Catch one of the DSC's own on the next episode of Motor City Motors!

The Discovery Channel's new show Motor City Motors follows renowned fabricators and custom-bike builders Dave and James Kaye, founders of Detroit Bros. Custom Cycles. Each week they tap into the Detroit-based talent and assemble a team of builders and specialists. Together they push the boundaries of automotive engineering to create one-of-a-kind vehicles — with a five-day limit for each build. From turning a 1929 Model T into one of the coolest gassers in the city to transforming a 1992 GMC Suburban into a pothole filler, the builds are limited only by the ingenuity and imagination of the Detroit Brothers and their crews.

The next episode premieres Monday night as is of particular interest to the Detroit Science Center. Our own Jeff Evarts will be on the show! Jeff is a Welder/Fabricator in the Metal Department at our Design & Exhibits shop. In the 6 months he's been part of the DSC team, he's worked on a number of notable exhibits including Diabetes: A Deeper Look and the Accidental Mummies of Guanajuato.

On the show, Jeff and his team will overhaul a Ford Festiva - essentially turning it into "a hamster wheel on steroids." You'll be able to easily recognize which team members is Jeff. Each day of the challenge he wore a Detroit Science Center t-shirt! "I got a supply of t-shirts to wear on the show from the Science Center. What was crazy though, is they were all the same color shirt and I didn't want it to look like I wore the same one everyday. So I airbrushed on the back of it with the different days of the week, and each day the designs got more intricate and tied into what was going on during the show. It became pretty cool."

Jeff is no stranger to odd challenges and memorable assignments. "I have 25 years experiences fabricating everything from artificial tress and rocks for zoos to prototype work for a major automotive company." says Evarts. But his last gig, and the one that brought him back to Michigan, was with Ringling Bros. "I was part of their transportation mobile welding unit. I worked on everything from an elephant stand to the actual train should it break."

What ultimately made Detroit the place he wanted to stay was cheap studio space. Jeff's also an artist, and the work he does is too high maintenance to just do in an apartment - you need studio space, and Detroit was the place to find it. Pictures here are some examples of his most recent work: "They're Auto Glassback Chairs. The back is the drivers window of a car. They're fully functional and really comfortable!"

"I'm really excited to see the episode - I haven't seen it yet either, so I'm nervous! But the Kaye brothers themselves said it's the best episode out of the entire season, so that was great to hear. I'm also really thankful to the Science Center for letting me do this. A special thanks to Ed Summers and Dik Moore for being so supportive."

We're proud of Jeff and very excited to see him on Motor City Motors! Tune in to the Discovery Channel Monday January 18 at 10pm to watch. Make sure to look for his Detroit Science Center t-shirt!