HOT ROD Garage

Hot Rod Garage welcomes its newest member to the HRG team, host Alex Taylor! Coming from a long history of fast cars, she and Lucky set their sights on pushing our 10s for 10K Bonemaro build into some 9-second timeslip territory. A solid plan of weight loss, a transbrake and a booster seat should all add up to the fastest pass in Bonemaro's history.

The Grand Trashional gets one more shot at making the power it deserves. Alex and Lucky put all their faith in heads, a cam, hopes and a dream. And because they're gluttons for punishment, they introduce another creampuff to the fleet -- yet another must-have GM turbo V6. But at least this one will be fast, right?

HRG's Javelin is back to get the seating sorted, safety started and the nut behind the wheel trained. Alex and Lucky add seating for two and a roll cage, and MT's resident hot lapper Randy Pobst helps with some on-track tuning. Then, after some quick and dirty road course lessons, Alex and Lucky strap in to do battle with the Javelin's hottest lap times.

Having near-zero experience in the sport of drifting, Alex and Lucky bring a pair of unexpected stock into the HRG stable -- the catch all of entry-level drift cars, two Nissan 370Zs. Drift-prepping the twin-Zs with ultra basic upgrades, these once abused and beaten Zs will continue to be abused and beaten, except this time under the watchful tutelage of an actual pro drifter.

Alex and Lucky bounce between the forgotten hero of a turbocharged five-speed Voyager minivan, and the newest member of the HRG stable, a desert-fresh, soon-to-be-tube-chassised '55 Savoy. Which one is destined for greatness? Hint: It's not the minivan, at least not yet.

On this very busy episode of Hot Rod Garage, the gang gets sick, loses the shop, and still manages to finish the Savoy. Not just finish it, but transform it from its shell of a self into a blown, injected, six-speed, tube-chassised, big-tire Savoy. It's a feat of endurance and one heck of a sight to behold.

With the 28-day thrash from field car to big-tire Savoy complete, Alex and Lucky prep the Crown Hic and DiesEl Camino for a burnout competition with the Roadkill and FWF guys. Then it's down to business as Alex flexes her stick shift skills in the Influencer Grudge Match drag race at Roadkill Nights. Woodward Ave, here we come!

Freshly stoked off of their win at Roadkill Nights, Alex and Lucky take on double the cars for double the seat time. A broken but Coyote-swapped '04 Mustang and a leaking but eager '74 Javelin track screamer are both just barely on the disabled list, and it's time to get them off. When some friendly sparring on the road course is just a few wrenches away, how do you not?

Just like drag racing before it, roll racing is starting to get organized and move to the track. As stewards of speed, it's only right that we try our hand at this rolling-start craze. We're just one Vortech V7 install away from pitting Lucky's soon-to-be 1,000-hp Chevelle against last season's 1,000-hp Caprice PPV.

The MythDuster's Gen III Hemi has been resting in pieces ever since Engine Masters' report card showed it down nearly 100 hp from its later brethren. Alex and Lucky upgrade this early version of the engine with much-improved later Eagle heads to get the MythDuster making some actual power and some actual passes!

Let's face it, we've all got budgets. Sometimes the best hot rodding you can do is with that old truck in the field, and Roadkill Garage's old project Tater Truck has been loafing around the MotorTrend offices for years just begging for some love. What can we do with this sluggish, tired, and granny-geared F250? Two words: Spud Life.

Lucky tells a lot of stories, so when you hear a new one, you listen. Alex loves surprises, so when she heard the story of the vehicle that got Lucky into cars, she hatched a plan to find him one. A light tune-up and a few lies later, Lucky finally gets what's coming to him -- a super secret '63 Ford Galaxie Country Sedan.

The crew from Hot Rod Garage is inventing a holiday. HRG Day is the most magical day of the year where we rent a dragstrip, order up a taco cart, and invite our friends to come out and play cars! This is -- without a doubt -- the best job ever.