Ep 24. Feel the Heat

In American Restoration season 2 episode 24 titled "Feel the Heat," viewers are taken on another ride into the world of vintage restoration as they watch Rick Dale and his team of experts bring back to life a 1950s gas pump and a 1970s Sno-Cat snowmobile.

The episode starts with the arrival of a 1950s gas pump that is in dire need of restoration. The pump comes from a collector who purchased it from an old gas station that was going out of business. The pump is rusted and has many parts missing, making it a challenging restoration project. Rick and his team take on the challenge and start disassembling the pump to assess the damage and what needs to be replaced. They quickly find out that it's going to take a lot of work and custom-made parts to restore the pump to its former glory.

As the team works on restoring the gas pump, they also take on a 1970s Sno-Cat snowmobile that has been sitting in storage for over 20 years. The owner wants it to be restored so he can use it for snowmobiling in the mountains. The Sno-Cat is brought into the shop, and the team starts working on disassembling it to assess the damage and what needs to be replaced. They find that many parts are rusted and corroded, and there is a significant amount of damage to the track.

The team makes a plan to restore the Sno-Cat to its original condition. They start with sanding and painting the body, replacing all the rusted and damaged parts with new ones, rebuilding the engine, and repairing the track. The restoration of the Sno-Cat takes a significant amount of time and effort, but the team is determined to get it done before the snow season starts.

As the team works on both the gas pump and the Sno-Cat, they encounter several challenges. For the gas pump, they need to fabricate custom-made parts that are no longer available in the market. They also have to sandblast and paint the pump to give it a fresh new look. For the Sno-Cat, they have trouble sourcing some of the needed parts and materials, causing a delay in the restoration process. Additionally, they have to deal with a pesky problem that they often face during restoration projects - parts that are stuck or corroded and won't come off easily.

Despite these challenges, the team is determined to restore both the gas pump and the Sno-Cat to their original condition. The restoration process is filled with surprises, setbacks, and successes, and viewers get to watch as Rick and his team work their magic to transform old, rusty, and broken-down machines into beautiful and functional vintage treasures.

In the end, both the gas pump and the Sno-Cat are restored to their former glory, with the gas pump looking like it just came off the showroom floor and the Sno-Cat ready to tackle the slopes. The owners are thrilled with the results and grateful to Rick and his team for bringing their vintage machines back to life. The episode ends with Rick and his team reflecting on the challenges and successes of the restoration process, knowing that they have helped preserve a piece of history for future generations to enjoy.