Reality Rides
Season 1
(12 x 30 series)
A professional restoration crew set out to bring antique, rusting cars back to their original and classic state of beauty. Their first project is a 1955 Buick Special, in decaying condition with missing parts. The crew must hunt for parts in junkyards, old garages, and anywhere else they might discover original parts from this unique car. The series features the problems and pitfalls that the crew encounters throughout the restoration process, and a deadline by which the project car must be finished and ready to compete at the Buick Nationals.
Episode 1: The Find-Part I
Carl and his build team from Carl’s Custom Cars take a 2 hour drive to visit an abandoned old car dealership to look for the 1955 Buick. Once they arrive they find that it’s a massive space filled with cars and car parts everywhere. Over 90 automobiles in various states of decay and restoration are stored in this 1940’s building by the owner Scotty. The Buick is a rare find, partially disassembled, but in very restorable condition.
Episode 2: The Find-Part II
The crew locates the car and find the Buick with a lot of missing parts, so they search thru tons of parts and pieces scattered all over the warehouse. In hopes they have all the parts and pieces, the 1955 Buick and a 4 door “donor” car is loaded and the long drive home begins, where Carl can start the restoration at his shop!
Episode 3: Piece By Piece
Carl and the build team arrive back at the shop and begin the process of dismantling the Buick. Everything is removed to be cleaned and repaired, all the way down to its frame, including every nut and bolt! A few surprises reveal themselves, and the crew realizes it’s a bigger challenge than they first thought.
Episode 4: Transmission Trouble
In this episode, Hank begins working on the original Dyna-Flow transmission, and Carl discovers a lot more rust on the body that has to be repaired, so they cut the rusted spots out and replace with new sheet metal. The transmission becomes quite a challenge, as Hank needs parts that cannot be found today.
Episode 5: Chrome Wasteland
As the frame returns from sandblasting, the chrome must be stripped and sent off to be re-chromed. Perhaps the single most expensive part of the build, as there are massive amounts of chrome on this vehicle. When the first pieces come back, they are deemed unacceptable by Carl, so the team must search for another chrome shop and they find just the right one. The engine build is also progressing and soon it will be time to try and start the machine for the first time in 35 years.
Episode 6: Lizard Skin
The frame is cleaned and painted and the body must be prepared for paint. Deciding on the right paint combination is a real challenge since there were over 200 paint options with Buick in 1955. The crew also discovers and tries a new product, that protects the vehicle from heat and provides for spray on sound dampening. At the same time, the engine is ready to be fired, but the crew soon discovers that it has a deadly leak from the valve seals. This might mean that the engine must be scrapped and another found.
Episode 7: Titian Red
The body is primed and sent to the paint shop. After 2 months of discussing the right color combination, it’s finally ready for it’s new coat. We spend an exciting day at the paint shop to later discover that the accent color (beige) was mixed wrong and is too yellow. A small crisis ensues in deciding whether to repaint again, with the correct color.
Episode 8: Vintage Air
In the great state of Texas it gets hot… very hot. In 1955 A/C was a rare option and even then was mounted in the trunk. The crew decides to make a critical change from factory and install dash mounted A/C. It’s a minor change, even modeled after the dash factory air available in 1956, but will this important element to fight Texas heat, eliminate the car from competition at the Buick Nationals in the Summer? We also visit the company who makes retro A/C systems. They are faced with the challenge of creating a first of its kind system using the original controls in the car and adapting them to work with modern electronics.
Episode 9: Interior Design
The car is taking shape and Carl turns his attention to the interior. The fit and finish of the seats and dash are even more critical to the eye than that of the exterior. At the upholstery shop we are escorted to a section that holds a library of every fabric ever used in any car ever built. While looking through old sample books, Carl discovers a perfect fabric match for the paint. Excited and looking for a reproduction, they discover that the original 1950’s fabric still exists on an unused bolt in Oregon! This is a game changer for the interior of this car.
Episode 10: Final Assembly
As the car nears completion, Carl keeps finding minor details that must be tweaked and repaired. Time is ticking since the official unveiling of this Buick has been scheduled and invitations have been sent. Not only must the car run, but it has to be beautiful. Carls reputation is on the line and concerns arise on if which it will be ready on schedule.
Episode 11: The Reveal
The car is complete and revealed to an excited public! For the first time in 55 years, the Buick is showroom new again and in front of perhaps an even more excited audience. After the reveal, the trip to Iowa for the Buick Nationals begins. Along the way we stop and film beauty shots of the car in its natural setting… Route 66.
Episode 12: Buick Nationals
The place: Ames, Iowa. The setting: the most important car show in the world of Buicks. The elite builds, the most rare Buicks on show today. The competition is fierce. Over 435 entries spanning over 100 years of Buick history. Can this car, built in only 6 months, even hope to compete against restorations that spent years in the making? Stay tuned for a very surprising ending to this series.
Season 1
(12 x 30 series)
A professional restoration crew set out to bring antique, rusting cars back to their original and classic state of beauty. Their first project is a 1955 Buick Special, in decaying condition with missing parts. The crew must hunt for parts in junkyards, old garages, and anywhere else they might discover original parts from this unique car. The series features the problems and pitfalls that the crew encounters throughout the restoration process, and a deadline by which the project car must be finished and ready to compete at the Buick Nationals.
Episode 1: The Find-Part I
Carl and his build team from Carl’s Custom Cars take a 2 hour drive to visit an abandoned old car dealership to look for the 1955 Buick. Once they arrive they find that it’s a massive space filled with cars and car parts everywhere. Over 90 automobiles in various states of decay and restoration are stored in this 1940’s building by the owner Scotty. The Buick is a rare find, partially disassembled, but in very restorable condition.
Episode 2: The Find-Part II
The crew locates the car and find the Buick with a lot of missing parts, so they search thru tons of parts and pieces scattered all over the warehouse. In hopes they have all the parts and pieces, the 1955 Buick and a 4 door “donor” car is loaded and the long drive home begins, where Carl can start the restoration at his shop!
Episode 3: Piece By Piece
Carl and the build team arrive back at the shop and begin the process of dismantling the Buick. Everything is removed to be cleaned and repaired, all the way down to its frame, including every nut and bolt! A few surprises reveal themselves, and the crew realizes it’s a bigger challenge than they first thought.
Episode 4: Transmission Trouble
In this episode, Hank begins working on the original Dyna-Flow transmission, and Carl discovers a lot more rust on the body that has to be repaired, so they cut the rusted spots out and replace with new sheet metal. The transmission becomes quite a challenge, as Hank needs parts that cannot be found today.
Episode 5: Chrome Wasteland
As the frame returns from sandblasting, the chrome must be stripped and sent off to be re-chromed. Perhaps the single most expensive part of the build, as there are massive amounts of chrome on this vehicle. When the first pieces come back, they are deemed unacceptable by Carl, so the team must search for another chrome shop and they find just the right one. The engine build is also progressing and soon it will be time to try and start the machine for the first time in 35 years.
Episode 6: Lizard Skin
The frame is cleaned and painted and the body must be prepared for paint. Deciding on the right paint combination is a real challenge since there were over 200 paint options with Buick in 1955. The crew also discovers and tries a new product, that protects the vehicle from heat and provides for spray on sound dampening. At the same time, the engine is ready to be fired, but the crew soon discovers that it has a deadly leak from the valve seals. This might mean that the engine must be scrapped and another found.
Episode 7: Titian Red
The body is primed and sent to the paint shop. After 2 months of discussing the right color combination, it’s finally ready for it’s new coat. We spend an exciting day at the paint shop to later discover that the accent color (beige) was mixed wrong and is too yellow. A small crisis ensues in deciding whether to repaint again, with the correct color.
Episode 8: Vintage Air
In the great state of Texas it gets hot… very hot. In 1955 A/C was a rare option and even then was mounted in the trunk. The crew decides to make a critical change from factory and install dash mounted A/C. It’s a minor change, even modeled after the dash factory air available in 1956, but will this important element to fight Texas heat, eliminate the car from competition at the Buick Nationals in the Summer? We also visit the company who makes retro A/C systems. They are faced with the challenge of creating a first of its kind system using the original controls in the car and adapting them to work with modern electronics.
Episode 9: Interior Design
The car is taking shape and Carl turns his attention to the interior. The fit and finish of the seats and dash are even more critical to the eye than that of the exterior. At the upholstery shop we are escorted to a section that holds a library of every fabric ever used in any car ever built. While looking through old sample books, Carl discovers a perfect fabric match for the paint. Excited and looking for a reproduction, they discover that the original 1950’s fabric still exists on an unused bolt in Oregon! This is a game changer for the interior of this car.
Episode 10: Final Assembly
As the car nears completion, Carl keeps finding minor details that must be tweaked and repaired. Time is ticking since the official unveiling of this Buick has been scheduled and invitations have been sent. Not only must the car run, but it has to be beautiful. Carls reputation is on the line and concerns arise on if which it will be ready on schedule.
Episode 11: The Reveal
The car is complete and revealed to an excited public! For the first time in 55 years, the Buick is showroom new again and in front of perhaps an even more excited audience. After the reveal, the trip to Iowa for the Buick Nationals begins. Along the way we stop and film beauty shots of the car in its natural setting… Route 66.
Episode 12: Buick Nationals
The place: Ames, Iowa. The setting: the most important car show in the world of Buicks. The elite builds, the most rare Buicks on show today. The competition is fierce. Over 435 entries spanning over 100 years of Buick history. Can this car, built in only 6 months, even hope to compete against restorations that spent years in the making? Stay tuned for a very surprising ending to this series.