The diesel-powered Toyota Hilux is one of the most indestructible vehicles on the planet. This 1974 Hilux that David Newbern is loaning to Mike Finnegan and David Freiburger is not. But the Roadkill crew was invited to participate in Cleetus McFarland’s 2.4 Hours of LeMullets at the Freedom Factory, and they didn’t have a car to drive to Bradenton, Florida, so why not take this small-block-Chevy-swapped mini-truck?
David Newbern picked up the brick-red Hilux from the $3k Hooptie Challenge, where it was a capable little truck. It had an LS bolted to a Turbo 350 going to a Ford 8.8 with 3.73s, a spool and slapper bars, but Finnegan and Newbern pulled that engine to put into Newbern’s Attempted Murder Nova for episode 111 when they Zoom-raced Tony Angelo. Since then, Newbern has replaced the LS with a Chevy small-block, but appearances are always deceiving on Roadkill.
The interior of the Hilux is clean: The windows roll up all the way, the seats still have upholstery, and the carpet looks to be fully intact. So this Toyota mini-pickup is way too good for Finnegan and Freiburger. It’s even worse on the outside and under the hood; no rust, attractive patina, and a small-block Chevy on Roadkill that doesn’t leak a single fluid? Newbern, you do understand this is Roadkill and your sweet little Toyota will not come back in the same condition as you loaned it out in, right?
But not all is as it seems. The engine Newbern dropped in isn’t the happiest. It’s got some rocker tick and burns oil. A lot of oil. And the No. 7 exhaust rocker wasn’t even seated on the pushrod. The guys burned through 4 quarts of oil in only the first 30 miles of the 500-mile trip to Cleetus’ personal racetrack.
The road trip isn’t the focus of this episode. We mentioned that Cleetus McFarland is hosting an event, the 2.4 Hours of LeMullets—what is that? How’s 42 automotive-influencer drivers racing 21 Crown Victoria Police Interceptors, all with a nitrous bottle plumbed in and ready to rock, sound? For 2.4 hours straight. On the private playground of the YouTube burnout king. This is a spectacle that must be seen, because words simply cannot do it justice. One more question, can the Hilux do a burnout? Only one way to find out: watch exclusively on the MotorTrend App!
Photos by MotorTrend.
