Reality Rides

The season opener finds Carl and the gang looking at an old beat up, but rare '57 Buick that has literally been rotting away in a barn for the past several decades.

A suitable donor car for Buick parts is hauled back to the shop. Meanwhile we take a hop over to England for a look at what the classic and hot rod scene looks like in the UK.

The Buick body is sandblasted and the rust is removed. A new client and build project arrives at Carl's Shop, it's an unusual assignment, creating a hot rod out of a Henry J.

The Buick starts the long and tedious process of straightening the body and grinding down the imperfections. Meanwhile, Brad meets with the clients to design the new interior.

Brad is hard at work taking a classic Impala dash and cutting it down to fit the Henry J. Michaela is dreaming of tropical locations and soaking up sun instead of exhaust fumes.

The Buick receives an undercoat of rust protection and top grade interior insulation, while Brad works on the in depth wiring that the Henry J requires.

Carl develops a custom front suspension system for the Buick, Brad continues to work on the Henry J, and we meet Cody and Trish, who restore gas pumps, vending machines, and signs.

Finally the '57 Buick receives its paint, after months of struggling over color choices and options. The Henry J receives its gorgeous new leather interior.

Carl works on window seals and trim. Later, the gang takes a break to attend an MG rally, featuring the famous British car manufacturer that was the inspiration for the Corvette.

Progress on the Buick continues as the car heads off to the upholstery shop. Meanwhile the Henry J is complete and competes at the Texas National Good Guys event.

The Buick returns with a leather interior. Carl is at the CNC shop while the machine carves out a center console control array that includes an innovative transmission selector.

Finally after almost 2 years of work, the 1957 Buick hot rod is complete. The crew reflect on some of the more difficult parts of the lengthy project.