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American Hot Rod

Overview

American Hot Rod is a reality television series that originally aired between 2004 and 2008 on The Learning Channel and Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...

. The show documented the crew at Boyd Coddington

Boyd Coddington

Boyd Leon Coddington was an American hot rod designer, the owner of the Boyd Coddington Hot Rod Shop and star of American Hot Rod on TLC.-Early life, education and early career :...

's car shop and their personal struggles to build hot rod

Hot rod

Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...

s and custom vehicles

Custom car

A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been modified in either of the following two ways. First, a custom car may be altered to improve its performance, often by altering or replacing the engine and transmission. Second, a custom car may be a personal "styling" statement, making the car look...

under extremely tight deadlines. It was made on location at Coddington's car shop in La Habra, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. The series became well known for the constant turnover of crew members due to dismissals, walkouts and firings.

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Unanswered Questions

Is american hotrod still goin to be on since the passing of boyd or is it goin to be cancelled

Encyclopedia

American Hot Rod is a reality television series that originally aired between 2004 and 2008 on The Learning Channel and Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...

. The show documented the crew at Boyd Coddington

Boyd Coddington

Boyd Leon Coddington was an American hot rod designer, the owner of the Boyd Coddington Hot Rod Shop and star of American Hot Rod on TLC.-Early life, education and early career :...

's car shop and their personal struggles to build hot rod

Hot rod

Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...

s and custom vehicles

Custom car

A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been modified in either of the following two ways. First, a custom car may be altered to improve its performance, often by altering or replacing the engine and transmission. Second, a custom car may be a personal "styling" statement, making the car look...

under extremely tight deadlines. It was made on location at Coddington's car shop in La Habra, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. The series became well known for the constant turnover of crew members due to dismissals, walkouts and firings.

Custom built cars built during the series included the "Alumatub", 61 Impala Bubbletop, 63 Chevy Corvette Stingray and a 42 Woodie. In July 2007, the shop made an Elvis Tribute Car, based on a 1957 Cadillac, sponsored by Reese’s.

Boyd Coddington died in February 2008. His shop closed its doors for the final time on Friday June 20, 2008.

Crew members

Boyd Coddington
Boyd Coddington
Boyd Leon Coddington was an American hot rod designer, the owner of the Boyd Coddington Hot Rod Shop and star of American Hot Rod on TLC.-Early life, education and early career :...

: owner, died on February 27, 2008 from complications from recent surgery.
Jo Coddington: co-owner creator of the collectible store, tv builds, consignment store, hot rod events, licensing, trademarks: now works for Green Planet Group www.greenplanetgroup.com
Duane Mayer: Projects Supervisor: now runs his own shop, American Hot Rods Inc.
Dan Sobieski: Fabricator/assembler, now runs Poor Boys Hot Rod in Boyd's former body shop.
Bernt Karlsson: Body Shop Supervisor. Now working at The 401k Club Hot Rod Shop in Anaheim.
Justin Bergsto: Body Shop worker
Rafael Garcia: Body Shop worker, now works at American Hot Rods Inc
Lee Hayes: Metal worker
Jimmy Pett: Fabricator/Assembler

Departures (in order of exit)

Sean Dooley: metal worker, fired by Boyd during the "65 Ford Mustang" build for insubordination to Duane.
Jimmy "Tig" Krauss: metal worker, also leaves during the "65 Ford Mustang" after multiple bust ups with Chad "Bluebear" Geary.
Chad "Bluebear" Geary: junior fabricator/assembler, fired for insubordination during the rat rod
Rat rod
A rat rod is a style of hot rod or custom car that, in most cases, imitates the early hot rods of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. It is not to be confused with the somewhat closely related "traditional" hot rod, which is an accurate re-creation or period-correct restoration of a hot rod from the same...

build-off. Against Boyd's explicit orders, Bluebear insisted on building the car like an old-school hot rod
Hot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...

without boxed frame rails.
Charley Hutton: Bodyshop supervisor, leaves Boyd's company after deciding to do work for competitor Chip Foose
Chip Foose
Chip Foose is a hot rod shop owner, automotive designer and fabricator, and former star of the reality TV series Overhaulin on TLC.-Life and career:...

during the 42 Woodie build. Despite offering to return after the work was completed, Boyd said it was a gross breach of trust and told him never to come back. Hutton later appeared on the show Rides, it said he worked for Chip Foose and won a Ridler Award. Later Hutton appeared on Overhaulin'
Overhaulin'
Overhaulin' is an American automotive reality TV show that ran for five seasons on TLC between 2004–2009. The show remains available via re-runs and syndication.-Hosts:...

. He subsequently opened his own custom paint shop in Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

.
Andrew "Beetle Bailey" Petterson: Bodyshop worker, left at the same as Hutton and went to work for Chip Foose.
Al Simon: Chassis builder, quits during the Bud Light build-off though he subsequently returned to the shop. now has his own shop
Mike Curtis: Machine Shop Supervisor, fired for designing motor cycle wheels for competitor Chip Foose in his free time. Curtis later appeared on Overhaulin.
Roy Schmidt: Metal worker, died, aged 64, after a long battle with lung cancer.
Thomas Loddby: Fabricator/assembler, left to start a shipping business but later returned to work part-time.
Louie Biegler: metal worker, sacked after doing hardly any work during his two weeks of employment.
Brad Johnston: Fabricator/assembler, left after failing to turn up for work on a Saturday during the "61 Impala Bubbletop" build. Accused Duane of bullying and Boyd of never being around the shop.
Scott Parker: Fabricator/Assembler, left to work for himself but ended up working for Chip Foose.
Willie Johnstone: Bodyshop painter, returned to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

and opened his own custom paint shop in Tauranga
Tauranga
Tauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...

.
Liz Miles: fabricator left the company, as claimed by the company's statement, after the show's producer set Liz up to work on Jo’s Hot Rod. But according to Miles's biography, she was asked to leave the company because of issues with Boyd's wife, Jo Coddington. Now a freelance writer.

First Season: (2004)

Image	Title	Original Airdate
	"Junkyard Dog Pt 1"	January 13, 2004
	On this episode of American Hot Rod, Boyd Coddington and his crew resurrect a classic '56 Chevy. Rescued from a rust bucket grave yard, but turning this Junkyard Dog into a high end Hot Rod, pushes tensions to breaking point and puts the Coddington crew's metal to the test. The talents and the tempers, the drama and the drive.
	"Junkyard Dog Pt 2"	January 24, 2004
	Episode number 2 of the series finds the team dealing with extensive metal work problems particular to a car brought forth from the junkyard for resurrection into a hot rod.
	"Junkyard Dog Pt 3"	February 6, 2004
	The "Junkyard Dog" has taken shape. The body is nearly finished and for once they look like they're ahead of schedule. Charlie starts to paint the car but his Dad is ill and passes away he has to leave. The team celebrate Tommy's birthday with a party at Boyd's house.
	"Junkyard Dog Pt 4"	February 13, 2004
	The paintwork is finished, the body remounted and the car is off to Gabes to have the interior done. Gabes pulls out all the stops and finish the car early. The car gets back to Boyd's for the final touches and Charlie arrives back
	"Alumatub" (5 Parts)	2004
	The team build an aluminium hot rod from scratch.
	"32 Hi-Boy Roadster" (4 Parts)	2004
	Boyd resurrects a 32 Coupe 'the Coupester' as an educational exercise for the crew.

Second Season: (2004–’05)

Image	Title	Original Airdate
	"65 Ford Mustang" (3 Parts)	2004
	The team rebuild a classic Mustang 2+2 fastback rescued from a barn. Boyd names it Crazy Horse. It was to be a birthday present for Scotty Gray's wife Nancy. The crew judge a bikini contest at Hooters bar and help with "Paint Your Heart Out, Anaheim". New members of the crew Sean Dooley and Jimy "Tig" Krauss are both dismissed during the build.
	"Rat Rod" (4 Parts)	2004
	Bluebear and Boyd compete to build Rat Rods. During the build, Bluebear is dismissed for refusing to follow Boyd's instruction to box the frame rails on safety grounds.
	"42 Woodie" (3 Parts)	2005
	The team rebuild a 42 Woodie. Fed up of the tight deadlines, Charley leaves to join Chip Foose. Boyd views this as unforgivable disloyalty.
	"63 Chevy Corvette Stingray" (3 Parts)	2005
	Sean Dove asks Boyd to build a Stingray that will serve as a street car, a show car and a race car. With no one to run the body shop, Duane must supervise both shops while Boyd paints the car himself. Lee joins the team as Roy's assistant.
	"Bud Light Car" (3 Parts)	2005
	Boyd builds a car for the Budweiser beer company for the launch of the new Bud Light product. He converts a 36 Coupe into a Roadster. Bernt Karlsson joins the crew as manager of the body shop. Al leaves to pursue his own projects.
	"Hildebrandt Car" (3 Parts)	2005
	Vern Hildebrandt asks Boyd to restore his 34 Roadster. His father Dennis "the Menace" Hildebrandt originally converted it to a Hot Rod in 1954 and raced it. Mike is given the task of leading the restoration.
	"59 Chevy Low Rider" (4 Parts)	2005
	Boyd buys a 1959 Chevrolet Impala Chevrolet Impala The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 1958 model year. Deriving its name from the southern African antelope, Chevrolet's most expensive passenger model through 1965 had become the best-selling automobile in the United... Bel Air and helps the crew to transform it into a California-style speedster. Rocky Walker intends to present the "Ghetto Princess" and its matching motorcycle at Camp Pendleton to the US Marines United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States... heading for a tour of Iraq Iraq Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.... . During the build, Mike is found to be moonlighting for Chip Foose and is dismissed.

Third Season: (2005)

Image	Title	Original Airdate
	"Make-A-Wish Car" (3 Parts)	2005
	Boyd's crew build the “MaxHEMI”, a street rod designed by 17 year old Max Cohen, who is fighting leukaemia. The car is based on a 1963 Dodge Polara Dodge Polara The Dodge Polara was an automobile introduced in the United States for the 1960 model year as Dodge's top-of-the-line full-size car; after the introduction of the Dodge Custom 880 in 1962, the Polara nameplate designated a step below the full sized best trimmed Dodge model; the Polara that year had... shell with a 472 CID Hemi crate motor. During the build, Duane gets a tattoo dedicated to Max. Thomas takes part in a gravity race at Monterey in a soapbox racer built by the crew in their spare time. Thomas leaves to concentrate on his shipping business. After the show, the car was auctioned raising $500,000 from the sale for charity.

Fourth Season: (2006)

Image	Title	Original Airdate
	"54 Corvette and 55 Chevy" (3 Parts)	2006
	The team struggle to complete not one, but two cars for the annual SEMA show, a 1954 Corvette and a 1955 Chevrolet. On top of that, they have to help Boyd's son Chris to complete a Honda for the same show. Thomas returns to help Boyd as he is short on men. Roy passes away during this build and Boyd dedicates the '54 Corvette to him.
	"56 Chevy Convertible" (3 Parts)	2006
	Boyd hires three new employees to work on the car. Tony Piro, a green but eager-to-learn intern, begins to annoy Duane. But "Screwie-Louie" Biegler, the new sheetmetal man, barely does any work in two weeks and gets fired. The work gets done but it's mostly thanks to Gabe at the custom interiors shop.
	"61 Impala Bubbletop" (4 Parts)	2006
	Work begins well even though the shop has fewer skilled labor. But Chris Coddington begins using Scott on a truck side project. Then Tony goes off work with a brain contusion after a car accident. Brad stops showing up for work and walks out after a massive bust up with Boyd and Duane. Scott, who is disillusioned with the lack of creativity demanded by the tight deadlines, also decides quit and go freelance.
	"40 Ford" (3 Parts)	2006
	The 40 Ford proves to be a tough build as more work is needed than was expected and a lack of employees jeopardise the progress of the car. It's left down to Duane to pull the team together.
	"36 Roadster" (3 Parts)	2006
	Description
	"44 Woodie" (3 Parts)	2006
	Tony gets moved around the shop as Duane tries to find him work and Jimmy gets increasingly frustrated. Tensions in the shop mount when the list of problems with the build stack up, turning the crew against each other.
	"31 Truck" (3 Parts)	2007
	Description
	"57 Chevy" (3 Parts)	2007
	A 1957 Chevrolet is turned into a Hot Rod by Boyd and his crew for the 50th anniversary of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Company. The car was sold at the anniversary and all the money was given to charity.

Fifth Season: (2007)

Image	Title	Original Airdate
	"Hershey" (3 Parts)	July 2007
	Build of a 1957 Cadillac Coupe de Ville Cadillac Coupe de Ville The Coupe de Ville was a model of the Cadillac marque of General Motors from 1949 through 1993.- Early History :The name "de Ville" is from the French de la ville or de ville meaning "of the town"... as an Elvis tribute car for Reese's
	"Sobe" (3 Parts)	August 2007
	Description
	"59 Corvette" (3 Parts)	August 2007
	Description
	"Bonneville Racer" (3 Parts)	September 2007
	The team works to complete a 1926 Ford Model T project for Boyd's wife, Jo, to race at Bonneville Speed Week. Duane sacks the shop's parts driver for doing other work.