Up Close with Freiburger and Finnegan at Roadkill Nights

David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan are anything but your average car guys....

Roadkill Nights Interview with Dave Freiburger and Mike Finnegan
Roadkill Nights Interview with Dave Freiburger and Mike Finnegan

Mad Scientist Garage and Busted Classic Garage caught up with Finnegan and Freiburger a few feet from the drag racing on Woodward Ave at Roadkill Nights 2019, and they delivered on exclusive spoilers for future Roadkill episodes, off-beat Q & A, and insights into the warped minds of America’s hooptie heroes.

The guys dropped a bombshell on an upcoming Roadkill project car with 8 doors, a little known fact about the Richard Rawlings crash from Roadkill Nights 2018, and explained just how hastily Dave’s F-Bomb Camaro was cloned for Fast and Furious.

Mike and Dave also ventured into the weird and interesting with land pirates, choice materials for homemade bushings, hub caps made out of re-bar, B-rated car movies, buying a famous Monte Carlo, and plans for building a freeway jumping Fall Guy truck…

The Interview…

Roadkill Nights 2019 ~ Finnegan and Freiburger Interview Questions and Answers

Q: Land Pirates Attack. What Roadkill vehicle do you take into battle and what’s blaring on the stereo?

Mike: Blasphemi, it’ll get away quickly and then break. I’d be listening to Marshall Tucker Band, Every day I Have the Blues, it’s really long (so the world can end longer) and has the greatest guitar solo ever.

Mike Finnegans 900 HP Blasphemi
Mike Finnegans 900 HP Blasphemi

Dave: Harry Tow, the F350 tow truck, because it’s virtually unkillable and AC/DC’s Back in Black.

Roadkill's Harry Tow Truck
Roadkill's Harry Tow Truck

Q: After Area 51 gets raided, which Roadkill vehicle do you hover convert (keeping in mind it will probably break)?

Mike/Dave: We bought a Chrysler Airport car for a future episode of Roadkill. It’s a run-down pile of crap sitting in the woods, but at least we could take all of our friends.

Before shuttles were as popular, Chrysler had 8 door limousines coach-built as people movers. We don’t know what the guys have in store, but it has enough seating for a crossover episode with Dirt Everyday or Bitchin Rides like Freiburger keeps hinting at.

Q: Is it a good idea to make your own bushings out of Gorilla tape?

Dave: Where’d you get that idea? Absolutely. Skateboard wheels also work well.

Q: Favorite Car Movies that aren’t Vanishing Point or Smokey and the Bandit?

Mike: Wraith, Cannonball Run, and Six Pack starring Kenny Rodgers.

Dave: Burnout (1979), Dirty Mary/Crazy Larry, and for general car stuff old school Adam 12.

Q: Can you confirm a rumor the Dodge Hell rides this year are just Richard Rawlings at regular speed?

Dave: People don’t realize he not only hit the wall on the dragstrip, but he also doubled down and hit the wall on the skidpad, but that wasn’t on video.

Mike later attempted to reenact the crash in General Mayhem

Q: What do you think of newer car movies like the Fast and Furious franchise or Hit and Run?

Dave: I don’t like the CGI movies, I’m a fan of the 70’s movies where the action is actual stunt driving. One of the movie replicas of my F-Bomb Camaro CGI’ed into Fast and Furious 4 was so rough the builders actually caved in the quarter panels with sledgehammers and welded new ones over the top.

David Freiburger's Twin-Turbo 1973 "F-Bomb" Camaro
David Freiburger’s Twin-Turbo 1973 “F-Bomb” Camaro

Q: Favorite car mod that doesn’t improve drivability?

Mike: Swangers. Swangers are where you permanently mount a spinner a foot out from the crappy steel wheels on your Camry using construction re-bar. Remember the reservoir race car in Grease that has Ben-Hur spikes pop out of it? They’re a permanent version of that. I’m not doing it, but I like it.

Swangers
Swangers
'49 Mercury convertible from Grease
’49 Mercury convertible from Grease

Dave: Stereo. We never have a working one on Roadkill, so it’s a luxury in my personal cars.

Q: You have Two-Lane Blacktop and Vanishing Point cars already, what’s another iconic car you want to build?

Dave: I actually have the opportunity to buy the Monte Carlo hero car from the Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, a friend of mine builds the cars for those movies. It’s no Nascarlo, which could make a return, but it would be a fun addition.

Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift Monte Carlo
Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift Monte Carlo

Mike: I wouldn’t mind Lee Major’s square body truck from the Fall Guy. Something about a long bed truck with 12 shocks jumping the freeway has an appeal to it.

There’s one of those trucks at Dulcich’s place right now the guys could build. Given Mike’s tendency for overkill and Dave’s love of anything 4×4, we take it as a pretty good chance you’ll see them launch a square body Chevy into the atmosphere on Roadkill soon.

1982 GMC K-2500 Sierra Grande Wideside Truck
Fall Guy Truck ~ 1982 GMC K-2500 Sierra Grande Wideside

Full Length, Uncut Interview