," David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich take a 1970 Dodge Challenger—a car that was once a mundane dirt-track racer—and transform it into a "Mad Max-style" off-road machine. Episode Highlights
: At the time of this episode, the car ran a 318ci Mopar engine . While later episodes saw it upgraded to a 360ci small-block V8 from a parts truck, this specific outing focused on its original low-buck setup.
Before landing in the Roadkill Garage , the Challenger was complete but heavily weathered, having spent years sitting idle. It was powered by a low-compression, 318-cubic-inch small-block Mopar V8 that produced a meager estimated 140 horsepower in its original state. Despite its lack of straight-line speed, its rugged, stripped-down state made it the perfect canvas for an extreme budget transformation. The Build: Cutting Up an E-Body
Season 2, Episode 4 of Roadkill Garage , , is essential viewing for any automotive enthusiast. It perfectly encapsulates everything fans love about the show: wild creativity, fearless wrenching, and a deep respect for the joy of driving, no matter how unconventional the machine. It’s a glorious monument to doing the wrong thing the right way, and it remains one of the most memorable episodes in the series' history. roadkill garage s02e04 the off road challenger
Unsurprisingly, the desert terrain quickly began to take its toll on the hastily built machine. The suspension groaned under the impact of hidden ruts, the cooling system struggled against the heat and dust, and the lack of a proper underbody skid plate meant every rock strike echoed loudly through the hollow cabin. Yet, despite the mechanical punishment, the Challenger kept pushing forward, proving that vintage American iron is incredibly resilient. Why This Episode Resonates with Fans
Back in their garage, Eric and Sam begin the build process. They start by installing the lift kit, which raises the Challenger's suspension by several inches. They then fit the larger tires, which require modifications to the fenders and wheel wells. The team also installs a more aggressive suspension system, complete with stiffer springs and shocks.
The foundation for this build is the infamous 1970 Dodge Challenger dubbed the "Orc." Originally, Freiburger and Dulcich rescued the car from a dirt-cheap state—purchasing the rolling shell for just $300 after it had spent decades rotting away in a yard. It had originally been powered by a wheezing, blown-up 318ci engine that threw a rod right through the water jacket. ," David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich take a
The revival episode then puts the resurrected Off‑Road Challenger to the test in a mud drag race against the hosts’ blown small‑block, Chevy‑powered Jeep CJ‑5, proving that the car’s legacy is one of resilience and relentless thrashing.
In Roadkill Garage Season 2, Episode 4, titled "," David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich take a 1970 Dodge Challenger dirt-track car—previously featured in Roadkill episodes 54 and 56—and transform it into a "Mad Max"-style desert basher. The Build & Modification
However, this is Roadkill , so things don’t go entirely according to plan. The off-road environment puts immense stress on the vintage unibody structure and drivetrain. The episode highlights the fragility of modifying old cars for new purposes, as the team deals with the inevitable mechanical gremlins that arise when you take a street car off the pavement. Before landing in the Roadkill Garage , the
: This car is also known as the "Vanishing Paint" Challenger, a project that would reappear in later seasons for further revival and racing.
If you want to dive deeper into this specific build, let me know:
The car had previously appeared on the main Roadkill series (Episodes 54 and 56), where Freiburger and Mike Finnegan thrashed it at a swap meet and famously slow-drag-raced it at Roadkill Nights in Pontiac, Michigan. Recognizing that the car was too slow for the drag strip but too structurally compromised to ever be a show car, Freiburger and Dulcich decided it was the perfect guinea pig for a radical cross-genre metamorphosis on Roadkill Garage . The Build: Hacking Sheet Metal and Fitting 33s
The episode’s magic is in the garage fabrication. With Dulcich’s welding skills and Freiburger’s junkyard-parts-bin memory, they set about creating a monster.
When you think of a 1970 Dodge Challenger, you likely picture a pristine, gleaming piece of Detroit muscle that commands six figures at auction. But on Roadkill Garage Season 2, Episode 4 ("The Off-Road Challenger"), hosts David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich take that classic muscle car silhouette and turn it into a high-riding, dirt-slinging monster. This episode stands out as one of the most delightfully unhinged builds in the Roadkill universe, taking the beloved, iconic E-body Mopar and modifying it into a dedicated, rough-and-tumble mud-basher. The Car: Rescuing the "Orc"