Car Masters: Rust to Riches (2018) s01e08 Episode Script

1
[Mark] With only 14 days until
the Pomona Grand National Roadster Show,
and our shop truck finally completed,
it’s time to buckle down
and focus all our energy on the Futura.
We were able to get our hands
on this very rare Lincoln Futura body
by trading a 1:1 scale--
that’s a full-size version
of a vintage Hot Wheels toy,
the Splittin’ Image.
This Lincoln Futura is one of the
top five cars I’ve always wanted to build.
When it was debuted in 1955,
this car took the world by storm.
This project is a career-defining car.
This will be my opportunity
to do something no one has done before.
I want this six-figure payday,
and that ’55 Lincoln Futura
is our ticket to getting there.
This is the seat shell, and it goes… over,
and then the front locks in with a bolt.
-[Tony] That makes sense.
-[Constance] Okay.
[Mark] This build will create such a buzz.
When we roll up with this Lincoln Futura,
people are gonna go nuts.
They’re gonna walk up,
they’re gonna start looking at it.
We’re gonna be able to say
we built most of this.
Rolltop dash, made it.
Steering wheel, made it.
Canopies, did that.
Door handles, taillights, headlights--
Every single part of this car,
we’re gonna be able to say
we made that at Gotham Garage.
[Tony] I’ve never seen any other car
that has a seat frame quite like this.
Now we’re starting to look like
a functioning vehicle.
[machinery rivets]
[power tools buzz]
[engine starts]
[Tony] I’ve still gotta crank out
over 100 pieces for the Lincoln Futura.
And since the COE
took longer than expected,
now I’ve got less than two weeks to get
everything finished before the car show.
There simply might not be enough hours
to get this done. It’s gonna be tight.
[Constance] Not the most
show-car quality under here.
-[Caveman] You think?
-[laughs]
[Constance] Luckily, the motor on this
Futura is actually in pretty decent shape.
It’s a fuel-injected
Corvette 350 small block engine,
and it just needs, like, this much love,
and it will be ready to go.
At least it runs.
We don’t have to tinker with anything
in that department, really.
This year’s Pomona car show
is featuring cars from the ’50s.
But out of all of them,
I guarantee you will not see
another 1955 Lincoln Futura.
We just kinda need to come through here,
clean everything up, paint a few things.
I definitely feel like
we need to get a hustle on.
[laughs]
All right, well, besides that hustle--
That hustle. You want to hustle the car.
I wanna hustle on this.
Oh.
I’m interested
about this big tube situation.
[Mark] These are all the parts
to make that steering wheel
-that I showed you a picture of.
-Yes. Cool.
[Mark] When Lincoln
rolled out the Futura in 1955,
it had a standard
round type steering wheel. But through all of my extensive research,
I found out there was a second
steering wheel that never got made.
[Constance] So, it’s here,
with this potentially like that.
[Mark] That is exactly how it goes.
I’m gonna fabricate that steering wheel
and install it in our Lincoln Futura
so that our Futura will be
exactly what the designers intended.
These grab handles,
they come off the steering wheel,
and because they pivot, you can actually
turn the wheel with one hand.
[Constance] I’ve never seen
a steering wheel like this before.
It very much so reminds me of,
like, a rocket ship or something that you’d see in,
like, a cartoon.
This thing is so frickin’ cool,
it’s ridiculous.
[chuckles]
Like, you’re like a little kid right now.
I’m a lot like a little kid right now.
[Constance] It’s cool.
It’s got a very different look.
It has little things
that just make it really unique.
I feel like I’m in, like,
a little spaceship, like,
waiting for the adventure time, like--
[Mark] Yeah. It’s gonna be so badass.
This car, with all these little pieces,
just like this little piece.
[Constance] I’m always amazed on
how Mark can repurpose materials
for us to use for our builds.
I mean, he took two bolt covers
off the wheel of his personal truck,
and now we’re gonna use them to create
these futuristic elements
for the steering wheel.
Yeah. That’s so cool.
[Mark] How badass is that?
There’s no other car that has ever had
a steering wheel like that in it.
[Shawn] I’m out here searching for
a couple of authentic ’50s-era electronics
for the Lincoln Futura.
Microphone, antenna, maybe a radio.
By having period-correct accent pieces,
it definitely raises the quality
and the value of the car.
So what age are we looking for? Here’s
one that’s maybe in the ’30s and ’40s.
-This something you’d be interested in?
-Uh, yeah.
That’s a little bit before the time
I’m looking for.
-All righty.
-Is that a CB in there?
-Looks like.
-Yo. Breaker, breaker 1-9. This here’s the Wheeler-Dealer.
I like that one. Sorry.
[laughs]
I can’t just go to any salvage yard
and find these parts.
I gotta look a little deeper.
I gotta go to antique stores.
Oh, wait a minute. Here’s--
Okay, now this is the kind of stuff
I’m after right here.
-[woman] Mm-hmm.
-It’s gotta say… FoMoCo on it.
-Oh, look. See.
-There you go.
That’s what I’m looking for.
Ford Motor Company.
This doesn’t have any, uh, knobs on it.
Possibly you could use this for parts
to put into that?
Seeing as they both need total restoration
and I have to put ’em both together
to make one,
how about I give you 25 bucks
for the pair?
-I can’t do that.
-What do you mean you can’t do that?
What about $45? Would that work for you?
Forty-five out the door.
How about 40 out the door?
-I think that’s fair.
-How about 42?
That’ll make me happy.
-All right.
-[laughs]
So I have to take these
up to the front myself?
-Yes, you do.
-These are heavy.
-Unless you need help.
-No.
All right.
Back on the hunt for more Futura parts.
[Mark] This is the single most
important part of this car
because it’s the front of the car.
And everyone in the world knows exactly
what the grille on a Futura looks like.
It’s basically 72 of these, evenly spaced,
and Tony had to fabricate
each one of them.
It’s like a shiny rack of ribs.
-It’s kind of what it is.
-[Caveman] Wow.
So, basically, there’s 72 of those
that fit from this line
all the way over to this line.
Every single one of these
has to be sanded down,
buffed up, polished,
so they look like chrome.
The good thing is
you don’t have to do the backs.
[Tony] The water jet is great
because we can cut all the pieces we need.
But polishing ’em, that’s another story.
There’s no easy way around it.
It’s good old-fashioned elbow grease.
But that’s probably how they finished it
for the original car.
Look at those.
It’s looking pretty good, huh, man?
-Finally coming together.
-Right?
This is what makes the car
worth six figures.
[Caveman] That looks so badass.
[Mark] That’s pretty money, dude.
If you look at a picture
of the original car, it’s exactly exact.
All them rib bones, I had to gnaw
all the meat off ’em. [laughs]
[Mark] We’ve made a lot of progress
on the Futura,
but we still have a long way to go.
Unfortunately,
you cannot rush these things,
especially things
like the cockpit canopies.
This is the big money right here.
The original canopies
were operated by a pulley system.
Ours is gonna be operated
by an electrical motor
that you can make go up and down
at the touch of a switch.
This will be basically like a rocket ship.
It’ll just be totally encapsulated in it.
You’re isolated from the world.
And then there’s fresh-air tubes
that come in from the side vents
so that when you’re moving,
you don’t get that claustrophobic
“smell your own breath” feeling.
Yeah. It’s a cool look
being all enclosed like that.
First things first, I have to build
an aluminum frame around this canopy,
an aluminum frame
around the front and rear canopies,
and make sure these two frames mate
to the two frames that are on this.
And then we’re golden, then we
can start working on the flip mechanism.
Using photos and dimensions
of the original car,
I had an aircraft windshield company
manufacture me
a replica of the original canopies.
So when you make this canopy
go back like this,
are you gonna give it
like a cool sound effect?
Kind of, yeah.
[Constance]
I think we should just record my voice.
Whoo.
Whoo.
[Mark] I need to trim the excess Plexiglas
so that they will fit seamlessly
on the body.
These are very critical cuts.
Scoot yours back a little bit.
It’s Plexiglas.
It’s really brittle,
and you can break it if you do it wrong.
It would be
an extremely expensive mistake,
not only financially, but time-wise,
and we don’t have either one of those
to waste right now.
So, we just need to install the motors,
and the electric canopy is done.
We’re really cutting it close,
really cutting it close.
[Constance]
We’re not working in weeks terms anymore.
It’s coming down to, like,
every minute counts.
And that’s not even just, like, a saying.
That’s, like, legitimately what’s
happening with these builds now.
-Just remember, the days, they’re like…
-I know, I know.
You got like Christmas rings,
pulling one off every day.
[Constance] I’m the one
that keeps track of this stuff.
[Mark] Yeah. Somebody has to, I guess.
[Shawn] I can’t wait to showcase
the Futura at the car show.
Very few people
have ever laid their eyes on one.
So it should be pretty interesting
to see the response.
-All right, we got several antennas here.
-Oh, okay.
Yeah, that’s got the old look
I’m looking for, and it looks pretty good.
-Yeah, very good shape.
-Okay.
-I also talked to you about microphones.
-Yeah.
We have several,
and they happen to be right here.
-This is kinda what I’m looking for.
-Pretty cool piece.
[Shawn] These parts I’m looking for,
they’re not just for show.
They actually have to work also.
We’re gonna modify it a little bit,
but this is kinda what we’re after.
The original concept car
came with this fancy, futuristic
antenna/microphone combo,
so we’re gonna use these parts
to replicate that as best we can.
Because the interior was sealed off
from the outside by the canopies,
a microphone was needed
to hear the sounds of the outside
in case somebody was yelling at you,
cops were chasing you,
you needed to hear the siren.
These are the kind of cool features
that made this car so unique.
-How’s 250 bucks?
-I’d do-- I’d do that for you.
-For both of ’em?
-You’re taking both? Yeah.
-Let’s go write it up.
-All right.
[drill buzzing]
[Shawn] Yo.
-[Caveman] Hey!
-I got doughnuts for everybody.
-[Caveman] What’d you bring us?
-[Mark] What’d you get?
-I bought everybody--
-You bought that shirt, didn’t you?
You were in the little boys department
once again buying clothes.
I bought everybody shirts like me.
I got two radios.
Custom? Do we know they work?
No. Of course they don’t work.
I mean, hey,
trying to find a radio for a 1955 car
that wasn’t even a production-year car--
Hello. All right?
I can make it work. Just take ’em apart
and make one out of two.
And I got a few other little goodies
in here. I know you’re gonna like this.
What do you got there?
Okay, I was looking for an Edsel antenna,
and all I came up with
was a ’57 Thunderbird antenna,
which is pretty much the same. That’s the correct antenna.
-Okay. Oh, well-- well, that works for me.
-[Tony] Hey.
[whistles]
[Mark] Oh. That’s a home run.
-Yeah.
-Let me see that.
-Sing us a tune.
-No. That’s a home run right there.
[Shawn] That’s a cool old microphone.
It is great that Shawn
was able to find these electronics.
They are the last two pieces Tony needs
to finish all of the custom parts.
And now it’s time to prep the body
for paint.
-Shawn gets a brownie point.
-[Shawn] Okay. I got a brownie point.
Live from Gotham Garage,
featuring the Futur--
[Shawn] Yeah.
-It’s a microphone.
-Cut that microphone, will ya?
[Mark] Since the fiberglass Futura body
was copied from a mold,
it’s not very straight.
So we’re gonna have to block this car
to get all of the lines clean and straight
and the entire car smooth as glass.
[buzzing]
We only have one Futura body, period,
so this needs to be done
with surgical precision.
Oh.
-Oh.
-Stop it.
-[Tony] Oh, you got me. Right?
-[Caveman laughs]
[Caveman] It’s the hour that it is.
Man, we got a ways to go.
We’ve been working hard.
We’re-- we’re getting there.
-You think?
-[Tony] Futura’s ready for paint.
We got some milestones,
but there’s just so much left to do.
[Caveman] Better get back to work.
Here comes Mark.
-Yeah. No, don’t get up. [chuckles]
-Oh, thank you.
You look about as tired as the rest of us.
-I’m, like, exh-- exhausted, man.
-[Constance] Yeah.
[Mark] You can only work so many hours.
You humans have your limits, and I don’t
wanna push you far past your limits, but--
-Us humans?
-Yeah.
I know these guys are overwhelmed,
and I am gonna owe them big time
when this is over.
It’s not just the physical manpower
that the team brings,
it’s the creative energy
that we all feed off
to drive us to get to the end
of these kinds of projects.
That energy is what makes us
climb the ladder to success.
So, let’s get out of here, go home,
get some rest.
Sounds like a fabulous idea.
[Mark] By far,
one of the sexiest elements of the Futura
is that seafoam green paint job.
Now, you might not believe this,
but I heard that the original painter
actually ground up fish scales
and added it to a light blue paint
in order to get that seafoam green.
No, I didn’t have to grind up fish scales.
I actually just got to buy a green pearl
and add it to the paint. I cheated.
[engine rumbling]
[Caveman] Wow! How cool is that?
[engine revs]
[Caveman] Whoo-whee! Damn, that’s pretty!
[Shawn] Man. There you go.
[Tony] Seafoam green.
-Yes, that is seafoam green.
-That looks good.
This color works really good on this car.
[Caveman] Yeah, it does.
It definitely fits the era.
[Mark] Nobody’s seen this car
this color since 1955.
[all laughing]
We gotta get this thing together
in a frickin’ hurry.
Everybody is gonna have to put their hands
on this car for the next few days.
Tony, if you wanna start installing, like,
taillights, bezels, lenses.
You and Caveman can get the grilles,
front and rear.
Constance, come over here and give me
a hand with the wheels and the canopy.
And we’ll start bringing parts and putting
this thing back together and get it done.
-Where you going, Cinderella?
-I was just gonna go do a little bit of--
The only place you’re going
is over to that toolbox.
Toolbox.
Your hands are gonna be over this
with the rest of us.
-You really need my help on this?
-I need everybody’s help on this.
You cannot play stupid. I know that
your pops used to own a body shop.
-And you built cars and painted cars.
-Yeah.
First thing you can do is door latches,
shifter, any blemishes in the paint
that you need to address.
-Do what you do. Make it pretty.
-Why don’t you guys--
Like your hair. Just like your hair.
Get it all pretty.
Shawn is always tucked away in the office,
and he usually doesn’t help work on cars.
But Shawn knows cars,
and he has a knack for details.
I’ll figure it out though,
eventually.
Yeah, it’s true.
I grew up building cars with my dad.
I was kind of raised in a body shop,
so it’s kind of in my blood.
I would rather be doing deals
than turning wrenches,
but the chance to work
on a Lincoln Futura,
that’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal there.
I think it’s great having you in the shop,
Shawn.
-Yeah?
-Yeah.
I mean, those, like,
one or two things you did
are one or two things less
I have to do later.
I might even break a sweat tomorrow.
[Tony] We fabricated over
a hundred pieces on the Futura.
As a fabricator and a car guy,
it’s really cool to start with nothing
and see it come together
and make it something
that everyone can enjoy.
Oh, look how pretty I am.
It’s just a mere reflection of yourself,
people. How do you like that?
And then there’s me, then there’s you,
then there’s me, then there’s you.
[Constance] I’m really excited
to see this car coming together.
[whirring]
-Look at that.
-[Tony] So cool.
[Constance] I really think that
this is the ultimate build for this shop
because it’s really a build that showcases
what each one of us does individually.
You don’t see
these kind of builds every day.
We have to get this car right.
The Lincoln Futura is the most
recognizable prototype ever built to date.
It has to be dead-nuts accurate,
or it cannot and it will not
leave this garage.
The car show is tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.,
and we still need to finish
the chrome detailing
and what seems like a hundred other little
finishing touches that need to get done.
And then we gotta test drive the thing
before we can leave.
It’s coming down to the wire,
no doubt about it.
[whirring]
[engine rumbles]
[Mark] It took all night,
but the Futura is finally finished.
It’s very important to me
to pay tribute to the original designers
of this awesome car
by recreating every little detail
to the best of our ability.
From the wildly unique
72-piece whale tooth grille
to the automatic aircraft cockpit canopy.
And of course, the one-of-a-kind
space-age airplane steering yoke
that makes this Futura
handle like a dream.
Breathing new life into
something like this that no longer exists
and knowing that
there is nothing else like it on the road,
that’s what makes all the sacrifice
and the sleepless nights worth it.
[Shawn] That is impressive, isn’t it?
[Tony] It looks amazing on the back.
[Constance] Yeah, they were
definitely meant to be together.
-[Shawn] Looks awesome.
-[Tony] This looks awesome.
[Shawn] Lovin’ this.
Hit that horn, will ya?
[horn honks]
-Yeah!
-Ow!
Look at that. That’s sick. That’s sweet.
Bye! Adios! Good night!
[horn honks]
-[Shawn] All right.
-[Mark] Well--
[Shawn laughs]
[Mark] Finally on the way to the show.
This is gonna be a perfect prime
for the auction
because just think of all those people
that are gonna get the word out for us.
-They’re doing our work for us.
-Yep.
[Mark] So we’re really counting on
this car show today
to set the tone for the auction
that’s coming up in a couple weeks.
We’re trying to create a buzz
around this car.
The more collectors we get excited,
the more that will go to the auction,
which, in turn, leads to a bidding war.
If we can get 140, 150, who knows?
The sky’s the limit.
[Shawn] This is awesome.
I can’t even believe we’re really here.
[engine rumbles]
Honestly, man.
That is just friggin’ awesome.
-Gorgeous car.
-Thank you very much.
This mold was actually made
off the original.
-A lot of work.
-A lot of work.
-Lot of work.
-Lot of work.
It’s great to see
something like this, you know,
that’s a drawback from those old days.
There’s not another thing
like this at all, you know?
I’ve never seen anyone
put one of these together before.
I’ve seen pictures of ’em out there,
but I’ve never seen one in the flesh.
You guys have done a really nice job.
I would be thrilled to be driving around
in something like that.
You would turn heads everywhere you went.
No one’s ever seen anything like it.
And, uh, to take the time and build
something like this in this day and age
is a testament to these guys.
Like, this is the thing
I’ve been looking for for my whole life,
so if I could find a way to put it
in my garage someday in the future,
I would jump at the chance.
-Incredible car.
-Thank you very much.
[barking]
[Mark] For me, this has probably been
the most ginormous task
to get the truck done and the car done.
And now we’re here.
Looking around at the crowd response,
it’s phenomenal.
It’s probably
the single most photographed car.
The amount of interest in the car, it’s
like you can have a short conversation,
somebody walks up and you’re like,
“My God, we’re back into the car again.”
[Shawn] I know. I know it.
You guys built this?
Yep, that’s what we--
Built this out of my shop.
-Wow.
-Yeah.
Now, this plastic,
did you guys make that too?
I have an aircraft windshield company
that makes ’em for me.
[man] Nice.
Um, so it’s two percent distortion,
which is better than glass.
-Yeah.
-And it’s aircraft grade.
You hit a rock with it,
it ain’t gonna break.
Yeah. Wow, that’s--
that’s just incredible.
Thanks.
From what I remember of the car,
these flip handles were correct, right?
-The-- For opening the--
-Correct. Yep.
You actually know about this car?
Well,
my father was working for George Barris.
-Who’s your father?
-Dick Dean.
-No way.
-Your dad’s Dick Dean?
-Yeah.
-No way.
Yeah. I’m Keith Dean.
-Keith, nice to meet you. I’m Mark.
-Mark. -Nice to meet you, Keith.
-Keith, I’m Shawn.
-Your dad’s an icon.
-Nice to meet you.
Well, thank you.
[Mark] George Barris and Dick Dean
were some of the first pioneers
in this industry of custom cars.
[Keith] Museums don’t even
have this car, so this is--
That’s why this thing
is so incredible to just see in person.
-This is amazing.
-[Mark] Well, thank you.
That’s a huge compliment coming from you.
We just wanted to
get it out into the public
and kind of get a feel
of what people are thinking about it.
We’re gonna bring it to the auction
pretty soon.
You guys consider selling
before the auction, or--
I mean, you wouldn’t have to pay
the commission at an auction
if someone bought it right here.
Well, I mean, you know.
Are you-- are you really serious about it?
Yeah. Honestly.
We weren’t thinking about
selling the Futura before the auction,
but, man,
if we can land a private deal now,
we wouldn’t have to pay
the auction’s 15 percent commission fees.
I see you leaning against this--
this truck.
This is my truck, yes.
-Really?
-Yes. This is my--
Yeah. We actually just finished this up
at the shop actually not too long ago.
This is a 1954 COE.
We didn’t do anything
but put a Rolls Royce seat in it.
The rest of the interior is all stock,
except for, of course, the steering column
because it’s on a ’92 Chevy chassis.
It’s got all the creature comforts
of a ’92 Chevy truck,
except for it has the beauty of this
on top of it.
-Well, that’s what I like about it.
-Power windows, one-piece glass.
The whole nine yards.
Well, I build, you know,
Mercurys and this and that,
and I have to deliver ’em
to the customers.
This right here would actually be--
That’s the exact same reason
why I built this. [chuckles]
Yeah, but you can build another one.
This one I could buy, right?
True that.
True, I could build another one,
but this has a little bit
of sentimental value to it.
You-- you ever consider a package deal?
Are you actually--
Are you pulling our chain,
or are you really serious
about wanting a couple of cars?
I could pull out a checkbook right now
and offer you…
170,000.
Um…
you know, um--
[Mark] I don’t wanna sell my truck.
This is one of those “I built it
for myself and I built it for my shop.”
Okay, I’ve-- I’ve been buying some cars,
and I’ve got a barn find
that you guys might like.
1936 Ford.
I’ll do 170 and this car.
Take a look at that.
Wow. Keith--
Keith just sweetened the deal
with a ’36 Ford,
ultra rare, all-original steel intact.
Man, that thing has got to be worth
ten grand as is.
Man, we could make a $70,000 or $80,000
hot rod easily out of that thing.
With that and 170 grand, we could be
looking at a $250,000 windfall.
Who could turn that deal down?
Can we--
Let me look over the car.
You guys go talk.
[Shawn] Take a look. Come on.
I mean, uh, he’s serious.
We built this
just so we could have a shop truck.
I know. I know.
And yeah, I could build another one,
but it’s not the same.
It took us over ten years to find
this 1954 International COE cab.
It’s the one just like my father had
when I was a kid.
And some things
are just worth more than money.
Everybody at the shop
has been working hard as hell on this,
and you know they’ve been
beating their heads against the wall
trying to get this thing done.
Wouldn’t it be awesome to reward everybody
with a big cash-out they didn’t expect?
[Mark] I have a sentimental
attachment to this truck,
which is causing me a problem
not to just jump on this deal.
But the crew did go above and beyond.
They did everything I asked them to do,
and then I asked them to do more,
and they just did it.
They haven’t seen a six-figure payday
in quite a while.
This is actually a pretty tough decision
for me to make.
Okay, Mark. What do you wanna do?
[Shawn] Cut it. No, the other way.
Cut it to the left.
-[Tony] Geez, what are you doing, Shawn?
-[Shawn] What?
-[Constance] Are you pushing?
-[Shawn] I’m looking.
[Constance] Help a girl out.
[Caveman] A hundred and seventy grand
and this ’36 Ford, that’s awesome!
[Tony] That is some serious cash.
[Caveman] What about time off
we were supposed to get?
-[Mark] You got it. It was yesterday.
-[Shawn] We brought back money.
[Caveman] I like money,
but I like some time off too.
[Tony] I need some time
to go spend my money.
[Mark] Then you’d just have to work more.
I’ve always said
I have to take care of the shop first.
The shop comes before my personal agenda.
I did get to build my shop truck.
It’s a little bittersweet
that I have to give it up today.
[Tony] This is a badass ’36.
Shawn, what do you think
we’re gonna be able to get for it?
[Shawn] Oh, once we do this car up,
I don’t know.
Seventy, eighty maybe.
[Mark] This is just
one of those business decisions
that supersedes
what my personal decision would be.
My dad would probably punch me
in the head if I didn’t take this deal.
Shawn,
now you owe me another ’54 International.
[Shawn] I’m on it.
-[Caveman] Have fun finding one of those.
-[Constance] Good luck.