Freiburger and Finnegan meet up with Vice Grip Garage and Roadworthy Rescues owner Derek Bieri to take a 1968 big-block Dart known as "El Dart-O" on a tire-smoking road trip. Roadworthy Rescues is a new series streaming September 27 on MotorTrend+!
In the first episode of the series, Derek extracts a 1967 Ford Mustang that has sat dormant for 28 years. But the years of rust and neglect won't stop him from transforming this car into a new creation.
Derek finds a 1951 Chevrolet Deluxe worthy of a new life. However, 44 years of sitting has taken its toll. He'll need to get it running and stopping if he hopes to tackle the hills of Chattanooga and make it home.
Derek saves a 1966 Pontiac Tempest with a rare overhead-camshaft six-cylinder engine. But just dusting off cobwebs won't do this car justice. While Dan the Interior Man works his magic on the upholstery, Derek sets to work converting this OHC six to EFI.
Derek heads to a scrapyard to find a retired tow truck he can use around the shop. But this 1979 Dodge D300 proves reluctant to go anywhere. Derek will have to hotwire the entire electrical system if he has any hope of making it home.
Fighting the overgrowth and the weather, Derek battles to get a 1964 Chevrolet Bel Air out of a field in Kentucky and back to his shop in Tennessee. With some help from his brother Chris, the two intend to swap the Bel Air's tired 283 V8 for a 350 small-block, but that proves to be no easy task.
Derek returns to the shop where he apprenticed as a teenager, and to a 1979 Chevrolet K5 Blazer that's been sitting for over 20 years. He teams up with his brother Sean to reassemble this parts truck into a full-on trail machine to tackle the Black Hills of South Dakota. Along the way, they learn from Derek's old mentor why this truck sat forgotten for so many years.
At an inner-city Detroit car club, Derek finds a 1928 Ford Model A that hasn't run in over 60 years. He calls in the help of Model A expert Paul Shinn to dissect this derelict 94-year-old car to figure out why it sat for so long. If they can get it running in time, they might get the opportunity to drive it to Ford's legendary Highland Park plant.
In the season finale, Derek travels to the last standing AMC dealership, Collier Motors in Pikeville, North Carolina. With more than 100 cars sitting derelict, Derek finds an AMC Rebel SST convertible that needs reviving. Parked for over 40 years, he'll try to get it running again and give it back to its original owner, who hasn't seen it on the road since he was nine years old.
Derek heads to the snowy-white northern landscape of Escanaba, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Here he finds a 1964 Ford Galaxie that's sat abandoned and hasn't run in 32 years. Getting this old sled running will be enough of a challenge, but Derek also plans to transform this Ford into a rally-tribute car and slide it around the back roads of Michigan.
Derek teams up with Dave Chappelle from Dirt Every Day to revitalize a 1972 Jeep J2000 that's sat among a field of neglected Jeeps. Together, they cobble together parts from various Jeeps to get theirs running, and attempt to make the 100-mile journey back to Derek's shop. If they can make it there, they'll have the tools and parts they need to turn this truck into a proper off-road machine.
Derek travels to southern Kansas to find a forgotten 1966 Oldsmobile F-85. Teaming up with his brother Sean, the two attempt to convert this wannabe drag racer into a timeless cruiser. But it'll take more than a paint job to make this car street-able, as the guys discover the engine is keeping a horrible secret.
In rural Kentucky, Derek Bieri and Dave Chappelle find an old dually among a flock of chickens. With the goal of building this rig into a car-hauling shop truck, Derek sets his sights on major performance upgrades, while Dave gets to work on a completely custom suspension setup. But with Dave's work obligations, they'll have to work fast if they want to finish their project.
Reviving a derelict Dodge Coronet will require two maverick mechanics. This time, Derek brings along his friend Steve Dulcich from Roadkill Garage and Engine Masters to help put the muscle back in this classic Mopar. But with a completely seized drivetrain, the guys will have to replace everything on this car if they hope to make the 500-mile road trip back to Nashville.
Derek heads down south to Alabama in search of a Bandit replica. Instead, he finds a Pontiac Trans Am that's the wrong year, wrong color, has the wrong engine, and has clearly been in a wreck. But that's not about to stop Derek from attempting to drive this wounded bird back to Tennessee and turn it into a car worthy of Burt himself -- or at least his stunt driver.
Derek and his brother Sean head back to their family farm in North Dakota; intent on building a goin'-to-town rig for the old farmstead, they dig out a 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle sedan that's buried in cow pies and has a waterlogged engine.
In need of a new riding lawn mower, Derek heads east to find himself a 1950 Ford 8N tractor. But with a cracked engine block and a bees' nest for a battery, Derek will have to revisit his farming routes to make this implement operational.
Amid the cornfields of Michigan, Derek discovers a 1937 Chevrolet Deluxe he wants to drive to the General Motors headquarters in Detroit. But since it's been off the road for over 20 years, Derek knows it's going to put up a fight to make the 150-mile journey across the state to get there.
Derek and Sean Bieri head back to Zweifel Motors to revive an Oldsmobile station wagon Derek has been eyeing for 16 years. But the two get off to a bad start when the engine starts knocking on heaven's door. They'll have to swap the drivetrain and revive the sagging suspension if they hope to hit the road in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Steve Dulcich returns along with the long-lost Vanishing Paint Challenger. Derek and Steve pull out VP's automatic 727 in favor of a manual T56 and set their sights for a local road course. But they'll need more than just a six-speed if they hope to best times against a last-generation Challenger RT.
Derek goes off the deep end with an '80s icon, the DeLorean. It's been wrecked, painted, and doesn't run, but Derek and his team of friends plan to change all that with a good old junkyard LS V-8. See if they can power this time machine with carburetors and make it to LS Fest in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
