We’re fans of Roadkill, Hot Rod Garage, Roadkill Garage (yes, one of us is buying someone at TEN a snack a month) and all of the fun that they have. But we know that there are days that you don’t want the over-the-top stuff…and did we ever hear the kickback over the destruction of a couple of cars they are responsible for. The thing is, for all that you see on an episode of Roadkill or Hot Rod Garage, there is at least five times the work going on in the background that you won’t see. And for many of you, it’s that work…specifically, the craftsmanship and details…that you really want to see. You could give a rat’s less about a Craigslist Mustang with a Jeep parked on top of it, but seeing what it takes to fabricate up a part that is functional and doesn’t look like ass is a common request.
We should probably explain what you are seeing: yes, Mike Finnegan is doing his own YouTube videos. It does not mean that he’s fallen out with Freiburger, or that he’s been replaced, or that he’s quit Roadkill. All of that is speculation, which smells oddly like great fertilizer. The only change up is that there is another series of videos that has Finnegan working out of his unbelievable house/garage area in Georgia. We’ve been watching the first few episodes, and it isn’t like there is a learning curve. Mike has been doing work for years and has been doing videos for just a little less time. He’s got everything down pat, but if you’re looking for bombastic stunts and kludge repairs, look elsewhere. This is the fourth video, where he takes the Ramp Truck, Roadkill’s 1973 Chevrolet crew cab, and rips out the nearly destroyed wood floor of the ramp for a new wood floor, courtesy of the local hardware store. It’s only kind-of kludged, and Mike is clear as to why that is. If you’re looking to be entertained with flashy stuff, this ain’t for you. If you want to see things taken apart and put together with some intelligence and just enough production value, here you go.
I don’t think McSquatch has anything to worry about from a freelance Finnegan. Though, he does lay wood pretty well.
As temporary often becomes permanent…ACQ and MCQ treated lumber will damage uncoated steel and eat through steel fasteners in weeks. Using SS fasteners was good but some type of insulating tape on the cross members would have been better. Good job Mike.
Pretty good, normal guy, no nonsense show about doing stuff. Keep it up!
Didn’t know Finnegan was making his own videos. He talks like the ramp truck is his now, or maybe always has been, or the Roadkill fleet is being parted out. Probably explains why the shows that aren’t Dodge commercials look like they are just going through the motions. Must have a contract to run out.
He bought it from HRM last month and drove it from LA to Georgia.
1) never put the wood in tight – it will swell then warp
2) as said above, no pressure treat
3) use dedicated trailer screws – they make a self-tapping, star drive screw that doesn’t require any drilling at all
4) tongue and groove lasted for 40 years – why is he worried about it failing again? simply use thompson seal and it will outlast him and his kid
5) don’t get rid of that winch, to replace it’s $2,500 – it’s a Ramsey professional winch. If you don’t like the cord, then retrofit wireless….
6) strap is good – though as long as the car isn’t in gear, those suspension points are more than strong enough to pull the car onto the truck.
7) hauling a truck with a truck…. I think he’d be well beyond the GVWR if he loaded a 6000 lb truck onto that car hauler….
Uhmm, yeah, I think I’ll give that twenty minutes of my day to someone who already knows what they’re doing a little better.
No longer interested in these jerks.
and on Next Week’s big audience participation Show, Huck Finn gets Becky Thatcher to paint the fence. Your job in the hot rod audience is to watch the paint dry. . .
Stay Tuned
Is THIS how low the hobby has sank to ? Pitiful, shameful .and embarrassing.
calm down….nobody forced you to watch it.
Man, I thought the Finnegan videos were really enjoyable.
Everyone is always out to rip down the other guy – don’t use this, don’t do that, you did that wrong.
Give me a break.
You either find it entertaining or you don’t.
If you don’t, then don’t watch.
Meanwhile, I’m enjoying more Finnegan in my video-watching routine.