RPM MAGAZINE AUGUST 2020

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august 2020 | RPM Magazine

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF.............................................................. CHRIS BIRO editor@rpmmag.com V.P. MARKETING/CUSTOMER RELATIONS.................. TRISH BIRO trish@rpmmag.com EVENT MEDIA.................................................. events@rpmmag.com EVENT SUBSCRIPTIONS COORDINATOR........... SHERRIE WEBER sherrie@rpmmag.com ART DIRECTOR............................................................

JIM McHARG

Photographic Contributions: TIM LEWIS, MARK goDragRacing. org, GEORGE PICH, TOBY BROOKS, MATT WOODS, TABITHA SIZEMORE, MATT TROMBLEY, LOUIS FRONKIER, BART CEPEK, PATRICK “RED” WILLIAMS, BLAKE FARNAN, JERRY GARRISON, NEIL ZIMBALDI, STEVEN TAYLOR, and EDDIE MALONEY. Editorial Contributions: TIM LEWIS, CHUCK SCOTT, MARK goDragRacing.org, TOBY BROOKS, JAMES WILLIAMS, TIM BIRO, STAN SMITH, JT, GEORGE PICH, JAY MISENER, and EDDIE MALONEY. Technical Writing Contribution: CHUCK SCOTT, SHANE TECKLENBURG, TOBY BROOKS, and TIM BIRO.

ADVERTISING SALES For advertising information contact

TRISH BIRO...........................519.752.3705....... trish@rpmmag.com

Special Events Manager: Chris Biro events@rpmmag.com Special Events Sales: Trish Biro: 519-752-3705 trish@rpmmag.com Subscriptions/Address Changes: Circulation circulation@rpmmag.com

MEET THE RPM TEAM

PRODUCTION STAFF

RPM Magazine is a REGISTERED TRADEMARK of Revolution Publishing & Media Inc. RPM Magazine is a worldwide motorsports publication distributed online.

To subscribe to RPM go to www.rpmmag.com or email Trish Biro at trish@rpmmag.com, or call 519752-3705.

The focus of RPM is to bring a diverse mix of high performance street and race automobiles to life within its pages including race cars, musclecars, hot rods and street legal machines with an emphasis on the “EXTREME,” including fast doorslammer and outlaw forms of drag racing. Not familiar with these types of cars? They are considered to be the topshelf of the industry and are on the edge with regard to design, performance, and power!

RPM Magazine does not sell its mailing list or share any of the confidential information regarding its subscribers.

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RPM Magazine has been a world leader in motorsports publishing for 21 years and has support locations in Ontario, Canada, Alabama, Texas, and Virginia, along with contributing writers and photojournalists worldwide.

If you have a story that may fit within the focus and scope of RPM Magazine’s coverage, please email our Editor In Chief at editor@rpmmag.com.

Submission of an article does not guarantee that it will be published.

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Advertisements may be rearranged or altered at the sole discretion of RPM to allow the ad to fit in the space purchased by the advertiser.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE ANY ADVERTISING WHICH WE CONSIDER TO CONTAIN MISLEADING, OFFENSIVE OR FALSE INFORMATION. REPRODUCTION OF ANY INFORMATION HEREIN IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT.

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editor’s

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by

Covid Crazy

Chris Biro

hy is it that there’s something about a crisis that makes some people crazy?

This month’s RANT is not about cars....because if we were all working on cars we’d have something to do and probably get along better.

During the past 6 months, as a result of the effects the worldwide pandemic has had, I am sure we all have stories to tell. If you read this, take it as a discussion piece, if you like it fine, if not, that’s ok too.

To me, it doesn’t matter how old you are, whether you believe, are a denier, conspiracy theorist, or what color your skin is, what religion you are, what your political stripes are, or for that matter what brand car you drive, we are all human beings.

Stupidity is stupidity no matter how you slice it, and while I do believe that you can actually fix stupid, it’s a long drawn out process and most people’s stupidity, mine included, happens far quicker than any type of stupidity rehab would.

So to all those who think they “deserve” or are “entitled” in a time when there is a crisis that could affect the safety of others, take a deep breath and try to imagine not being able to take a deep breath! Then, regardless of your beliefs, show some understanding and compassion to your fellow human being. I guess the fact is that it doesn’t matter how much money, fame or “things” you have in this world, when you struggle to take your next breath, nothing else matters. What DOES matter is the compassion shown by others towards you at that moment in time.

I wear a mask when I’m doing drywall, touching up paint on a vehicle and for a host of other projects, its parts of keeping myself safe. So I personally have no problem wearing it to protect myself and others from a different harm. I am not pushing my beliefs on anyone, so don’t push any on me, I am simply saying that if there is a possibility, even if ever so slight, that my action or inaction could directly affect the safety of someone else, I have no problem with a little bit of inconvenience to do my part. I mean, come on, at its core, really, whats the big deal? Whether it’s keeping 6- feet back and/or masking up, I don’t consider it a belief or invasion on my basic human rights, instead, I look at it as my moral responsibility to the people I share this earth with.

Someone put it to me the other day like this; “wear a mask today for a few minutes 4

ADVERTISER INDEX AED Competition ................. 77

Meziere Precision Mfg ..........32

AFR:

Misener Motorsports ..........101

Air Flow Research ....... 5, 56, 57

or a ventilator tomorrow”.

It’s like the guy my wife and I crossed paths with in a hardware store parking lot about 8 weeks back.

As usual we parked the old 2000 Excursion way back in the parking lot to prevent door dings. We hopped out of the truck and walked towards the store when a large older blue van with a “School Board” decal on it pulled directly in our walking path, keep in mind there were many parking spots closer to the store. No problem, we walked around the back of it and towards the store. Then, a large 60-ish year old fellow exited the van and walked directly at us to intercept our path. I stopped (at probably a bit less than 6 feet away by then), smiled, as I put on a mask, and said, “go ahead”, and gestured him to go in front of us He just stood there and gave us a blank hate stare. I said again, “it’s ok, you go ahead”. He stood there with that stare and said to me, “what’s wrong, the parking lot not big enough for ya”. To say we were blown away is understatement. I responded that we were just trying to be nice. He just stood there and stared us down...so I asked if he was OK (thinking there may be some type of mental distress, given these times). He said something else that I don’t recall and just stood there, so I said again, “go ahead”. By now he is just looking at us as if we are from another planet, and spewing the odd one or two words of stupidity out.

I said again that we were just trying to be nice...and then, maybe I shouldn’t have, but after trying to resist, I did end up engaging in his witty banter and asked him, “what’s wrong, didn’t wake up on the right side of the bed this morning?”

This guy was obviously angry long before he pulled in front us and it had nothing to do with us, he simply wanted someone to take it out on. After a few back and forths I guess he realized that we were not intimidated by him, and yes, originally we were only trying to be nice. Is his stupid fixed?

Hmmm, probably not, but I chalk it up to the fact that everybody has bad day at some point.

So as our economies begin to open and we get back to business, let’s try to give a bit of extra understanding to those around us, especially if we are already having a bad day. A smile also happens to be highly contagious and a little kindness can go a long way; as the old saying goes, “you get more bees with honey”.

august 2020 | RPM Magazine

AJE Racing........................... 77

Moser Engineering ............. 62

American Racing Headers ....56

Neal Chance Converters ....... 98

Aurora Bearing .................... 77

Northern Radiator ...............60

AVAK/Ridgegate Tools ..........50 Baer Brakes ....................31, 66

Parts Pro/Total Truck Ctrs73,110

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Delta Performance Auto Grp. 20

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Design Engineering ..............39

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RM Racing Lubricants .....21, 71 Ross Racing Pistons ..........7, 47

GoDragRacing.org .............102

RPM Magazine ............. 22,105

Goodson Tools .....................56

RPM Magazine Subscribe! ....35

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SG Metal Works ....................70

Harland Sharp ......................38

SM Racecars .........................97

Hitman Hotrods....................57

Smackdown 4 ................27, 91

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Equip .......................35,97,109

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Taylor Cable Products .........100

Jesel .................................... 48 Joe Van O..............................57

T & D Machine ......................71

JW Racing Transmissions ........5

The Supercharger Store ........71

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Kinsler Fuel Injection.......13,63 LenTech Automatics ........38,70 Liberty’s Gears .................... 70

Tom’s Upholstery ..................72 Total Seal Rings ....................62

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VFN Fiberglass Inc. .............. 62

Mark Williams ......................89

Wiseco................................. 96

Melling/NPW .......................52 Metal Products .....................63

World Products.....................67

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August2020 Often Imitated, Never Duplicated—For 21 STRAIGHT YEARS RPM Magazine has been the ORIGINAL Voice Of Wild Street Machines and Extreme Drag Cars WORLDWIDE! Don’t Settle For Less! We DELIVER Insane Fast Cars and Bring You NO POLITICS... JUST ACTION! Your ONLY “Real Time” “Real World” Car Mag...PERIOD!

Whole Lotta Rosie ........................................

54 Jeff Blair’s Street/Strip 1956 Chevrolet Corvette

Unintended.......................................................................... 8 Mark Todd’s 6 seccond street/strip Aston Martin started with a deal you just couldn’t pass up

Excitement ..................................................................... 74

Rod Snyder’s Pro Street Pontiac Fiero is fully capable of quickening your pulse

Shop Talk ..................................................................86 Just trying to be cool

Not Junk .............................................................. 40

Steve Metcalf’s ‘56 Chevy 3100 Stepside plays many roles, but haulin’ hay isn’t one of them

The Rebirth of Madness: Part 4 Turning Blue Sadness into Blue Madness: 2.0 Edition ............................................................................................................................................. 96

Project Pace Car Race Car: Part 3 COMP CAMS and associated driveshaft parts. ...........................................................................................................................................106

READ COMPLETE ISSUES OF RPM MAG ONLINE AT WWW.RPMMAG.COM 6

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THIS 6-SECOND STREET/STRI WITH A DEAL YOU JUST 8

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Photos by Matt Woods Story by Phil Grogan

IP ASTON MARTIN STARTED T COULDN’T PASS UP! www.rpmmag.com

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C

heshire England’s Mark Todd is certainly no stranger to quick fast street legal rides that can be thrashed on the strip at the drop of a hat, but his most recent car, this Aston Martin V8 Vantage, is hands down his wildest creation to date.

“This car really started in 2016 with me buying an engine that I really didn’t need”, Todd said with a smile. The engine, a Pat Musi 565Ci all-aluminum mill based on a New Century block, was a solid deal as it came from a trusted person within the United Kingdom car community, Colin Millar.

The call Todd received from Millar was not necessarily one soliciting the

WELCOME TO

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Within its first 10 passes under the Aston ran its first 6-second ¼ on slicks in fall of 2019 while past the 60-f

sale of the engine, but rather it was more asking for his take on what it might be worth. The engine itself had been imported to the UK a few years earlier by another name in the local scene and through a series of trades and deals became the property of Millar. Before long, Millar would offer the engine to Todd at a deal that would be hard to resist; “I really, really did not need an engine right now, especially with no car to put it in, but before I knew it I found myself buying it,” continued Todd. Although the purchase sounds impulsive, it wasn’t done without knowing what he was getting. The heads were of particular interest; “they are spread port 14deg made

O THE SIXES!

Mark’s ownership and control, ¼-mile elapsed time at Santa Pod e carrying the front left wheel foot marker.

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A TWO SEATER

A street car should always be able to carry at least 2 people!

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in association with Brodix by a now defunct company called EPD. EPD stands for Engine Prototype Design and was a company run by Larry Olsen in the States,” he said.

So now he had an engine, but no car to put it in… a scenario no doubt some of us have found ourselves in. But that didn’t last long. After having the engine gone through and made more “street friendly”, it merely sat in the garage as a back-up for his Street Eliminator UK series 1965 GTO (featured in RPM MAG, July 2012).

For those readers more recently joining our RPM MAG family, let’s give a quick recap of Street Eliminator UK (SE UK). Billed as the “home of the quickest & fastest street legal cars in Britain”, the

CHECK, CHECK and CHECK All systems go and ready for the next hit, aside from the rain delay.

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august 2020 | RPM Magazine

Your Performance Answer.

Trick Flow GenX® 185 cylinder heads for naturally aspirated GM LT1 can produce the big power numbers you crave. The reduced 21° valve angles increase piston-to-valve clearance, unshrouding the combustion chambers and boosting airflow.

Power-building Fast As Cast® runners deliver CNC-style flow without the high cost of actual CNC-porting—saving you money that can be used to buy even more go-fast parts! Then there’s the GenX® 185’s other standard features: A356-T61 aluminum castings, 2.020"/1.600" stainless valves, PAC Racing Pacaloy™ valve springs, ductile iron valve seats, bronze alloy valve guides, and the ability to reuse all stock sensors and fittings.

Dyno Results

Airflow Results

GenX 185

Test Engine: 10.42:1 compression 350 c.i.d. with Trick Flow GenX® 185 cylinder heads (TFS-30410008-M54), Trick Flow Track Max® hydraulic roller camshaft (TFS-31402081), Trick Flow 1.6 ratio roller rocker arms (TFS-31400513), stock GM intake manifold and 52mm throttle body, Hooker Super Competition headers with 13⁄4" primaries, 3" dual exhaust with Flowmaster mufflers.

GenX 185

Lift Value

Intake Flow CFM

Exhaust Flow CFM

.100"

65

48

.200"

132

111

.300"

195

151

.400"

236

182

.500"

258

198

260

206

.600"

Tests conducted at 28" of water (pressure).

Bore size: 4.030"; exhaust with 13⁄4" pipe.

Your Recipe for GM LT1 Performance!

New heads are just one component of the horsepower recipe. To make it complete, you’re going to need some more ingredients.

GenX Top-End Engine Kit Get up to 430 horsepower and 400 lbs.-ft. of torque from your GM LT1 with Trick Flow’s GenX Top-End Engine Kit. Carefully tuned by Trick Flow engineers, the kit includes GenX 185 heads, Track Max® hydraulic roller camshaft, pushrod length checker, roller rocker arms, head bolts, and a gasket set.

Track Max® Camshaft If the complete top-end kit isn’t for you, you should seriously consider the Track Max camshaft to go along with your new GenX 185 heads. It is dyno-proven to produce significant power increases over the entire RPM range, not just a particular RPM.

TFX™ Cold Air Intake Kits and Air Inlet Elbows The same engineers who designed the best LT1 heads available also developed the best cold air intakes and air inlet elbows available, too! The TFX Cold Air Intakes swap the stock airbox with a free-flow unit that dramatically increases airflow. The high-flow aluminum Air Inlet Elbow further increases airflow while adding some much-needed dress-up under the hood.

TrickFlow.com & 1-330-630-1555 2009RPCT

Some parts are not legal for sale or use on any pollution-controlled motor vehicles.

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IT’S ORIGINAL, HONEST Much of the original trim and lighting have been retained for street use and just plain good looks!

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Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator series is actually quite well established.

The SE series is the longest established street-legal drag racing series in Europe. With all power and power adder combinations permitted, all cars have to use actual street-legal tires (yes, we said STREET LEGAL, that means they must be certified street legal and DOT), mufflers, regularly available pump fuel and all required street equipment. Every car also has to complete a 25-30 mile road cruise and wheelie-bars are not permitted.

It’s not like here, where street/strip car class rules can change depending on

LEGAL MOT

In the U.K., it is the Ministry Of Transportation that grants plates to street legal vehicles, and this Aston is fully compliant.

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wind direction, or where everything is outlaw, meaning it’s tough and expensive to be competitive.

Think of it as sticking to the roots of the street car movement that started in the 80s and 90s. And, it runs as an actual competitive side by side drag race rather than ET/ speed tests like tour style events on this side of the ocean.

With 21 years of publishing horsepower worldwide, RPM

MAG was once the go-to source for full SE UK coverage, but with the internet and social media taking hold, RPM focused on featuring SE UK cars (like this one), rather than events.

Now on with the show….

Just as it is on this side of the ocean, the fast street car community in the UK is fairly small compared to most other industries.

Everyone knows everyone and

it’s usually quick and easy to put the word out on an engine change or car sale. That’s what happened in September 2017 when good friend and fellow SE UK racer Steve Neimantas reached out to Mark. “Steve said that he wanted to sell the Aston and offered it to me! Again, this was another ‘I really don’t need this’ scenario, but it left me thinking.”

The Aston started life as a pre-production prototype, was then bought as an unfinished project by Neimantas and in the early 2000s was built for street/ strip duty with a blown Mopar Indy based mill running mideights in the ¼. After some variations, Neimantas moved on to a Bentley (featured in the August

BODY BUILDER

The body of Mark Todd’s Aston Martin V8 Vantage is mostly the original aluminum with only a carbon front end. It has a cool original history of being made as a pre-production prototype.

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HIDDEN AGENDA

Although it might be hard to catch at first glance, that is one big turbo!

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COOL and COOLER

The mill between the rails is an all-aluminum 565-inch big block, however, the sittin’ high and proud Serck Motorsports cooling package radiators catch your eyes first. Fuel is fed directly into a modified intake via 8 500lb injectors and air is introduced through a FAST Big Mouth 102mm throttle body.

STEALTH

With just the top of the throttle body poking through the cowl style hood, there’s not much to point to the capabilities of the car. Of course, it does say BIG MOUTH 102mm on it.

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MARK TODD’S STREET/STRIP ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE Chassis Type & Mods: t 'VMM $ISPNPMZ F PSJHJOBMMZ CVJMU CZ +PO Webster at Hauser race cars, updated by Andy Robinson racecars.

Suspension: t Front Strange double adjustable struts. Rear 4 Link with Pensky double adjustable coilover shocks.

Body & Paint: t 0SJHJOBM BMM BMVNJOVN CPEZ BOE EPPST XJUI DBSCPO front end/hood (original aluminum front end/hood retained as an alternative) Engine: t 0SJHJOBMMZ B 1BU .VTJ CVJMU FOHJOF SFGSFTIFE CZ &%" (Engine Data Analysis) 565ci 9.8 deck BBC 4.6 bore 4.25 stroke New Century full water jacket aluminum block with 6 bolt mains. t #SZBOU DSBOL (31 $POOFDUJOH 3PET %JBNPOE custom pistons. Cam Motion Custom Cam with circa .75 lift. t %FH &1% )FBET XJUI UJUBOJVN JOUBLF BOE JODPOFM exhaust valves, PAC springs, titanium retainers and Jesel rockers, Morel .903 roller lifters, Smith Brother double taper pushrods. t 1FUFSTPO 3 ESZ TVNQ QVNQ BOE UBOL BOE /FX Century sump.

Additional engine info: “Several other mods were made to improve street ability such as oversize lifters, and a cam to my spec.

A mod I specifically requested was to timesert every thread on the heads. This involves replacing every aluminum thread with hardened steel inserts.

This not only adds strength but stops the weaker aluminum threads being cross threaded or stripped during routine maintenance.�

t "FSPNPUJWF NFDIBOJDBM GVFM QVNQ BOE ĂśMUFS Racelines Teflon hoses throughout.

Cooling: t Full Serck Motorsports cooling package including twin aluminum radiators, Spal cooling fans and a Meziere remote mount 55gph pump Induction: t Chiseled Performance 3000hp charge cooler.

Modified Brodix intake with 8 Atomizer 500 injectors and Fast 102mm throttle body.

Power Adder: t 4JOHMF 1SFDJTJPO NN 5VSCP Electronics: t 'VFM 5FDI '5 &$6 )BSEXJSF electronics PDM25 with custom switch panel.

Transmission & Converter: t .JLFT .POTUFS HMJEF XJUI 5) PVUQVU BOE B 5$* shifter. Greg Slack Bolt together aluminum converter.

Rear Differential: t 4USBOHF w XJUI HFBST BOE TQMJOF HVO drilled axles.

Other Important Information about the Vehicle: t 'VMMZ TUSFFU MFHBM SVOT QVNQ HBT PO UIF TUSFFU BOE E85 on the track. t 7FIJDMF 0XOFS %SJWFS *OGP )JTUPSZ 6, 4USFFU Eliminator Champion 2015 and 2017 t #FTU &5 .1) XBT PVS ĂśSTU TFBTPO TP CBCZ steps but we went 6.93 @ 202mph testing on slicks, and 7.24 @ 202 on MT SS fully street legal 295 radial tires. t :FBST 3BDJOH :FBST t %JWJTJPO $MBTT 3VO 4USFFU &MJNJOBUPS BOE 4VQFS 1SP t 4BODUJPOJOH #PEZ 3BDF 0OMZ .4"

You can catch up with Mark Todd and his Aston Martin on the 6Appeal Facebook page 22

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IT’S WHAT YOU CAN’T SEE The engine was originally a Musi creation and boasts an aluminum 9.8 deck, 4.6 bore, 4.25 stroke New Century full water jacket aluminum block with 6 bolt mains.

2014 issue of RPM) and wanted to move the Aston as a roller.

Here’s the rub, though, Mark was in no position to buy the Aston, even with Neimantas offering it to his friend on a ‘pay when you can’ deal.

Not being one to owe on anything, Mark sold a few other cars he had interest in to bring the Aston home to his garage.

Once there, Mark set to working out a combination using that engine just sitting in the corner, and what the car would need to handle it, which was essentially not a whole lot in the way of major changes.

The body is the original aluminum body and doors with a carbon front clip. Don’t worry, Mark kept the original aluminum front end as an alternate. The paint is actually a wrap that Mark says is temporary until he figures out where he wants to go with the look of the car.

From there, a full Chromoly 25.1e 24

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chassis was originally built by Jon Webster at Hauser Race Cars, and updated by Andy Robinson Race Cars. The front rides on Strange double adjustable struts and out back a Strange 9.5” diff with 3.25 gears and 40 spline gun drilled axles is hung via a custom 4-link with Pensky double adjustable coilover shocks.

The engine is, as we said, an interesting animal. The 565-inch big block Chevy was originally built by Pat Musi and Mark had his engine builders, EDA (Engine Data Analysis), go through and re-freshen it top to bottom. “EDA found it to be a good solid foundation,” said Todd “however, even on good used engines they will not risk their reputation by doing half a job or making assumptions, so it was decided a full refresh was in order to be on the safe side.”

Meaning pistons, rods, lifters, valvetrain etc. were all replaced –a bit

CERTIFIED

Mark Todd’s “6Appeal” Aston Martin is certified historical.

more money for Todd, but the tradeoff is a lot more peace of mind.

The 9.8 deck, 4.6 bore, 4.25 stroke New Century full water jacket aluminum block with 6 bolt mains was retained. For rotating assembly, a Bryant crank, GRP connecting rods and custom gas ported Diamond pistons were used. Those trick 14 degree EPD heads are stuffed with titanium intake and inconel exhaust valves, PAC springs, titanium retainers and Jesel rockers.

A Cam Motion custom cam with upwards of .75 lift controls Morel .903 roller lifters and Smith Brother pushrods.

Air and fuel come by way of custom piping and a modified Brodix intake with 8 Atomizer 500 injectors and a Fast 102mm throttle body. A single (yes just one) but massive Precision 118mm turbo provides added pleasure to the mix and the charge is cooled by a Chiseled 3000hp charge cooler.

Inside the Aston is little more than full-on drag car trim with bead-rolled

BIG BACK END

A Strange equipped 9.5� ring gear rear differential is suspended by a 4-link coilover set-up.

EXHAUSTING WORK

The non-traditional side exits are a nice touch, especially being a street car. www.rpmmag.com

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IN THE WEEDS

The full Chromoly tube chassis allows the Aston to sit low and mean. tin, carbon and a lone FuelTech digital dash for displaying pertinent information. Oh yes, and there are two seats, as after all this is a street car!

A Mikes 3000hp-capable Monster glide with TH400 output and Greg Slack bolt-together aluminum converter controlled by a TCI shifter send power rearward.

What stands out most, though, when looking at the engine is the full art-like Serck Motorsports cooling package that includes twin

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aluminum rads, Spal cooling fans and a Meziere remote mount 55gph water pump.

The work to fit everything together was completed by Mark his garage over a 12 month period and rewards came quickly in 2019.

With 5 runs on the car Mark, a two-time SE UK champion, went well into the 7-second ¼-mile zone on street legal tires and dipped into the 6-second world on slicks after 10 hits.

By the way, yes, the Aston (now

known as “6Appeal”) is licensed and completely street legal for road use, and that is exactly where Mark plans to run it, in the SE UK series.

“I have no regrets and thoroughly enjoyed our first year out in 2019.

What’s not to like with such an aerodynamic shape and plenty of power. Once we get back to racing whether this year or 2021, we have a lot more left in the car”. Not bad for an unintentional project Mark, not bad at all!

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EMMANU IS A CEN

UEL MAYORGA’S STOCK APPEARING FORD F-150, NTRAL CALIFORNIA STREET SCENE NIGHTMARE. www.rpmmag.com

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STORY AND PHOTOS BY EDDIE MALONEY

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W

e often dig pretty deep when we try to find feature vehicles for RPM, but it does not come without a little help sometimes. This, our final feature vehicle on our Bakersfield trip was sent to us by local and up and coming racer, Andrew Sanchez.

We were told this would be of the “sleeper” kind, and needless to say, we were shocked when we saw Emmanuel Mayorga’s single cab Ford F-150. It

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looks deceivingly stock, and slow, but that’s the first impression that Mayorga wants you to have, and the one that will be the cause of your demise. n HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Like we said, it didn’t look like much, but then we noticed some subtle modifications, and a few more here and there, you know, things that might spell there was something more here than first meets the eye.

A quick look under the hoo F-150 and it looks like every factory, but those are the s a clean install. The mo horsepower-educated amon quickly notice the Gen. 4 Whipple supercharger and air intake tube. With the b strapped to the 5.0-liter Co capable of pushing well ov horsepower to all four w

We believe the word sleeper would be a big understatement when it comes to Emmanuel Mayorga’s truck. Modifications are subtle but it’s fully functional, and fast!

od of this ything is signs of ore ng us will 4, 2.9L massive blower oyote it is ver 850 wheels.

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After talking shop with Emmanuel, we got to know a little more about his racing history and his vision behind this wicked F-150. “I have been racing since I was 15, following in my older brother’s footsteps,” he said. Emmanuel’s first car was a 1995 Ford Mustang equipped with a 3.8 liter, V6.

“I worked at NAPA auto parts and the car was sold to me by one of my family members. The V6 didn’t stop Emmanuel from trying to keep up with the bigger powered machines. “I purchased several performance upgrades for my Mustang like exhaust, a bigger throttle body and even an 80 shot of nitrous.” n THE BIRTH OF WICKED

MOTORSPORTS

It’s been one vehicle after another since that first Mustang for Emmanuel, always getting a little bit faster each time, and with each one he got a little more serious about racing and performance and formed the group, “Wicked Stangs”. Over time, the group of

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The truck has all the factory creature comforts of a daily driven vehicle and nothing inside that tells of its potential.

like-minded horsepower junkies grew bigger and bigger and would eventually rename themselves, “Wicked Motorsports”. Why limit your potential, right? “Our team now includes my brother, one of the original members of Wicked Stangs and a diverse group of individuals from Delano

through to the Madera area of central California. We are a small group but we’re very close and as I said, I consider every one of them as family. Our team has a couple of the fastest street event raced cars in the entire west coast.

We’ve traveled across the country making street race events with our car Z’Unit

Two noticeable upgrades include a Tesla-style 12.1 inch screen and a steering wheel from a Ford Raptor.

Take a close look at the wheel and you notice the red tape to let you know it’s at dead center, but check out the functioning paddle shifter, now that’s cool!

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A 5 gallon charge cooler resides in the bed of the truck to cool the air before it is jammed into the engine.

Cooler air = more HP! and have made appearances on a lot of underground street racing channels along with a couple of appearances in Discovery’s show Street Outlaws. We hope to continue to do so as our stable of cars continues to grow and strengthen.” n NEED FOR SPEED Alongside the F-150, Emmanuel has a few other toys in his stable. A 25.2 chassis, small tire, single turbo Fox Body Mustang, and a 25.2 chassis big tire BBC F3 ProCharged Ford Lightning. “While I was raised in a Ford household, I just love anything that goes fast.

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preciate all the coolness in everything that’s out there. Now, with two of my vehicles being Chevy powered and being so successful, I have to say, I like it all.”

My father was always a Ford person and owned more than a handful of Ford trucks. Growing up I was a diehard Ford guy but as I got older, I became a car fanatic, period. I learned to love and ap-

n THE TRUCK The factory chassis Coyote truck is the most recent addition in Emmanuel’s garage and while the truck appears to be mostly stock, don’t let it fool you, there are a few changes. Mayorga strapped on a Gen. 4, 2.9-liter Whipple supercharger system fed by (2) Walbro 450 fuel pumps spraying fuel through ID1300 injectors. A set of full length headers with 4” man-

Keeping things on the lighter side is always the rule in any type of motor sport. If your choice of vehicle is a truck, then the single cab XL, modestly optioned version of the F150 is about as “light� as you can get at just over 4,000lbs.

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When you see sticky Mickeys on all four wheels, you’d probably scratch your head and think what the heck‌.? The answer is yes, this truck hooks on all four and Mickey Thompson ET Street SS radials are the tire of choice for Mayorga.

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Look close and you can just see the CalTracs mount sitting below the front portion of the box.

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EMMANUEL MAYORGA’S SUPERCHARGED 2019 FORD F150 4X4 CHASSIS TYPE/MODS: t 'PSE ' XE GBDUPSZ DIBTTJT SUSPENSION & BRAKES: t 1FSGPSNBODF BYMFT MJNJU TUSBQT $BM5SBDT USBDUJPO CBST with shock relocation and double adjustable Viking Shocks.

ELECTRONICS & INJECTION: t *OKFDUPS %ZOBNJDT *% T 8BMCSP UXJO T QVNQT Flex fuel sensor, 132 mm throttle body, 5gal ice box mounted in bed. Tuned by Sai Li. EXHAUST: t ,PPLT GVMM MFOHUI IFBEFS XJUI w TUBJOMFTT FYIBVTU

ENGINE: t - $PZPUF 5IF FOHJOF JT VOPQFOFE BTJEF GSPN PJM pump gears.

TRANSMISSION & DRIVELINE: t $JSDMF % DPOWFSUFS .DMFPE USBOTNJTTJPO LJU BOE clutches for the 10r80.

INDUCTION: t (FO 8IJQQMF - TVQFSDIBSHFS

DIFFERENTIAL: t -JOJUFE 4MJQ EJòFSFOUJBM XJUI HFBST

INTERIOR: t 5FTMB TUZMF JODI DFOUFS TDSFFO EBTI 3BQUPS steering wheel with functioning paddle shift.

TIRES & WHEELS: t .PUFHJ MJHIUXFJHIU QFSGPSNBODF XIFFMT Mickey Thompson ET Street SS tires.

WINS: Undefeated…

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drel bent stainless steel exhaust flowing through Magnaflow mufflers exits spent exhaust gases in a hurry. Transferring the power to the all-wheel drive system is factory 10r80 transmission with aftermarket rebuild kit and performance clutches and a Circle D billet torque converter. The factory limited slip diff has been retained with 3.31 gears. When you hook on all four tires, though, chances of breaking something are pretty good, so Mayorga bought some insurance in the form of aftermarket axles all around. Viking Double adjustable shocks on all four corners and CalTracs traction bars have also been installed to help hook the Mickey Thompson ET Street SS radial tires.

Needless to say, many of the performance upgrades on the truck cannot be seen in plain sight and that’s exactly how he likes it and plans to keep it. Trucks have always played a huge role in Emmanuel’s life and with the addition of his sleeper F-150, he has a fast, daily driven machine that can

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go out and hurt some feelings whenever someone dares to challenge him. “I love this truck because it’s fast and I can still use it for any of its designed functions.”

1500 horsepower transferred to all four wheels,” he added.

And these plans include keeping the truck looking as lowkey as possible.

It’s hard to believe that with bolt-on parts a pretty much n THE F-150’s FUTURE factory stock motor can reach The future is certainly look- the sort of horsepower numing bright for this AWD Ford bers that used to be reserved as Mayorga eventually plans for 15K engine builds, and to install a Gen 3, 5.2L Pred- more importantly do it with ator short block with a much drivability and reliability. This bigger Whipple Supercharger F150 is definitely proof posiwhen they hit the market. “I tive that our world is changing. am looking to make at least

n SPECIAL THANKS

Special thanks to my family for supporting me, my wife for standing behind me and holding down our household taking care of our boys while I take time to do what I love to do. My racing team over at Wicked Motorsport Racing, I am happy to say that I can truly call each and every one of those guys family. We’ve been working on our program for a long time and it’s paying off for us well.

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STEVE METCALF’S ’56 C DIFFERENT ROLES, BUT HA 40

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Story by George Pich Photos By Matt Trombley

CHEVY 3100 STEPSIDE PLAYS MANY HAULIN’ HAY ISN’T ONE OF ‘EM! www.rpmmag.com

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Y

ou can sugar coat it and call it “patina” if you like, but rust and oxidation are usually a sign of good ole fashioned usage, wear and tear, and in some cases, like with Steve Metcalf ’s 1956 Chevy 3100, it can be pretty cool, too.

Who knows the life this truck lead prior to its most recent build, but by the looks of it you would be safe to assume that it saw many years of doing what a truck should, hard work.

So to see it spend its golden years having fun is refreshing, and something we all strive for.

As much as RPM is not a Pro Touring mag, Metcalf ’s truck has so many other influences and reasons

behind the build, we just had to give it props.

“I found the truck on craigslist,” says Metcalf. “Amazingly, it was just a mile up the road from me.” Steve purchased the C10 within hours of it being posted for sale to fill his growing want to build a low slung ‘56 Chevy stepside with solid power but capable of being 100% street driven.

Originally from Australia, Metcalf moved to Michigan 5 years ago to work as an Engineer for GM, and on January 1st 2017 started work on the Chevy Stepside. The truck was 100% built in his car garage at home, “while Pro-touring was the main build direction, the truck has hints

DON’T CALL ME A RAT

The license plate NOT JUNK, says it all, really.

Anything past you first glance at the truck’s exterio will lead to a top-sh build in all areas.

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L

e, s

represent many things that he enjoys about performance and racing, he does intend to run some road race and drag tracks with the C10, as well as drive the heck out it. “The truck is just so much fun to drive,” he said. “It’s actually my plan B for my tour events too!”

So, when you see a well-used old pickup burnin’ down the highway on a Sunday afternoon that sounds “a little off ”, remember to keep an open mind, it could very well be Steve Metcalf ’s art like all-purpose C10, and chances are you will only get to see the back of it!

BORED

Maybe you’ve noticed how earlier model cars and trucks took on facial appearances so potential customers could identify with them. Here, in this cool Matt Trombley shot, Metcalf’s C10 looks pretty relaxed.

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of every other auto racing influence added.

Drag, Drift, Autocross, Circle Track etc.,” explained Metcalf. And 18 months later, the finished project rolled out of that garage.

On the outside it may look like a well-used museum-ready piece, but think again, this truck is actually a pretty solid survivor, especially when considering it’s over 60 years old.

“The body is by nature,” says Steve. As far as he is aware, the truck maintains the original paint and there are pretty good signs that he’s right. There’s rust in the fenders and usual places, filler and patches in known problem areas, and a lot of small bangs and scratches. As for custom work, Metcalf shortened the front bumper 2.5 inches for a more sleek look and all non-visible sheet metal was replaced and gussets added for structure.

Inside speaks for itself. There’s a lot there, but Steve did his best to hide wiring and other stuff that really didn’t need to be seen. The original dash, door panels and door hard44

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BIG PIPES

Turbo piping is ownerfabricated and EBAY headers were modded to handle exhaust gases for the hot side of the setup.

BELOW THE WEEDS

Once the air bag system is slammed to the “lower than low” position, Metcalf’s truck sits almost on the ground.

ware were retained, but most everything else is custom, including owner fabbed bead rolled floor pans (by the way the bead roller is also homemade), and cage-integrated seat mounts, steering column with quick release wheel and aftermarket seats. A Holley digital dash relays most of the important data to the driver and is flanked by analogue gauges and a few necessary controls for good measure.

Oh yeah, and since it’s a stick truck, there’s 3 pedals!

Once the license plate on the truck sets things straight and you get past the body, things get pretty crazy, so try and keep up.

The custom owner/homebuilt 2x4x0.120” wall tube chassis was built on the garage floor by Metcalf. “The chassis is based off the original 1956 frame, but narrowed 5” to allow the wheels to clear the front fenders at full lock,” explained Steve. “All the chassis joints are gusseted and fully TIG welded. The 1.625x 0.120” wall 12 point modular rollcage is fabricated into the cab that incorporates the mounts to attach the cab to the chassis.

Front and rear sections interlock to allow cab removal.”

The truck rides on air, literally. Front suspension was borrowed from a C5 Vette and customized to fit the C10 by Metcalf with Shockwave front airbags/shocks. Outback, Steve used genuine Nascar TIG welded 4130

HIGH & MIGHTY

A Holley High Ram EFI manifold is equipped with an Accufab 92mm throttle body and Holley 83lb/hr injectors.

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STEVE METCALF’S ALL-PURPOSE 1956 CHEVY 3100 STEPSIDE t $IBTTJT 5ZQF .PET Custom homebuilt 2x4x0.120� wall tube chassis, joints gusseted and fully TIG welded. 1.625x 0.120� wall 12 point modular roll cage. t 4VTQFOTJPO 'SPOU Custom mounted C5 Corvette independent Front suspension, full air ride suspension with Shockwave front bag/shocks and 4130 splined 1.25� Sprintcar front sway bar. C7 Corvette Brembo 4 piston calipers and slotted rotors. t 3FBS Genuine Nascar TIG welded 4130 Chromoly truck arms with spherical ball joints. Rear airbags with external adjustable Fox shocks. C7 Corvette Brembo 4 piston calipers and slotted rotors. t #PEZ 1BJOU Body and paint “by nature�. t *OUFSJPS Original dash, sheet metal where possible with the full cage and Sparco seats and Schroth harnesses.

Controls (air tank, compressors, etc) hidden under the cab. t &OHJOF LS6 out of a 2004 Z06 Corvette racecar. t *OEVDUJPO Holley High Ram EFI manifold with Accufab 92mm throttle body, Holley 83lb/hr injectors, 3� bar and plate intercooler and custom 3 and 3.5� aluminum intercooler tubing. Turbosmart Raceport 50mm BOV.

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t 1PXFS "EEFS Garrett GT4202R Ball bearing turbo currently set at 8Lbs of boost. Turbosmart Race-port 60mm wastegate, EBAY 403 Stainless turbo headers (modified) and 3� stainless crossover tubes with 4� dump pipe and Diesel truck muffler under the cab exiting out of the passenger side stepside. t &MFDUSPOJDT Holley HP EFI for the LS6 with 7� Holley touch screen. Set up for boost control, but not currently used. Twin Bosch 044 fuel pumps. (1 full time with the other coming on at boost.) Rest of the truck is fully custom wired in-house. t 5SBOTNJTTJPO $POWFSUFS 2004 Dodge Viper T56 6 speed manual transmission with short-throw shifter. McLeod RST twin disc clutch with hydraulic master/slave.

Custom aluminum 3.5� driveshaft. t 3FBS %JòFSFOUJBM Ford 9� with Strange center, 31 spline Eaton Trutrac posi with 3.5:1 gears. t 0UIFS *NQPSUBOU *OGPSNBUJPO BCPVU UIF 7FIJDMF After only 600 miles of local driving (to and from work etc), we packed up and completed a 2018 tour event (2,200 mile round trip) with minor teething issues, but overall ran great, incurring 3 days/nights driving in the rain, with no wipers and no heat, radio etc‌ t 8IFFMT BOE UJSFT 18x10 and 18x12 Forgestar CF5s, bronze (to match the rust) with 275/35 and 335/30 BFG Rivals.

NICE MIX

A custom built floor and cage work well with the original dash, door panels handles and cranks. A Holley digital display touch dash works as the center piece inside the C10.

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Chromoly arms with spherical ball joints and airbags with external adjustable Fox shocks.

Motivation is provided by an LS6 out of a 2004 Z06 Corvette racecar, with owner-added boost, “at least until it blows up, then a new engine will be built for a LOT more boost,” Metcalf added with a chuckle. It’s well known these days that you can throw some pretty serious boost at an LS and easily reach over 1,000hp.

A 102mm ball bearing turbo is currently set at 8Lbs of boost. Steve modified some EBAY 403 stainless turbo headers to work with 3” stainless crossover tubes and 4” dump pipe that he whipped up in his garage. Exhaust exits via a diesel truck muffler under the cab then out of the passenger side step.

A Holley High Ram EFI intake with Accufab 92mm throttle body and Holley 83lb/hr injectors top the

LS and is fuel fed by twin Bosch 044 fuel pumps, one fulltime while the other activates at boost.

The boosted LS power is tranferred through a 2004 Dodge Viper T56 6 speed manual transmission with short-throw shifter. “By the way,” Steve added, “the custom handle and bronze machined nob were machined halfway across the world in Tasmania, Australia.”

While Metcalf built the truck to

RUSTY HOOPS The Forgestar CF5s wheels were painted to match the rust on the truck.

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A Ford 9” with Strange cent er an axles with Eaton Trutrac po d 31 spline si and 3.5:1 gears sits aft in the Stepsid e and the truck is suspended by a full air ride suspension.

WELL ENGINEERED

Once you get past the “natural” body and paint, Metcalf’s skill in engineering and fabrication are obvious throughout. His work rivals any of the quality shops out there.

STOCeKmoLtoSr was used as

rvett A 2004 LS6 Co Metcalf to boost with a r a base mill fo all bearing turbo.

102mm b

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TRIMMED OUT

Factory trim and emblems give the exterior the OEM look Steve was looking for but he narrowed the original front bumper 2.5 inches to clean up its bulky look.

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represent many things that he enjoys about performance and racing, he does intend to run some road race and drag tracks with the C10, as well as drive the heck out it. “The truck is just so much fun to drive,� he said. “It’s actually my plan B for my tour events too!�

So, when you see a well-used old pickup burnin’ down the highway on a Sunday afternoon that sounds “a little off �, remember to keep an open mind, it could very well be Steve Metcalf ’s art like all-purpose C10, and chances are you will only get to see the back of it!

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Jeff Blair’s dual purpose First Gen Corvette has it all!

It would have been hard for GM engineers, staff and frontline workers, especially after a lackluster introduction, to imagine the sustained success of the first generation Corvette let alone to see and experience one modified to the extent and detail of Jeff Blair’s 1956 model. Yet, here we are, 64 years later showing off Blair’s 9-second, Shafiroff big block powered, detailed to the max street/strip Vette!

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“Through high-school I spent more time in their garage than I did in my own house.”

Influence into the world of horsepower actually came many years before this car, though, from family friends as Jeff was growing up. “They (Jim, Doug, John and Rae Ryan) were a big car enthusiast and drag racing family that owned and raced everything from dragsters, door cars, jet boats, etc. Through

high-school, I spent more time in their garage than I did in my own house,” tells Blair. The smell of race fuel and sound of open header V8’s soon became an addiction for Jeff and when he turned 16 he bought a 1964 Chevelle with a 327 as his driver, also taking it to the dragstrip whenever possible,

THIS TEAM IS STACKED

The Hillborn fuel injection stacks poking through the hood is a cool touch. Corvettes started offering fuel injection as a pricey option in 1957, just one year after Blair’s rolled off the line.

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which firmly set the hook for his future with cars.

After owning a number more formidable Chevy street cars, along came the hard work of raising a family. Cars would take a back seat, and twenty years later it quickly became evident that so much had changed.

“It has been a bit of learning curve getting back up to speed,” Blair continued.

“As enthusiasts and racers, I think we are all continually learning, but I am dumbfounded at the reach of technology and its ease of deployment in this sport.

One small example is EFI and the extent of tunability and data that is available.”

Upon reentering the game, Blair decided take advantage of this new technology, but he needed a car to use

READY TO RUMBLE The license plate is legit, so are the wheelie bars!

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An OEM dash pad retains the original style speedometer but was fitted with carbon fiber panels and an array aftermarket gauges.

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The chromoly chassis work visible throughout the car was expertly handled. www.rpmmag.com

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ROW THE BOAT!

A tough G-Force GF5R / five speed transmission with Long’s Pistol Grip inline shifter transfer power from the big block rearward.

I NEED SOME AIR!

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The Hilborn electronic stack fuel injection has a 3” Bore, that makes for lots of air!

THOSE CRAZY PRO STREET DAYS

Then, a little over twelve years ago, the car entered its “second stage” of life via a comprehensive pro-street makeover. “That work was completed

by Marc Garland Racecars out of Port Richey, Florida,” he continued. “While the foundation of the build was a drag car, comfort and appearance components were added for a street driven vibe.” During its Pro Street days, the Corvette sported a pump gas 454 big block with square port heads backed by a 5-speed trans.

A Chassis Works Fab 9 rear-end with Strange 40 spline gun drilled axles, 4.10 gear and spool are the most recent upgrades to the Vette

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NO ADDITIVES The Scott Shafiroff 540-inch naturally aspirated big block propels the Corvette to mid 9s in the Âź. A Holley HP ECU controls the fuel, providing track tunability and reasonable street manners.

moserengineering.com

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DEDICATED TO THE STRIP It may have morphed through its existence into a tube chassis car but that Corvette body is the same one that sat on the OEM chassis back in ’56. The car has a storied drag racing history in NHRA events across Florida with the second owner, who purchased

it in the early 60s, quickly turning it into a dedicated drag car. That owner campaigned the car in NHRA’s Florida region for the better half of 40+ years.

During most of the car’s drag racing history, it was a fuel injected stick car.

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JEFF BLAIR’S STREET/STRIP 1956 CHEVROLET CORVETTE t $IBTTJT 5ZQF .PET Full Tube Chassis – Chromoly, certified to 8.50. Built by Marc Garland Racecars (Port Richey, FL) and recently updated by Kennedy Racecars (Denver, CO). t $BS XFJHIT XJUIPVU ESJWFS t 4VTQFOTJPO Rear: Four link with coil overs.

Koni adjustable shocks with QA1 springs.

Front: Art Morrison Struts Wilwood disc brakes on all corners. t #PEZ 1BJOU Original Corvette body, glass and trim. Tail lights changed to 1958 versus 1956.

Pinkees Rod Shop in Windsor, Colorado recently painted the coves white giving it a more nostalgic look. The car was completely red prior to this. Custom interior with leather seats and carbon fiber dash and trim.

Five point Simpson driver harness and AutoMeter instrumentation. t &OHJOF Scott Shafiroff Racing Engines, 540 c.i. naturally aspirated big block Chevrolet. Dart Big M 9.8 low deck block with splayed 4 bolt mains. SSRE/ Scat 4340 4.250� stroke steel crank Scat H-Beam rods, 13.5: 1 SRP forged aluminum pistons and Clevite 77 “H� Series main & rod bearings. Dart Pro1 24-degree cylinder heads - 345cc with Manley springs and roller rockers. Custom grind COMP Cams solid lifter cam (.785 intake lift / .779 exhaust). ARP Studs, Jesel belt drive, Moroso custom oil pan and windage tray, ATI Super Damper, Meziere electric water pump.

865HP / 710 ft lbs Tq. Naturally Aspirated.

my very ost I need to thank one of em for d an st Fir : To ks an Th pre. He helped with a lot of the good friends, Doug Ryan ry step of t has also been part of eve purchase due diligence, bu knowledge back to the dragstrip. His this car’s transformation s Rod kee both Eric Peratt at Pin has been invaluable. Also, ve also at Kennedy Race Cars ha Shop and Shawn Kennedy it is today. helped get the car to where 64 64

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t *OEVDUJPO Hilborn electronic stack fuel injection 3� Bore, AFIS injectors, Weldon 1100 fuel pump. t 1PXFS "EEFS None t &MFDUSPOJDT Holley HP ECU, Holley Dual Sync Distributor, MSD 6A ignition, MSD Blaster HVC II Coil, MSD 8.5MM Super Conductor plug wires. t 5SBOTNJTTJPO G-Force GF5R / five speed transmission with Long’s Pistol Grip inline shifter.

Gearing is: 1st: 3.047, 2nd: 2.14, 3rd: 1.61, 4th: 1.238, 5th 1.0. Quicktime bell housing, McLeod Street Twin RXT clutch with 18 spline input shaft.

Rear Differential: Kennedy Racecars recently installed a brand new Chassis Works Fab 9 rear-end, Strange 40 spline gun drilled axles, 4.10 gear with spool. t 8IFFMT 5JSFT RC Components dual bead lock rear wheels 15x15 with Goodyear drag slicks.

RC Components 17� front wheels. t 0UIFS JOGP NHRA Certified and actively compete in Rocky Mountain Stick Shifters organization.

The majority of these guys and gals have raced for 20+ years and they are GOOD RACERS! Even more importantly, however, they are a racing family always ready and willing to help one another on and off the track. t *O BEEJUJPO UP UIF $PSWFUUF * BMTP PXO B modified 2011 BMW M3 that competes in ½ mile and full mile top speed events as well as a few road course track days here and there. With a little 244 c.i. Vortech Supercharged V8 putting out 700HP, I’ve run a best of 188MPH in the standing mile.

PHASE 3 OF THE FIRST GEN Blair acquired the car in 2017 and the end result is what we see here. Being a big nostalgia fan, he wanted to keep the naturally aspirated, fuel injected, stick car theme in the car’s most recent iteration. “I immediately made the decision to leverage the foundation of the drag car build and set out to make a naturally aspirated, 9-second street car.”

A Scott Shafiroff 540 c.i. big block making 865HP / 710 ft lbs of torque replaced the existing mill and a tough as nails (as in, it will take every bit of that HP and torque) G-Force GF5R five speed racing transmission backed it up. The required fabrication items were handled by Eric Peratt at Pinkees Rod Shop in Windsor, Colorado in order to get the new engine/transmission combo to fit properly.

The Shafiroff naturally aspirated mill started life with a Dart Big M 9.8 low deck block with splayed 4 bolt mains.

An SSRE/Scat 4340 4.250” stroke steel crank swings Scat H-Beam rods pinned to nicely domed 13.5: 1 SRP forged aluminum pistons. [cont’d]

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PHASE 3 OF THE FIRST GEN

Dart Pro1 24-degree cylinder heads were used with Manley springs and roller rockers.

Induction, however, is where Blair’s soft spot for the car’s history comes into play, however, he simply couldn’t ignore his new found appreciation of technology and was sure to mix both into the build.

A Hilborn electronic stack 3” bore fuel injection system was used with AFIS injectors fed by a Weldon 1100 fuel pump. The system is controlled by a Holley HP system.

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The Corvette’s chromoly chassis is certified for 8.50 ETs and was built

by Marc Garland Racecars and recently updated by Kennedy Racecars.

With a race car quality chassis and newfound power backed by a killer transmission, Blair knew things would have to be updated out back, too, so Kennedy’s also whipped up a new Chassis Works Fab 9 rear-end with Strange 40-spline axles and a set of custom made wheelie bars that’s all hung by a custom four-link with coilovers.

SUNDAY DRIVE ANYBODY?

After being a dedicated race car since the 1960s, Blair returned the car to street duty and drives it as well as regularly racing with the Rocky Mountain Stick Shifters organization.

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A Weldon 1100 fuel pump with MagnaFuel pre-filter are tucked in the trunk area.

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TIGHT FIT

Even the trunk area is top shelf as far as fit, finish and detail. The fuel cell had to be large enough to accomodate short Âź-mile trips and longer street drives.

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NEW NOSTALGIA

The Coves White paint accents were recently added to give the Corvette a more nostalgic look.

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NICE UPHOLSTERY

Custom leather seats make for a comfy ride street or strip.

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Since his favorite all-time band is AC/DC Blair named the car “Whole Lotta Rosie” or “Rosie” for short.

The car is driven regularly on the street and at the racetrack, and in a an effort to balance the benefits of both, while he is hesitant to move away from his Street Twin RXT Clutch to an adjustable racing clutch, Jeff is considering experimenting with a clutchtamer to find a good middle ground. “I’m looking for a little clutch slip at launch to fight against the occasional dead-hook bog,” he added.

The appeal of Jeff Blair’s Corvette doesn’t stop with the obvious; it’s a naturally aspirat-

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ed, injected, stick gen 1 street/strip Corvette.

But the top-shelf quality of the build coupled with its ability to perform in both those environments extremely well is what caught the eye of our RPM staff. “Whether on the street or track, between the injection stacks sticking out of the hood, the massive 18.5” tires in the back, and the clean body lines, the car seems to turn heads wherever it goes. And to the purists of the sport, it retains three pedals,” Blair added with a smile.

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t’s crazy to think that it has been a decade since General Motors shuttered the Pontiac brand amid a painful economic recession and deep restructuring efforts. The familiar red arrowhead logo adorned such musclecar and performance icons as the GTO “Judge” and more recently the fourth-gen WS6 Firebird. But buried in between those two beasts was a divergent little two-seater, mid-engined sports car that was famous for a num-

august 2020 | RPM Magazine

ber of high-tech innovations. Oh yeah—and a reputation for catching fire.

The likelihood of engine fires was pretty much limited to the 1984 inaugural model year but sadly, the reputation would plague the car throughout its production run. The most common reason for the failure was due to faulty connecting rods that had a tendency of exiting the engine block, particularly if engine oil was allowed to run low. The newly liberated

THI OF

IS PONTIAC IS FULLY CAPABLE QUICKENING YOUR PULSE Story by Toby Brooks Photos by Stephen Taylor www.rpmmag.com

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OH THOSE CRAZY 80s!

From 1980 to now, Rod Snyder’s Pro Street Fiero hasn’t changed a whole lot aside from the whine of the 6/71 blower that once poked through the hood.

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oil would then splash onto the exhaust manifold and then the real havoc would ensue.

A total of 370,168 Fieros were built between 1984 and 1988. During that time, Illinois-native Rod Snyder decided that the compact little silhouette would be the perfect starting point for a no-holdsbarred full tube chassis pro street build. “I went to the Street Machine Nationals in India-

napolis for the first time as a spectator in 1980. I had built a pro street Vega that I took to The Nats from 1982-1987, but I reluctantly decided to sell it to start a new project I had in my head,� Snyder said.

That project was a blown and injected big block Fiero. “I had seen a couple of Fiero drag cars built with an aftermarket fiberglass body. These were a roadrace body, which was longer and wider than stock,�

$BOBEB T 1FSGPSNBODF 4PVSDF

$IJTIPMN $U "KBY 0/ $BOBEB

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he recalled. “I thought it would be cool to build a pro street version from a stock body Fiero,” he added.

Snyder started searching for a donor Fiero, however, he lacked the finances to just buy a new or even a nice used car.

“I ended up buying two totaled Fieros and then a

lot of other salvaged and new parts,” he said. “I designed as I built the round tube full chassis. This was also the first full chassis I ever built,” he added.

Up front, Strange Engineering struts work in conjunction with Strange coilovers and Hurst Airheart disc brakes. The trick 15-inch diameter

MORE STREETABLE?

I guess most anything is more street-friendly than an old school 80s blower motor, but this 440-inch owner-built big block Chevy is no slouch.

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A .060 over GM iron block houses a forged crank, h-beam rods and forged pistons designed to add needed compression for the direct port nitrous system replacing that 6/71 spindle-mount Centerline Pro Stock wheels measure just 3 ½ inches wide and roll on Patriot tires. Meanwhile, in the rear, a narrowed 9-inch Ford housing was assembled by Snyder using a Strange spool and 35-spline axles along with 4.56 Richmond gears before it was mounted in place with a custom 4-link and another pair of Strange coilovers. Repurposed GM disc brakes

slow the massive 15x15inch CenterlinePro Stock wheels with 33x21.5inch Mickey Thompson Sportsman tires.

Snyder next turned his attention to the drivetrain, where a big block Chevy was shoehorned in where the factory trunk used to be. As part owner of Five Star Engines in Springfield, Illinois at the time, Rod handled the engine build himself just like the chassis fab.

New Zoomie headers were also built for the re-release of the Fiero.

WHAT’S YOUR MPG?

A Holley Strip Dominator intake is topped by a 1050 Dominator carb, so you can bet Rod puts the new fuel cell to the test on lengthy drives.

BRAND RECOGNITION It may be a Chevy big block, but the car has Pontiac lineage.

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“I align honed, decked, bored, and honed the block. I balanced the rotating assembly and machined the L88 cylinder heads,” he said. At the time, the engine sported a Hampton 6/71 blower and an Enderle bird catcher scoop with mechanical injection.

The current setup is a bit more streetable. The cast iron block now measures 440 ci and swings a forged crank, H-beam rods, and custom top-secret pistons. A Holley Strip Dominator intake has been equipped with a direct port nitrous system from Top Gun and a detailed 1050 Dominator carb.

Backing the rat is a beefed-up TCI 80 80

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GM TH350 trans with manual reverse valve body. An aftermarket flexplate and a TCI 3,800 rpm stall converter handle the power on the input side, while a Snyder-custom driveshaft spins it back on the output side.

Paint and body are clean and crisp with minimal modifications. A pair of fiberglass tubs were installed out back, and a ’glass aero scoop and front air dam round out the additions up front. Snyder handled the prep work himself before Rick Schmidt sprayed the jewel-tone RM Diamont Bahama Blue basecoat.

Michael Turk added some trick airbrush graphics down the car’s flanks

BUILT

Many Pro Stre throughout, suc This moveme today’s tour sty USB charging p ev

FIERO 2.0

This Fiero was in-service during the heydays of the original Pro Street movement and it was iconic for the times. This 2.0 version, which started in 2016, has a revised more streetable motor program and larger fuel cell for cruising.

LT FOR COMFORT

eet builds used creature comforts ch as the factory cloth bucket seats. ent gave way to the cars built for yle events many of which have NAV, ports, cup holders and on occasion ven air conditioning.

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and a bit more on the hood, lending a tasteful and timeless look and feel.

Snyder also handled the car’s extensive hand fabricated tinwork under the hood, in the interior, and out back under the car. The bead rolled pieces have all been painted body color for a well-executed and fully integrated appearance.

Inside, the Pontiac sports modified Fiero cloth buckets with 3-inch RJS harnesses. A factory sunroof lets the sunlight in, while VDO gauges relay the critical info to the driver. A Hurst Quarterstick handles the gear selection duties and the massive carpeted tubs and clean cage work now reside where a factory 4-banger used to live in the factory midengine design.

The initial build took about 18 months and Snyder campaigned the car until 1992. “Family priorities and financial reasons sidelined the

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car and it was put away in my dad’s garage. It stayed there pretty much until 2016,” he said.

With the Nationals back, he made the decision to pull the car out of storage and freshen it up. “I did some maintenance and upgrades on the car and had it back out locally. Upgrades included new zoomie headers and an all-new fuel cell. “Originally I built the car with a 3 ½-gallon fuel cell because it was the biggest cell I

WHAT’S MISSING BACK HERE?

The engine! Massive carpeted tubs and cage work now reside where a factory 4-banger used to live in the mid-engine Fiero.

TIMELESS

With the redesigned wing, wheelie bars, massive rear meats and vanity plate out back, the Fiero never fails to catch people’s attention, even almost 30 years after it first hit the streets!

The license plate refers to a Pontiac marketing quote from the eighties that is also airbrushed in to the car’s graphics.

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ROD SNYDER’S PRO STREET 1988 PONTIAC FIERO

t $IBTTJT .PEJöDBUJPOT Owner-built chromoly & mild steel full tube chassis. t 4VTQFOTJPO #SBLFT FRONT: Strange struts with Strange coilover shocks. Hurst Airheart single-piston disc brakes.

REAR: Custom 4-link suspension by Rod Snyder with Strange coilovers and GM disc brakes. t #PEZ 1BJOU Fiberglass wheel tubs, aero scoop, and front spoiler. Prepped by Rod Snyder and painted

by Rick Schmidt with Michael Turk graphics.

RM Diamont Bahama Blue basecoat/clearcoat paint.

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t &OHJOF 440 ci big block Chevy engine built by Rod Snyder. GM iron block bored 0.060-over with forged steel crank, H-beam rods, and custom-spec pistons. Aluminum GM L88 cylinder heads with Milodon roller rockers. t *OEVDUJPO BOE 'VFM %FMJWFSZ Holley Strip Dominator aluminum intake manifold with 1050 Dominator carb. Mallory electric fuel pump. t 1PXFS BEEFS Top Gun direct port nitrous system. t &MFDUSPOJDT *HOJUJPO MSD ignition box with Pro Billet distributor 8mm wires. VDO instrumentation. t &YIBVTU Custom 2 ¼-inch zoomie headers. t 5SBOTNJTTJPO %SJWFMJOF TCI TH350 automatic transmission with manual valve body. Aftermarket flexplate and TCI 3,800 rpm stall converter. t %JòFSFOUJBM Narrowed 9-inch Ford housing with Strange Engineering spool and 35-spline axles. 4.56 Richmond gears. Assembled by Rod Snyder. t 5JSFT BOE 8IFFMT FRONT: Centerline 15x3.5-inch spindle-mount Pro Stock wheels with Patriot 165/60-15 tires.

REAR: Centerline 15x15-inch Pro Stock wheels with 33x21.5-15 Mickey Thompson Sportsman tires.

could find that would fit between the rear frame tubes (just 12 inches apart).

I built a pattern that was shaped like the cavity available, and then cut out aluminum plates and made a tank with a capacity of 13 gallons,” he said. Howie Clausen handled the welding and also did modifications to a new aluminum radiator.

The re-release has been a smashing success. “I brought the car back to DuQuoin in 2018 and 2019,” he recalled. “The reception of the Fiero was overwhelming. Many remembered the car and others thought it was debuting.

It received one of the Legends Choice Awards in 2019—what an honor after being hidden away for many years!” he added.

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SHOP

Talk Story and Photos by

JT

I’m pretty certain that everyone has that one project on their To Do List they’ve wanted to start, but for some reason just can’t get it going.

Allow me to share with you one of those projects I have delayed, and the many valid reasons why. That is until recently…

High temperatures have a way of hurting expensive parts here on Planet Gearhead. I have gone through both extensive research and expensive purchases all in the pursuit of being cool. As a matter of fact, I spared no expense when it came to my cooling system. A big double pass radiator, custom shroud with both a push and pull fan, a heavily modified front grill, high volume electric water pump, and the best heat absorbing additives available. My big block beast used to approach 230 degrees after just one pass, let alone the trip back down the return road. Thank God that is a thing of the past.

Keeping the air and fuel cool in a naturally aspirated engine is just one more component to making more horsepower. My Spectre custom dual plenum and DEI CryO2 cold air and fuel chillers drop ambient temperature down as much as 50 degrees.

Cerakoting my headers and complete exhaust system also help keep the under hood temperature as low as possible. So I took care of the cooling 86 86

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2 Electronics and wiring are one of my specialties, and making the connections on the temp sensor and connecting cable was a breeze. Little did I know at the time, the troubles that lie ahead.

SHOP

This is how this whole 1 project began. I had everything laid out and was ready to enter my happy place called wiring.

Talk

3 I figured out how to consolidate two circuits into one and make room for the trans cooler switch to make its home in my switch panel. I really didn’t want to have another switch on my dash. It is already looking like an F-16 cockpit.

system, the air and fuel system, an oil cooler, under hood temps, and I even put a fan in the cockpit to keep me cool in the staging lanes.

What could possibly be that one project I’ve been putting off?

If you guessed the transmission, you are correct. Now before we go any further let me cover myself and tell you that I did indeed install a trans cooler and some long braided -6 lines when I first built the car. At that time, however, my budget was dwindling and all I could afford was a basic, small finned cooler to help keep my Rossler-built Turbo 400 from melting. This basic set-up kept me cool enough to cool down between passes. It did not work efficiently during a mandatory 30 mile cruise in the “True Street” class prior to making 3 passes,

though. Something as simple as freaking people out at a local cruise night became borderline stupid on my end. I needed to address this problem, and here are the reasons why I put it off until now.

The first reason is that my car was done and it worked! When you take years building a car from the ground up, money is budgeted and assigned to things like horsepower and safety. When the budget runs out, you get whatever you can afford. When you finally get it running, you tend to want to keep it running and enjoy it. Ripping it apart is really not a priority. So reason #1 covers both no budget, and eagerness to enjoy the car.

Reason #2 falls into finding the time to take apart something that

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SHOP

Talk

4 Things were about to get real as I grinded once painted metal and prepared it for welding.

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Somehow by the grac 5 this behemoth in the t allotted for the old coo staring session and a templates made tryin set of bra

ce of God, I was able to fit tiny space that I originally oler. There was a very long a few different cardboard ng to fabricate the perfect ackets for this.

SHOP

Talk

6 As a finishing touch, I made a carbon fiber air scoop to help bring air into the cooler. The things we go through trying to be cool. works, over fixing something that is broken. Which brings us to reason #3. As much as I hate to admit it, reason #3 is actually the most valid of all that delayed me from starting this project.

Please don’t judge or think any less of me for what I’m about to admit. Instead, you should salute me for being honest and admitting the true level of my over the top case of OCD. So here it goes……… I was afraid, yes terrified of taking apart my absolutely gorgeous car. I knew I had zero room for a bigger cooler let

alone a fan. I knew I had zero room for a deeper, all aluminum finned trans pan. I knew I didn’t have any more room or open circuits on my custom, homemade power board and switch panel.

The only thing I did have room for was another channel in my data logger to monitor transmission temperatures. So in the back of my mind it was not just disassembly, but it was cutting, grinding, and welding in a freshly painted, meticulously clean environment.

Staring at my car every day in

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SHOP

Talk

8

7 I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised when all of my data entry appeared perfectly on the screen. It was kind of cool being able to give each one of my sensors a personal name on all six screens of my dash.

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Randy at RP gave me all data that program m accept th This was th worried abo out to be the stressful pa

PM Performance l of the necessary t was needed to my computer to he new sensors. he only part I was out, but it turned e easiest and least art of this project.

SHOP

Talk

9 I have to admit that programming the data logger was a lot of fun. I talk to my car on a daily basis, but being connected with an actual cable brought a whole new level of intimacy to our relationship.

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SHOP

Talk

10 A brand new, deep aluminum finned pan that was clean and beautiful is about to be heavily molested. As they say; no guts, no glory. What’s one more custom part on a custom car? my shop during the heat of the Corona outbreak gave me waaaayyyy too much time to think things out.

For those of you who are tinkerers like me, you know exactly what I am talking about. I don’t know how to sit back and relax, under any circumstances. Being stuck at home, with no place to take my car, created the perfect storm to release the Kracken, start fabricating and spend money I don’t have!

It’s funny, a long time ago I wrote an article entitled “Nothing Is Ever 92 92

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Easy” and time after time it’s proven itself to be profoundly true. The only aspect of this upgrade I was remotely worried about was programming the data logger to read a new sensor and inputting all of its values. I also needed to figure out how to send that data to my digital dash for display. Making the cable and wiring the sensor are things in my specialty wheelhouse, but I hadn’t played with programming that brain and dash since I installed it. At the end of the day, this whole process was

11 This is what my brand new pa after cutting and grinding awa beautiful fins. It was rather easy my wife that this was how all pa be installed. (Shhh as smooth as silk and gave me no troubles whatsoever along the way.

As a matter of fact, I was actually happily impressed with myself when I fired up the digital dash and saw the trans temp displayed on it. I held my fingers on the actual sensor and watched the temperature rise in amazement.

I found the deepest, aluminum transmission pan that was not only finned for cooling, but had the

SHOP

Talk

12 It fought me the entire time, making every step far from easy. But at the end of the day, it was home at last and looking good.

temperature sensor bung already in it.

This was supposed to be the easiest part of the job. I mean an looked like it is as simple ay all of those as mounting to the y explaining to block and screwing ans needed to in the temp senh) sor right? Well this was far from reality as the placement of the temp sensor bung was perfectly in-line with the side of the filter. There was no way that sensor was fitting in that pan. I worked for hours trying to modify a filter to accommodate the thermocouple, all to no avail.

After taking numerous and precise measurements on pan thickness and placement, I decided to drill and tap a new port for the sensor. I was a proud papa as I mounted the

pan once again and screwed in the temp sensor. Just when I thought it was smooth sailing, the “Nothing Is Ever Easy” article came back to bite me. I was about to put the last pan bolts in that mount the trans fluid spit tank to the pan, and saw there was no way it was going to fit and align with those holes.

The fact is that the block is the block and the holes have to be in the same spot. So what was the problem you may ask? The pan is so heavily finned that the extra material prohibits the spit tank from getting close enough to mate with the pan. No need to panic, though, I will find a new home for it. The only problem is there is no other place to call home. I stuffed a 572 cubic inch big block with 3 ½” pipes, not to mention a Turbo 400 into that tiny 4th generation Camaro real estate. I reluctantly removed that new, modified pan once again and went back to design mode. After a

Just when I thought it was smooth sailing, the “Nothing Is Ever Easy” article came back to bite me. lot of staring, measuring, and profanity, the least of the evils was to cut and grind all of those beautiful fins off the one end of that once new pan. Please remember that money is extremely tight and torturing an expensive pan hurt every fiber of my being. After a quick call to my Gearhead soulmate, Shawn, he reminded me that there was nothing that wasn’t custom in this car as it was. Why let a transmission pan stop me from customizing yet one more piece.

So another hour went by cutting, grinding, fitting, re-grinding, and fitting once again and my wife popped in to see what all of the

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SHOP

Talk

13 All transmission pans are not created equal.

This overflow tank once fit perfectly next to my old pan. When I saw this, I knew it was going to be a long day.

noise was. “Isn’t that the new part that we just ordered?” she yelled over the grinder. I replied with, “yes, this is just part of the installation process, no worries.” Needless to say the spit tank now fits perfectly in front of the pan and shares the same holes as the final two bolts I had left over.

That leaves us with just more upgrade. How do I fit a massive 16 row trans cooler with a 650 cfm fan in the same spot as the old pan, and re-use the existing -6 braided cooler lines? Anoth94 94

er long staring contest and a few cardboard templates later, I got the courage to cut some metal and begin to bend, drill, and weld it into the most perfectly painted area imaginable. I will spare you all of the details on that “pucker” experience, but it turned out perfect and NOTHING was harmed during the process.

As for the electrical part of the equation, I figured out a slick way to consolidate two very small circuits into one arming switch and free up a circuit for my new

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14 So much for ordering a transmission pan with a temp sensor bung already in it. The placement of the pre drilled bung was directly in the way of the filter.

I tried bending the thermocouple every possible way with no success.

After some precise measuring, and a lot of staring, I found the ideal spot to drill and tap the new home for the sensor.

SHOP

15

Talk

After all of that cutting and grinding, not to mention custom making new mounting arms, the overflow tank sits firmly against the transmission pan. I was happy to put a check mark after this on my to-do list.Â

trans cooler fan. There really was no need to have individual master arming switches for my trans brake and line lock. After all, they are both armed at the same time anyway and triggered individually from the steering wheel.

I have to admit, it was a proud and happy moment adding fluid

back into her and seeing everything working perfectly together with no leaks. It never ceases to amaze me the lengths that people go through just trying to be cool.

Until next time Keep Wrenching,

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PART 4 TURNING BLUE SADNESS BACK

INTO BLUE MADNESS 2.0 EDITION

By RPM MAG continues to bring you the exclusive coverage of the Re-birth of Madness as Troy LaCrone’s team push hard to get the Camaro back to show and race form.

I

arrived with a few friends at Beilman Fabrication, in Wentzville, MO to find “Blue Sadness” sitting out front of Marc’s shop.

It was in black primer (see pic #2) and is almost a complete roller.

Beilman and his talented crew have brought the frame back to new con-

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Troy LaCrone

1 The Camaro on the table where it was built at Beilman Fabrication just days before Troy picked it up. Picture taken right after it was cut off the table and on its own wheels for the first time. dition and sectioned a replacement 1968 body onto it. Keep in mind, the only body part I re-used on this project was the grille. We loaded the car and headed towards Villa Ridge, MO. and Monehan Autobody. Just

over 2,500 people call this little country town home and both myself and Tom grew up there, so this area is home and always will be. The car was placed in its new temporary home in Tom’s shop.

2 This is the Camaro when it arrived at Monehan Autobody.

At this point a show winning paint job doesn’t look too far away? Wrong, there was a lot to do to make the Camaro great again.

Monehan Autobody main work bay. Tom does an amazing amount of high end work out of this 30x50 section of his shop.

3

4 Where to start. Tom said that we needed to get all metal and fiberglass structure work done first. He started with stretching the quarter panel to easily hold big tires.

The trick here he says, “they must look factory original.”

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Troy LaCrone (left) with Marc Beilman.

5

THE PAINT & BODY TEAM

I’ve been friends with Tom since junior high school and during that time he and I did many cars together, although he was always a little better than me.

We were both set to spend a lifetime doing paint and body work.

We each attended a local Tech school during high school and Tom went on to Ranken Technical College after high school for their Collision Repair program. I was set to do the same when Uncle Sam called my name and I enlisted in the United States Army for 5 years. After the military, I never returned to Autobody full time, it was close but my path took me a different direction.

However, Tom stuck with it and over 30 plus years he has perfected his craft to extremely high levels. Tom is ultra-skilled and we

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would be able to make this car great again as a team, just like old times, but admittedly, the two of us working together these days translates into me being the mule. I get to sand under the bumpers where you can’t see it! Lol, truthfully, I do whatever Tom says.

[Right, top and bottom] Chris Nowack of Nowack Racing bu these killer custom hinges. The larg ones, which are tiny but strong an extremely light, are for the hood, while the even smaller ones are fo the trunk.

uilt ger nd d, or

THE CAR

We wanted the car to be as light as possible, but not be like most others. For example, no pro mod wing, no modified bodylines, no taking the hood off because it doesn’t have hinges to open, etc, etc.

Basically, it needs to look like a typical 1968 Camaro high end show car.

Yes, I said show car! However, this build is going to be a 6-second quarter mile drag car that can complete in tour style events, as well. It will get beat on, abused, driven in rain, and wrenched on often. Doesn’t sound like a show car? It will be. Everywhere we take this car, it is a reflection of my friends and I and the companies that work with and sponsor us. We want it to show our talent and hard work in the best possible

6

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way. We will do everything possible to make sure: A) The car will run great B) The car will drive and cruise great C) The car will look great Before the accident, the paint job on much of the car was going on 6 years old, but still looked amazing. For the 2.0 version the car still retains a steel roof, quarters, rockers, firewall, and floor pans. But, we’re using Glasstek fiberglass doors, front cap and trunk. We have always had the best results with Glasstek, their quality is great. No more OEM glass in this version as Optic Armor was used throughout for the weight savings and also so the car can retain the same look of having factory glass, without the weight.

7 Tom extended the cowl panel to ensur it fits under the reveal molding well an stays in place at 200mph.

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re nd

8 He didn’t like the gaps.

Here, Tom is extending and re-shaping panels to get the perfect gap he is after.

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9 The fender to door gap is now perfect.

Tom assembled and disassembled the car dozens of times to ensure every gap was right on the money.

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10 Tom uses tape to sight in the body lines and make sure everything lines up.

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11 At Tom’s shop there is always something nice that he has created or is creating. The Nova he did a couple of years ago was in for some minor buffing and the Ford Shelby Daytona Tom was just finishing an awesome paint job on.

All re-finishing materials are being provided by Florissant Auto Paint. When nothing but the best will do, Standox gets the green light. Tom only uses their line-up on all high end

restorations.

The stage is set goal wise, and Blue Madness 2.0 will quickly become one of the nicest 6-second Camaro’s cruising the streets in the world.

BE SURE TO TUNE IN NEXT MONTH AS THE CAR RETURNS TO ITS FORMER BEAUTY. 104 104

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We planned to get into some detail on assembling the short block this month, but due to time constraints mixed with waiting for a few parts, we just could not get it completed. We run through cam and valvetrain choices for our budget nitrous’d SBF. As you know, we chose COMP Cams for many parts on this project.

COMP has been in business for over 4 decades and takes pride in providing quality valvetrain parts backed by excellent service. Whether you are opening up their printed catalog or going on-line and using their renowned CAMQUEST software, they have the right 106 106

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part for your needs.

While COMP has an excellent assortment of offthe-shelf camshafts for most popular engines, they also offer very fast custom cam grinding service for enthusiasts and racers who need something a little different. In fact, I personally have used their custom cam grind service many times and it seems they always have the required core in stock for a rapid custom camshaft purchasing experience. Not to mention, their Master Lobe Profile Catalog, which is filled with 150 pages of lobe designs, is an engine builder’s dream!

For the PCRC engine, we knew that a solid/mechan-

ical roller is the way to go.

We need to get that valve open fast and matched with the correct valve springs to get it shut just as fast. The solid roller lobe is a more aggressive lobe design which we require for our application. Years ago this cam probably would have been a custom grind, but in today’s world, COMP keeps this one on the shelf.

Our camshaft part number is 35-782-9 and the grind number is 318DR12. This solid roller is made from a billet steel core for optimum strength. The cam is designed for 377+ cubic inches, race port cylinder heads, and a 300+ nitrous hit. The lobe lift is .465”

Opening the COMP box of goodies was like Christmas. We went with COMP for our camshaft and their recommended parts to go along with it including lifters, springs and hardware, pushrods and timing set.

Our new COMP cam 35-782-9 is shown on the right. The old cam (left) was used in the previous iteration of the PCRC SBF motor with different pistons and cylinder heads. With our 1.7 Harland Sharp rocker arms we’ll get .794” intake and .777” exhaust lift. The duration at .050” lift is 282 Intake and 300 exhaust and the lobe separation angle is 112 degrees. A nice combination for our 388 cubes with a 300-max shot of nitrous.

Our camshaft with COMP 96838B Sportsman Solid Roller Lifters. The lifters have a high strength 8620 premium steel body and roll on bronze bushings instead of traditional needle bearings.

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Our COMP # 947 triple valve springs (shown bench testing to 304 psi), 722 retainers and 611 locks are recommended to complement the cam.

Companies like COMP Cams do all the hard R&D work so you don’t have to. It sure takes the guess work out of such critical choices when building a motor at any level.

Our COMP 3135KT timing kit is an adjustable double roller seht that boasts a 3-keyway crank sprocket, induction hardened steel billet gears and a prestretched, heat-treated double roller chain with heavy-duty large pin design. intake and .457” exhaust.

With our 1.7 Harland Sharp rocker arms that nets us .794” intake and .777” exhaust lift. The duration at .050” lift is 282 Intake and 300 exhaust.

The lobe separation angle is 112 degrees. These specifications bring to mind a funny comment a friend once made, “that intake valve is like 7/11, open all the time!” But honestly, this fits our little 388 perfectly.

The COMP Cams catalog is easy to use, just look across the columns and all the parts required for completing the valvetrain are listed, from mild to wild. We chose the # 947 triple valve springs, 722 retainers and 611 locks.

These are all sold as singles or sets of 16. We also 108 108

used their spring cups to locate the springs and shims to get us to the correct valve spring installed height (2.050”) and seat pressure of 304 psi. At maximum lobe lift, the spring pressure came in a little over 840 psi. The 947 spring has been around a long time and has been used by many successful racers.

To ride on those sweet lobes we chose the 96838B Sportsman Solid Roller Lifter. The lifters are made from a high strength 8620 premium steel body and roll on bronze bushings instead of traditional needle bearings.

COMP Cams one piece Hi Tech pushrods and a 3135KT timing kit round out our parts selection.

august 2020 | RPM Magazine

Next month we’ll finally cover the short block assembly and then round up the top end with the install of our TFS cylinder heads (detailed in the JUNE 2020 issue of RPM) complete with Harland Sharp rockers. From there, we’ll cover the intake manifold and carb whys and hows and then get some fire in the belly of this budget small block build.

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FIND IT AT Typographical, description, or photography errors are subject to correction. Please check your local laws/regulations. © 2020 AUTOSALES, INC. www.rpmmag.com

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