Roadkill

HOT RODs David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan build a clone of the 1968 Ford Ranchero that the magazine ran in the very first Baja 1000, then head north for Alaska. But sometimes when you hit the road, the road hits back, and their ambitious journey quickly transforms into the road trip from hell. Undaunted by sleepless nights, multiple breakdowns, derailed plans, 0-degree weather and the lack of a passenger-side window, the guys create an adventurous win from a comedy of errors. Its American road tripping at its best... and worst.

David Freiburger, Mike Finnegan and a carsick dog drive a 69 El Camino 500 miles from home (on seven cylinders) to change an engine in the parking lot of Summit Racing. The story goes that Finnegans wifes grandfather bought this1969 Chevy El Camino brand new, and its been passed down through the family, finally to her. Its a solid car, and the suspension has been hopped up, but the all-original 350 engine was smoking like a freight train. That didnt stop the guys from limping it from Los Angeles, California to Sparks, Nevada, where Summit Racing has a fully-stocked warehouse. Summit sells every speed part and replacement part on Earth, including the 420hp, 383ci crate engine, so the logic was that the guys would save time on the engine swap because they could walk right into the store instead of driving to a parts store multiple times, as they would have back home. So how long will it take a couple gearheads to change an engine outside in a snow flurry? Will the EPA shut them down before they can finish? And what happens when you let a carsick dog ride shotgun?

On this episode of Roadkill, David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan go head-to head in an epic driving competition thats really just an excuse for some hilarious, needless car bashing. The victims are two parts cars for HOT ROD magazine projects: a 90-something Dodge conversion van that will give up its 360 V8 in the name of hot rodding and an 87 Buick wagon that was intended as a chassis donor... but after this, maybe not. Let the battle begin!

On this episode of Roadkill, HOT RODs David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan hit the road on a quest to build a car theyve both dreamed of for years: a 55 Chevy Bel Air sedan set up like a 60s Gasser and powered by a Mopar 426 Hemi. The guys drag out a 73 GMC Suburban that theyd never driven more than around the block (did you expect anything else?), then use it to pick up a bare 55 Chevy body in California before heading north for the 1,000-mile trip to Lincoln City, Oregon. Thats the home of Jim Meyer Racing, the chassis builder that helps the guys turn the 55 into a wicked looking hot rod in a single day. Theres no fail in this episode of Roadkill! Well, at least nothing terminal.

On this episode of Roadkill, theres endless burnouts and powerskids as David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan of HOT ROD magazine are on the loose in Australia with 727ci of Sonny Leonard hemi-headed madness. The massive big-block makes 1,275 horsepower between the fenders of a 2006 Holden HSV VE Clubsport R8. In American, thats like a Pontiac G8. This display of overkill is the product of "Gup," the promoter of the Powercruise series of events in Australia, New Zealand, and Minnesota (USA) where tire smoke is the rule. On the show, youll see tire fire from Gups infamous "Elvis" 74 Holden HQ, from his 727ci Clubbie, from a 1,500ci diesel semi truck, and from Downunders most throttle-happy petrolheads on both coasts. The miracle is that Freiburger and Finnegan arent still in an Aussie jail. Of course, that might have been less punishing than the 30-hour flight home

On this episode of Roadkill, Freiburger and Finnegan are out to discover which used cop car they like best, the Chevy Caprice 9C1 or the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor P71. Of course you expect nothing but the most professional, scientific analysis from these guys, and that includes a day doing donuts and bashing into stuff on pavement, tire explosions, a road trip to the desert, camping, thrashing on dirt roads, and a finale that just might create a new form of low-buck off-road motorsport.

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On this episode of Roadkill, the boys reignite their desire to go Ice Racing in Alaska! If you remember episode 2 of Roadkill, Freiburger and Finnegan hit the road in a 68 Ford Ranchero with a wild goal: to drive 3,600 miles from Los Angeles, California, to Big Lake, Alaska, to go ice racing. Somehow, they instead found themselves in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. You really need to check out Episode 2 to understand the level of fail that has chased these guys. But now, 14 months later, the guys are trying it again. The Rancheros engine was freshened up and reinstalled just days before the second attempt. The goal: to run the ALCAN Highway on the way to the ice races with the Alaska Sports Car Club outside of Anchorage in Big Lake, Alaska. Will they get it done this time? Watch to find out. For those interested in tech specs, the 68 Ranchero is powered by a 363ci small-block Ford thats based on a big-bore Dart SHP block; the bore and stroke is 4.125x3.400. It has 9.3:1 compression, Dart 195cc heads, and a hydraulic roller cam with 232/244 duration at 0.050, .565/.580 lift, and a 114-degree LSA. The engine made 471 hp at 6,200 rpm and 451 lb-ft at 4,500. The trans is a Gearstar C4. The cars biggest problem is the 2.80:1 gears in the 8-inch rearend. Thats too high for a heavily loaded car with a big cam, but they were used to keep rpm down during the trip to Alaska.

On this episode of Roadkill, its fun with Leaf Blowers. Experts on the Internet said it would never work. Thats never stopped Freiburger and Finnegan, and this time on Roadkill the guys put the theory to the test: can hardware-store leaf blowers supercharge an engine and make power? Step one was buying a 78 Monza Spyder with a 305 V8 and a four-speed stick. Step two was to take it to the shop of HOT ROD Drag Week racer Jeff Lutz to tune it up, swap the engine to a 350, dyno test it with five leaf blowers, and do a whole bunch of needless burnouts. Step three was to drive the Monza to Willmington, Ohio, for the East Coast Timing Associations Ohio Mile event, a standing-mile race where theyd find out if leaf-blower power adds up to more speed in the real world. The outcome? Who really cares? Because on Roadkill, its always about the adventure. And more burnouts.

A Vette-powered stepside truck. Nitrous oxide. Honda Trail 70s. Drag racing, and lots and lots of burnouts. Those are the basic plot points on this episode of Roadkill, as Freiburger and Finnegan have big fun with retro trail motorcycles on their way to revitalizing a long-neglected HOT ROD magazine project vehicle and road-tripping it to the eighth-mile drags. The vehicle is the Muscle Truck, a 74 Chevy shortbed stepside beater powered by an all-aluminum Corvette LS6. It also has a Turbo 400 transmission, a Gear Vendors under/overdrive, a Ford 9-inch with 5.13 gears, and the most wicked sounding exhaust ever. The goal is to get thrown out of the dragstrip for going too fast without a rollbar, then race the minibikes instead. How much nitrous can the Muscle Truck take?

On this episode of Roadkill, Finnegan builds an 1,100-horsepower big-block and Freiburger brings a Camaro that hes run 261 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Put em together and its a recipe for win, right? If you think so, youre probably not a Roadkill regular. It turns into an entire adventure just getting there, and gets more interesting from there.

On this episode of Roadkill, Freiburger and Finnegan attack the low-buck endurance race called 24 Hours of Lemons. Not content do do this ridiculous race in a reasonable car like a little handling-oriented import, the race car of choice is a one-owner 73 Plymouth Fury that Freiburger bought for $200 before setting it on fire a few times and then gutting it into a race car. The truth behind the scenes of this episode is that much of it was shot almost a year ago, and back then the guys didnt want to air it. Youll have to watch to see why. But now, in 2013, the story came full circle in a way that it only can on Roadkill, and so here we finally present the whole story.

More than any other episode, this Roadkill reveals what its really like to work at HOT ROD Magazine. Follow along to get the behind-the-scenes dirt on how we pulled off the Roadkill Live engine swap in the Crusher Camaro at the 2013 Performance Racing Industry trade show, then watch the 2,400-mile trip home from Indy to LA in the Crusher Camaro--including visits with Funny Car Racer Tony Pedregon, Steve Schmidt Racing Engines, and Finnegans dad! It all ends with a session at the drag strip where the Crusher went quicker than it ever has.

What do you get when you cross a rusted 1971 Datsun 240Z with a Chevy 4.3L V6 and a turbo from a Ford Power Stroke Diesel? The Rotsun! During Roadkill Episode 25, Freiburger and Finnegan revived the Rotsun expecting it to dominate in the 9-car autocross showdown of previous Roadkill project cars. It also needed to beat a 2014 Kia Rio 5, but failed to do so with the Rotsun shamefully breaking down before completing a decent lap. So in this episode: revenge. After swapping in the mismatched turbo and making nearly 400 rear-wheel horsepower, the guys head to the autocross at the Goodguys 5th Spring Nationals in Scottsdale, Arizona and mingle with fans on their way to a rematch with that dastardly Kia.

Remember the drag racing 74 Chevy Muscle Truck from Roadkill Episode 18? Its back, but with a twist: its gonna become a true dual-sport ride for surf and turf, shedding its drag slicks for Super Swamper Boggers and hitting the sand dunes...hard! And to prove that a lowered, two-wheel-drive pickup can dominate the dunes, Freiburger and Finnegan set up a shootout with Fred Williams from the Dirt Every Day series on the Motor Trend channel. Fred brought out his 69 VW Baja Bug from DED Episode 23 and went head to head with the Muscle Truck on the beach at Pismo, California.

On this episode of Roadkill, its 2,600 miles, 530 cubic inches, 700 horsepower, six speeds, 17 mpg, and two fun visits with some friends from TV. Last time, on Roadkill Episode 29, we finished our Chrysler-Hemi-powered 1955 Chevrolet gasser in about two weeks of thrashing (its the same car you saw us take, as a bare shell, to Jim Meyer Racing in Oregon in Episode 8). On this latest episode, we drive it around the block once, then hit the road on a 2,600-mile journey from Los Angeles to the kickoff party of the 2014 HOT ROD Power Tour in Concord, North Carolina. On the way, theres the breakdowns you expect from Roadkill, plus two surprises: a stop at Midwest Street Cars with Justin "Big Chief" Shearer and Shawn "Murder Nova" Ellington from Street Outlaws, and another with Rutledge Wood from Top Gear USA.

In this extra special episode of Roadkill, Subarus all-new 2015 Legacy goes head-to-head with three of Roadkills most famous project cars in tests of agility. Can the efficiency and traction of Subarus Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive outrun the horsepower of the 1968 Ford Ranchero, the 1968 Dodge Charger "General Mayhem," and the turbo-Chevy-powered 71 "Rotsun" 240Z? Youll find out here in Roadkills longest and most action-packed episode to date, as the guys thrash the cars mercilessly on a figure-8 obstacle course, at the DirtFish Rally School, and in a wheel-to wheel chase through a post-apocalyptic neighborhood. Roadkill is presented by Dickies, Built to Work.

Has it been that long already? Yup, we are 34 episodes deep into this thing we call Roadkill and although this episode might seem like we are mailin’ it in, we are in fact not slowing down at all. This is the good stuff, the moments that didn’t make the cut because we just couldn’t fit them in, and the inside dirt on what really happens when we hit the road with 20 bucks in our pockets and a headful of good ideas. Sit back, pop open a few cold ones, and take a trip down memory lane with Freiburger and Finnegan as they reminisce on puking dogs, smashed hybrids and why nobody seems to like it when they drive to Alaska. Next month we’ll be back with an even bigger episode of Roadkill so stay tuned.

On this episode of Roadkill, the boys are back to kick off Season 4 with their most epic engine swap to date! This time Finnegan and Freiburger drag an old Rogers Bonneville jet boat to a local Southern California lake behind the Muscle Truck, a lowered 1974 Chevrolet C10 pickup thats powered by a Chevrolet Performance LS6 crate engine. Once at the lake, they proceed to remove the engine from the truck and install it into the boat, hoping to do a little drag racing during the Tom Papp Memorial boating event. As usual things dont go as planned but the guys still manage to have fun involving an outhouse, shower curtains, scummy water and a trailer hitch. Oh yeah, did we mention that after going boating Finnegan and Freiburger still had to take the engine back out of the boat and re-install it into the truck to get home?

Roadkill is now powered by Dodge! To kick off the sponsorship, Finnegan and Freiburger called for some brand new 2015 supercars: the 707-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and Charger SRT Hellcat, plus a 645-horsepower Dodge Viper GT. Why? For an epic thrash, of course! This video has more tire smoke than youve ever seen from these cars, plus a big, irresponsible surprise at a motocross track. There are guest spots from Carlos Lago from Motor Trend, Fred Williams from Dirt Every Day, and pro drifter Tony Angelo. None of these guys should have been handed the keys. And by the way, we used the Hellcat red keys the whole time.

On this episode we present a new Roadkill project car: the Crop Duster! It’s a 1970 Plymouth Duster that Freiburger forgot that he owned—a result of multiple trades with a buddy, and at least 5 years of neglect in the dirt of a grape farm. Once he was reminded of the car, and with a 440 Mopar big-block sitting on the shop floor (salvaged from the General Mayhem ’68 Charger), it was evident what needed to happen. Freiburger and Finnegan headed up to the farm run by Steve Dulcich, editor of Engine Masters magazine, to drag the Duster out of its moss-covered indignity and attempted to get the 440 in the car and running, driving, and doing smoky burnouts within five days. Along the way, the trio did engine upgrades, butchered some headers, built a homemade driveshaft, cobbled together a used exhaust system, did some halfhearted bodywork, and executed other mechanical feats the likes of which you’ve come to expect from Roadkill. Then it was off to the chassis dyno and the drag strip. Hate to break it to you, but the fail in this episode is minimal! Thanks for support from MSD Performance and from Optima, the new Official Battery of Roadkill! Make sure to check out the new Roadkill.com.

Roadkill powered by Dodge is the show all about ridiculous beater cars. 24 Hours of LeMons is the racing series all about ridiculous beater cars. Match made in heaven! Roadkill is now the sponsor of LeMons, so you’d think the guys would be really good at the LeMons endurance racing series for cars built for $500. Instead, well…watch the episode. Finnegan and Freiburger tag a couple of friends to join them in racing at LeMons with the Rotsun, a 1971 Datsun 240Z powered by a Chevy 4.3L V6 boosted with a Ford Power Stroke diesel turbo. The Rotsun has never once completed an episode of Roadkill thanks to mechanical breakdowns, so it seemed like the perfect car for an endurance race.

It’s a project-car mishmash this time on Roadkill, powered by Dodge. It starts out Roadkill enough, with Finnegan surprising Freiburger with a ’50 Ford 2-ton truck that the guys thrash to shorten up into a bobber rat rod. Somewhere along the way the truck gets named Stubby, then Bob, and then it really doesn’t matter because the junk doesn’t get done in time to race from Atlanta to Wisconsin for the Car Craft Summer Nationals show. But the guys have to be there anyway. Watch as they thrash to fix the Hemi-powered Blasphemi ’55 Chevy Gasser, then cannonball to Wisconsin in Roadkill’s ’69 El Camino only to show up late. But there’s Roadkill fun anyway, with action on the autocross and the drag strip. It’s kind of a big mess, but a lot of fun as usual. Because Roadkill.

The Roadkill guys finally did what theyve been planning for three-plus years! Long ago they bought a late-model circle track race car and planned to drive it to the Deep South, but the car could not be insured because it had no VIN. Solution? Install a body that has a VIN! Thats exactly what youll see in this episode, as a 1970 Chevy Monte Carlo is transformed into the beast now known as the Nascarlo! It even drives on the street! And races on the dirt track! But suffice it to say it does not all end well. Roadkill is powered by Dodge and supported by Eastwood Company, Dickies, and Optima Batteries.

A ’71 Ford Crew Cab 4x4 tow truck. Yeah, exactly what Finnegan and Freiburger need in their lives. In this episode of Roadkill, powered by Dodge, the guys trek to Colorado to meet up with cool fans who sold ’em the homebuilt, 460-powered tow truck that instantly became known as Harry Tow, or Harry for short.

Roadkill survived 50 episodes! In that time, we’ve built a whole lot of cars, and in this episode we’ve got a shootout of the 10 that are still running and driving (and that have appeared on the show since our similar competition for the 25th episode).

In episode 44 of Roadkill, Mike Finnegan and David Freiburger take a 1950 Ford F6 dump truck and shortened the wheelbase to just 102 inches so it would look freaky-cool.

The guys made a trek north to Oregon to hang out at a Mopar-and-llama farm to revitalize the winner of a Facebook coolest car contest, a 1970 Dodge Challenger that used to dirt-track race in the 90s.

Roadkill Nights powered by Dodge is an event series with legal drag racing in unexpected places—like right on Woodward Avenue in Pontiac, Michigan, in front of M1 Concourse! For our August 2016 event, we knew we would have 30,000 to 50,000 people showing up, so naturally we wanted to race the worst junk possible. In this episode of Roadkill, follow along as we take our clapped-out 1970 Dodge Challenger dirt-track car to the Mopar Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, buy a bunch of questionable speed parts from the swap meet, install them on the spot, and road-trip to Pontiac for Roadkill Nights. Along the way, there’s a detour to investigate a 1968 Pontiac Firebird 400/four-speed car, Mike Finnegan’s dream machine. You’ll also meet our competition, special guest Mike Musto from the House of Muscle show, along with his 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona clone!

On this episode of Roadkill powered by Dodge, both David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan get their dream car! Who wins that game is up to you: Is it Finnegan with his 1968 Datsun 520 mini-truck, or Freiburger with his 383-powered 1971 Plymouth Road Runner? One things for sure, the Datsun delivers a lot more suffering, and no one can believe its more reliable than the Road Runner. Don’t miss the special guest appearance by Fred Williams from Dirt Every Day!

This is the episode fans of Roadkill and Mighty Car Mods have been demanding for two years! It’s also a bonus episode of Roadkill powered by Dodge—the 13th installment of the 2016 season! David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan finally got together with Marty and Moog of Mighty Car Mods, Australia’s most popular YouTube show for gearheads. The four guys came to an agreement: RK would build the most American car possible for the MCM blokes, and then Marty and Moog would assemble an absurd icon of Mighty Modding for the Roadkill boys. Both teams gave all: Roadkill jammed together a 1969 Chevy Impala stuffed with the supercharged, 489ci big-block Chevy that was formerly in the Crusher Camaro; and Mighty Car Mods hacked the Subarute out of a hapless turbo WRX. There’s no way to imagine the fun that explodes across the language barrier when these four get together for some killer burnouts and mad skids! After you watch Roadkill’s side of the story, make sure to see the buildup of the Mighty Car Mods Subarute by watching the episode on the Mighty Car Mods channel of YouTube. Both teams made episodes that went live on Christmas Day in the USA (Boxing Day in Oz) as a thank you to the fans! Roadkill is sponsored by Lincoln Tech, CRC Auto, Optima Batteries, Cooper Tire, Jegs, and Pioneer Car Audio.

This episode of Roadkill powered by Dodge features a special guest cohost, JP Magazine Editor Rick Péwé, who has been doing barn-find rescues and road trips with David Freiburger since before there was a Roadkill. Freiburger and Péwé are at it again here, revisiting a 1946 Willys flatfender Jeep they first pulled from the fields of Utah back in 2001. The engine blew up a few miles into that trip 16 years ago, so the Jeep was left untouched in Freiburger’s garage for at least a dozen years—until now. After uncovering the Willys from piles of long-forgotten speed parts and boxes, the guys give the engine a super-cheap rebuild, fix up the brakes, and hit the road. Will the Roadkill curse strike even with Péwé at the wheel? We think you know the answer, but don’t worry—nothing will stop the team from big action with a small Jeep. Roadkill is back to normal with cohost Mike Finnegan next time. Though, come to think of it, this Jeep boondoggle is pretty normal for Roadkill, too.

Roadkill is powered by Dodge, but on this episode, the world’s most revered rust bucket gets powered by a used Ford 5.0L Mustang V-8 with a Power Stroke diesel turbo! Our old 1971 Datsun 240Z earned its fame with a junkyard turbo on a Chevy 4.3L, but that V-6 finally failed us for the last time and we kicked it to the curb because the crankshaft broke in two during the 24 Hours of LeMons race on Episode 42. We heard Ford 5.0L V-8 blocks break in half at 500 hp, and what better vehicle to test that theory than the Rotsun? We scored a beat-up Fox-body Mustang for $1,500 and threw the engine and trans into the Rotsun, along with the ol’ used turbo that was made for a Ford Power Stroke diesel truck. But the big question is: Will the Rotsun finally fail to fail? Find out on this episode of Roadkill.

An abandoned Mach 1 is a dream find! In this episode of Roadkill powered by Dodge, David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan head to Colorado Auto & Parts in Englewood, Colorado, and visit the Corns family—builders of the crazy radial-Cessna-powered 1939 Plymouth truck you’ve seen all over the Internet and in Roadkill magazine. Colorado Auto is a giant you-pull-it yard with heritage back to 1959—with a good stash of vintage cars that have been there for decades. One of them was a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 that had been melting into the ground since 1980. But 37 years of neglect are not daunting to Roadkill, so the guys figure out how to get it running and driving. First, they’ve got to deal with 37 years of raccoon poop, which is just part of bringing the Disgustang into the Roadkill fleet of project cars.

The Tire Rack One Lap of America 2017 was a race involving 19 events at 8 tracks over a 3,500-mile road trip. Can you imagine Roadkill surviving that unscathed? No! If you saw our last episode you know that Mike Finnegans 1969 Pontiac, which we built in three days, blew up an engine early in the race. Along with guest hosts Tony Angelo of Hot Rod Garage and Elana Scherr from Roadkill.com, Finnegan and Freiburger dive in to fix the Pontiac engine and hit the road to redemption! Roadkill is powered by Dodge, and its easy to see why when Tony caps it all off with merciless drifting in the Challenger SRT Hellcat that Elana and Freiburger were using to stomp the One Lap tracks.

On this episode of Roadkill powered by Dodge, it’s the return of two popular, Mopar Hemi-powered Roadkill project cars: Mike Finnegan’s “Blasphemi” 1955 Chevy Gasser and David Freiburger’s “Rumble Bee” 1970 Dodge Super Bee. This time the guys are headed to the annual Roadkill Nights event powered by Dodge, in Pontiac, Michigan, with legal street drag racing on Woodward Avenue. Having lost to Gas Monkey Garage in 2015 and then handing a win to Mike Musto in 2016, the Roadkill crew knew that the surefire way to win in 2017 was to race one Roadkill car against another… but of course it’s never that easy. Follow along with a slew of victories and defeats in cars that are very important to the hosts. Blasphemi is Finnegan’s favorite car ever and its supercharged, 535ci Hemi takes a real beating in the episode. Freiburger’s Super Bee has been with him for 35 years, yet in this case he’s compelled to blast it with nitrous through its 484ci Hemi for the first time. Need a history lesson? Blasphemi has been in Roadkill Episodes 8, 29, 30, and 47. The Rumble Bee was in Roadkill 19 and 25.

One of the most epic Roadkills of all time is Episode 52, where we took a 1950 Ford dump truck, put a blown big-block Chevy and a Gearstar 4L80E trans behind the cab, powered it through a V-drive, and did a monster wheelstand that nearly killed Mike Finnegan. But does that stop him from trying again? No! On this episode of Roadkill powered by Dodge, Finnegan teams up with guest host Tony Angelo to revamp the truck we call Stubby Bob. With a new front axle and some added safety equipment, the guys hit the highway (yes, on the road with open zoomie headers!) to drive to the nostalgia drags at Eagle Field to try for wheelie distance. But then the Roadkill curse punches them in the face multiple times until they finally emerge victorious and lay down some scenes that will forever secure Stubby Bob as the most heroic dump truck of all time.

Surprise! Fans assumed we’d do this for the 75th episode of Roadkill powered by Dodge, but we jumped the gun and served it up here in Episode 74: yup, it’s a Roadkill project-car showdown at DirtFish Rally School. This location became famous on Episode 32 when Subaru challenged Roadkill to a showdown and we went head-to-head on the rally course with a Subie versus the General Mayhem 1968 Dodge Charger. It made for some of the best action scenes in the history of Roadkill, leaving fans demanding more. So, on this episode, the General Mayhem is back—complete with its new 707hp drivetrain from a 2015 Dodge Charger Hellcat. We also brought a number of other cars chosen loosely because they have appeared on the show since the last project-car showdown on Episode 50. You’ll see the off-road Hornet from Episode 71; the Disgustang from Episode 66; the Crusher Impala from Episodes 60 and 65; Laphonda from 59; the frame-dragging Datsun mini-truck from 58; the Mazdaratti from 45, 50, and 51; and Nascarlo from Episode 46. Time for big action on Roadkill.

Is it the effort that counts? If so, Roadkill powered by Dodge wins again on this episode! In the early ’50s, the first dedicated drag-race cars were ’rail jobs—vehicles stripped down to nothing but the frame and drivetrain to build the lightest setup for speed. Applying that concept, David Freiburger figured that a big-block pickup would make a great modern-day ’rail job. He scored a cheap GMC Crew Cab, and things got out of control in a way that ended up with Lucky Costa, Steve Dulcich, and Calin Head helping to lay the groundwork of a monster before Mike Finnegan showed up to zap the whole thing together. Then Freiburger and Finnegan drove the mid-engined, road-going dragster 500 miles to the Roadkill Zip-Tie Drags at Tucson Dragway. All we can say is the whole thing performed as expected. Or at least probably as you expected, not so much for Freiburger.

A 440-powered Suzuki Samurai? Yup! This episode of Roadkill powered by Dodge features David Freiburger and guest host Steve Dulcich achieving a long-held Roadkill dream: building a car entirely out of a junkyard. The result is a ludicrous Suzuki Samurai tiptop powered by a 440 Chrysler big-block out of a B300 1-ton van.

Celebrate Fathers Day with this special extra episode of Roadkill powered by Dodge! Theres big action as David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan scheme some chaos in hot-rodded pickups. They invite Steve Dulcich from Roadkill Garage as well as Lucky Costa and Tony Angelo from HOT ROD Garage to join in.

Would you take a 50-year-old car from a junkyard and motor it to the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado? No, thats why Roadkill is here to do it for you! Follow along as Freiburger and Finnegan return to the site of the Broughammer diesel Cadillac buildup (episode 55) and select a weed-riddled 1967 Chevy Biscayne.

Witness the epic return of the Roadkill Draguar on a journey from the Roadkill Nights event on Woodward Avenue in Michigan all the way to racing at the NHRA Nationals in Minnesota! This episode of Roadkill powered by Dodge kicks off with the fourth annual Roadkill Nights event at M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan, where 40,000 people show up to see us drag race on the famed Woodward Avenue.

Its a Roadkill challenge like no other. David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan are joined by Motor Trend originals hosts for an all-out war on tires on this episode of Roadkill powered by Dodge.

The rear-engine, 455 Oldsmobile-powered Mazdarati mini-truck is back! David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan couldnt run it into the 10s on the dragstrip on Episode 51 (even though the previous owner claimed it would). On this episode of Roadkill powered by Dodge, the guys give it another shot by rebuilding the engine, repairing the transmission, and adding a bigger nitrous kit, of course!

What happens when you take the front half of two separate four-wheel-drive vehicles and combine them into one? David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan are back in the junkyard to answer that question and make one of Freiburgers dream schemes come to life! With two engines, four driving wheels, and two steering wheels, is it twice the fun?

Back on Episode 78 of Roadkill, David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich built the Super Sammy—a junkyard-rescued Suzuki Samurai that they crammed a 440 Chrysler big-block into right where it sat in the middle of the junkyard. Now they’re back to actually hit the road and find out why Suzuki never offered this engine combination from the factory. After some minor fixes and replacing the stock rearend with a better-fitting yet still undersized match for the 440, they make the Super Sammy “roadworthy” and head out for adventure. Will the police agree with the guys’ acceptable level of roadworthiness? Will the new rearend make it 500 miles without exploding? Will Dulcich tame the ThermoQuad and make the Sammy do epic burnouts? Find out the answers to all of these questions, and more, in this junkyard road trip adventure on this episode of Roadkill!

On season 2 episode 3 of Roadkill’s Junkyard Gold, Steve Magnante found a 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 XL that absolutely needed to be rescued. Why? Because it’s a 390ci big-block with four-speeds of goodness, of course! This beauty has been sitting neglected for decades, and now David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan are determined to get it back on the road. With a little sweat, dirt removal, and some junkyard parts, the guys manage to get the 500 XL up and running. Funny thing is, though, most cars end up the junkyard for a reason, and they soon find out why this Galaxie was cast far, far away. After a few miles, the car begins to smoke worse than any car in the history of Roadkill. Will the guys make it to their destination, or will they end up performing a parking lot engine swap? Find out on this episode of Roadkill.

The blown 383 small block Chevy powered ‘74 Jaguar XJ 12 known as the Draguar is back! After sitting neglected for far too long, Freiburger and Finnegan have decided to put a new heart in the disabled Draguar in true Roadkill fashion. They are back the Summit parking lot in Sparks, NV - the site of their original extreme parking lot engine swap fiasco from episode 4 of Roadkill. And if giving the Draguar a new heart wasn’t enough, the guys also follow up on a lead to fill the void of the stolen Mazdarati. Will this nostalgia trip lead to a rebirth of mini truck greatness, or just more epic destruction of Summit’s pavement with unbelievable Draguar burnouts? Find out in this episode of Roadkill!

How many times have David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan been burned by rescuing a car from a junkyard? Too many, but this time it’s a total win! Steve Magnante found an awesome ’71 Pontiac T-37 at L&L Classic Auto in Idaho, on Episode 15 of Roadkill’s Junkyard Gold and now he’s led the guys to rescue this treasure. After finally learning their lesson, Freiburger and Finnegan take the time to “do things the right way,” taking proper precautions to revive the motor that’s 38 years stagnate. “Spoiler” alert—it doesn’t all go smooth. After many speedbumps, the guys finally get the T-37 running, visit an Evel Knievel landmark, and even find out that their engine is something even better than they thought. What’s under the Pontiac’s hood? Find out on this episode of Roadkill.

Eight years ago, David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan started a little Internet show where they played with cars so you could point and laugh. Now 100 episodes later, they’re back to their roots. On this episode of Roadkill, Freiburger and Finnegan revive the premise of the first episode: throw a dart at a map and hit the road looking for adventure. This time, however, they’re taking to new heights with a bigger map and a four-door Dart. Where will they end up? What’s the car that started all that is Roadkill? Can a ’76 318-powered Dodge Dart beat the terminal velocity of a 2013 in a quarter-mile? All of these questions and more will be answered in the 100th episode of Roadkill!

If the 1955 Chevy with a Hemi we call Blasphemi is known for three things, they would be going fast, being awesome, and breaking apart! On this episode of Roadkill, the Blasphemi delivers on all three as Mike Finnegan and Tony Angelo take on HOT ROD Drag Week. It’s the most brutal five-day test of real drag-racing, street-driven cars, as competitors race five times on four drag strips while driving over 1,000 miles in between, battling to post the lowest average elapsed time at the end of the week. Last year Finnegan was the runner-up in his class. This year? Well, you might have already heard the results, but what you haven’t seen is the epic adventure, the carnage, and the struggle it takes to survive! See how it all unfolded right here on Roadkill!

Why would you purchase a 1971 Ford Torino Wagon with a Cummins 12-valve diesel engine swapped in it? Because your name is Mike Finnegan and you thought it would be an awesome vehicle to use to tow your newly purchased Toyota mini truck home with, of course! But why would you grab Tony Angelo and have him help you take the Torino from a manageable 300-ish horsepower to over 800 galloping horses? Because Cleetus McFarland challenged you to a diesel swap drag race duel - you know a normal day in the life of Roadkillers! That’s right, in this episode of Roadkill, Finnegan and Tony take a diversion from their road trip to take on Cleetus in a diesel swapped Ford vs Ford drag race…but spoiler alert, all the real Roadkill action takes place as they take the Torino to new levels of ‘hot mess’. Hold on tight, this one’s a roller coaster!

Where’s the best place to drive a ‘86 T-bird powered by a 302 V8 topped with a 6-71 Blower and welded gears? Across the frozen tundra of the northern USA of course! On this episode of Roadkill, Freiburger and Finnegan take the T-Bizzle on a classic road trip with plenty of fail. Follow along as the guys reveal a new project car and pull off the most patriotic burnouts in Roadkill history!

Freiburger and Finnegan clean out the wheels stashed in the garage by slapping them on a neglected 66 Dodge D100 Utiline truck and hitting the road. As the guys quest to find the perfect 440 for it, the only real question is, will you love this truck as much as Freiburger?

Freiburger and Steve Dulcich finally find out who has the better cheap 4x4. For years Freiburger has touted the superiority of the Suburban, while Dulchich rallies a Durango. Now theyll settle it in an off-road challenge -- for pinks!

Finnegan and David Newbern rescue an unbelievably mint 67 Pontiac Firebird. This Crusher Camaro look-alike has been stowed in a barn behind a dragstrip for almost two decades. Now the guys battle old parts, downpours and other issues in order to get this old drag car racing down the track once again.

From the moment the 67 Firebird was plucked from a barn next to a drag strip, youve been asking for this race. On this episode of Roadkill, Finnegan and Newbern take the bird on an 800-mile road trip to race Freiburger and Dulcich in the Crusher Camaro. The question isnt just who will win, its will they even make it to the strip?

Freiburger and Finnegan set new records for oil consumption in a 74 Toyota Hilux with a small-block Chevy V8. Follow along as they road trip to Cleetus McFarlands Freedom Factory to race in the action-packed 2.4 Hours of LeMullets. Is this the smokiest road trip to date?

Freiburger and Finnegan take the Rotsun, Nascarlo and the Super Camaro to Laguna Seca Raceway to see how their junk handles the corkscrew and stacks up against a modern V-6 Camaro. Will the guys set new records, or just get kicked off the track?

The Muscle Truck is back! Freiburger and Finnegan get the 74 Chevrolet C10 LS6-powered Muscle Truck back on the road and tow out the Rogers jet boat in order to upgrade it with twin turbos -- all while in the pits of a drag boat race! Will they successfully race the boat, or just blow the rods out of the LS in the worst engine failure of Roadkill history?

It runs, it drives, and it does monster burnouts! Freiburger and Finnegan finish up their 1975 AMC known as The Hemi Gremmie and take it for its first road test. With the body on a new chassis and a 426ci Hemi wedged under the hood, the guys work must out some kinks before hitting the road for some tire-devouring action.

Number matching Mopar? Nope, this is the Death Metal Charger. This time on Roadkill, Finnegan and Tony Angelo take the worlds worst 68 to a whole new turbo-popping, flame-spewing, tire-shrieking level. With the addition of Toyota 2JZ engine and turbo, paired with the Tremec six-speed, Willys Timken rear axle, and Ford F-250 brake drums, the only numbers that matter end with horsepower.

Taking a 1,000-mile road trip in a 67 Pontiac Firebird that sat in a barn in Georgia for over 16 years is crazy. But drag racing it every day along the way is true Roadkill. Finnegan and David Newbern take the Rubber Duck Firebird on an endurance drag racing event, hitting four dragstrips in five days.

What is a Pro Street car? Basically, its just a car with a tubbed rear end that allows for bigger tires. But this time on Roadkill, it means so much more to Freiburger and Finnegan as they take a big-block 1980 Mirada on a road trip to the site of the Street Machine Nationals in Du Quoin, Illinois. Is this Pro Street Mirada fast? No. Does it handle well? No. Does it look obnoxiously awesome? Of course.

When one vehicle fails, always make sure you have a suitable backup. This time on Roadkill, Freiburger and Finnegan attempt to road-trip the Hemi Gremmie only to be foiled by engine trouble. Instead of roadkilling fully and risking more damage, they do the only sensible thing...continue the road trip by "street legalizing" an Off-Road Race Truck and driving it 400+ miles on the highway.

We all have big dreams for our projects, but sometimes we just need to get them running and driving first. This time on Roadkill, Finnegan and Freiburger attempt to get a bucket-list 66 Corvette-abandoned halfway through an LS swap and restoration-back on the road. With multiple iterations and attempts, the Vette hasnt been on the road for 30 years. Will the guys change that?

Would you take a 71 Pontiac T-37 that was once pulled from a junkyard on a Northeastern road trip? This time on Roadkill, Freiburger and Dulcich attempt to check off the final five states David needs to finally hit all 50 by taking their junkyard T-37 across New England. Watch as the T-37 hits the road-and the road hits back-before the guys leave their Roadkill mark in New York City.

The 440 Dart from Roadkill Garage is hitting the road! In this episode of Roadkill, Freiburger and Finnegan meet up with Vice Grip Garage and Roadworthy Rescues owner Derek Bieri to take a 1968 big-block Dart known as “El Dart-O” on a tire-smoking road trip that includes a final run down Memphis International Raceway and some hair-raising passes down George Ray’s Wildcat Dragstrip.

Finnegan gives back to Freiburger big time. After a devastating first road trip, on which the 426 hemi thats wedged into the 1975 AMC hurt itself, Finnegan uses a historied engine to overhaul the Gremmie. And with the help of Newbern, Cotten and Dulcich, he surprises Freiburger at Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge. Why not hook a friend up with 700 hp of hemi goodness?

The street freak 1975 AMC known as the Hemi Gremmie has had some failures in its life, but now the 426ci Hemi–powered Gremlin is finally completing a road trip! Freiburger and Finnegan drive from Detroit to St. Louis, with a stopover for a roll cage installation, and finally give the Hemi Gremmie the road trip it deserves.

Whats better than hauling your race car with something cool? Hauling it with something big! Freiburger and Finnegan fix up a stretched 86 Chevy crew cab "limo dually" to haul the 56 Chevy Field Car to multiple dragstrips. Will the famous 56 with a 500-hp small block run its fastest quarter mile yet, or will the ridiculous stretched truck fail to get it there?

Freiburger and Finnegan get their 73/74 dirt-track Duster back up and running for a road trip and an off-road, desert showdown against their famous Vette Kart. Chris Birdsong originally built the Duster, and now he just might have the chance to win it back if he can beat Finnegan around a muddy off-road course.

There are many ways to take in the sights of our nations capital, but the best way is in a 69 Mustang thats sat for over 27 years. Freiburger and Finnegan get more than they bargained for as they revive a very rusted-out 69 Mustang with a 302 V-8. After decades of neglect, the guys use some genius repairs to get it back on the road and tour Washington, D.C.

It’s a muscle truck road trip and faceoff! On this episode of Roadkill, Freiburger and Finnegan take Finnegnan’s LT4-powered ’67 Chevy C-10 on its first road trip to compete at LS Fest West against Freiburger’s LS6-powered ’74 Chevy short-bed stepside, Original Muscle Truck. After getting the C-10 roadworthy, the guys use Roadkill ingenuity to beat the desert heat and beat on their trucks.

Is this the last run for the 68 Charger known as General Mayhem? Unfortunately, when it comes to racing down Bandimere Speedway, it is. Freiburger and Finnegan battle altitudes as they road-trip from Yellowstone Drag Strip to Colorado for the first and last pass of the General Mayhem at Bandimere before the longstanding Thunder Mountain track closes down.

The 69 Charger known as the Dumpster Fire Daytona hits the road to Roadkill Nights! Freiburger and Finnegan caravan along with Dulcich, Newbern and Cotten in an epic road trip from Atlanta to Detroit. With massive burnouts, breakdowns and roadside fixes, can the five guys manage to take the Daytona, Bang-Shifting Cougar and Ric Flairmont over 800 miles?

Steve Dulcich joins Freiburger and Finnegan to rescue a stripped 69 Plymouth Belvedere thats been sitting stagnant. The guys bring parts, including a 426 Hemi and a 4-speed trans, to the junkyard and drive out with essentially a cheaper Road Runner.

There’s no better way to see the sights of America’s highways and byways than to take a cruise in a land yacht. On this episode of Roadkill, Freiburger and Finnegan hit the road in a literal boat. After purchasing a 1957 Glass Craft affixed to a 2010 Nissan chassis that at least one person thought was a good idea, the guys set out on a Midwest road trip in the dead of winter.

Freiburger and Finnegan add a turbocharger to the 1974 Mazda RPU named Mazdarati 2.0. After an impressive turn on the dyno, the guys hit the drag strip to see if the mid-engine, 5.3L LS4-powered mini-truck can outperform its predecessor.

The "Raunchero" is taking its last road trip … for now. Freiburger and Finnegan escort their 302-powered 68 Ford Ranchero on its final 1,100-mile journey before it serves hard time at the Old Montana Prison u0026 Auto Museum in Deer Lodge, Montana.

The wheel-standing 1950 F6 Ford dump truck known as Stubby Bob is back!

Freiburger and David Chappelle road trip Dirt Every Days Off-Road Pacer.

The guys complete the Mazdarati 2.0 and revive some of their best projects.