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Roadkill Garage is where David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich show you how to do the wrong thing the right way! Whether the guys are wrenching on project cars from the Roadkill show or creating their own moving violations, you'll always get info and action on Roadkill Garage.
2016
This is the pilot episode of an all-new show that will be appearing exclusively on Motor Trend On Demand monthly in 2016. Roadkill Garage features David Freiburger from Roadkill and Steve Dulcich from Engine Masters (but, don't worry, Mike Finnegan is still the co-host on Roadkill). RK Garage will show Freiburger and Dulcich wrenching on Roadkill project cars and other things that meet the Roadkill vibe. They'll show you how to do the wrong things the right way. In this episode, the guys attempt a three-day overhaul of the 351 Cleveland engine from the '67 Mercury Cougar that belonged to Freiburger when the show began, but that transferred to Dulcich before the shoot was over. The "rebuild" is not exactly kosher, but it's dirt cheap and generates good tire smoke!
In episode 40 of the Roadkill show, hosts David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan met up with Steve Dulcich to drag a ’70 Plymouth Duster out of a purgatory of mud at Dulcich’s farm, then stabbed a big-block Mopar under the hood and blasted 12.34 seconds in the quarter-mile. In this episode of Roadkill Garage, the Crop Duster is back! It has a fresh, 500-horsepower 383 engine now, and is fresh off the road from Hot Rod magazine’s Drag Weekend event where—it will come as no surprise—the car had some trouble. That included a wiring fire and a fuel-delivery problem that held the car back to a 12.06-second e.t.—not much better than the old 12.34 considering the newer, much more powerful engine. In this Roadkill Garage, Freiburger and Dulcich attack those demons, have a lot of fun in the process, and return to the drag strip in the hunt for the elusive 11-second timeslip.
Roadkill Garage is all about what two average guys can get done in a single weekend of wrenching, and this time hosts David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich will show you how to revive an engine that’s been rotting outside since Ronald Reagan was president. The patient is a gutted 1975ish Dodge pickup with a 360ci small-block V-8. When the adventure starts, the guys have no clue if the engine can be saved at all, but in the end, it’s out doing donuts! Watch and learn how to get a long-neglected engine back on the road
Meet the new project tire-fryer we call Vanishing Paint!In the last episode of Roadkill Garage, Freiburger and Dulcich had a blast getting an old Dodge 360 small-block V-8 running and driving in a gutted, old truck. But there was a plan behind the stupidity: jerk that engine and revive a ’70 Dodge Challenger that had been off the road since at least 1989! It’s a simple plan that ends well—but not without some fubar Roadkill action along the way.
David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich thrive on rescuing long-abandoned vehicles from rotting neglect, and this time they revive a 1967 Jeep J100 panel truck from the backyard of Jp Magazine Editor Rick Péwé. The truck is an Army-issue Audio-Visual Panel Delivery that was used for field media production and, from what we can tell, only about 2,500 of these trucks were made. It’s loaded with an AMC 232ci straight-six, three-on-the-tree manual trans, and Dana 20 transfer case for four-wheel drive. It’s sweet, but it has not been on the road since 1995, and Freiburger’s on a deadline to drive it up to the Southern California Timing Association’s land speed races at El Mirage Dry Lake so he can work patrol duty…and then do some four-wheeling with the old beast that’s now known as the Flannel Wagon.
One of the most popular project vehicles on the Roadkill series is the Muscle Truck, a 1974 Chevy stepside pickup loaded with an LS6 engine. This time on Roadkill Garage, the truck gets a mini-makeover in preparation for the 2016 Hot Rod Power Tour. Some of the planned changes are designed for better highway cruising, but there's an important question to be answered: is the Muscle Truck still capable of massive burnouts for distance? Of course we find that out the fun way in Roadkill Garage episode 6. Thanks to LMC Truck and Jegs for product support on this episode.
David Freiburger finally gets to do some four-wheeling on Roadkill! Or Roadkill Garage, anyway. In this episode, he and Steve Dulcich attack the Jeep Scrambler that's been in the Freiburger fleet for about 20 years. It's a quality, old-school rockcrawler with 42-inch Swampers, Dana 60s, Air Lockers, 7.17 gears, an Atlas transfer case and NV4500 trans, and spring-over suspension. But it's been neglected for a decade, with only occasional car-crushing action. The guys pull it out of hiding, spiff up the mechanical glitches, and head out for some hard-core rockcrawling—with predictable #BecauseRoadkill results.
The action, the wrenching, and the budget are all extreme on Roadkill Garage as we introduce a new project car: the Crew Cab Chevelle! Have you ever wished you could have an old muscle car but couldn’t afford one? We did, and that’s why this episode is about doing it dirt cheap and living with a couple of extra doors as we build up a cool, vintage body style: a 1966 Chevy Chevelle sedan that we bought for $1,000. David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich show you how to revive a long-dormant engine before rolling into the predictable Roadkill-level snafu that has them changing an entire engine fast and cheap. The goal: bucketloads of sideways action on a homegrown oval track!
Steve Dulcich – “Roadkill Garage mixes low-tech wrenching for the glory of achieving better than expected performance and plenty of fun. In episode 9 we performed simple but effective modifications to a junk 1966 Chevelle four-door sedan, including an all-used drivetrain. The capper here is a head-to-head autocross shootout against a very well set up Pro Touring style Chevelle with surprising results.
The Crop Duster is Roadkill's back-to-basics street and strip machine with big-block power. In this episode, you'll see it run in the 11s for the first time and make its quickest quarter-mile run ever--and that's in no-prep track conditions--after David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich rework the suspension and hack 100 pounds out of the car. The engine currently in the Crop Duster is a 508hp, 395ci big-block that runs on 91-octane pump gas. The transmission is a TCI Torqueflite 727, and the rearend carries 4.10 gears.
For no good reason, David Freiburger has always wanted to drive a Pontiac Bonneville to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah—a freakish landscape of dead-flat, hard-packed salt where land-speed racing has been taking place since 1914. It’s also where Freiburger has set a number of records between 225 and 251 mph, but this time it’s all about the vacation and not the speed. After Steve Dulcich buys a 1967 Pontiac Bonneville station wagon, the guys do minimal prep and hit the road for adventure and zip tie–wielding fun before they arrive at Bonneville for a big surprise.
In Roadkill Episode 58, David Freiburger scored the car he'd wanted for 20-plus years, a 1971 Plymouth Road Runner. It was a decent car, mostly original with 95,000 miles on it, but a repaint had turned to chalk, and it looked ridiculous with tiny tires. In this episode of Roadkill Garage, we head to the Steve Dulcich Dog Farm to fix all of that and start turning it into a daily driver. You won't believe the paint’s transformation!
David Freiburger's 1971 Plymouth Road Runner is all neato and stuff, but it's shamefully gutless. In this episode of Roadkill Garage, we’ll show you how to do some basic engine checks on an older car to find out why it's not making power. The guys will also hop it up a little with a vintage intake manifold and fresh Holley carb, then "scientifically" test the results.
2017
The 1967 Chevy known as the Crusher Camaro has a long history at Hot Rod magazine as well as on Roadkill and Hot Rod Garage. Most recently, the car was transformed by Hot Rod Garage into a Pro Touring machine with supercharged LS power, but the fans spoke out: They wanted the car to return to retro! Starting with this episode of Roadkill Garage, that’s what’s gonna happen. The newest look for the Crusher is inspired by early-’70s NHRA Modified Production drag cars, and this first installment shows the transformation of a BluePrint Engines 400ci small-block Chevy into a tunnel-rammed, retro monster making about 560 hp! Best of all, this episode features 60 percent more fire. Stay tuned later in the season for future installments of the Crusher Camaro’s retro revival.
2018
Freiburger and Dulcich have a new project car, a quick and dirty ’40 Ford Fordor. Other than the lack of interior, some rust, poor suspension it really only has one main problem…it’s too slow! The guys decide to beef it up with some new heads, a new carb and a supercharger. The ’40 Ford already has a small-block Chevy power plant that either needs some TLC or to be retired completely. The guys dig into the grimy engine and find it’s more trouble than it’s worth, but they have a solution and end up hitting the farm roads to relive some bootlegging outlaw action.
2021
The ‘67 Cougar powered by a Windsor-based 360ci stroker and backed by a four-speed is back! Almost. Freiburger and Dulcich try to fix a multitude of issues and get it back on the road. Then they take a detour with another project, the F-Rod ’31 Model A!
Freiburger and Dulcich actually get the Bang-Shifting Cougar back on the road only to have trouble once again. As Dulcich sorts out some shifting issues, Freiburger gets started on the F-Rod '31 Model A. With a naturally-aspirated 572 big-block Chevy V8, he hopes his dream drag machine will run 8s in the quarter mile.
2020
David and Steve nab a '56 Chevy 210 that was once an NHRA champion, but the body is complete garbage -- even by their standards. They try to bring the car closer to its former glory, then it's off for some passes at the Kingman Street Drags on Route 66.
Steve finally convinces David to work on his 1975 Chrysler Conqueror, a boat that's powered by 318 V8 and a jet drive instead of a standard outboard engine. They'll get the engine running and test it out on the lake -- assuming that it will float.
Lurking in the background of many episodes of Roadkill Garage is Steve Dulcich’s 1973 Dodge D100 stepside pickup, his pet project loaded with a 550hp, 360ci, 7,000-rpm small-block Mopar and a four-speed. In this episode, the Mopar Muscle Truck comes into the spotlight as Dulcich and David Freiburger finally wrap up the last details of the buildup that have been lingering for more than a year, then hit the road. A shootout with the LS6-powered Roadkill 1974 Chevy C10 stepside seemed like the obvious plotline. But can the famed Roadkill Muscle Truck outrun the Roadkill Garage Mopar Muscle Truck? Inquiring minds will watch the episode to find out.
See the Crusher Camaro get its eighth engine in its 23rd year as a project car! This 1967 Camaro has been built in a number of different styles in its time with Hot Rod magazine and Roadkill, and in Roadkill Garage episode 14 we initiated the latest makeover into an early-'70s drag racer by reworking a 550-horsepower small-block into retro style. In this episode we'll install the engine along with a radical TH350 transmission from Gearstar, then fire it up as motivation for the next steps on the way to hitting the dragstrip.
There is no episode of Roadkill or Roadkill Garage that out-Mad-Maxes this one, because absolutely no one these days hacks the sheetmetal off of a 1970 Dodge Challenger to fit giant off-road tires and go desert bashing. Except Freiburger and Dulcich. And even if people did slice up desirable muscle cars, they’d be smarter than Freiburger and Dulcich and wouldn’t drive them into a lava flow during a 100-year sandstorm that strips paint, shreds skin, and tears up eyeballs. Ah, but there’s no glory without suffering, and this time on Roadkill Garage, there’s plenty of glory. Not only that, but the guys turned a mundane dirt-track race car (seen in Roadkill episodes 54 and 56) into an unforgettable E-body off-roader. BTW, don’t worry—this car was no rest candidate to begin with.
One of the most daunting jobs on a car is bodywork and paint, but Roadkill Garage’s Steve Dulcich has no fear of hammers, dual-action sanders, and body filler. On this episode, he’s going to attack David Freiburger’s 1970 Plymouth known as the Crop Duster and show you his techniques for quick-and-dirty body repair with fantastic results—but not until he manages to get the car up on three wheels while hooning around. As longtime followers know, initiating paintwork can be the death knell for a Dulcich-Freiburger project car, but this time Dulcich swears the Crop Duster will be back on the road in no time. This is Part 1 of the paint and body series. Look for Part 2 about painting and detailing the car.
This special episode of Roadkill Garage finds us well outside the garage, heading into the outback of Colorado to revive a `68 Jeep Wagoneer that had been sitting untouched for 22 years! We’ve also got special guest host Rick Péwé, editor of Jp Magazine—but fear not, because regular host Steve Dulcich and his dog farm will be back in the next episode. Meanwhile, watch David Freiburger and Péwé struggle with the obscure 327ci Rambler V-8 in the old Jeep. They’ll also grapple with Freiburger’s original concept of turning this rig into the DRAGoneer, a weirdo of a sleeper drag-racing machine; could the “Waggy” just be too good to tear up, Roadkill style? Decide for yourself by the time you reach the end of this Roadkill Garage field trip.
David Freiburger's 1967 Chevy, the Crusher Camaro, is one of the industry’s most well-known project cars, having been around Hot Rod magazine since 1994. This changeling is getting its latest makeover on Roadkill Garage (see episodes 14 and 16), and the retro revival wraps up here as the Crusher hits the dragstrip. The car is loosely styled after Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins’ Camaro, which won the very first Pro Stock race at the NHRA Winternationals in 1970. It packs a 550hp, 400ci, tunnel-rammed small-block engine; a trick TH350 transmission from Gearstar; a Gear Vendors Overdrive unit; and 4.57 rear gears. It adds up to a package that’s even quicker and faster than Freiburger and Steve Dulcich had dreamed.
The Dulcich D100 is back! On Roadkill Garage Episode 15, you were introduced to this Mopar Muscle Truck, a shortbed stepside that we loaded with a 500hp, 360ci small-block before taking it drag racing at Roadkill’s first-ever Zip-Tie Drags. After that, Steve Dulcich drove the truck everywhere for months, including using it for tow duty. Unfortunately, after the Dodge was used to haul the Crusher Camaro to the track one day, it had a massive meltdown, when a hole appeared in a cylinder wall. Dulcich removed the 360 and installed a 400hp, 318ci engine to keep the truck in service. David Freiburger couldn’t allow that, downgrading the Mopar Muscle Truck to the Mopar Yoga-Class Truck. Watch the action on this episode as the guys install a fresh, 550hp, 408ci engine! Were the truck’s other dragstrip deficiencies addressed? Of course not! But that never stops Roadkill Garage from trying—even if it leaves our projects in pieces by the time we’re done.
First, we had the original Roadkill Chevy Muscle Truck (Roadkill Garage, Episode 6) and then the Mopar Muscle Truck (Episodes 15 and 21). So you can see what’s coming: the Ford Muscle Truck! All of these pickups are ½-ton shortbed Stepsides, and the new Ford is a 1968 F-100 with a 460ci big-block engine swapped in by the previous owner. It’s also loaded with a C6 transmission, a Ford 9-inch rear with 3.00 gears, and even air conditioning. The bummer is that the truck had a wiring disaster and barely functional, old, aftermarket fuel injection on it when Steve Dulcich and David Freiburger picked it up, so that and more get fixed on this episode of Roadkill Garage. Dulcich has been driving the so-called FMT every day since the episode was shot.
The very first episode of Roadkill Garage featured David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich doing a cheapy rebuild of the 351 Cleveland engine that had been swapped into Freiburger’s 1967 Mercury Cougar, but the most memorable moments from that show were Dulcich powershifting the car’s Top Loader four-speed trans like a madman. Now, 22 episodes later, both the Cougar and the legendary gear-banging are back! The difference? The car now belongs to Dulcich, and this time the guys are jerking the haggard Cleveland in favor of a 450hp, 363ci, Windsor-based stroker small-block. That poor Top Loader didn’t even know what hit it!
The Crusher Impala is the 1969 Chevy built during Episode 60 of Roadkill (the one with Mighty Car Mods from Australia) and refined in Episode 65, where it ran 11.70s in the quarter-mile, did small wheelies, and outran the Rotsun. Problems? The blower was worn out and the brakes barely stopped. Also, after a summer out on the show circuit, some wiring was sketchy and the engine started to run super lean. In this installment of Roadkill Garage, all of those things get fixed—and the work turns into one of the most fun episodes ever, with plenty of tire smoke from stoppies and 100-yard burnouts. The Crusher Impala lives!
Built on the cheap in episode 8, and winner of the highly debated and socially contested autocross of episode 9, the beloved Crew Cab Chevelle is back! The goal: find out how fast the old four door can go in a standing mile. After sitting on the farm for over a year the Chevelle gets a land speed makeover with a full roll cage, a safety adjustment or two, and a homemade aero package. Freiburger gives Dulcich the honor of piloting the crew cab to new heights and only one transmission exploded in the process!
Vintage Chevy C10 pickups are hot, and there are tons of them around the Motor Trend world, including two 1967s that you’ll see in this episode along with Freiburger’s wild schemes for pickup-truck greatness. It all begins with a grandpa-fresh longbed and a 630-horsepower, 454ci Chevy big-block that has been seen in several installments of our Engine Masters show (its current configuration is the same as that in Engine Masters episode 10, “600hp Camshaft Shootout”). You’ll learn how to big-block-swap any ’67-’72 Chevy or GMC truck along with a Gearstar Transmissions Stage 4 700R4 overdrive automatic that’s beefed to handle the power. But did Freiburger and Dulcich create the ultimate tow rig they were hoping for? Well, let’s just say that this truck excels as an epic burnout machine.
“Station wagons: there is no finer American institution.” That’s what David Freiburger wrote way back in 1998 as the editor of Car Craft magazine. Twenty years later, it’s still true! Hot rodders love old station wagons, and surprisingly, many models can still be purchased cheaply. That’s proven in this episode of Roadkill Garage as Freiburger scores a 1968 Chrysler Town & Country wagon for $1,800—and it has a 440ci big-block for power! It’s soon dubbed the Gargantuwagon. Freiburger and Steve Dulcich show you how to give any old car a basic once-over before they also teach you how to give one a good thrashing without really hurting much. Soon it becomes clear that Dulcich’s 1967 Pontiac Bonneville wagon from Episode 11 needs to come play along—and if two full-size American land barges are good, then three are better as Lucky Costa from the HOT ROD Garage show jumps in with his 1966 Plymouth Fury wagon loaded with 512ci of big-block power!
When David Freiburger scored a 1965 Ford F-250 4x4 just like one he used to have, he saw an opportunity: road-trip the new Tater Truck to meet up with the one he sold four years ago and see if he could trade to get his old truck back. It was a perfect excuse for a vintage-truck adventure where you’ll also learn how to tune a Holley carb on the fly. Watch as Freiburger and Steve Dulcich live large from California to Arizona on this episode of Roadkill Garage.
Steve Dulcich had big dreams for his 1968 Plymouth Barracuda, but then it burned to the ground in the California wildfires. Dulcich was devastated, and his buddy David Freiburger realized an intervention was needed. The answer: make the car live again! Every single piece of mechanically functional rubber and plastic in the car would need to be replaced; it would need basic rewiring; and the brakes, including every hardline, would need to be renewed. As for engine and trans, the guys could use the 400hp 318ci small-block that was removed from the Mopar Muscle Truck on Episode 15 of Roadkill Garage. All that needed to happen was to get the barbecued ’Cuda running and driving again and doing burnouts to lift Dulcich’s spirits and give the car new life as the BBQuda!
Roadkill Garage is often about doing things quick and low-buck, and this episode is an awesome example. David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich show you how to get big-block power for dirt cheap by selecting an engine outside the mainstream; this time, it’s a Buick 455 off of Craigslist. The initial plan was to toss it into Freiburger’s ’66 Buick convertible, but watch the episode and you'll see why that fell through. Instead—exhibiting no fear of crossbreeding—the guys put the big Buick into Roadkill Garage’s ’66 Malibu known as the Crew Cab Chevelle! The result is an affordable power increase that took just two and a half days and ended up with massive burnouts for distance.
Yes, we’re talking 650 horsepower from a Ford Cleveland engine in a Jeep Commando! If you’re thinking this is stupid, you’re right; in Roadkill style, we’re putting great parts on questionable cars in the hunt for massive burnouts, fast quarter-mile times, big wheelies, and—this time—ridiculously overpowered action in the sand and dirt drags. The Clevo Commando will take months to finish, but we’re kicking off the project on this episode that gives you a gander at the weirdo Jeep as we hack the sheetmetal to clear big Bogger tires, then give you the buildup recipe for a 406ci Cleveland that proves its power with bigger numbers on the dyno than even expected, even from guest-star Steve Brulé of Engine Masters. Stay tuned for a future episode where we wrap it all up.
This is an all-Ford episode, starting with the Ford Muscle Truck, taking a break to look at progress on the Disgustang 1969 Mach 1, and ending with a new-to-us Pro Street FoMoCo project car. The Ford Muscle Truck, or FMT, was first revealed on Episode 22; it’s a 1968 F-100 shortbed, stepside with a swapped-in 460 big-block, C6 auto trans, and factory 9-inch rear. On a fateful day seen on Roadkill Extra, Episode 368, Steve Dulcich blew up the rearend in the FMT and it’s been sitting untouched ever since. But then we needed to tow a new project car home, so on this episode we had no choice but to repair the FMT in order to have a tow vehicle to pick up our latest project car. Want to see it? You gotta watch the episode! Ford fans and ’80s lovers are gonna dig it. Even with all this vintage Ford stuff, Roadkill Garage is still powered by Dodge!
One of the most popular projects from Roadkill Garage is the "Vanishing Paint" 1970 Dodge Challenger from way back on Episode 4 of the series. The car has been ignored for 30 episodes now, but when Tire Rack invited Roadkill to a race coming up later this year, David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich decided to lower their lofty goals for the car and just get it running well enough to make the trip. You’ll see the installation of the 360ci small-block that was assembled over 16 episodes of our Roadkill Extra “How to Build Your First Engine” series, plus the guys will hop up the TorqueFlite trans and show you the most affordable way to convert a muscle car to a new Ford 9-inch rearend. Of course the show closes with some traditional Roadkill Garage exhibitions of speed, but this isn’t the last you’ll see of the Vanishing Paint: stick with Motor Trend Premium to see an upcoming episode of Roadkill, where Freiburger and Dulcich will finish the suspension and hit the road to meet up with Tire Rack at an SCCA autocross!
What happens when you put too much blower on not enough truck? You’ll find out on this episode of Roadkill Garage powered by Dodge, when David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich show you how to install a ProCharger centrifugal supercharger on any carbureted V-8—but this one happens to be the bone-stock 350ci small-block in the 1967 Chevy C10 shortbed. Is boost on top of a stock cam and heads really a good idea for an older engine? Can you have driveability with a blow-through carb? Do Freiburger and Dulcich have any clue how to use an electric fuel pump? These questions and more are all answered in a rather humiliating way on this episode.
On this episode of Roadkill Garage presented by Dodge, we’re back with the 1970 Dodge Challenger known as Vanishing Paint. This car dates back to Episode 4, when we thrashed it together, and then we revisited it in Episode 34 as we upgraded the whole drivetrain. This time, we continue the theme of “make it pretty good but not excellent” with a homegrown package of average-guy suspension add-ons for cornering performance. And then we test it in the six-clod, our new secret test method!
The Crew Cab is back! This episode of Roadkill Garage powered by Dodge answers one main question: How much nitrous can you put through a stock long-block? It also indirectly answers another: Should you put nitrous on a stock long-block? David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich teach you the ins and outs of a nitrous installation as they attempt to make their big-block 455 Buick-powered ’66 Crew Cab Chevelle faster. You’ve seen the Crew Cab handle; you’ve seen it go for top-end speed. Now see how it does in the quarter-mile on and off the bottle. Will it go faster or end in disaster? Find out now!
For years, David Freiburger has wanted a true running and drivable hot rod but has never been able to pull one from the halls of neglect to finish it…until now. On this episode of Roadkill Garage powered by Dodge, meet Freiburger and Steve Dulcich's new project car, a Model A on ’32 Ford rails. With three days to get this roller running, there’s not much to do other than install a Chevy small-block and Turbo 350 trans, build the brakes, install new axles and gears, do all of the wiring and plumbing, and, of course, add a tunnel-ram! Maybe it’s a little ambitious to build in three days, but Freiburger’s mantra is: don’t get it right, just get it running. After all, you really have to get a hot rod on the road before you can tell if you’re in love or not. The guys hit some roadblocks with compression issues that send their heads spinning but manage to eventually get it on the road. This leaves only one question unanswered: Will Freiburger love it or will another project fall to neglect?
Freiburger and Dulcich make some significant progress on the F-Rod, and David goes deep into the automotive wiring abyss, teaching all the tips and tricks he knows for correctly wiring a hot rod. The guys also get reacquainted with the reacquired '68 Chrysler Town & Country known as the Gargantuwagon.
Freiburger and Dulcich get the F-Rod 1931 Model A fired up and ready for racing. After finishing up the 572 big-block Chevy V8, installing the crank trigger ignition system, and sorting through every mechanical gremlin on the car, the hopes of running naturally-aspirated 8s in the quarter mile have never been closer to becoming a reality.
You can't beat a good work truck, but you can certainly beat on them. Freiburger and Dulcich do just that through a series of challenges to find out which is better: David's '99 Dodge Ram 2500 V10 4x4 with a five-speed stick or Steve's '73 K20 Chevy 4x4 with a 350ci V8 known as the "Fail Guy." Will Dulcich dominate, or with the Fail Guy live up to its namesake?
After a long build, the F-Rod finally does what it's made to do: run fast and look awesome doing it! Freiburger and Dulcich get some extra help from Sam Strube to finish the '31 Model A and take it to the track. Watch now to find out if the guys make David's dream of running 8s in the quarter mile with the 572ci naturally aspirated Chevy V8 come true.
The legendary '68 Dodge Charger known as General Mayhem gets stripped of its 707-hp Hellcat engine and all the accompanying electronics, as Freiburger and Dulcich vow to take it from the dragstrip setup back to its motorhome 440-powered V8 and gravel-chucking roots.
The "COVID-350"-powered, six-speed '56 Chevy Bel Air may sport 500 hp, but it is far from perfection. In this episode of Roadkill Garage, Freiburger and Dulcich bring it closer to reaching their goals with some weight reduction, suspension modifications and a new 9-inch rear end.
Freiburger and Dulcich finish up the '56 Chevy Field Car build with new coilover front suspension, new gears for their 9-inch rear end, a ported intake and a slew of other modifications in order to get the car down the dragstrip for its best time to date. No rear gears were harmed in the filming of this episode.
Steve Dulcich enlists the help of crew member and fellow '80s action-movie enthusiast Wiley Stevens to get the '67 Bang Shifting Cougar back on the road. The guys install a new trans, suspension, and custom hood, among other upgrades. Will the Cougar continue to eat up transmissions, or will it manage spectacular burnouts?
The 1970 Plymouth Crop Duster has been a project car for over half a decade, and now it's a truly mint 10-second street car. Freiburger and Dulcich take the freshly painted and finished Crop Duster with its new 440 V8 to the track, before overcoming myriad issues and setbacks to finally achieve their elusive 10-second time slip.
Freiburger and Dulcich begin piecing the General Mayhem '68 Dodge Charger back together. With the body back after Chris Birdsong's unbelievable sheet metal and structure replacements, the guys go through every bit of the process of getting the Mayhem back to its 440 big-block-powered version.
The General Mayhem '68 Dodge Charger is back together and better than ever, with its 440 big-block powerplant and rust-free sheet metal! Freiburger and Dulcich finish piecing the Mayhem together and include what will hopefully be some engine-saving modifications before hitting the road for proper break-in procedures, aka burnouts!
The guys are finally making some progress marrying the 406 Cleveland engine to their Jeep Commando. They get the drivetrain sorted out, fitting the engine to a Chevrolet transmission, then show how to stuff everything into the Jeep body.
The guys bring back the Cadillac-powered AMC Gremlin known as the Caddy Gremmie and put in a fresh 500ci powerplant with hopes of taking it all the way to the Roadkill Zip-Tie Drags Powered by Panduit in Tuscon, Arizona.
Freiburger challenges Dulcich to a showdown between a newly acquired cheap truck and the almighty Ford Muscle Truck. The challenge is this: Can a ’74 Ford F-100 long bed with a 360 FE engine be just as much fun as the FMT with just a few hop-ups?
The guys work on multiple projects. The Clevo Commando gets some rear-axle attention. Then the Crusher Impala's engine is removed and diagnosed, and the Caddy Gremmie's engine issues are solved!
Freiburger and Dulcich bring back the Wreck Runner, their '68 Satellite Road Runner clone. The guys fix a handful of issues -- brakes, torsion bars, shifter, seats, overall tune and more -- before thrashing it out on the dirt.
The blown 498ci big block is back from the dead! On this episode of Roadkill Garage, Freiburger and Dulcich revive the previously rained in and ruined engine with a full top-to-bottom rebuild. Will the '69 Crusher Impala get back to its amazing burnout distance glory?
Freiburger and Dulcich tackle the easy task of upgrading the handling of the T-37, only to have their most infuriating build to date. Will they bounce back to improve in the six-clod test, or will the springs of 2020 keep them homebound?
Freiburger and Dulcich ditch the '56 Chevy's 265ci V8 for the homebuilt 500-hp COVID-350. With the addition of a six-speed manual trans, and the wheel hop issue fixed, the question is: will the added power lift the front end, or cause the stock rear end to depart itself of gears?
Last time you saw the BJ-5, it left a yard sale of parts on the track after racing against the Off-Road Challenger. Freiburger and Dulcich fix the Jeep and thrash it in the sand, leaving only one question: will the supercharged powerplant be too much for the axles?
After years of paint and body work, it's finally time to piece the Crop Duster back to life. Freiburger and Dulcich get the engine and trans back in the freshly-painted beauty after adding some extra cubic inches. The 383 has been stroked to 440ci and finally fires up!
The masterpiece that is the Crop Duster is finally done—if you don’t count the interior, that is. In this episode of Roadkill Garage, Freiburger and Dulcich finish the ’70 Plymouth that has languished away on the farm for so long. See how it has transformed from junk into one of the nicest piles in the Roadkill fleet, and undoubtedly one of the best at brutal burnouts for distance!
2023
Freiburger pits his '69 Ford Mustang Mach 1 known as the Disgustang against Dulcich's '67 Mercury Bang-Shifting Cougar. After some suspension and rear-end modifications and upgrades on the Cougar, the guys hit the road and an airport runway to find out which car is the better beater.
Freiburger and Dulcich give gold-medal examples of doing the wrong thing the right way with a big-block, four-speed '73 El Camino in need of an engine refresh; fixing a 454 that's obviously been messed with by means of a cheap at-home rebuild.
The problematic pig of a '73 El Camino named El Cochino is back; Freiburger and Dulcich address the camshaft and lifter issues that remain on their factory SS 454 four-speed Chevy, while also attempting to repair a terrible wheel-hop issue.
Freiburger and Dulcich rescue a flat-fender 1952 CJ-3A Jeep with a small-block Chevy that looks like it's sat at the bottom of the ocean. Dulcich found the Jeep in a yard, and after years of neglect, the guys are making it run and drive the only way they know how. They're not getting it right -- they're just getting it running.
Recently, Dulcich picked up a rough new project 1974 Dodge Charger that affectionately became the Bro-Charger. Dulcich enlists the help of Wiley Stevens to make the derelict Charger into an actual roadworthy vehicle. After a lot of wrenching, the guys take a road-trip test drive to Las Vegas, Nevada, to meet up with Chris Birdsong and compete in an autocross event.
One of the show's nicest project cars becomes easier to drive! Freiburger and Dulcich take the racecar out of the '70 Plymouth Duster known as the Crop Duster and make it streetable. With its new 440 V-8 and gearing, the car finally ran 10s at the strip. Now the guys attempt to make it slower and quieter for more drivability off the track.
Freiburger and Dulcich have love for Dusters, but not the slant-six. The guys add V-8 power to their red 1971 Plymouth Duster, whose seized slant-six had seen better days. With the addition of the V-8, four-speed, a beefier new rear end, and a handful of other repairs, the guys get the Red
« Previous Ep. Next Ep. » Dave's truck becomes the other Dave's truck. Freiburger and Dulcich rescue Dirthead Dave's 1974 Chevy K20 long-bed from storage and give it a full Freiburger makeover. With a little maintenance, a few fixes and a whole new at-home paint job, the guys see if this truck is worth keeping around by testing its off-road capabilities.
What happens when Freiburger and Dulcich take the '56 Chevy Field Car, Bang-Shifting Cougar, and '31 Model A Ford "F-Rod" to test at the dragstrip? You get two out of three down the track, and one is destined to break. Such is the guys' life, but at least they get the suspensions dialed in for some of their fastest runs down the quarter mile in two of their cars.
The 1956 Chevy Bel Air known as "The '56 Field Car" has had its share of ups and downs. Freiburger and Dulcich attempt to fix the 350-powered Bel Air and road trip it to the surfside Samoa Drag Strip in California. Unfortunately, an electrical issue the guys had never seen before turns what would have been beachside bliss into total disaster.
It's the 100th episode of Roadkill Garage, and to celebrate the occasion, Freiburger and Dulcich hit the road on Hot Rod's Power Tour. With their newly completed, V-8-transplanted '71 Plymouth Duster backed by a four-speed and 8.75-inch rear end, the guys road-test, race and roadside-fix their way along a 1,000-mile trip across multiple states.
Sometimes new tech can make an old dog do new tricks. Freiburger and Dulcich fix a fuel slosh and delivery issue in the Crusher Impala. The 1969 Chevy roasts tires with its stroked, over-bored and 8-71 supercharger-topped 498ci big-block, but the carburetors have always had some issues when doing donuts. Now the guys are fixing it with fuel injection.
The '56 Chevy Field Car has a long and painful history, but now all that changes. Freiburger and Dulcich try to break into the 10s at the dragstrip by way of more power. After diagnosing the injured 350ci engine, the guys drop in a 571-hp 406ci V-8 that sat for decades. With a new powerplant and some modifications, will the '56 run its fastest times ever?
2019
On this episode of Roadkill Garage, Steve Dulcich’s teenage dreams finally come true as David Freiburger surprises him with a new project: a 1965-ish VW Dune Buggy! The guys have mastered the American engine; now it’s time they take on something new, or at least new to them. The “Boon Duggy” has a German-engineered four-cylinder 1200 boxer engine boasting a furious 40 horsepower and a four-speed transaxle. There’s only one problem—it’s been sitting around for years and may not even run. Will the guys’ knowledge of V-8s translate to VWs, or will they figure out how to overheat an air-cooled engine? Watch as the guys have maximum fun with minimal car.
On this episode of Roadkill Garage, David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich have been challenged by Fred Williams and Dave Chappelle from Dirt Every Day to a Jeep build-off. What’s the best way to improve a 1975 CJ-5 with a small-block Chevy? Step one: Don't focus on the suspension, axles, gearing, and so forth. Step two: Add more power, of course! With some leftover parts from Engine Masters, the guys swap in a 383 short-block topped with a Weiand 671 supercharger and create the blown CJ-5 now known as the BJ-5! Before heading to the driving challenge set up by the Dirt Heads, the guys call in JP Editor Rick Péwé to help sort out some other mechanical issues and take the blown Jeep for its first off-road test drive.
When one project fails, fix another! That’s the motto on this episode of Roadkill Garage as David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich have fun with a project vehicle smorgasbord. First the guys set out to make the Cadillac 500–powered ’74 Gremlin faster at the track. Unfortunately for the Caddy Gremi, it spun a bearing after some epic burnouts. But on the farm, one car’s misfortune is another’s chance at a revival as the guys decide to rescue Dulcich’s ’71 Plymouth Satellite powered by a 383 big-block. With a little bit of work and some inspiration from burnouts in the ’75 blown small-block BJ-5 Jeep, the guys get it running and test it in the “Two-Pole” against Freiburger’s ’71 Road Runner.
The ’67 Chevy C10 shortbed is back. Its storied past started in HOT ROD Garage and then multiple episodes of Roadkill and Roadkill Garage, but now it’s time to finally make it a clean and respectable daily driver. David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich take on the task of a DIY paint match on the bed, a five-lug conversion, interior upgrades, new wheels, and a new gas tank that doesn’t put rust into the fuel system. Watch and learn on this episode of Roadkill Garage, as the C10 transforms into something that’s probably way too nice for Freiburger, but not too nice to thrash on.
The most epic day of desert bashing in Roadkill Garage history wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be. You’ve seen some of the aftermath on Roadkill Extra, but now get the whole story of what happened to the ’70 Dodge known as the Off-Road Challenger (ORC). It survived the 100-year sandstorm that nearly killed David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich, but the E-Body’s 318 engine wasn’t so fortunate–turns out cylinders don’t just self-bore when a pound of sand makes it through the carb. After two years of neglect on the farm, the guys finally get the ORC back into working order with a fresh 360 powerplant and 727 trans from a $1,500 parts truck. If just getting it back up and running wasn’t victory enough, the guys decide to put it to the test in a mud drag race against their blown small-block, Chevy-powered Jeep CJ-5. Will the Off-Road Challenger’s new heart survive another beating and out-mud the Jeep? Find out on this episode of Roadkill Garage.
The Disgustang is back! David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich are going all in to finally give the 1969 Mach 1 the attention it deserves. Originally rescued from decades of junkyard neglect on Episode 66 of Roadkill, then engine-swapped and road-tripped over 1,300 miles only to be beaten around DirtFish Rally School on Episode 73, it will now be made into the ultimate Roadkill daily driver. What’s the plan, you ask? A power steering conversion, an engine bay refresh and paint, a five-speed trans swap, and a little cosmetic love. It’s an ambitious task to complete in five days, and the guys take to bang-shifting the Cougar for inspiration. Have they bitten off more than they can chew in a week’s time, or will they have it fired back up and running? Find out on this episode of Roadkill Garage.
What’s the use of more power if you can’t handle it? Last episode, David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich refreshed the drivetrain in the Disgustang but now they are tackling the rest of the project to truly make it a daily-driving beast. Up front, it’s getting a new suspension with plenty of stiffening to the flimsy Ford while still making it a smooth ride. In the hind quarters, they are upgrading the shocks, swapping the rear gears, and beefing up the axles. Once everything is together, the guys finally get to take the Disgustang on its maiden voyage. Will it pass the Roadkill daily-driver test? Find out on this episode of Roadkill Garage!
It took Michelangelo four years to paint the Sistine Chapel, but for Steve Dulcich it took only two years to paint the Crop Duster! That’s right, the Crop Duster is finally painted, and it’s a masterpiece! Way back on Episode 18 of Roadkill Garage, Dulcich set out on Part 1 of a DIY paint- and bodywork job and today that project is complete. Follow along as Dulcich and David Freiburger lift a huge weight off their shoulders, while also getting the ’67 long-bed C10 back up and running. Watch this paint-and-body episode that’s two-plus years in the making!
Everyone needs a vacation, and on this episode of Roadkill Garage, David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich take a break from their everyday grind to do exactly what they love doing day in and day out anyway. Dulcich recently bought a new project vehicle in Arizona, a ’73 Triumph TR6, and the guys have decided to take the Mopar Muscle Truck (MMT) to go pick it up…only problem, it needs a new engine first because Dulcich blew up the 408ci small-block that was in it. After replacing the 408 with a 318, the guys test drive it and conclude it’s probably best to road trip to Arizona in the Ford Muscle Truck (FMT) to pick up the TR6 instead. Why do the guys ditch the MMT for the FMT? Find out on this episode of Roadkill Garage.
Finding the time to complete a project is hard enough, but being able to fix multiple problems on multiple projects at the same time? It’s nearly impossible, unless you’re David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich, of course! On this episode of Roadkill Garage, Freiburger and Dulcich take on the problems plaguing the off-road Challenger called Vanishing Paint and the Super Bee, in order to get them ready for a special Roadkill Nights shootout. If that wasn’t enough, the guys even find time to pick up a new project that’s not quite a mini Mopar muscle truck, but is 100-percent Rampage!
We need more speed! Plus wheelies. It’s all about the Crusher Camaro, one of our most long-standing project cars. It’s been around since 1994 and has been seen in HOT ROD magazine and on Roadkill, HOT ROD Garage, and Roadkill Garage. Last time on Roadkill Garage, David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich did an early ’70s retro makeover that included a tunnel-rammed 400ci small-block engine and a Gearstar TH350 trans. They went to the dragstrip and ran 10.76, but had traction problems. This time, the guys are solving that and lightening up the front end in the hunt for dramatic wheelies at the track. Will they end in glory or fail in Roadkill style? Find out on this episode.
Back on Episode 87 of Roadkill, David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan bought a completely wrecked ’68 Road Runner and brought it back to life, creating the world’s only C-Body Road Runner. Now on this episode of Roadkill Garage, Freiburger and Steve Dulcich are finally seeing through with the original plan of using the C-Body as a parts car. Follow along as the guys turn a straight ’68 Plymouth Satellite body purchased for $500 into an awesome 383, four-speed Road Runner clone for under $10K.
2022
Freiburger and Dulcich hit the road in a '66 Chevy Chevelle purchased sight unseen in an attempt to score two new project cars. A lack of horsepower doesn't equate to a lack of fun as the guys fix and tune their way from Washington to Arizona to rescue a dirt-cheap junkyard '75 Dodge Dart.
Freiburger and Dulcich give some much-needed love to the '69 Chevy known as the Crusher Impala by way of a new 9-inch rear and a less squatty suspension overhaul. The guys also fix a major throttle issue that finally unlocks full use of the supercharged 498ci big block before hitting the road for monster burnouts.
Freiburger and Dulcich tune up the supercharged big block in the '69 Crusher Impala at Westech's dyno before hitting the road and the dragstrip. After some monster burnouts and a romp through the desert to find a possible new project 440 Dart, the guys run the Impala's fastest time in the quarter mile, but discover some new Roadkill-level issues.
Steve Dulcich and Wiley Stevens up the cam game on the '70 Dodge known as the Off-Road Challenger, while also seeing if Wiley's '06 Subaru can easily be made into a rally-capable daily driver by way of suspension and airflow upgrades. But the real question is: will either car survive the farm's rally course?
Freibuger and Dulcich can't pass up buying a '41 Ford former race car with a 300ci straight-six engine that last saw action in some La Carrera Panamericana road races back in the late '90s. With a little tuning, carburetor rebuild, exhaust modifications and some love, the guys get the Ford back on some winding open roads.
The un-wrecking of the Wreck Runner, a half '68 Satellite and half '68 Road Runner, is an ongoing saga. Dulcich is joined by Wiley Stevens and Chris Birdsong to bring new life to the car with a shifter upgrade, new clutch and one of the biggest body mods in RKG history -- a near-full rear quarter panel replacement.
Recently, Freiburger and Dulcich were stopped by some fans who invited the guys to come thrash the Crusher Impala around their property. While there, Freiburger spotted a big-block 440-swapped '68 Dart he couldn’t pass up. Now, the guys pick up the Dart and take it home to give it an impressive engine bay makeover and horsepower-adding tune-up.
Are two beds better than one? Freiburger and Dulcich revive the 318ci V8-powered '66 Dodge D100 stepside truck from Roadkill in order to dig a buried '60 Ford Ranchero out of the backyard. The Ranchero has been converted with a solid-axle front end, a small-block Chevy and a four-speed, but has been buried for over 40 years. Will it be worth the trouble?
Freiburger and Dulcich bring a '60 Ford Ranchero back to life after rescuing it from a backyard and over 40 years of neglect. With a fresh 283 power transplant ahead of the Muncie four-speed, the guys overhaul the entire drivetrain to see if this one is worth keeping, or if they should flip it.
Will it run 10s? The Crusher Impala has been down the dragstrip multiple times but has never run the number. Freiburger and Dulcich troubleshoot transmission issues and more in the 1969 Chevy Impala that's powered by a supercharged 498ci big-block V8, then take it back to the track to see if they can finally get their 10-second time slip.
Dulcich enlists help from Wiley Stevens and Chris Birdsong in order to transplant a third-generation Hemi into the 1974 Dodge D100 known as the Mopar Muscle Truck. After frustrations and issues hold up progress, the guys clean up a new project 1974 Dodge Charger and get it on the road.
Nothing beats getting a vehicle back on the road -- except maybe putting two back on the road, of course! Freiburger and Dulcich attempt to get a 1967 Jeep Wagoneer that's been sitting for 31 years back on the road from Yakima, Washington. Plus, they find Dulcich's dream 1964 Cadillac DeVille convertible in the process. These are not your normal junkyard finds.
Can you have too many Dusters in your life? Not if you're Freiburger or Dulcich. The guys add one more to the fleet. Unfortunately, this 1971 Duster in Rally Red hasn't moved since 1993, but that's not as unfortunate as its slant-six power plant. The guys get the gutless Plymouth back on the road, but it's not long before the engine reveals its true worth.
2024
Freiburger and Dulcich death-proof their questionably assembled '40 Ford Fordor, then hit the road to multiple junkyards to hunt for a project vehicle. After a lengthy search, they fall in love with a barn-find '60s truck that's too good to be true
The '73 Chevy step-side "Muscle Truck" has a storied history. Freiburger and guest host Dave Chappelle fabricate another chapter in the truck's saga with the addition of a beefy four-link suspension and coilovers to hopefully get it to finally sit right.
Freiburger and Dulcich add 1,000+ hp to David's Pro Street 1969 Chevy Nova. In an attempt to make a true street/strip car, the guys fully build out this roller before taking it to the track to run some impressive times out of the gate.
From the first Hot Rod Power Tour in '95 to the first Power Tour West, the '67 Crusher Camaro keeps going. Freiburger and Dulcich return the Camaro to its original styling, then hit the road to Vegas and back for Hot Rod's first-ever Power Tour West.
Freiburger and Dulcich enlist the fabrication skills of Dave Chappelle to start building the Dragoneer. This LS-powered 1970 Jeep Wagoneer needs a lot of work, but it’s on its way to becoming a surprisingly quick street/strip sleeper.
Dulcich and Freiburger enlist Chris Birdsong to finish the engine transplant into the 1974 Dodge D100 known as the Mopar Muscle Truck. After installing the Gen III Hemi, they hit the dyno to see the massive horsepower and torque the truck now makes.
Freiburger and Dulcich pull a 1966 (or is it a 1965?) International Harvester truck from a garage where it's sat for decades. They found the truck and fell in love on a previous episode, but now will they be able to get it running and back on the road?
David Freiburger
Himself
Steve Dulcich
Himself
