Horsepower TV and "Trucks!" used to be (probably still are) shot in a relatively small shop in Madison, TN at RTM Productions. I was their FedEx Ground driver and used to deliver their parts, and sometimes Stacy David would walk me through the shop to see what they were all working on.
As far as anyone who was there before 2005 when I bought a different route, Stacy was by far the best fabricator/builder there, and a super nice guy to boot. Sometimes he'd make fun of the Horsepower TV guys for faking dyno results and doing other stupid stuff.
Remember the green 2nd generation Barracuda they did a few years back? Stacy knows I'm a Mopar guy, so he took me in to see it. He says "Can you believe this? They're taking out the big-block to put a smallblock in it! Leave that big honker in there!" Then he showed me how the front wheels didn't fit..."they might look OK, but check this out", he said, then he turned the steering wheel and the tire hit the fender. "Stupid".
Chuck, the big Indian guy....now, he had some pretty stout Chevelles and knew his way around a garage. Not a builder like Stacy, but at least I got the feeling he could put one together and tune it right...but the little guy, I think his name was Mike...he's just a local Nashille TV personality who does little local shows on travel and stuff, there was absolutely no gearhead in him at all! I had to laugh when I'd see the show, all he ever did was what they told him to do!
The parts I brought them for both shows were always shipped from the manufacturer, and they got them in exchange for showing them being installed on TV.
But Stacy's stuff on TRUCKS! were the real deal. He personally cut 'em up, rebuilt them, and everything worked perfectly when they were finished. Many of them were his own personal trucks, including the old Powerwagon; which I got to see from the day he drug it in right up until he finished it, took it out, and brutally abused it!
GMC brought a big prototype pickup down there one year and the transport driver cut one of the huge tires while unloading it. No problem, except the tires were one-off pieces made just for the truck. Stacy had to shoot all the scenes on one side of the truck first, then swap the unmatched wheel/tire to the other side to shoot the other side of the truck. Mad him mad!
But some of the Horsepower TV cars; at least back then; were just put together, then they'd take the pictures, strap it on the dyno; and just show the dyno readings from an angle where you couldn't see which car was on it. Just like the green Barracuda that wasn't even driveable, it was all for show.
I haven't watched it for a few years, it may all be different now. But back then TRUCKS! was real and Horsepower TV was...not so much.
If they are still at the same shop, I'll have to take MY green Barracuda by there when it's done, and give them a 575HP/600ft.lbs. burnout with a 440 built RIGHT!!
