Plot Synopsis

VEGAS RAT RODS is a one-hour reality series that follows auto-pro Steve Darnell and his team at Las Vegas' Welder Up, as they build rat rods out of hidden treasure for their quirky customers. An expert picker, Darnell finds hidden treasure buried in junkyards, farmers' fields and swap meets, and then his team uses creativity and imagination to make each rat rod represent the person it's being made for. Each 60-minute episode features a different build, including a 1931 Ford Model A that's converted into a salt flats racing machine for a hot-rod lover from California. Steve's masterpieces have been featured in many national publications such as: "Hot Rod Magazine," "Diesel Power Magazine," "Diesel World Magazine," "Diesel Tech Magazine," "Rat Rod Magazine," and many more. The Welder Up team includes: Barber Dave, Darnell's cousin and Las Vegas native, who is at his barber shop in Southern Utah when he's not in Vegas; Dan, Darnell's life-long mentor and motor specialist, who brings 30 years of technical expertise to the team; Justin, Darnell's former brother-in-law and protege, who can design and build the suspension and chassis for any vehicle; Kyle, an expert in chassis and sheet metal fabrication, lives in St. George, UT, where he owns Night Shift Kustoms; Mackay, a jack of all trades from Montana, who does everything from welding to heavy lifting, while always pushing Darnell to the edge with his antics; Travis, the resident artist, who is on hand to bring Darnell's ambitious ideas to life; Twiggy, a tatooed wonder-kid from Toronto, who is a recent automotive student, leaving city life behind to apprentice with Darnell; and Dave (aka The Money Guy), who is the newest member of Darnell's team. Discovery aired the U.S. premiere of this series on Monday, May 19, 2014 at 10pm ET/PT. On Monday, October 19, 2015 at 10pm ET/PT, Discovery premiered the second season of VEGAS RAT RODS, and earlier in the day, the cable channel aired a four-hour marathon (10am-2pm) of encore episodes from Season 1. Big changes are in store for the new season, including more car action than ever before. In addition to Welderup expanding into a new and improved car shop, Darnell and his crew take on bigger and badder builds for new clients with even more eccentric needs. But no challenge is too big for Darnell and his team. In each episode, the Welderup team not only has to meet the high expectations of their clients, but also build the vehicle in less than 10 days. As Welderup continues to grow, family becomes more important than ever to Darnell and the team. As the crew settles into its new home, for the first time, Darnell's two teenage sons Chase and Kash are given responsibilities at the shop and the opportunity to learn the business from their father. Additionally, a new crew member joins the Welderup team this season. With 25 years of car experience under his belt, Grant makes the big move from small-town Canada to prove himself in the Las Vegas big leagues. Together with Darnell and returning crew members Dan, Travis, Dave, Justin and Twiggy, Welderup pulls out all the stops to bring ambitious ideas to life and create the most impressive and extraordinary rat rods in Sin City. Season 2 opens with "Wagon Rod," as the Welderup crew transforms a '57 Chevy Wagon from a grocery grabber into one nasty ride. This Jekyll and Hyde creation aims to be badass to the eye, but comfortable enough for a weekend adventure. VEGAS RAT RODS returned with new episodes on Monday, July 25, 2016 at 10pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel. In the season opener, "Chevy Blaster," the Welderup boys build a Vegas themed Speedster for a client looking to cruise the Strip. Steve hunts down rare casino memorabilia to incorporate in the build including slot machine parts and poker chips. Season 3 of VEGAS RAT RODS premiered on Monday, April 24, 2017 at 10pm ET/PT on Discovery. Steve and his band of rust-loving rebels are back for a new season and determined to prove that their unconventional style produces the sickest rides on the planet. Whether it's resurrecting a 1930's-era Model A that needs to tackle any terrain, restoring a rusted tractor trailer to its former glory or taking a shiny classic American Muscle Car and ratting it out into an off-road monster, Steve can mad-max his way to realizing every client's dream. After a whirlwind build, Steve takes these rat-rod monsters for a spin, unveiling the finished masterpieces with outstanding cinematic visuals that celebrate the detail and craft that hallmark each Welderup build. In the season opener, "Freakshow on Wheels," an enthusiastic cowboy is looking for a rat rod to lift the spirits of his small town. Steve quickly lands on the idea of making a death defying carnival ride on wheels. But will this rolling house of horrors bring joy to anyone but Steve?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Monday, October 1, 2018 at 10pm ET/PT, Discovery premiered the fourth season of VEGAS RAT RODS. Sin City's resident rat rod crew at Welder Up is back and ready to turn up the torque on some of the biggest - and baddest - rat rods yet. Transforming forgotten cars into Mad Max-style works of art, motor mastermind Steve Darnell and his band of builders are fueled by passion and determined to exceed expectations on every build. The team at Welder Up gets creative turning pre-war junk and desert relics into one-of-a-kind cars while pushing their skills to the limit. A car rebel with a cause, Steve seeks to create meaningful art in every car he builds and he has the right crew - Justin Kramer, Travis Deeter, Dave Lefler and Merlon Johnson to help him bring his wildest rat rod ideas to life. This season, Steve's sons Chase and Kash join VEGAS RAT RODS to follow their father's footsteps and broaden their welding and fabricating skills. Although they're the youngest team members at Welder Up, they're two welding sons of guns looking to keep rat rods around for generations to come. While Steve and the crew build some of the most outrageous rat rods, rebuilding some classic American Muscle cars on the side is never a bad idea. Bigger wheels? Badder engines? More horsepower? No matter what the build, the answer is always yes at Welder Up. Steve leads the team to resurrect and create the very best rat rods - each with their own story and for the first build this season, the crew honors the blood, sweat and tears of the American iron workers who shaped the nation by creating an iron worker-themed rat rod that is a work truck by day and a mountain-climbing beast by night. Exploring old ghost towns and searching through junkyards to find parts infused with iron-worker history, Steve incorporates every detail to make his vision become a rat rod reality. From junkyard relics to outrageous rat rods - there's no room for games at Welder Up. The only sure bet in making a true Vegas rat rod is skill and dedication. In the season opener, "Steve Darneval," the crew transforms a 1958 Chevy Apache into a bad-ass Vintage Dirt Bike Hauler; Steve jumps at the chance to bring Evel Knievel's Formula 1 Dragster back to life.