Roadkill Season 2 Episode 11 Rat Rod Custom 1950 Mercury Rescue!

In episode 11 of Roadkill season 2, titled "Rat Rod Custom 1950 Mercury Rescue!", co-hosts Mike Finnegan and David Freiburger embark on a rescue mission to save a 1950 Mercury coupe from a junkyard in California before it's crushed. The vintage car is in poor condition, with rusted body panels and a missing engine, but Mike and David see potential in turning it into a "rat rod" - a home-built custom vehicle made mostly from salvaged parts.

With limited time and resources, Mike and David must quickly brainstorm a plan to transport the car from the junkyard to their shop outside of Los Angeles. After negotiating with the junkyard owner, they are able to buy the car for a reasonable price and get it loaded onto their trailer. En route back to their shop, they stop at a car show in Bakersfield where they find an old-school hot rod engine for sale that they think will be perfect for the Mercury.

Once back at the shop, the real work begins. Mike and David enlist the help of their friend Steve Dulcich, a seasoned mechanic and hot-rod builder, to help them with the project. Together, they begin the process of stripping the car down to its bare bones, removing all of the rusted panels and prepping the frame for new parts.

One of the biggest challenges with this project is the fact that they are building a rat rod - a style that emphasizes function over form, and often utilizes unconventional methods to achieve a certain look. Mike and David decide to use an old grain silo as the basis for the car's body, which they cut and welded to fit the Mercury frame. They then add other salvaged parts, such as a tractor exhaust pipe and a bumper from a 1970s Lincoln Continental, to complete the look.

Throughout the build, there are plenty of setbacks and challenges that require creative problem-solving. At one point, they discover that the car's rear-end is too narrow for the new wheels they've chosen, so they have to fashion their own custom spacers out of steel blocks. They also encounter issues with the car's transmission and clutch, which require some fine-tuning to get right.

Despite these challenges, the team is able to get the car up and running in time for a local car show. The end result is a beautifully imperfect rat rod that turns heads wherever it goes. In typical Roadkill fashion, the project is a testament to the power of creativity, resourcefulness, and a willingness to take risks in pursuit of a vision.