The Avants Podcast

Author: Avants

Join hosts Dan Putnam and Nick Bergeron as they get to know industry leading guests beyond just what they drive. The Avants Podcast is never scripted and never predictable, but its always a good time and full of surprises. You wont find any boring reviews that sound like reading off a pre-planned info sheet, history of shows that are reworded Wikipedia articles, or advertisements for the next new foam mattress here! The Avants Podcast focuses on making sure guests are always authentic, just like your hosts.
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Language: en

Genres: Automotive, Leisure, Society & Culture

Contact email: Get it

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467: Monster Garage #1: The 20-Year CJ-7 Build
Episode 467
Monday, 19 October, 2026

For our first Monster Garage episode, Avants member Bill Ritchie brings us a project that proves these builds almost never go according to plan. His wife’s 1985 CJ-7 went from a "simple" blown engine to a decades-long project involving engine swaps, axle swaps, bad shops, good shops, questionable friends, good friends, multi-state travel, abandoned parts, an LS, and a lot more money than anyone wants to spend. We also get into his other builds and his wonderfully all-over-the-place car history, including an incredible Defender rock crawler, Honda S2000, Porsche GT3, Porsche Turbo S, Lotus Emira, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, and an Audi R8 that only made it half way across the Atlantic. If you’ve ever looked at a project car and thought, “I can do that,” this episode is for you. As always, don't just get there. Enjoy the drive. The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!