10x14 - The Next-Gen CF1

[bunniefuu]

[Dave] This is something

that I've really been
talking about wanting to do,

and if you've giving me
the opportunity to build you
something off the hook,

you'll get the first
Carson top convertible.

Hey man, that sounds great.

[Greg] Looks like we're about
to pour those pieces.

[Shannon] We're gonna push it
out in the sun

and we're gonna
drink beer around it.

[Greg] We'll determine
where these holes go

and drill some holes in this
freshly painted car.

Coming towards you,
is that okay?

[whirring]

[Dave] Is that
what I think it is?

[man] We'll know tomorrow
once the chrome is on it

if we achieved exactly
what we're looking for.

High on its peak.
We're gonna need
more room on the front.

I don't want this.

This is too long.

I think it's too small.

-It's bitchin'.
-[Dave laughs]

[theme music playing]

[Dave] When I look
at a blank canvas,

I see endless possibilities.

As the ideas come to mind,

the lines start
to fall into place.

And before you know it,

we have a bitchin' ride.

[tires screeching]

[Dave] A bitchin' ride
has intense color...

[man laughing]
This is gorgeous!

[Dave] ...performance...

[man] It's fantastic.

[Dave] ...stance,
wheels, sound.

[engine revving]

[Dave] There's one thing
that makes our car
stand out...

Ours are Bitchin' Rides.

[tires screech]

[Dave] Ah, it never gets old.

[Kevin laughs]

Hey, good morning, Tom.
How you doing?

Good, how are you doing
this morning?

[Dave] I'm doing wonderful.

I'm glad we could take
a couple minutes

and talk about
your interest in a CF1.

Did you have any questions
right off the top of your head
about the roadsters?

[Tom] Your original CF1s

are showpieces, masterpieces.

Thank you.

Dave, can we push this
a little bit to make
something unique?

Do you have something
in the back of your mind here
that we can pull off?

They would be my car.

You know, I have a couple
of other ideas in mind,

like doing more,
like, almost like
a '57 Ferrari Testarossa

where I tuck the bottom
of the fenders in behind
the wheel,

bring side pipes out.

I've had done some renderings
of Nomad wagons

and I've also done some
renderings of a cabriolet,

so it'll have like
a Carson top that lifts off.

-It has--
-What about that?

Because the way
I've chopped it,
sectioned it and channeled it,

there's nowhere to really
put a top that would
fold down anyway,

so I think the car
would look better
with a soft looking top,

but it lifts off like
a hard top.

So, you would just store
that on a cart,

and then you roll
your windows down,

you got a full
convertible roadster.

Put the top on and you have
a sealed car that you can
drive anytime.

It has a little bit
taller windshield,

almost like a bubble top,
like a '59 Impala.

It has side glass,

it has my flush mount
door handles.

-Glass?
-It will have roll up windows.

Yeah, so it will have
power windows.

Correct me if I'm wrong,

I don't even believe
it had a top.

[Dave] The original ones
had a top

and they had curtains
that were really crappy,

like snapped-in curtains
on a '53, yeah.

You think you can tie
all that in

and we can come up
with a masterpiece?

Let me do my hands
do the walking.

This car being so unique,

let's do a set
of one off wheels

that are just for yours,
your car.

Yeah, yeah,
I would agree with that.

If you could draw something up

and if we could possibly
incorporate some proper
edge there, some contrast--

But again,
this is not my field,

so I'm leaving this...

You're at the helm,
you figure this out.

This is something that I think
we should just go on
and start, Dave.

Yeah, I think so.

You know what, Tom?

I think this would be
really cool.

It is something
that I've really been
talking about wanting to do.

And if you're giving me
the opportunity to build you
something off the hook,

you'll get the first
Carson top convertible.

Hey, man, that sounds great.
I appreciate it.

[Dave] Hey, man, I'm excited.

Dude, I haven't got
the goosebumps to go away yet.

I'm so excited to deal
with Carson top with you.

I think this is gonna be rad.

Yeah, this is gonna be
the first one out there.

So, if we push a little bit,

I want you to run with it
a little bit.

Love it.

'Cause I'm not the person
to be picking out

all the finer details
of the vehicle.

This is what you do.

I'll build me a fine car

and I'll give it to you
when I'm done, how's that?

Yeah, you build your car
with my name on it.

Tom, thank you very much, man.
This is gonna be exciting.

I'm super, super pumped
to get going on it.

Wonderful, wonderful.

[Dave] So, the CF1
started out very simple

and slowly grew into something
a little bit bigger.

First it was different colors,
one-off wheels,

then it was with the 8-stack
sticking through the hood.

And now, a new windshield,
roll up windows,

wipers and a Carson top.

Oh, yeah, and it has
door handles, too.

If you're just
in the background
watching the CF1's progress,

you might not notice that
the windshield had to change

in order to put a top on.

The windshield
for the speedsters
are much lower.

And of course,
there's no side glass

and there is no corner
to capture the side windows

as well as the top.

[Will] So, this is how
we do this right.

This is our blueprint.

On the windows,
we're gonna start with

a Mini Cooper
window mechanism.

That's something
we used in the past,

it does everything,
it has a good contour.

It does everything
that we want it to do.

The trick is,
is we've got a template

from a previous project.

If we turn it around
backwards in the car,

it almost is perfect.

So, we're gonna play
with that in a minute

to get an initial, like,
look at this,

then that's where we're at.

So, you're ready
for racing in the rain?

[Brax] Yeah, if it's gonna
have a top on it.

With the wipers
just going nuts

'cause you can't see nothing.

Do we have to retrofit wipers?

No, they fit.

Better than reaching out
with a towel and wiping it

while you're driving
or something.

Or strings...

-running the wipers.
-Yeah, strings pulling 'em.

[Will] So, you know
what we're up against.

-A rock and a hard place.
-Yeah.

-[laughs]
-[Will] Yeah, a couple.

Yeah.

[Will] We finally
found a mechanism
that's short enough.

It's surprising how short
these doors are.

You don't realize
how low the car is

until you try to find a piece
that works for it--

Well, what are we talking,
like 11 inches
of exposed glass?

We have, like, 16 inches
in the door.

Sixteen inches, right,

-of overall mechanism...
-Yeah.

...that we can deal with.

The numbers are workable,

but we do need
a lot of curve in here.

I want the glass
to come first...

-[Brax] Yeah.
-...in this project.

We're already
up against enough

with this being so narrow.

-You know, our opportunity
here is, dare I say, narrow,
-Yeah.

We did the research on this.

They're gonna be available,
we'll be able to get 'em.

You know, that's the biggest
thing up against--

[Brax] And the least
amount of modification.

You can basically go
down to the store and grab
a new one and throw it in.

-[Will] Grab a new one,
throw it in.
-Yeah.

Biggest concern right now
is the height of the window.

And it's very short,
so we have to kind of focus
in that direction,

but we do want to use
a factory style proven unit.

Let's get the tabs
changed on this motor,

-so then it will sink.
-Mm-hmm.

And then, let's just do
a mock up piece of glass

-before we start
changing all this.
-Yeah.

Let's get something in here
to disprove it.

[machine whirring]

[hammering]

[Brax] Ah, I think I'm gonna
flatten it right now.

I mean, if we can get away
with just banging them around

with a hammer
for a couple of minutes,

and then screw them in...

I like the idea.

We need to knock the tabs
off this mechanism

because it's sitting
with the original tabs

way too far inboard
of our inner door skin.

[Brax] See, if we got it.

[Will] By doing that,

we will be able to place
the whole mechanism

where we need to

'cause we it's all about
trajectory at this point.

The glass is basically
gonna be like a trapezoid.

What we're hoping for,
it will come away from
the rear of the glass first,

and open that vent area first

following the front track
a little bit heavier.

So, we're kind of up against
a couple of things, but...

-Yeah, 11 and a half.
-[Brax] Yeah.

-We're all the way down,
are we hiding?
-No.

We're close, aren't we?

So, we could just
change that... Whoa!

Go up a little.

It will sit on top of that.

-[Will] Actually--
-[Brax] They're like,
right there.

-[Will] Well, that's cool.
-[Brax] Maybe, we are
in a decent spot there.

Yeah, there's nothing
wrong with that.

Awesome, it fits.

It's a really big step.

But in all reality,

we don't have
a lot of other parts
that we're going to need

including the windshield.

Kind of want it to live
on the seal as it rolls up.

When we do roll
the window down,

It lives here,

so it stops the air
coming through

the front area
of the side glass.

But yet,
let's the rest of it vent.

Obviously, it's crucial

that we get this window
to raise and seal.

If it goes down on the road

and has a big wind whistle,
nobody's gonna like it.

I just want to run
the window on the track.

-[Brax] Tell mem when.
-[Will] Go ahead.

[machine whirring]

[Will] Maybe.

Hey, run back down.

This is working in theory,

now I want to get it
in the computer

and see if this
all makes sense.

So, he's got the top on there

and I really want to emulate
exactly what he has going on.

I basically took a picture
of this with my phone,

then I brought it into
my little 3D program here.

Went through
and dimensioned it all.

Scaled it,
was the biggest trick.

Obviously, it's a tiny
little thing in here.

So, I measured
our door laying there

and scaled this whole drawing,

so that all my dimensions
would be kind of more
real time.

So, then, I basically,
by hand,

went and map that out
on some cardboard,

and I got my template
over there of the car.

So, we'll go play
with that real quick.

That right there is a window
that would work.

Or a piece of cardboard,
however you want to put it.

My goal is to get
a perimeter on here,

so that everybody can see it.

You basically sit in the car

to figure out
how the space feels.

So, I'm gonna go
shear up some steel,

and I'm gonna build,
basically, a trap.

So, the track
is super crucial.

We're trying to utilize
the entire top of this door
for a window.

It's really gonna set
the angle of the windshield

and how does the window
work with the seal.

Nice!

This whole thing
will probably be,

for the most part,
a shrinking process.

Unless, I over shrink it.

Then, I'll have to go back
and stretch it a little bit.

This is mock up,

so we're not sh**ting
for perfect,

we're sh**ting for functional.

Now, more, more, more.

All around this corner.

Okay, cool.

Hopefully, we'll have some
windows working quickly.

Next, I'm gonna get this
all welded up

and see if it's even
gonna work.

[whirring]

Even on the roof,

it will just be single,
sided like it is here.

There will be a seal
that the window
comes up and lands in.

If this works
on the first shot,

I'll be shocked,

but at this point,
I'm very happy.

I got something that
everybody can look at

and decide
if they like it or not.

Will's got a great start
on the side glass
for the CF1 cabriolet.

But before we get too far,

I want Howard to go ahead
and set up a couple of pieces
of metal in place,

so we can get a good idea
of what the silhouette
of the car would be.

So, I'm just kind of trying
to get a quick and dirty
little opening,

couple little bows to simulate
kind of a rooftop,

so we can make sure
we got head room.

You know, we don't want this
big huge turret top roof

on our sports car, but...

same point, you still gotta be
able to get in and out of it.

This is what I'm going by
right now.

I've already kind of moved
some lines around

because just when once
it's right here
in front of us,

some of it just doesn't
look right,

since spaces are too big,

there's a lot of dead space
in certain stuff.

It looks good in the drawing,

but when we put it on
to the car, it's like ugh.

But it's good
research and development.

Get some questions answered.

And hopefully,
if I can get kind of, like,
a semi-structure

that will kind of hold
itself together,

we can just keep getting
in and out of it,

kind of locked down
on an opening.

So, simply, the best way
to mock up is just that.

Grab some rods, some strap,
whatever it takes

and just stand back
and look at it.

Sometimes, that's a tape.

Sometimes, it's just
pieces of metal,

clamp it into place.

You just get a feel for what
the scale could be.

It doesn't really matter
what it looks like right now.

Basically, I'm just going
after the overall sizing
and dimensions.

A little high on its peak.

We're gonna need
more room on the top.

I don't want this.

This is too long.

I think it's on the verge.

[Dave] You think
it's too tall?

I think it's too small.

A little high on its peak.

We're gonna need
more room on the top.

I don't want to this.

I think it's on the verge.

[Dave] You think
it's too tall?

I think it's too small.

[Dave] Adding the Carson top
to our CF1 is the name
of the game.

But figuring out how tall
or short the windows

and the top is gonna be

is what we need
to figure out right now.

This is too long.

This is making...
just screen it right here.

Sometimes, just grabbing
a piece of metal

or tape or whatever it is,

and actually
jumping in myself,

just to ensure
that I'm projecting

what the vision is,
that I have.

We call this the Mockup Mamba.

This is when we bend up
some metal,

we put it on the car,

we stand back, we look at it,

we move forward to the car,

adjust it, move back,
look at it.

Repeat several times.

Really, we'll just do this
until it's perfect.

Don't rip the pants.

These pants are sealed
and locked, son.

This is true.

It's very important
when building

a custom Carson top
for a custom Corvette

that you don't rip your pants.

We're getting rid
of that long sweep
and the longer back radius,

putting a sharper
corner on it.

We can now bring that sharper
corner forward a little bit

without invading into the head
because we're now sharper,

we're getting the...
if the head is right here,

ay your sharper corner,

if you do long corner,
head is right in the corner

and blend in to the top of it.

With a lot of back and forth,

scanning back, looking at it,
making changes,

this will ensure
that I'm super happy

with what I've envisioned,

not only on the rendering,
but also in my mind.

And sometimes,
when you see it
in person, you go,

"Eh" or "Hey!"

I like the back now better.

I might take just
a little bit out of this

and a little bit out of that
peak right there.

See, just a little too sharp.

Mm-hmm.

But I definitely
want the facet look

because that allows you
to put the top up higher
where you need it.

-Okay.
-And it gives it more
of that convertible look.

Okay.

[Dave] This has a long
low crown.

This has a little bit more
of the higher, low crown.

This has just
a little bit of attitude.

Yeah!

I'm now really happy
with the basic shape,

but the real test is coming up
right now.

Do I fit in the car?

[machine whirring]

That's very anti-climactic.

A lot more graceful
than I thought.

Do you feel low in the car?

I feel actually really
comfortable in the car.

I feel like this is where
I would like to be
in this windshield.

I feel like that's where
we're at,

-pretty much all the time.
-[Dave] I feel like,

if we came up a little bit,

if we're in a bigger
seating arrangement
with the colored windshield,

we have room to come up.

So, a taller person would be--

Does this feel lower
than normal though?

I feel it's about right

-looking at the hood.
-[Dave] I think
it's about right.

I think this was great.

What do you think, slick?

-Looks good.
-[Dave] I think so, too.

My view is pretty typical.

-I don't feel
I'm too low or too high.
-It looks roomy from here.

This is a huge step for us
to figure out exactly

what the scale is.

Now, the next important stuff

is to actually make
the windows work,

make sure the doorframe
looks good.

Make sure the roof
is the actual shape
that we want.

And actually, make sure
that we can pull it off.

[Greg] I've got the scan
of the area,

the inside of the door shell

with all the window
mechanisms.

And then,
I've got the wireframe

that they decided
this is the shape they want

for the Carson top.

So, from that,
I aligned that stuff

to the roadster.

One thing that I really wanted
to get when we scanned
the window

was I wanted to know exactly
where that window
is gonna sit,

so that when we build
this top,

the windows go up

and we don't have
to make adjustments.

Kind of going freestyle
on this thing.

I don't have a total game plan
all the way through.

Get the general shape down,
that was the first step.

Figure out where the trim
and the seals are going.

The rear window placement

which is pretty
straightforward.

I want this thing
to be able to be parked
in the rain overnight

and, you know, come in
and there's water in the body.

So, now that the general
shapes are finished,

I know where the window
is gonna be

and the trim edge,
everything like that.

I think that the best
plan of action

would be to just get
a real piece in my hand.

So, I'm probably just gonna
chop a little piece out
that I can print

and I can put the seals on,
I can have it upholstered,

everything like that

just to make sure that
it's working the way
I think it's gonna be working.

And make sure that we can get
some design approval

from Dave and from Will.

Greg has really gone
the extra mile

to make sure that
everything's gonna work.

He has 3D printed
the idea that we had

to how the top is gonna land
up against the back
of the windshield.

This will ensure that we can
put a seal inn there

and it won't slide around.

Awesome!

Is that what I think it is?

[Greg] Yeah, I got
a couple pieces.

You know, so this would be
the edge of our new
windshield frame.

Oh, and you got a channel
in here for the glass glue...

-Yeah.
-And...

flush mount there.

-[Greg] This will be chrome.
-[Dave] Mm-hmm.

[Greg] And we're not looking
at, like, a crazy mounting
flange or anything.

This thing when it's--

[Dave] I don't want pins
and receivers and everything.

I want it just nice and clean,

so it's like the roadster

-when the top is off.
-[Will] Yeah.

And we're hoping
with this shape,

as we turn the corner here

is that it will lock
the top side-to-side

-and--
-With no hard corner on this.

-You put a radius
on that to hold it.
-Yeah.

So, it centers it.

-Yeah, that's awesome.
-Mm-hmm.

Good job.

This is the top.

-I had just Justin
add glandour
-Oh!

and upholstery, so we can--

[Dave] Oh, yeah.

You need to probably
do this over though.

[Greg] Oh.

[Greg] This is the top.

-I had just Justin
add glandour
-[Dave] Oh!

and upholstery, so we can--

That's the trim.

Mm-hmm. Oh, yeah.

Greg made a sweet sample,

but I do see a little bit
of an issue ahead.

You need to probably
do this over though.

[Greg] Oh.

Greg has scanned this car
from front to back
inside and out

and thought
of everything possible.

This is from
the passenger side.

I never go
to the passenger side
to see how it fits.

-[Greg] Oh.
-This is gonna be awkward.

I have to turn this way.

-Oh, the way you slide
the foam to the other side.
-[laughs]

So, you can see it.

The guys are doing
such a great job on this car,

I couldn't help
but to give them a little bit

of a hard time
about something.

So, when the top comes in,

basically, this is gonna
come in

and our clamp is gonna pull
at this angle, basically.

That is gonna pull it
deep into that,

smash the rubber
and that's gonna
seal to the top.

-I think that's the perfect
rubber for it, too.
-[Greg] Yeah.

That open cell is just a,
it's gonna get a nice smash.

This is gonna work out great.

Next, Greg's gonna go ahead
and grab these pieces up

and go to the Foundry.

This way we can cast
the upper door sections

as well as the uprights
of the A-pillars.

-[Greg] Right on.
-So, you're almost done.

[Greg] Yeah.

What else you got left?

All that's left
is everything else.

[all laughing]

[Dave] Our good friends
over at State Brass Foundry

are gonna help Greg
go through the process

of pouring the aluminum

to make these kick a*s parts.

You know, I have to say,
I've been there before,

but I'm a little jealous
that I'm not on this
particular field trip.

[Greg] So the differences
with the Carson top
are the windshield.

It's an entirely new design.

Original windshield,
we could cast it as one piece.

This one we're casting
in multiple pieces.

Which will make it easier
for these guys at the Foundry

and makes it so that

it has the right angles
for everything.

And then, the upper door trim
is really similar

to the roadsters,

but we have to have the slot
for the windows to go in

and the way it mates up
to the windshield frame.

This isn't my first rodeo
with getting parts casted

and going to the Foundry.

But these parts are a little
more complicated

because we have
the roll up windows

and the trough for the glue
on the windshield.

There's a lot more elements.

This thing needs
to be aligned perfectly.

So, we're gonna put this
release agent on the pattern.

You don't want to get it
in your eyes.

-No.
-It burns.

This kind of sounds like
a guy who's speaking
from experience.

Where are we not to use
this sand that we use

it would just stick
to this pattern?

Slab it on.

All right.

I'm gonna put this
on a pallet.

[Greg] These are sands,
like, different grades?

[Paige] You can get
different grit sand.

This is a 55 grit.

We do have one hopper,
they're all new.

Middle hopper
is reclaimed only,

and then, the first one
is a mixture.

Fifty-five is pretty poor.

Were we to be making a plaque
with a lot of lettering,

we'd probably start
with a one pan for the face,

you know, cover it,

and then you can still
backfill it with reclaimed.

It's best to use as much
reclaim as you can.

I kinda like this game.

Hey, go ahead and hold that.

The pipes are for the risers.

As the metal cools,
it's gonna shrink in

where that will get
excess metal to go down
and feed it,

so there won't be any
cracking or shrinkage.

And this is our sprue

where we're going
to pour down this one.

Once I get sand up around it,

-you can--
-[Greg] Let go.

Let go to where 'cause
you don't want it touching
your hands.

[Greg] Oh, right on.
Should I have gloves on?

-You'll be all right.
-Oh.

-[man laughs]
-[Paige] I'm wearing gloves.

-Perfect.
-[Greg] Ah! Oh, no.

-Perfect.
-[Greg] Ah! Oh, no.

I had one job.

I had one job, I blew it.

But Paige has it
under control,
he's a professional.

[Paige] We'll be fine.

Sounds like Robert
just started our furnace,

so unfortunately, you're gonna
be hearing that squeal

for the rest of the day.

I like to smooth out areas
where my risers and gates are.

It reduces the chance of sand
falling into the mold

when we go to pour it.

Feels pretty hard,
so we're gonna go ahead
and open this up.

-[Greg] So, we ready
to split this thing apart?
-Yes.

Slight misalignments can cause
the sand to break off.

'Cause all those little edges
and the thin part,

if you don't come up straight,

-you're gonna risk
breaking those off.
-[Greg] Okay.

[Paige] I'm gonna

actually remove the sand
that is stuck on the pattern.

A little risky here, but...

-[Greg] Air g*n.
-[Paige] There we go.

That feels pretty good.

-So, we're gonna go ahead
and roll this over.
-[Greg] Oh, yeah.

[Paige] And there is some
right there that broke off.

Because I had to rush
and make this pattern,

I made it as small as I could.

So, I knew this was
gonna be an issue.

If there was an area
that had an indentation

that we needed
to add material,

we can still do that.

-[Paige] Very forgiving.
-[Greg] Yeah.

-[Paige] Voila.
-[Greg] Nice.

I see a little spot
missing here.

But all in all,
I'm pretty happy
with how that came out.

[Paige] We can actually
glue that back on, right?

The only risk here is that
we glue it in,

and then pour it,

and the metal blows it away.

Whatever Paige feels like
is the right thing to do

is how we're gonna do it.

-If you're cool with it
not flowing it...
-Yeah.

...it's easier
to clean up after.

Yeah, let's do it that way.

[Paige] If it's not critical,
I'd rather not.

This is a gray wash,
basically like paint.

It's gonna go in and fill in
the texture of the sand

creating a smoother finish
to the casting.

But it also helps so that
the sand doesn't erode away

as the metal goes
flowing into.

The wash is too thin,
it will burn in into the sand,

and your casting
will get burned in on it.

If it's too thick,

you'll end up with like
an orange peel effect
on your casting.

All right.

Light it up.

[Greg] What does the fire do?

[Paige] It's just burning off
the alcohol

and hardening the wash,
drying it, essentially.

Fast track!

[Greg] We've only got
one shot with this,

so I'm hoping that everything
is lined up right,

the metal flows right,

all the stars align
and we get good parts.

They got the aluminum
heated up.

Looks like we're about
to pour those pieces.

So, super excited.

If any of this metal
touches you, it's...

it's kind of like
Terminator Two.

That removes oxygen.

It's nitrogen.

Scrape off the slag
off the top,

so we'll start
with a nice clean metal.

[Greg] So, Paige,
it looks like it all went
really smooth.

-No metal came out the sides,
so it's a win.
-Right.

Everything looks,
to this point,
like it should have worked.

-Yeah.
-So...

Well, I've got
my fingers crossed.

So, I'll let these things
sit for a minute

-and come back to it.
-Yeah.

-Sounds good.
-Awesome, thanks.

Yep.

Turn it down.

[Greg] Right on!

Those look super good.

[Paige] All right.

Take these into
the grinding room.

Can you cut these real quick?

[machine whirring]

[Greg] Yeah, these are great.

[Paige] Want me
to lay these out?

So, these things
are still a little hot.

-So, hopefully, they don't...
-They've seen it in
the grinding room.

[Greg] ...burn up
in the back of my car.

But I think they will be okay.

Cool.

You know,
I'm excited to keep working
on the production patterns,

so we can bring those back
to you and get a bunch more.

-Cool.
-Awesome.

-Thanks, Paige.
-Thank you.

[Dave] Greg got all the parts
back from the Foundry.

He's doing a little bit
of cleanup

and getting ready to start
setting them on the car.

[Greg] Because we're in
kind of a rush

to get this thing done
for SEMA,

we're doing it
a little unorthodox.

Brax machined
these parts for me,

then we got our cast pieces.

I'm going to be kind of
matching all this
stuff together,

but in the end,
you won't be able to tell.

[machine whirring]

[Greg] I think we can mock
this thing up,

and make sure we got it all.

This is getting exciting, man.

I'm starting to feel like
there's a light at the end
of the tunnel.

You know,
a lot of computer work,

and then, over like,
the course of a week,

I have real parts in hand.

[machine whirring]

[Dave] Yeah, one of our
main goals for this

is to try and keep it
as lightweight as possible.

And you can basically
just unlatch it,

you should be able to actually
pick it up by yourself

and pull it off there.

The chrome trim will kinda
trick your eye.

Between the cloth material,
the chrome,

and then the painted body.

-[Greg] Mm-hmm.
-That's real cool.

-[Greg] Yeah.
-[Dave] Man, good job.

[Kevin] It looks great, guys.

In the computer,
everything fits together
really easily and nicely.

And once you get
the parts in real life,

and you're trying to make it
all fit together,

there can be a lot
of things come up.

We haven't had a ton of issues

which feels good,
feels like a win.

But we're not
out of the woods yet.

[Dave] This, the top
just looks awesome.

Yeah.

[Shannon] We are painting
CF1 number six.

Color is going to be
St. Louis.

And it's gonna be the first
CF1 with a removable top.

Though it's more of a trick
for the fab shop,

that is gonna be
for the paint job.

You can probably put that
in an art gallery.

It's the Bel Air

CF1 number 11.

Probably a little something
else mixed in there.

There's some sealer
right there.

This color is mainly silver.

Like I said, it's got medium
and fine silver in it.

Ninety percent of the majority
is silver.

Then, it's just got a green
that goes into it.

A green turner.

I'm using a little bit
of a smaller tip,

so it's gonna let it lay out
a little bit better
on with the g*n.

With that heavy metallics,

you don't want a g*n
that's just dumping it all.

You want one
that's atomizing it.

It's gonna take
a little bit more time,

but it's using less paint
because it's atomizing
so well.

Looks good, feel good.

We're gonna push it
out in the sun

and we're gonna
drink beer around it.

[laughs]

This cabriolet is the newest
big reveal for the SEMA show
this year.

So, it's really important
that we get everything done.

And our deadline, well,
is just around the corner.

The car is now
deep in assembly.

The chassis is in its final
stages of assembly.

The motor, transmission,
everything is getting landed.

There's a lot of stuff
going on in a very short
amount of time.

Huge day today here
at Kindig-It Design.

We have everything
to turn a CF1

into a removable hardtop.

We have the updated windshield
and copper,

we have the top here,

we have the windows,

we have the trim
for the top of the doors.

This thing
is gonna be amazing.

It's going, right there.

I'm down, you got nuts?

[Pringle] I don't think
mine is lining up right.

[Kevin] Yeah, you should be...

[Pringle] What?

[Kevin] We don't
have no time, dude.

Is it on the leather, is it...

No, it's clearing that.

We just need to open
the hole to get it down.

Just, yeah, just this one,
I think.

-Okay, let's--
-Oh, there it is, this way.

[Kevin] That's it.

You got nuts?

And it's pretty straight.

It would be cool
if you put the seats in.

-Okay.
-[all chuckling]

The key for today is to be
most efficient with our time.

We have to make sure
everything fits

'cause some of this stuff
still has to go to chrome.

It has to go to paint

and we won't see it
until it's done.

Hey, you, you're in the middle
of something right now?

-Yes.
-In the middle
of a call?

This thing is just great.

I'm gonna have to be creative.

Everything sits great,
like this side here is long,

that side there is up.

So, it's opposite.

Yeah, like, the whole
thing has got tweaked.

You're outside it, aren't you?

[Howard] Barely, but yes.

Okay, so, basically,

I'm gonna tape it all up,

and then I put it on and draw
a line on the inside.

That's the only way.

It's like they had it cut

and put it in the machine
and it was crooked.

So...

This thing definitely
comes in waves.

You know, we have so many
vendors working with us
and everything,

you know, it seems like
there's no progress
for a couple of days,

and then it's like everything
happens really fast.

I am masking off this
finished polished paint,

so that we can put the top on.

What we're gonna do is get
all the seals taped on.

We'll get it in place

and latching will determine
where these holes go

and drill some holes
in this freshly painted car.

We have all hands
on deck on this car.

We're getting there,
but we still have
a long way to go.

[machine whirring]

Coming towards you,
is that okay?

Done, there you go.

So far, it's successful,
we're good.

Just gonna clean it up
a little bit.

[Pringle] We're just trying
to make some preliminary
shape lines to start from.

It will be easy to cut.

Getting it to fit
the way I want it to,
that will be the fun part.

[Dave] This cabriolet
is the newest big reveal
for the SEMA show this year.

So, it's really important
that we get everything done.

And so much is happening
at the same time,

it's quite exciting.

[Will] Throw that on there.

It's down below where we...

[Howard] It's roughly
where it should sit.

We have a whole bunch
of adjustment that we got
to play with

before we can start jumping
up and down and doing
high fives.

But it's looking
pretty good so far.

Great success!

Going up.

I was in the elevator
the other day.

There was a guy running it.

Believe that, still?

So, I asked him, I said,
"How's the elevator business?"

He says, "It's got
it's up and downs."

What?

[Will] We got the windows in,

now it's on to the top,

and see how well
it all fits together.

Close.

It just wants to ride
a little high, huh?

[Greg] Yeah.

Now, we were talking
with that other piece

to catch underneath the frame.

You know, I know that Dave
doesn't want to see
any alignment stuff,

but it's not gonna be
aligned if we don't.

In the computer everything
fits together really
easily and nicely.

And once you get
the parts in real life

and you're trying to make it
all fit together,

there can be
a lot of things come up.

We haven't had
a ton of issues,

which feels good,
feels like a win.

But we're not
out of the woods yet.

I wanna pull this rubber off
and just get it sitting,

so we can see the perimeter
of the window,

see that... our overall shape.

Just trying to get the top
line up with the windshield

without a seal

'cause the seal is really
pushing us around a bunch.

And it's kind of getting
in the way of just getting
a good visual.

How is it fitting?

[Will] It's close.

Very close.

Does it have a wheel-check
right now where you can
just latch it on to?

Just a hook one.

Nothing to stop it
from wandering.

-[Dave] We're hoping
that to get in.
-Kinda biting us right now.

[Dave] Is it?

Well, while we have it where
it's you know sitting good...

[Will] Let's mark it
and get those holes.

...let's mark it and put
the holes in the center
of the slot

because it's not gonna change.

[Will] We've got
the windshield in copper.

We've got the top,
that's for the most part
put together.

We've got the brand new
window, side windows.

We got our mechanisms
in the doors.

All of this stuff
coming together,

it's very close,
but I'm very meticulous.

So, there's some adjustments
that I wanna make,

and some stuff
I wanna see done

to make this 1,000 percent.

[Greg] This side
is right now is where...

-Okay.
-...where we want it to be.

Let me hold on to it,

and then get it
and keep it there, right?

That's where we want it.

Right now, my seal surface
is very, very close.

Are the windows pretty close
to where they're supposed
to be?

[Will] Pretty close.

That one is a little better.

We need to get 'em
to come back a little more.

We have now the side glass
getting tuned in.

The holes are now cutting
the top of the doors.

The Carson top is fit.

The latches
are almost completed.

We're doing the last details.

This is getting exciting, man.

With only a couple
of days left,

I think we're gonna have
some time to spare.

Oh, and did I mention,

the car is getting post-trim
before we go?

Okay.

I'm gonna let that jack up,
I'll set one side,

throw a little
steam to it and...

see if I can pull
this line straight.

This has been all or nothing,
but trial and error

from the get go

on this from the design

to Greg building it,

down to us trying to make it
look right, you know?

So, and I think we've done
a pretty good job

at making it look like
what we needed to.

We'll know tomorrow
once the chrome is on it

if we achieved exactly
what we're looking for.

[engine whirring]

[Dave] We're here
in Las Vegas, Nevada,

not just to debut the car

to everybody at the SEMA Show
and all over the world,

but also more importantly,

to Tom Clarke himself.

[Tom] You know, it's something
that Dave and I talked about
over the phone.

I wanted something
a little different.

I wanted something unique.

I wanna see
how he pulled this top off.

So, Tom, I really
have to tell you

how much I appreciate you
giving us the opportunity

to build a prototype cabriolet
of our CF1.

This has been a lot of fun.

The guys did a great job.

I'm in love with this car.

Were you able
to pull off the top?

-Are you ready?
-I am ready.

All right. Hey, fellas,
pull that top off.

-Oh, yeah.
-Look at that.

Look at the color.

Were you able
to pull off the top?

I came to SEMA
for the car that
I've been waiting for.

-Are you ready?
-I am ready.

All right. Hey, fellas,
pull that top off.

-Oh, yeah.
-Look at that.

Look at the color.

[Dave] One-off wheels
on this one.

They're basically




This is actually
the same color

when you add some black to it,

It brings out, like a bronze,

which really tied in
with the color of the top.

The color itself
was beyond beautiful.

But then I go over
and I see the top.

Dave actually pulled it off.

So, the top
is full carbon fiber.

It weighs nothing
and it's fully removable.

[Tom] Did you have to alter
the window quite a bit
from the top?

Yeah. So, this one is actually
quite a bit different.

The roadster is actually
about this tall,

but what we did on this one
is I wanted to curve,

so that the window would lock
into it even with the top off.

So, we put that curve in,
we squared it up this corner

which gave us the ability
to have that top just as such
a beautiful line to it.

[Tom] Speechless.

Sorry to all the other
CF1 owners out there,

I think mine
is the nicest one.

-So, this is just
gonna lift off?
-[Dave] Yep.

-[Tom] And then carbon fiber
under here.
-[Dave] Yep.

[Tom] So, we just hang that up
and we're good to go?

-[Kevin] Yep.
-[Dave] Yep, and then
you'll have no top.

[Kevin and Dave] Yep.

[Kevin] Then you're topless.

[Dave] The top
with the angle to it.

A little bit of kick up
in the back.

This looks so much like
a Corvette top would have.

I couldn't be more happier
and neither could Tom.

Check this out.

-Let's see the goods, huh?
-Oh, yeah, baby.

So, that's the color again
that's done on the motor,

the transmission, drive line
and center section
of the rear end.

-[Tom] So, that's tied in.
-[Dave] Yep.

-[Tom] It's all tied in,
even under there.
-[Dave] Yep.

-[Tom] Look at that. Ah!
-[Dave laughs]

[Kevin] One of the things
that Dave says about
these cars

is it is a true
gentleman's Hot Rod.

When I look at this one,
it's almost like

even more sophisticated
gentleman's Hot Rod.

-Does that make sense?
-It's an elegant Hot Rod.

[Kevin] It almost,
it takes it to another level

with the top and everything
else and the colors.

I like the word, "elegant."

-Elegant.
-[Tom] Yeah.

This is
the elegante cabriolet.

For me, it's a dream
until I see it,

but then when
I can finally see it,

it's like,
just a fantastic job.

I mean, I absolutely
love it, guys.

I mean, I don't know
what else I could...

What words would express
the job you gentleman did

and everyone up
at Kindig-It Design.

-[Dave] Thank you.
-And I mean everyone up there.

With the sun out here,

SEMA and Vegas.

-[Kevin] Right.
-[Tom] Reflections.

[Kevin] Yeah,
what's better than that?

[Tom] The way
that light just hit it

every single spot,

the vantage point
you have of that car,

it's another story.

It's different.

I mean, you got three
different colors right here.

-[Dave] Yeah.
-Exactly, exactly.

[Dave] I love to have
my colors shift a lot.

[Tom] The contrast
came out stunning.

We actually incorporated
the same colors,

the wheels, the engine,
all that stuff ,

did an Alcantara headliner
of the same color.

And then, the perimeter of it
is painted the same color
as well.

-[Tom] It's beyond beautiful.
-[Dave laughs]

[Tom] It's beyond beautiful.

[Dave] And then, of course,
that really warm

Ferrari saddle interior.

And I loved how we were
able to find a carpet
that incorporated

a lot of this kind of
a silverish gray green color.

-[Tom] Mm-hmm.
-[Dave] As well as the darker
brass color.

Definitely one of my favorite
combinations to date.

It looks very classic.

With the sage color
on the outside,

it looks beautiful
and I'm so glad he loves it.

[engine starts]

There we go.

-I will get a little bit
of trouble with this car.
-[Dave laughs]

I'm just gonna
tell you right now.

Hey, don't worry,
you have my number.

Call me, I'll bail you out.

I want your hand on that.

[all laughing]

[Tom] Well, yeah, I had some
of my family and my brother
came in.

It's something we used
to do with our father,

not at this level
of any means.

We would actually work on cars
and taking to car shows,

all that different things.

-Who's your guest?
-[Tom] I got my nephew here.

[Kevin] High-five.

How are you doing, Sage?

Very nice to meet you, sir.

-[Tom] This is Arabella.
-Arabella.

Very nice to meet you,
it's a beautiful name.

-You wanna sit in there?
-Yeah.

Come on, Sage.

Hey, maybe one day
when you grow into it,
you can drive it.

We don't sell any of our cars,
we keep them.

This car will stay
in the family for multiple
multiple generations.

They are never ever
allowed to be sold.

You know, we love our cars.

What do you think there,
do you like it?

-[Tom] Oh, that's great.
-[Arabella]

-My size.
-[Dave laughs]

-[Arabella] Yeah.
-[all laughing]

[Tom] Well, I can't thank you
gentlemen enough

and everyone back
at Kindig-It Design.

I mean, it's just beautiful.

-Thank you very much.
-Just beautiful
and fantastic, everything.

Tom was very adamant
about wanting his car
to stand out

and be different
from everybody else's.

And when I mentioned
I wanted to build a cabriolet,

he was all about it.

He's got number one
and he's extremely happy.

[Kevin] Normally, at this
point in the whole deal,

we would let you drive it.

But since we're here
at the SEMA Show,

-we have to put it on display.
-[Dave laughs]

It is beyond bitchin',
I'll tell you that.

If Dave did not have that name

as his company name, Bitchin',

I would actually call...

the car would be named
Tom's bitchin' ride.

[Dave] Well,
what do you think?

It's bitchin'.

[Dave laughs]

That's a smart kid
right there.