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Freiburger Dusts off the Roadkill Garage Duster
David Freiburger is a stalwart defender of footwear of questionable safety and muscle cars that might give you tetanus. The latter is what keeps us coming back to his YouTube channel. His latest video features his 1971 Plymouth Duster, which was previously showcased on Roadkill Garage. The Red Duster started life with a slant-six and a three-on-the-tree, about as far from muscle car powerplant as you could get. Freiburger and his Roadkill Garage co-host Steve Dulcich swapped in a 5.9-liter Magnum V-8, a four-speed manual, and an 8-3/4 rear axle, but it was still quite rough around the edges. In Freiburger’s latest video, he addresses some of those issues.
This video is a great example of Freiburger’s “don’t get it right, just get it running” mantra, as he improves the Duster in small ways with little more than elbow grease, hose clamps, spray paint, and a few well-chosen parts that prove to be well worth the investment. Well, that and a hammer. Like most of Freiburger’s videos, it’s peppered with interesting facts about Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley, which serves as the backdrop for most of the video before he heads north to take in some historic sights in California’s Central Valley.
Frieburger’s final stop in the refreshed Duster is a visit with Dulcich and some reflection on past Roadkill Garage builds. Hopefully, this video inspires some viewers to make some progress on their projects. If anything, it reinforces that it’s more fun to cruise a beater muscle car than to daydream about the numbers-matching Hemi ‘Cuda that has become unobtanium.
This is more about survival.
Dave has lost tge print media and now television as they both have turned their back on the auto culture.
I hope Dave finds web success and just keeps the content running as we auto fans are still here and still want out media and media folks.
The former hosts have wisely been guest-appearing and crossing over their channels which is building traffic and subs.
Mike Finnegan just passed 1 million subs.
Derek Bieri’s channel was big before his foray into “Roadworthy Rescues”.
Mike Cotton and Lucky Costa I actually find their channel content more interesting than the shows they did.
Steve Dulcich was working with Wiley Stevens as “Shifted” and the production values were top notch most of the time, but that has reverted to “Dulcich’s Garage” and he is doing a Dart build with his daughter which is good content.
One people might not think to look up is Dave Chappelle (Dirthead Dave) his channel is The Dirthead Shed and has a great range of content that is very relatable. Meanwhile he is a very skilled fabricator, but just ultra chill.
If you watch Freiburger’s videos about where the Roadkill and Roadkill garage cars went you’ll get breadcrumbed to many other channels and instragram posters.
Some of the connections have ended up at Hagerty in the past few years. The article writer Brandan Gillogly was a Hot Rod staffer with several of them way back in the day (Hot Rod magazine being a main root of the Motortrend TV universe).
Oh I know the web is growing for this stuff but I wish they would still find a place on TV where us car guys can just turn the channel and get it all in one place to just binge.
There were some well produced shows with good budgets and on the web it is good but you can tell the money is lacking on many.
The VinWiki with Ed Bolian has created a platform for a number of web casters and opened the door to the Kansas Web Casters with the Car Wizard Hoovies Garage, Euro Asian Bob and others that are joining forces.
It all started simple but they are all joining forces and appear on each others pods.
If you have not seen Ed’s Vin Wiki Take a look the story telling there is classic bench racing. I got to meet Ed last fall and some of the folk he has featured.
They were here in Ohio for a Cannon Ball Run fest. It was a blast and Eds story is one that any car guy needs to watch and learn from. He was not from rich means but has turned his love for cars into a well paying deal.
Ed also is smart on how he buys things and has the connections to make it all work. I also like how he shares his faith and is not ashamed of it.
I can just put on Vin Wiki and the pod cast are just story after story I can wrench by in the garage.
This guy single handedly is responsible for the demise of Motor Trend network, formerly Velocity. Obviously sold the non-automotive execs at Discovery because he had a few thousand YouTube followers that the car hobby was centered on people building absolutely crap. Needless to say, he was wrong, and now the MT network is dying a slow, painful death. The majority of the car hobby are interested in beautiful restored cars, fast exotic cars, collector car auctions, concours d’elegance shows, etc. Not a bunch of builds of garbage by hackers with a reciprocating saw, put together in rather questionable ways. Many of the builds of Freiburger and his buddies were done with little or no respect for safety – dangerous when inspiring others to use “zip ties” in lieu of actual fasteners. I’m glad MT network dumped him, Bieri and all of those people building garbage, but I’m afraid it’s too late to save the network.
OOOOOOH… Haters, gonna HATE.
I guess no one can enjoy themselves or the cars that they own unless they do it in the way Jonny approves. How do we contact you to confirm if our build meets your rigorous standards?
Let people live their lives. If Roadkill isn’t for you, don’t watch it. But you can’t deny the impact that show has had on younger enthusiasts–whether you like it or not.
And you’ve done exactly what in your hobby life?….
Freiburger’s “facts” aren’t always accurate, which would lead the uninformed neophyte automotive enthusiast down an incorrect path. Hey, Dave, try actually reading a GM factory shop manual and see where the distributor rotor is supposed to be on a Chevy V8. Hint: it isn’t pointing at number 1 cylinder. And bashing on factory suspension on stock vehicles and calling it “garbage” is kind of pointless. If it’s stock, it will do what the factory intended for it to do, which in no circumstances included rock climbing or clutch-dump burnouts.
Just sayin’…
Love the show