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New Holland, Illinois' Blake Neeley has seemingly always found himself seeking thrills of all sorts.
Racing motorcross and 4-wheelers early on, Neeley later moved into the family melee that is demolition derby, which he thrashed, smashed, and
crashed in for 18 years. After returning home from deployment, the Army National Guardsman made the move to a small-tire street car and drag racing.
“I was just fed up with demolition derby,” Neeley explained. “Drag racing is a different type of enjoyment and money. With demolition derby, the investment in a car can be gone really quickly.
With racing, you see your efforts and they don’t just disappear suddenly.”
Originally campaigning F-body Chevys, Blake Neeley didn’t want to be “that guy” with yet another turbo LS Fox body, but in trying to achieve consistency with the power and performance level he was after, he felt he had no choice.
Story: George Pich
Photos: Stephen Taylor
Neeley’s first foray into this arena came behind the wheel of a 2002 Chevy Camaro, a real street car that packed a 408ci LS engine and air condi tioning.
“Things went from very mild to very extreme in 4 years,” Nee ley said of the Camaro’s transfor mation under his ownership.” By the end of the year, it was gutted and built strictly for racing.”
Neeley competed in numerous small-tire and no-prep classes with the Camaro, as well as with a re placement one, but ultimately felt it was tough to get the torque-arm sus pension of the 4th-Gen F-body to be consistent.
“I would not have a Fox body be cause everyone had one,” Neeley told us. “I asked myself, ‘Do you want to be consistent, or constantly fight a chassis.’”
After two years with the F-body plat form, Neeley finally switched to a Foxbody Mustang.
Purchased out of Florida, the Mustang was a rolling chassis that Neeley put his fabrication skills to work on.
Paint work was completed by B&B Kustoms in St. Louis, Missouri, in a gold hue the exact mixture of which is be ing held close to the vest. The car retains its OEM steel roof and quarters with fiberglass doors, front nose and deck lid and carbon rear wing.
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“I started fabricating in 2021, “Neeley said. “When I started drag racing, Midwest Chassis was up the road from me and I got the connection from Eric Vicary there. I started dabbling in fab work and Eric helped me out and showed me the ropes. I started fabricating on the side doing basic stuff like mini tubs. I have advanced considerably and I build my own turbo kits, do suspension work, cages, and set cars up,” Neeley said of how he has progressed at his newest occupation. After retiring from the National Guard, Neeley turned his Spartan Fab into his full-time gig and he put those skills to work on his own Mustang. Called “Olive” for its sometimes green, sometimes gold color, the Mustang underwent numerous changes and was fitted with a turbocharged LS engine.
Blake Neeley's Mustang is Forged in Fire!
Unfortunately, while on track, Neeley got out of the groove, which caused Olive to make a hard turn and it rolled as a result.
“Olivia's” construction began in earnest in February of 2023.
Neeley had another Mustang chassis in his shop about two weeks after that incident and began buying parts for it. He was determined to build this one better than the last.
“I made quite a bit of changes from the first to the second,” Neeley told us. “With the capability of radials to go fast, I spent a lot of time putting things where they needed to be weight-wise to change from no-prep to strip easily.
One look at the substantial use of carbon fiber inside the car and it is evident drop ping the Mustang’s curb weight was essen tial.
“I tried to save time by buying a car with a 25.2 cage in it, but learned my lesson and ended up redoing most of it,” Neeley ex plained. "Once we got into it, there was a lot of stuff that was done incorrectly.
Eric worked through it with me and showed me what needed to be done. I pretty much started over because of the cage rework.
The fact that I was in a hurry cost me a lot more work, but it was defi nitely worth it.”
The finished 25.2 chassis features Afterworks shocks tuned by Ron Galbreath and the stock-style, rear suspension supports a Hammer Concepts & Designs fabricated 9-inch rearend packed with 4.10 gears.
The single 98mm turbocharger was installed and plumbed in-house by Neeley’s Spartan Fab.
Blake Neeley’s Turbocharged LS 1993 Ford Mustang Coupe
■ Body & Paint:
Steel roof and quarters with fiberglass doors, front nose and deck lid. Carbon fiber rear wing. Paint by B&B Kustoms (St. Louis, MO in a top secret color).
■ Chassis & Suspension:
25.2 certified, stock type rear suspension (coilover conversion) with anti-roll bar, Hammer Concepts. Car has portion of front subframe in place and custom firewall in stock location. Tube upper bars tied into rails with aftermarket struts, K-member and control arms. Built for small tire drags.
Paint is a custom color that only I know the code to.
The inside is pretty much carbon; wheel tubs, floors, seat, steering column, driveshaft.
■ Reason For Build:
I was pretty upset over wrecking the other car. I loved the unique color so I wanted to build its twin but lighter and faster.
■ Build Timeline:
Roughly 9 months. Started on it February 2023 and fired it up for the first time in November 2023. It spent two or three months at paint and body prior to the completion.
■ Most Memorable Experience:
Wiring the entire car for the first time and everything functioning and running. This was the first car I had ever wired front to back so I was very impressed.
■ Thanks To:
CBI Street cars (Chad) and N&N Performance (Jeremy) for the tuning and knowledge to get me where I’m at in a short amount of time, B&B Kustoms for the paint and body work, Mike Lough for the engine, Hammer Concepts for the rearend, Ron G for the shocks, Midwest Chassis for chassis help and advice, Chew Motorsports for the CNC parts they make, Bolt Thrower Weld Shop for the puke tank and belly pan and welding techniques and advice, Circle D, Carter Motorsports, High Performance Transmission Specialties, HCR Innovations. Thanks to my wife, Jennifer, my Mom and Dad and my Mother and Father in law for their patience.
Rolling on RC Comp wheels, the Mustang is set up to run various Mickey Thompson 28x10.5 drag tires depending on the racing venue. Mickey Thompson front runners keep the rolling resistance to a minimum and Neeley fitted the Mustang with TBM brakes to slow the machine down.
Neeley’s 1993 Mustang was painted by B&B Kustoms in St. Louis, Missouri, in a gold hue the exact mixture of which is being held close to the vest.
The Fox body still retains its steel roof and quarter panels, while the doors, nose, and deck lid are fiberglass and the rear wing is carbon fiber.
Beneath the bodywork, Nee ley upgraded from his previous 388 cubic-inch LS powerplant to a full 427 cubes from Mike Lough Racing Engines. Neeley left that part of the build to Lough and doesn’t know much about the internals of the Dart-based engine, but on the outside, Neeley
A near indestructible fabricated 9-inch rearend was created by Hammer Concepts & Designs and is packed with 40 spline axles and spool and 4.10 gears. The coilover-conversion rear suspension system utilizes Afterworks shocks tuned by Ron Galbreath and a custom anti-roll bar setup. Up front, custom fabricated chassis bars surround the engine and Frankenstein Series struts with adjustable Racecaft Inc. caster/camber plates were used.
fabricated the turbo system that connects the Forced Inductions 98mm turbo to the Holley Hi Ram intake manifold that has been fitted with a Shearer Fabrications lid. Backing the highly capable engine is a High Performance Transmission Specialties Powerglide transmission that has been fitted with a Circle D torque converter.
The Mustang’s interior is quite nice with the aforementioned carbon fiber panels adorning the floor, doors, dash, seats and wheel tubs. A Holley EFI digital display provides Neeley with everything he needs to know about the car’s vital signs and the Spartan Fab roll cage keeps Neeley safe.
The Mustang’s interior is mostly carbon fiber including floor panels, door panels, dash, seat and wheel tubs.
A Spartan Fab roll cage snakes its way through the modest interior. Only the necessities for racing exist inside the Mustang, including a large digital display and race shifter.
RC Components Hammer series wheels grace all four corners of the Mustang and Olivia gets a choice of different Mickey T 28x10.5 rubber depending on the race surface.
Olivia’s (Neeley’s name for his current creation) predecessor “Olive” got its name for its sometimes green, sometimes gold color. Blake kept the top secret color for this identical twin 1993 Fox-body while slightly adjusting the name for it.
Despite performing 90 percent of the fabrication on the chassis, it’s the wiring Neeley is most proud of.
“This was the first car I had ever wired front to back, so I was very impressed when everything was functioning and running,” Neeley told us.
He used an HCR Innovations engine harness and the engine management comes by way of Holley EFI.
By November, the FoxBody was ready to fire up. The Mustang looked great and Neeley was eager to get back behind the wheel. Like many spirited stallions, though, Olivia had other ideas and the engine kicked a connecting rod in the burnout the first time out.
Neeley put the Pony back together and spent the better part of a year sorting out the new car bugs.
This wicked and clean '93 Mustang pass down the track by Blake Neeley is just the beginning for this second time around Mustang with lots more to come.
He finally felt he was through it when disaster struck again.
“I had been fighting this car all year long and got all the bugs worked out of it. The day I wrecked, I wrecked in the finals. The air had dropped and when I let go of the button, it power-wheelied and then drove right. It hooked a hard left and hit the wall,” Neeley said. “I never thought wrecking at 170 mph that I would be able to fix the car,” Neeley said of the work needed to
put Olivia back in competition.
Despite being forged in fire, Neeley feels he now has the winning formula for the Mustang. He received a good bit of help from Isaac Preston of Next Motorsports getting the Mustang into the 4.30s and has also benefitted from the owners of Midstate Dragway in Havana, Illinois, who have provided a great, nearby place to test. “There is a lot left in it. It’s capable of bottom 4s, high 3s, I just need to put together the run,” he added.
Mark Hoffer’s GTO was purchased as a rolling chassis and he liked the nostalgic flamed paint scheme so much, he kept it. From one angle the main color looks blue and from the opposite angle, black. A previous drag car, the Pontiac sits just right with a slight rake.
Story: Steve Baur
Stephen Taylor
One variation of a Pro Street build is taking an old race car and putting it back to street duty, albeit while maintaining that racy appeal from its ontrack heyday.
The alternative is creating a fresh build in honor of the ever popular Pro Mod and Pro Stock machines that we see at most any drag strip. Either way, the common denominators are big tires and impressive power, and this slick flamed GTO checks off both boxes. For Pro Street owners such as East Peoria’s Mark Hoffer, it’s much the same where they still want to have the excitement of competition, but in a different sort of way. Hoffer and his Pontiac GTO represent exactly this sentiment, and while they both have retired from racing, they haven’t retired from having fun.
Hoffer, a former heavy equipment operator, spent plenty of time street racing dating all the way back to the 1970s, so he’s pretty savvy on what it takes to build something fast and equally as capable behind the wheel.
Photos:
“It didn’t matter if it was trucks, cars, or whatever. I just always had to have something fast. Never had a wreck during my street racing days, but I had lots of tickets, though. A Nova I had got 4 tickets in one outing. I didn’t keep that car very long.”
Wanting something different from what he was used to, and what one regularly sees out and about, Hoffer perused the usual online for-sale avenues and eventually came across this 1967 Pontiac GTO.
Mark had some custom work done to the car including wing, wheelie bars and parachute, but the fender-exit exhaust was the most challenging.
Mixing the factory body, lighting and trim with all the big tire and big power madness of a drag car makes builds like Hoffer’s the real deal. They can cruise the streets, but take no prisoners light to light or on the strip if the need arises.
“I found the car on RacingJunk.com and it came out of Minnesota,” Hoffer said. “It was just a roller, no motor or tranny. The interior was partially done. Ever since I was a kid I liked the ‘67 GTO body style. When this one came up, I really liked the look of it so when I retired I bought it and started working on it right away.”
Hoffer began working on various areas of the machine and fitted the front end with QA1 tubular control arms and QA1 coilover shocks, which paired well with the ladder bar suspension out back that the GTO was already equipped with.
Check out the real estate this 1967 Goat takes up after the addition of the wing, chute and wheelie bars!
On the inside, Hoffer changed out the seats for a pair of ProCar bucket seats. There are other nice interior appointments like the Auto Meter Pro Comp instruments, billet window cranks and velour door panels, but make no mistake, the GTO still retains much of its racing components and character as evidenced by the aftermarket throttle and brake pedals, removable steering wheel, and B&M Racing reverse lockout shifter for the
BTE-built Turbo 400 automatic transmission. The full roll cage stiffens the chassis up for sure and protects the Goat’s occupants, but it has been painted body color to help it blend in as well.
The Pontiac’s exterior is big, bold, and brash with its massive, steamroller-sized, 21.5-inch-wide rear rubber complementing the car’s lengthy, Coke-bottleshaped rear quarter panels. That combination offers balance to the aggressive, stacked headlight front end that has been adorned with a vintage, hot-rod-style, flamed paint scheme.
The interior of the former drag strip warrior still sports its full roll cage and removable steering wheel along with an array of gauges and various electronics. Mark added the twin race seats and twin NX nitrous bottles (full, just in case) to the rear area where huge carpeted wheel tubs were installed during the back-half job.
The mountainous engine between the frame rails has been topped with an acrylic hood scoop, a fabricated sheet metal tunnel ram style intake manifold from Hogan’s, and pair of Quick Fuel Technology carburetors, all of which add to the
car’s impressive stature.
“The car was already painted when I bought it,” Hoffer explained. “It is blue one way and black when you look at it the other way. I really liked the look of the car, so I kept the paint exactly as it was.”
The fenderwell headers were a crazy part of the build. Being a unique diameter, Hoffer had to source material from the Aerospace industry.
If you think this Goat is all show, be advised that 602 inches of nitrous enriched Steve Schmidt big block Chevrolet was set between the framerails by Hoffer.
Mark Hoffer’s Nitrous Big Block Pro Street 1967 Pontiac GTO
■ Body & Paint:
Purchased as rolling chassis. Original steel body. Body and paint work were completed by previous owner. The paint has a “flip”, appearing blue one way and black when you look at it from the other direction. Custom rear wing and side exit exhaust.
■ Chassis & Suspension Modifications:
Back-half chassis with ladder bar coilover rear suspension.
QA1 front coilovers and tubular a-arms.
■ Engine:
Steve Schmidt 602 cu in big block Chevy. Dart block with ProFiler heads
■ Induction:
Hogan’s sheet metal tunnel ram with twin Quick fuel 1250 Dominator style carbs.
■ Power Adder:
NX 500 hp plate system, NOS nitrous controller.
■ Electronics:
MSD 7AL MSD billet distributor.
■ Transmission & Converter:
BTE turbo 400, 4500rpm stall BTE converter.
■ Rear Differential:
Dana 60 with 35 spline axles and spool and 4.56 gears.
■ Brakes: Wilwood 4 piston caliper disc brakes on all corners.
■ Most Unique Feature(s): The nostalgic paint with flames.
■ Reason For Build:
I wanted something different. Ever since I was a kid I liked the 67 GTO’s and when this one came up I had to have it.
■ Build Timeline:
I purchased it when I retired and took about 5 years fiddling with it to build it to where it is now.
It sounds as wicked as it looks, with a thunderous roar coming from its 602 cubic-inch, Steve Schmidt Competition Engines big-block Chevy powerplant. The Dart-based engine was fitted with ProFiler cylinder heads and a Nitrous Express nitrous oxide injection system turns up the wow factor just a bit more.
Larger scale, custom builds like this take time, but often in retirement, that’s exactly what you have to spend.
ProFiler heads were studded in place and a Hogan’s sheet metal tunnel ram style intake is topped by an NX 500-shot-capable twin plate kit and matching spray-spec’d Quick Fuel Dominator style carburetors.
“It was five years’ worth of fiddling with it,” Hoffer told us. “The hardest thing was when we were building the headers. They are 2 3/8-inch headers and I didn’t realize this and I had to get a few more bends and ended up getting them from an aviation place because of the special size. Anderson Custom Cars in Washington, Illinois, helped with fabrication of the headers, wheelie bar, and the parachute.”
Once Hoffer had the GTO all together, he was able to fire up the big-block.
The rear frame is fabricated and a ladder bar/coilover setup suspends a built Dana 60 rear end. Up front, Hoffer added some suspension goodies including the QA1 tubular upper and lower control arms.
The GTO rides on Bogart wheels; 15x15 rears and 15x3.5 fronts. Huge 33x21.5 sticky radial tires, standard for a true Pro Streeter, roll out back, and Hoffer admits it’s hard to keep from frying them off when he mashes the go pedal!
Its fenderwell-exit headers crackling with the thunderous burble that only a massive amount of cubic inches mixed with high compression can provide, surely put a smile on his face, and he was ready to share that feeling with others and began taking it to car shows all over.
A fuel cell and twin battery boxes were installed in the massive trunk area of the GTO, still allowing room to sneak a cooler and a few folding chairs in there.
“About ten friends and myself went down to Missouri a few months back to the Magic Dragon car show. This is a car show in Missouri at the Lake of the Ozarks.” As for Hoffer’s most memorable moment in the muscle car thus far, he had this to say.
Fats and skinnies are a must on any Pro Street build, not to mention a menacing powerplant that usually protrudes well above the fenders. Hoffer’s GTO has all of the above!
“I broke a rod end on a ladder bar doing a burnout. It broke the heim joint and the rearend shifted, but it didn’t do any damage— It just got ‘a little weird.’”
Mark figures he’s probably in the mid-eights in the quarter with the big block Chevy Pontiac on a
modest hit of spray, but he really has no plans of hitting the strip just yet. Instead, he wants to enjoy the car rolling around the streets of America, and occasionally stab the throttle just to let everyone know that this Pro Streeter is no poser.
Story : George Pich
Photos: Wes Taylor
No stranger to cars, Robinson grew up watching his dad wrench on street cars, trying to make them quicker and faster with each new part installed or work he did on them. Once old enough, David started building his own street machines and, seeing his interest, his dad started to help him, eventually buying a race car to work on together.
“My father paid for the car and we built it together. I was the driver and
raced it. It was something we really liked doing together,” Robinson said.
As time passed, David rented a shop and started restoring race cars on the side in order to earn extra money for his own car. Eventually, his side jobs led to starting his own business, Robinson Custom Hotrods.
Fast forward a few years and Robinson was about to find his next big project while out driving on a back road in Long Creek NC.
I didn't care what it looked like, I just had to have it...
DAVID ROBINSON
“Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a 1973 Plymouth Duster,” he explained. “I just had to stop and talk to the owner. He was an older gentleman and as we talk-
ed I knew I had to have this car and I bought it from him for $1,500. At the time I didn't care what it looked like, I just had to have it, not realizing how rough of a shape it was really in.”
Chassis and suspension mods are evident just in the way the Duster sits nearly level. The bright silver PPG paint is accented by a black Sunoco style hood, vinyl roof and 1973 side stripe kit with “Twister” decal.
Placed dead center in the front grille, the inlet for the sizeable 118mm turbo is hard to miss. The system’s exit tube pokes through the Sunoco style fiberglass hood
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Success didn’tcome without bustinga fewknuckles alongway...
A built Dana rear end is suspended by a 4-link coilover setup out back, but the most impressive part of the suspension is the complete Magnum Force front end conversion kit that David installed.
The Original Patented CalTracs Traction System
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RON RHODES 1968 Chevrolet Camaro
Sometimes the car would sit until the next job payment came in, and David continued on this course for 2 years until the Duster reached completion.
The first version of the car was a big block nitrous combo, which David admits was a complete blast. In fact he still admits that his best memory in the car to date was running his first 8.04-second hit on a single 250-shot of nitrous. Next, the big block had a belt drive Vortech supercharger which afforded a completely different experience from the nitrous hit, and eventually the Duster would see the single turbo big block combination under the hood today.
“Like my father, it seems that the car never has enough speed,” Robinson added with a smile, “So, I keep trying new ideas to make it faster.”
As rough as the car was, David managed to salvage most of the factory steel and ended up only replacing one quarter panel. He also stretched the rear
wheel well openings 3 inches as he originally ran a larger tire. The Duster also boasts all original glass and fully functional side windows. While this might hurt in the weight department (it’s currently 3,310 pounds with driver), David wanted to keep the car looking and feeling as much like a Duster as possible.
The Duster rides on Sanders 5-spoke rims with the rears being beadlocked to Mickey Thompson 275-60-15 Drag Radials.
To accent the PPG silver paint, a black vinyl roof was added along with the 1973 side stripe and “Twister” decal.
Next up was the chassis. A chromoly 25.5 cage kit was purchased and installed during the back-half project, and along the way the car has seen upgrades where needed to match changes in the power combination. A 4-link coilover suspends a built Dana rear end out back and a trick Magnum Force front end conversion kit was installed up front.
Steve and Sheila Bowman started the build for Robinson’s boosted big block Mopar with an Indy aluminum 572 block that, after machine work, comes in at 580 cubic inches. Indy CNC heads are fitted with Jesel rockers and a cast intake was equipped with 8 injectors and topped by a cast elbow mated to a polished throttle body.
David Robinson's Big Block Duster is taking names at the track and looking like a show car while doing it!
Anyone who has driven a Mopar of this era understands that the front end is a critical part of handling at this power level. QA1 coilovers sit at all four corners along with custom disc brakes to provide the whoa at nearly 150mph in the eighth-mile.
Robinson built the inte-
Providing boost is a single sizeable 118mm turbocharger. Hot Rod Dynamics installed the turbo and piping and also fabricated the headers.
rior of the car for race applications, including that 25.5 cage that snakes its way through the interior, but once again wanted to keep the OEM vibe so he saved the dash structure and fabbed up an insert panel with an array of aftermarket gauges and switch panel.
A fabricated aluminum fuel cell, battery and electronics for the EFI system take up minimal real estate in the Duster’s trunk.
David Robinson’s Turbo Big Block 1973 Plymouth Duster
■ Body & Paint:
1973 Plymouth Duster – all steel with glass windows. . The body has just one new rear quarter panel and 3-inch stretch on rear wheel openings.
Paint: PPG Deltron - PS2 paint code.
Clear: PPG 72500.
■ Chassis Modifications:
The chassis is Chromoly round tubing 25.5 certified kit.
■ Transmission: Prince Racing Powerglide PTC converter.
■ Rear End:
Strange S60 rearend with 40 spline axles and spool and 3.54 gear.
■ Brakes:
Wilwood disc brakes all the way around.
■ Tires & Wheels:
Mickey Thompson Drag Radials 275-60-15.
Sanders rims on the rear 15 x 2.
■ Interior:
Owner-fabricated custom dash with the gauges. Painless wiring harness. 12 Point Chromoly roll cage with Funny Car hoop. Racing seat.
■ ET & MPH:
Personal Best at Maryland in the 1/8-mile 4.90 @ 144 MPH
■ Most Unique Feature(s):
The whole car bumper to bumper. it is an all-steel car with all glass windows, windshield, and back glass. The door windows still roll up and down. The car is completely rebuilt from ground up in my backyard garage. Weighs approximately 3,310 pounds with driver.
■ Reason For Build:
At first I built it to give to my son to race, but he didn't want it after I bought it, so now it fulfills my own need for speed.
■ Build Timeline:
It took approximately 2 years the 1st time to build it from start to finish. The motor has been changed 2 more times since then.
■ Most Memorable Experience:
When the car had a single 250 shot of nitrous and I ran the 1/4 mile in 8.04 seconds @ 166 mph.
■ Thanks To:
Thanks to my wife who has always been there not only supporting me but helping me with the builds. She doesn't hesitate to get her hands dirty and is right there wrenching, sanding, sand blasting or anything we need at the time. I would like to thank Steve & Sheila Bowman who built the motor. I used to watch them at Rockingham in the 90's doing the King of the Street and now I am part of it due to Steve's friendship. Also, Hot Rod Dynamics who installed the turbo Kit and fabricated the headers. And thank you to Randy Haywood at Carolina Dyno in Wilmington, NC for tuning the car.
He also had custom “Mopar” door panels made to work with the original handles and cranks and the gray carpet throughout with just a single race seat, Hurst pistol grip shifter and
removable custom steering wheel give the inside a super-clean look and feel.
A capable big block built by Steve and Sheila Bowman resides under the hood of the Duster.
What’s Old Is New if you haven’t read it yet!
Each month we host some of our past issues of RPM Magazine in this section. If you haven’t read them yet, they are new to you! If you have, maybe there’s a favourite car/story you want to read again….here they are! CLICK A COVER OR SCAN A QR CODE TO GO BACK IN TIME!
A 25.5 Certified cage snakes its way through the interior, the OEM dash structure was restored and David fabbed up an insert panel with an array of aftermarket gauges and switch panel. Custom “Mopar” door panels work with the original handles and cranks and the floor, including the rear wheel tub area, is carpeted for a very clean look.
The Mopar mill started life as an Indy aluminum 572 block and, after being punched out 30-over, comes in at 580 cubic inches.
A Crower crank spins Bill Miller rods pinned to Wiseco boost-spec pistons. Indy CNC heads are fitted with Jesel rockers and a cast air-gap style high rise intake was equipped with 8 injectors and topped by a cast elbow mated to a polished throttle body.
A single race seat, Hurst pistol grip shifter and removable custom steering wheel were also installed.
Alltheseyears later,thefinal productis stunning!
David Robinson found his Duster about 17 years ago while driving a back road in Long Creek NC. For whatever reason, he had to have it and bought it for $1,500, not realizing just how rough it was.
Providing boost is a single sizeable 118mm turbo plumbed into the mix by Hot Rod Dynamics. After just tickling the 4-second zone with the Duster to date on a fairly modest tune, David expects to get deeper into the 4s as he explores new parts, tunes and ways to go quicker and faster, just like his father did before him. So when you see the taillights of this big block boosted Mopar at the end of a race, it’s nothing personal, just consider yourself Dusted!
Article first appeared in the August 2020 digital issue.
RPM MAGAZINE Reprint IN Print! RPM MAG’s commitment to features that appeared digital-only since June 2020.
There’s no denying that the Fox Body Mustang is one of, if not the most popular platform for drag racing.
Brand loyalties aside, if you stop and think about it for second, few people would dare put a Ford or Mopar engine in a first Gen Camaro, yet we’re starting to see as many LS powered Mustangs as we do Ford powered ones over the past few years. Call it what you will, but the fact is that, pound for pound, the Fox body is hard to beat if you want a lightweight candidate to build into a street or strip car.
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec’s
Martin Girard could be considered a purist with his wild ’91 dragstrip-dedicated build – yes, it’s powered by a small block Ford but, despite being brutally quick, he still jambs through the gears with a 5-speed transmission!
“The story started when I was 17 years old with the purchase of my first Fox Body Mustang. It was a street car with some modifications,” said Girard.
The owner-modified 25.2 cert Chromoly roll cage and chassis work was originally done by
in
Hooken Chassis Race Car
Missouri.
The wicked small block Ford started with a Dart block and bullet proof rotating assembly and boasts Blue Thunder heads reworked by BES
Two Pro Systems Dominator style 1050 custom nitrous carbs top off the SBF.
It was his first Mustang that, like it did for so many, set the hook and would be the catalyst to Girard continuing on with the Fox Mustang body, and also getting involved in drag racing them.
By the time 2000 rolled around Girard would buy another Fox Body that would see street and strip duty. “We started with running 12 sec-
onds in the ¼, then 11 seconds and eventually 10s, all while keeping it a street car,” Girard explained. The one thing that’s a bit different in this story is that Martin never swayed from shiftn’ gears, “I’ve always driven manual transmissions in my 20 years of drag racing, I never had an automatic! I like the feeling of driving a fast car and changing the gears myself.”
Just like many of us who have experimented with manual transmissions during the evolution of building a car to go quicker and faster, with each new modification Girard experienced the trials and tribulations of that game, finding the limitations of each transmission along the way. “That second Mustang had a Tremec transmission but at one point I decided to
The Teacher in the staging lanes with the teacher, Martin Girard.
[Above] From left to right: Marc-André Fortin, Gabriel Jetté, Martin Girard, Patrick Donnelly and Yves Bourgeois with Martin’s kids William and Kariane.
GIVE ME A BREAK!
A carbon fiber one! Mark Williams carbon fiber discs and pads help with the stopping duties out back.
A carbon fiber pro stock style scoop sitting on top of a custom cowl hood pulls massive amounts of atmosphere in to feed the twin Doms.
install a Ford Top Loader 4 speed pro-shifted by Liberty. I was driving a 10.20 street car with a naturally aspirated 408-inch SBF to work every day!”
When daily driving the car became not quite so practical, the decision was made to convert it to mini tub and cage it. From there, nitrous was added to the street motor along with a GF5R G-Force 5-speed clutchless trans. The results were a 9.27 ET, then, with a few more upgrades and a swap to a G-Force GF 2000 the following year, 8.91s.
By 2008 Girard decided he had reached the limit of the 408 SBF and grabbed an old class engine built to run Hot Street with NMRA; a naturally aspirated 398-
inch with 865HP good for 10,000 rpm, and, as always the 5-speed found a home behind it. When the car was completed, however, the unthinkable happened the first time out and Martin crashed, completely destroying the car. “It was a total loss and I got away with just a few minor injuries, thanks to the safety equipment,” Girard said.
This sequence of life events led Martin to the Mustang you see here, a 1991 former Hot Street class car that has been complete-
Not one but two nitrous kits, both from Induction Solutions, provide the extra hit needed to take on the turbo crowd in No Time drag racing.
ly overhauled. Carroserie Xtreme took care of the body and paint, a new engine was built by Claude Gauthier and spec’d by Sam Vincent, and, once again it’s a Liberty Extreme clutchless 5-speed trans backing up the sprayed small block Ford.
Body and paint on the car speaks for itself, it’s flawless and kept that way by Girard and his team. The chassis was originally
built by Hooken Chassis Race Car and modified by Martin. Inside, the car is 100% racecar with the exception of the dash, but it is the G-Force trans that screams “hardcore”, that, and the Induction Solutions nitrous bottle.
The 422-inch small block Ford started life as a Dart Iron Eagle block. A Crower crank with GRP aluminum rods and Diamond custom nitrous
pistons with Total Seal rings rotate inside, while a Bullet custom nitrous 55mm cam spec’d by Sam Vincent actuates the valvetrain. Blue Thunder 4.3 heads reworked at BES were studded in place, while a Wilson custom sheet metal intake with twin Pro Systems 1050 custom nitrous carbs top off the package, well almost tops it off. Ni-
trous comes into the equation via 2 systems by Steve Johnson’s Induction Solutions, the first being a direct port system and the second one of Johnson’s Punisher systems.
When the car was completed, Girard decided to “switch gears” and tackle No Time and Grudge racing, starting with the No Clock Small Block class at
Girard not only keeps his Ford all Ford but just couldn’t part with shiftin’ gears after he had his first 12-second Mustang. Now, this deep 8-second (if not much quicker, but we didn’t say that) Mustang relies on a Liberty Extreme clutchless 5-speed trans with Trick Titanium bellhousing and McLeod soft lock single disc 10.5 clutch kit all redone by Cale Aronson.
Martin Girard’s 1991 Mustang Drag Car
Chassis Type & Mods:
Modified Fox Body chassis, stock front firewall/stock front and rear frame rails, mini tub,25.2 cert Chromoly roll cage originally built by Hooken Chassis Race Car in Missouri and owner modified.
Suspension:
Complete Racecraft front suspension (k-member, A-arms, bump steer, caster camber plates), AFCO spindle mount struts with Landrum springs, TBM spindle mount brake kit, RC Comp Hammer-S 17-inch wheels.
Ladder bar rear suspension, Quartermax anti roll bar, Santhuff double adjustable rear shocks valved and done by Ron Galbreath at Afterwork Suspension, Mark Williams carbon fiber discs and pads, Weld single beadlock with 28” MT slick.
Body & Paint:
Carbon fiber front clip/hood , pro stock carbon fiber scoop, carbon fiber doors, Optic Armor windshield, carbon fiber quarter window and back glass by Crafty Fast Cars, fiberglass deck lid, Skinny Kid wing, red EP Ford paint code done by Carrosserie Xtreme.
Engine:
SBF 422 CI, iron eagle dart block, Crower lightweight crank, GRP aluminum rods, 4.175 Diamond custom nitrous pistons, Total Seal rings, Bullet custom nitrous 55mm cam spec by Sam Vincent, Jesel belt drive, Peterson external oil pump/pan vac combo , .937 Jesel lifters, Blue Thunder 4.3 heads done by Roush and reworked at BES, Victory titanium int/exh valves, PSI 1255 valve springs, PAC titanium locks and retainers, TD shaft rockers.
Custom stainless owner-built front exit headers, all engine spec by Sam Vincent and all assembly by Claude Gauthier (Atelier C.G) QC.
Induction & Fuel:
Wilson custom sheet metal intake, pro stock shear plate, 2 Pro Systems Dominator style 1050 custom nitrous carbs, Aeromotive A2000 fuel pump, Magnafuel fuel log, Holley 830 regulator and 4 port Magnafuel regulator.
Power Adder:
Induction Solutions direct port first kit and second is Induction Solution Punisher System (“I have only used the first kit, for
now!), Edelbrock progressive nitrous controller.
Electronics:
MSD billet distributor, MSD crank trigger, Fire Core custom wires, MSD Digital 7, Nitrous Dave relay panel, Racepack V300SD with all the sensors and UDX dash, Go Lithium lightweight 16volt battery.
Transmission:
Liberty Extreme clutchless 5-speed trans, Trick Titanium bellhousing, McLeod soft lock single disc 10.5 clutch kit all redone by Cale Aronson.
Rear Differential:
Modified Ford 9 inch, Mark Williams aluminium third member & spool, lightweight 4.10 Pro gear, Strange gun drilled 40-spline axles, 5/8 studs, Mark Williams billet yoke and aluminum driveshaft.
How Many Years Racing?: 20
Thanks To:
“Thank you to all the industry people who make this passion for cars and racing possible. I couldn’t do all the maintenance between the run alone; I have the best crew; Marc André Fortin, Patrick Donnelly, Gabriel Jetté, Yves Bourgeois. Thanks to all you guys! I drive the car, tune the nitrous, read the racepack and tune the clutch each run so this car needs a lot of work! This season will be quieter because of Covid 19 and closed borders but we are doing some events in Canada and looking forward to Smackdown4 at St Thomas Dragway in September. We will continue to work hard to push on those big HP turbo guys, lol. Thanks also to JB James Broaddus the promoter of the NCSB class for helping me race in the USA, it’s not always easy when you are Canadian.”
the 2018 Yellow Bullet Nationals. He also developed an identity for the Mustang, “We named the car The TEACHER because I am a mechanics teacher at CFCRS La Prairie QC.,” he said. And at that first big race with the new car, The Teacher went to the semi-finals. Since then, they have competed at events on both sides of the border between No Clock
The interior of the Mustang is all about the business of drag racing, and that is to get from point A to point B before the person in the other lane.
As well as his own stout grudge drag car Martin developed a project car with his students which has taken on a life of its own over the past 17 years.
Our school project car was developed to help students learn and enjoy working together for a common goal.
Every department of the school has a job on this project; the Marketing and Sales Department for sponsorship, the Body Shop for
the paint and all the body work and upkeep, the Auto Mechanics shop for some of the build and modifications and ongoing mechanical work, and the Electrical/ Maintenance department for the electronics of the car, we want the whole school to be involved
in the car! We have a special day each year with some of the other area schools and students around Quebec at Napierville Dragway. It’s a competition but shows the students that they can have fun at the race track where it is a controlled environment.”
• 350 zz4 Crate engine
• All forged internals, with mild Cam • Holley hi flow intake and throttle body • 150 hp nitrous shot • Trans is TH350 with trans brake • • Moser 9 inch rearend with 4.10 gears • 2000 CAMARO
Martin Girard’s Nitrous Red Ford Mustang at Quebec Grudge Wars No Time Outlaws...
Small Block and various 28-inch tire classes, but have had a light schedule this year due to Covid 19.
We’ve all been told at some point “when the teacher speaks, you need to listen”, and Martin did leave us with one final thought, and that was simply; “we’ve only used the first kit, for now….”
So No Time racers take note, The Teacher is here and class is in session.
Jack Stone’s “Predator” 1969 Chevelle
From the pages of RPM Magazine, January 2015
Photos: Lucio Vergara
Strength. Speed. Stealth. Nature’s deadliest creatures are typically positioned high on the food chain because they possess the characteristics of a cold-blooded killer. A mere glance is often all it takes to send shivers of fear straight through the spine of another hapless victim. That’s a pretty fair comparison for Jack Stone’s killer 1969 Chevelle. Between its flawless paint, perfect stance, and painstaking detail over every square inch, it certainly has the look of a show-stopping world-class machine. And with an incredible high-cube nitrous-injected Rat motor, it has the hypertrophied heart of a killer dragstrip machine, too.
With more than enough horses on tap, this sinister ’69 Chevelle has the power to thrill and the looks to kill.
■ Stone turned to hometown engine shop Ultra Tech Racing Engines and Norm Beerhorst for an incredible 638ci Chevy big block powerplant. Starting with a Dart 4.625 bore block, Ultra Tech added a Lunati 4.750 crankshaft, MGP connecting rods, and Diamond pistons with Trend wrist pins and Federal Mogul rings. Clevite rod and main and Dart coated cam bearings were employed, as was a Crane cam with Crower lifters and Trend pushrods. ARP fasteners hold it all together.
■ Up top, a pair of Sonny’s Racing Engines 14.5 degree cylinder heads were selected and fitted with all the best stuff, including Manley titanium valves, retainers, and PSI valve springs. A set of T&D roller rockers have been covered with a pair of Billet Fabrication valve covers. A Pro-Filer intake and a pair of massive 1250 CFM Quick Fuel QFX carburetors and shear plates handle the fuel and air metering duties, while an awesome two-stage Induction Solutions direct-port nitrous system adds a potent additional punch whenever the estimated 1,250+ naturally-aspirated horsepower is found to be somehow lacking.
■ The engine features a number of race-inspired tricks for added performance and wicked good looks. A custom dry sump oil pan has been plumbed to a one-off accumulator and breather tank, while an Aviaid 4-stage dry sump pump vigorously circulates the Brad Penn
lube. A Mezeire electric water pump manages cooling circulation duties and a Jesel belt drive mated to an MSD front-drive distributor and Power Grid ignition box spreads the spark around through Moroso Ultra 40 wires. A custom Product Engineering fuel pump and filter were selected to supply the copious amounts of required fossil fuel, and all the vital fluids are delivered via Russell Performance fittings and lines.
■ Backing such a potent mill is no task for a wimpy trans, so Stone selected a beefed-up Chevy TH400 automatic with a 2.10 first gear. The unit has been fitted with a Griner transbrake and a Coan stall converter. Stone also selected and installed a Moroso pan and a CSR shield before bolting in a PST driveshaft.
■ Rolling stock for the radical Bowtie consists of a pair of scrawny 26x4.5-15 Goodyears on 15x3.5inch Billet Specialties Comp 5 wheels up front juxtaposed with a morbidly obese pair of 34.5x17-16 Goodyears torqued to similarly enormous 16x16inch Billet Specialties Comp 5 beadlock wheels out back. Strange discs all the way around have been coupled with a Strange master cylinder, and a pair of DJ Safety drag ’chutes have been mounted aft for times when Stone’s Chevelle needs some additional help on atmospheric re-entry.
It might have taken more than a decade, but Jack Stone’s relentless pursuit of perfection finally paid off. His 1969
Chevelle SS has turned the tables and ascended the food chain.
Faced with Stone’s incredible attention to detail, the nearly fivedecade-old GM sheetmetal, new replacement carbon fiber deck lid and custom cowl hood had no choice but to succumb to his intentions to block sand out the most laser-straight Sikkens Jet Black urethane paintjob the world had ever seen. Body mods are everywhere, but are so subtle and well executed that they can really only be appreciated by a trained eye. For example, Stone spent over 100 hours shaving, smoothing, sectioning, and radiusing the car’s front and rear chrome
bumpers. He spent another 100+ hours on the rear wheelwell trim, meticulously grafting two factory pieces on each side to accommodate the 4-inch stretched openings. A pro stock-style aluminum rear wing was installed, and all body seams were welded and finished. Other touches like a custom recessed firewall and core support were also added. The black vinyl top simply adds to the unmistakable classic-muscle-car-andmodern-pro-mod-gottogether-and-had-alovechild-vibe that pretty much defines every aspect of the build.
