American Hot Rod is a reality television series that originally aired between 2004 and 2007 on TLC and Discovery Channel. The series followed car designer Boyd Coddington and his crew as they built hot rods and custom vehicles at his wheel and car shop in La Habra, California.
10 Most Famous Vintage Hot Rods Cars That Definitely Steal The Show
The Premise of American Hot Rod
From the producers of American Chopper comes American Hot Rod, a peek into the life of legendary hot-rod builder and designer Boyd Coddington and his crew. This series documents the construction of three classic cars:
- The first is a classic 1956 Chevy two-door, salvaged from the junkyard and rebuilt with classic hot-rod looks and 21st-century technology.
- The second is a one-of-a-kind aluminum-steel Boyd Coddington original, built from the ground up.
- And the third is a reproduction of a classic 1932 hot-rod open-engine Ford coupe.
Along the way, you'll get to know Boyd; his sons; his wife, who helps Boyd run the shop; his ex-wife, who runs his accounting department; his publicist, who tries to keep his schedule straight; and the rest of the Coddington hot-rod team.
Key Highlights and Memorable Moments
On one 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 "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 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 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". Bluebear and Boyd compete to build Rat Rods. The team rebuild a 42 Woodie. Fed up of the tight deadlines, Charley leaves to join Chip Foose. 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. 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. 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. Boyd buys a 1959 Chevrolet Impala 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 heading for a tour of Iraq. Boyd's crew build the “MaxHEMI”, a street rod designed by 16 year old Max Cohen, who is fighting Leukaemia. The car is based on a 1963 Dodge Polara shell with a 572 CID Hemi crate motor. During the build, Duane gets a tattoo dedicated to Max and Thomas takes part in a Gravity race at Monterey in a Soapbox racer built by the crew in their spare time. 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.
Read also: The Life of Chad Everett Harris
The Fate of Bluebear's "A" Coupe
What ever happened to the A coupe that was featured on American Hotrod buildoff between Bluebear's A and Boyd's T? Well, I think when Bluebear's "A" is finished we will hear about it since he works or worked at Circle City Hot Rods.
Behind-the-Scenes Insights
Sometime back Boyd fessed up in print that the whole show was mostly BS, all the arguments, personal*****-ola, etc. all dreamed up by the writers. The T.V. thing is B.S.
Where is Chad "Bluebear" Geary Now?
Blue Bear is a good kid with more skills than most. He no longer works in the hot rod industry. His hot rod probably wont be done for a long time.
Cast Member Updates
The show was known for its frequent rows and bust-ups, and a high staff turnover rate.
- Chad "Bluebear" Geary was fired for insubordination.
- Charley Hutton left the show and now works for Boyd's competitor Chip Foose.
- Thomas Loddby (fabricator) left to start a shipping business and has since returned.
- Mike Curtis (machinist) was fired for designing wheels for competitor, ex-employee and nemesis Chip Foose.
- Roy Schmidt, veteran metal worker, died ending his long battle with lung cancer. He was 64.
- Boyd Coddington died on February 27, 2008, following complications from surgery.
Key People
Custom cars built during the series included the "Alumatub", a '61 Impala Bubbletop, a '63 Chevy Corvette Stingray, and a '42 Woodie.
Read also: "Married to Evil": Chad Graves
- Roy Schmidt: metal worker, appears in Seasons One through Three, died of lung cancer on Oct.
- Charley Hutton: painter & body shop supervisor, appeared in Seasons One and Two, quit during S02E10 ('42 Woodie) and opened his own shop Charley Hutton's Color Studio in Nampa, ID.
American Hot Rod: Show Overview
The series ended when Coddington died, following complications from surgery, in February 2008.
Summary of Cars Featured
Some of the cars featured in the show are: the Alumatub, Silver Bullet, Vern Luce's coupe, Cadzilla and many more of Boyd Coddington's custom creations.
Read also: Vallow-Daybell Trial: Key Evidence
Popular articles:
tags: #Chad
