V.P. MARKETING/CUSTOMER RELATIONS..........TRISH BIRO trish@rpmmag.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR..............................................TOBY BROOKS toby.brooks@rpmmag.com EVENT MEDIA..........................................events@rpmmag.com EVENT SUBSCRIPTIONS COORDINATOR.....SHERRIE WEBER sherrie@rpmmag.com SPECIAL PROJECTS DIRECTOR...........................TOBY BROOKS toby.brooks@rpmmag.com Photographic Contributions: TONY WEBER, TIM LEWIS, MARK goDragRacing.org, TARA BOWKER, GEORGE PICH, TOBY BROOKS, MATT WOODS, TABITHA SIZEMORE, MATT TROMBLEY, LOUIS FRONKIER, WILL McDOUGLE, BART CEPEK, BENOIT PIGEON, KAYLA WOOD, and PATRICK “RED” WILLIAMS. Editorial Contributions: TIM LEWIS, CHUCK SCOTT, MARK goDragRacing.org, TOBY BROOKS, TABITHA SIZEMORE, JAMES WILLIAMS, TIM BIRO, STAN SMITH, JT, RYK LEE WADDELL, GEORGE PICH, JAY MISENER. Technical Writing Contribution: CHUCK SCOTT, SHANE TECKLENBURG, TOBY BROOKS, and TIM BIRO.
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF.........................................................CHRIS BIRO editor@rpmmag.com
RPM Magazine is a REGISTERED TRADEMARK of Revolution Publishing & Media Inc. RPM Magazine is a worldwide motorsports publication distributed in 34 countries and can be found on popular newsstands in the USA, Canada and select newsstands in the UK. If you cannot find a copy near you please call 519-752-3705 or email circulation@rpmmag.com To subscribe to RPM go to www.rpmmag.com or email Trish Biro at trish@rpmmag.com, or call 519-752-3705. 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 top-shelf 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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EDITOR’S NOTE
by
Chris Biro
ADVERTISER INDEX
Throttle down all the way to the stripe...
2019 IS IN THE BOOKS!
Matt Trombley photo
F
rom all of us at RPM MAGAZINE... thanks for 20 years of horsepower and we look forward to bringing you 20 more! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and All the best for an amazing 2020... goin’ fast and keeping the shiny side up!
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photo Ken Cox photo
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
A&A Manufacturing.............. 58 ACC Performance................... 84 Accufab Inc............................ 66 Aeromotive........................... 10 AFCO..................................... 38 AFR: Air Flow Research.......... 89 Alan Johnson Performance (AJPE)................................. 91 Alston Race Cars.................... 96 ATI Performance Products..... 39 Auburn Gear........................ 108 Aurora Bearing...................... 64 Autoglym.............................. 49 AVAK/Ridgegate Tools........... 38 Baer Brakes......................10, 14 Be Cool.................................. 94 BES Racing Engines............... 16 Bill Mitchell Products.......28, 81 Blower Shop............................ 5 C&C MotorSports..................... 8 Calvert Racing Suspensions... 17 Canton Racing Products........ 29 CFE Racing Products.............. 34 Chassis Engineering.........28, 78 CN Blocks.............................. 84 CNC Motorsports................... 43 Coan Engineering.................. 79 Competition Products........... 40 Crane Cams........................... 95 Crower.................................. 36 CVR Products......................... 50 DART..................................... 76 Design Engineering..........35, 46 Diamond Pistons................... 59 Drive Train Specialists (DTS)... 13 DRIVEN Racing Oil................. 47 Dynocologists........................ 44 Dynomite Dynamometer...... 20 Dynotech Engineering............. 8 Edelbrock............................ 104 Energy Suspension.... 52,78,113 Erson Cams.............................. 7 FUELAB................................. 26 Granatelli Motorsports........ 106 GRP Connecting Rods............ 32 Harland Sharp....................... 27 Harwood............................. 109 HoleShot Wheels................. 107 Holley.................................2, 87 Howard’s Cams...................... 11 Hughes Performance............... 7 Ian Hill Racing....................... 83 Induction Solutions............... 19 Indy Cylinder Head................ 18 Innovate Motorsports.......... 102 JE Pistons.......................92, 105 Jesel...................................... 14 JW Perform. Transmissions.... 65 Kinsler Fuel Injection............. 13 LenTech Automatics.............. 24 Lokar Perf. Products............ 112 MagnaFuel............................ 34 Magnuson Superchargers...... 33
MAHLE Clevite Inc................. 62 Manton Pushrods.................. 83 Meziere Precision Mfg........... 44 Mickey Thompson Tires......7, 30 MS3-Pro EFI/DIY Auto Tune... 37 MSD Ignition......................... 51 Neal Chance Converters....31, 77 NGK Spark Plugs.................... 81 Nitrous Pro Flow.................... 90 Nitrous Supply...................... 42 Parts Pro Perf Centers.......... 116 PBM Products........................ 12 Percy’s................................... 64 Performance Fasteners.......... 51 Performance Improvements.. 80 Perf. Plus Connection.....45, 107 Philadelphia Racing Products (PRP)...............................9, 99 Powermaster Performance.... 24 Precision Turbo...................... 53 ProCharger............................ 93 Proform Parts.................21, 100 Pro Systems Carburetors.25,105 PTC.......................................... 9 Quick Fuel Technology........... 27 Quik-Latch Products.............. 98 Race Part Solutions..........12, 33 Racecraft............................... 86 Racepak................................ 23 Racequip............................. 111 RAM Clutches........................ 88 Renegade Racing Fuels......... 41 Ross Racing Pistons............5, 32 RPM Magazine Subscribe!.114 Shafiroff Racing Engines..30, 38 Steve Morris Racing Engines. 61 Strange Engineering............. 82 Summit Racing Equip...113, 115 TCI Automotive...................... 97 Ti64....................................... 67 Tom’s Upholstery................... 45 Trick Flow.............................. 15 Tuned By Shane T.................. 76 VP Racing Fuels..............22, 110 World Products..................... 58
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december2019
Be sure to check out our Performance Directory on page 68!
Often Imitated, Never Duplicated—For 20 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!
THE SO Much Horsepower Packed Into One Place... That Place IS RPM Magazine!
RIDES
War Horse........................................................... 54
This high-revving Foxbody Mustang was born to hold its own in any dogfight
The Instigator.............................................................. 8
Jeff VanNorden has never been one to back away from a Challenge thanks to his more-than-capable Challenger
Stiff Wind...................................................................... 26 Anthony Albanese says that there’s nothing like making a pass in his 1971 Chevelle at 150+ mph with the top down
RPM
EXCLUSIVES
Waiting to Strike............................................ 82 Building a killer street/strip bruiser was always a goal for David Hall— he just needed to find the right time to make it happen
The Perfectionist ............................................ 98 To the artist: often a curse. To the observer: a blessing. High Performance Academy..........................50 Teach yourself to tackle even the most intimidating wiring jobs
Shop Talk......................................................................44 Why do we do this?
The Fenders of Doom.......................................... 112 Fabmaster Bob Thrash takes a swing at the nose that refused to be built
READ COMPLETE ISSUES OF RPM MAG ONLINE AT WWW.RPMMAG.COM 6
december 2019 | RPM Magazine
STANDING ON THE GAS SINCE 1963.
Mickey Thompson was unstoppable. He was the first American to 400+MPH at Bonneville & the manager of Lions Drag Strip. At heart, Mickey was a drag racer, now his DNA lives on in the innovative winning products we build today for drag racers like you. UNCOMPROMISED CONSTRUCTION / UNDISPUTED PERFORMANCE.
www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
story by
T
James Williams
o hear Clifton Park, New York’s Jeff VanNorden tell it, he didn’t have a choice. On the streets in his hometown, there is an order. There’s an ethos. There’s a way you establish
yourself. And to fail to abide by those unwritten rules is… well…unforgivable. “A buddy of mine was riding his Hyabusa and he was stopped on ‘the bridge.’ For those who don’t know, ‘the bridge’ is all concrete and it’s the
photos by
Matt Trombley
last straight section of street down from a local hangout,” VanNorden recalled. And if someone stops on the bridge, there is no option. “You have to throw down. That’s the rules. He might as well have took
a swing at me,” he said with a laugh. So what is a competitive young red-blooded American to do in a high-powered Mopar? Oblige, of course. The Dodge seemed to whisper
www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
9
THE INSTIGATOR
ORANGE-YOU-HAPPY? The Challenger was originally yellow from the factory, but George Bourgeois & Mike Scensny of Vintage Motorsports laid down the Go-Mango color along with the factory-style RT graphics treatment. Most of the factory trim and brightwork was retained.
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
in his ear: “You don’t have to stand for this. Just press the fun pedal on the right and let me handle it.” In most every fight, there’s someone who wanted it to happen just so they could show their mettle. An instigator. And in this fight, it was Jeff’s Challenger.
“We had no idea that on the other side of the bridge was five police officers who had just broken up a brawl at a banquet house, so they weren’t happy to be there already. They heard me coming over the bridge at a buck forty or so—in a 40 mph zone, mind you—
and let’s just say my day didn’t end so well,” he added. The car left on a flatbed that night, and VanNorden left with a pocketful of citations—thankful he at least wasn’t in cuffs. “Those were some expensive summers,” he admitted. It wasn’t the first time his trusty Chal-
www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
11
THE INSTIGATOR NOT AFRAID TO GET DIRTY Remnants of the sticky Hoosier rear tires adorn the Challenger’s rear flanks, proving this ride is just as much beast as it is beauty. The wheels are familiar Weld Draglites that have been updated with custom paint all around and beadlocks out back.
lenger would lead him into trouble. And it wouldn’t be the last. It’s hard to blame him, though. When you are behind the wheel of a potent street brawler, it’s only human nature to want to stand up for yourself. The car in question, a 1970 Dodge Chal-
12
lenger, had been a trusty sidekick ever since 1993. “I heard about the car from a friend. It was in northern Vermont, and at the time it had a Barton Hemi. It was out of my price range with that motor, so I negotiated a deal to get the price down with a 440
december 2019 | RPM Magazine
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www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
13
THE INSTIGATOR
in it that the owner had,” he said. The 440 stayed for about three years but was eventually upgraded to a 451 and eventually the 528 it sports now. The owner-built big block began with an Indy Maxx
low-deck aluminum block. Fortified pieces like a Molnar crank, Eagle rods, and Ross pistons were selected to withstand steady and significant abuse. An Indy aluminum intake and Pro Systems E85 1050 Domina-
THE
tor carb keep the air flowing freely without the assistance of a blower or turbo. “I’m a mechanical engineer by trade, so I have always had an interest in how things work and making them better,” VanNorden said. He and his
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14
december 2019 | RPM Magazine
Turning Mopars into Monsters.
Trick Flow PowerPort® 240 cylinder heads for Mopar B/RB engines are the bolt-on street performance heads you want. The heads are packed full of the good stuff: A356-T61 aluminum castings; fully CNC-ported combustion chambers and ports; beefed-up rocker shaft bosses; 334 cfm intake flow; 2.190"/1.760" stainless valves; PAC Racing Pacaloy™ valve springs; factory port locations; stock-style valvetrain, pistons, intake, and exhaust compatibility; plus much more. Pricing starts under $2,000 for a pair of fully assembled heads. Intake manifolds, cam, top-end kit, valve covers, gaskets, and other components for Big Mopar also available. Airflow Results
Dyno Results
PowerPort 240
PowerPort 240 Cylinder Heads and Top-End Engine Kit
Test Engine: 10.5:1 compression 446 c.i.d. with Trick Flow PowerPort® 240 cylinder heads
(TFS-61617802-C00), Trick Flow Track Max™ hydraulic roller camshaft (TFS-61602003), 1.5 ratio rocker arms, Trick Flow Track Heat® intake manifold (TFS-61600113), Trick Flow Track Heat Pro 950 cfm carburetor (TFS-20950R), Hooker Super Competition headers with 17⁄8" primaries, open exhaust.
Lift Value
Intake Flow CFM
Exhaust Flow CFM
.100"
72
58
.200"
154
130
.300"
230
186
.400"
282
222
.500"
310
243
.600"
326
253
334
262
.700"
Tests conducted at 28" of water (pressure). Bore size: 4.350"; exhaust with 2" pipe.
Your Recipe for Big Block Mopar Performance! New heads are just one component of the horsepower recipe. To make it complete, you’re going to need some more ingredients.
Track Max® Camshaft Give your big Mopar an even bigger power boost with a Track Max camshaft. It is dyno-proven to produce significant power increases over the entire RPM range, not just a particular RPM.
Cast Aluminum Valve Covers Treat your build to cast aluminum valve covers! They are made from durable A319 aluminum, which is much less prone to flex and distortion than stamped steel covers to prevent oil leaks. Plus, the covers clear most roller rocker arms, have added clearance for the distributor, and can be drilled to accept breathers.
Track Heat® Intake Manifolds Just oozing high performance, these high-rise single plane Track Heat intakes feature a one-piece spider-type design with extended, high-flow runners and raised plenum floors to significantly increase power and torque in the 3,000-7,000 plus RPM range. Other bonuses include bosses for nitrous nozzles and extra material for custom port work.
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www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
15
THE INSTIGATOR
JEFF VANNORDEN’S STREET/ STRIP 1970 DODGE CHALLENGER Chassis Type & Mods: 8.50 cert chromoly cage. Suspension & Brakes: FRONT: Factory torsion bar front suspension with tubular upper & lower control arms. Wilwood disc brakes. REAR: CalTrac leaf spring rear. Wilwood disc brakes. Body & Paint: Fiberglass front clip with functional factory-style hood scoop. Dodge Go-Mango basecoat/clearcoat paint with blacked-out hood and RT graphics. Prepped & painted by George Bourgeois & Mike Scensny of Vintage Motorsports. Engine: Owner-built 529 ci Chrysler big block. Indy Maxx aluminum low deck block. Molnar crank with Eagle rods & Ross pistons. Bullet solid roller cam. Indy SR aluminum heads with T&D roller rockers. Induction & Fuel Delivery: Pro Systems E85 Dominator carb on Indy aluminum high-rise intake. Power Adder: Induction Solutions port nitrous system. Electronics & Ignition: MSD Pro Billet distributor and 8mm wires. MSD Grid Ignition and Innovate LM-2 data logger. Exhaust: Custom fabricated headers. Transmission & Driveline: 727 TorqueFlite automatic transmission with Ultimate Converter. Differential: Dana 60 rearend with Moser axles and 3.73 gears. Tires & Wheels: FRONT: 15x4.5-inch Weld wheels with 27.5x4-15 Mickey Thompson ET front tires. REAR: 15x12-inch beadlocked Weld wheels with 29.0x10.0-15 Hoosier tires. Performance: “It’s a hoagie. Not fast enough.” Special Thanks: “George Bourgeois, Chris Selva and Tommy Selva. I would never be able to do what I do without their help. We all know every nut and bolt on each others cars. George and Mike at Vintage Motorsports painted the car. I was in a spot on a personal level and the car was a bit of a mess from the previous body man that was supposed to finish it months before. They took over and I couldn’t be happier with the way the car came out! It still gets compliments 14 years later."
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
MANGO...JUICED A single-stage Induction Solutions wet port nitrous system works in conjunction with a Pro Systems E85 Dominator carb. The owner-built 529 ci Chrysler is based on an Indy Maxx aluminum block and Indy cylinder heads. Power output is top secret but considerable.
team comprised mostly of family members started experimenting with nitrous in the early 2000s and have used it ever since. “We tried various cobbled-together plates
and such and it’s amazing the stock block and crank in the 451 held together like they did,” he said. “We didn’t get really serious about it until 2010 when
I had Induction Solutions build me a system for E85, and that’s when it became a passion for me to study why and how to make a nitrous car work,” he said.
Ignition duties are handled by an MSD Grid and Pro Billet distributor. Meanwhile, the custom open header exhaust ensures spent fumes exit the mill just as readily as
www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
THE INSTIGATOR
they enter it. Backing the big-inch juiced motor is a 727 TorqueFlight transmission with an Ultimate stall converter. Self-professed as “stubborn and oldschool,� VanNorden chose to keep the chassis mods simple and to the point. An 8.50 moly cage keeps the tech inspectors happy at the track, while the factory torsion bar front suspension has been retained up front but updated with new tubular upper and
www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
19
lower control arms. Things are equally straightforward out back, where a Dana 60 differential has been stuffed with Moser axles and 3.73 gears before being hung via a CalTrac leaf setup.
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
Straightforward but effective. “Overall, it’s a basic build that hooks in a car wash and almost always goes A to B,” he said. It does so with style, too. All the factory trim has been
STANDARD ISSUE Inside, the Challenger is straightforward with a simple and clean black vinyl interior. The pit shirt of fallen friend and fellow racer Pat “the Wheelie King” Vitetta adorns the passenger seat.
THE INSTIGATOR
www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
21
THE INSTIGATOR
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22
december 2019 | RPM Magazine
ACCURATE GROUND SPEED REGARDLESS OF WHEEL SPIN OR WHEEL STAND
Add ground speed to any Racepak V-Net recorder or dash, utilizing our new GPS Ground Speed module.
retained, but a fiberglass nose was installed prior to prep and paint by George Bourgeois & Mike Scensny of Vintage Motorsports. The cool Go-Mango basecoat/clearcoat is accented by RT stripes and a blacked out pinon hood.
Tires and wheels are classic Draglites that have been updated with black paint and rear beadlocks. The 15x4s up front roll on Mickey Thompson ET Fronts, while the 15x12s in back ride on drag radials. The interior of the
car is clean and simple, where a pair of fiberglass racing buckets feature 3-inch harnesses and the factory dash has been filled with aftermarket gauges. A Hurst shifter and the Innovative LM-2 data logger round out the upgrades.
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www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
23
THE INSTIGATOR
The end result is a classic street machine that has the looks and the guts to be a formidable bully on the street, on the track, or anywhere in between.
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
Just try and keep it off the bridge, Jeff. We’re afraid you might not be able to resist your Dodge’s yearnings to pick a street fight.
www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
25
story by
I
t’s been said that variety is the spice of life. And try as we might to mix things up here at RPM, the truth is that for all our car
26
James Williams
guy and gal chest thumping for being different, unique, and individualistic, we sure tend to do things a lot more alike than different. We all like speed,
photos by
power, and style, but judging by the homogeneity of our builds, most of us tend to get there in pretty much the same way. It’s safe to say that Antho-
december 2019 | RPM Magazine
Neil Zimbaldi ny Albanese isn’t so much into the whole being-different-by-being-like-everyone-else nonsense. He likes to be different by being— well—different.
www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
27
STIFF WIND
Don’t take our word for it, though. Have a look at his hefty, high-cube, nitrous-stuffed 1971 Chevelle convertible. When’s the last time you saw someone blast a 150+ mph pass with the top dropped? We thought so. “Back in the early ’90s, I found the car on the internet (Editor’s note: dial up connection,
maybe?). The car was in a fire and was a basket case,” Albanese said. “I paid $900 dollars for it and it needed everything: all new sheet metal, wiring, etc.” A self-taught jack of all trades, Albanese set out on a full restoration in his garage after work and on weekends after working a 60-hour week at his day job. The car was treated to
new quarter panels, door skins, floors; pretty much everything everywhere needed attention. The car remains all steel with the exception of the Harwood fiberglass hood (and of course the ragtop). Only a fabricated aluminum wing strays from the classic Chevy lines. “I was able to use my buddy Kenny Guanieri’s
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
TOPLESS AT THE BEACH Settle down. It’s not even like that. This droptop Chevy looks mighty fine with its rollcage hanging out for all the world to see.
www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
29
RULE THE
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
STRIP
STIFF WIND
BIG BUNS Albanese knew his heavy Chevy would need big power and fat meats to propel its substantial heft at a high rate of speed. The 15x15 Convo Pro wheels and Mickey Thompson ET Drag tires fit the bill with matching 15x4s up front.
paint booth to shoot the car at his shop, Merrick Collision,” Albanese said. He applied a slick coat of DuPont Chroma Urethane basecoat/clearcoat paint that still looks as good today as when it originally exited the spray gun a quarter-century ago. Power for the rowdy ragtop has varied through the years, but started with a small block running a B&M
miniblower. “At this time I also owned a full-out race car—a 1965 Chevelle—that was all ’glass except for the roof and quarters. She was lightweight and fast,” he said. “Eventually I sold the ’65 Chevelle and went in a new direction with the ragtop. The car is very heavy, so we needed big power and big tires,” he added. Those big tires were up first. An
S&W Race Cars backhalf kit was ordered and installed by Albanese and some friends. The job was done with the car on jack stands in a two-car garage. A 10-point cage was used to tie the subframes together and add some much needed rigidity and safety to the topless cockpit. The factory wheeltubs were stretched to retain a factory-ish look in
www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
31
STIFF WIND
BIG CUBES The nitrous-assisted 632 Shafiroff big block is capable of smoking the big Mickeys with ease. The “454” badges on the fenders are but a distant memory. the spartan trunk. “When we tubbed it, I built a custom back seat to fit between the tubs so we could strap in a baby seat and take our newborn baby daughter for rides,” he said.
A GLOBALLY TRUSTED NAME IN
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
“She absolutely loved it and as she got older, she liked to climb on what she called ‘the monkey bars,’” he added with a chuckle. The rearend under the Chevy is an S&W fabricated 9-inch unit with a Strange spool and 40-spline axles. S&W heavy-duty ladder bars keep
ANTHONY ALBANESE’S NO PREP/ GRUDGE 1971 CHEVELLE CONVERTIBLE Chassis Type & Mods: S&W RaceCars backhalf chassis with 10-point S&W cage. Stock front clip. Stock-appearing trunk with stretched factory wheel wells. Suspension & Brakes: FRONT: Drag coilovers with Global West tubular upper and lower control arms. Factory disc brakes. REAR: S&W heavy-duty ladder bars with QA1 coilovers. Aftermarket disc brakes. Body & Paint: All steel except for Harwood show car fiberglass hood. Fabricated aluminum rear wing. Car was painted 25 years ago with Dupont Chroma urethane basecoat/clearcoat. Engine: Shafiroff Racing pump gas 632 ci BBC. Callies Magnum Pro Billet steel crank, Oliver billet steel rods, and Diamond 11:1 pistons. Brodix Head Hunter 383 CNC-ported heads. Induction & Fuel Delivery: Brodix Head Hunter CNC port-matched aluminum intake with Williams 1450 Dominator carb. Power Adder: NOS Pro Shot Fogger nitrous system. Exhaust: Lemons headers. Electronics & Ignition: MSD Digital 7 box, Pro Billet distributor and MSD HVC pro coil. Transmission & Driveline: Freddy Brown Turbo 400 automatic trans with trans brake. Vigilante torque converter. Differential: S&W Race Cars fabricated 9-inch rear housing with Strange spool and 40-spline axles. Tires & Wheels: FRONT: 15x4-inch Centerline Convo Pro wheels with 27x7.515 Mickey Thompson Sportsman front tires. REAR: 15x15-inch Centerline Convo Pro wheels with Mickey Thompson ET Drag tires.
Features
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Performance: “The car has gone very fast for a 4000-pound-plus street car, but I can’t reveal numbers to my competition.”
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STIFF WIND
SPRAYED, NOT NEUTERED With massive cubic inches, an equally massive Williams 1450 CFM Dominator carb, and an NOS Fogger nitrous system, the Chevelle has the stones to back up any amount of bragging. The thing is, Albanese tends to shy away from making any claims about the car’s performance. “It’s fast for a 4,000-pount street car, but I can’t reveal numbers to my competition,” he said.
things in place while a pair of QA1 single-adjustable coilovers control the bumps. Aftermarket disc brakes help slow the 4000+-pound Chevy after a pass. Up front, the factory front clip has been retained but
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updated with a new pair of coilovers and a quartet of Global West tubular control arms. The car rides on a set of classic Centerline Convo Pro wheels, with Mickey Thompson Sportsman front tires mounted aboard 15x4 hoops up front
and fat MT ET Drag slicks on 15x15s out back. The next factor in the high speed ragtop equation was power. For this, Albanese turned to Scott Shafiroff who pieced together a roomy 632 ci pump gas motor with a Callies crank, Oliver
december 2019 | RPM Magazine
rods, and Diamond 11:1 compression pistons. A pair of Brodix Head Hunter CNCported heads were used, but not before a port-matched Brodix intake was modified for peak flow. An easy-breathing 1450 Williams Dominator carb meters the air
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
STIFF WIND
and fuel with precision. The big motor relies on an NOS Pro Shot Fogger nitrous system and is backed by a fortified TH400
built by friend Freddy Brown. The topless cockpit features a fabricated aluminum dash with aftermarket
gauges behind a billet steering wheel. A pair of black bucket seats ride up front while that cool little daughter seat out back has
www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
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STIFF WIND
FINE EITHER WAY been retained for nostalgia’s sake— and maybe some other lucky little occupants. Although
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Albanese is tight-lipped with the performance data, the Chevelle is a formidable competitor on the
track or on the street. “It’s very unique because you just don’t see convertibles out there with a big
december 2019 | RPM Magazine
tire and a roll cage hanging out. It’s a real crowd pleaser,” he said. “There is nothing like making
Whether launching hard at the track or just standing still, this unique ragtop Chevelle looks wicked. It’s hard to believe that the mile-deep black paint is 25 years old!
www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
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STIFF WIND
DROP TOP The convertible top is relatively rare in stock form and next to unheard of at the strip. The interior is a mix of factory and aftermarket pieces to enhance both style and safety.
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
a pass at 150+ mph with the top down,” he added with a grin. While track opportunities aren’t what they used to be in the area, Albanese says the street racing scene in his neck of the woods is thriving.
“I ran a big-tire Nova on Sunrise Highway and gapped him for a $1000. He was very upset and wanted to redeem himself,” he recalled. The next week he wanted to run me in his other car—a Corvette—so I ran
www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
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STIFF WIND FLEXIN’ ON ‘EM Albanese isn’t afraid to throw down when the need arises.
him on route 135 in Nassau County for $2000 and he got gapped again!” he laughed. But perhaps Albanese’s most important victory in the Chevelle
came 25 years ago. “I took my wife out for the first time in the car. Nothing crazy—just to 7/11 for a cheap date,” he laughed. If you’re anything like the rest
of us, Anthony, chances are good that while it was still the same cool drop top, the wind had a bit more hair to blow through back then. ;)
www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
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SHOP TALK
WHY
DO WE DO THIS? JT
story and photos by
I
understand that we all have a passion for cars or I wouldn’t be writing this article and you wouldn’t be reading it. I understand that some of us get obsessive and even ex-
cessive with our cars. I also understand that our cars are supposed to bring us joy and take us away from the stresses of life. So, allow me to ask a simple question: how is it that these very cars we obsess over can also bring us the most stress and discomfort? I’m certain all
of you could share a story or two about how your car has shaved a few years off of your life. Well sit back, relax, and enjoy the story of the last month of my life and how my Camaro decided to put my love for it to the ultimate test. If you’re a regular to
this feature, you’re already aware that I spent the last year completely disassembling my car for the 7th or 8th time. This past rebuilding process was extra special, as the car received a brand new paint job. In addition to the new paint, I also installed a
(800) 208-1755
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new set of wheels and tires, new brakes, strengthen the chassis, reduced some unneeded weight, and completed a long list of other upgrades/improvements to both performance and aesthetics. When it was finally complete in mid-June, just
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Crafted in the U.S.A.
december 2019 | RPM Magazine
1 & 2: After hermetically sealing my entire car from wet sand sauce and buffing compound, my buddy Matt came to the rescue and surgically removed the scratches from my defective microfiber cloth.
in time for Pro Street Palooza, I thought my car was absolutely breathtaking. For the first time in my life, I had a car that I was completely happy with. It was the first of several scheduled appearances at car shows, industry events for sponsors, and various charity events to help put a smile on the faces of those less fortunate. (Besides racing, that is my favorite thing to do.) Well I’d say the car was a smashing success. Everyone seemed to love the build and it brought home a ton of trophies and accolades since that time. During the last outing, I was giving the car a detail cleaning with a brand new microfiber cloth and noticed a spot on the roof that was not coming off. I gave it another spray, wiped a bit more, but it only got worse. As the detail spray evaporated in the hot sun, it revealed a series of really bad scratches. The brand new microfiber cloth I was using had a micro abrasive on it that destroyed my brand new paint job. Well the happiness that my car was supposed to bring me turned into agony
1
2
3
3: Here it is ladies and gentlemen: the result of wearing a pocket knife and handling a freshly painted ride.
at that very moment. Thankfully, later that day, Matt, the fellow who painted my car, visited the event, and when I showed him the scratches, he laughed and said, “Bro, no worries! I got this! I will come over and fix it in your driveway later in the week.” I have to admit his “no worries” attitude and my confidence in his abilities made me feel much better. So let’s fast forward to later that week. Matt showed up and knowing how I am, completely wrapped my car from front to back with a plastic car cover. He then strategically and surgically removed the roof portion of the wrap. I was immediately impressed as I was silently freaking out over the buffing compound that was going to get in every nook and cranny of my car. He gently wet sanded and buffed the scratches out in no time at all and left my car in better condition than before the scratches ever happened. But wait; the story isn’t over yet. Before Matt left, I asked him to help me push the car back into my shop as it sits on a drive-on lift. There is a slight ramp
3
www.rpmmag.com | december2019
45
SHOP TALK at the back of the lift that makes it too steep for me to push it on by myself. If it gets pushed too far forward, though, the car will come off the ramps on the front of the lift, which then makes it impossible for me to push it out by myself. Since most of my excursions with the car require loading extremely early in the morning or late at night, I need to be able to do this by myself. You’re probably asking, “why don’t I just drive it in and out?” Well I tried that once, and it not only melted the paint off my shop wall, it also set off all of our car alarms. So pushing it in and out is really the best option, and not a big deal…as long as you do it my way. (By the way, my wife is usually my #1 helper with this task and has it down to a science.) Unfortunately—Matt not being accustomed to this science—was not able stop when I told him to because he had nowhere to pull back. So, in a frantic split-second reaction to save the car from rolling off the other side of the lift and smashing into my workbench, I leaned in the driver window, got a hold on the roll cage, and dug in deep to get it stopped. I was barely able to stop it from hitting the workbench and causing some major front-end damage. We laughed, I thanked Matt for his help, and he went back to his shop. I walked in and out of my shop over a dozen times that day. Each time I stopped and admired how beautiful I thought the car looked. During my last drool session, I noticed a spot in front of the rear wheel that looked like some wet sand sauce or polishing compound residue. I grabbed another brand new microfiber cloth and completely inspected it before touching my car. Much to my dismay, the spot
did not go away. As a matter of fact, I actually felt it through the cloth. There was a gouge in my freshly painted and buffed car. Yes, you read it correctly, a gouge, and it was down to the white sealer. I immediately got nauseous and panicked. Of course I put the blame on Matt. After all, he was standing in that exact spot while he was sanding and buffing the roof. But how? He is like 6’2” and this gouge is near the bottom of my car. Then it hit me: when I grabbed the roll cage bar to stop the car, I must have leaned against that spot and my pocket knife took care of the rest. So I gave Matt a call and told him the bad news. He asked me to immediately send him a picture of the damage. He called me back and once again said, “Bro, no worries! I got this! It could not have happened in a better spot. It is fresh paint, and we know the exact code. Relax, it will blend perfectly.” He told me to come to his shop first thing Saturday morning, and we’ll be out by noon at the latest. I decided to load the car Friday night, as 5 am was way too early to be starting her up and waking my family. As chance would have it, my winch decided to die as I was loading it into my hauler. As they say, “Timing is everything!” I called Matt and told him the news, and he gave me his usual response, “Bro, no worries! I got this! I will come by in the morning and load it into my trailer.” Matt showed up first thing Saturday morning. I fired the car up and made a ton of noise in the process loading it into his hauler. As we unloaded it back at Matt’s shop, I was just starting to calm down when I heard a horrific sound. In the blink of an eye, and with no warning at all, both
4: Before things could get better, they usually get far worse. This was the case with my scratch. It hurt me deep watching Matt sand into my fresh paint.
4
5
5: I have to admit, the car was looking awful sexy in Matt’s hauler. This was of course before the exhaust system was violently ripped off.
6 7
EASY! MAKE CLEAN UP
6 & 7: My car is prepped and ready for some cosmetic surgery. I actually started feeling a little better as I watched the first coat of sealer being applied.
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
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www.rpmmag.com | december2019
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刀椀瘀攀琀 ⬀ 刀椀瘀攀琀 一甀琀 ⬀ 刀椀瘀攀琀 匀琀甀搀
SHOP TALK
䴀甀氀琀椀ⴀ䘀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 唀渀氀椀洀椀琀攀搀 倀漀猀猀椀戀椀氀椀琀椀攀猀
8: Matt at Convenience Collision did an exceptional job of making the “pocket knife” episode like it NEVER happened.
䄀嘀䄀䬀 䴀愀砀䐀甀琀礀 䘀氀攀砀 吀漀漀氀 䬀椀琀 ∠ ㌀ⴀ椀渀ⴀ㨀 刀椀瘀攀琀Ⰰ 刀椀瘀攀琀 一甀琀 ⬀ 刀椀瘀攀琀 匀琀甀搀 ∠ 䘀氀攀砀椀戀氀攀 栀愀渀搀氀攀猀 昀漀爀 攀愀猀礀 猀琀漀爀愀最攀 眀椀琀栀漀甀琀 氀漀漀猀椀渀最 愀渀礀 氀攀瘀攀爀愀最攀⸀ ∠ 唀渀椀焀甀攀 儀甀椀挀欀匀眀椀琀挀栀 昀攀愀琀甀爀攀 昀漀爀 爀愀瀀椀搀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀愀渀最攀 ∠ 䠀攀愀瘀礀 搀甀琀礀 猀甀瀀瀀漀爀琀椀渀最 猀琀愀椀渀氀攀猀猀 昀愀猀 昀愀猀琀攀渀攀爀猀 愀渀搀 猀琀爀甀挀琀甀爀愀氀 昀愀猀琀攀渀攀爀猀
刀椀瘀攀琀 ⼀㐀ᴠ ⠀㘀⸀㐀洀洀⤀ 刀椀瘀攀琀 一甀琀 ⼀㈀ᴠ ⼀ 䴀㈀ 刀椀瘀攀琀 匀琀甀搀 㔀⼀㘀ᴠ ⼀ 䴀㠀
刀椀瘀攀琀⼀刀椀瘀攀琀 一甀琀 䐀爀椀氀氀 䄀搀愀瀀琀攀爀猀
䔀û漀爀琀氀攀猀猀 愀渀搀 䔀ϻ挀椀攀渀琀 䜀攀琀 琀栀攀 樀漀戀 搀漀渀攀 昀愀猀琀 䄀嘀䄀䬀 刀嘀䐀 愀渀搀 刀一䐀 䐀爀椀氀氀 䄀搀愀瀀琀攀爀猀 ∠ 䰀攀瘀攀爀愀最攀 琀栀攀 瀀漀眀攀爀 漀昀 瀀漀眀攀爀 琀漀漀氀 昀漀爀 攀û漀爀琀氀攀猀猀 爀椀瘀攀琀椀渀最 ∠ 唀瀀 琀漀 ㈀砀 愀猀 昀愀猀琀 愀猀 洀愀渀甀愀氀 琀漀漀氀猀 ∠ 匀洀愀氀氀 瀀爀漀漀氀攀 昀漀爀 攀砀琀爀攀洀攀 瀀漀爀琀愀戀椀氀椀琀礀 ∠ 唀猀攀 礀漀甀爀 搀爀椀氀氀 昀漀爀 搀爀椀氀氀椀渀最 愀渀搀 爀椀瘀攀琀椀渀最⸀ 一漀琀 漀渀攀 漀爀 琀栀攀 漀琀栀攀爀⸀ 䴀漀搀攀氀猀
刀嘀䐀ⴀ 㨀 唀瀀 琀漀 ⼀㐀ᴠ 爀椀瘀攀琀猀 刀一䐀ⴀ ⴀ嬀匀⼀䴀崀㨀 唀瀀 琀漀 ㌀⼀㠀ᴠ 漀爀 䴀 爀椀瘀攀琀 渀甀琀猀
刀一䐀ⴀ
刀嘀䐀ⴀ
圀圀圀⸀刀䤀䐀䜀䔀䜀䄀吀䔀吀伀伀䰀匀⸀䌀伀䴀
48
刀䤀䐀䜀䔀䜀䄀吀䔀 吀伀伀䰀匀 ☀ 吀䔀䌀䠀
8 exhaust pipes ripped right off the headers. The car had loaded into Matt’s trailer with ease, but the angle must have been slightly different when we unloaded, because its weight rolling backwards was just enough to cause all of that damage. My entire exhaust was custom Cerakoted, and it looked absolutely amazing. It was now scratched, dented, and the hanging straps were broken. Doing his best to calm me down, Matt told me to focus on fixing the exhaust while he once again covered the car and it prepped it for paint. Fortunately, he had a can of silver high-heat ceramic exhaust paint handy. It wasn’t million-dollar, super-durable Cerakote, but nonetheless it did the job. I straightened out the dents in the heat shield and prepped the exhaust for paint. I called the local auto parts store and had them drop off a pair of hangers for me to modify and use. At the same time all of this was happening, Matt prepped the car for paint, and laid down the white sealer that the color required to use. He then applied a few coats of red, followed by a few coats clear. Matt’s blending job looked fantastic, and as he promised, no one will ever know (except all of you of course)! We very carefully loaded the car back
december 2019 | RPM Magazine
9: After a long winter of making changes to weight and many upgrades, the wheelie skids I designed to save my oil pan from further wheelie damage hit hard during testing. I make sure to give them a fresh coat of paint before every outing. This was the result of one really hard launch. into and out of his trailer and brought her safely back to my shop. I would really like to tell you that this story ends here, however, much to my dismay there are two more mishaps that happened that week. I needed to do some testing and see the data from some of the changes I made and everything was perfect, the car was running like a champ, until…I released the trans brake and launched really hard. When the car came down from late into 2nd gear, the “wheelie skids” I made under the oil pan hit REALLY hard. So hard I thought I broke my driveshaft, dropped the tranny, and hurt the rear all in one. Thankfully, once it leveled out, everything seemed to be working fine. When I shut down back at my shop, smoke started bellowing out of the back of the hood near the cowl. I jumped out thinking something was on fire. Thankfully it was just my oil sending unit that decided to start leaking on me. Do I have to remind you that our cars are supposed to bring us joy and happiness? After some math and suspension adjustments, the ride height situation is now under control. The sending unit lives in “no man’s land” between my firewall and the
9 back of my big block. A simple two-minute job took me hours of misery trying to find a way to fit my big hand in a tiny place. It probably would have been less of a headache to drop the entire K-member/engine than it was to do it in place. I’m happy to say that my pride and joy is once again running and looking good and is scheduled every weekend from now until the end of November. I’m praying that everything goes as smooth as possible and I can get it back in my shop for a long and restful winter’s nap. At the end of the day, things could have been far worse, and I could have been injured as well. But hopefully reading my rant and living through my stressful month has made you smile and feel better about your own situation. So, allow me to close this story by asking you all a few simple questions one more time: why do we do this? Are we stupid? Are we looking for stress to find us? Should we pick another hobby? The answer is probably yes to all of the above, but then that wouldn’t be any fun, would it? Until next time...keep Wrenching!
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RPM EXCLUSIVES
>>Teach yourself to tackle even the most intimidating wiring jobs story by
Toby Brooks
T
here is something to be said for a job well done and a special pride that comes with doing the job yourself. Unfortunately, some jobs tend to be daunting on the surface, leading all but the most seasoned among us looking to hire the work out. That’s exactly where I was with wiring. It’s not that I don’t know how to do basic wiring tasks. I actually
cut my teeth in the custom car scene as a stereo installer beginning when I was 14. Any one task is fairly painless. It’s just that our pro street 2006 Mustang project car that you’ve been reading about in our pages over parts of the past six years is somewhat overwhelming. With boxes of hightech electronics including FAST XFI 2.0 EFI, Racepak data acquisition, MSD Power Grid ignition, not to mention Ride Tech air ride suspension, Vintage Air A/C, Rockford
Fosgate audio, and all factory power options, our build is—well—a special sort of wiring nightmare. Throw in factory and aftermarket lighting and the need for everything to be show car-tidy, and I was really leaning toward entrusting the whole thing to a professional. However, for anyone willing to invest the time and effort to learn and pay a reasonable amount for tuition and a modest collection of specialized tools, at its core, it is still just 12V wiring. Some
halfway around the globe would have been farfetched, astronomically expensive, or both. But today it is not only possible but also affordable and attainable thanks to the crew at HPA. Currently, HPA offers six comprehensive courses in tuning, engine building, diesel tuning, wiring fundamentals, club-level wiring, and professional motorsport wiring. Each course consists of hours of professional production-quality video and a convenient,
cvrproducts.com For more information visit
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power. Some grounds. Some relays. And a whole lot of patience, planning, and confidence to do it. That’s where High Performance Academy (HPA) comes in. Based out of New Zealand, HPA represents the status of technical education in the brave new world. After all, 20 years ago, the thought of learning high-end wiring fundamentals from the likes of current and former professional motorsports professionals located somewhere
december 2019 | RPM Magazine
www.cvrproducts.com
1 1: The dashboard once you login is clean and intuitive, allowing you to navigate to your course at a click. So far, I have made it about 2/3 of the way through the wiring fundamentals course. Equal parts review and new concepts, it is presented in a clear and engaging format that make it binge-worthy if you have a few hours.
2: While the modules are clear and effective, most students will inevitably have application-specific questions. That’s where the HPA forum comes in. Organized into logical areas of interest like tuning, wiring, and a host of other things, the forums are patrolled by HPA faculty and helpful members of the HPA community who are more than willing to lend their expertise to get your question answered.
2
modular approach to learning. This makes self-paced learning a breeze and—unlike your days in high school algebra—if something the teacher said didn’t
make sense, you can just rewatch the module until it does, making learning much easier. Pricing is reasonable and risk free, with the Wiring Fundamentals course coming in at $99, the
Matt Trombley photos
www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
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RPM EXCLUSIVES 3
4
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
3: Topics are covered in great detail, and suggestions for tools to buy to do the job right without spending a fortune are really helpful. For somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 the cost to have the job done professionally, you could buy the HPA course and the tools and be fully equipped to do the job yourself. Not to mention the satisfaction of being able to say you did it yourself. 4: The professional motorsports course includes lessons on how to pin and install mil-spec avionics connectors, concentric twisting, and a number of other skills and concepts that are incedibly helpful as you consider tackling an entire car wiring job, giving you the knowledge and confidence to give it a try.
that the entire curricuPractical Wiring-Club lum will have me ready Levelcourse priced at to give the project a go $229 and the Pro Level once the car comes back course at $299. For less from metal fab. than $600, you’ll get If you were considaccess to all three, Gold ering investing in some membership access to training for yourself, I’d all online features, and highly recommend the access to the certificaHPA courses. They are tion exam once you finish the training. Making superbly well done and can equip you to do it it even easier, HPA right the first time. You also offers interest-free can get more informafinancing for up to 8 tion at www.hpacademy. months and a 60-day com and also follow guarantee, meaning the the HPAcademy on whole thing is risk free. Facebook where they I’ve been steadily regularly post helpful chipping away at the tech videos for free. Basics course and have Check them completed about 2/3 of out! the curriculum—but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I’ve already peeked ahead at some of the stuff in High Performance the Club and Academy Pro courses. hpacademy.com I can’t wait to help@hpacademy.com get there and I’m confident
SOURCE
www.rpmmag.com | december2019
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story by
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Toby Brooks
photos by
Matt Trombley
november 2019 | RPM Magazine
>>THIS HIGH-REVVING FOXBODY MUSTANG WAS BORN TO HOLD ITS OWN IN ANY DOGFIGHT
www.rpmmag.com | november2019
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WAR HORSE LOCKED AND LOADED With a killer stance, Weld wheels shod in Goodyear skins, and a gorgeous fighter planeinspired paint scheme, this 1990 Mustang looks like it is ready for war. The “Leslie Jaye” graphics on the quarters are in honor of owner Joe Murphy’s wife Leslie.
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F
or almost as long as man has done battle in the air, aircraft have been adorned with cool artwork. Growing significantly in popularity during World War II, nose art in particular grew both more common
and more elaborate. Sometimes intended to intimidate like ferocious shark teeth and other times intended to unify ground and air crews around a personal (and sometimes racy) image (usually a scantily-clad pin-up girl), cool graphics found their way onto aircraft like the Memphis Belle
and Flamin Mamie. The detailed hand-painted art helped make their namesake unique and memorable. It is a tradition that, in some ways, continues today. Likewise, Joe Murphy’s 1990 Mustang, the Leslie Jaye, is a standout wherever it goes. Maybe it’s the NASCAR heritage of the
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JOE & LESLIE MURPHY’S 1990 FORD MUSTANG GRUDGE CAR Chassis Type & Mods: C&F Race Cars 6.0-cert chromoly full tube chassis. Suspension & Brakes: FRONT: Strange single-adjustable struts with Hypercoil springs. Strange disc brakes. REAR: C&F custom 4-link with Strange double adjustable coilovers. Strange disc brakes. Body & Paint: Fiberglass front clip, scoop, and doors. Silver metallic basecoat custom graphics by Howie Nigor. Engine: Roush Yates NASCAR 358 ci small block Ford. 12:1 compression pistons. Flat tappet cam. D3 aluminum cylinder heads. Induction & Fuel Delivery: Custom fabricated Roush Yates sheet metal intake (second one ever built). Quick Fuel 1050 Dominator carb reworked by Don Bowles. Magnafuel pump and regulator. Power Adder: None. Exhaust: Custom stainless Roush Yates tri-Y headers. Transmission & Driveline: Powerglide 2-speed automatic transmission with Reid case and Hughes stall converter. Differential: Fabricated 9-inch rear housing with Strange spool and 40-spline axles. Tires & Wheels: FRONT: 15x3 1/2-inch Weld Racing Alumastar wheels with 27x7.5-15 Goodyear front tires. REAR: 15x15-inch beadlocked Weld Racing Alumastar wheels with 33x18-15 Goodyear tires. Performance: Grudge car (your guess is as good as ours). Special Thanks: “Charlie, Fred, & Ed at C&F Race Cars; Murphy’s Auto/ Autobody & 24-Hour Towing of Salt Point, NY; Brian & Robin Bossone of All Out Live; George & Karen Rubistello; Trish & Chris Biro. Extra special thanks to my wife, Leslie & sons Joseph & Matthew and daughter Amanda Jaye for all of their love, help, & support!”
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Roush Yates Ford small block under the scoop. Or perhaps it is the incredible craftsmanship of the C&F Race Cars 6.0-certified chassis. But both of those are only visible on closer inspection. It’s the cool fighter plane-inspired paint scheme that’s the
real conversation starter. It took a bit to get there, though. Murphy has been into cars his whole life, but drag racing is a relatively recent development. He has a 1955 Chevy Belair, a ’69 Camaro, a ’69 Chevelle, and a ’66 Chevelle, but are all
WAR HORSE
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WAR HORSE
RUNNIN’ AND GUNNIN’ Joe handles tuning and driving duties on the Mustang. Here he warms the tires and makes a pass at the ALL OUT: LIVE event at Lapeer International Dragway. Wife Leslie watches near the starting line. street cars. It was a chance encounter with drag racer and friend in 2008 that changed Murphy’s course forever. Murphy’s wife Leslie likes to tell the tale. “I was in a speed shop in Carmel, NY to pick up parts for Joe’s 1986 Ford Mustang with a 351 Hampton blower motor,” she said. “While I was there, I ran into a long-time friend George Rubistello who we hadn’t seen for years.” Rubistello, whose Loose Screw Nova was
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featured earlier this year in RPM, informed Leslie that he was going to drag race at the Pinks! All Out event in Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ—and that they should go. “I wanted to surprise Joe and our son Joseph since that was all they watched at home on TV,” she said. The rest, as they say, is history. Joe went home and decided he wanted to focus his efforts on drag racing. He started look-
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WAR HORSE WAR PAINT The killer paint and graphics cover a glass clip, scoop, and doors. The silver metallic basecoat was tricked out with cool Howie Nigor artwork.
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ing for a Foxbody Mustang to build and campaign. After locating one in Ohio and hauling it home, the build was on. C&F Race Cars built an exquisite 6.0-cert chromoly chassis complete with
Strange struts up front and a custom 4-link with Strange double-adjustable shocks out back. Strange disc brakes were selected and installed to handle the stopping chores. Tires &
wheels for the Stang consist of Alumastar wheels with Goodyear tires. Skinny 15x3 1/2-inch five-spokes are shod with 27x7.5-15 Goodyear front tires, while double beadlocked
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15x15-inch units sport the meaty 33x1815s out back. During the build, Murphy crossed paths with racer Terry Bren whose Twisted Cheeto Mustang was running at ZMax Dragway. Bren’s car was running a high-winding Roush Yates powerplant and Murphy was impressed with the performance and dependability of the small block Ford. “Terry was able to arrange for
us to meet up with the staff at the Roush Yates facility in Mooresville, North Carolina and I decided then and there that I wanted them to build my engine,” Murphy said. However, it was Leslie who actually pulled the trigger on the build. “My wife ended up surprising me for my 40th birthday by purchasing me the engine,” he said. A boss wife move right there, to be
sure, Leslie! Details on the engine are hard to procure, but we do know that it measures 358 ci and runs 12:1 compression pistons. A flat tappet cam actuates the valves within the D3 aluminum cylinder heads. The gorgeous fabricated sheetmetal intake is one of the first ever produced by Roush Yates and is now home to a single Quick Fuel 1050 Dominator
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
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NATURALLY... The unassisted 358 ci Roush Yates small block spins at over 10,000 rpm at launch and has been rock solid. Murphy says he hasn’t even pulled the valve covers off after 400 passes!
WAR HORSE
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WAR HORSE
FABBED-U-LOUS
The C&F Race Cars 6.0 cert chromoly chassis is a thing of beauty. A fabricated 9-inch rides out back on a C&F 4-link with Strange double adjustable coilovers. carb that has been further tweaked by Don Bowles. There’s no blower, no turbos, and no nitrous. But that’s no problem. Perhaps most noteworthy is the screaming 10,000 rpm it typically slings prior to
launch. “People are amazed with the power this little engine makes,” Joe said. Wife Leslie echoed that point about the engine she bought. “One thing unique about this race car is that sound it makes. It is such a high-revving
engine that when Joe is at the line doing his burnout, it sounds like it is getting ready to come apart—but that’s just the way that it is,” she said. Even better is the engine’s durability. To date, Murphy has made more than 400
continued on page 76
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WAR HORSE ...continued from page 52
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
PREPARE TO ENGAGE
The ultra-clean cockpit features everything Murphy needs to do battle and not much else. Again the attention to detail and craftsmanship shine through.
passes without ever removing a valve cover! The interior is as clean and uncluttered as you’ll find, where a single Kirkey seat is wrapped in an RJS 3-inch harness. Carbon fiber tube protectors keep the body color cage bars looking pristine, and a variety of fabricated aluminum and carbon fiber inserts provide form and function without adding heft. A fiberglass replica dash has been filled with instrumentation behind a quick-release Strange steering wheel. A B&M Pro Bandit shifter rounds out the hardware in the highly detailed and well-executed
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SHOW OR GO
WAR HORSE
The Mustang was a favorite at this year’s RPM Mag Birthday Bash (top) and the ALL OUT: LIVE! event (bottom).
cockpit. Lastly, the World War II-inspired paint took some time to settle on, but the end result is well worth the effort. “As Joe was upgrading the car, he started thinking about what kind of paint scheme he wanted to use,” Leslie said. He spent the next winter fixing & sanding before laying down a beautiful silver basecoat. The idea of a fighter plane scheme sounded cool, so Howie Nigor was tasked with the faux-rivet-and-seam graphics along with the Leslie Jaye pin-up on the quarter, a nod to Joe’s high school sweetheart & loving wife of
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WAR HORSE Joe, Leslie, and the Leslie Jaye.
35 years, Leslie Jaye Murphy. The shark-toothed hood scoop was the perfect finishing touch. Joe is quick to thank the helpful and talented team of friends and family who have helped him every step of the way, and the car has found success participating in a number of no prep/grudge events, Brian Bossone’s ALL OUT: LIVE! Series, and in bracket competition where he finished third in the Division 1 finals in Numidia, Pennsylvania. We had the pleasure of seeing it in
action as a part of Tom Bailey’s Woodward Pre-Party/RPM Mag Takeover event and at nearby Lapeer International Dragway where it was a formidable competitor. So don’t be fooled into thinking a naturally-aspirated 358 small block Ford won’t hurt your feelings and put you on the trailer quick. After all, as they say, “It ain’t the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” Or in this case, the size of the fight in the dogfighter.
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M
ost of us are familiar with the idea of hibernation.
You know the drill: animals bury themselves deep in a hole and sleep through the winter. Hibernation is an energy-saving
measure that allows the critter to survive long periods of time when food is typically scarce. However, some animals like snakes
who live in milder climates don’t actually sleep—they stay awake all winter looking for the best time to re-emerge and strike. Referred
to as brumation, it’s a far more active process that can pose a real threat to an unsuspecting hiker or naturalist out for a leisurely
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
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WAITING TO STRIKE fall stroll. Thinking the cold-blooded animals are asleep for the winter and no threat, one careless step could be deadly. Such is the case for competitors around Church Hill, Maryland. Resident David Hall is a self-proclaimed lifelong car guy. However—like many of us—he spent a season of life focused on more pressing priorities like family and career. It’d be natural to think that years without a badass hot rod would point to a love for the auto that had either faded or died altogether. But such an assumption could be costly. That passion wasn’t sleeping or dead. It was just waiting for the right time. “Close to where I live in Ocean City, they have an annual show called
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DANCIN’ SHOES
This Nova rides in style on a pair of 17-inch skinnies up front and 15x15 fatties out back. All have been shod with Mickey Thompson tires.
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WAITING TO STRIKE
CLIMB THE LADDERS With a modest drop up front on QA1 shocks and tubular control arms and a custom ladder bar setup out back, this classic Chevy sits just right.
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‘Endless Summer Cruisin’’ After coming to the event for years with the kids and even when I was a kid myself, I realized it was time for my next build,” he recalled. After considering the options, Hall zeroed in on a ’68-’72 Gen III Nova bodystyle as the starting point for a 4-digit horse-
power pounder equally adept at cruising on the street as blasting down the strip. “I came across a 1970 roller that had a nice backhalf tub job already, but it needed a lot of work,” he said. For $3500, Hall agreed to take the car and a few boxes of spare parts. Instinct kicked in
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WAITING TO STRIKE RATTY-CAL
The 572 ci BBC by Skip White Performance has been treated to a belt-driven ProCharger and an FiTech EFI system.
and he was ready to prepare his new-tohim Chevy into a formidable weapon. The first decision was to go with a forced induction big block. “I’ve always wanted a big-cube motor since all I have ever dealt with was small blocks,” he said.
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After doing some research and talking to fellow hot rodders, Hall called up Skip White Performance Engines to build a bulletproof and boost-ready 572 Rat. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to go turbo or supercharger, but I informed Skip that I
was going to go with one or the other,” Hall added. White put together a formidable all-aluminum combo consisting of a Scat forged stroker crank with Scat H-beam rods and Wiseco 10.5:1 pistons. A COMP solid roller
december 2019 | RPM Magazine
cam was selected along with COMP tie-bar lifters. A pair of AFR aluminum heads with COMP Ultra Pro Magnum roller rockers were installed for a free-flowin’, easy breathin’ motor. Further enhancing that easy in/easy out
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WAITING TO STRIKE
DAVID HALL’S STREET/STRIP 1970 CHEVY NOVA Chassis Type & Mods: Mild steel backhalf. Suspension & Brakes: FRONT: Factory independent front suspension configuration with tubular control arms and QA1 single-adjustable shocks. Wilwood 6-piston brakes. REAR: Custom backhalf with ladder bars and QA1 single-adjustable coilovers. Wilwood brakes. Body & Paint: Fiberglass front clip with Harwood cowl hood. Super Sport grille kit. GM Charcoal Gray vinyl wrap. Engine: All aluminum 572 ci BBC by Skip White Performance. Scat H-beam connecting rods with Wiseco 10.5:1 forged pistons swinging from a Scat 4340 forged stroker crank. COMP solid roller cam (.575 intake/.575 exhaust) with COMP tie-bar roller lifters. AFR aluminum cylinder heads with COMP Ultra Pro Magnum rockers. Mezeire electric water pump with Mishimoto aluminum radiator. Induction & Fuel Delivery: Holley Sniper cast aluminum intake with FiTech 1200 EFI system. Holley electric fuel pump. Power Adder: ProCharger belt-driven supercharger pushes 8 pounds of boost. Air-to-air intercooler. Ignition: MSD Pro Billet distributor and 8mm wires. Exhaust: 3.5-inch collector Dougs headers with matte black ceramic coat. Flowmaster 3.5-inch mufflers. Transmission & Driveline: Tremec T-56 Magnum 6-speed manual transmission with McCleod 11-inch Super Street Pro clutch. Differential: Currie Enterprises narrowed 9-inch Ford rearend with 31-spline Strange axles and Richmond 4.56 gears. Tires & Wheels: FRONT: 17x4.5-inch JMS wheels with Mickey Thompson tires. REAR: 15x15-inch beadlocked Champion wheels with 31.5x16.5-15 Mickey Thompson ET Street R bias ply tires. Performance: 9.31@157 mph.
oxygen approach is a forced induction system that begins with a belt-driven ProCharger centrifugal blower that pushes roughly 8 pounds of boost through a custom air-to-air intercooler. The chilled charge then makes its way through custom tubing into a custom hat topping a FITech 1200 EFI system mounted atop a Holley Sniper aluminum intake. A Holley electric
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pump pressurizes the fuel system while an MSD ignition system lights the combustion chambers. Since the car was intended to see street duty, open exhaust seemed like a bad idea. A pair of Dougs black ceramic coated headers were teamed with a 3 ½-inch exhaust and Flowmaster muffs to keep the blown big cube motor relatively legal on the decibel scale.
While the idea of a classic big block Chevy mill was a nod to traditional hot rodding, Hall opted for modernity behind it, where a 6-speed Tremec T-56 manual trans now lives. The install was not without its difficulties, though. “Trying to fit the Tremec in the factory tunnel was a pain in the butt,” he said. “The T-56 is surprisingly large, so the ‘measure twice, cut once’
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Wrist Pins • High quality 2.500'' pin further reduces reciprocating weight • Carbon steel wire locks included
7 1 4 - 8 9 8 - 9 7 6 3 • i n f o @ j e p i s t o n s . c o m • w w w. j e p i s t o n s . c o m
december 2019 | RPM Magazine
theory came into play a lot. I had to make a lot of modifications, but I finally got it to fit,� he added. A McCleod 11-inch Street Super Pro clutch was employed and Hall can now row the multitude of gears just like he was in a Fast and the
Furious flick. Heavy lifting on the chassis had already been handled by an unnamed previous owner, but consists of a mild steel back half with ladder bars and tubs out back along with a factory-style setup complimented
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WAITING TO STRIKE with tubular control arms up front. A quartet of single-adjustable QA1 shocks now smooth the ride and a 6-point cage stiffens the chassis while affording occupants an added measure of safety. A narrowed Ford 9-inch from was put together by Hall himself with Strange 31-spline axles and Richmond 4.56 gears. Tires and wheels consist of blacked-out big-n-littles, with 17x4.5 JMS wheels with Mickey Thompson tires up front and beefy 15x15 beadlocked Champion wheels with 31.5x16.5-15 Mickey Thompson ET Street R tires in back. Paint and body mods were kept fairly restrained, with a fiberglass clip and pin-on Harwood cowl hood being the most notable
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
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WAITING TO STRIKE David Hall proudly stands beside his pride and joy.
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december 2019 | RPM Magazine
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additions. A factory super sport grille was employed, and a sinister GM Charcoal vinyl wrap. Only the red powder coated disc brake calipers and red fabric seats stray from the villain-inblack theme. Last up, the interior of the classic Chevy was treated to a make-over, too. The bright NRG Innovations Type R
seats grab your attention, but other upgrades like a digital dash with Monster tach and a 14-inch billet steering wheel are present, too. A pair of G-force 6-point harnesses add safety, and that third pedal and custom shifter make driving a more tactile experience. The finished product is just what Hall was hoping for: a
wicked-looking cruiser that is plenty capable of speed and quickness should the need arise. To date, the car has clocked a best of 9.31@157 in the quarter through the mufflers on DOT-legal tires. So would be challengers better be on notice: don’t sleep on this Nova. It’s just waiting to strike!
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www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
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F
ace it: some of us just can’t leave well enough alone. When “good enough” is rarely (if ever) good enough and when “decent effort” is unacceptable in light of best effort, rest assured that you’re afflicted. The unshakable roots of perfectionism have a way of plunging hard into the depths of your psyche,
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leaving you all but powerless against the unrelenting desire— no, need—to make whatever you are working on absolutely flawless. If you suffer from perfectionism, you know the drill. A “quick project” gets completely blown apart mid-stream because you just can’t be satisfied with a half-hearted, less-than-your-best effort. Time stands still. Budget be
damned. But at some point, you are finally able to rest easy in knowing that you did it right. Such is the familiar case with recently retired former maintenance manager Mick Bodigon. No stranger to RPM, Mick has a stable of wild Chevys, including a blown 1966 Nova that graced our pages back in April 2014. It doesn’t take a trained eye long to study Bodigon’s
december 2019 | RPM Magazine
story and photos by
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www.rpmmag.com | december 2019
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THE PERFECTIONIST work in order to make the diagnosis: the man is a perfectionist. Don’t take our word for it, though. Consider his most recent build, this nitroused, big-cube street/strip 210 ’55 Chevy. “I bought the car locally in December 2014. It had been torn down in the mid-’90s but never put back together. I bought it as a roller that I could build as one more hot rod while I was still working,” he said. “So what?
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Big deal,” you scoff. “Sounds pretty normal to me.” Wait for it. “When I got it, it had already been treated to new quarters, rockers, and tail panels and the rest of the car was rust-free. The rolling chassis had been minitubbed and caged already,” he said. “However, the work wasn’t up to my standards, so I cut it all out, and with the help of friends John Ammer and Fred Royer, redid it all,” he said.
There it is. The first few weeks of owning the car, the chassis was completely redone. Components from Fatman Fabrications were used to get the nose down in the weeds, while QA1 shocks smooth the way for the Weld 15x4 wheels with Hoosier tires up front. Fab chores were far more significant out back, where the prior backhalf was trashed in favor of a new 2x3 rectangular setup with a custom 4-link.
december 2019 | RPM Magazine
ROLLIN’ CLEAN
Those fat Mickey Thompsons out back give the car an unmistakable pro street flair. Meanwhile, the gorgeous Sunset Fire paint is mesmerizing in the afternoon sun.
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THE PERFECTIONIST GLISTENING IN THE DUSK
There’s just something about that iconic ’55 chrome trim that says “American muscle.” Toss in some pristine chrome bumpers and it is a timeless look.
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MICK & JUDY BODIGON’S STREET/ STRIP 1955 CHEVY 210 Chassis Type & Mods: 2x3 .083 rectangular tubing backhalf by Mick Bodigon, John Ammer, and Fred Royer. Suspension & Brakes: FRONT: Fatman Fabrications 2-inch drop with QA1 single-adjustable coilover conversion. Wilwood 4-piston brakes with 11-inch rotors. REAR: Custom 4-link with QA1 springs and Koni single-adjustable shocks. Wilwood 4-piston brakes. Body & Paint: All steel body prepped and painted by Yost Customs. Sherwin Williams Sunset Fire Orange and GM Pearl White basecoat/clearcoat paint. Danchuk grille. Engine: 568 ci big block Chevy built by Mick Bodigon & Dave Crowell. 4.610 bore with 4.25-inch stroke. Callies Magnum crank, Molnar Power Adder connecting rods, and JE 13:1 forged pistons. Howards solid roller cam (.785/282 intake and .750/296 exhaust) with Morel lifters and Trend chromoly pushrods. Dart 355 CNC aluminum cylinder heads with Crower chromoly roller rockers. Induction & Fuel Delivery:Dart 4500 aluminum intake with QuickFuel 1050 E85 carb. Holley 12-1800 electric fuel pump. Power Adder: Induction Solutions 150-400 hp Saturday Night Special single-stage nitrous system. Electronics & Ignition: MSD Pro Billet distributor and 8mm wires. Digital 7 box with HVC coil and MSD crank trigger. Exhaust: 2 ¼-inch x 4-inch ceramic coated headers. 4-inch exhaust with Borla race mufflers. Transmission & Driveline: GM TH400 automatic trans assembled by Matt McBride. ATI full manual valve body. Coan 5600 rpm stall converter and CSR flexplate. Differential: Moser fabricated sheetmetal Ford 9-inch housing with 35-spline Strange race axles and Strange 4.30 gears. Tires & Wheels: FRONT: 15x4-inch Weld Alumastar wheels with Hoosier 25x7.5-15 tires. REAR: 15x16-inch Weld Alumastar wheels with 33x18.5-15 Mickey Thompson ET Street ZE tires.. Performance (quarter-mile): 9.17@148 with 150-shot. “Hoping for mid-8s in the near future with a larger shot and more aggressive tune.”.
A narrowed Moser sheetmetal housing was filled with Strange 35-spline axles and 4.30 gears with Bodigon handling assembly duties himself. Custom tubs were also installed to make way for the 15x16 Weld Alumistars with 33x18.5-15
Mickey Thompson ET Street tires. QA1 coils with Koni single-adjustable shocks control the bounce while Wilwood binders slow the roll. A custom full cage was also installed by the late Tony “Roscoe” Reitdorf to stiffen the modified chassis and add protection. No stranger to boosted pow-
erplants, Bodigon decided to go with a big displacement engine with nitrous for this build to make it a bit easier to cruise year-round—not to mention just to mix things up a bit. Friend Dave Crowell helped put together the powerful all-roller Rat, with a roomy 568 cubic inches to start. A Callies Magnum crank was
SPECIAL THANKS
“First and foremost to my wife for all the years of playing along with my car passion. John Ammer, my right hand man for help with complete build especially wiring and sheetmetal work. Wade Yost of Yost Customs for killer paint and body work. My son Dylan Bodigon for all the miscellaneous help in the garage and at the track. Final assembly help in no certain order: Dave Crowell, Fred Royer, Tom Jones, Tom Romano, Mike Berry, Mike Loraine, Mike Hobkirk, Jeff Franke, Duane Luckadoo, Junior Gamble, Jeff Lake, Tony Macafee (engine work), Jim Bly (glass install), and Everett Bone.”
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THE PERFECTIONIST partnered with Molnar Power Adder connecting rods and JE 13:1 forged pistons. A lopey Howards solid roller cam was teamed up with with Morel lifters and Trend chromoly pushrods that actuate the Crower chromoly roller rockers mounted aboard Dart 355 CNC aluminum cylinder heads. Up top, a Dart 4500 aluminum intake has been crowned with a QuickFuel 1050 E85 carb that is supplied by a Holley electric pump. An Induction Solutions 150-400 hp Saturday Night Special sin-
gle-stage nitrous system provides additional grins at the push of a button. Ignition duties are managed by a gaggle of MSD components, including a Pro Billet distributor, 8mm wires, a Digital 7 box, an HVC coil, and a billet crank trigger. The corn-fed fumes are routed away by 2 ¼-inch x 4-inch ceramic coated headers and out though a full 4-inch exhaust with Borla race mufflers. The resultant
DO OVER
The Chevy had a backhalf when Bodigon got it, but after looking it over, he decided it wasn’t up to par. A new 2x3 backhalf was installed to hang the fabbed 9-inch rear.
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ALL PARTS FOR USE ON RACING VEHICLES ONLY.
JE_BBC_RPM_2015_Layout 1 8/11/15 2:29 PM Page 1
The latest technology for your Big Block Chevy 3D milling
OTHER BRANDS 2.930'' JE FSR 2.500''
Introducing Lightweight Big Block Chevy FSR Pistons with 3D Milling! This new design was custom-engineered with 3D machining and drastically reduces piston assembly weight with shortened wrist pins (-26 grams) and a low-friction ring set (-25 grams). The end result provides additional material in critical piston areas, ultimately increasing strength and durability! • The only off-the-shelf 3D machined BBC piston available! • 60 popular BBC high compression combinations available off-the-shelf • Compatible with popular open chamber heads • 2618 alloy high strength forging (FEA designed) • Lateral gas ports improve ring seal • Superior JE Pro Seal Ring Package utilizes a .043” steel top ring, .043” Napier hooked 2nd ring, and 3.0mm low tension oil ring. • 100% engineered, forged, and manufactured in the USA
Wrist Pins • High quality 2.500'' pin further reduces reciprocating weight • Carbon steel wire locks included
7 1 4 - 8 9 8 - 9 7 6 3 • i n f o @ j e p i s t o n s . c o m • w w w. j e p i s t o n s . c o m
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THE PERFECTIONIST
thunderous, lumpy exhaust note is fear-inducing even at idle. Backing the 800-horse (without spray) combo is a fortified GM TH400 3-speed automatic trans. Matt McBride handled assembly, adding an ATI full
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manual valve body in the process, A 5,600 rpm Coan stall converter and CSR SFI-certed flexplate ensure safe power transfer into the trans, while a custom Strange chromoly driveshaft with billet yokes do the same out of it.
Although the build progressed nicely over time, Bodigon says it entered “paint prison” in the fall of 2017 and wasn’t “paroled” until the spring of 2018. “Wade Yost of Yost Customs handled the paint and body
december 2019 | RPM Magazine
CHEVY POWER
A beefed-up 568 ci big block Chevy now resides in the well detailed engine bay. With spray, it can push 1,000+ horsepower.
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THE PERFECTIONIST work, and I kid him about how long it took but it was worth the wait,” he laughed. The car retains an all-steel body and all factory glass, making it a beautiful albeit somewhat portly specimen. The unique Sunset Fire Orange color is unique and breathtaking from any angle. The shifty hue looks crimson red in some lights and almost citrusy orange in others, making it difficult to adequately capture in print. It is accented nicely by the crisp GM Pearl White in the traditional ’55 Chevy
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two-tone split with flawless factory brightwork. Bodigon is particularly proud of the sheetmetal magic under the hood, where the big, bulky factory core support was scrapped and the custom aluminum radiator was dropped low in the doghouse for a unique look. “With the hood open, the motor really stands out and it made routine maintenance waaaay easier,” he noted. The Chevy’s cockpit is a well-appointed affair, where a pair of comfy black vinyl Scat Procar seats with headrest
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A nicely finished interior features a body color dash, a pair of low back buckets, 5-point harnesses, and 10-point cage.
december 2019 | RPM Magazine
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THE PERFECTIONIST delete take center stage. A Grant aluminum steering wheel resides just ahead of a dash full of aftermarket gauges. G-Force harnesses and the previously mentioned Reitdorf cage afford added style and protection. The trunk is also clean and businesslike, with a nitrous bottle, fabricated fuel cell, and Optima battery all cleanly and securely installed. “I have been into the car hobby since i started driving in 1973, and I still have a ’66 Nova that was featured in several magazines in the 1980s that was actually my
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high school car,” Bodigon said. The ’55 is just the latest in a long list of wild iron, but quite possibly one of the most fun. “I build cars as a hobby and been involved in dozens of cars and hundreds of motors. I have always been a big fan of pro street, and I do almost all my own work in my home shop with the help of a few friends,” he concluded. And no disrespect intended to any person or shop, but a true perfectionist can see right through that explanation, Mick. That’s the best way you can ensure it gets done right the first time!
Dylan (left) and Mick (right) Bodigon
december 2019 | RPM Magazine
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RPM PROJECT CAR 1
2
3
1 & 2: Bob Thrash made some serious headway on our custom fenders this month, but the whole process has highlighted how one seemingly simple decision can completely alter the trajectory, timeline, and budget of a build. These two fenders may look simple, but consist of six total factory fenders and countless hours of labor.
THE FENDERS OF PART 52 >> Fabmaster Bob Thrash takes a swing at the nose that refused to be built
I
t’s alot like the movie Groundhog Day, only better. You see, if it feels like we’ve been here before showing you how our project car got some fenders it is because—well—we have. Several times, as a matter of fact. However, this time we have reason to believe that this will be the LAST time. Previous attempts have been numeous and ultimately
3 & 4: First the old fender needed to be cut away and the understructure cleaned up.
DOOM story by
fruitless. Our 2006 Mustang pro street project features a 5-inch stretched chromoly tube chassis, meaning the fenders need added length, too. Complicating things further, we decided to update it with the newer 2013-2014-style nose. Each attempt takes, at minimum, six factory fenders (two 2005-2009 and a single 2013-2014 per side). Since this is officially the fourth full try at this task, that makes 24 fenders.
Throw in the fact that two more were sacrificed along the way and that makes 26 fenders that have given their lives in this effort. Fabrication and artwork expert Bob Thrash is no stranger to labor-intensive hot rods. Bob has played a role on numerous high-end builds over the years as a team member at some of the most recognizable shops in the industry. When we shared
Toby Brooks
our heartache with him, he was unfazed. “Bring it to me and I’ll fix it,” he said assuredly. So we did. And so he has. Bob prompty cut away the previous sheetmetal and revealed the 3/4-inch tube understructure that had been created by Scott Sullivan. After measuring, planning, and plotting, he carved up a half-dozen new fenders with a surgeon’s
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december2019 | RPM Magazine
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5 & 6: Two new 2005-2009 fenders were fit up to accommodate the stretched nose. The eyebrow of the 2013-2014 fender was then grafted in place, paying special attention to the slightly different body lines between the two. 7 & 8: Bob also added a couple of cool details, like a splitter on the wheel opening’s leading edge and a soft roundover on the back. Not only will these treatments add a cool funny carstyle look, they are functional in reducing aerodynamic drag.
7
8
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RPM PROJECT CAR 9
12 11 10 9 & 10: Although previous attempts to weld the fenders in place made for a more rigid nose, a bolt-on design affords the adjustment needed for a street car. And done right, looks cool, too!
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11 & 12: With the understructure and main sheetmetal figured out, Bob started working on how to trim around the zoomie header outlets. precision and skillfully tacked everything together. At press time, he had completed the task on both sides and was preparing to do final metalwork in prep for paint. The work-in-progress is exactly the look we’ve
been after all along but we aren’t out of the woods yet. Another new hood has to be built to fit the new fenders and a variety of other small details are yet to be complete, but it is at least exciting to see progress again! Stay tuned!
Subscribe to the channel at www.fuelmediachannel.com to keep up to date!
SOURCE Overkill Speed & Color 309.351.8167
Let’s Build It Together
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SCode: 1912RPC • Prices subject to change without notice. Please check SummitRacing.com for current pricing. Typographical, description, or photography errors are subject to correction. Please check your local laws/regulations. © 2019 AUTOSALES, INC.
FIND IT AT
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115
Spiro-Pro Universal Spark Plug Wire Sets The 600º F, 100% silicone core and jacket keeps the wires flexible while maintaining their vibrant color. 350 ohms per foot resistance provides more fire power to the spark plugs than OEM resistor core wires. Available with 90º, 135º or 180º boot angles in Red, Blue or Black.
Mojave Heater Compact and Powerful. Makes the job of adding (or replacing) a heater easy and affordable! Small enough to mount under the dash or a seat - 10-1/8"x9"x5". Moves 140 CFM of air. Features a 12,000 BTU output. PN 640 Heater PN 650 Optional Plenum Kit
API-Licensed Motor Oil • Better wear protection. • Increased fuel efficiency. • Superior corrosion protection. Enhanced additive technology prevents metal-to-metal contact beyond GM dexos1™ and ILSAC GF-5 specs. PN 21520 SAE 5W20 Full Synthetic Oil, 946ml PN 21530 SAE 5W30 Full Synthetic Oil, 946ml PN 21540 SAE 5W40 Full Synthetic Oil, 946ml
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An excellent option for trucks, off-road vehicles and classic cars. Metalized reflector optics provide a lighting experience that is smooth and clean across the driving surface. PN 55000 Kit with PWM adaptor PN 55004 Kit with PWM adaptor - HEATED
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Half Shaft
'15-'19 Mustang
• Severe duty Upgrade serviceable Kit CV joints with CNC billet centers support up to 1,500 PN M-4130-MA HP. • CNC-machined from aerospace high-alloy materials. • Billet one-piece 34-spline inner and 32-spline outer stub ends. • Axle shafts feature anti-wheel hop technology. • Built by G-Force Engineering.
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Fabricated Aluminum Valve Covers Perfect for street performance junkies, racers, or enthusiasts trying to save weight. Crafted from 6061-T6 aluminumalloy, they have successfully endured rigorous pressure testing, proving that they are built to last. Available in polished, black anodized or Satin Silver. Available for GM, Ford and Mopar engines.
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