02x04 - The Fighter 'Vette

[bunniefuu]

[tools whir]

[engine revs]

[Wes] We have a bent frame.
This car may not be salvageable.

Is it worth fixing?

[Jaime] Or do we have
a $3,500 chicken coop?

Exactly. Maybe that's why
it was a chicken coop.

It's a total dud.

So you're, like, all or nothing.
Either they can fix it or they can't.

-[Scooter] What's up, guys?
-[Wes] Yeah.

-[Scooter] Uh-oh.
-[Wes] I think we have a bent frame.

-[Rabbit] Who said that?
-[Scooter] What?

This thing, I think
it's been hit in the rear.

The rear end's gettin' into the exhaust.

[Jaime] This could be really bad, guys.

Well, in our defense,
I didn't look down there, man.

I mean, until we got it tore down,
you know, we didn't know.

Without a frame table,
we can't do this ourselves.

We're hopin' to find a shop here local
that has a frame table.

And hopefully, they can pull it.

-If they can't, then…
-[Scooter] I might know somebody.

-Ugh.
-[Rabbit] Let's get on the phones.

There's body shops all over this town.

Let's find somebody
with a good frame machine,

with a little bit of sense,
and some unitized cars.

One wrong pull and this thing's scrap.

[Wes] Yeah.

[Jaime] Luckily,
we discovered this bent frame

before we got too deep into this build.

So that's good.

But if we can't straighten this frame,
it is a total bust.

If this is a real Saleen Fox Body Mustang,
it is a massive opportunity for this shop.

Steve Saleen only built 200 for that year,

so if it's real, it's incredibly valuable.

Whether if it's a Saleen or not,
we have to at least try to get this fixed.

Not to, uh, keep pourin' on the bad…

I'm strikin' out on the truck
across the board.

-So, I mean, that's…
-[Wes] So we're upside down on the truck.

Not yet, but it… it's not looking good.

The response isn't as good
as I've wanted it to be.

How about 60 grand?

Uh, I'm good, man.

Is there a problem?

It's a little high,
but we're a little deep in it.

Yeah, we can't afford to come down on it.

[Rabbit] That's the problem.

Unless we just make it a straight wash.

We've come a long way from home
to be doing straight washes.

-[Wes] Exactly.
-We need our luck to turn around.

[Rabbit] I agree wholeheartedly.

We got this Apache we're sitting on,
big money in.

Now we have this.

Uh… somethin's gotta give.

I'm a little freaked out right now, guys.

You and me both.

Now is not where we wanna be.
We're nearly halfway through the winter,

and only sittin' at 94,000
of our $500,000 goal.

If we have to part this Mustang out,
that's even worse.

We need to find a quick flip, because,
I'll tell you something, in this business,

it's a bad sign when you got your guys
with their hands in their pockets.

So Wes and I will work on finding
a frame shop that can look at the car.

Um, in the meantime,
you guys gotta get rid of this Apache.

We'll find a buyer.

[Scooter] And I'm gonna call my contacts
for a lead to get some money in.

[Wes] All right.

-[Rabbit] Good luck, guys.
-[Scooter] Good luck, guys.

[theme music playing]

[upbeat music playing]

[Rabbit] Between you and me,
I'm not feeling great about things.

We gotta find something quick.

This is gettin' to be slim pickings
down here in Juárez.

Oh yeah. It's been hit or miss.

I think I'm just gonna call Cabe
and then ask him to see what he's got.

[ringing tone]

[Cabe answers]

[in Spanish] What's up, b*stard?
How are you?

What cars have you found for me?

[Cabe inhales sharply]

An Impala? Impala '64?

[Cabe] Impala? No, no.

[in English] How about Chevelles?

[translates]

[Cabe, in Spanish]
No, my man, no. Neither.

-No?
-[Cabe answers in Spanish]

I have a Corvette C3.
It's a very nice one.

-[in English] He says he's got a C3.
-We'll take a bumper Vette. Where's it at?

-[Scooter, in Spanish] Where's it at?
-[Cabe] It's in Juárez.

Um…

Yeah, I'll pass on the information.
I think it's a family that's selling it.

-[both speaking Spanish]
-[Scooter] Okay.

That's great. Bye.

[in English] He give us some coordinates
or wherever this thing's at?

He's gonna send me the information
now as a text message.

[speaks Spanish]

[phone buzzes]

Oh, look, there it is.
He just sent it. We're on our way.

It should be up the street here.

[Rabbit] Better be a lot better
than the last one.

Yes. I think it's right here. Right here.

Right here.

-There we go. Hey!
-[Scooter] Oh, look. Look at that.

-[Rabbit] Lot of Corvette, kids.
-[Scooter] Nice.

I think
Cabe might've come through this time.

[Rabbit] Let's hope.

[Scooter] Check it out. I like what I see
so far, but we're far away. [sighs]

[Rabbit] That would be a 1971 Corvette.

[Scooter] A '71 Corvette?

-Know how I know that's a '71 Corvette?
-[Scooter] I was about to ask you that.

-By the marker lights.
-[Scooter] Marker lights?

[rock music playing]

[Rabbit] First produced in 1953,

the Vette is the longest-running
American sports car in history.

The first two generations,

known as the C1 and the C2,
were successful in their own right.

But the C3 became
the highest-produced Corvette ever made.

It offered a variety of body kit options,

making it easy for drivers
to create their own dream machine.

Today, they are becoming increasingly
more popular with the younger generation,

as well as the older folks,

who never got the chance
to have them when they were younger.

This thing right here, back in the day…

[Scooter] Mm-hmm?

…was a chick magnet.

If this come rollin' up
in front of your house

to pick up your daughter,
you got a baby comin'.

This is a cool ride.

-[Scooter] Four speed?
-[Rabbit] Yes, sir.

[conversing in Spanish]

-Maria.
-[Rabbit] Nice to meet you.

I love your nails.

[in Spanish] Hey, a contact I have,
a friend of mine,

told me this car's for sale?

Yes.

[Rabbit, in English]
This motor looks solid.

[speaking Spanish]

Oh! She says the car
used to belong to her grandfather.

-Cool grandfather, huh? [chuckles]
-That's what I'm sayin'.

I'm like a boy at Christmas
anytime a Corvette's involved.

That's probably why I was pacin'
back and forth, like a nervous nun.

You gotta be careful,
show your poker face.

That explains the shades.
My eyes could be going like… "Oh! La!"

-But, no, that's why we wear the shades.
-[laughing]

[Rabbit] When that thing fired up, though,
there was no hiding my excitement.

But the shop is
hurtin' for cash right now,

so we can get goin' on it
only if the price is right.

[in Spanish] It sounds very good.
I see that it runs.

[Maria] Many people have wanted to buy it,
but they offer me very little for it.

It didn't suit me.

-[Scooter, in English] Hey, Rabbit.
-Yeah, bud.

Let's talk money. Come on. Get out here.

She's telling me
that they've been offering money for it,

for the car, but they don't, like…

They… they wanna lowball her.

What's the best offer she's gotten?

[translates]

[speaking Spanish]

[in English] 2,500,
but she says that's too low.

That's way too low.

That's way too low.
It's a Corvette. It's not a Pinto.

-You know?
-[Rabbit] She got a title to this thing?

-[translates]
-Sí, sí.

Yes, she does.

[sighs]

A lot of bodywork
has to be done with this thing.

-I know.
-[Rabbit] Not typical stuff.

This is fiberglass work.

We've got busted fends.
Bumpers are broke loose on the back.

We don't know if this got into somethin'.

-Has this car been in any accidents?
-No, never.

I know the history of the car. Never.

[in English] She says no.
No accidents that she knows of.

Nothing like the Saleen.

Tell her we'll do 4,500 in cash right now.

[translates]

Cash.

[speaks Spanish]

[Scooter] 4,800.

[Maria speaks Spanish]

I'm at 45. I really am.

[in Spanish] 4,500.
Look, I'll tell you why.

The car has many little flaws.
It is cracked there.

The fender has fallen back there.

We are seeing
that it needs a lot of body work.

A lot of holes.

And in the garage where we'll take it,

they'll have to do a lot of work.

Uh… [sighs]

[conversing in Spanish]

[in English] She says yes.


[Rabbit] It's in the truck.

After a day full of bad news,
we just scored a great ride.

And, I mean, this thing runs. It drives.

Is it rough around the edges? Yes.
Kinda like this guy.

-But you know what? Hell, I like him too.
-[chuckles]

I'm like a Corvette. Nice.
Nice comparison. I like that.

Straight back. [whistles]

Vámonos.

[Rabbit] This is what we need in the shop.

-Good, inexpensive builds.
-[Scooter] Yes!

[moody music playing]

[Scooter] Here comes the fun part.

Beautiful Corvette. I love it.

-[engine revving]
-[Scooter] The sound of victory.

Ah, ah, Wesito!

-[Wes] What the hell? We got a Vette!
-[Scooter] Huh?

What do you think?
America's sports car, right here.

-[Wes] Hey, it runs.
-That won't rust. That's for sure.

-[Scooter] Right? Hee-hee!
-[Wes] Yeah.

-[Rabbit] Don't speak too easy. 1971.
-[Scooter] '71! Whoo!

-Look at that.
-[Andy] A bit curvy.

[Rabbit] Love it.
Coke bottle design. Flares.

Oh my gosh.

I love Corvettes.
They're American. They're iconic.

It's not in bad shape,
but there's definitely been some mods.

I mean, how much did we pay for this?

-4,500 bucks.
-[Jaime] Okay.

-It's a steal for this car.
-Yes, it is.

And if we make it right,
what are we talkin' money-wise, you think?

Thirty-five, 40 grand.

-[Jaime] Okay.
-This is the thing.

Original, it would probably do
a little better, but that's a lot of work.

You're reversing
some of this custom stuff.

I think we go with the flow,

do somethin' wild,
stick with the '70s vibe.

We got a crazy painter,
and there is interior inside this thing.

-You got everything to work with.
-I see that.

We got potential
to make a lot of money here.

-Exactly.
-It's a Corvette!

We'll bring the party.

-I love it, man.
-[Jaime] All right.

[Rabbit] Did we find a frame shop
for the Mustang?

We found a good shop. They're
waitin' on us to get the car to 'em.

All right, guys. Y'all get this in.

We'll get the Mustang to the frame shop.
Try to get it squared up.

[Wes] All right.

Let's not spend too crazy
on this thing. Around 15,000.

-Yep.
-Sweet.

-We got a winner here.
-We ain't gotta push it.

[Rabbit] Back to work.

[upbeat music playing]

[Jaime] Guys, the closer I look,
the body's a bit rough.

[Wes] Definitely got some,
uh, fiberglass work to be done.

-I'm gonna mark these.
-[Andy] Where's it not cracked? Mark that.

-[Jaime] That's what I'm saying.
-Take the tape and outline the whole car.

-[Andy] Yeah.
-Like a crime scene.

[Jaime] What is this? A drywall screw
stickin' out right here? Look at that.

At least it was a great year.

I love these C3s.

We gotta do somethin' crazy on this thing.

Insane. Lose our mind type of deal.

Keepin' the '70s vibe?

So let's go disco.

Throw some metal flake on this sucker

and just take the tradition out of it,
and make it a disco ball.

It's pretty curvy like that.

The Lincoln didn't work out
like I wanted it to.

Damn, I'm having a hard time
with this dragon, man.

Cool car, but not for me. Thank you.

But you gotta take big risks sometimes
in order to gain that big reward.

I want the team to really trust my designs

and take that risk
when the opportunity is right.

And it just feels right
with this modified C3.

We really need to stand out
and lure those buyers in like hungry fish.

So, yeah, let's do a badass motor
stickin' out of the hood,

big wide back tires.

[Jaime] I'm just really worried about
how much money is gonna go into this body

because we don't even know
how much the Saleen's gonna cost.

I mean, I get it. We gotta…
We gotta keep the budget down.

-[Andy] Yeah.
-To make more of a profit.

So this is what I'm thinking.

We're gonna stick with the '70s theme.

As far as a blower, not gonna happen.
But ram-air, I think we can do.

[Andy] Let's make some kind
of exotic, like, very limey,

see-throughish kind of a candy
on top of a huge boat flake.

[Lucky] If we go wild on the paint job,
just black, you know, on the inside.

Okay. You know, there's actually
a lot of potential here.

[Wes] Let's do it.

[dramatic music playing]

-Shame what people do to these cars.
-[Lucky] They don't take care of 'em.

[Jaime] Three different screws.
This looks like somebody's DIY project.

So, first thing, we need to figure out
what's holding this thing together.

[Andy] How the hell…

[squeaking]

I like how when the hood lifts up,
it hits the fan.

I know Rabbit and Scooter
had good intentions with this vehicle,

but I don't think
they completely understand

the severity of what's going on here.

[Andy] I'd throw that one in the trash.

[clattering]

Like, it's loose.
I don't even know what's holding it.

-It tore the fiberglass right out.
-[Wes] Let's see what's in there.

Everything is crumbling on this thing.
Nothing is straight.

All the screws and bolts are mismatched.

This is gonna be crazy
trying to put all this together.

All brand-new hardware.
Mock up the body so it's proper,

which means there will be
a lot of digging out of the fiberglass,

and it'll take a lot of work.

But, hey, we love a challenge here.

Got a big hole over here.

[Jaime] What is that?

[laughing] He's smilin'.

Oh my gosh.

Yeah, this… this rear, uh, quarter
is definitely in bad shape.

[Jaime groans]

[Jaime] Told you.

Oh man.

[Wes] I can tell someone's done
repair work to this quarter panel,

but at this angle, I can't tell
what the fiberglass is attached to.

Seems like
some kind of a makeshift situation,

which is never a good sign.

Actually, usually a nightmare to fix.

This beast could be
as big of a challenge as the Saleen.

Man, I hope not.

I can't even pull
these damn seats out. I… I mean…

The problem with seats are
somebody put carriage bolts,

so I gotta go underneath
the car to get 'em out.

I'm too damn fat for that.

[chuckles]

[Wes] Let's put it on the lift.

[Lucky] Turn her up.

[Wes] All right, bring it up.

-[Lucky] Go slow.
-[Wes] Go ahead.

-[Jaime] I hear it creakin'.
-[Lucky] Going slow.

So far, so good.

I wanna see this.
All up there. All to the top.

[Andy] Okay.

-That's absolutely insane.
-[gasps]

Look at the fiberglass work
on that. Like, I mean, that is like… Wow.

That is, like,
every makeshift known to man.

-[Lucky] You got…
-[Andy] They used roofing tin to screen…

-Probably the back door, obviously.
-The back door?

I bet they used mudding.

-Like they did in Santa Fe.
-[Wes] I don't know what…

-[Jaime] I don't.
-[Andy] That is adobe.

-Crazy.
-[Jaime] Looks like papier-mâché.

The icon poster of, "They don't know
what the heck they're doin'."

That's crazy.

I can't even start the cosmetic work
until I fix the foundation of this body.

Which means I have to undo
everything the previous owner did.

This is weeks of work.

Not a quick flip
by any stretch of the imagination.

I've never seen anything
this bad in my life.

-What about you, Lucky?
-It's bad.

I can't even find the damn bolts
to take the seats off.

[Jaime laughs]

-I'm still tryin' to track that down.
-[Jaime] Papier-mâché on top of it?

I don't know.
I'm still trying to track that crap down.

[Jaime] All right.
Let's break for the night,

'cause I've gotta figure out
how we're gonna tackle this thing.

It's tough, but if we can pull it off,

we can make some money.

We've fixed worse on a better day.

I don't think we have.

[Rabbit] Let's see if we can get
this Mustang straightened out

or if we're gonna dump this body
in the desert.

[Scooter] Vámonos. Let's go.

Let's ride.

[upbeat music playing]

[Rabbit] I really hope
we can fix this Fox Body.

[Scooter] I do too. We know
there's a market for them right now.

-What's your style?
-You know, I like the Fox Body Mustangs.

[Rabbit] Really?

If you've got a Fox Body Mustang,
you give me a call. I'm your guy.

-[Scooter] Oh, all right.
-We'll keep that in mind, sir.

I think this is it.

They've got some hot rods sittin' around.

[Scooter] A lot of hot rods. Pretty cool.

Let's play my favorite game.
Let's name 'em.

-[Scooter] Uh…
-[Rabbit] '72 Chevelle.

-[Scooter] '55 four-door wagon.
-That's a handyman wagon.

[Scooter] Handyman wagon.
Look at this. Monte Carlo '70.

First Monte Carlo.
I used to own one of these.

-[Rabbit] What's goin' on?
-Hey, how you doing?

-Scooter. This is Rabbit.
-Joe, nice to meet you.

-Joe, I'm Rob.
-[Joe] Nice to meet you.

So I heard that you might be able
to straighten out a bent-up Mustang.

Yes, sir. We can put it on the lift.

We can put it up in the air,
see what's going on with it.

If it's something we can fix,
we'll fix it.

If we can't fix it, we'll let you know.

That's the thing. Before we get
too far into it, let us know.

-Just keep us in the loop.
-[Joe] Perfect.

-We'll take care of you guys.
-I love these cars. Are they all yours?

Most are mine. Some are customers'.
They come, drop 'em off.

They like the work I do.

-We just work on 'em.
-Yeah.

You ever buy any cars in Mexico?

Not in Mexico. I usually buy 'em here,
locally or in the surrounding area.

-[Scooter] Really?
-Let's get this Mustang.

[Scooter] I'll get it off the ramp.

-He's not gettin' all these things local.
-[Scooter] Why do you say that?

-[Rabbit] That Mexican plate.
-[Scooter] On the F-150?

I'm just sayin'. We're not the only ones
goin' into Juárez buyin' cars.

-I've been lied to before.
-Of course. You're a car salesman.

[laughs] You're used to that.

Aah, you're just paranoid, man.

[Rabbit] I don't know.

[Scooter] Damn.

Whew, turn the wheels!

[panting]

Paranoia aside, let's say a little prayer
they can fix this thing.

What is this, Jaime?

The answer to our problem.

The Corvette's body's just shot.

So I decided to get
this whole kit to fix this.

After the teardown, I made the call
to source the body kit for the Corvette.

There was so much damage.

I couldn't rationalize the time and money
it would take to fix it.

Although it was a little pricey at 4,500,

it was worth the weeks
it would have taken to fix it.

I agree 100%.

I would much rather start fresh,
do our own modifications

than try to fix someone else's mistakes.

By doing this, we kind of ate up
our tunnel ram budget for the engine.

Okay? I mean, the engine is sound.

We don't have to, you know,
dissect it and go crazy with the hood.

-Although I got a different hood coming.
-Okay.

I love it. This is the long nose design.

-It'll really change the look of this car.
-Yeah. I agree.

[Wes] Let's put it on. Lay it
over the top. Get our pieces laid out.

-See what we have to work with.
-Okay.

[Wes] Back in the '70s,

people loved to add the long nose
for a sleek space-age, Evel Knievel look.

These C3s were designed to be customized,

and this car was beggin'
for us to do it right.

It's like rescuing a stray dog
and being cleaned up to be a show dog.

[Jaime sighs]

-See how much longer it makes the nose?
-Oh yeah.

I don't know about you,
but this almost looks like a fighter jet.

So we got… I mean, we have enough pieces.
I could get started on this.

[Wes] So one of the things with
the Corvettes, they're made of fiberglass.

Me being a metal fabricator, this is not
what I'd like to be cuttin' on.

It's itchy. It's nasty. It's dirty.

But this body kit's gonna get us
really where we wanna be with this car.

This thing is gonna be awesome.

♪ Whoo-ooh-ooh ♪

♪ I deliver for you ♪

♪ I deliver ♪

-♪ Night and day ♪
-♪ Night and day ♪

♪ Every way, I deliver ♪

[music fades]

-[Jaime] What the…
-[Wes] It's a sandstorm.

-You hear the sand hitting the roof?
-Yeah.

So it's the windy season
right now in Texas.

The wind's very unpredictable.
It can start, stop at any time.

Even though I've been here for years,
you never get used to these winds.

[Rabbit] How crazy is this damn wind?

-What's up, guys?
-What's up?

-Going over build plans with the Vette.
-We're changing it up.

-Not doing the Disco Danny thing?
-No?

[Jaime] No, I think with the length
and the width and all the body kit,

it's startin' to look like
a military fighter jet.

-[Wes] I think it'd be cool.
-[Rabbit] I'm with you.

Let's go sleek with this thing.

-Battleship gray.
-[Jaime] Yeah.

[Wes] Hate to change things up,
but now's the time.

Battleship gray may appeal to more people.

-[Jaime] Okay.
-I kinda like that. Military sells.

Especially around here.

Fort Bliss is right there.

[Scooter] Yeah. We got 90,000 soldiers

and their family members
within spitting distance.

Battleship gray is gonna be a lot cheaper
than candy colors. I promise you that.

I'm sure we have somethin'
left over from another job.

As a custom shop,

typically, we want our paint jobs
to be very unique.

But the gray that we put on the Apache,

I feel as though it's the perfect gray
for us to use on the fighter jet Corvette.

The color of the truck
is not the problem of it not selling.

And the whole purpose of this car
is to get us some quick money.

I like it. It's simple. It sounds quicker.

-[Scooter] And it's gonna save us money.
-[Wes] Fighter Vette.

-[Rabbit] I love the fighter Vette.
-[Scooter] Whoosh!

Guess what? We got somebody coming over
to look at the Apache in the morning.

-[Rabbit] See you later.
-I guess I'll go with him.

[Rabbit] Careful in that wind, kids.

[rock music playing]

We took a few L's.
It's time to pull a rabbit out of our hat.

Yes, we did. Time to redeem ourselves.

-There's our man right there. Aldo!
-[Rabbit] What's goin' on, Aldo?

-[Scooter] Aldo!
-[Aldo] Hey, cómo estás?

-[both] What do you think?
-[Aldo] Hey, I finally get to see it.

-Wow!
-[Rabbit] 1960 Chevrolet Apache.

The wheels look perfect.

-[Scooter] They're beautiful, right?
-Yeah, yeah.

[Rabbit] Got 'em from
the best wheel shop in town.

[Scooter] Best wheel shop in town.

[Rabbit] We got a k*ller deal
on the wheels from Aldo.

I am kicking myself right now
because he showed interest in this thing.

Yeah, let's see if we can
finally get some money,

you know, flowing into the shop
for a change.

Check this thing out.
Body lines, fit, finish.

-This thing is straighter than an arrow.
-[Scooter whistles]

-How about the inside of this bed?
-[Scooter] Huh?

It's like you said, it's straighter
than an arrow. I love the stain.

Now check out the inside.
It only gets better from there.

Scooter, help him.

[Scooter] Check it out.
Check it out. Get a feel for it.

-Yeah, there you go. See?
-[Aldo] Hold up.

-I could see you and your wife.
-Hop in.

It's cool.

-[Rabbit] Digital gauges.
-[Aldo] Digital? Wow.

You got that perfect match
of old school with a little new.

[engine starts]

[Aldo] Perfect.

-So what do you think?
-I like it a lot. What's the number?

-Oh.
-You know what? Step around.

-Yeah.
-We'll talk about that. We'll get to that.

[Scooter] Let's talk money.

I'd love to get 65,000 for this truck.

Oh…

You gotta remember I'm your tire plug.
I'm your tire connection.

You are my tire connection. Think about
these wheels and tires we bought!

-They weren't cheap.
-[Aldo chuckles] Come on, man!

Tell you what.
I gave you a number. Throw me one out.

Forty-five.

-Did he say he loved us?
-Oh, 45.

Oh, I'd hate to see
what he'd say if he hated us.

I feel stabbed in the heart, man.
Come on. Come on!

You're a great guy. I would love
to see this thing down at your shop.

-How'd you like to do a little tradin'?
-Hey, I'm all about bargaining.

We've been here before.

There is no way in hell
I'm lettin' him leave

without this Apache goin' in his driveway,
and his money goin' in our bank.

I'm gonna tell you somethin' right now.
A dollar saved is a dollar earned.

We got builds goin'. You know that.

We're gonna need more wheels.
We're gonna need more tires.

[tense music playing]

How about 53,000

and five in trade at Smart Tire?

[Scooter] Sounds like a fair deal.

[Rabbit] Imagine it
in front of your tire shop.

Gorgeous paint and the sickest
rally wheels this side of the Mississippi.

-Look at it. Nothin' to hide.
-No, it's a badass truck.

-Let's do it.
-It's a gorgeous truck.

That's what I like. Quick to move.

We didn't make quite the money
we wanted to on this truck.

I mean, keep in mind,
we were neck-deep on it.

But we still made 4,000
and another 5,000 worth of wheels.

More importantly, we've got
a good relationship

with one of the big tire shops in El Paso.

Long term, this is a win.
Just hope the rest of the team sees that.

-[Aldo] Teamwork makes the dream work.
-[Rabbit] Right.

[Scooter] You guys get in there.
I'll get the… I'll get the stuff.

[dynamic music playing]

I'm totally cool with the change
that the team made on the fighter Vette.

Let's go with battleship gray.
It'll be cool.

I love it when I have
the license to be funky,

but this is no longer
the car to do that on.

Know what?
That's fine with me. It makes sense.

So gray is a pretty popular color.

It's a very versatile color
with a ton of range.

What's amazing is that it will have

a completely different feel
based on the car.

It looks cool on a truck,

and will look super sleek
on our sporty custom C3.

Time for color.

Let's do this.

Wow, this car is startin' to look good.

[lively music playing]

-[Scooter] Think Jaime's gonna be happy?
-We'll see.

Man, did we catch a break
that Joe could fix this Fox Body.

Plus, we saved a little money
in the process,

and he gave us a great deal,


[Scooter] Told you he's trustworthy.
He's not gonna hook this up

and sell cars underneath us, you know.

[Rabbit] Maybe tryin' to cover his tracks.

-Throw us off the trail.
-Really?

-One, two.
-[Rabbit] Come on!

Uh-oh. There it comes.

You don't trust anybody, huh?

So when it comes down to money,
no, I don't.

I guess that makes two of us, then.

I need some drinks.

-What is all the noise?
-[Rabbit] What's up?

-[Scooter] What do you think?
-[Rabbit] She is ready to build, sir.

[Wes] Was all the damage
in the right rear corner, or--

-[Rabbit] Right in that right rear corner.
-Okay.

He gave it a little tug from the back,
a little twist from the side.

-It came right back into shape again.
-Good job.

This is the best part. He didn't have
as much time in it as he thought.

It didn't cost us but 2,500
to get it pulled.

That's excellent.

And the good news just keeps rollin'.

We sold the Apache.

-For?
-Tell 'em.



[Wes] Well, that's not much
on profit for our labor.

But we also worked
into the deal $5,000 in tires too.

-Now, that's an $8,000 profit.
-[Scooter] Yes.

-[Jaime] That's a lot of rubber.
-[Wes] Yeah.

We gotta make good money on this.

Speakin' of that, have you even gotten
a hold of Steve Saleen?

I'm strikin' out right now.

-But I'll deliver Steve.
-Okay.

-We'll hold it to you.
-[Scooter] Okay.

-[Rabbit] We got it.
-[Scooter] All right. We got it!

-At least it's fixed, right?
-Yeah. Check the engine out and… [sighs]

-[Jaime] Start work?
-Hoping--

-Make some good money on this.
-[Jaime] Yeah.

-Let's get it in before the wind picks up.
-All right.

-Let's get it in there.
-Mm-hmm.

[upbeat music playing]

[wind gusting]

♪ Hey, hey, it's okay ♪

♪ 'Cause the sky is fallin' down… ♪

-[thump]
-[Lucky] What the heck is goin' on here?

[wind gusting]

♪ The sky is fallin' down ♪

[yelps]

[splutters]

[ringing tone]

[banging]

-[ringing continues]
-[banging]

Does anybody answer their damn phones?

And what the hell
are you doin' over there?

[Scooter] It's not cooperating.

Steve Saleen is not answerin' the phone.
I've called his office.

I've called everybody. I've sent emails.

-I don't know what else to do.
-[rattling]

I know Steve is a busy man,
but industry icon or not,

we've gotta get ahold of this guy
to get this car verified.

If I'm wrong,
and I can't get ahold of Steve Saleen,

I'm a little nervous that this old mouth
wrote a check this a*s can't cash.

Well, I'm remembering now
that the other day,

Andy said he knows Steve's daughter.

[rattling]

-I think it's Molly Saleen?
-His daughter?

-[Scooter] Yes.
-He knows her?

-Yeah.
-Stop with the damn drawer.

You're tellin' me he knows her?

-[Scooter] Yes.
-You've seen me strugglin'.

Scooter, you tell me
about your bowel movements,

and you didn't tell me that.

You said you knew Steve Saleen.

-I thought you had it covered.
-I say a lot of things. So…

-Is Andy in the body shop?
-Yeah.

Instead of whatever the hell
you're doin' with that drawer,

we gotta get Steve Saleen here
to get that car authenticated.

Okay. Yeah. There you go.

[Rabbit] What the hell was in there?

[Scooter] Nothing.
I just couldn't open it.

I'm gonna go talk to Andy
and see if he can call her.

Don't turn red on me. I'll be back.

-Go.
-[Scooter] Okay.

[upbeat music playing]

-[Rabbit] Wes, this thing looks great.
-[Scooter] What are you thinking for sale?

You know, I realistically think
this car in the low 40s.

-Low 40s?
-Yeah.

-What's up, guys?
-[Rabbit] Man, Joe! Whaddaya know?

How you all doin'?

-What's up, man? Cómo estás?
-Nice to see you.

-Have you met Wes?
-I've never met Wes.

-Our fabricator.
-How you doin'?

-Joe.
-Nice to meet you.

-What's goin' on, man?
-[Joe] I was in the neighborhood.

I remembered you guys owe me
$2,500 for that Mustang.

-You never paid him?
-That… that's your job.

[Wes] The debt collector showed up.

-[Rabbit] Let's get you a check.
-Okay. Not a problem.

What are you guys workin' on here?

How about a '71 Corvette
that's been cut every way but loose?

[Joe] Y'all change the front end on this?

-[Rabbit] Yes, sir. Front clip.
-A little.

-Back clip. Everything in between.
-[Joe] Yeah?

Battleship gray.

[Joe] I like it. Battleship gray, yeah.

This is right up my alley.

I did a few years in the army,
then retired from the air force.

-Looks like a fighter jet.
-[Rabbit] That's the vibe we're goin' for.

-Yep.
-This thing sold?

-Do you have any buyers?
-It's not sold yet.

But we've got a couple people
already piquing their interest.

-You'd look good in a Corvette.
-All it needs is a pilot.

I like it.
What kind of numbers are we talkin' about?

Right now, I'm thinkin'
about 45,000 on this car.

What more are y'all doing to it?

Of course, it's got big wheels
and tires goin' on it.

-Flares.
-Lot of tightening up.

Finish the interior up, custom gauges.

If old Wes keeps wrenchin' on it,
our price might even go up.

What are you trying to do?
Not sell it to me?

I'm just sayin'.
This guy right here will cost you.

[Joe] Still not finished.

-Forty-five…
-There's not another one around like it.

And we both know,
as soon as this thing is finished,

a lot of military folks
around here will be lining up for this.

-Okay.
-Yeah, you see a lot of old '70s builds.

But one that's fresh, they're far and few.

But I will give you first dibs on this
since you helped us out with the Saleen.

But you have to let us know.

-Are you interested?
-Yeah, I am.

But not at 45, man.
Y'all gotta work with me here.

I'll tell you what. I owe you $2,500.

If you're serious,
I'll take 40,000 for this car.

But you take that invoice,
and we're gonna use it just like a coupon.

-So it goes away.
-Okay.

How does that sound?

So I'm still stuck
on that fighter jet look.

Really love it.

-How about some air force graphics?
-We can make that happen for you.

-Like a P-40?
-Sure. Something. Vintage.

-It's a vintage Vette.
-Put it together. We'll take a look at it.

If I really like it,
then we can move forward with it.



-[Rabbit] I love it.
-[Wes] Nice.

-[Rabbit] I love it. Joe?
-Nice.

You know what? I was wrong about Joe.

He's been nothin' but honest with us.
There's no reason to think he's lying.

See? I told you he wasn't our competition.

No, I'm just on high alert.
I'll tell you, I'm glad it's not Joe,

but there's somebody out there.

And if we finish this thing off right,

I mean, right enough to where
he just can't stand to leave without it,

we might make some pretty good profit
off this old stray dog.

Dinero, Rabbit, dinero.

-Selling cars?
-Like candy bars, sir.

Huh? It's a good thing
you didn't pay that invoice.

-Me?
-Yeah.

No, no, no. You need to start
paying some invoices.

-Me? You're the money guy. I find stuff.
-[Rabbit] We'll let you get back to work.

-[Rabbit] I gave you one simple task.
-[Scooter] I'm a car scout.

[dynamic music playing]

[tools whirring]

[Andy] I'm currently designing
the new custom decals for the Corvette.

I really love the idea

of Scooter and Joe's concept
of decking this out like a P-40.

And, hell, I wish I'd have come up
with that concept myself.

This military theme
really hits close to home,

'cause long before the blue hair, I was
high and tight, a United States Marine.

As they say,
once a marine, always a marine.

I spent a total of five years active
in the Marine Corps.

It put a lot of discipline in me,
and I'm proud to have served this country.

On this Corvette,
being the fact it's battleship gray,

I think it's very important
that we, uh, give it that b*mber look.

In World w*r II, they were very famous

for puttin' the mouth at the very front of
a b*mber, to give it that very mean look.

So we'll bring that inspiration
into this car as well,

and of course, tag it on the side

with the, uh… the badges
that the military provides.

This'll be a pretty cool little ride.

[upbeat rock music playing]

[Rabbit] The Vette is cleared for takeoff,
and Scooter and I feel the need,

the need for speed.

This 1971 C3 was screamin', "Mayday!"

But after some time in the hangar,
it went from a DIY project gone wrong

to a runway-ready homage
to the 1940s Curtiss P-40 Warhawk.

This thing seriously takes my breath away.

We gave it the power stance
of a fighter jet,

with all new fiberglass,
a brand-new body kit,

fresh wheels,

upgraded interior,

and a paint job cooler than Iceman.

But what makes this a true maverick
are the custom P-40 inspired decals.

This car is ready
to ride into the danger zone.

Joe still hasn't officially agreed to buy
the Vette until he sees the new decals,

so we're pullin' out all the stops
to get this deal done.

I know just the place

where we can fly this thing low
and really buzz his tower.

[sound of jet engine flying overhead]

[military percussion music playing]

[Rabbit] Joe, we could have brought
the Vette to your shop.

-You could have picked it up at ours.
-Yeah.

But I'm about presentation.

-Presentation is everything.
-[Scooter] Everything.

Well, what better place
to show you a P-40 inspired car

than right next to a P-40?

[Scooter] P-40.

[Joe] That's amazing, guys.

-Mind if I take a walk around it?
-Of course.

Oh, I just think it's amazing.
The same details.

It's everything I was asking for.

Super amazing. Great job, guys.

Great, great, great job.

You guys have exceeded my expectations.

-Always.
-That's how we play at Borderland Customs.

-Yep.
-Professionals.

Well, somethin' like that.

-We're glad you like it, man.
-It looks amazing.

-[Rabbit] We got a deal?
-Really love it. Amazing work.

We paid $4,500 for the C3 and spent
a little over 16 grand on upgrades,

which gives us a nice $19,500 profit.

With the recent sale of the Apache,

that puts us up
to a little over 167 grand total.

We're halfway through winter

and behind from where we should be
if we want to hit our goal,

but at least we're startin' to go
in the right direction.

[Rabbit] You're happy with your car?

-Very happy.
-It's a gorgeous day.

-Love it.
-Cap'n, I think you're ready for flight.

I'm driving this out
before the museum keeps it.

-You're flying this out.
-Have a safe flight.

-I'm flying out!
-I'll guide you.

-[Joe] Perfect.
-[Scooter] I'll guide you.

[rock music playing]

Whoo!

Pyow! There he goes.

[chuckles]

[sand rustling]

[Jaime] Let's see what we got.

The Fox Body is straight now.

But the main part of the car's the engine,
and that's what makes a Saleen a Saleen.

So we had to clean it up
and make some repairs.

Now let's just see
if we can get her to fire up.

[Wes] Fingers crossed.

[engine spluttering]

Come on. I think it can. I think it can.

[spluttering]

-I hear the fuel pump runnin'.
-[engine coughs]

Let's do a… let's do a spark test.

[Jaime] Whether Steve Saleen
authenticates this car or not,

if we can't get the original engine
running without having to replace it,

we will lose so much value,

we may as well just turn this car
back into a chicken coop.

[Wes] All right. Try it, Jaime.

[engine spluttering]

[Wes] We definitely don't have no fire.

Somebody did somethin' weird here.
This is awful short right here.

Let me go grab my, uh, crimpers
and re-crimp this.

It looks like somebody definitely did
some creative wiring work on this Saleen.

So it's not firing.

Hopefully, it's just the matter
of getting the coil wires to connect,

and we'll be good.

Otherwise, we're gonna have to do
a really time-consuming

and thorough investigation
of the entire electrical system

to see exactly what's going on.

And that can get expensive.

Yep. I had room to squeeze, so…

[Wes] Let's try it again. Come on, baby.

[engine starts]

Oh yeah!

[Jaime] Thank goodness,
because that could've been really pricey.

Did it.

[Wes] It runs!

Now we just need Steve
to tell us it's real.

Let's pass it off to Andy to get painted.

[rock music playing]

[Andy] So I met Molly Saleen,
Steve Saleen's daughter,

at SEMA several years back.

And we've been involved
with several builds together.

And by the grace of God,
she answered the phone when I called her.

The whole family's been super busy
with the supercar project

that Steve Saleen is currently building.

She said he would love to help us out,

but his only availability over
the next month is three days from now.

Which is crazy fast,
but we've gotta make it happen.

I feel pressured with him comin' to town,

'cause paint is the first thing
that everybody sees,

so I need this thing to look right.

This is about paying respect
to Mr. Saleen's vision,

and bringing that vision back to life.

Steve, come on. She's done.

[wind gusting]

[suspenseful music playing]

[announcer] …issued a high wind advisory
throughout the borderlands until midnight.

Winds out of the west at 40 miles an hour
with gusts as high as 70.

-[Scooter humming]
-Downed power lines affecting hundreds.

Avoid travel if you can. It's nasty.

-[Rabbit] What in the hell?
-[Scooter sighs]

-La madre.
-[Wes] Oh man.

-[Jaime] Oh my God.
-[Scooter] What happened?

-[Wes] It's covered in sand.
-[Scooter] Dude.

[Andy] I latched the door, but we've
had trouble with that door before.

We got damage all across the front.
Fenders, the hood.

It even got the glass. Got the mirror.

-I tell you, the car's damaged.
-This whole car's gotta be redone.

-[Scooter speaking Spanish]
-[Wes] No way--

[Rabbit] Screwed, son. That's what we are.

[Wes] Yeah, we're screwed. This sucks.

[theme music playing]