
the acceleration test.

Ahh!

[ tires squeal ]

No worries.
[ laughs ]

Tory:
That's one lap down.

Running better on moonshine
than I would.

Two to go.

Whoa. Almost feeling
like it might die.

Having trouble
with the idle.

This is not good.

Come on, come on.
Oh, whoa.

Ooh, I hear a bit of stuttering
in the engine.

They seem to be losing
a little bit of acceleration.

Narrator: Yep, it seems
the moonshine isn't compatible

With a fuel-injected '90s car.

At first, it was going
really, really well,

But as the test went on, it
started to hesitate from a stop.

It was jerking
while it was idling.

We had a loss of power.

Narrator: So, although
the '70s car and the '90s car

Struggled
with the white whiskey,

Will the modern car
have a taste for moonshine?

That clears your sinuses.

All right,
so I'm driving the 2013 car.

I'm sort of glass half full
and half empty on this one.

I mean, it's a new car,
so it's not a flex fueled,

But it does have
a sophisticated computer

That might be able to recognize
an alternative fuel.

But moonshine, being ethanol,

Burns a lot hotter
than gasoline.

It might just burn out
the engine altogether.

In three, two, one...

[ engine sputters ]

It's not starting.

Come on.
Give it a second.

[ engine turns over ]

Whoo! Here we go, jump in!
Good luck.

Narrator:
Although it was slow to start,

The 2013 is off
and most definitely running.

It feels a little off,
but not in a bad way.

Grant: So far, I don't hear
any clunking, like,

You know when you have
the wrong kind of fuel in there?

This car is taking it all
in stride.

I can't believe
this is not actually bad.

I'm shocked.

Narrator: So, after completing
three almost perfect laps,

It's clear the unmodified,
modern car and its computer

Can handle the hard stuff.

So, this one's confirmed.

You can run a car
on moonshine.

That is so bizarre.

Narrator: Later...

You're going down,
sucker.

...But first...

Adam:
Aren't we inadvertently testing
"a watched pot never boils"?

You know,
I was gonna say the same thing.

Whoa!

Narrator:
Because they spend their lives

On the wrong side of the law,

Moonshiners are always
on the lookout for trouble.

And when it comes to trouble,

A boiler full of flammable vapor
is top of the list.

But could a still really explode
and take a shack down with it?

Adam: Feel like making
some alcohol?

And blowing some stuff up.

Yeah,
let's fire up the boiler.

Well, first they've got to build
their still house.

That's the floor,
let's screw it down.

Yeah.

It's a quick and dirty shack

That's got three walls
in no time...

There it is.

...And a clear fourth wall

To ensure they get
their boom with a view.

Everything's really clear.

Narrator:
So, now to bring in the still.

If this is a story
about an exploding still,

What is it exactly

That is supposed to make
the still explode?

Well, as the mash burns
and alcohol is produced,

Particulate matter can actually
build up inside this thing

And cause a clog.

Now, when that clog happens,

All of a sudden you end up
with alcohol with no outlet,

And that makes it become
a pressure vessel.

And we all know what happens
on "mythbusters"

When a pressure vessel fails.

Oh!

How am I going to induce
that "clog" in the still?

With this --
a simple, half-inch copper cap

Soldered to the only outlet
for the alcohol.

That is perfect.

Now, once we've eliminated
its outlet

And start to heat it up,
it will find its own way out.

The question
we're going to answer

With that experiment is,
how bad will it be?

Narrator:
So, for their worst-case
scenario still failure,

They've deliberately blocked
the outlet.

Adam: Because we're looking
for the worst-case scenario,

I'm using 200-proof alcohol.

That is pure alcohol.

We are ready to go.

Narrator: Distilling from
pure alcohol means more vapors

And should mean more pressure
for the still.

Adam: Everything looks good,
temperature's rising steadily.

It's at 100.
Jamie: Excellent.

Let the pressure begin.

With no outlet,

The pressure
inside the still builds,

And so does the heat.

The temperature's climbing
like a rocket.

And, as the temperature
within the still

Skyrockets to 500 degrees,
the room starts to cook.

That's enough heat
to autoignite

All the wood in there
if it had air.

So my question is, is it enough
to make the vessel fail?

That's what I'm hoping.

Smoke coming out the top.

[ glass shatters ]

Smoke out the top.
No signal.

Oh, we just lost signal
on the camera.

That means it got crazy, crazy,
crazy hot in there.

Yep.

[ glass shatters ]

After 30 minutes
of their worst-case scenario,

Still no room boom.

But there is fire in the hole.

I see flame coming out
all over the place now.

I'm starting to suspect that,

Somewhere in the piping
leading out of my still,

There's a failure.

We might not get a failure
of the actual vessel

Because it's just leaking
consistently in that space

And feeding this fire.

Adam's right.

Because ethanol burns
with an invisible flame,

It's hard to see.

But the vapors are hitting
the burner and fueling the fire.

Should we think
about putting it out?

I think so.

I don't think there are any
big build ups of fumes in there.

No, I'm gonna put on
the fire suit.

Okay.

Adam is quick to hose down
the wreckage.

Might as well let it burn.

There's nothing salvageable
in there.

The still
is totally destroyed.

Okay.

But it's
the lack of an explosion

That really put the damper
on this myth.

Nothing that we predicted
or expected to happen

Happened as we thought it might.

Open flames
started working beautifully.

We were getting some nice
high temperatures on my still.

But instead of acting

Like a pressure vessel
that fails catastrophically,

Once it got up to heat,
it seemed to fail...

What's the opposite
of catastrophic?

Laconically, lackadaisically.

Don't get me wrong,
if you came upon this

And this was your shack

And you came upon it
the next morning,

You'd be like,
"hey, my shack blew up."

But I'm here to tell you
there's no explosion there.

[ sighs ]
no explosion.

No, so sad, but that was
just one scenario,

And there are others.

It's true, there are.

Shall we set one up?

Let's do it.

Narrator:
There's no doubt that moonshine
can be very strong stuff.

All right, here we go.
We got some moonshine a-going.

[ laughs ]

And it even looks like
you can run a car on it.

So, we put moonshine in a car,
and it ran.

That's myth confirmed,
right?

Not as far as I'm concerned.

I've always heard the myth
that a car running on moonshine

Will outrun
a car running on gas,

That the moonshine
will outperform the gasoline.

I mean, that's how they
portray it in the movies, right?

All right, well, why don't we
continue our tests

With our best-performing car.

Let's also mess with the
formulations for the moonshine,

Find the best proof
to run in the car,

Put it head-to-head
against a gas-fueled vehicle,

And do, sort of,
a comparison -- a moonshine run.

A moonshine showdown.
I like it.

Narrator:
And with the burden of
three kinds of proof onboard...

You got the hooch?

Narrator: ...It's time to see
which liquor is quicker.

Kari: St. George distilleries
has been kind enough

To make us a full range

Of different proof moonshine
for our experiment today.

We have 151, 170 and 192,

Which we've been using
in our previous experiment.

So here's
how this test is gonna go --

We're gonna start
here at the start line,

And I'm gonna stomp on the gas
as soon as tory says...

Go for it.
[ engine revs ]

We'll time how long it takes
to get up to 60 miles an hour.

When I get there,
I'll say "stop."

Time 6.9 seconds.

We're gonna average that three
times in a row for each proof.

The proof that has
the fastest time is the winner.

Narrator: So,
first the car is drained of gas

And then liquored up
with the 151 proof.

Come on, bobby joe.

The cops are on our tails,
we got to get out of here.

In three, two, one, go!

Go!

We're having
technical difficulties.

Go-o-o!

[ engine turns over ]

All right, here we go.

[ laughs ]

Oh, it doesn't like it.

Narrator: It seems the 151
is literally a non-starter.

We got to get to the still
before the police show up.

And despite an attempted
bump start, it's all systems no.

I don't think this is
how the moonshiners do it.

All right,
I think we should just call it.

I don't have the energy
to continue with this test.

There's no way we're ever
getting that to 60 or even five.

Sorry,
I couldn't push that fast.

[ laughter ]

Narrator:
Next, they raise the bar,

Draining the 151 and refueling
with the 170 proof.

[ engine turns over ]

But will this "white lightnin'"
be lightning fast?

Go!

Well, it's a little sluggish
off the line.

Tory:
Nineteen and a half seconds,

22 seconds, 16.7 seconds

To get up to 60 miles an hour
on 170 proof.

Excellent.

With an average of 19.4,

There's still room
for improvement.

So, can the 96% ethanol,
192 proof, power to victory?

Well, I'm not driving.

Kari:
Okay, guys, this is

Moonshine run zero to 60 test
with 192 proof.

In three, two, one, go!

Go! Go!

[ engine revs ]

Nine point six five seconds,
8.94 seconds,

9.78 seconds to get up
to 60 miles an hour.

Narrator:
And clearly, off the line,
the 192 is the quicker liquor.

Tory: So, it turns out
192-proof moonshine

Worked best in our vehicle.

Now that we have our moonshine,
and we have our best vehicle,

It's time to put it up
against gasoline.

Narrator: It's the "mythbusters"
moonshine happy hour,

And there's still more thrills
and spills to come.

That totally didn't work out
like I was hoping.

My still's failure mode was
less catastrophic and more,

Shall we say melty,
than I was hoping for.

Yeah,
yours still got a slow leak

That was feeding a fire
underneath.

Mine didn't have
that problem.

It had an internal
electric heating element.

Right, so in theory,
your still could keep on leaking

And there's
no ready ignition source

To take care of that gas.

Well, yeah, and then the fumes
would just keep building up

Until you had the perfect
explosive fuel-air mix.

And then, if you get, like,
a short circuit or a spark,

Or a moonshiner lighting
a cigarette...

Boom.

Narrator: It's an altogether
different kind of failure,

But historically

Igniting rooms
full of flammable gas...

Am I missing an eyebrow?

...Is a lot harder
than you'd think.

See, the problem is that
the worst thing that can happen

When you have a chamber
full of flammable gas and air

Is nothing.

If it doesn't ignite, nobody
wants to go near that thing.

It's a dangerous thing,
so we must get ignition,

And I'm going to troubleshoot
our ignition source

Here in the shop
before we head out to the field

And put all our eggs
in one basket, or shack.

It's not pretty, but it'll work,
I promise.

So, the set up
is pretty straightforward.

First, we need a shack
for the experiment to happen in,

And that's done.

Then, we need some alcohol.

Here's some I prepared earlier.

No, seriously,
this is my alcohol

From the earlier distillation.

Then, we need a way to turn that
alcohol from a liquid into a gas

And that's with a hot plate
and a pan.

Then, we need a way to ignite
that and that is with our handy

[groans]
15,000 volt neon transformer.

I'm gonna put the two contacts
in there,

That'll create a nice spark,
and hopefully that'll give us

The guaranteed pop
we're looking for.

Now we wait.

Now we wait.

Narrator: With all eyes
on the proof of concept shack,

It's not long until
the alcohol vapor starts to fog.

I'm seeing vapor.

Yeah, me too.

So it's time to flick
the ignition switch.

Miniature shack
in three, two, one.

[ switch clicks ]

Nothing.

Nothing.
I can see the spark from here.

Yeah.

Nothing.

The dreaded nothing
has happened.

Let's leave everything
unplugged, wait ten minutes,

And then go and clear
the area.

Okay.

Ten minutes later and
the ethanol vapor has cleared,

But shouldn't it have been
easier to ignite?

It seems like the alcohol vapor
is settling to the bottom,

And it's ending up
being really striated.

How are we gonna guarantee
ignition in this thing?

Well,
we've had a lot of luck before

By igniting
some sort of a larger thing,

Like a paper towel
or whatever.

And getting a flame going on
in there.

So, with the addition
of a rag...

Second time's the charm.

...The vapor should ignite
this time around.

Jamie: Yeah,
I see mist coming down.

It looks like it's building up
in the bottom of the container.

Oh, look at that. It totally is
getting foggy down there.

I think we should turn off
the burner and set it off.

All right.
All right, here we go.

Spark test
with a little bit of fire.

Three, two, one.

Whoa!
[ laughs ]

The rag put the torch
to the ethanol,

Exploding the shack
just as they hoped it would,

And it's clear those alcohol
fumes sure are dangerous.

Oops, we got a little bit
of a fire going on.

Sorry. Oh!

You know, I was gonna try
and hold it closed.

Oh,
I see what you were --

Okay, uh,
now where's co2?

That's not co2, I guess,
but it did the trick.

[ laughs ]
it certainly did.

Uh, I'm gonna go out on a limb
and say

I think that's an incredibly
effective ignition method

And let's go with it.

Works for me.

But the question now is

Will it be just as explosive
super sized?

There's no doubt that
if you brew it just right...

Finally.
Good liquor, man.

...You can run your car
on moonshine...

[ engine turns over ]
whoo!

...Provided you have
the right car...

This car's taking it
all in stride.

Narrator:
...And the right moonshine.

But could white whiskey
ever outgun gas?

You ready for some new,
awesome memories at this track?

I'm ready
to do some racing.

Jamie: So for
our moonshine fuel face-off,

We've come out
to the petaluma speedway.

We're going to test
both speed and performance.

We have a course set up.

We have two identical cars.

They're both brand-new,
2013 cars.

The only difference is
one is filled with moonshine,

One is filled with gasoline.

We're gonna have tory
run the course

Three times
in the gasoline vehicle,

Three times
in the moonshine vehicle,

And whichever fuel
has the fastest time wins.

Now, personally, I think the
moonshine hasn't got a chance.

Narrator:
Well, that's to come.

First, tory's setting the pace
with regular, old gasoline.

In three, two, one, begin!

[ engine revs ]

And he's off
to a wheel-spinning start.

Tory's top speed attempt
has him drifting on the dirt.

Kari:
Yeah! Well done!

Sharp turn, getting sideways
to the inside.

Oh!

Narrator: Tory's got his foot
to the floor,

But with this kind of track,

That means he's not getting
much traction.

Tory: The gasoline car
was performing so well

That as soon as you hit
the accelerator,

The wheels are spinning.

Kari: That was a nice recovery
on that fishtail.

So I was constantly
having to readjust the steering

To stay on track
so I didn't spin out,

And then I kept my speed up
so that I'd get the best time.

[ cheers ]

Whoo! Come on in!

Narrator: The gasoline car
takes the checkered flag

At two minutes and 26 seconds.

All right, let's move on
to the moonshine car

And see how that one performs.

Now, gas versus moonshine,

I don't think moonshine's gonna
handle this track very well.

Going from slow to fast quickly

Is not one of its strong points
as I've seen so far.

I think gas is definitely gonna
rule it here.

Okay, here goes moonshine run
in three, two, one, go!

[ engine revs ]

Narrator:
It's all down to tory,

But can the rocket fuel
outperform the gas?

Kari: Whoo!

Look at that fishtail.
Nice!

To confirm this myth,

The moonshine car
has to complete three laps

In less
than two minutes 26 seconds.

Tory:
Now, we saw a little hesitation
on the zero-to-60 test,

But out here on the track...

Whoo! Oh, my god!

I'm not feeling any hesitation
whatsoever.

Whoa!
[ laughs ]

I feel like
there's too much power.

Narrator:
Yep, it seems as though

The slower acceleration
of the moonshine

Has the wheels taking
the dirt track in their stride

And gaining on the gasoline.

Kari:
God, I wonder if it's handling
any different from the inside

'cause from here it looks fine.

Whoo-hoo!

Ah!

This moonshine's giving me
a lot more get up and go.

We might be onto something here,
man.

Maybe this is true.

This could be a tie.
This could be it.

Ah, we're gonna --
we have time. Whoo!

Here we go!

Whoo! All right,
what's that on the clock.

Oh, my god.
It's amazing!

What was our time?

You beat it by two seconds.

Wait,
we actually beat our time?

Yeah, you did!

Dude, that's amazing!

That's insane!

Narrator: Amazingly,
the moonshine outgunned the gas,

But that's still not
a definitive result for kari.

Kari: Moonshine
has done amazingly well,

Far beyond what I expected

For both the speed
and for performance,

But what I'd really like to see,

What I really think
is gonna give moonshine a test

Is longevity.

I want to see
a long moonshine run.

I mean, moonshiners
are doing something illegal.

They're not just gonna pull over
when the cops ask 'em.

They're gonna keep going.

They need to outrun them.

This is a run-and-gun situation.

I want to see if moonshine
can stand up

To a real moonshine run
when in a car.

Narrator:
Yep, coming up,

The law catches up
with our moonshiner.

Moonshiner!

What the heck!
Let's get 'im.

But will it be last orders
for the myth?

Whoa, nelly!

Do not try what you are
about to see at home.

We're
what you would call experts.

Welcome back.

In this episode, we've been
investigating mythical ways

In which illegal alcohol stills
might meet their end,

Hopefully via a destructive
all-encompassing explosion.

Jamie: That whole thing
is going down.

I know it might look
like I'm standing

In the aftermath
of a successful explosion,

But in fact,
we have to admit

That this experimental setup
was a bit of a dud.

Adam: The still
is totally destroyed.

And so we built a second shed,
exactly the same as the first,

Except in this one
we will be investigating

A totally different kind
of explosion.

We will have jamie's still
in here,

And we're gonna pop a leak
in it.

Now the hole in the middle
of it will be a perfect leak.

When we have what we consider
enough vapor,

We will introduce an open flame.

Whoa!

We consider this to be the
highest percentage possibility

Of yielding the type
of bye-bye shack fireball

That we were looking for.

Jamie:
Well, that ought to do it.

Heat there, alcohol in there,
alcohol vapor out here.

Boom.

Narrator:
Well, boom, so long as the
moonshine to air ratio is right.

Jamie:
Alcohol vapor becomes flammable

Between 3% and 19%
when combined with air.

The ideal ratio is 7%, though,

And so that's what we're
gonna be aiming for.

But the thing is,
our alcohol sensors

Are proving to be
not so reliable,

So what we're gonna have to do

Is measure the oxygen content
in the room...

There's our sensor,
right there. Perfect.

...So we know that when we reach

An oxygen concentration
of about 19.5%

As opposed to its normal 20.9%
in the atmosphere,

We'll have our ideal 7%
concentration of alcohol vapor,

And that's gonna give us
our best shot.

Narrator:
And to ensure ignition,

They're using
their small-scale technique,

Time to soak our ignition source
in lighter fluid.

Narrator: But that leaves
one key question.

Jamie: How would this happen
in the real world?

Let's say out moonshiner is
out of smokes

And so he drives to town,
leaving the still operating

Not knowing that there's a leak
in it.

He comes back
with his cigarettes,

Opens the door, lights one,
and up she goes.

Adam: My prediction here
is pretty straightforward.

You know,
I like the overalls.

They make carrying him
a lot easier.

I think this thing's
gonna go ka-blum.

I can't possibly do it
as loud as it will happen,

But I think the visual cue
that it's going ka-blum

Is that this entire house is
gonna leap five feet in the air.

Still's warming up, now we wait.

Narrator: The wait begins,

But will this be
the shining scenario

That finally brings
the still house down?

Adam:
Starting oxygen reading's 20.9,

Our butter zone
will be between 19.5 and 20.

Narrator:
That's the explosive ratio,

And inside the shack,

The oxygen level
is slowly inching towards it.

Oh, it's down to 20.3.

We can't see the vapor,

But it apparently
is displacing oxygen -- 20.2.

Narrator: The guys prepare
to bide their time

As the ethanol fumes
fill their hut.

Wow, things are happening
in there.

Our feed over here
is getting fuzzy.

But, after just five minutes,

The air-to-moonshine mixture
hits their explosive goal.

Jamie: It's 19.5.

All right, that's
the ideal ratio. Shall we?

Yeah,
let's see what happens.

Okay, here we go.
Moonshining still explosion.

Well...
Ignition.

[ laughs ]
in three, two, one.

[ hissing ]

Whoa!

That was an explosion.

That was beautiful!

[ both chuckle ]

Yep, the still huffed and puffed
and blew the house down.

That worked perfectly.

That worked
absolutely perfectly.

Let's go check out the damage.
Okay.

Jamie: Ah, it looks like the
still's holding the building up.

[ both laugh ]

Adam:
I wouldn't have expected that.

And it did blow apart
the building,

As well as lift it off
the foundation.

It did, but not five feet like I
predicted, more like one foot.

Adam:
Well, that was as awesome

As our first experiment
was disappointing.

We actually got a ka-blum
and a genuine whoomf

And a failure
of our entire structure.

The only thing holding
this building up at this point

Is the still that is inside it.

What's interesting though,
to me,

Is that we didn't see a thing.

That room was not cloudy,
there was nothing like

Any kind of teapot steam
coming out of the nozzle,

Which I kind of expected.

So, you know,

If you were a moonshiner
and you opened that door,

You wouldn't have any idea
what was going on

Until it was too late.

Narrator:
Which means, clearly this leaky
still scenario is confirmed.

Jamie:
So, what does this tell us?

Adam: Well,
I think first and foremost,

We learned
that a homebuilt still

Does not a destructive
pressure vessel make.

Yes, but a leak in a still
can create enough fumes

To blow a building apart.

Yeah, making moonshine
is a dangerous business.

And we ain't even started
drinking it yet.

Let's remedy that.
All right.

Coming up.

Tory: Calling all cars,
calling all cars.

We are in hot pursuit.

Whoa, nelly!

Can bootleggin' imahara
and his firewater fuel

Outrun the long arm of the law?

Come on, moonshine,
you can do it!

Every single thing
we investigate on "mythbusters"

Has to do
with a transfer of energy.

From one state to another,
from one form to another,

From one place to another,
often rapidly

And hopefully
with disastrous results.

So, just check this out,

And watch
how the rapid combustion

Of all the alcohol fumes
in the shack

Causes it to expand.

The in-rush of oxygen
causes fire

To just appear
almost everywhere.

The corona of flame
around the perimeter

As the atmosphere

Is combining with the oxygen
and the gas fumes

In order to set everything
on fire,

As well as the total destruction
of the shed.

This is the best part
of the job.

Grant: Ah, thunderhill,
brings back memories, huh?

You're going down, sucker.

You're gonna
have to catch me.

Tory:
We're back at thunderhill,

The same place
where we tested indy car myth,

But this time we're playing
cops and moonshiners.

We're trying to see if moonshine
will outperform gasoline,

And so far, it looks like
they're pretty close.

Kari:
You beat it by two seconds.

But now it's time
for our next test -- longevity.

What we need to simulate here

Is a long car chase
down a windy road,

And that's
why thunderhill is ideal.

It's got twists, it's got turns,
it's got a straightaway.

All right, we're about to start
our moonshine run experiment.

This is how it's gonna go.

Chief's really getting
on my nerves.

[ laughs ]

Tory and I are gonna be waiting

Next to that billboard
right there.

We are cops eating doughnuts.

Keeps giving us
these bum beats.

Well,
there's plenty of doughnuts.

Now, when grant races by
in his moonshine vehicle,

We are going to drop our
doughnuts and jump in the car.

Grant's going to enter
the thunderhill raceway track.

Now, when he does three laps,
that's ten miles.

If in that time
we can catch up to him

In our gas-powered vehicle,
then the myth is busted.

If he makes it away from us,
it's confirmed.

Narrator: And over on
the wrong side of the tracks...

[ engine turns over ]

Yes! Good to go.

[ engine revs ]

Moonshiners!

What the heck!
Let's get 'em.

Narrator: As grant powers past
the police, the chase is on.

Grant: Whoo-hoo!

Here we go!

Whoa, nelly!

Narrator: With just over
ten miles of high speed,

High tailing,
hot pursuiting to go,

This is the ultimate test
of endurance

For the unconventional fuel.

Grant: Come on, moonshine!
You can do it!

Narrator:
Both drivers are giving it
everything they've got...

Yeah!

Whoo-hoo!

Way to keep it together.

...Pushing their vehicles
to the limit.

This is insane.

He's performing
like he's driving on gas.

The moonshine
is unbelievable.

Narrator: Yep, incredibly,

Grant with his tank full
of good ol' white lightnin'...

Grant:
Ah, don't go, don't go off.

Narrator:
...Is hanging on to his lead.

Grant: All right, I've got to
say, going into this test,

I was a little dubious.

They are never gonna catch me!

As I went in, I started driving,

And the first lap around
I was being really careful.

And then, once I started
to gain confidence,

I put the pedal to the metal.

The moonshine performed

Just as well as the gasoline,
if not better.

[ tires screech ]

Yes!
Take that coppers, I made it!

Moonshine!

Whoo-hoo!

Narrator: After ten miles
of pedal to the metal,

Grant and his hooch have passed
the endurance test...

He's gonna be smug.
Yep, I can tell.

[ laughs ]
that is one smug moonshiner.

...And successfully escaped
the long arm of the law.

Let me see your hands.

I got nothing, I just got fuel
in my car officer.

Well,
that was some fine driving, son.

Wow, there's no way
we could catch up to you.

Yeah, I mean, you were driving
as if you were driving with gas.

You know what,

There was no problems at all
here on the track.

Are we confirming
this myth?

I can't believe it,
but I think we are.

I think it's confirmed.

Moonshine,
as good as gasoline.

Narrator: But, before you get
your hopes up about moonshine,

Kari has some fuel for thought.

At this point, I feel like

People are gonna start trying
to put moonshine in their car.

That's not necessarily
a good idea.

Cars are not made to have
alcohol running through them,

And we used so much moonshine
compared to gasoline.

The gas mileage, not so good
when you're using moonshine.

Might as well just keep it
in your cabinet and drink it.

What are we doing
back in the blueprint room?

I thought we'd wrapped?

Indeed we did, but we just got,
hot off the presses,

Some news that may change

The origins of the story
of the exploding still.

What?

Okay,
I want you to cast your mind

Back to the days
you were an illegal distiller.

If you knew the cops
were coming, what would you do?

I'd get the heck out of there.
Exactly!

Illegal distillers
would try to remove

Any evidence
of their illegal operation,

And they would do it in a way
that we are very familiar with.

With explosives.
Exactly.

So for a new finale
for this myth,

We are going to use

Ye olde method
of destroying the evidence --

We're gonna
blow it all up.

[ piano music plays ]