2000 Volkswagen Beetle / Swamp Boat Before he started work on this VW Bug, Jesse happened across a TV show on how to survive if your car plunges underwater. Lucky coincidence ... or totally irrelevant?

• Jesse James, custom-bike builder/designer, Long Beach, Calif. • Ricky Hsu, car designer, Gardena, Calif. • Brian Jendro, car customizer, Temecula, Calif. • John Krawczyk, welder and sculptor, Malibu, Calif. • Tom Prewitt, custom painter, Damon's Motorcycle Creations, Brea, Calif. • J.D. Streett, special-effects supervisor, Shadow Hills, Calif. • Christy Sumner, special-effects technician, Los Angeles, Calif. • Ronnie Thibodaux, boat designer/builder, Centerville, La. • John Uribe, auto-mechanics instructor, Reseda, Calif.