HOT CORNER

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What: “Monster Garage”

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.