: This car, later nicknamed "Vanishing Paint," became a recurring project, eventually receiving a 360 engine and further drivetrain upgrades in later seasons. Where to Watch You can find this episode on various streaming platforms: HBO Max Tubi Apple TV Discovery+
The guys famously used it to perform chaotic "Brodies" (donuts) in open fields.
In this episode, hosts David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich take a break from their usual budget drag racing builds to tackle the mud and dirt. The objective is to transform a derelict 1970 Dodge Challenger—known as the "Disgustang" due to a previous license plate typo—into a capable off-road wheeler. The episode serves as a testament to the "Roadkill" ethos of building cars on a near-zero budget using only spare parts, sweat, and ingenuity.
The build is famous for its "ratty" aesthetic, complete with a garden-fence grille and oversized tires designed for desert bashing. The Test: Desert Bashing & Sandstorms roadkill garage s02e04 the off road challenger
: To accommodate giant off-road rubber, Freiburger and Dulcich used hammers and cutting tools to clear out the sheet metal, a move that would make any purist cringe.
Roadkill Garage is famous for taking vehicles that should probably be in a scrapyard and turning them into high-octane, somewhat functional monstrosities. In Season 2, Episode 4, titled "The Off-Road Challenger," David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich take this philosophy to the extreme. They take a perfectly salvageable—though beat-up—1970 Dodge Challenger, hack it to pieces, and turn it into a high-clearance, sand-ripping desert beast.
Long before it became the , this particular 1970 Dodge Challenger had a long history of neglect and abuse. It was originally saved from a farm in Oregon as a completely stripped, beat-up dirt track race car. Freiburger and Mike Finnegan initially bought it, hooned it on drag strips, and even ran it at Roadkill Nights with a tunnel-ram intake perched on top of a bone-stock, low-compression Mopar 318 V-8. : This car, later nicknamed "Vanishing Paint," became
: The storm's sand and rocks severely damaged the 318 engine, causing what Freiburger called an "end-of-life experience" for the motor. The car ended up sitting for two years following this episode before being revived in later seasons. Where to Watch You can find this episode on streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video Amazon.com follow-up episode where they finally revive the Off-Road Challenger's engine?
: The guys hack away the sheet metal of the classic E-body to clear space for massive off-road tires.
Without the time or budget to build a complex, long-travel custom suspension system, Freiburger and Dulcich relied on the ultimate shade-tree mechanic solution: . 1. The Sawzall Massacre The objective is to transform a derelict 1970
By following this guide, you'll be well on your way to creating your own off-road challenger, just like the one featured in Roadkill Garage Season 2 Episode 4. Happy building!
: Tackle sand dunes, rock fields, and open desert terrain. The Build: Relentless Cutting and Wrenching