Speed Is the New Black (2017–…): Season 1, Episode 5 - Corvetter's Gonna Hate - full transcript

I say **** the Corvette mafia.

Coming up

That's a good looking car.

Almost seems a shame
to rip it apart.

It's a double
dose of '62 Chevrolet.

It looks like a piece
of art, but I want it

to drive and be fun to drive.

A little red Corvette is

reborn with a modern makeover.

Oh!

Oh!



That's the whole
spare tire well.

And a vintage Bel Air becomes

the ultimate beach cruiser.

I'm going surfing.

That's on my bucket list.

It's Speed Shop mayhem.

This is why we need
to test fit things.

We did.

Bringing these classic
rides into the 21st century.

Boy, I love them wheels.

You're the king of
classic cars, my friend.

Making a car look
good, for us, that's a given.

Making a car perform,
that's our specialty.

Here at Classic Car Studio my
team of visionaries and master



craftsman take cars of all
kinds and transform them

into custom-tailored,
high-performance rides.

You want to win shows,
go somewhere else.

You want to win shows and haul
ass, we're the shop for you.

Because here "Speed
is the New Black."

Well, thanks for
coming in, John.

I know this has been
a process that's

been at least going on for
you a couple of years now.

I've got a new client coming by.

His name's John.

And I have an
absolutely hands-down,

top-notch car that we're going
to completely change for him.

And you've thought
about the '62 Corvette.

I know you test drove some.

So you want to take
a look and see what--

Yeah, yeah.
Let's see it looks like.

We've been talking
about a donor car.

And this is not your
typical donor car.

So I hope you like what we got.

But let's take a look.

John's been looking for a '62
Corvette for over four years.

I found him an amazing car.

And I think he's
going to love it.

What do you think?
- That's a good looking car.

It's a great looking car.

That's a good looking car.

Almost seems a shame
to rip it apart.

I hope we don't piss off all
the Corvette purists out there.

But we're not
building it for them.

We're building the
car that you want.

Right, but when you get those
old cars, those classic cars,

it's like looking at art.

But you can't use them.

This will be one that's
fun to drive and look nice.

I'm here today because
what I'm trying to do

is get something
that looks like this

but drives more
like my Mercedes.

If we do a lot of the stuff,
changing out the engine,

changing out the suspension,
I think everything's

going to come together.

And I'm going to have
something that I enjoy driving.

I test drove these in
the original state,

much like this car.
- And what did you think?

- They're not drivable.
- Right.

In my opinion.
I mean, they don't break.

They don't steer.

No, right.

They don't have acceleration.

You smell like exhaust
when you're driving them.

Absolutely.

Some people, they
enjoy that experience.

It's just, it's not me.

Yeah.

It looks like a piece of art.

And I like that.

But I want it to drive
and be fun to drive.

- Yeah.
- So that's what I'm after.

The styling has endured
and looks amazing.

Performance has come a long
long way and so has safety.

So I think we can really take
this car in a good direction.

So we're going to
start ordering parts.

And I'll let you know as soon
as we make some progress.

- All right, very good.
- Thank you.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

Absolutely.

All right, here's the car guys.

What do you think?

It's done, right?

It looks like it's done.

But for our purposes,
it's far from complete.

What's the big idea
we got going on here?

He wants something
with the classic styling,

but he also wants to be able
to drive it reliably, daily.

He's driven a few of these and
he thought they drove terribly.

So we've got to fix that.

We've got to put a more
reliable engine in it.

So an LS motor with an
automatic transmission,

maybe, catalytic converters,
make it more like a modern car.

I think that's a good idea.

He'll get out of the car,
he won't stink like exhaust.

- Right.
- Definitely chassis change.

Get the stance right, wide
wheel and tire bigger,

get a lower-profile
tire on there.

I think we can drop it
another four or five--

- A foot.
--inches, yeah.

- 12 inches.
- Maybe a foot.

Get rid of all the chrome.

- No.
- No?

The Corvette people will cry.

Wide body kit.

- I don't think so.
- No.

Because I don't think
that's what John wants.

Here's what I think I'm gonna--

I say **** the Corvette
mafia and cut it up.

We build custom cars.

You buy them like this new.

I think the line we're
going to have to ride here

is keeping the outside
fairly traditional

while going in a new direction
with everything else.

So I don't know how far we
can get him to go there,

but I think we can get
a lot out of hammering

the car down on the ground,
beefing up the stance.

I think we should do
just a timeless look,

that if you put this
car away for 20 years

and you pulled it back out,
it would be still cool.

I think we fab like a speed
grill type thing, more modern.

Nope.

No, we've got to do
timeless, timeless look.

It's timeless--

It's not timeless, man.

It's classy, it's custom.

Nope.

It's cool but it's gonna
look old in five years.

It's going to
look like a mullet.

It's going to be like a mullet.

That's what it's going to be.

Like a mullet?

A mullet Corvette, for real.

If we build it like you want it,

it might look like a mullet
Corvette, the hockey hair.

I love Scott because he's always

thinking outside of the box.

Sometimes he's a little
too far outside of the box.

A lot of my job is protecting
customers from themselves.

But sometimes I'm also
protecting them from Scott.

So you on board or what?

Yeah, you in or out?

What are you doing?
- I guess.

You sign the checks.
- All right.

- We're good.
- All right.

Let's do it.
- All right.

While we're replacing
every last mechanical item

on this car, we bought
the car for the body.

Because it's a really, really
nice condition fiberglass body.

So I told the guys to be
careful with this thing

and make sure it
doesn't get messed up.

- You got it, king?
- Yep.

We're getting ready to lift
the body off of the chassis.

We gotta tear the interior all
out to find body-mount bolts

and then get some type
of a hoist mechanism

or six, eight guys to lift
the body off the chassis.

There you go.

Hercules!

Man, this thing's really clean.

It's nice to have one
with no mouse ****..

I know.

Get this out of our way.

Find body mount bolts, Paul?

Yeah, they're two in the
front, one in the back.

There we go.

Good call, Paul.

- Teamwork.
- You ready?

You pushing, king?

Yeah, I'm pushing, dude.

I mean, we've got
to lift this thing

and you can't even push it.

Oh, come on, greasy granny.

There we go.

All right, well, let's
get the cart over there.

Then we gotta really
think this out.

We can't be breaking this body.
- I know.

So if we got six or
eight guys, definitely

dudes on the front and the
back, guys down the side.

Let's just manhandle it up.

Hey, can I get any help
over here before Noah comes

in and **** our plan up?

We gotta get this
thing lifted up quick.

I think he's going to
be back any minute.

And that's only six of us.

We need eight.
- What are you guys doing?

OK.

Oh, ****.
We're gonna--

Are you actually gonna pick
this thing off the frame--

We're gonna try.

--using your--

Really?

Dude, bam, you hear
all the cracking?

Why don't we winch it off?

Because to winch it
off with the dashboard

and everything in it, we've
got to take the doors off.

You think six guys can
pick this off the frame?

The body in this car
has never been hit.

It's freaking pristine.

So I walk out into
the shop and Scott

has this whole plan about how
we need six to eight guys.

And they're all just gonna
lift this body off the chassis.

I'm like, we've got
a freaking winch.

Let's use the winch.

I don't want to jack it up
by doing this the wrong way.

So let's talk through this real
quick before we really ****

destroy it.

I figured it's never
been hit, never had damage,

so we got a little
room for error.

So this is your time to
come in and screw it up?

Yeah, it's never had a bruise.

And we could put
one or two on it.

Well, can we lift it straight
up and see if it's too heavy

and then we'll set her down?

We could try that.

All right, guys, man,
I Googled this ****

and they say six, eight guys, we
can lift this thing no problem.

They say it's going
to be about 800 pounds

with doors and windshield.

So be ready for the weight.

- All right, let's do it.
- You got it?

Cool?
- All right, let's do it.

Remember, don't lift first.

All right.

One, two, three.

- **** damn it.
- Set it back down.

A little help guys.
Help!

All right, we should
be pretty close.

Go down slow.

Somebody should be underneath--

Watch the edges.

--watching the cart.
- Back.

Back a hair.

Bam.

We're good.

Is that it?

It don't feel good.

We're on a bracket right there.

Yeah.

Where we gotta go?

All right, the back.

Lift it up.

Good now?

Good?

Down.

All right.

See, everything
on Google is true.

Good job.

We did it, man.

Nothing snagged us down.

I would never ever pull a body
off a chassis like that again.

That thing was
probably 1,500 pounds.

No one got hurt.

The car didn't get hurt.

We made it out alive.

We're not doing that again.

My side was heavy and Jones
feet were off the ground.

Now we gotta get beer and pizza.

It's what it said,
six to eight guys,

insert beer and pizza
after using equipment.

- All right.
- I'm hungry.

- Noah, how do you like my '62?
- It looks great.

How are you doing my friend?

Good, good, how are you?

Good.

Tony is a fixture in our shop.

He's freakin' hilarious.

His voice is so loud I can
hear him on the other side

of our building.

He's lovable, though,
really nice guy.

I mean everybody knows Tony.

It belonged to my
father and I was trying

to fix it up a little bit.

I didn't take you
as a wagon type.

Well, it's sort of
sentimental to me.

Good, good.

You know, but here's
what I'd like to do.

All right.

I'd like to maybe--

Yeah, I got a small block and
I'd like fuel injection in it.

All right, make it a
little more reliable.

Right, and I'd like
some power steering.

Yeah?

And I'd like to put some
Wilwood disc brakes on it.

You wan disc brakes?

Yeah, I like disc brakes.

I want disc brakes.

So what are you going
to do with the car?

I'm going to take it to Miami
and I'm going to go surfing.

And I want to keep up with the--

You what?

I'm going surfing.

I want to keep up
with the traffic.

What do you think, this
guy don't know how to surf?

I need a teacher.

Somebody will teach me.

- You're not going surfing.
- I'm going surfing.

- You are?
- Yeah, I'm going surfing.

But I need the chrome fixed up.
I need it nice.

I want it--

Where did you
get that idea from?

It's on my bucket list.

All right, all right, all right.

- Now listen to me.
- Yeah.

Shall I put a little bit
bigger tires, different wheels?

- No.
- No?

- No.
- Now listen to me--

We're not doing that.

All right, I don't want
to spend more than $50,000.

- $50,000?
- Right.

I think we can do it
for less than $50,000.

You're going to be OK.

Well, we've done a lot
of business together now.

Right, what happens
if it goes over $50,000?

Uh, you're gonna put it
where the sun don't shine.

And I don't like that, Noah.

All right, now, listen, I
need this chrome redone.

You gotta get it, you know.

You want to polish it all up?

I'd like to polish it all up.

Where you gonna
put your surfboards?

I'm gonna put my
surfboards up here.

You've gotta put a rack on here.
- Yeah?

So I could put two
surfboards up here.

His and hers?

His and hers, one
white, one pink.

Marie is gonna surf?

Marie is gonna surf.
I'm going to bring her with me.

- I bet she is.
- She is going to surf.

All right, Noah, now
you have everything

that you're going to do.

Yeah, we'll check out the motor.

As long as everything
is good, we'll

do a fuel injection
system, disc brakes,

surf rack for your long boards.

Don't forget to
polish the chrome.

And the power steering, I
need the power steering.

- All right.
- And keep that price down now.

And if you need anything
else other than that,

you can bring it back later.

I think it'll get
you to the beach.

Tony wants to keep the
price under 50 grand.

This isn't going to hard at all.

We're not going totally crazy.

We're gonna make it stop well.

We're going to give
it some reliability,

a couple of cool touches.

Main deal, he's
gotta go surfing.

I'm going to come
visit you in Florida.

- You come and visit me.
- Put me up?

- I'll put you up in Florida.
- I'll sleep in the car.

- No, you don't have to sleep--
- You got a condo?

I'll rent a condo for you.
I love you.

All right, thank you.

Damn, look at that.

That right there.

Whew, that's jewelry, there.

That's bad ass.

So we just got in a new
chassis for John's Corvette.

It is absolutely gorgeous and
packed full of performance

features that I love.

It's got rack-and-pinion
steering up front,

race shocks all the
way around, four link

in the back, a Ford 9 inch.

It's going to be stiff.

It's going to handle well.

And it's gonna drive
like a freaking go cart.

Brake lines going through
the frame, see that?

Oh, yeah.

It's a shame to even
set the body on it.

I know.

All right, man, open it up.

See what we got here.

It's like Christmas.
- Oh man.

Good lordy, that's pretty.

Look at that, a
430 horse, LS3 E-ROD.

So we're putting in a modern
LS3 into this car which

is going to give our
customer awesome drivability,

great power, reliability.

We got good looks and
a modern power plant.

I don't know how
you can go wrong.

- All right.
- Ready?

Watch that pipe.

We got a GM performance,
connect-and-cruise,

430 horsepower LS3.

We're swapping the oil
pan out with the one

we ordered as an option with our
chassis so we know it'll clear

and the engine will sit
down over its engine mounts.

- Oh, man.
- Oh, yeah.

Look at this.
Look at that.

Look at that, GM
performance, 4L70-E.

So the original transmission
in this Corvette is actually

a two-speed power glide.

Now, while these are
still used in some drag

racing applications, it's
not what John's looking for.

The new transmission is a
five speed with overdrive.

So he's going to get
quick shifts around town.

It's going to be really fast.

And he can cruise on the
highway at a low RPM.

We got to add the motor
and the tranny and everything

on the chassis before
we drop the body down.

Because, chances are, we got
to do some body modifications.

And without the motor and tranny
in the location it needs to be,

we ain't gonna know what
those modifications are.

- Ready?
- Start coming down.

I got the bolts.

You good back there, Scott?

Yep.

- Look at that ****.
- Good on this side.

You watch that side.
- Almost dead on the money.

King, you look like
you done this before.

Team work.

Thanks, king.

So now that the chassis, the
engine, and the transmission

are all mocked up, it's
time to put the body

on and see how it fits.

All right, this may sound crazy,

but what we're going to do is
we're actually going to take

these ratchet straps
and strap this body

to the bottom of the
four-post lift so we

can raise the car up and down.

We can roll our new chassis
underneath the body.

And that will give
us a better look of,

do we gotta do any
modifications or is

everything going to
just go smooth and drop

right on the new chassis?

Don't let it hit that
body because that ****

is gonna swing everywhere.

Right, watch the rockers, too.

Looking good, guys.

Damn.

Ándale, ándale.

We're gonna jack it
up to really finesse

that chassis
underneath that body

and start bringing
that body down.

We need a guy to run the
power, come down slow,

and then you gotta watch
the front and the rear.

Let's do it.

We know it's gonna hit,
just what's it gonna hit.

Oh, it's gonna hit a lot.

Right.
Ready?

- Yeah.
- Just come down slow.

Stop there.

Spare tire well is hitting.

Get your Sawzall out.

Chop that up.

We're gonna have to cut
the tubs and everything.

All right, as we're
bringing the body down,

you can see down in
here, all the suspension

has been raised up.

The stock inner
fenders here are going

to have to be trimmed
up a lot to clear

all the new suspension.

As much as I hate
to cut this thing,

we're going to have to to make
this chassis fit the body.

The spare tire well is hitting
right across the cross brace.

Then also, we only got a
7-inch-wide tire on here.

We're right there.

We're gonna put
12-inch meats on this.

So we gotta cut the wheel tub
out and the spare tire well.

Hey, Doug, do me a favor,
go get Sawzall and make sure

we got a new blade in that.

We're cutting.

Here we go.

Dougy, Dougy, I got
some tissues on my box.

Now is your moment.

All right, here we go.

First hole.

Oh, oh, don't do that.

I think I hear the
phone ringing already.

Yeah, no ****.

- Boo-yah!
- Look at that.

Hey, what's all this?

I thought I said cut a
little bit at a time.

We did.

We've been working
on it for three days.

That's the whole
spare tire well.

I told you, we
gotta do small cuts.

We're cutting.

No, I said small
pieces like this.

This is the whole
spare tire well.

The small pieces lead up to that

whole **** [INAUDIBLE] away.

Well, you should
have came and got me.

Are you guys cutting
up this sweet-ass car?

Scott has a personal vendetta.

I thought you guys were
understanding that it's not

just a bolt-together situation.

Here's what we're gonna do,
we're gonna cut it in half

and make it a truck.

All right, seriously,
what's the deal?

We've got to keep
going on this thing.

The whole spare tire thing
is off-centered in the car.

Right.

And the frame rails
are running center.

So that's gone for sure.

So get that out of the way.

We can't put a 20-inch
spare wheel in there anyway.

We're working
small cuts and just

making them bigger and test
fitting and test fitting it.

- We're leaving.
- We're leaving.

Get back to work.

Good job, guys.

Thanks.

Thanks.

We are unhooking
her from the harness.

And we're gonna roll it
out from under the lift

and roll it up on
top of the lift

and do a final check for
all the clearance issues

and whatever we might
have in front of us.

All righty, man.

Look at that.

Look at all that clearance
we got for the tranny.

I hear you.

Who cares about a tranny,
look at the chassis.

Yeah.

That son of a bitch is bitchin'.

Man, you kind of hate to put--

If you're gonna
do a chassis swap--

Powder coating.

--you gotta do a
chassis swap like this.

Yeah.

Now all we got
to do is finish it.

Damn right.

So we have a couple of days
in modifying the body to make

it fit the chassis perfectly.

Now it's time to get
on with the rest of the

build starting with the brakes.

I gotta pull the axle
retaining plate off and pull

the axle out so we can mount our
backing plate and our caliper

bracket for our 13-inch brakes.

We get the big
four-piston caliper.

Slide the pads in now, lock
the head fastener bolt down,

and there you have it.

This car is going to stop
like no tomorrow now.

We're doing a custom exhaust
here for this one-of-a-kind

Corvette with this engine
and transmission combination

and chassis and all that.

So it's not something
you can just store buy.

So we're going to go ahead
and make one by hand.

We're gonna start by adding the
header side of my v-band clamp.

This would be your
exhaust pipe side.

And then when you get the
two pipes mated together

and you use your clamp,
and that makes a seal.

OK, this is the start
of our custom exhaust.

Both the v-bands welded on.

Got one on the exit,
one on the header,

we're gonna mock them back up.

And then we're
going to take our 45

and we're gonna see about
where we got to cut it

to get it through the chassis.

It's a tight fit.

See how our straight
fits to our exhaust exit.

Man, that's fitting awesome.

I'm really excited about this.

Man, it looks like a spider.

It looks like it'd
just like take off

and climb right out
of the hole here.

I'm really proud of
how it turned out.

I'm really happy with it.

It went pretty smooth.

It did kick my
butt a little bit.

But it took a ton
of bends to get

it to where it needed to go.

And then we got the
cross-flow muffler,

so it's going to be super
quiet along with our resonators

and our converters we got.

Now it's time to get the
body ready to come back off

and strip the chassis down for
powder coat for the body shop.

We've got a really cool fuel
injection system for this Bel

Air that just came out.

It's pretty much plug and play.

The thing is phenomenal.

Well, we came from a
spread bore carburetor,

outdated dinosaur, to a
nice new fuel injection

here, which is going to
do wonders for this car.

All right, just doing a
one-over here, just checking

on the return lines, fuel
lines, and hopefully this baby

will fire right up for us.

Well, fuel injection
is ready to go, brakes.

All we're waiting for
is wheels and tires

and we can drive
this baby around.

What are you bringing me now?

What's happening, hipster?

We got you a Corvette.

Hipsters like Vettes.

Corvette with weight reduction.

Well, it's got a big
gaping hole in the back,

but they said you're
the man fill that.

Get with Paul, he made
some bad-ass exhaust.

But I think you're clear just
to fill like up to this line.

Everything should be
good as far as that.

And it'll clear
over the exhaust?

I mean, I'd double
check with him,

but I think it tucked
back down really tight.

All we need you to do is
fill this in, paint it,

because we want to drive it.

If you drive it, I'd
trim up that beard.

Because this is a small
cab with a big wheel,

and cornering, man, you
might snag that a little bit.

I'm just saying.

Go, leave.

This is gonna suck.

All right, so just
got this thing

in from the mechanic's side.

And it's all cut up.

There's a giant, gaping
hole in this thing.

Basically what I'm gonna
do is I'm gonna come in,

I'm going to make
some templates,

get the design of how I
want the floor to look,

and then I'm to
start building it

out of sheets of already cured
glass just to get my shape.

Then I'll come back
through and then

I'll tie into it with more
glass to give it more strength

and then get all the nice curves
that we want to look like.

All right, you gotta
rotate down right there.

You looking good?
You want your brush?

Yeah.

Just a little, pour it on there.

We've made some progress in
the rear of the Corvette here.

Got the main section of
the floor glassed in.

But we're getting ready
now to finally assemble

all the templates and everything
that I made for the cover

and the frame and the exhaust.

Go at an angle, towards me.

Now it's just a ton of
laying glass, do the whole top,

do the whole bottom, and
then done with fiberglass.

Ryan and Cheyenne
are just getting

started on the Corvette body.

They have a long
road ahead of them.

Paul and Scott
cut a lot of holes

in the bottom to get the
chassis to fit correctly.

So I think we can say they got
their work cut out for them.

So while we were painting
the motor for the Corvette,

we sent the chassis out
to get powder coated.

Now that everything's
back in one place,

Paul and Eric can get to putting
everything back together.

OK, we're making
strides here on chassis.

It's all completely assembled,
ready for the Vette.

And we're going to set
the heart beat in it.

We got the RLS3 and our
407E all married together.

Torque converter bolts are
all tight, headers are on it.

And we're going to
set it down in here

and hook it up to the
exhaust and hopefully make

it a complete roller here soon.

Ready to do this?

Sure thing, rain man.

Yeah, we're looking good.

Sweet.

Man, Eric, you're a pro at this.

Thanks, little birdie.

He just did that so smoothly.

I didn't even have
to yell at you.

That's a first.

We're about to
drop in our E-ROD,

430-horsepower, LS3 engine.

With the combination we
have with the chassis,

it's going to make
this thing just be

like you're driving a go-kart.

OK, mine's in.

I'm gonna take our leveling
devices loose here.

We're golden.

Looks like it belongs in there.

It sure does.

I've been waiting
for this moment

to see the exhaust
that almost killed

me and this beautiful chassis.

We got the "go," so
let's put on the "whoa."

Right on.

We'll put this
right above the car.

Well, we got a '62 wagon
here for a guy named Tony.

He says he's a beach guy.

So we're building him
his beach cruiser.

His big thing was, he needs a
stainless steel roof rack made

to haul his surfboard,
his luggage, his cooler,

whatever else he's
going to need to make

his day great at the beach.

So with that said, we
got to rock and roll.

Just sneak up on it, a
little more, back and forth.

Down more.
- Yeah.

We're trying to get it the
same angle as the window line.

So it takes off from the
window and then shoots

forward level with
the roof, parallel

with the roof of the car.

Now we want to drop
the front hoop actually

down in between the
front and the back door

and drop it right down.

What we're going to try to
do is put the same angle

on the front as the back
to give the whole roof rack

like a fast forward motion.

You like that?

Yeah.

Now let's try to
make a duplicate.

We got our measurements.

Justin's gonna flip these
over and finish welding

the other sides on both of them.

I'm going to cut our three
crossbows to those measurements

to get us in the ballpark.

We gotta smash the
tip of the thing

down to fit in the
drip rail of the car

by smashing these
longer and putting

a little leg extensions.

Actually going to keep them
off of the paint on the roof,

I'm hoping.

It looks more like
a mattress hauler.

Yeah.

It worked out good though.

Awesome, man.

Yeah.

Thanks for the help.

Yeah, man, any time.

Now we can put "luggage rack
extraordinaires" on our resume.

We've got this Corvette
now that just threw

one curve ball after another.

We finally got it ready.

The front of the
car is straightened,

the rockers are straightened,
and all the cracks are fixed.

We're gonna roll it on
over to the paint side

now and get some primer on it.

Looks good, man.

You came through.

You did a nice job.

It was a lot of work, wasn't it?

Yeah.

One thing after another.

I'm so happy, like, to
see all this work done

that I got something for you.

OK.

So please remove that.

I like that hat.

Try this on for me.

Well, this is my favorite hat.

Come on, this is
your new favorite hat.

Ryan, he's only been with
us for a few months now.

He's a great guy,
a good technician.

But here at Classic
Cars Studio, we have

to break people in our own way.

It doesn't even--

Yeah, it fits perfect.

That is awesome, all right.

Go, Abe!

Go, Abe.

Good work, honest.

Honest Ryan.

No traction.

So now that all
the fiberglass work

is finally done on
the Corvette, we

can now prime it and paint it.

I'm gonna start hitting
my head on **** now.

So it's the moment of truth.

We've been working on this
Corvette for over a month now.

We've made a lot
of modifications.

And hopefully, fingers crossed,
this body marries together

with the chassis as it should.

Eric, you go over a little
bit more, right there.

We're setting the rubber
pads underneath there

right now so it's got a little
insulator between the body

and the chassis.

We'll lower it down, try
to get it into position.

Who's watching the engine bay?

I got it, right here.

Bring it down, Charlie.

You guys are going to have to
watch those tires in the back

because they're really close.

Uh, stop.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, why
is the body moving?

I need to go towards
Scott a little bit.

You can't.

Tires are gonna hit.

Oh, man, yours is--

Can it go this way more?

Yours is way, way, way--

I got more space than you do.

Holy ****, yeah.

But the body is
riding off my tire.

We're gonna jack the body
back up off the chassis,

get rid of the
wheels so we got more

room to work the body down.

Slow down a little bit.

Keep going.

My back hole looks good.

How's your back hole, Scott?

The whole back of the
car's is off the chassis.

All these mounts are off.

Remember when we were over there

and I kept having to cut
it to clear the chassis?

Well, they boxed it back down.

You gotta be **** kidding me.

You can see it back here.
- Yeah.

There ain't nothing you can do.

You're gonna have to lift
it up and tread it out.

Holy ****.

We've come a long way.

We've got a 1962 Corvette
chassis here, 2017 here,

totally different.

First of all, the ride
height is probably 7 inches

lower than the stock chassis.

A 9-inch rear end.

Got an old 10-bolt-style
rear end here,

leaf springs, really
dated suspension.

Four-link with coil overs,
it's gonna be a night and day

difference as far as ride goes.

Rusty old exhaust,
stainless exhaust,

you can't forget about
the wheels and tires.

I mean, we've got
a 20-inch wheel,

you know, basically
10 inches of rubber

on the back of the new
chassis, tiny 15-inch

wheels and tires on this.

So with the new
engine that we've got,

this is definitely
going to stick

to the ground a lot better.

Powerglide two-speed automatic
transmission, not the greatest,

but worked in 1962.

Now we've got the
new 4L60-E. It's

up-to-date, modern, overdrive,
electronic transmission.

Same thing with the engine,
327, low horsepower,

carbureted not efficient.

We have an LS3 E-ROD motor.

This thing is going to
drive like a rocket ship.

I mean, it's going
to be incredible.

Oh, we just gotta
get this frame to sit

underneath here correctly.

Right now we're
trying to get it lined

up with all the bolt holes.

We're taking a 1962 Corvette
and modernizing everything

but keeping the body totally
true to classic form.

Everything is going pretty
well, but we are really

struggling in getting this by
to fit correctly to the chassis.

Well, there was a
little misunderstanding

somewhere along the line.

When the car left our hands
and went to the body shop,

they put the floor back the
way it would have been factory,

which is right in their
minds because they

were restoring the car.

We got a custom
chassis, so now we've

got to cut that back
out again and go back

to the original idea of
boxing it off and putting

just a hole in there.

- There you go.
- What's going on?

You better not be
cutting that floor out.

We're cutting it out.

Why?

Remember where we showed you
where that rod is going to come

down through and we had to
drill a hole into the chassis

for that rod to push through?

You boxed it back in
to clear that rod,

and that all hits the chassis
and holds the body up.

So there's supposed to
be a hole in the chassis

for that rod to go through?

Yep.

Why was I not told that?

You were told.

I was not.

I told you that over there.

No, I was told that they were--

No.
- Be honest, Abe.

- I am being honest.
- Be honest.

I'm being 100% honest.

I told you we had
cranked that bolt up--

We can't have a
hole in the floor.

There'll be a big air-- you
can't have a hole in the floor.

Put a grommet on it.

You got holes all
over the firewall.

We gotta cut all that out.

This is why we need
to test-fit things.

- We did.
- We did.

So in the old days, they would
have just shot you in the back

of the head in the theater.

Well, there might
have been a little bit

of a miscommunication between
the fab side and the body side.

But--
- I'd say so.

That's OK.

That's the way it goes
sometimes, you know?

Had a little hiccup
here, but we'll make it.

Just make a new
one out of metal.

Abe's got it under control.

I knew I knew your style.

So sad, he's so sad.

OK, should we try it?

Watch your hat,
we're coming down.

Go slow.

Charles is adjusting
the coilovers

on the back of the car.

They were sitting
all the way down,

which would have looked
cool, but I don't think

it'll ride around like that.

Wow.

That looks awesome.

I think he's gonna flip
out when he sees this.

Oh, the back looks
cool like that.

Yeah.

That turned out awesome.

Looks good.

All right, let's roll it out
from underneath this lift.

So what we're doing
here is spot priming

with spray polyester primer.

Because the car is
fiberglass, were going

over all the bodywork we did.

It's basically
sprayable body color.

So we'll get this put down.

We'll sand it.

And then we'll prime
over the whole car.

This is ceramic
coating basically

to help keep the heat out.

It'll help with sound deadening.

It should be just
about the last thing

we've got to do before this
thing can go in for paint.

It is exciting to see
it in one color now.

Now we're going to put
some silver on it so we

can get it up and out of here.

So on the 1962 Corvette,
I told Bryan to keep

it pretty much true to form.

However, we're going up the
quality of the materials

to really give it a
luxurious feel for John.

We're on the Corvette here.

And since we have leather
wrapped the dashboard

or going to leather
wrap the center console,

we're going to go ahead and wrap
the trans tunnel just to match.

I think that's going to be a
really cool touch to this car.

You're gonna have leather,
leather, leather everywhere.

So what we've done, we've
actually sewn it to match

the seams up on the dash, too.

So that ought to
fit in real nice.

Gonna put a little heat on
this, make it super smooth.

I think everybody
will be real happy.

Except for the cow, of course.

This piece can sit right
here and we'll make a shifter

boot sitting there, ashtray.

A little heat and some
trimming up front,

it should be ready to go.

All right, you
ready to see your car?

I'm ready to see it.

So Tony's '62 Bel
Air wagon is complete.

I can't wait to
see what he thinks.

Charlie!
Give me the car!

Boy, I love them wheels.

Boy, oh, boy, look at that.

Oh, is he gonna surf,
oh my little surfer.

Oh, my god it looks--

- Step right on up, young man.
- It looks beautiful.

Look at this rack.

You made this especially
for me, didn't you?

- Especially for you and your--
- Boy, that is--

--and your surfboard.

That surfboard is gonna
be so nice on there.

I mean, I can't tell you.

When I looked at my
'62 Bel Air Wagon

it was like falling
in love again.

It was beautiful.

You're a goof ball.

I'm just stunned.

Look at them baby
moons over there.

- Do you like the wheels?
- I love 'em!

They look good.

- Man, they make it--
- Look at that.

- I mean, look at that.
- Blue's stance is way better.

You don't even need a mirror.

I can comb my hair
in the mirror.

It's beautiful.

We got drop spindles
on the front, disc brakes

all the way around.

No, I really don't know if
the disc brakes are on there.

Are they there or do I have
to climb underneath and look?

- They're all there.
- I believe you.

- Big ass disc brakes.
- I believe you.

Let's open the hood.

I want to see the
fuel injection.

- All right.
- Oh, man, does that look good.

- It's right there.
- The chrome is polished.

It really looks good.

Boy, this rack really looks
nice on this side, Noah.

He did a nice job.

He did it two weeks faster
than he said he was.

It was done in a quality job.

I loved it.
- You know what?

There's only one
thing we need to do.

Take it for a drive.
Let's do it.

Well, let's take it for a drive.

- All right.
- Let's do it.

This is beautiful.

It's beautiful.

It's great!

Yeah, it is really good.

The brakes are great.
I love the brakes.

You know what's great?

The fuel injection
system is freakin' sweet.

They are really, really good.

The little 327 runs good.

I tell you what, this
fuel injection's nice.

What are you going
to put in the back?

My picnic basket.

Picnic basket?

Yep.

Like a wicker picnic basket?

No, I'm going to have
a picnic basket every day

when I go to the beach.

I can't picture you
with a picnic basket.

Oh, yeah.

Them disc brakes really
work good, I will tell you.

Six-piston disc brakes.

Oh, man, they are beautiful.

You did a great job.

You do quality work, Noah.

You know what?

Let's get back to the shop.

I got a little surprise for
you there I want you to see.

That's nice.
I love the surprise.

I can't wait for the surprise.
- Let's do it.

Oh, no!

I was a little
worried that you were

going to go take up surfing.

I don't know.

And to be honest,
I was kind of going

to miss your bubbly-ass
personality around the shop.

I don't really know
what I'd do without you.

I just love it.

It's beautiful.

- And I made it your own beach.
- I love it.

I love the-- look
at this surf board.

Oh my god, I love the water.

It's beautiful.

Oh, shall we go swimming?

I love it.

I mean, it's great.

I can't believe it.

So you think you're going
to hang around for awhile?

All my life I wanted
a pool like this.

I can't believe it.

All you had to do was
go across the street--

Let me give you a hug!

God, I love it.

He did above my expectations.

It was great.

You're the king of
classic cars, my friend.

You're the king of classic cars.

So we've got months and months
invested in John's Corvette,

modernizing the entire car,
but keeping the classic lines

and styling intact.

Bryan's wrapping
up the interior.

The paint and body guys
are putting some finishing

touches on the exterior.

And Paul and Charles are getting
the engine ready to fire up.

There's only one
thing left to do

and that's see if John loves
this Corvette as much as we do.

All right, you ready
to see this thing?

I am ready.

So we don't usually bring
customers to abandoned shopping

malls, but I set
up a custom course

at this mall to really test out
what we've done to John's car.

I think John's
gonna flip out when

he drives this thing around.

This is a wild course.

This car flat-out performs.

But I know you always
wanted one of these

and did a lot of research.

Thanks for picking us to do it.

I think we knocked
it out of the park.

Your car looks awesome.

Cool.

Can't wait to see it.

It's the moment we've
all been waiting for.

- Oh, yeah, it looks great.
- There you go.

Looks really good, really good.

Nice job, very nice.

Hey, it looks freakin' awesome.

Very nice, beautiful, beautiful.

Beautiful contrast.

I was nervous about the silver,

the red, and the wheels.

But it all came together great.

The thing is so classy.

And there's a ton of cool
performance stuff as well.

I love the way the
paint turned out.

I hope you feel the same.

It is a really,
really vibrant silver.

It just rocks out
in the sun as it is.

It's a very, very bright color.

We've got these custom wheels.

There's a ton of
precision engineering

that went into these wheels.

What did we go
with on the wheels?

Are we 18 and 20?

Are we 19 and 20?

So these are 19s on the
front and 20s on the rear.

We wanted to get
the stance correct.

And I think it looked good.

Yeah.

But bringing the car to a halt,

totally unlike the
original brakes on the car.

Huge six-piston
brakes on the front,

four-piston brakes in
the rear, totally killer.

So what makes this car
drives so well is the chassis

that's under the car.

On the front end, we've got a
modern rack and pinion system.

So there's no steering box.

So we've got really beefy
thick tubular control arms.

We've got bracing shocks that
are adjustable any which way.

A big fat spline sway bar
that runs through the center

of the chassis.

One of my favorite parts about
any vehicle is the drive train.

You've got to check
out this motor.

The engine compartment
looks killer.

This thing is
really, really cool.

It's a GM Performance LS3.
- Look at it.

All right, so the motor
makes 435 horsepower.

This engine comes with a
modern serpentine belt system.

We've got a huge radiator on it.

We've got custom
headers that came

with the chassis that flow out.

It has a modern transmission.

We've got a custom drive
shaft we made for it.

All that power goes to that
Ford 9 inch at the rear end.

And this thing is a killer
vehicle to drive on the street.

Very impressive.

Let's check out the interior.

I think it turned
out really well.

What we talked about
on the interior

was keeping it timeless.

So Bryan completely
went through,

he improved everything
dramatically.

So we've got really, really
high quality leather throughout,

beautiful stitching.

It all looks original, the
door panels and the stitching

and everything here.

So underneath the dash
on the passenger's side,

we've got a vintage air system.

Modern stuff there, it works
as well as the air conditioning

system in any new car.

Perfect.

It's a sweet ride.

I just love the way
it all came together.

It's just a really classy look.

I've always been in love with
the styling of these cars.

And now we've got something
that's gonna be fun to drive

and great to look at.

It's like Christmas
morning and I

can't open any of the presents.

All right, let's do it.

I don't want to hold
you back any further.

All right, thank you.

Ha, this is going to be great.

- Fun, right?
- Yeah.

It's really a lot like the
cars that we grew up on.

It's got great
power, though, right?

I love the power.

I just feel like it's very,
very linear and smooth.

That's what I'm talking about.

You were having
a damn good time.

I almost lost it.
It was great.

It's like having a
go-kart track for adults.

It was like, it was
exactly like that.

That was great.

How long-- When do we have to
pack up and get out of here?

We've got all day long.

Let's get back in and
do some more laps.

Yeah, let's finish this.

It's a great car.

They hit the bull's eye.

I'll probably have
this car my whole life.

And I run through
cars every two years.

But this is one that will,
even if I don't drive it

all the time, it'll be something
that gets stored somewhere.

And I'll be driving
it from time to time.