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What: “Monster Garageâ€
Where: Discovery Channel, tonight, 8
In this unique new weekly series, a team of specialists turn ordinary street cars into exotic pieces of equipment. For tonight’s show, the first in the series, a 1996 Chevrolet Impala is converted to a Zamboni ice-smoothing machine.
It was a cool idea. The end result, however, wasn’t so cool.
The host of the show and the lead mechanic is Jesse James, named after his great-great-great grandfather’s infamous cousin. James, 33, builds customized motorcycles for celebrities at his shop in Long Beach.
“Monster Garage†is a spinoff of “Motorcycle Mania,†a show James did for Discovery Channel last year.
In “Monster Garage,†James and his crew of specialists have one week to complete their projects and can’t spend more than $3,000 on parts.
After the Kings’ Sept. 19 exhibition opener, James’ “Zampala,†as it is called, was to square off against a real Zamboni. Well, things didn’t exactly go as planned. Actually, it was a meltdown.
The Zampala did fine during two practice sessions. But when it came time for the real thing, the Zampala got stuck on the ice, its wheels spinning and its 350-horsepower engine roaring. A water spigot had been opened too soon and gallons of tepid water poured out on the ice during 10 minutes of set-up and introductions. The hot water melted the ice.
Eventually, the Zampala made one trip down the ice.
Despite all the troubles, the show is well-produced and worth watching.
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