Randy Allgood is a Sharpsburg resident and master mechanic. Not only is he pretty good at what he does in the garage, he’s also ready for prime time.

Allgood’s car restoration skills will be on display in the new History Channel series “Lost In Transmission.” The show features Top Gear co-host, Rutledge Wood along with his friend, George Flanigen, on a road trip through the South – attempting to save some of the most unique cars for the show.

Out of the 12 cars that were selected for the show, Allgood restored 9 of them himself in his garage that rests behind the family house in Sharpsburg.

While Allgood originally made his living in construction, he has been working on cars for as long as he can remember. Throughout the years, he has always kept a project car in the works with several of them winning top national awards.

However, he didn’t pursue his passion full-time until 2007 when he sold his construction business and ventured out on his own. He created Kenwood Rod Shop in North Fayette County and started tackling jobs that called for more than your average overhaul.

“I don’t even like doing maintenance on my own car,” he joked, peering underneath the hood of a fully restored vintage pickup truck. “This is the stuff I really love to do.”

In January of 2014, the Allgood family packed up and moved to Sharpsburg insearch of a more streamlined life. With their kids grown and out of the house, the family found the perfect spot.

The shop itself is a small-scale facility that sits in the Allgood’s backyard. Kenwood Rod Shop’s specialty lies in detail oriented restorations. Allgood works with a very small staff and states that his goal is not to just build what an owner wants, but what he or she dreams about.

It’s not all muscle either. Allgood reaches back into the early days of motoring, restoring models such as a 1923 Ford Depot Hack and a 1920 Cadillac Type 59 Touring Phaeton. Currently, a replica of a 1936 Cord rests in his garage, nearly completed. It’s also the only known replica of that year model known in existence.

Through his extensive restoration of a 1957 Chevrolet pickup truck from Fayette County resident Rick Chambers, word quickly spread about his reputation for high-end work. Chambers’ truck took two years to restore and ultimately won the Trick Truck Corral Pick 2013 Good Guys Nationals in Columbus.

It also captured the attention of Rutledge Wood whose brother brought him to Allgood's shop to check out the finished product.

"From that point on, our relationship just developed and went from there,” Allgood said. “He’s an extremely nice guy and it’s certainly been a lot of fun."

Inside of Allgood’s garage sits a number of cars that will be appearing on “Lost In Transmission” this season. However, the identity of these beautiful restorations are all under wraps until their episode airs.

Allgood recently restored one of Wood’s personal dream cars – a 1953 Plymouth Suburban Wagon. It arrived in less than stellar condition, but Allgood took care of business in his own unique way.

“Randy and the guys did a great job,” Wood said. “He took a rusted pile of a car and made my dream come true."

Talks regarding using Allgood’s shop for the show started last September and by October, the cars began rolling into his garage. For the next five months, the show would shoot 2 to 3 times a week.

“It’s been nonstop ever since,” Allgood said. “The cres set up all the cameras, lights and it was pretty neat. They had up to 15 or 18 people running around here in this shop.”

Even with all the attention that comes along with creating a new television show, Allgood’s laid back demeanor remains unchanged. He says he’s learned a lot about the process that goes into filming and is eager to see what kind of feedback the show receives.

“I guess we’ll see what happens about Season Two and go from there,” Allgood said. “But you know, I never envisioned all this. I was just a guy fiddling around with cars but hey, sometimes you just go with the flow.”

Source:  Clay Neely - The Newnan Times Herald