The Build & Battle projects in the second round of Hoonigan’s war of the builders contest are finally past the teardown stage and are shaping up to be good. The goal is to get Brad’s Chevrolet S-10 and John’s Mazda RX-7 on the ground and close to ignition. From the Mazda’s rear axle build and the bit of hack-work needed to fit the shifter for the FC-generation’s powertrain setup to the S-10’s engine torque chains and rear suspension geometry, the hammering, grinding, welding and excuse-making are all still in full effect. Our money is still sitting on Brad’s S-10 being the victor in this deal…an LS-swapped S-10 is a proven setup that should hook and book regardless of how hacked-together it is. But the Vargas brothers know how to make a Dorito-powered engine make stupid power, so the truth is that this competition is still too close to call. But one factor that will be an issue will be the budget: the Vargas brothers are looking pretty good money-wise. Brad, on the other hand…he may be hurting very, very soon. Keep placing your bets on these two!