American Hot Rod takes a close up view of one of the world's most celebrated hot rod builders – the legendary Boyd Coddington. Follow Boyd and his team – Roy, the shop supervisor; Charley, the lead fabricator; and Duane, who oversees each rod's internals – for all of the drama, comedy and tension as they conceive and construct some of the finest classic cruisers.

Junkyard Dog 1
In this first episode, watch as Boyd and his crew attempt to resurrect a forgotten classic – a scruffy, 1956 Chevy two-door that has definitely seen better days. Boyd's team salvages this junkyard dog from the pound and tries to teach the old Chevy some new tricks. But, integrating classic hot rod looks with 21st century automotive technology isn't as easy as it sounds.

Junkyard Dog 2
Three weeks into the project, Boyd's team finds itself running several days behind an already tight schedule. Problems arise when the doors won't fit properly on the body – just one of the things you have to deal with when you're building a motorized mutt from assorted scrapheap parts. But after some after-hours hammering sessions, the boys manage to tame their junkyard dog…that is, until a snafu with the gas tank nearly blows up in their faces.

Junkyard Dog 3
With most of the major bodywork completed, the team moves on to the next phase – giving this dog a shiny, new coat. Six layers of Boyd Coddington's custom Boyd Red later, things seem to be right on schedule. But when the boys discover that the specially made motor doesn't quite fit in the front end, the team is forced to come up with a quick fix to save this pooch from the pound.

Junkyard Dog 4
It's do-or-die time as the Junkyard Dog enters the home stretch in the race toward the Las Vegas auto show. As Boyd's team puts the pedal to the metal to finish all of the glasswork and electrical wiring in time for the car's trip to the upholsterer, everything seems to be going as planned – until Boyd discovers that the car won't run. But after an all-night session under the hood, the problem's fixed, and this dog is ready to be labeled "Best in Show."