Car Masters: Rust to Riches (2018) s03e04 Episode Script
Wheels on the Bus
1
[engine revving]
[thrilling music playing]
[Mark] I hope your buddy Huey's got
the kind of cars you're talking about.
Well, trust me. You won't be disappointed.
This 1940 woodie was supposed to be
our big six-figure payday,
but this is a very unique build,
which requires a unique type of buyer.
And right now, the only deal
I've got going is for 85 grand in cash
and the rest in trade vehicles.
You're going to love Huey.
This guy probably has a million dollars
worth of cars and trucks,
and he's been looking for a woodie
for quite a while now.
So, I know he's been chomping at the bit.
-I got one right back there.
-There you go.
Don't worry about Huey. He's an older guy,
and you'd never guess
he's sitting on this much gold.
I hope you're right.
'Cause if he doesn't have the cars
that make this deal worth at least
120K or more,
then you're gonna put that woodie
back on the trailer yourself.
Well, it's something to look forward to.
Yeah.
I guess we're gonna find out
what he's got.
[rock music playing]
-Huey. Hey, hey, we made it.
-Hey.
-How you doing? I'm Mark.
-Good, you?
Yeah, look at it. You guys been busy!
I've been following Gotham Garage
for forever.
What Mark does, I think, is amazing.
[Shawn] There you go, straight back.
You got it.
[Huey] Holy crap. It's perfect.
Then I heard about this woodie.
So I had to see it.
If we can get a deal together
that makes Everybody's happy,
then we're gonna do it.
Let's make it happen.
I'm gonna fire it up.
[engine starts]
[revving]
[laughing]
-I figured you'd like that.
-Oh yeah. It's [laughs]
Check this out.
Got a full custom interior.
[Huey] Oh yeah, you got the stitching
in the back?
[Mark] It's got all the latches,
got power windows in the front.
-Power windows in a wooden door?
-[Mark] Yeah.
How'd you ground it? [laughs]
-Yeah, exactly. There's a wire.
-Okay.
[Mark] We did the custom running boards
that have like the surf scene.
Got big ol' 18-inch-wide tires back there,
and then up here,
got a Big-Block Chevy with about
700 horsepower. So it launches.
-[laughing]
-You're getting him all excited.
That's the point of this whole deal.
[Shawn] So, I assume we're still on
for the deal
of 85 in cash and some trade cars?
-Oh yeah.
-[Mark] All right.
I showed you mine. You show me yours.
Okay. [laughs]
[power tools whirring]
[engine revs]
[Mark] You got a lot of stuff here.
-How many vehicles you got parked here?
-[Huey] Probably 150 now.
[Shawn] So obviously,
Huey loves the Ford woodie.
That was the easy part.
Now, it all comes down to this guy.
I like the six-by-six.
Is he gonna like the vehicles
Huey's got to offer?
[Mark] This GTO right here.
This is the GOAT.
[Huey] It's got a 454 Chevy
and a four-speed in it, so
-[Mark] Yeah?
-[Shawn] I see.
Oh, look at that. Whoo!
[Huey] We had three,
we're down to one now, so
Might have to talk about
getting you down to zero GTOs.
You know what? I can see this working out.
Huey's got a lot to offer.
See all that stuff?
[Shawn] Wait, that's all it takes?
One look at a couple of rusty cars
with potential, and you're smitten?
I'm a cheap date.
You don't even have to buy me dinner.
-Just take me dumpster diving.
-[laughs]
All right, I'll take it.
[Mark] This is a cool little gem.
Caveman loves these things.
He's obsessed with these old buses.
It's actually pretty solid.
No matter what you do to it,
it's worth money.
They make really good investments
when you can find them intact.
Pretty funny,
school bus gives itself an F.
Another '56?
-Is that a tilt front end?
-It tilts, yeah.
Oh jeez. Lookit there. Dual quad setup.
Is this on the table for a trade?
Yeah, could be.
[Mark]
What's a Prius doing here with all this?
These cars are really fast
once you get 'em up to speed,
and I've always wanted to make it look,
on the outside, as fast as it really is.
We've done a smart car.
We've done an electric Pinto.
We might as well do a Prius.
I'm at the point right now,
where these stupid electric cars
I'm kind of a master
at ripping 'em all apart.
-How do you start it?
-[beeping]
I don't even know if it's on.
[Shawn] Huey, you're holding out on me.
'54 Bel Air?
-Look at the stuff you have in here.
-Hey, Shawn
that's a pretty nice little Bel Air here.
[Huey] 327, Small-Block.
Power brakes with a proportioning valve?
That's already halfway done.
[Shawn] It sure looks solid.
-[engine starts]
-Whoa!
-Yeah.
-Oh, it started right up.
[engine revving]
It's a good starter kit.
[Shawn] Why don't we head back
and see if we can work out a deal?
-So, let's talk business, okay?
-Okay.
Right off the bat,
I'm liking the '56 Ford stepside.
[Mark] I like that car.
How about the old school short bus?
You know what, I like the short bus.
The short bus, that's cool.
How about, inside the garage,
you had the '54 Bel Air.
-It runs and drives.
-[Huey] Yeah.
-[Mark] How about the '66 GOAT?
-Oh yeah.
You got a problem there. That's getting
a little lopsided on the deal now.
-Wait, but remember what you're getting.
-[Huey] Yeah.
[Shawn] And you have been looking
for a woodie for a while, so
You have the GTO
or the Bel Air Convertible.
-Well, the Bel Air runs and drives.
-You know what? The
Yeah. It's a much closer car.
If we do that,
will you throw in the Prius?
-What are you talking about?
-You have the Prius.
Wait. No, no, no.
-Let's have a deal. We got a deal.
-Wait, now. Wait!
We could have gotten
so much more value out of this deal,
but then you gotta come in
with the curve ball?
Hey, he wasn't throwing in the GTO,
so I had to improvise.
With a Prius?
[Mark] Dude, this is still the biggest
trade deal we've ever done.
We got the 85 in cash.
We got the Bel Air.
That's worth at least 12.
We got the Ford truck,
which is worth about 14 grand.
The school bus is easily worth 15,
and the Prius is even a couple grand.
We got about 130 in value right there.
What are you going to do with a Prius?
You know, you keep complaining,
I'm gonna turn that car into an Uber car.
Think how much money the shop would make
if you shuttled people to the airport.
Okay, I think we're done here for now.
-[Mark] I love the Prius.
-[Huey chuckles]
[rock music playing]
All right, look at that! A school bus!
[Tony] Is that the kind
you rode as a kid, Caveman?
-I got a new home.
-[both laugh]
-[Tony] Look at that cruiser.
-I gotta inspect the bus.
Yep, got my name all over it.
This thing is badass.
These short, old buses are my thing.
They got this cool look to 'em.
Even though it's a bus,
there's so much that this thing
can be turned into.
Mark knows I love these old buses.
He's toying with me 'cause he knew
I was gonna flip out when I saw this.
[Tony] Look at that truck. That is nice.
That Bel Air's straight.
It's got all the trim on it.
-[Constance] Yeah.
-Pizza guy's coming through.
[horn honking]
[Tony] Oh, I didn't even hear these guys
sneak up on me.
[Constance] I think
you're in the wrong parking lot.
[Tony] Hey, you lost a bet?
Is that what happened?
-Why are you smiling so much?
-No. Dude! It's a Prius.
-[Constance] I'm confused.
-Can you guys hop back in?
-'Cause I want a picture.
-[Caveman] Yeah.
This is a great collection
of Gotham Garage perfect vehicles.
-[Caveman] What runs?
-Everything but the bus.
-Oh, really?
-But the wheels go round and round.
[laughs]
We've got months' worth of work that
we're gonna make a ton of money off of.
What's up, man?
You didn't know to take this to my house?
[laughs]
[Mark] A bus like this,
restored as a hot rod,
it's an easy double-your-money,
or it's got a ton of potential
trade value baked right into it.
[Caveman grunting]
[Tony grunting]
-I love this.
-It's a nice bus.
You like my bus? [laughs]
So when I saw the bus,
I figured we'd honor Mr. Caveman
because he just got his high school
diploma a couple weeks ago.
I know, brother, you love these old buses.
-Congratulations, bro.
-Thank you.
[Shawn] Yeah, Caveman.
[Caveman] I knew Mark had a plan
up his sleeve with this bus,
but I had no idea
it was about my graduation.
From high school dropout
to high school graduate.
[all laugh]
Being young and dumb, I didn't think
a high school diploma was important.
I don't know what it was,
but it always weighed on me,
something I didn't achieve.
It only took me 33 years,
but I finally got to go back.
And let me tell you,
that made my mom so proud.
With Caveman graduating high school,
and a school bus,
I thought how good would that be
if we bring this back to the shop, and
for the first time,
we'll let him be the project manager.
-[Tony] Oh yeah?
-Wow, there's a task.
Let's see how much he's learned
and how much he's forgotten.
Hey, I just graduated high school
at 51 years old. I can do anything.
[all laugh]
The fact that Caveman got his diploma,
I know that's a very big deal for him.
It's on you to make it be on time,
on budget,
and make it look like
it came out of this shop.
But as far as the shop is concerned,
I feel that I can use this bus project
to help motivate Caveman
to step up his game.
So, first things first.
Constance,
you help Caveman with the bus.
And Caveman, your first test,
try to get this thing running.
Shawn, Tony, myself, we're gonna go grab
the Bel Air, and bring it over to Gotham.
-See ya.
-You got it, man. Good luck!
Hey, babysitter, I'm hungry.
Can I get something to eat?
-Some ice cream
-That's not how it works.
-Let's go.
-Give me some ice cream!
-Sorry, Constance.
-[Constance] Thanks.
[rock music playing]
[Tony] Man, this car's nice.
It's not all rusted, the trim's here.
[Mark] Got a pretty badass 327 in it.
[Shawn] Runs like a champ.
[Tony] And it's a roadster.
So we just polish it up.
We put a little Gotham Garage touch to it.
We're gonna put the Gotham Garage touch.
-Quick, easy money?
-It's gonna be a quickie. I like it.
[Mark] No. I picked this for a reason.
I got these two girls that I know,
that live up in the desert.
They own this Airstream boutique motel,
and they got all these '50s Airstreams.
They want a hot tub car
for their trailer park.
[Tony] A hot tub car?
They want to drive it,
you can park it by your Airstream,
-and you got a hot tub.
-Cool.
So you just order the hot tub
-Mobile hot tub.
-and it shows up.
-A mobile hot tub based on a '50s car.
-Wait a minute
'Cause it's a '50s-themed Airstream park.
This is crazy.
Since when are we in the business
of making hot tubs?
-Now. We just got in it today.
-This is freaking crazy.
Whenever Mark starts talking
directly to clients about a deal,
that's when things
tend to go off the rails.
Water and cars do not mix.
You could fry the electrical circuits,
you could flood the car.
Will the car even handle
the weight of a tub full of water?
It is impossible to predict
how much time this is gonna take,
and how much money it's gonna cost.
That's the issue.
They're even gonna film a commercial
about their Airstream motel,
and this can be in that commercial.
So we get all this exposure out of it.
Okay, you don't even know what it takes
to build a car that's gonna hold
Yeah, I do.
You're gonna go buy me a hot tub,
we'll dismantle it and reassemble it,
-and put it in the car.
-Oh. That sounds easy.
A hot tub car, to Shawn,
might seem a little ludicrous,
but that's what we do here.
That's the challenge that I like.
-But make it like a little three-seater.
-[whistles]
-A three-seater hot tub?
-Big money.
They got like 50 grand
to spend on this thing.
I have seen other hot tub cars.
Putting that kind of tonnage of water
in a car, making the bubbles work,
making the heater work,
takes a lot of engineering.
-You know a lot about hot tubs, right?
-Well, I am a specialist.
You sleep on a waterbed.
You got a head start.
This project will be super creative
and involve a lot of ingenuity.
But best of all, there will be no list
to follow and no micromanaging.
We will have full discretion
on how this car is built.
It's exactly the kind of commission build
I want to take on right now.
Tony, help me out. Please. Come on.
-I want to build the hot tub car.
-[scoffs]
And you're out. Two to one.
[Shawn] For the record,
I am very much against this build,
but we got to figure out
what it's gonna take.
-We've never done a hot tub car.
-What it's gonna take
-is the lips to stop flapping.
-No, no
And the boots to start walking
and get me a hot tub.
Give it a few minutes.
You'll warm up to the idea.
-Oh, that's funny.
-[laughs]
[Shawn] I'm out of here. A freaking
hot tub car. Are you kidding me?
[Tony and Mark laugh]
[Mark] So let's start
with ripping the seats out.
I don't know what Shawn's worried about.
He worries about everything.
As challenging as this build will be,
a '54 Bel Air,
it's the perfect vehicle
for this type of a job.
When I saw it, I was like,
"That's the car I need for this project
because I know it can take
2,000 pounds of weight."
It's big enough
to hold a ton of water for a hot tub.
The frame is strong enough
to carry the extra weight of the hot tub,
and the roof's already cut off
the damn thing.
It's already ready to go.
-[laughing] Tear down successful.
-[Tony] Done.
[Mark] Where's the fiberglass?
-[scoffs] Where's the beer?
-[both laugh]
[rock music playing]
Nice shirt.
Are you moonlighting as a gym teacher?
-[Shawn] Oh, you're funny.
-[chuckling] Yeah.
Listen, I want to talk about the bus.
I've been on the phone all morning,
and more than a couple of guys
are interested in paying
some pretty good money for this bus,
and I know we were talking about
maybe a possible trade.
If we can skip the trade
and get to the money, I'm good.
Especially right now.
Get a buyer lined up,
-and let's get it sold.
-Yeah?
Good, good. Okay. Uh, I got another
little thing I want to talk to you about.
I don't want to talk about
your little thing. [laughs]
This is serious. Listen.
I got a lot of high-end clientele
right now,
-ringing my phone off the hook.
-Yeah?
You know, 80, 90 grand deals,
and we're doing a hot tub car
for your friends?
I almost feel like we're maybe
going backwards just a little bit.
I mean, we wanted this high-end clientele,
and we jumped through hoops
and donated a freaking car.
[Mark] Sure, but there's
a little confusion on your part
as to why
we're getting the high-end clients.
I get it. You don't understand it.
I'm more about the passion of what I do
than the money that I make doing it.
You're trying to give me clients that
wanna give me a list to make something.
That's not why we did this.
I get it. Shawn can't understand
why I don't want to just be
a cookie-cutter car builder
and make a lot of money.
He still needs to understand,
as much as we all like making money here,
being creative
is more important to me than the money.
[Shawn] The problem is these guys
aren't gonna be calling me forever.
We want to take advantage
of what we got here.
I get what you're saying.
I understand your point of view.
All I'm telling you is I need more time
to figure out how do we get
from where we are to where we want to be.
I'm asking for a little bit of time.
I will come up with the right answer
that serves everybody.
-Okay, I can live with that.
-You good with that?
Good, now can we just have a little hug?
No, no, come on.
Give me a little hug before you go.
[Mark] No.
Just go grab me a hot tub, please.
[upbeat music playing]
[Caveman] Okay, let's see
if we can get this bus started.
First of all
Oh, hey, look, I can see you.
[Constance] Listen,
I can barely see in this thing.
-[Caveman] What do you want, some light?
-I need some height.
We'll take care of it
by taking the front end off.
But how about some bags for the parts?
-How about some bags for those bolts?
-I'll get bags.
Nope, nope. I'm the boss.
Ugh! This is definitely
going to your head.
Caveman is clearly
very, very excited about this bus.
[Caveman] I'm having so much fun
with this thing. [laughs]
We're so proud of him
for getting his diploma.
[grunting] Come on!
But I think that he maybe
misunderstood what Mark said
when he gave him the lead on the bus.
My bus. I'm taking it home piece by piece.
I think Caveman heard, "Caveman get bus."
Bus, mine!
And now, I think he believes
that he's building the bus to take home.
Mine, mine!
[Constance] You can't take the bus home,
Caveman.
Mark will never know.
I really feel like I just have to be
a security guard
to make sure none of the parts
exit the building.
So what do you think? Think it'll start?
-Everything's set up, you're good to go.
-Okay.
Juice her up, baby. Stand back.
[engine cranking]
That didn't sound good.
[engine cranking]
-[Caveman] Work the car, it's gonna start.
-[engine cranking]
[engine dies]
Listen, Caveman,
we have obviously internal problems
'cause nothing should be making
that clinking and clacking sound,
and black smoke's always a negative.
Okay, I have an idea.
-Remember when we did that COE?
-Yeah.
I say we find a dually with a 454,
with chassis, and we do a chassis swap.
A few years ago,
we built this badass COE truck,
and the way we built this, is Mark
had us use a chassis and the drivetrain
from a new Chevy dually.
We took the old COE cab and we put it
on a modern Chevy dually chassis.
-[Mark] There it goes.
-Whoo-hoo! Yeah!
And presto, change-oh, wow.
We have this old classic truck,
with the modern suspension,
bigger motor, power steering,
air conditioning.
I mean, no matter what, we're still gonna
need a new motor in this bus anyways,
and that'll definitely cost us
a few grand.
So we might as well spend a little bit
more money and swap out the whole chassis.
Shouldn't be too hard to find.
I think Mark will agree.
Just tell him that
It's no bueno. That means "no good".
[both laugh]
[Caveman] With the chassis swap,
I have a great plan
to turn this into a badass
Gotham Garage school bus.
Obviously, we're gonna start
with swapping out the chassis. Duh!
We'll give it a modern dually chassis
and drivetrain.
And we're gonna take that 454
Chevy motor and turn it into a monster.
We'll slap some 22-inch tires
on this thing
and drop this baby low to the ground.
On the inside,
we'll add some custom limo seats,
so you can ride in style.
When you see this thing on the street,
you'll think,
"Is this a school bus,
or is it a hot rod?"
-It's neither. It's a hot rod school bus.
-[engine revving]
-Now you're thinking, Caveman.
-[chuckles]
-It's like you're a high school graduate.
-See the light bulb?
[both laugh]
[upbeat music playing]
[Shawn] I've been around
a fair amount of hot tubs.
I guess you might call me a connoisseur.
And you don't get the distinction
of being a connoisseur of hot tubs
without taking a soak or two.
And I've had a few soaks in my time,
just the name of the game.
-You must be Caesar.
-Yes. How you doing?
-Hey, how's it going?
-Pretty good. Show you to it.
[Shawn] My job takes me
on some interesting journeys,
and trust me, I love it.
You must be Christie. How you doing?
-Nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you.
So, this is it, huh?
This is it.
But buying a used hot tub
for a '54 Bel Air
-Yo, Ray. It's Shawn, about the hot tub.
-Come on in, Shawn.
-Hey, how's it going?
-Good.
Let's just say I never thought
I'd be putting that notch on my belt.
This is it, huh?
Pretty new.
Ooh! Man, that stinks. [coughs]
What is crawling around in there?
It's free. Come on.
-What were you asking for this?
-500.
Five hundred bucks? I'm pretty much
maxed out at about a hundred bucks.
I thought you said
it was like a working hot tub.
[Ray] Yeah, it is.
All you gotta do is add water.
As much as I enjoy a quality tub,
when you're buying a used one,
it could be a bit of a crapshoot.
Oh, okay. [coughs]
I don't think
I can bring that back to the shop.
-Thanks for coming.
-Thanks.
You're finding these things
on the internet,
it could turn out great.
If you'd like,
we could take it for a test drive.
-A test drive?
-A test drive.
-If it might change your mind.
-[laughs]
Or it could turn out not so great.
I'm not one to pass up a good soak,
but I didn't bring my bathing suit, so
I don't have one either.
Okay, I really should go.
Thank you for showing me the tub.
If you change your mind,
offer's still on the table.
[Shawn] Okay. Thank you.
The good thing about the internet
is if you search long enough
Still got it.
You're gonna get what you're looking for.
-Ray, this tub actually has good bones.
-All I was gonna ask is 150.
-You told me 100 on the phone.
-Prices go up.
I got a whole bunch of calls already.
[Shawn] But we don't know how much
Mark's little hot tub hot rod
is gonna cost us,
so we got to save every penny we can.
I'll I'll tell you what, Ray, you know,
this tub has seen better days,
let me tell you.
But it's a pretty solid tub. I'll take it.
-Okay.
-[Shawn] Thanks, Ray.
I'm gonna get my truck over here
-and drag this thing out of here.
-It's all yours.
[groovy music playing]
[horn blaring]
Holy hot tubs.
Nice back-in job there, pal.
Ugh. No, you don't know the day
I've been through.
[both laugh]
Just help me unload it, will ya?
First of all, no matter what Shawn says,
I know he enjoyed
shopping for this hot tub.
You don't know how hard it is when you're
getting propositioned by some woman.
-No way.
-That's what I'm saying.
[Tony] I mean, look at the guy.
He was probably born in a hot tub.
He was at least conceived in a hot tub.
[Mark] Nice job with the tie-down,
I'm surprised it stayed on.
Hey, I got this on myself, so
[Tony] You did not get this
on here yourself.
-You want me to do it myself?
-Yeah.
-Kind of. Kind of.
-[laughing]
[Shawn] All right. I'll show you guys.
-Watch your step.
-You do it yourself Oh, I know my step.
[laughs]
-[Tony] See, I told you it was no problem.
-[Mark laughs]
And that's how you get out
of unloading a hot tub.
[Tony and Mark laugh]
-Shawn, man, good job.
-You did it.
-Finish this. I did all the heavy lifting.
-Yep.
[Shawn] Gotta do all the work around here.
[Mark] Don't know if you thinking
what I'm thinking?
-Tell Shawn he can take it home?
-[both laugh]
[Tony] I'm also thinking the jacuzzi
is a little bigger than the car.
No, it's not.
It's a lot bigger than the car.
In order to create the hot tub
in the back of this Bel Air,
we have to somehow find a way
to whittle this down
into a size and shape
that will actually fit in the hot tub car.
[Tony] Yes, sir!
That'll work.
It has to be perfect
and it has to be precise.
So it will take a lot of time
and a lot of labor
to get this thing right.
If we don't create a rock-solid tub,
the whole build will fall apart.
Water and electricity don't mix.
The hot tub has to be structurally sound.
If the tub leaks,
the failure will be catastrophic.
[Tony] There we go. That's not horrible.
[Mark] Fits like a glove.
[Tony] Fill in these cracks with
some fiberglass and we got a tub.
[rock music playing]
[Caveman] I'll go over, tap it up a bit.
-It's gonna be inch by inch.
-Yeah.
We'll make the school bus
go round and round. Here we go.
[whirring]
How we doin', Constance?
I'm doin' all right.
I talked to Mark,
and I got the chassis swap approved.
So I had Shawn go out and find us
a dually chassis for this school bus.
[horn honks]
-[Constance] That's nice.
-That looks just perfect.
Exactly what you wanted, am I right?
[Caveman] It was my first big
executive decision on this project,
and I think it's gonna work out
really well.
I'm almost clear. All right, I'm clear.
[grunting]
[Caveman] A lot of people know me
as Caveman, the fun guy. I'm a jokester.
I'm always being a smartass,
better than being a dumbass.
[Constance] Caveman, did you eat
your Wheaties this morning?
[Caveman grunting]
But I've been wrenching
30-plus years of my life,
and it's about damn time
Mark lets me do this
because I want to show Mark
that I can do this.
And I want everyone else to know
that they can count on me.
All right, we're good.
And if I do a really good job on this,
maybe Mark will give me the bus
because he knows how much I like them.
Wait, maybe it's my graduation present
from work.
Probably not, but you know
doesn't hurt to dream and wish, right?
[laughs] I believed in Santa Claus
for how long?
-That looks good. It went in good.
-Yeah.
[Caveman] Next up is the motor work.
We got a bunch of brand-new parts coming
to make the top end pretty and shiny.
[Constance] Cool.
[rock music playing]
-[Tony] Look at this hot tub.
-I believe that's the '54 Bel Air model.
-[laughs]
-It is. It's very rare.
[both laugh]
Right now, we have to turn these pieces
that used to be part of a hot tub
back into a hot tub.
This is what it's all about.
You start the morning out
with some fiberglass.
It's super important
that we seal this thing in airtight
with no cracks or holes.
-Making bubbles in the Jacuzzi.
-[Mark laughs]
[Tony] Putting a hot tub in a car
is a little bit crazy.
I need a saw-zah.
But the way I see it,
it's really similar to a lot of the other
projects that we take on here.
It's a car, it's fiberglass.
[Mark] Dude, that stinks so bad.
[Tony] If you simplify it
and play to your strengths
Waterfall.
things will go swimmingly.
[chuckles]
You wanna sand it and make it cool?
[Mark] Got your roller?
We're gonna have to go old school.
-[Tony] Look at that.
-[Mark] I tell you what.
-I think that's all sealed up.
-Yeah.
Let this dry, then we'll drop it in
and see if it holds water.
[Tony] Heck yeah.
[upbeat music playing]
[Caveman] Ooh, sparkles,
sparkles, sparkly!
[Constance] You said,
"I want shiny things."
So I got you every shiny thing I could.
This new chassis that Caveman got us
already has a great 454 motor.
You having fun yet?
[Caveman] Oh yeah, I love building.
Putting motors and building motors.
[Constance] Caveman said he wanted
a hot rod school bus,
but you really can't make a hot rod
without making it super, super tall.
So this tunnel ram intake
and dual-carb setup
is just gonna stack it so high,
it's gonna be like a birthday cake.
It's just gonna look like the coolest
hot rod bus you've ever seen.
[Caveman] Motor's looking sweet.
Now, let's get this thing prepped,
so I can have Mark paint it for us.
[Constance] Nice.
[electronic music playing]
[Mark] So, Caveman getting
his high school diploma
is not like some magic key
that unlocks his potential in this shop.
But I know
it was a big achievement for him,
and this school bus project
is sort of like the shop equivalent
of him graduating.
It proves to everyone, including himself,
that he's not just a great mechanic,
but he can handle the responsibility
of his own project.
[music continues]
[rock music playing]
[power tools whirring]
[Tony] Caveman, look at you, bro.
Nice work on this bus.
[Caveman] I am stepping up in the world.
To be honest, I am proud of myself.
I think I did a good job.
[Tony] Come up in here.
We got something for you.
[Mark] Got you a little present.
It just makes me feel better
knowing that I graduated high school.
Okay, shut your eyes, for real.
[Caveman] And taking the lead
on this project,
I mean, how it looks,
the way it came together,
this is a great sense of accomplishment.
All right, surprise.
-How do you like your bus handle?
-[Caveman] That's badass. [laughs]
[Tony] The kids hop on the bus,
and that's what they see
on the bus driver's handle.
-They know
-No one messes with that driver.
All you gotta do is say, "Sit down."
Sit down, shut up and hold on!
-Yeah.
-[Caveman] That's badass.
-Push!
-[Mark] Make the door work.
-Hop in. See how it works.
-Make the door work.
-[Constance] Yeah!
-All right, everybody ready?
-Works great, right?
-That's badass.
Thanks, guys. That's cool. [laughs]
-Nice of you guys to do that for me.
-Good job, man. Bus looks great.
So I gotta ask, um
Do I get to keep the bus
for my graduation present?
[Constance chuckling]
Absolutely not.
[music dies]
You don't get to keep the bus.
[Constance] It was a nice try, Caveman.
-[Caveman] Let's go.
-[all laugh]
Hey, man, everybody wants to keep
their first big build, but
[Caveman] Had to ask. [laughs]
Story of my life, left at the bus stop.
Fire it up, Caveman.
All right, baby. For Papa.
[engine starts]
[revving]
Yeah, baby!
All right, children, let's go!
We ain't going to school!
[bus engine revving]
["The Wheels On The Bus" playing]
[Caveman] When you grow up,
you don't know what you want to be.
You're just busy trying to be a kid.
You might be the tomboy.
You might be the tough kid.
You might be the smart kid.
You might be the pretty boy.
[horn honks]
But when you grow up,
no matter what you become,
at the end of the day,
you're just a big kid at heart.
This bus is bitchin'.
Ooh, talk about making you feel
like a kid again.
Oh!
[Caveman] We swapped out the chassis.
We gave it a 454.
Constance added
all the bells and whistles.
We slapped on some sick wheels and tires,
all chrome and shiny.
I like shiny stuff.
Mark painted it bright yellow
because, you know, it's a school bus.
[horn blares]
And the interior is super comfy.
This thing rides like a dream.
School can be really hard.
Trust me, I know.
But just like me building this bus,
if you work hard and apply yourself,
maybe one day you'll end up
building cars with your friends.
[upbeat music playing]
Ooh, yes, looking good.
-You like that, huh?
-Oh, it looks great.
Let's just hope Big D
appreciates all of this.
[Mark] How could he not?
When you see a short bus,
it puts a smile on your face.
It does. There's no doubt about that.
I had quite a few suitors for this bus,
but one guy wanted this thing really bad.
He's a buddy of mine named Big D.
He's a collector,
and he wants a crazy vehicle
that he can carry all his stuff around
from swap meet to swap meet.
And this bus
is exactly what he's looking for.
-What's happening?
-[Shawn] How's it going?
-Good. How you doing, brother?
-Good.
-Good to see you.
-This is Mark.
-Nice to meet you, I'm Mark.
-Good to meet you, brother.
[Shawn] We put an original value
of 15 grand on this bus
when we acquired it from Huey.
Between that and the cash
it took to build it,
we're into this project
for about 20 grand.
For us to make a solid profit,
we need to get at least 35 grand
out of this sale.
So hopefully Big D
brought his checkbook today.
And this is the bus
I've been telling you about.
Wow. Man.
It kind of smacks you right in the head,
doesn't it?
-Oh yeah, 454.
-Got a big 454. Yep.
Dual-carb set up with the Holleys.
Normal radiator.
The whole truck has been rewired.
We got brand-new glass.
It's got some
Gotham Garage bling on it, big 22
Nice, I like the wheel setup
with the disc brakes
and the little exhaust
coming out the side.
-Why don't you hop up inside real quick?
-Oh man.
-So we got the custom gauges.
-[Big D] Oh man. Yeah.
Everything's fabricated in the shop.
Even got the boat throttle pedal.
-Let's see what we talking about here.
-[engine starts]
-Give that thing a little rev up.
-Oh yeah.
[engine revving]
Oh yeah.
[Mark] It's kind of quiet.
When you get on it,
it gives the sound you want.
I like that.
It's got the little grip here to open
and close the door. Is that workin'?
-[Mark] Yes, it does. Everything does.
-[Big D] Oh man. I'm out of here, brother.
-[Mark] You like that, huh?
-Yeah.
Hey, just throw the suitcase
of money out the door
-[Big D] Out the door!
-and you can take it.
[Big D] I really like this.
[Shawn] This thing is all you.
You know how long we known each other.
So, how much is this $20,000 bus?
Oh, you're funny.
-I'm gonna be really easy on you
-Uh-oh.
and I'm gonna hit you at 45 grand.
-I need a chair. Hold on, let me
-Yeah. Now, I gotta hold him up, man.
That's the buddy price, and you know that.
Love it.
I don't want to leave without it.
Thirty Thirty grand. Let's do thirty.
-It's starting to warm up in here.
-That's coming up $10,000.
I'm not gonna be hard on you.
-I'm gonna come down a little bit.
-[Big D] Okay.
I'm I'm gonna come
all the way down to 39.
Yeah, come down.
I tell you what.
Okay, let's cut the chase.
Cash money, I'll go out to the truck
right now and get it.
-Let's do thirty-seven five.
-[Shawn] Now, I
-Thirty-seven five.
-I No, I I
-I'll shake his hand on that.
-Thirty-seven five.
-Thirty-seven five.
-We don't need you no more.
[Shawn] At thirty-seven five
we're walking away
with about seventeen five in profit.
That's the kind of payday
we're all looking for.
[Mark] Well done, Mr. Caveman.
Maybe you need to go back to school.
When you can learn from a caveman,
you need to go back to school.
What? You didn't make it
through junior high.
I flunked kindergarten.
I don't know how to take a nap.
[chuckles] It doesn't surprise me.
[both laugh]
[upbeat music playing]
[tolls clattering]
-What's up? Let's push this car.
-You mean this tank?
It's not a tank yet,
but it's about to be a tank of water.
[laughs]
[Mark] Now that the bus is done and sold,
it's time for all of us
to pile on the Bel Air
and get the tub installed
and take it on its maiden voyage.
[grunting]
-[Tony] Ready?
-[Mark] Yep.
[Tony] Coming down.
[Mark] Tony and I have created
a solid hot tub
that fits perfectly
in the back of the car.
Now, our hope is that
we don't have any cracks or leaks.
-[Constance] Whoo! There we go.
-Hey, look at that.
Any water in the car
is obviously no bueno,
and we need to make sure
that the suspension
Somebody wanna get a hose?
can handle the weight of the water
and has a relatively smooth ride.
But first things first, I'm gonna need
a guinea pig to go for a ride in the tub.
-I'm ready!
-[Tony laughs]
[Mark] I'm not ready for this.
Put your little toes in the pool.
[Tony] I got the water
all warmed up for you, bro.
Ooh!
You said you warmed up the water!
The bubbles aren't hooked up yet,
so if I see bubbles coming up [laughs]
You know what they say,
quicker the better.
[screaming]
-It's cold!
-[all laugh]
-It's cold!
-That's a gold one.
Let's go for a hot tub ride.
[engine starts]
-See you guys.
-You hangin' on?
-I'm hangin' on!
-[Tony] This is priceless.
[Constance] That ass is sagging.
Aw, yeah! Whoo-hoo! [laughs]
[cackles]
[engine revving]
How's the suspension
holding out on this thing?
-Rides like [bleep] dude.
-Really? Pretty nice back here.
I don't think it's liking
the amount of weight it's having to pull.
-[rattling]
-[engine revving]
[Mark] This car is so heavy now,
that it could be causing the motor
to overwork and overheat.
I don't think it's gonna make it
very much farther.
-[Caveman] Really?
-[Mark] I need to pull over right here.
-[Caveman] Yeah? Oh!
-Oh, [bleep].
[Caveman] Oh man!
[Mark] Ah, [bleep].
I think something's wrong with the motor.
[groans]
[closing theme music playing]
[whooshing]
-[calliope plays]
-[child] I want to see the show.
[engine revving]
[thrilling music playing]
[Mark] I hope your buddy Huey's got
the kind of cars you're talking about.
Well, trust me. You won't be disappointed.
This 1940 woodie was supposed to be
our big six-figure payday,
but this is a very unique build,
which requires a unique type of buyer.
And right now, the only deal
I've got going is for 85 grand in cash
and the rest in trade vehicles.
You're going to love Huey.
This guy probably has a million dollars
worth of cars and trucks,
and he's been looking for a woodie
for quite a while now.
So, I know he's been chomping at the bit.
-I got one right back there.
-There you go.
Don't worry about Huey. He's an older guy,
and you'd never guess
he's sitting on this much gold.
I hope you're right.
'Cause if he doesn't have the cars
that make this deal worth at least
120K or more,
then you're gonna put that woodie
back on the trailer yourself.
Well, it's something to look forward to.
Yeah.
I guess we're gonna find out
what he's got.
[rock music playing]
-Huey. Hey, hey, we made it.
-Hey.
-How you doing? I'm Mark.
-Good, you?
Yeah, look at it. You guys been busy!
I've been following Gotham Garage
for forever.
What Mark does, I think, is amazing.
[Shawn] There you go, straight back.
You got it.
[Huey] Holy crap. It's perfect.
Then I heard about this woodie.
So I had to see it.
If we can get a deal together
that makes Everybody's happy,
then we're gonna do it.
Let's make it happen.
I'm gonna fire it up.
[engine starts]
[revving]
[laughing]
-I figured you'd like that.
-Oh yeah. It's [laughs]
Check this out.
Got a full custom interior.
[Huey] Oh yeah, you got the stitching
in the back?
[Mark] It's got all the latches,
got power windows in the front.
-Power windows in a wooden door?
-[Mark] Yeah.
How'd you ground it? [laughs]
-Yeah, exactly. There's a wire.
-Okay.
[Mark] We did the custom running boards
that have like the surf scene.
Got big ol' 18-inch-wide tires back there,
and then up here,
got a Big-Block Chevy with about
700 horsepower. So it launches.
-[laughing]
-You're getting him all excited.
That's the point of this whole deal.
[Shawn] So, I assume we're still on
for the deal
of 85 in cash and some trade cars?
-Oh yeah.
-[Mark] All right.
I showed you mine. You show me yours.
Okay. [laughs]
[power tools whirring]
[engine revs]
[Mark] You got a lot of stuff here.
-How many vehicles you got parked here?
-[Huey] Probably 150 now.
[Shawn] So obviously,
Huey loves the Ford woodie.
That was the easy part.
Now, it all comes down to this guy.
I like the six-by-six.
Is he gonna like the vehicles
Huey's got to offer?
[Mark] This GTO right here.
This is the GOAT.
[Huey] It's got a 454 Chevy
and a four-speed in it, so
-[Mark] Yeah?
-[Shawn] I see.
Oh, look at that. Whoo!
[Huey] We had three,
we're down to one now, so
Might have to talk about
getting you down to zero GTOs.
You know what? I can see this working out.
Huey's got a lot to offer.
See all that stuff?
[Shawn] Wait, that's all it takes?
One look at a couple of rusty cars
with potential, and you're smitten?
I'm a cheap date.
You don't even have to buy me dinner.
-Just take me dumpster diving.
-[laughs]
All right, I'll take it.
[Mark] This is a cool little gem.
Caveman loves these things.
He's obsessed with these old buses.
It's actually pretty solid.
No matter what you do to it,
it's worth money.
They make really good investments
when you can find them intact.
Pretty funny,
school bus gives itself an F.
Another '56?
-Is that a tilt front end?
-It tilts, yeah.
Oh jeez. Lookit there. Dual quad setup.
Is this on the table for a trade?
Yeah, could be.
[Mark]
What's a Prius doing here with all this?
These cars are really fast
once you get 'em up to speed,
and I've always wanted to make it look,
on the outside, as fast as it really is.
We've done a smart car.
We've done an electric Pinto.
We might as well do a Prius.
I'm at the point right now,
where these stupid electric cars
I'm kind of a master
at ripping 'em all apart.
-How do you start it?
-[beeping]
I don't even know if it's on.
[Shawn] Huey, you're holding out on me.
'54 Bel Air?
-Look at the stuff you have in here.
-Hey, Shawn
that's a pretty nice little Bel Air here.
[Huey] 327, Small-Block.
Power brakes with a proportioning valve?
That's already halfway done.
[Shawn] It sure looks solid.
-[engine starts]
-Whoa!
-Yeah.
-Oh, it started right up.
[engine revving]
It's a good starter kit.
[Shawn] Why don't we head back
and see if we can work out a deal?
-So, let's talk business, okay?
-Okay.
Right off the bat,
I'm liking the '56 Ford stepside.
[Mark] I like that car.
How about the old school short bus?
You know what, I like the short bus.
The short bus, that's cool.
How about, inside the garage,
you had the '54 Bel Air.
-It runs and drives.
-[Huey] Yeah.
-[Mark] How about the '66 GOAT?
-Oh yeah.
You got a problem there. That's getting
a little lopsided on the deal now.
-Wait, but remember what you're getting.
-[Huey] Yeah.
[Shawn] And you have been looking
for a woodie for a while, so
You have the GTO
or the Bel Air Convertible.
-Well, the Bel Air runs and drives.
-You know what? The
Yeah. It's a much closer car.
If we do that,
will you throw in the Prius?
-What are you talking about?
-You have the Prius.
Wait. No, no, no.
-Let's have a deal. We got a deal.
-Wait, now. Wait!
We could have gotten
so much more value out of this deal,
but then you gotta come in
with the curve ball?
Hey, he wasn't throwing in the GTO,
so I had to improvise.
With a Prius?
[Mark] Dude, this is still the biggest
trade deal we've ever done.
We got the 85 in cash.
We got the Bel Air.
That's worth at least 12.
We got the Ford truck,
which is worth about 14 grand.
The school bus is easily worth 15,
and the Prius is even a couple grand.
We got about 130 in value right there.
What are you going to do with a Prius?
You know, you keep complaining,
I'm gonna turn that car into an Uber car.
Think how much money the shop would make
if you shuttled people to the airport.
Okay, I think we're done here for now.
-[Mark] I love the Prius.
-[Huey chuckles]
[rock music playing]
All right, look at that! A school bus!
[Tony] Is that the kind
you rode as a kid, Caveman?
-I got a new home.
-[both laugh]
-[Tony] Look at that cruiser.
-I gotta inspect the bus.
Yep, got my name all over it.
This thing is badass.
These short, old buses are my thing.
They got this cool look to 'em.
Even though it's a bus,
there's so much that this thing
can be turned into.
Mark knows I love these old buses.
He's toying with me 'cause he knew
I was gonna flip out when I saw this.
[Tony] Look at that truck. That is nice.
That Bel Air's straight.
It's got all the trim on it.
-[Constance] Yeah.
-Pizza guy's coming through.
[horn honking]
[Tony] Oh, I didn't even hear these guys
sneak up on me.
[Constance] I think
you're in the wrong parking lot.
[Tony] Hey, you lost a bet?
Is that what happened?
-Why are you smiling so much?
-No. Dude! It's a Prius.
-[Constance] I'm confused.
-Can you guys hop back in?
-'Cause I want a picture.
-[Caveman] Yeah.
This is a great collection
of Gotham Garage perfect vehicles.
-[Caveman] What runs?
-Everything but the bus.
-Oh, really?
-But the wheels go round and round.
[laughs]
We've got months' worth of work that
we're gonna make a ton of money off of.
What's up, man?
You didn't know to take this to my house?
[laughs]
[Mark] A bus like this,
restored as a hot rod,
it's an easy double-your-money,
or it's got a ton of potential
trade value baked right into it.
[Caveman grunting]
[Tony grunting]
-I love this.
-It's a nice bus.
You like my bus? [laughs]
So when I saw the bus,
I figured we'd honor Mr. Caveman
because he just got his high school
diploma a couple weeks ago.
I know, brother, you love these old buses.
-Congratulations, bro.
-Thank you.
[Shawn] Yeah, Caveman.
[Caveman] I knew Mark had a plan
up his sleeve with this bus,
but I had no idea
it was about my graduation.
From high school dropout
to high school graduate.
[all laugh]
Being young and dumb, I didn't think
a high school diploma was important.
I don't know what it was,
but it always weighed on me,
something I didn't achieve.
It only took me 33 years,
but I finally got to go back.
And let me tell you,
that made my mom so proud.
With Caveman graduating high school,
and a school bus,
I thought how good would that be
if we bring this back to the shop, and
for the first time,
we'll let him be the project manager.
-[Tony] Oh yeah?
-Wow, there's a task.
Let's see how much he's learned
and how much he's forgotten.
Hey, I just graduated high school
at 51 years old. I can do anything.
[all laugh]
The fact that Caveman got his diploma,
I know that's a very big deal for him.
It's on you to make it be on time,
on budget,
and make it look like
it came out of this shop.
But as far as the shop is concerned,
I feel that I can use this bus project
to help motivate Caveman
to step up his game.
So, first things first.
Constance,
you help Caveman with the bus.
And Caveman, your first test,
try to get this thing running.
Shawn, Tony, myself, we're gonna go grab
the Bel Air, and bring it over to Gotham.
-See ya.
-You got it, man. Good luck!
Hey, babysitter, I'm hungry.
Can I get something to eat?
-Some ice cream
-That's not how it works.
-Let's go.
-Give me some ice cream!
-Sorry, Constance.
-[Constance] Thanks.
[rock music playing]
[Tony] Man, this car's nice.
It's not all rusted, the trim's here.
[Mark] Got a pretty badass 327 in it.
[Shawn] Runs like a champ.
[Tony] And it's a roadster.
So we just polish it up.
We put a little Gotham Garage touch to it.
We're gonna put the Gotham Garage touch.
-Quick, easy money?
-It's gonna be a quickie. I like it.
[Mark] No. I picked this for a reason.
I got these two girls that I know,
that live up in the desert.
They own this Airstream boutique motel,
and they got all these '50s Airstreams.
They want a hot tub car
for their trailer park.
[Tony] A hot tub car?
They want to drive it,
you can park it by your Airstream,
-and you got a hot tub.
-Cool.
So you just order the hot tub
-Mobile hot tub.
-and it shows up.
-A mobile hot tub based on a '50s car.
-Wait a minute
'Cause it's a '50s-themed Airstream park.
This is crazy.
Since when are we in the business
of making hot tubs?
-Now. We just got in it today.
-This is freaking crazy.
Whenever Mark starts talking
directly to clients about a deal,
that's when things
tend to go off the rails.
Water and cars do not mix.
You could fry the electrical circuits,
you could flood the car.
Will the car even handle
the weight of a tub full of water?
It is impossible to predict
how much time this is gonna take,
and how much money it's gonna cost.
That's the issue.
They're even gonna film a commercial
about their Airstream motel,
and this can be in that commercial.
So we get all this exposure out of it.
Okay, you don't even know what it takes
to build a car that's gonna hold
Yeah, I do.
You're gonna go buy me a hot tub,
we'll dismantle it and reassemble it,
-and put it in the car.
-Oh. That sounds easy.
A hot tub car, to Shawn,
might seem a little ludicrous,
but that's what we do here.
That's the challenge that I like.
-But make it like a little three-seater.
-[whistles]
-A three-seater hot tub?
-Big money.
They got like 50 grand
to spend on this thing.
I have seen other hot tub cars.
Putting that kind of tonnage of water
in a car, making the bubbles work,
making the heater work,
takes a lot of engineering.
-You know a lot about hot tubs, right?
-Well, I am a specialist.
You sleep on a waterbed.
You got a head start.
This project will be super creative
and involve a lot of ingenuity.
But best of all, there will be no list
to follow and no micromanaging.
We will have full discretion
on how this car is built.
It's exactly the kind of commission build
I want to take on right now.
Tony, help me out. Please. Come on.
-I want to build the hot tub car.
-[scoffs]
And you're out. Two to one.
[Shawn] For the record,
I am very much against this build,
but we got to figure out
what it's gonna take.
-We've never done a hot tub car.
-What it's gonna take
-is the lips to stop flapping.
-No, no
And the boots to start walking
and get me a hot tub.
Give it a few minutes.
You'll warm up to the idea.
-Oh, that's funny.
-[laughs]
[Shawn] I'm out of here. A freaking
hot tub car. Are you kidding me?
[Tony and Mark laugh]
[Mark] So let's start
with ripping the seats out.
I don't know what Shawn's worried about.
He worries about everything.
As challenging as this build will be,
a '54 Bel Air,
it's the perfect vehicle
for this type of a job.
When I saw it, I was like,
"That's the car I need for this project
because I know it can take
2,000 pounds of weight."
It's big enough
to hold a ton of water for a hot tub.
The frame is strong enough
to carry the extra weight of the hot tub,
and the roof's already cut off
the damn thing.
It's already ready to go.
-[laughing] Tear down successful.
-[Tony] Done.
[Mark] Where's the fiberglass?
-[scoffs] Where's the beer?
-[both laugh]
[rock music playing]
Nice shirt.
Are you moonlighting as a gym teacher?
-[Shawn] Oh, you're funny.
-[chuckling] Yeah.
Listen, I want to talk about the bus.
I've been on the phone all morning,
and more than a couple of guys
are interested in paying
some pretty good money for this bus,
and I know we were talking about
maybe a possible trade.
If we can skip the trade
and get to the money, I'm good.
Especially right now.
Get a buyer lined up,
-and let's get it sold.
-Yeah?
Good, good. Okay. Uh, I got another
little thing I want to talk to you about.
I don't want to talk about
your little thing. [laughs]
This is serious. Listen.
I got a lot of high-end clientele
right now,
-ringing my phone off the hook.
-Yeah?
You know, 80, 90 grand deals,
and we're doing a hot tub car
for your friends?
I almost feel like we're maybe
going backwards just a little bit.
I mean, we wanted this high-end clientele,
and we jumped through hoops
and donated a freaking car.
[Mark] Sure, but there's
a little confusion on your part
as to why
we're getting the high-end clients.
I get it. You don't understand it.
I'm more about the passion of what I do
than the money that I make doing it.
You're trying to give me clients that
wanna give me a list to make something.
That's not why we did this.
I get it. Shawn can't understand
why I don't want to just be
a cookie-cutter car builder
and make a lot of money.
He still needs to understand,
as much as we all like making money here,
being creative
is more important to me than the money.
[Shawn] The problem is these guys
aren't gonna be calling me forever.
We want to take advantage
of what we got here.
I get what you're saying.
I understand your point of view.
All I'm telling you is I need more time
to figure out how do we get
from where we are to where we want to be.
I'm asking for a little bit of time.
I will come up with the right answer
that serves everybody.
-Okay, I can live with that.
-You good with that?
Good, now can we just have a little hug?
No, no, come on.
Give me a little hug before you go.
[Mark] No.
Just go grab me a hot tub, please.
[upbeat music playing]
[Caveman] Okay, let's see
if we can get this bus started.
First of all
Oh, hey, look, I can see you.
[Constance] Listen,
I can barely see in this thing.
-[Caveman] What do you want, some light?
-I need some height.
We'll take care of it
by taking the front end off.
But how about some bags for the parts?
-How about some bags for those bolts?
-I'll get bags.
Nope, nope. I'm the boss.
Ugh! This is definitely
going to your head.
Caveman is clearly
very, very excited about this bus.
[Caveman] I'm having so much fun
with this thing. [laughs]
We're so proud of him
for getting his diploma.
[grunting] Come on!
But I think that he maybe
misunderstood what Mark said
when he gave him the lead on the bus.
My bus. I'm taking it home piece by piece.
I think Caveman heard, "Caveman get bus."
Bus, mine!
And now, I think he believes
that he's building the bus to take home.
Mine, mine!
[Constance] You can't take the bus home,
Caveman.
Mark will never know.
I really feel like I just have to be
a security guard
to make sure none of the parts
exit the building.
So what do you think? Think it'll start?
-Everything's set up, you're good to go.
-Okay.
Juice her up, baby. Stand back.
[engine cranking]
That didn't sound good.
[engine cranking]
-[Caveman] Work the car, it's gonna start.
-[engine cranking]
[engine dies]
Listen, Caveman,
we have obviously internal problems
'cause nothing should be making
that clinking and clacking sound,
and black smoke's always a negative.
Okay, I have an idea.
-Remember when we did that COE?
-Yeah.
I say we find a dually with a 454,
with chassis, and we do a chassis swap.
A few years ago,
we built this badass COE truck,
and the way we built this, is Mark
had us use a chassis and the drivetrain
from a new Chevy dually.
We took the old COE cab and we put it
on a modern Chevy dually chassis.
-[Mark] There it goes.
-Whoo-hoo! Yeah!
And presto, change-oh, wow.
We have this old classic truck,
with the modern suspension,
bigger motor, power steering,
air conditioning.
I mean, no matter what, we're still gonna
need a new motor in this bus anyways,
and that'll definitely cost us
a few grand.
So we might as well spend a little bit
more money and swap out the whole chassis.
Shouldn't be too hard to find.
I think Mark will agree.
Just tell him that
It's no bueno. That means "no good".
[both laugh]
[Caveman] With the chassis swap,
I have a great plan
to turn this into a badass
Gotham Garage school bus.
Obviously, we're gonna start
with swapping out the chassis. Duh!
We'll give it a modern dually chassis
and drivetrain.
And we're gonna take that 454
Chevy motor and turn it into a monster.
We'll slap some 22-inch tires
on this thing
and drop this baby low to the ground.
On the inside,
we'll add some custom limo seats,
so you can ride in style.
When you see this thing on the street,
you'll think,
"Is this a school bus,
or is it a hot rod?"
-It's neither. It's a hot rod school bus.
-[engine revving]
-Now you're thinking, Caveman.
-[chuckles]
-It's like you're a high school graduate.
-See the light bulb?
[both laugh]
[upbeat music playing]
[Shawn] I've been around
a fair amount of hot tubs.
I guess you might call me a connoisseur.
And you don't get the distinction
of being a connoisseur of hot tubs
without taking a soak or two.
And I've had a few soaks in my time,
just the name of the game.
-You must be Caesar.
-Yes. How you doing?
-Hey, how's it going?
-Pretty good. Show you to it.
[Shawn] My job takes me
on some interesting journeys,
and trust me, I love it.
You must be Christie. How you doing?
-Nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you.
So, this is it, huh?
This is it.
But buying a used hot tub
for a '54 Bel Air
-Yo, Ray. It's Shawn, about the hot tub.
-Come on in, Shawn.
-Hey, how's it going?
-Good.
Let's just say I never thought
I'd be putting that notch on my belt.
This is it, huh?
Pretty new.
Ooh! Man, that stinks. [coughs]
What is crawling around in there?
It's free. Come on.
-What were you asking for this?
-500.
Five hundred bucks? I'm pretty much
maxed out at about a hundred bucks.
I thought you said
it was like a working hot tub.
[Ray] Yeah, it is.
All you gotta do is add water.
As much as I enjoy a quality tub,
when you're buying a used one,
it could be a bit of a crapshoot.
Oh, okay. [coughs]
I don't think
I can bring that back to the shop.
-Thanks for coming.
-Thanks.
You're finding these things
on the internet,
it could turn out great.
If you'd like,
we could take it for a test drive.
-A test drive?
-A test drive.
-If it might change your mind.
-[laughs]
Or it could turn out not so great.
I'm not one to pass up a good soak,
but I didn't bring my bathing suit, so
I don't have one either.
Okay, I really should go.
Thank you for showing me the tub.
If you change your mind,
offer's still on the table.
[Shawn] Okay. Thank you.
The good thing about the internet
is if you search long enough
Still got it.
You're gonna get what you're looking for.
-Ray, this tub actually has good bones.
-All I was gonna ask is 150.
-You told me 100 on the phone.
-Prices go up.
I got a whole bunch of calls already.
[Shawn] But we don't know how much
Mark's little hot tub hot rod
is gonna cost us,
so we got to save every penny we can.
I'll I'll tell you what, Ray, you know,
this tub has seen better days,
let me tell you.
But it's a pretty solid tub. I'll take it.
-Okay.
-[Shawn] Thanks, Ray.
I'm gonna get my truck over here
-and drag this thing out of here.
-It's all yours.
[groovy music playing]
[horn blaring]
Holy hot tubs.
Nice back-in job there, pal.
Ugh. No, you don't know the day
I've been through.
[both laugh]
Just help me unload it, will ya?
First of all, no matter what Shawn says,
I know he enjoyed
shopping for this hot tub.
You don't know how hard it is when you're
getting propositioned by some woman.
-No way.
-That's what I'm saying.
[Tony] I mean, look at the guy.
He was probably born in a hot tub.
He was at least conceived in a hot tub.
[Mark] Nice job with the tie-down,
I'm surprised it stayed on.
Hey, I got this on myself, so
[Tony] You did not get this
on here yourself.
-You want me to do it myself?
-Yeah.
-Kind of. Kind of.
-[laughing]
[Shawn] All right. I'll show you guys.
-Watch your step.
-You do it yourself Oh, I know my step.
[laughs]
-[Tony] See, I told you it was no problem.
-[Mark laughs]
And that's how you get out
of unloading a hot tub.
[Tony and Mark laugh]
-Shawn, man, good job.
-You did it.
-Finish this. I did all the heavy lifting.
-Yep.
[Shawn] Gotta do all the work around here.
[Mark] Don't know if you thinking
what I'm thinking?
-Tell Shawn he can take it home?
-[both laugh]
[Tony] I'm also thinking the jacuzzi
is a little bigger than the car.
No, it's not.
It's a lot bigger than the car.
In order to create the hot tub
in the back of this Bel Air,
we have to somehow find a way
to whittle this down
into a size and shape
that will actually fit in the hot tub car.
[Tony] Yes, sir!
That'll work.
It has to be perfect
and it has to be precise.
So it will take a lot of time
and a lot of labor
to get this thing right.
If we don't create a rock-solid tub,
the whole build will fall apart.
Water and electricity don't mix.
The hot tub has to be structurally sound.
If the tub leaks,
the failure will be catastrophic.
[Tony] There we go. That's not horrible.
[Mark] Fits like a glove.
[Tony] Fill in these cracks with
some fiberglass and we got a tub.
[rock music playing]
[Caveman] I'll go over, tap it up a bit.
-It's gonna be inch by inch.
-Yeah.
We'll make the school bus
go round and round. Here we go.
[whirring]
How we doin', Constance?
I'm doin' all right.
I talked to Mark,
and I got the chassis swap approved.
So I had Shawn go out and find us
a dually chassis for this school bus.
[horn honks]
-[Constance] That's nice.
-That looks just perfect.
Exactly what you wanted, am I right?
[Caveman] It was my first big
executive decision on this project,
and I think it's gonna work out
really well.
I'm almost clear. All right, I'm clear.
[grunting]
[Caveman] A lot of people know me
as Caveman, the fun guy. I'm a jokester.
I'm always being a smartass,
better than being a dumbass.
[Constance] Caveman, did you eat
your Wheaties this morning?
[Caveman grunting]
But I've been wrenching
30-plus years of my life,
and it's about damn time
Mark lets me do this
because I want to show Mark
that I can do this.
And I want everyone else to know
that they can count on me.
All right, we're good.
And if I do a really good job on this,
maybe Mark will give me the bus
because he knows how much I like them.
Wait, maybe it's my graduation present
from work.
Probably not, but you know
doesn't hurt to dream and wish, right?
[laughs] I believed in Santa Claus
for how long?
-That looks good. It went in good.
-Yeah.
[Caveman] Next up is the motor work.
We got a bunch of brand-new parts coming
to make the top end pretty and shiny.
[Constance] Cool.
[rock music playing]
-[Tony] Look at this hot tub.
-I believe that's the '54 Bel Air model.
-[laughs]
-It is. It's very rare.
[both laugh]
Right now, we have to turn these pieces
that used to be part of a hot tub
back into a hot tub.
This is what it's all about.
You start the morning out
with some fiberglass.
It's super important
that we seal this thing in airtight
with no cracks or holes.
-Making bubbles in the Jacuzzi.
-[Mark laughs]
[Tony] Putting a hot tub in a car
is a little bit crazy.
I need a saw-zah.
But the way I see it,
it's really similar to a lot of the other
projects that we take on here.
It's a car, it's fiberglass.
[Mark] Dude, that stinks so bad.
[Tony] If you simplify it
and play to your strengths
Waterfall.
things will go swimmingly.
[chuckles]
You wanna sand it and make it cool?
[Mark] Got your roller?
We're gonna have to go old school.
-[Tony] Look at that.
-[Mark] I tell you what.
-I think that's all sealed up.
-Yeah.
Let this dry, then we'll drop it in
and see if it holds water.
[Tony] Heck yeah.
[upbeat music playing]
[Caveman] Ooh, sparkles,
sparkles, sparkly!
[Constance] You said,
"I want shiny things."
So I got you every shiny thing I could.
This new chassis that Caveman got us
already has a great 454 motor.
You having fun yet?
[Caveman] Oh yeah, I love building.
Putting motors and building motors.
[Constance] Caveman said he wanted
a hot rod school bus,
but you really can't make a hot rod
without making it super, super tall.
So this tunnel ram intake
and dual-carb setup
is just gonna stack it so high,
it's gonna be like a birthday cake.
It's just gonna look like the coolest
hot rod bus you've ever seen.
[Caveman] Motor's looking sweet.
Now, let's get this thing prepped,
so I can have Mark paint it for us.
[Constance] Nice.
[electronic music playing]
[Mark] So, Caveman getting
his high school diploma
is not like some magic key
that unlocks his potential in this shop.
But I know
it was a big achievement for him,
and this school bus project
is sort of like the shop equivalent
of him graduating.
It proves to everyone, including himself,
that he's not just a great mechanic,
but he can handle the responsibility
of his own project.
[music continues]
[rock music playing]
[power tools whirring]
[Tony] Caveman, look at you, bro.
Nice work on this bus.
[Caveman] I am stepping up in the world.
To be honest, I am proud of myself.
I think I did a good job.
[Tony] Come up in here.
We got something for you.
[Mark] Got you a little present.
It just makes me feel better
knowing that I graduated high school.
Okay, shut your eyes, for real.
[Caveman] And taking the lead
on this project,
I mean, how it looks,
the way it came together,
this is a great sense of accomplishment.
All right, surprise.
-How do you like your bus handle?
-[Caveman] That's badass. [laughs]
[Tony] The kids hop on the bus,
and that's what they see
on the bus driver's handle.
-They know
-No one messes with that driver.
All you gotta do is say, "Sit down."
Sit down, shut up and hold on!
-Yeah.
-[Caveman] That's badass.
-Push!
-[Mark] Make the door work.
-Hop in. See how it works.
-Make the door work.
-[Constance] Yeah!
-All right, everybody ready?
-Works great, right?
-That's badass.
Thanks, guys. That's cool. [laughs]
-Nice of you guys to do that for me.
-Good job, man. Bus looks great.
So I gotta ask, um
Do I get to keep the bus
for my graduation present?
[Constance chuckling]
Absolutely not.
[music dies]
You don't get to keep the bus.
[Constance] It was a nice try, Caveman.
-[Caveman] Let's go.
-[all laugh]
Hey, man, everybody wants to keep
their first big build, but
[Caveman] Had to ask. [laughs]
Story of my life, left at the bus stop.
Fire it up, Caveman.
All right, baby. For Papa.
[engine starts]
[revving]
Yeah, baby!
All right, children, let's go!
We ain't going to school!
[bus engine revving]
["The Wheels On The Bus" playing]
[Caveman] When you grow up,
you don't know what you want to be.
You're just busy trying to be a kid.
You might be the tomboy.
You might be the tough kid.
You might be the smart kid.
You might be the pretty boy.
[horn honks]
But when you grow up,
no matter what you become,
at the end of the day,
you're just a big kid at heart.
This bus is bitchin'.
Ooh, talk about making you feel
like a kid again.
Oh!
[Caveman] We swapped out the chassis.
We gave it a 454.
Constance added
all the bells and whistles.
We slapped on some sick wheels and tires,
all chrome and shiny.
I like shiny stuff.
Mark painted it bright yellow
because, you know, it's a school bus.
[horn blares]
And the interior is super comfy.
This thing rides like a dream.
School can be really hard.
Trust me, I know.
But just like me building this bus,
if you work hard and apply yourself,
maybe one day you'll end up
building cars with your friends.
[upbeat music playing]
Ooh, yes, looking good.
-You like that, huh?
-Oh, it looks great.
Let's just hope Big D
appreciates all of this.
[Mark] How could he not?
When you see a short bus,
it puts a smile on your face.
It does. There's no doubt about that.
I had quite a few suitors for this bus,
but one guy wanted this thing really bad.
He's a buddy of mine named Big D.
He's a collector,
and he wants a crazy vehicle
that he can carry all his stuff around
from swap meet to swap meet.
And this bus
is exactly what he's looking for.
-What's happening?
-[Shawn] How's it going?
-Good. How you doing, brother?
-Good.
-Good to see you.
-This is Mark.
-Nice to meet you, I'm Mark.
-Good to meet you, brother.
[Shawn] We put an original value
of 15 grand on this bus
when we acquired it from Huey.
Between that and the cash
it took to build it,
we're into this project
for about 20 grand.
For us to make a solid profit,
we need to get at least 35 grand
out of this sale.
So hopefully Big D
brought his checkbook today.
And this is the bus
I've been telling you about.
Wow. Man.
It kind of smacks you right in the head,
doesn't it?
-Oh yeah, 454.
-Got a big 454. Yep.
Dual-carb set up with the Holleys.
Normal radiator.
The whole truck has been rewired.
We got brand-new glass.
It's got some
Gotham Garage bling on it, big 22
Nice, I like the wheel setup
with the disc brakes
and the little exhaust
coming out the side.
-Why don't you hop up inside real quick?
-Oh man.
-So we got the custom gauges.
-[Big D] Oh man. Yeah.
Everything's fabricated in the shop.
Even got the boat throttle pedal.
-Let's see what we talking about here.
-[engine starts]
-Give that thing a little rev up.
-Oh yeah.
[engine revving]
Oh yeah.
[Mark] It's kind of quiet.
When you get on it,
it gives the sound you want.
I like that.
It's got the little grip here to open
and close the door. Is that workin'?
-[Mark] Yes, it does. Everything does.
-[Big D] Oh man. I'm out of here, brother.
-[Mark] You like that, huh?
-Yeah.
Hey, just throw the suitcase
of money out the door
-[Big D] Out the door!
-and you can take it.
[Big D] I really like this.
[Shawn] This thing is all you.
You know how long we known each other.
So, how much is this $20,000 bus?
Oh, you're funny.
-I'm gonna be really easy on you
-Uh-oh.
and I'm gonna hit you at 45 grand.
-I need a chair. Hold on, let me
-Yeah. Now, I gotta hold him up, man.
That's the buddy price, and you know that.
Love it.
I don't want to leave without it.
Thirty Thirty grand. Let's do thirty.
-It's starting to warm up in here.
-That's coming up $10,000.
I'm not gonna be hard on you.
-I'm gonna come down a little bit.
-[Big D] Okay.
I'm I'm gonna come
all the way down to 39.
Yeah, come down.
I tell you what.
Okay, let's cut the chase.
Cash money, I'll go out to the truck
right now and get it.
-Let's do thirty-seven five.
-[Shawn] Now, I
-Thirty-seven five.
-I No, I I
-I'll shake his hand on that.
-Thirty-seven five.
-Thirty-seven five.
-We don't need you no more.
[Shawn] At thirty-seven five
we're walking away
with about seventeen five in profit.
That's the kind of payday
we're all looking for.
[Mark] Well done, Mr. Caveman.
Maybe you need to go back to school.
When you can learn from a caveman,
you need to go back to school.
What? You didn't make it
through junior high.
I flunked kindergarten.
I don't know how to take a nap.
[chuckles] It doesn't surprise me.
[both laugh]
[upbeat music playing]
[tolls clattering]
-What's up? Let's push this car.
-You mean this tank?
It's not a tank yet,
but it's about to be a tank of water.
[laughs]
[Mark] Now that the bus is done and sold,
it's time for all of us
to pile on the Bel Air
and get the tub installed
and take it on its maiden voyage.
[grunting]
-[Tony] Ready?
-[Mark] Yep.
[Tony] Coming down.
[Mark] Tony and I have created
a solid hot tub
that fits perfectly
in the back of the car.
Now, our hope is that
we don't have any cracks or leaks.
-[Constance] Whoo! There we go.
-Hey, look at that.
Any water in the car
is obviously no bueno,
and we need to make sure
that the suspension
Somebody wanna get a hose?
can handle the weight of the water
and has a relatively smooth ride.
But first things first, I'm gonna need
a guinea pig to go for a ride in the tub.
-I'm ready!
-[Tony laughs]
[Mark] I'm not ready for this.
Put your little toes in the pool.
[Tony] I got the water
all warmed up for you, bro.
Ooh!
You said you warmed up the water!
The bubbles aren't hooked up yet,
so if I see bubbles coming up [laughs]
You know what they say,
quicker the better.
[screaming]
-It's cold!
-[all laugh]
-It's cold!
-That's a gold one.
Let's go for a hot tub ride.
[engine starts]
-See you guys.
-You hangin' on?
-I'm hangin' on!
-[Tony] This is priceless.
[Constance] That ass is sagging.
Aw, yeah! Whoo-hoo! [laughs]
[cackles]
[engine revving]
How's the suspension
holding out on this thing?
-Rides like [bleep] dude.
-Really? Pretty nice back here.
I don't think it's liking
the amount of weight it's having to pull.
-[rattling]
-[engine revving]
[Mark] This car is so heavy now,
that it could be causing the motor
to overwork and overheat.
I don't think it's gonna make it
very much farther.
-[Caveman] Really?
-[Mark] I need to pull over right here.
-[Caveman] Yeah? Oh!
-Oh, [bleep].
[Caveman] Oh man!
[Mark] Ah, [bleep].
I think something's wrong with the motor.
[groans]
[closing theme music playing]
[whooshing]
-[calliope plays]
-[child] I want to see the show.