Time and again we hear people say things like “kids these days just aren’t into cars like we were back in ours.”
Well, in some ways, that’s very true, they aren’t in the same way people were back in the day…but they are in their own way.
Sure, ridesharing apps and public transportation have made it easy for young people to get around without a license, and we won’t get into the financial challenges they’re facing in terms of vehicle ownership. We’ll just say, it isn’t as economically viable as it once was…but that doesn’t mean they don’t have the drive to customize and showcase their individuality when they do finally get a set of wheels.
Barriers to entry aside, young people are most certainly still into cars, it’s just not in the same way that people used to be and that’s Okay – change is inevitable. With the advent of things like Instagram, Facebook, and the rest of social media, tastes have changed. And, so too has technology. Automotive technology specifically – now we have more horsepower than ever, more variety to choose from, and an ever-growing amount of awesome cars. So, if Little Timmy likes Hondas instead of Chevys, that’s all right.
Because, as Jimmy page once wrote, “The song remains the same.” Seriously though, we recently came across a couple of guys who exemplify that spirit like no other. No, we aren’t talking about Mark and his merry band of pranksters on Graveyard Cars. You know, that automotive reality show where the crew restores vintage Chrysler muscle cars, and not only are the cars wrecked, they are usually beyond repair. Well, we aren’t talking about them…although, that is a great show, and we recommend checking it out.
Meet The Goonzquad
But, this time, we are actually talking about the Goonzquad. It’s a pair of brothers from Tennessee who have made a huge splash on YouTube by simply restoring wrecked cars on their rural property. The dynamic duo has amassed over 2-million followers on YouTube alone, and their videos consistently garner thousands of views.
It seems as though they source the wrecked vehicles from any number of auction houses likely Copart or the like. They proceed to put these things back together from varying levels of damage, showing a considerable amount of skill in the auto salvage trade, parts sourcing from dealerships, and of course, the required cutting, welding, grinding, painting, and mechanical work. They’ve restored everything from a Ferrari to a Ford raptor, hellcats, and now their latest endeavors include a ’67 Camaro, and a new Dodge Ram TRX.
We’d like to explore some of their most notable builds. The two have an eye for flair and know how to restore things back to the way they were without bastardizing the original concept from the OE manufacturer.
2014 Dodge Viper TA
The first vehicle we’d like to have a look at is there a Dodge Viper build series. There are over 32 episodes on their YouTube channel dedicated to the Viper build, with the playlist being titled “Rebuilding A Wrecked 2014 Dodge Viper TA.” The Goonzsquad started with, as the title indicates, a wrecked 2014 Dodge Viper TA, and asks the question, “Can we fix this one of a kind totaled out Dodge Viper TA? This 2014 Track Attack edition car is 33 of the 93 ever made. With parts being so limited we will try to salvage as much as possible. We are very excited to share this build with you guys and take you along the journey!”
By the end of the series, the two had transformed the once-totaled supercar back to its hellraising glory. The final episode in the series was captioned as such, “We didn’t think this beast could get any better! After sitting for a couple of months we have realized what we have been missing out on. This rare 2014 Dodge Viper TA is an absolute animal and we can’t wait to rip it on the streets and the track. We have been waiting on this moment forever and here it is!”
You can tell the two brothers have a real passion not only from their demeanor in the videos they make, but in their interactions with fans of the channel and the captions they use to promote their content.
1967 Chevrolet Camaro
As we stated before, most recently they’ve been working on a 1967 Camaro. So if the exotic stuff doesn’t get your blood pumping, check out their ode to American muscle.
The pair start with a wrecked 1967 Camaro that had taken a nasty hit to the passenger side. On the plus side, the Goonz knew they could repair it and with an LSA under the hood, their ’67 was definitely worth saving. The brothers launched the 24 part project video series with a fantastic intro.
“Our first classic car! This has been something a lot of you guys requested for the longest time and now it is finally time! We have been looking for the perfect wrecked classic and we finally found one! A 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS that was built to the teeth and that came to a very unfortunate end! However, this is not the end of this car! We are going to bring it back to life and it’ll be better than ever!”
As the Camaro series draws to a close, it’s plain to see, the Goonz successfully worked their magic and brought the first-gen Camaro back to life. And the electric blue paint they chose works perfectly on the curves of the old Chevy. For now, they’ve capped off their ’67 Camaro series to this point by saying, “This thing is looking sick! We finally got the motor in for good and this thing sits just right! We are super excited to see things come together so smoothly and before you know it, well be firing this thing up! We got so many epic plans for this beast and we can’t wait to share the entire journey with you guys.”
2020 Dodge Ram TRX
Of course, if that’s not enough take a look at the build series dedicated to their latest project, a Dodge Ram TRX build series, we couldn’t wait for this one to finish coming together, and it turned out amazing. The truck was in pretty rough shape like all the projects they take on, but this one, in particular, was really bad. The entire rear bedside and frame were crushed.
The first video is described as, “We got some crazy stuff to tell y’all!!! This truck right here is a pain in the brain. We are getting a parts list together and the price so far is quite epic. We are going to see what we can do to get some prices down a bit. Also, we showed the interior for the first time and we got this thing fired up. Can’t wait to show yall how it went!”
This goes to show, the duo go to great lengths to not only reconstruct the projects they take on, but they also have a mind for doing it the most cost-effective way…you know, if you were thinking of taking on a similar project, that is. It’s one thing about their channel we appreciate. It would be easy for someone to pay for parts and have a car rebuilt by a major restoration shop.
The fun of it is that the two brothers are accomplishing the same thing for a fraction of what it would cost, showing people how to do it, and it’s all being done in a homebuilt shop on their property.
In only 11 videos, the two Goonz completely restored the TRX to its former glory as the top Ram in the Dodge truck lineup – complete with smokey burnout while pulling a Hellcat on a flatbed trailer.
Something For Everyone
Basically, what we’re trying to explain to all of you is, there’s something for everyone on their YouTube channel, check out some of their build series, you won’t be disappointed in any of their builds. Additionally, they have some playlists dedicated to purchasing a new house, building a massive shop on their new property, and some of the things that they do outside of the automobile trade. These guys are truly impressive, and we need more people like them to keep this hobby alive as it so rapidly changes.