RPM MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

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april 2021 |RPM Magazine

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

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

JIM McHARG

Photographic Contributions: MARK goDragRacing.org, GEORGE PICH, MATT WOODS, MATT TROMBLEY, LOUIS FRONKIER, BART CEPEK, BLAKE FARNAN, JERRY GARRISON, NEIL ZIMBALDI, STEVEN TAYLOR, EDDIE MALONEY, WES TAYLOR, STEVEN TAYLOR, DAVID GATES, and ANDREW RADIOTIS Editorial Contributions: CHUCK SCOTT, MARK goDragRacing.org, TOBY BROOKS, TIM BIRO, STAN SMITH, JT, GEORGE PICH, JAY MISENER, EDDIE MALONEY, WES TAYLOR, and SCOTT FORBES Technical Writing Contribution: CHUCK SCOTT, SHANE TECKLENBURG, TIM BIRO and JAY MISENER

For advertising information contact TRISH BIRO...........................519.752.3705....... trish@rpmmag.com

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

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

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

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RPM Magazine has been a world leader in motorsports publishing for 22 years and has support locations in Ontario, Canada, Alabama, Texas, and Virginia, along with contributing writers and photojournalists worldwide.

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April

2021

Often Imitated, Never Duplicated—For 22 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!

TooIn justSoon .............................................................. 54 2 years, young Blake Copson left an indelible mark on the world of fast cars.

Hers ............................................................................................... 8 With a licensed aircraft mechanic for a husband,chances are your street car will be pretty wild!

BoostedCorrado Intentions ..................................... 42 Lentinello’s ProCharged Fox Body Sets Records & Takes Names!

Correct Direction .................................................. 28

LS Heaven ..........................................................

88 We assemble our COPO tribute’s 440-inch mill

This 526-inch Nitroused Dart Means Business!

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The parts and the math behind them

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Father and Son; As old as time

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We try the least expensive 200 AMP MIG Welder we could find online...

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april 2021 |RPM Magazine

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With a licensed aircraft mechanic for a husband, chances are your street car is gonna be pretty wild!

Story: Mark Smith Photos: Alex Tillman www.rpmmag.com

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W

hen the time came for US Air Force veteran Jerome Cusmano to get his wife an anniversary gift, he had no idea that 5 years later it would turn out to be this wicked blown Falcon.

“Well,” says Jerome after taking a deep breath, “I had been working on my Fairlane for 13 years and we both love driving it, so when I asked what my wife Janice wanted for her anniversary, I guess it wasn’t a total shock a few days later when she said ‘a car’.” After some searching, the pair came across a 6 cylinder 1964 Falcon and knew that was the car for Janice, and also that the only option on the table for the build was to go big!

An original California car, the Falcon was clean and the Cusmanos wasted no time sinking their teeth into it. After taking just two days to strip in down to the bare shell, the decision was made to tub it and turn it into a high power street machine. They both agreed that Janice was all-in on the build and part of every decision, not to mention actually building it. “I wanted her to learn since it was her car,” Jerome continued. “She helped

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Yep, Janice Cusmano’s blown big block Falcon looks fast, even standing still! The low gloss black roof, bumpers and trim set the car off.

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The blower motor with all the trimmings does actually sit above the roofline of the Falcon. on everything from bearing installs on the rotating assembly, to installing the rear differential and front end.” Also, as you can imagine, with Jerome being a USAF Aircraft Mechanic, there would be no corner cutting and, oh yeah one more thing, this was not going to be your run of the mill look and sound good but otherwise tame street machine, no sir, the car would be built to perform on the street or strip (if they chose to) and take anything it’s pilot could dish out to it. “The car is mostly garage fabricated,

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april 2021 |RPM Magazine

This is not a low power motor with gutted blower stuck on top to “look” good. In fact, some of the best parts in the business were used top to bottom. A 572inch Eliminator Ultra block was filled with a Callies crank, Oliver rods and Diamond pistons. Jesel shaft rockers were used on TFS A340 heads and the specially prepped BDS 10/71 blower runs 15% overdrive, while twin Pro Systems 1150 carbs feed the big Ford mill a fair gulp of E85 fuel. The combo with the street tune is good for over 1,100whp.

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but put together with all high quality parts.”

Jerome insisted that, along with the chassis work, the car get a 12-point full funny car style cage as with the planned 1,100+ horsepower, keeping it rigid and safe for Janice was paramount. Once again, this task was completed by the husband and wife team with Janice being involved in every nut, bolt and rivet on the project.

February 2020, five years later, the ‘Red Rocket’ was completed, smack in the

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middle of a nasty Michigan winter, so what better thing to do than enter the car into one of the world’s top shows, Detroit Autorama. If you’ve never been to the Autorama, you need to check it out as it is steeped in automotive history with a large contingent of most build types including high horse street, street/strip and fast doorslammer drag cars. After all, Detroit is the birthplace of all this. Janice would take first place with the Falcon and was on cloud nine, but the real payoff would be

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The interior of the Falcon screams carbon fiber, it’s everywhere…

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getting behind the wheel a few months later.

The body of the car is all the original steel (except the trunk lid) and arguably, near perfect. The glass-like Viper Red paint combined with the Falcon’s stance gives you that “it looks fast even standing still” first impression. That stance, by the way, is courtesy a full back-half with Chris Alston’s Chassis Works 4-link, VariShock coil-overs and diagonal bar out back that suspends a beefed-up fabricated 9-inch housing with Moser axles and 3.50 gear. Up front the factory frame rails and firewall remain with various mods to facilitate the chassis work and a complete Heidts front end with tubular www.rpmmag.com

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a-arms, coil-over conversion and rack and pinion steering.

Inside there is a lot to talk about, but the extensive use of carbon fiber has to be top of the list. The bottom line, if carbon couldn’t be used to build it, carbon was overlaid on it, and the results are stunning. A tilt column holds a Grant wheel and an electronic dash is inset into the faux carbon dash face, while two carbon faced gauges, Trans Temp and Boost, are mounted on the dash in clear view of the pilot. A Precision Performance Products shifter controls gear changes to the near-indestructible Rossler Turbo 400 3-speed with transbrake and Neal Chance 3200 rpm stall converter.

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Buries the needle on the RPM Mag cool-meter!

Now the fun stuff! Remember earlier, we said things like ‘go big’, ‘no corners cut’ and ‘high power’, well one look through this Falcon’s Tech Sheet and it becomes clear that the engine and trans are built for the “go” portion of the equation. First off, we have to say that the Cusmanos’ choice of a low-gloss black motif for the engine and associated hardware surrounded by more carbon (if that’s possible) buries the needle on the RPM MAG cool-meter! But it gets better. A 572-inch Eliminator Ultra 4 bolt main big block Ford block was bushed for .904 lifters and filled with a Callies crank, Oliver rods, Diamond pistons and topped with Trick Flow A340 heads with Jesel shaft rockers actuated by Manton pushrods. A BDS 10/71 blower was installed, and yep, it’s overdriven to the tune of 15%. On top of the huffer sit twin Pro Systems E85 prepped 1150 Dom-

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Janice Cusmano’s 1964 Ford Falcon Blown Street Car Chassis Type & Mods:

Chris Alston’s Chassisworks rear backhalf with 4-link, diagonal bar, VariShock twin adjustable coilover shocks. 12 point cage.

Suspension:

Complete Heidts front suspension with coilovers.

Body & Paint:

Complete restoration. Car is all factory steel except for the trunk lid. Viper Red paint.

Engine:

572 Eliminator Ultra block, bushed for .904 lifters, Jon Kaase oil pump. Callies crank, Oliver rods, Diamond pistons and King bearings. Trick Flow A340 heads, Jesel shaft rockers, Manton pushrods

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Induction:

Dual Pro Systems E85 1150 Dominator style cards.

Power Adder:

BDS 10/71 supercharger, 15% overdriven.

Electronics:

MSD boost retard, 6AL ignition box, Autometer Street Stack.

Transmission & Converter:

Rossler Turbo 400 3-speed w/transbrake, Neal Chance 3200 stall converter.

Rear Differential:

Fabricated 9-inch with Moser axles and 3.50 gear.

Miscellaneous:

Aeromotive fuel system, Simpson safety equipment.

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april 2021 |RPM Magazine

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A complete Heidts front suspension was installed including tubular a-arms, coilover conversion and rack and pinion steering.

The compact Falcon was treated to a full backhalf, 4-link/ coliover chassis makeover, and a fortified fabricated 9-inch rear diff is ready for duty. www.rpmmag.com

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Janice Cusmano takes the Falcon for short hit following our photoshoot that just happened to fall after one of those early snow days in 2020. No snow tires required!

inator style carbs. The combination is good for over 1,100 horsepower to the rear wheels on the current street tune.

Don’t be mistaken into thinking with looks that kill and power to put most on the trailer that this car is just another trailered show

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queen, as it is anything but. Janice not only put her share of work into the build, but she is ready and willing to slide behind the wheel and hit the go pedal as required on the mean streets of Michigan at the drop of a hat.

As for Jerome, well he just loves

the fact that Janice loves her anniversary gift so much; “The one thing is, though,” he said with a smile, “after that anniversary gift year, I kept missing our anniversaries for the next 5 years. But I guess the end justifies the means.”

RPM

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Story & Photos:

Wes Taylor

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The late ‘60s and early ‘70s was a perfect time to be a car guy...

American muscle lived in every corner of the States, and all of the major car manufacturers had their hands in the pot. Chrysler marketed Dodge as their more “race” brand, and we all know why. From the Charger, Challenger, Super Bee, and all the Plymouth variants, Mopar really had it all.

One that slides under the radar sometimes, though, is the Dodge Dart. Built from 19601976, the Dart started as a full-size sedan, but by the fourth generation in 1967, it was marketed as a “compact muscle car,”

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but by today’s “compact car” standards, it’s still a sizeable ride.

Scott Cheek has always been a Mopar guy, in fact, he rode home in one after he was born.

His mother drove a 1968 Dodge Dart that he still has, but this particular Dart GTS has its own story. The 1968 Dart GTS on its own is a rare find; Dodge built only 8,295 GTS models that year.

Growing up as a boy, Cheek pitched in wrenching and by 15 turned to street racing, where he met his wife, who enjoys car culture

april 2021 |RPM Magazine

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as much as he does. Before they got into a lot of trouble on the street, Scott decided to move his racing efforts onto the track and started bracket racing. After a short stint with that, he started looking to jump over into heads-up racing and began looking for a project. And since he already had family ties to his mom’s car, a Dodge Dart was at the

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top of the list.

After scouring the web, Scott ran across this particular original GTS rolling shell with a 25.5 cage that needed an engine, transmission and other incidentals to go racing, and soon after, he made the trip to New York to pick it up. Interestingly, he’d followed the same car when it was sold 13 years earlier by a previous owner out

april 2021 |RPM Magazine

What’s not to love about a rare factory steel Mopar Musclecar

...finding a shell that already had racing potential was a slam dunk... www.rpmmag.com

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Surprise! There’s more to this Dart than meets the eye. Lift off the hood and your greeted by an Indy Maxx aluminum block based 526-cube Mopar mill!

of Tennessee, so he knew it and didn’t want to miss out this time through.

Since he already had a powertrain waiting, finding a shell that already had racing potential was a slam dunk, and he took 2 years to “build it right the first time,” he said.

Old school Mopar muscle has always been a favorite among horsepower junkies; the look of their offerings alone is enough 34

april 2021 |RPM Magazine

to turn the heads of even the staunchest bowtie and oval fans. Chrysler Corp. had one of the strongest lineups of muscle back in the day, and even now offer a number of pretty wild power combos in body sizes ranging from small to extra-large.

Besides a fiberglass hood, the Dart is an original all steel car, now donned in Viper blue paint. Original emblems

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A Thumper Carbs carburetor feeds the mighty big block via a fuel system from Magnafuel.

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The Dart sits awesome and works well on the track courtesy of a truckload full of aftermarket suspension products front and rear.

Everything Scott needs electronically is located right on the kick panel for easy accessibility.

While it may be considered yesteryears technology, a correct designed and setup leaf-sprung suspension like this holds it’s own at the track.

and trim have all been kept in place and the rear GTS black stripe is now complimented by the required parachute. The rear frame was tweaked and massaged in order to stuff those double bead-locked Bogarts wrapped in Mickey T 275 radials in, and there’s barely a feeler gauge clearance back there.

Although a 25.5 certified cage snakes throughout the interior, most of the remaining trim and equipment are OEM Dodge, aside from a race bucket seat with a 5 point RJS harness and a 10lb nitrous bottle that rides shotgun. The MSD ignition system along with a nitrous controller is mounted in the kick panel area and a complete set of aftermarket gauges have been mounted to, as opposed to in, the dash. Oh yeah, and any passengers can ride in the back, as the factory rear seat remains intact.

Power is delivered via a 526-inch big block. Starting with a 440-inch Indy Maxx aluminum block that S&S Mopar stretched out to a roomier 526ci, a Callies stroker crank, spins BME aluminum rods pinned to Venolia pistons, and a Comp Cams roller cam finishes out the short block. GT Racing Heads worked their magic on a pair of Indy 440-1 cylinder heads while Harland Sharp rockers work www.rpmmag.com

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The round marker light, iconic GTS badges and double black stripe signify this Dart is a rare breed.

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Like any fast street car, Scott Cheek cruises with a chute hanging off the rear, which is cool when you can back it up, and he can!

with Smith Bros. push rods.

Since Scott appreciates old school; the Dart stayed with its roots by not going EFI. A trick B LP carb from Thumper Carbs is mounted on an Indy intake plumbed with an NOS Fogger system. Fumes exhale through TTI stepped headers and dumbed Vibrant race mufflers. A complete Magnafuel fuel system gulps ample amounts race fuel to keep the sprayed big block happy.

Backing the big cube Mo-

par is another Mopar product, a Torqueflight 727 transmission, beefed up with a TranzAct clean neutral valve body, a PPP shifter, and spec’d ATI torque converter.

The factory Mopar rear end was tossed in favor a Strange Engineering fabricated 9-inch stuffed with their 40 spline gun drilled axles and spool. Valid to old muscle, stock style suspension stays, meaning the Dart still sits on a leaf-sprung suspension.

Make no assumptions, leaf www.rpmmag.com

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Scott Cheek’s 1968 Dodge Dart GTS Street/Strip Body:

Wheels & Tires:

Chassis & Suspension:

Interior:

All factory glass, all steel car (except for the hood), color is Dodge Viper Blue.

25.5 cert cage, Caltracs with split mono leaf springs and sliders, antiroll bar, Menscer leaf spring nation Pros Series double adjustable shocks on all corners, Front suspension is a coilover conversion with rack & pinion from AJE.

Engine:

526 cubic inch Indy Maxx block big block with Indy cylinder heads, Harland Sharp rockers and Indy intake plumbed with an NOS Fogger system, Thumper Carbs carburetor with Magnafuel 500 pump and Magnafuel regulators.

Power Adder: Nitrous Oxide Transmission:

727 Torqueflight with an ATI converter, TranzAct clean neutral valve body with a PPP shifter.

Rear End:

Strange 9-inch with 40 spline spool and gun drilled axles with a 4.10 gear.

Brakes:

Strange Engineering 4 wheel disc brakes.

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Bogart Force 5 wheels. The rear wheels are double-beadlock with Mickey Thompson 275 Pro radials.

Kirkey seat, factory rear seat, Autometer guages, Leash progressive nitrous controller, 25.5 cage, RJS 5 point harness.

Miscellaneous:

I built this car because I am partial to Darts and I love to race so it was a way to combine both of my passions. The build took about 2 years mostly due to lack of funds. I wanted to build it right the first time so I built as the funds came in. I also chose the street style platform because I prefer the street car look and enjoy making a heavy car competitive.

Thanks To:

First and foremost, to my mother. Vanada Performance for the engine and wiring, Dominic Thumper of Thumper Carbs, Tim Nicholson Race Cars for rear suspension, Kryptonite Motorsports and Bryan Welch for tuning and suspension.

spring cars still have their place with the right parts, and Scott used them all. Caltracs with split mono leafs and sliders along with a TRZ anti-roll bar and Menscer Pro series double adjustable Leaf Spring Nation shocks keep geometry and launching capabilities in check. Up front, an AJE coilover conversion complete with tubular upper and lower a-arms and Menscer Pro Series double adjustable shocks takes the place of stock parts.

Scott Cheek came by his love of all things Mopar naturally, and thanks to his Mom became hooked on building a Dodge Dart of his own, keeping it somewhat street-friendly but at the same time creating a solid performer on the track. So solid, that he won the King Of The Street class in 2018 at the Monster Mopar Weekend in Norwalk Ohio, plus he’s shown many of the local Mustang crowd that he means business.

RPM

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Corrado Lentinello’s ProCharged Fox Body Sets Records & Takes Names!

Story: George Pich Photos: Blake Farnan www.rpmmag.com

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Most RPM readers either owned or got their butt handed to them on the street by a Fox body Mustang back in the 80s, 90s and even into the 2000s, long after the platform was discontinued. Even today, you’ll find a majority of them at any race, cruise or show. In other words, they are still a winning choice all these years later.

Aurora, Ontario’s Corrado Lentinello’s ’89 Fox Body hatchback started as a father/son project to build a fast street car and ended up as a heavily boosted record setting small tire brawler on the track.

Lentinello bought the car with his father back in September of 1998. At the time it had a stock block 351 Windsor with Canfield heads, a 150 shot of nitrous and a 5 speed behind it. “The intent of the car at the time was just to be a killer street car with a couple trips to Mexico,” Lentinello said with a smile. (Mexico being the code name for a popular street race location). A painter by trade, the Stang got a new skin laid down on it

by Corrado and it stayed on street duty with future plans to build more power for it. “My dad and I planned to continue

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with the car, but unfortunately my father passed in 2017, so the project was put on a bit of a pause,” he lamented.

Once Lentinello got his motivation for the car back, he would dedicate it and his racing efforts, now done on the track, to his dad. He would soon hook up with Paul Silva from PSP and start working on plans to build a dedicated class car that would dominate the strip. At the time, the Street 275 class was starting to take hold in Ontario, so they built the Mustang for it. Unfortunately it would change to a 5.50 index class, and since Corrado’s passion was heads-up racing, some decisions needed to be made.

It was late in 2019 when Lentinello would find his new class home and the car was changed over to fit the 235 Outlaw radial tire class rules. The results were instant, as Corrado and the Mustang dominated the last 2 events of the year, and would end 2019 also holding the ET record after running and backing up a 5.19 eighth-mile hit.

With those early results in-hand, off-season plans were to upgrade a few areas of the car and continue at the top of the 235 Outlaw class in 2020, with hopes of winning a championship in honor of his late father and maybe capture another record. The engine

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The slick paint on this Fox Body looks so nice because the owner is a painter by trade. The car is all original steel except for the fiberglass hood and carbon lower bumper extension

down 1294hp to the tiny 26x8.5 inch tire!” , he exclaimed.

Dyno numbers don’t lie, but race day can be an entirely different story. Lentinello came out of the gate hard for 2020, taking the win at the first Canada Heads Up event with his sights set firmly on staying the course towards a championship. But he had other goals set to accomwent back to Paul at PSP to be plish along the journey; “I wantworked over and a water to air ed to be the first 235 Canadian intercooler was added. “We hit car in the 4.90s,” added Corrado. the rollers before the first race “And after a long fought season, in 2020 at DCT (Diego’s Custom at the final race after knocking Tuning), with Ernie Zambri tun- on the 4-second ET door all ing the Holley EFI Dominator year, I finally secured the ET and system. That’s when we made 6 MPH record for 235 with a 4.96 horsepower shy of 1300, putting at 146mph!” And you guessed

The record was the icing on the cake!

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From left to right: Paul Silva, Corrado Lentinello, Ernie Zambri www.rpmmag.com

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The coil near plug ignition setup might throw people at first, but make no mistake this Ford is all Ford!

A ProCharger F1X centrifugal supercharger adds the extra punch to the small block.

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april 2021 |RPM Magazine

Lentinello expertly trimmed the hood to allow the Morris throttle body hat to protrude just enough.

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Like the car’s body, under the hood is sparkling clean and the polished tubing and Steve Morris throttle body hat, make shades mandatory issue! it, on that same weekend he also secured his championship in the 235 class! “The record was the icing on the cake!”

The car is mostly original steel except the hatch, hood and carbon front lower bumper extension. Inside, the factory look is carried on, with the exception of the SFI certified cage coupled with race bucket seats covered to match the original color. Factory console mods were required to fit the Hurst billet shifter, and the Holley Dominator dash has been expertly set into the original gauge face area. The battery and cooler box are installed in the hatch area.

A Dart 9.5-deck Ford small block 50

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The interior retains most of its original equipment aside from the seats, belts, shifter and Holley dash panel inset into the factory gauge face. A small photo of Corrado’s father rides shotgun on every pass.

We like what we see; parachute, full exhaust out the back and a cool RPM MAG license plate!

With things like full exhaust and sumped factory tank you’d think there’s no way this car can run 4s in the 1/8-mile…wrong!

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Corrado Lentinello’s 1989 Ford Mustang 235 Outlaw Car

Chassis:

Stock Style Chassis with modifications.

Suspension: Front - Strange shocks single adjustable with coilcovers, UPR K-member & A-arms, Flaming River steering kit and Wilwood brakes.

Rear - AFCO double adjustable shocks, South Side lower control arms, UPR upper control arms adjustable. Anti Roll Bar and Wilwood brakes.

Body & Paint: Stock body with fiberglass hood and lower carbon fiber bumper extension. Custom paint by owner, Corrado Lentinello.

Engine: Dart SHP 9.5 deck height PSP built small block with inline heads. A Callies crank was used with GRP rods and Diamond pistons.

Induction: Edelbrock 2828 ported intake by PSP. 2000 cfm Dominator flange throttle body. Steve Morris throttle body hat, Vibrant piping with V-bands.

Power Adder: ProCharger F1X centrifugal supercharger.

Electronics: Holley ECU Dominator.

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Transmission & Converter:

2 speed Powerglide REID cased transmission built by Hutch’s Transmissions in London, Ontario. PTC Torque Converter

Rear Differential: Modified Ford 8.8 rear differential, 3.90 gear.

Tuner: tunedbyeazy Ernie Zambri

Dyno Services: DCT Diego Custom Tuning

Sponsored By: Assured Automotive

Vehicle Owner/Driver Info/History: Corrado Lentinello, 38 year old Automotive Painter and diehard Ford racer. I have dedicated my racing to my dad who passed away 3 years ago and bought me my first Mustang which is the car I race today.

Achievements: 2X Canadian Record Holder for 235 small tire, 2020 Champion for 235 Outlaw.

Special thanks to: My wife Lilla, daughter Caterina and my brother Joey for being a part of the race team and for your endless support.

Best ET & MPH: 4.96 ET 146.89 MPH

Triple Crown!

Corrado Lentinello came out hard in his supercharged small block 1989 Mustang in 2020 and set the ET and MPH records, won the championship and also became Canada’s first stock type suspension 235 Outlaw car in the 4-second elapsed time zone! with inline valve heads built

by Paul Silva Performance powers the Mustang and a ProCharger F1X centrifugal supercharger takes up some of the heavy lifting. Power is transferred through a Hutchbuilt Reid-cased Powerglide with PTC converter to a heavily fortified 8.8 diff. with 3.90 gears.

With the 2021 race season

fast approaching, it’s a pretty safe bet that Carrodo Lentinello has a big target on his back in the Canada Heads Up 235 Outlaw class, but rest assured, he has done his homework and while the competition has been hard at work this winter, Lentinello has a few tricks up his sleeve, too!

• Made from Hyper-Flex™ performance polyurethane.

• For cars, trucks, hot rods, and competition vehicles.

• Patented safety interlock design is safer and more durable than O.E.M. mounts.

• Resistant to oils, coolants, and road contaminants.

• Elastic enough to absorb vibrations for street yet strong enough to handle extreme racing conditions.

RPM

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Despite his young age, in just 2 years Blake Copson left an indelible mark on the world of fast cars Article: Chris Biro Photos: David Gates

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W

riting an article is never an easy task, however, when we’re working with an energetic subject who is more than willing to provide an overabundance of information, and excited, yet humble about everything they do, what can often be considered “work”, suddenly becomes fun. That’s the vibe we got when working with Blake Copson on his article, that is, until the unthinkable happened and Blake passed away a few weeks ago at a very young age.

Now it has become an arduous task. That said, with the blessing of Blake’s family, we’re proceeding with the planned feature, if for no other reason than the fact that Blake was just one of those guys; humble, passionate about what he did and just so excited and grateful for everything. This piece will be written as if Blake were here penning it with me, using many of his own words contained in some very detailed information he sent directly to me December 23rd, 2020.

Blake’s intro to those December notes, verbatim; “Hi Guys, I tried to write as much as possible! Forgive my spelling and grammar errors, I have been doing this while on the road the past couple weeks!

Thank you so much for this very cool opportunity!”

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Blake Copson Blake’s love for horsepower started at a young age, and as you might guess, was nurtured by his father, Joe. “Dad raced a lot of twin turbo Buick stuff; that’s where I got bit by the racing bug!” Eventually, as Blake got a bit older, Joe decided to build a 2010 Camaro for Outlaw 10.5 to be campaigned in the northeast. “It was one of the most followed builds ever and was certainly ahead of its time,” Blake said.

“We campaigned the car for a few years and when I was 22 dad decided that he wanted to build a new car with me and have me drive it!” That Camaro, however, would continue to see plenty of action after it left the Copsons as Ryan Martin and Javier Canales from OKC purchased the car that is now well known as the ‘Fireball Camaro’. “It was really cool to see the car

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We decided to ditch the original C7 chassis and build from scratch stay local,” Blake continued, “We thought if we sold it we may not see it again, but now we get to see it on TV! It’s really cool and those guys at BR Performance are awesome people and racers and we couldn’t have found a better home for her then with Ryan and Goose!”

The Corvette idea started with the purchase of a wrecked chassis that was still in decent shape. The Copsons would have chassis builder Gary Naughton take it over, and the original plan was to put a 2jz in it with an 88mm turbo, however, in comparing the costs of building an X275 car and a purpose built Pro 275/ Outlaw 10.5 car, the team would change direction. “We decided to ditch the original C7 chassis and build from scratch,” Blake said. “We used the now popular Corvette molds made by Bil Gilsbach at Skinny Kid Race Cars and then Gary got to work.”

Blake and his dad started to plan a crew and Blake reached out to his best friend Joel, to see if he would be willing to help out. “Even though Joel had no particular experience with this kind of racing, after being friends with him I just knew how

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moserengineering.com

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good he was with his hands and his ability to make something out of nothing and knew he would be perfect for the job. Joel has been a true blessing to our team, I am so happy to have him in my life not only as my best friend but our car chief!

He keeps it all together at the track and is always at the house helping me rebuild the engines and getting everything out and serviced for the next event. Not to mention taking trips with me around the country to pick up trailers, drop off engines… everything! Thank you so much buddy for everything!”

The engine program would include Proline Racing, and together they would decide that the Hemi would be the best platform with the twin turbochargers they planned to run. 94mm turbos from Precision Turbo & Engine were used, and an M&M Turbo 400 transmission paired with a torque converter from Pro Torque were chosen to back it up. Mark Menscer shocks sit on all corners of the car and a Mark Williams modular 10-inch rear housing is filled with a complete lineup of MW components. “Gary Naughton built this car from front to back and was just so awesome to work with. Gary has become a part of our family, he is such a great guy and I am so fortunate that I’ve had the chance to work with him and learn from him!” Blake added. “Not to mention that he builds the best chassis in the world! Love ya Gary! He took our input and we came up with ideas and solutions collectively. Things like where to mount the turbos, where we wanted to be able put weight bars when needed, the weight distribution of the car as a whole, and just so many other things.”

Before final assembly, the Corvette was treated to its outer skin which was handled by Travis Hess. “Travis, aka Tuki of Buckys Ltd., in West Virginia handled the paint work, and I must say it was one 64

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of my favorite parts of the build. We let the artist do his thing and we were just so pleased with the outcome. Travis and his father were also an absolute pleasure to work with and fans everywhere we go love the paint job and we do too!”

After paint, Gary Naughton would handle final general assembly and the project would then enter into the final stages at the hands of Ryan Rakestraw of RK Racecraft and Jonathan Homier of Homier Fabrications. “Ryan and team handled the finishing work and fuel system plumbing while Jonathan and his team handled getting the car wired up and the Fuel tech 600 calibrated and in working order for our first event. Together these guys are unstoppable. Now the Corvette was plumbed, wired, scaled; all i’s dotted and t’s crossed, when it leaves these guys, you are ready to race!” And race it did.

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Left to right: Joel Hull, Blake Copson, Joe Copson, and Josh Ledford.

By 2018 the new Corvette was ready to go with Blake behind the wheel. “I had never been down the strip before, so to do it in this car...well, I was pretty nervous. We made some good laps and I got acclimated and comfortable in the car, and then we got to work.”

2018 would see the team participate in two events; the PDRA Firecracker Nationals and Yellow Bullet Nationals.

At PDRA they netted a semi-final finish to eventual winner and teammate Ken Quartuccio, and then in September they would earn the Outlaw 10.5 win at the YB Nats. “We won at Yellow Bullet in pretty spectacular fashion and being our first team win and my first win as a driver, it was a very special moment that we will all never forget.

Our good friend Jamie Miller was instrumental in helping me get comfortable with the car and just get our racing program in general going in the right direction, and I cannot thank him enough for that! Josh Ledford handled tuning duties at that event and took over the reins, calling all the shots and guiding us.”

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A VIDEO TRIBUTE TO BLAKE

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I just wanted to say thank you, love you!

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2019 would see ups and downs as parts failures at the first two races of the year would mean the team would not even qualify for the field. They would redeem themselves for the remainder of 2019, though, and ended up winning two events and made the semi-finals at two others. At the last race of the year, Blake ended up setting the Outlaw 10.5 World Record while also taking the win. This paved the way for what Blake described as an “insane” 2020, which is a definite understatement.

Here’s a recap of 2020 in Blake’s own words; “We were 2020 Outlaw 10.5 World Champions, 2020 Cecil County Dragway track Champions, the first and only Outlaw 10.5 car into the 3.60 range, resetting the world record with a 3.694 @ 210.60.

We won 26 of 27 rounds that year and won 6 out of the 7 series races and had a runner-up finish in one. We won 3 of 4 series races at Cecil County, won the Shakedown Nationals, Orlando World Street Nationals and Milan Michigan Outlaw Heads-Up Series.”

While having such success so early in a career can sometimes be difficult to handle, through it all Blake remained humble and thankful. “I just want to say a quick thing about our tuner Josh Ledford. This guy is more than just a tuner or chassis

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wizard, we have gone on to become family. He teaches me, dad and Joel as we go and really takes time to explain everything to us. We have 100% faith in him, we never question him. While it is impossible to be perfect, this man is pretty damn close when it comes to tuning. Josh has been a major blessing in our life and racing program. Josh, I can’t thank you enough for everything my friend, here’s to many more victories.”

“I was also awarded a very cool opportunity to work with a racing legend, Manny Buginga and commissioned to drive his X275 car known as Big Red at two events. Working with Jamie Miller and Manny and his team we were able to win both events, going undefeated in X275 at the events we raced at. I love working with Manny! We share ideas back and forth and I love learning all of the tricks and tips he has gathered over the years of racing and winning world championships. I am very grateful to be surrounded by such good people! To Manny B and his family; thank you so much for allowing me to be a small part of your team!”

“It’s pretty crazy to have a vision and to see it all come true, it is very special. I have to thank my best friend, number one supporter, teammate, mentor, everything in one package, my dad. Without him

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Joe and Blake Copson’s 2017 C7 Z06 Drag Radial Corvette

Chassis Type & Mods:

Gary Naughton Race Cars chassis.

Suspension:

Menscer shocks on all 4 corners.

Body & Paint:

Custom Paint by Travis Hess (Kolor by Tuki, Bucky’s Ltd.)

Engine:

Proline Racing 521-inch HEMI. Alan Johnson block and heads, GRP rods, Diamond pistons. Smith Bros pushrods, Reid rockers, Victory Ti valves and PAC Racing springs.

Fuel system:

Waterman mechanical fuel pump, Atomizer 700pph injectors.

Induction:

Custom with Pro-Jay Racing throttle body.

Power Adder:

Twin 94mm Precision turbos.

Electronics:

Controlled by FuelTech FT600.

Boost Controller - Hyperaktive Performance Solutions (Joe O).

Transmission & Converter:

M&M Turbo 400 with Pro Torque converter.

Rear Differential:

Mark Williams 10 inch modular rear.

Vehicle Owner/Driver Info:

Joe and Blake Copson / Driven by Blake

Best ET & MPH:

3.694@210.60 World Record, first and only Outlaw 10.5 car in the 3.60s.

How Many Years Racing: 2 Division/Class Run (Race Only): Outlaw 10.5 / PRO 275

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Most Unique Feature:

“The most unique feature our car is definitely the paint and color scheme and also just the overall quality of this Gary Naughton Hot Rod. Travis Hess of Buckys LTD killed it on our vision for this car. It was meant to be a new school car/ old school soul feel to it, and it’s just that! With the bright gold rims, I believe it’s really an attention grabber and something you really don’t see much these days compared to the traditional one color cars.”

Most Memorable Experience: “It’s hard to say the most memorable experience. It has all been so memorable. I was 22 years old when we started building this so just all of the trips me and my dad took, or me and Joel took during the building process. Just the whole experience was totally awesome and made for great memories. I love being able to do what I loved and dreamed about with my dad by my side, we have always dreamed of doing this and competing and winning and to see it come to fruition has just been mind-blowing. I’m so thankful. But as a team, the most memorable would have to be our first win at the 2018 Yellow Bullet Nats, that was super special, and our win at Shakedown this year was really really cool, so I would have to give that a close second!”

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none of this works. He always makes the decisions that lead our team in a progressive way and the results have certainly shown that. He always has my back and the team’s best interest at heart and he keeps us all in line, works on the hot rod with me at home and just does so much behind the scenes to keep this whole show running smoothly. Thank you so much dad, can’t wait to see where this journey takes us, I love you!

Also, I would like to thank my mother. She keeps everything at our business running smoothly while me and dad are away. We all work together, so when two of us

go away it can be hard as it all falls on the last people there, but she does it flawlessly, and allows us to participate in this crazy sport and makes a lot of sacrifices so we can chase our dreams! She’s so much more than that, but i just wanted to say thank you, love you!”

“It really was an awesome year, I’ve dreamed of winning some of these big time races so to win a few of them in the same year had me lost for words! I have to say, winning at this level is such a team effort. Whether it is with our car or with Manny and his cars, it takes a really great team to achieve these results!”

RPM

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The parts and the math behind them At RPM, we think it’s pretty important for readers to understand each part and why it has been chosen, as well as the steps involved machining and assembling an engine, so don’t be scared by the word “math” in our subtitle. There is a bunch of support in our industry to get you heading in the right direction with building your own motor or choosing one of many great builders that will take care of everything for you.

In either case, you most likely won’t have to toil over formulas, but if you do plan to self-build or at the very least be actively involved with your builder’s work, it is an asset to understand the whys and hows of the process.

To date in our World Domination SBF build, we have completed the crankshaft balancing and cylinder boring procedures. We talked about the World Products 9.200 deck block main bores measuring to specification. Recently at Kraushaar Machine Services, we loaded a set of main bearings in the World block in order to check the main oil clearance. We torqued the caps to the required 70 ft lb with moly. After measuring each main bearing ID, compared to the corresponding crankshaft main OD, 76

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■ Now that the cylinders are bored to the correct diameter, I have installed a piston in one corner of the block to measure where the piston sits in relation to the deck of our World block. We want all the pistons to be at the same height in each bore, this verifies the deck is correct at 9.200” and is square from end to end. the oil clearance fell into the .0025”to The oil clearance math .0027” range. If you remember from looks like this: other RPM articles, I personally like Stroke 4.0 / 2 + Rod length 6.00 to run .001” per 1” of OD journal di+ Piston Compression Height (CH) ameter. Our crankshaft is a Cleveland 1.200 = 9.200 main design, measuring 2.749”, thereTo complete our World Products fore, I would like .0027” oil clearance.

All good again and we can move on! block measuring and machine work,

■ With each piston installed and rotated to top dead center (TDC), we verify that the piston is sitting even with the block deck or at 0 deck.

This enables us to now order the correct head gasket thickness for the planned compression ratio and the optimum desired quench area. We will discuss these terms in the next article.

■ At this point the PBM crankshaft has been in and out many times. I thought I would take a shot of the beefy front main cap register of the World Products block. Notice the dowels, the hardware quality and steps to keep the crankshaft where it should be. Years ago we needed to perform these modifications to factory blocks to stop the main caps from walking. Today these upgrades are engineered into all the World Products cylinder blocks.

it’s time to load some pistons in the block. By installing a piston in each corner of the block we can check the block deck surface for square and calculate our piston height in the bore. We want each piston to be at the same height in each bore. This first-time mockup of the rotating assembly also gives me a chance to confirm that my math is correct and to better explain our whole engine plan.

A racer’s goal is to always stuff as many cubic inches into a package that fits into the chassis they will be using. We know that the World Products block deck height

fits nicely into our chassis, now we need to fit as many cubic inches into that block as possible. I am sure everyone (over 40 anyway) has heard the saying “there’s no replacement for displacement!” Sometimes the fact that a racer may also need to stay within the cubic inch size limits of a specific racing class will limit the amount of cubes they can build.

Further, many classes add weight to high cubic inch engine packages. You do not want to add too much weight to your chassis as we also all know that extra weight will slow you down. We would like to make a minimum of

■ Our PMB 6.0” rod with ARP 2000 hardware is a perfect fit for our 4.0” stroke PBM crankshaft This package gives us a 1.5 rod ratio.

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400 cubic inches with this type of drag race engine and with the 4.125” bore we could make a few more, so 427 it is. To make the 4.0” stroke work in our World 9.200” deck height package, we need to do a little math. There are a few cubic inch calculators on the internet. At RPM, we like to use Summit Racing’s online calculators. I am old school and need to use paper and pencil and many times I resort back to my stone age engine math book. Most recently, though, when teaching, I made a “google sheets” calculator for my students which makes calculations a breeze.

Getting back to the math: if we are able to fit a 4.0 inch stroke in a 9.200” deck block that leaves us 7.200” to fit a rod and piston below the deck of the block. Using a 6.00” long rod, which is fairly common, leaves us only 1.200” for a piston compression height.

■ The Ross Racing Piston design is robust and here you can see the tight ring pack design and the large distance the top ring is located from the top part of the piston. Notice that the oil ring runs through the piston pin bore, it will be supported by a steel support ring.

The math looks like this: Stroke 4.0 / 2 + Rod length 6.00 + Piston Compression Height (CH) 1.200 = 9.200 9.200 happens to be our World block deck height. Which means theoretically, our piston should be at zero deck or even with the deck of the block.

During the planning stage, I determined we would use the above measurements to create our World Domination SBF engine, giving us 427.65 cubic inches. The cubic inch equation uses the engine cylinder bore area multiplied by the stroke of the crankshaft, and then multi■ To obtain our desired compression ratio Ross Racing Pistons deplied by the number of cylinders. signed a dome to match our cylinder head combustion chamber Again, the math looks like this: profile.

Displacement = (4.125 in./2) x (4.125 in./2) x 3.1416 x 4.0 in. x 8 = 427.6503 cubic inches.

Or just use the Summit Racing link below to determine compression ratio and displacement.

Summit Racing Compression Calculator Things to think about when designing these parameters are rod length or rod ratio, which is the length of rod compared to the stroke. The other is the compression height (CH) of the piston, which is measured from the piston pin center to the top of the piston. This measurement needs to be big enough to contain the 3 ■ Looking under the piston reveals the stout design and the extra ring pack. material required for our heavy nitrous oxide use. The 360 degree skirt design is also required for this type of application.

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First, let’s deal with rod length. Most engines today run anywhere between 1.4 - 2.0 rod ratio. There are many schools of thought behind short and long rods. In our case, the rod ratio with our PBM 6.00” rod on PBM 4.0” stroke, gives us a 1.5 rod ratio. For the purpose of our engine, the 1.5 ratio will work well, and I have used this combination before with success.

Next, let’s pay attention to the CH of the piston. We need to get the top ring down as much as possible to keep it away from the immense combustion heat due to our desired high compression and the added nitrous oxide. Today, manufacturers like Ross Racing Pistons, use design software generated by their own experience to place the ring pack in the correct area on the piston. The results of their hard work are thinner, stronger rings that allow for a tighter ring pack and create a great ring to bore seal, letting us use the short compression height of 1.200”.

Whether it’s an off-the-shelf piston from their catalogue or a custom slug, calling Ross Racing Pistons has always been a pleasure for us. Being in business since 1979 and boasting a large percentage of their staff employed for over 10 years, with team leaders having over 25 years of service, we are confident we’re getting substantial real world experience

from end to end.

Interestingly, our Editor In Chief, way back when he ran a speed shop over 30 years ago, mentioned a story when he called on Ross to build custom pistons for a customer’s roots blown Hemi in a street driven Challenger…now that’s history!

During the first conversation regarding our plan for World Domination (that just sounds awesome!), we provided all of our engine measurements to Chris at Ross. With that, he was able to put a design together that, as you can see, looks very stout. The piston is made from their own heavy duty forging and boasts a beefy skirt design that will stay concentric under heavy loads of nitrous. The dome is very thick and the top ring is low enough to withstand all of our abuse.

At Ross Racing Pistons, each custom piston is CAD designed by their engineering team to meet the customer’s requirements. Next, a forging is picked from their extensive line up and then the pistons are rough turned to within .010 of its finished diameter. The pistons are then moved to one of the milling centers where the side relief, dome or reverse dome, and valve reliefs are cut. Canted valve layouts are moved to a 5 axis machining center. If weight is to be removed, the bottom of the pistons are contoured to remove it. Another weight

savings option is 3D profiling, where the bottom of the piston is mirror cut with the top of the piston’s shape, giving the same thickness throughout the inside of the piston. Oh how I love technology! Each Piston is then hand detailed to remove any burrs or minor imperfections. The skirt and cam profiles are then cut. The final manufacturing operation is fitting the pins to the pistons on one of the Sunnen automated hones. The pistons are then engraved with the job card number (identification number). This serves as the piston’s serial number for future ordering or technical support. All this was done in a very timely fashion, reinforcing our choice of piston for this build.

■ Next month, we will discuss our World Domination oil system, cylinder heads and valve train as we get closer to the end of our build. Keep in mind, spring is around the corner, so let’s all get busy to make our rides lighter, faster and stronger for the upcoming season!

RPM

Ross Racing Pistons

www.rosspistons.com 310-536-0100

World Products

www.pbm-erson.com 1-877-630-6651

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Father and Son; As old as time Hello fellow Gearheads. As many of you know, I have a daughter and enjoy sharing father/daughter stories in my articles. Perhaps it’s my way of encouraging other dads to share shop time with their little girls and get that gearhead fever going at an early age. Perhaps it’s my way of encouraging all of our female readers to embrace the same passion and share their knowledge with someone close to them. No matter the circumstances, the master-apprenticeship relationship is one of the earliest forms of education, most notable being the one between father and son.

As old as time, a father shared his craft with his son. This tradition was passed on through generations and generations. I’m not sure at what point in time a son actually had a choice in what he wanted to become, but blacksmiths raised blacksmiths, farmers raised farmers, tailors raised tailors and so on. In my family, my great grandfather was a tradesman. His son, my grandfather, was also a tradesman, who specialized in electrical, heating and cooling.

His son, my dad, was born in 1933 and became a highly skilled tradesman before he even finished high school. He was forced to work with my grandfather to provide for his family. When my dad had me and my two brothers, he made sure we learned electrical, plumbing, welding/brazing/soldering, carpentry, mechanical, heating and cooling and even taxidermy. I was the only one, though, to take those skills and turn them into a business.

In our world of motorsports, most father-son teams become a perfect blend of old school and new school. The son loves being a gearhead like dad, but doesn’t necessarily like the style or the way he enjoys it. This is not the case for my buddy Brian Lutz.

Like me, Brian is a diehard, tried and true, Pro Street maniac. He loves everything big tire and big engine.

Brian also prefers his engines to be blown and stand at least roof-high. He built a super impressive Nova that demands attention and respect. Brian’s oldest son Daniel not only inherited his dad’s gearhead genes, but shares his passion for big tire, blown pro 80

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Here is father and son standing by their mutual passion. How cool is it that these two wicked machine live in the same garage?

I was inspired to show my artistic side and could not pass up this opportunity to show that the son is a reflection of the father. If you look closely you will see the reflection of Brian’s Nova in Daniel’s Chevelle.

streets as well. So naturally, when Daniel wanted to build a 1967 Chevelle, it became a father-son project.

I have to admit, it’s kind of cool that a father and son share a passion that is rooted in the father’s youth. Yes, my daughter enjoys a lot of the things I have done since my youth, but when it comes to cars we could not be more different. She really likes the big old boats of the 50s and super tricked out modern SUVs. After spending some quality time at car shows with Brian and his sons, I really wanted to do a photo shoot with their blown beauties and get to see them side by side. Being the proud papa, Brian was quick to point out that his youngest son Cody also inherited the gearhead gene. Cody doesn’t share the same passion for Pro Streets like his dad and big brother, though, his pride and joy is a 1969 VW Bug. What Cody lacks in horsepower and tire size, he makes up for with nostalgia and cool factor.

If you sit around any shop or car event long enough you are going to hear someone say, “my son and I built that” or “my dad and I built that.” Whatever the case, it warms my heart. A flood of memories come rushing through my brain as I reminisce back to building my 1964 Oldsmobile F-85 Cutlass with

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These two classics are clearly the cars from Brian’s youth. When a father is so passionate about a hobby it is only a matter of time before one of the kids gets interested. I was hoping Brian would adopt me as his long lost son. I would certainly get onboard quick with a blown pro street of my own.

My dad used to say, “the pebble does not fall far from the rock pile.” Here is a great example of that. You have to love blown big blocks protruding from an engine bay in menacing fashion.

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The blown big block up front are well matched with that classic big tire pro street look out back.

As Daniel was leaving the last photo area he lit the tires for me. I was not ready to capture it on camera but when Brian came by to show up his son, I was ready. This simple gesture of fun really touched my heart and made me miss my dad at that moment. I don’t think my dad ever left a red light without lighting the tires. I am proud to say that the pebble did not fall far from the rock pile. my dad. I actually worked on that car when I was a little boy with him.

I learned how to replace a clutch on that car and did it myself when I was 12 years old. When I was 14, my dad gave it to me as my first car.

I spent the next three years getting the Olds ready for my 17th birthday and learning from my dad. I have to admit, I enjoyed working on cars a lot better than boilers and refrigerators, but nonetheless, all of the years I spent as my dad’s apprentice made me a part of a long line of father-son teams in my family. Not to mention it’s a great feeling not having to call anyone when something breaks.

If you haven’t begun to share a special skill with one of your children, in my opinion, it’s never too early

I hear his voice and remember the lessons whenever I face a challenge or too late. It goes back as early as time and in a crazy way gives you a sense of immortality. My dad passed back in 2007, but the skills he shared with me continue to live on. I hear his voice and remember the lessons whenever I face a challenge. My daughter, without knowing it, is also experiencing the knowledge of my dad through me. To me, that is way cooler than looking at an old photo

of me one day.

The story of Brian and Daniel’s father-son Pro Street cars is much deeper than these words and photos depict. There was a sense of pride in Brian’s eyes and a truly happy spirit around Daniel as they watched me during the photo shoot. The last photos I took were just after Daniel was leaving the area and laying some rubber down. In true father-son fashion, Brian followed suit and melted the tires as the two drove down the road together. Thank God they were not there to see me get emotional.

But those two cars leaving a smoky tire trail as they drove away hit me hard. My dad is dearly missed!

Until next time, Keep wrenching,

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Shannon Visits His Red Bull Article and Photos by Dave Diehl

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t has been a year since Shannon Poole took his fateful ride resulting in the near total destruction of his 1964 Corvette “Red Bull”. If you have been following along with the articles outlining the intense project that the rebuild of this car has entailed, you will remember the craziness leading to this point in time.

The gathering of the parts and pieces that survived the accident, the loss of parts during transport, the difficulties hunting down the body parts needed, the total redesign of the entire chassis structure and the untimely injury of the owner of the chassis shop, all add up to an adventure beyond what Shannon had hoped for.

Looking back, the time seems to have flown by, but to those involved the progress seemed to be painfully slow.

With every Spring comes new hope in the eyes of every racer. Shannon’s hope had to be unshakable considering the challenges presented during the rebuild this past year. Can you

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Frame nearing completion imagine last seeing your favorite ride being hauled off on a flatbed and seeing only photos of the build progress every so often throughout the winter months? Without needing to see his shadow, Shannon headed northward to visit the Chassis Doctor to check on his favorite patient in person.

Arriving in Cincinnati, Shannon’s first stop was to meet up with Tom

Keen, owner of Keen Parts and major partner in the rebuild of the Red Bull. Tom herded Shannon into his truck and they set out on the short drive to see what the Chassis Doctor, Jay Grieshop has been up to. The surprise that awaited Shannon was inconceivable. Not only was Jay standing on both feet, although still with the boot on his fractured foot, but

Shannon’s first look at the build

Shannon climbing aboard

The look of things to come

It’s tight but he fits!

in the corner of the shop, like a tiger waiting to pounce on his prey, sat the near completed chassis.

You never want to play poker with Shannon. His expressionless reaction to the current state of the rebuild had Jay concerned. Shannon walked around the work-in-progress seeming to soak every little detail in as Jay hobbled behind him. Tom gave him worried glances, but Shannon continued his stoic grin. It wasn’t until Shannon hoisted himself into the driver’s seat that the smile could no longer be contained. He was finally home, reunited with his dream. It didn’t look the same, the bent and broken pieces were all nice and new. Nothing of the old frame seemed to remain, yet sitting in the seat, it all felt too familiar.

Climbing out Shannon finally spoke….a simple “wow” was all that was needed to set the tone for the evening. He walked around and around soaking in every detail. Stopping at the rear he noticed the one remaining item from the old chassis, the “Poole 64” plate that Jay salvaged, and belonged to the original owner – Shannon’s father. Those there that evening might have sworn a small tear may www.rpmmag.com

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Shannon, Jay and Tom plan the body panels

The one carryover component

The custom 4-link

Shannon planning more details

Setting the nose in place have formed in Shannon’s eye, or it might have just been some dust.

Shannon was so impressed by the quality of metal workmanship and the beautiful TIG welding that he remarked that he was not going to paint the chassis, rather he wants to polish it up and give it a clear coat.

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It truly is a museum piece, but one knows that this will be more than just a show stopper.

As each chassis component was reviewed Shannon’s nods of pleasure continued. The custom 4-link rear set-up lengthens the bars and allows for significant more adjustment to

allow Shannon to dial everything in at each venue. The slightly longer wheelbase allows better balance and engine placement for weight distribution but presents some issues of its own. The Corvette nose was lowered into place to visualize the body modifications required, and Tom fed the

More discussion

Jay reviews the body lines with Shannon

Time for some stories!

Of course a posed shot was in order!

Tom Keen, Shannon Poole, Jay Grieshop

team suggestions on how everything might best be married together.

With Tom’s critical eye, Jay and Shannon discussed the overall bodylines and the best method to try to mount the body panels and doors to make sure everything is correct. The team reviewed the next steps that had to be wrapped up before Jay could send this work of metal art back to

Shannon to put the rest of the pieces together. The patient is in full recovery, its time in the hospital is nearly over, time for the Bull to stand and be recognized as the serious contender it truly is.

Of course this occasion was more than detailed discussion of what still lies ahead. Soon the discussion turned to more of stories being told

and Shannon recalling some of his races, especially the one that had him taking flight. It was difficult to find the line between truth and stories, but we are all sure that whether Shannon is holding a pair of deuces or a royal straight flush we won’t know until the tree comes down. Don’t bet against the Red Bull, never down, never out!

RPM

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We assemble our COPO tribute’s 440-inch mill, but not before tackling a bunch more work towards making this junkyard find into a killer drag car!

Since our last Home Grown COPO article in December 2020, the project has really picked up steam and we are definitely on a roll. Hopefully we can get more work in on it before the busy season hits hard at the shop.

You might remember seeing a mock-up motor set between the rails of the HGC Camaro in December. This allowed us to plow through a lot of small but important items while waiting on engine

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No more cutting and hammering, our Quick Time bellhousing is an amazing piece and fit like a glove.

This Competition Engineering universal crossmember kit part # C3601 is worth its weight in gold when doing a custom install like this.

Once we touch up a few areas and install a RaceQuip boot, this Long shifter will look almost OEM!

and fabrication work. We were able to test fit our Hooker headers along with plumb our Earl’s / Holley fuel system with lines, injectors and harnesses, and designed and mounted a cooling system with radiator. This work got the horsepower flowing through our veins again, so we put the word out to our trades involved in the project that we were anxious to get results, and they were right on it.

Just as we capped off our article last year we found a transmission for Project HGC, a G-Force GF5R 5 speed, so that is where we will pick up our progress. We started by getting the new trans to fit in the car and mated to a Quick Time bellhousing designed for the transmission and the LS engine. I must say that these safety bellhousings sure have come a long way in the last 15 or so years. I am sure it pays to buy a quality piece like Quick Time offers, and if you do you can expect to keep the grinder, cutting wheels and hammer in the tool box where they belong. That’s right, no more cutting, grinding or hammering to make it fit, they just slide right in place. We also used a Competition Engineering universal crossmember kit part # C3601. We use these quite a bit on builds similar to this as it just makes the install go that much smoother. We were able to get this transmission installed in the car fairly quickly with minimum cutting of the tunnel, almost like it was meant for this car. We still have to make a small panel to go over the hole in the tunnel we had to cut to clear the www.rpmmag.com

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Our mock-up install resulted in a nice clean finished product. Now we’re ready for the real thing when our 440-inch LS takes its new home.

Before and after shots of our custom fuel cell. It’s no secret that the spare tire cavity makes for a great fuel cell mounting spot. We used the trick Holley drop-in dual 12147 pump setup we showcased here in RPM a few articles back. shift linkage, but we’ll take care of that later on and install a slick RaceQuip fire retardant shift boot, too.

After the trans was installed we turned our attention to the fuel system, and we couldn’t be happier with the outcome. We took delivery of our custom aluminum fuel cell and bracket from our good buddy Darryl Chatterson and got it installed in the car. You might recall that we’re 90

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using a trick Holley drop-in pump assembly that uses twin part number 12-147 450lph pumps. This pump setup might be a little overkill for the car on the motor, but you just never know what we might do down the road. If you can, it is always best to follow the “do it once do it right”, even if it results in overkill in some areas.

With the front portion of fuel

lines roughed in, we turned our attention to running the front to back fuel lines using Earls Ultra Pro hose and fitting; -10 feed and -8 return. A Holley regulator #12-848, fuel filter #162-554 and #162-574 mount were also used. We made a small mounting plate to mount the filter in an easily accessible location. When the hose and fittings first arrived I have to admit I thought it might be a

Next up were fuel system front to back lines, -10 feed and -8 return, using Earls Ultra Pro hose and fittings. What a dream this stuff is to work with. We used a Holley regulator #12-848 and mounted it to the front inner fender and were sure to mount the Holley fuel filter #162-554 using their #162-574 mount near the rear of the car in an area that provided easy access.

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Window expert Randy “BUXX” Bage of Brantford Auto Glass was called in to mount the Optic Armor front and rear windows. As you can see the front windshield fit perfect and looked incredible.

tough go, but once I started working with the Earl’s Ultra Pro hose it proved to be hands-down the easiest braided hose and lines and I have ever put together. The quality is top-shelf, it bends almost effortlessly and its super light compared to regular braided hose.

Next up, it was time to start making this COPO tribute look like a car and install the windows, but not before Will AKA Willy The Stitch (or just “The Stitch” for short), from Tom’s Upholstery installed the headliner, rear package tray and a few other interior panels.

We ditched the factory glass in favor of Optic Armor as the Camaro chassis is a bit of a heavyweight compared to others, so saving weight any way possible is always in our minds during the build. Again, better to do it now as opposed to later. Optic Armor windows not only save substantial weight, but also look fantastic. Like most glass al-

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We repeated the success with the rear window. Optic Armor windows are stronger than glass, clean easily and are less susceptible to scratching than other alternatives.

Performance Centers Throughout Eastern Canada

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ternatives, it’s stronger than real glass, but unlike other brands, Optic Armor is Polycarbonate Acrylic – it doesn’t scratch easily and you can clean it with regular window cleaner. The finish looks like the factory glass and it even has the black shading around the perimeter like the factory glass.

We covered installing the Optic Armor door glass, which we had to cut to fit, in a previous article, but the front windshield and rear window are direct fit; #OA-CAM101-4DB and # OA-CAM106-2DB respectively.

The front windshield saved us at least 15lbs over the factory glass and the rear window saved us 12lbs over the factory piece. We called in window expert Randy Bage, also known to the locals as Buxx, from Brantford Auto Glass to properly install the glass for us and it turned out amazing! Just installing the windows in the car has given it a whole new “more complete” look, which energized us on this project even more.

While all this work was taking place at our shop, there was a little LS engine (well I guess not that little at 440 cubic inches) being worked on down the road at New Generation Engines in Fenwick, Ontario. I personally have used New Generation Engines for about 13 years now and we likely do 12-15 engines with them a year.

During the 5.0 revolution, when I first started using them, we did a lot of small block Fords and then we got into the Mod motor 4.6/5.4 stuff and then on to the Coyote platform, with a few big block Chevys, Ford FEs and even some Mopars in the mix for good measure. Now, we’ve joined forces with them on this beast of a naturally aspirated LS. As a second generation engine and machine shop with experience building engines in all forms of motorsports, they aren’t afraid to tackle new or unique projects. Just about everything is done inhouse and they have their own flow

With the rotating assembly in, we slid the COMP solid roller camshaft into place, installed the double roller chain and degreed it.

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We were ready for our Canton Oil pan #13-280a and pickup # 13-281. Because this will be a stick shifted car and could wheelie, we modified the pickup for our application to move it further back in the rear sump.

WATCH IT RUN...CLICK HERE NOW!

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Al Blanchard of New Generation Engines double checks everything and the Canton pan is installed.

bench and engine dyno, which we will be testing our 440 on before it comes back to our shop. In previous articles, we showed some of the block preparation and balancing and now it is time to pull everything together.

To recap, here is a list of the main parts for the HGC Camaro LS short block:

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Lifters and head studs are installed and gaskets prepped.

The MAST Motorsports 285cc cylinder heads were then lowered into place and setup with our Jesel rockers to allow for pushrod length measuring.

There’s nothing like a nice long Maxima Racing Oil bath for a new set of solid rollers lifters.

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This is crazy cool! Our MAST intake splits down the center to allow us to line up the intake ports exactly, before resealing the two halves.

solid roller camshaft The crank, rods and pistons are now installed in the block, as is the degreed COMP cam with their double roller timing chain. Once this was completed, we had to fit the timing cover on as there is a bit of a clearance issue when using a double roller chain with these engines as from the factory they only use a single.

Back in December we debuted some photos of our ultra-nice Canton oil pan with pickup. This Dart block takes a special pan as it’s a non-skirted block, which means the

crank and mains are slightly below the bottom deck of the block. The reason Dart did this was to address windage and oil control issues from the factory style blocks. For our particular application, we modified the pickup to move it further back in the rear sump. We did this on our Coyote race car as the engine would lose a considerable amount of oil pressure when it would wheelie. If you are familiar with that car and the way I drive it, I have had my fair share of wheelstands, so with the Home Grown COPO also being a stick car, we took what we learned from experience and applied it to this build. The pan itself took www.rpmmag.com

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very little work to fit perfectly.

Once the pan was installed, it was time to install the 285cc Mast Motorsports heads and intake we covered in previous articles. First, we installed the COMP Cams solid roller lifters #96956b-16 that we had been soaking in Maxima oil, and then I sprayed the head gaskets with a copper spray to help with the seal between the head and block. We installed all the studs, set the heads in place and torqued them to the recommended spec. We then used an adjustable pushrod and set-up our Jesel shaft rockers and measured for pushrods, which worked out to be 8.500 length. We’ll be using a set of pushrods from COMP that are 3/8” diameter. We then split the intake in half and installed one side at a time so we could get the ports on the heads to match the ports on the intake perfectly.

Now it was time to install the ATI

New Gen’s Katech Compression Ratio Tester pegged our 440 LS at 13.0:1…perfect!

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Wow, we couldn’t be more pumped to see what this beast makes on the New Generation engine dyno! damper and massive crank bolt that we showcased a few articles back, and then it was time to call it a day, 3 days actually. High power, high revving engine builds like this take time and people to get right, and it’s hard to realize the actual amount of time that goes into them. The little things, such as modifying the oil pick up, making the timing cover fit and modifying the pan holes etc; all these things equal extra time, but that’s what it takes to do it right.

What’s next? Since writing this just a few days back, on March 18th, we’ve ordered pushrods, tall valve covers to clear the shaft rockers, and we need to locate a crank mandrel so we can hook up the vacuum pump. We’ll also need to weld some fittings in the valley plate for the vacuum pump. Once we have that done it should be time to get this thing fired up on the dyno, which we will cover in our next installment of Project Home Grown COPO! RPM

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By Chuck Scott

We Tried the least expensive 200 AMP MIG Welder we could find online, and the results might surprise you!

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A

subject that has spurred a billion arguments among DIY car enthusiasts over the last several years, is home country made tools vs much cheaper imports.

While I personally feel that if two items are similar and both will do the job, you should buy the product that helps your country, community and neighbor whenever possible. But what about when the price is double or triple? Do you buy the much higher priced item out of principal and patriotism? Sure, if you can afford to or if the cheaper product is inferior quality and won’t last. My Dad used to tell me to always buy the highest quality tools I could afford because cheap junk will cost you more in the long run – when it breaks in the middle of a job or you have to buy the same tool again and again. What about

when the price difference equates to having a tool that you can afford or not having one at all? Or when the cheaper tool is good quality and will more than serve your needs?

Or how about when some North American companies either have products manufactured overseas, or more common today, when many of the components are manufactured offshore? The arguments are endless and there is no winner in my opinion. It really does all boil down to one thing, buy something that will work for your needs that you can afford. The high ground is easy to take when you can afford it, not so easy when you can’t. Here at RPM, we are a North American (both USA & Canada) based magazine but serve the globe, so we understand that views will vary depending not only on finances, but where you reside on

The front of the TL-200M has its digital display that normally shows the amperage as it is set by the dial knob on the right. It will also show the inductance value but only while you are changing it. As soon as you stop, it goes back to the amps display. The amperage knob is marked with a scale from “SLOW” to “FAST” but when it’s turned, the amps are displayed on the display. Turning the amperage up also turns the wire speed up. The knob on the left is the voltage adjustment, but it doesn’t show the voltage number and it isn’t static. The voltage is auto adjusted by the machine in relation to where the amperage/wire speed is set. The dial just adjusts up or down from the machine’s setting at “NORMAL” for your preference.

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The welder comes with a nice long flexible silicon gas hose with fittings on both ends. The fittings made connecting to the welder a snap but was not the right one for my gas regulator. I just cut the end off and used a hose clamp on the regulator’s old flare fitting’s hose barb Unlike most dual voltage equipment I’ve used, the Tooliom does not have the 220v plug coming out of the machine and an adapter to size it down for 110v use. It has a 110v household plug on the machine’s power cord and the adapter steps it up to the NEMA 6-50 type 220v plug.

The selector button at the top left corner of the welder selects the process and shielding gas type. The indicator beside the button shows the selection.

The choices are 100% CO2, flux core, argon CO2 mix, lift TIG (requires a TIG torch that isn’t included), and MMA or stick welding. The stinger clamp for holding the welding rod is included. The button on the right side switches the amperage knob and display over to inductance setting.

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The MIG torch came with a lead that is a little over 9’ long and a Euro style connector. It has the common smaller sized gun you see with most homeowner grade units. The ground clamp comes with a 10’ long cable with the Dinse style twist connector. The clamp itself isn’t particularly heavy duty but is adequate with a copper braided ribbon behind the teeth for very good conductivity to the work piece.

this water covered rock spinning through space.

We have covered a lot of fabrication tools and welders in the past and have shown some really nice professional quality North American stuff, but what about good tools for the car enthusiast that provides for their hobby paycheck to paycheck? Well today, we got you covered!

When it comes to MIG welders, you can spend about as much or as little as you want, with lots of choices in between. I didn’t pick the absolute

bottom of the scale 110v flux core only unit since that wouldn’t serve the fast car crowd, but instead went a few steps up to the least expensive dual voltage (110/120v or 220/230v), 200 amp or larger MIG that can use shielding gas and was NOT a rip-off copy of another company’s design (we don’t go for that sort of thing). I scanned all the welders on eBay and Amazon that fit that criteria and found quite a few. Most truly looked cheap, but one stood out in the crowd; the Tooliom TL-200M doesn’t look like it was made in a hut back in 1973. It features a sleek cabinet with digital display and unexpected features like inductance control and digital process selector.

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The access door to the wire spool spindle and wire feed is nicer than what I’m used to since it opens from the top and has a solid latch. When they open from the bottom and consist of the entire side of the welder, it’s harder to open once it’s on a welding cart. Although the unit is small there is enough room for an 8” spool of wire and can still be used with the little 2lb spools, too, by sliding off the spindle adapter. The drive assembly seems to be of good quality. Loading the unit with wire and getting the wire started into the torch lead was no problem and pretty much like all the other welders I’ve used.

I Googled the company and found nothing, not even a website. Amazon had it listed at $289.99 with a $40 off coupon right below the price so that came to a smooth $249.99 plus tax. For me, that would be a legit roll of the dice I couldn’t resist, so I got one and a few days later it was on my front porch.

I immediately took it to the shop and cracked open the box to find a well packaged little MIG that on first impression looked like it was pretty well built. In comparison, my 106

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I couldn’t resist, so I got one old MIG was a Northern Tool store brand that has lasted more than 15 years and cost me about $350 back then. The old Northern had only a 110v plug and a max output of 130 amps, didn’t have detachable torch and ground leads, digital display, inductance control or process selector, while the Tooliom does. So it looks

pretty and advertises several great features, but we all know that none of that means squat if it doesn’t weld good or hold up for as long as the old Northern unit. We will find out about the first question soon enough, as for the second, I will have to let you know in about 15 years or so. I should add that as far as this review goes, there is absolutely nothing in it for me other than trying to help like-minded budget DIY car people understand some of the tools we all need to make our car world a little easier to maneuver.

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I ran some test beads on 1/8” flat stock set up for a T-joint. First, I started by setting my best guess on amperage at 165 amps and set the voltage a little lower than the “NORMAL” markings on the voltage knob. That resulted in a thick rounded bead. I then finished that T-joint with the machine set to the included chart recommendation, which was about 196 amps. I set the voltage back to “NORMAL” to see how good the machine’s internal computer would be. Of course, the machine can’t know the user’s speed or arc length, but it made a hot fast bead that

My conclusion from inspecting and using the Tooliom MIG is mostly positive. Is it the best welder I’ve ever used? No, but it is pretty dang good and way better than it should be at the price point. Would I recommend it for a chassis or fabrication shop to use 8 or more hours a day? Certainly not, for that I would say get a Miller, Lincoln or other unit with 90 to 125 years of proven reliability and customer support, and maybe have one of these as a nice inexpensive backup. Would I recommend it to a hobbyist that has the means to afford any welder up to $1500? That would be a tossup. If you can afford one of the legacy brands, I would definitely do that and have a machine that you can pass down to your kid one day. If you work off a lower budget, though, and mainly 108

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flattened out completely. I then moved to a new piece with the same factory setting except I turned the voltage down about a quarter turn below “NORMAL”. The last short bead shared the same settings except the inductance was moved from 9 down to 3. This made for smoother, rounder ripples, which is the opposite from what I thought was supposed to happen. It may be that the scale is backwards from other welders, or I may just be wrong about how it should affect the weld as I’m no welding expert.

work on your own stuff in your home garage and can’t afford a $1200 or more MIG, then by all means this is a good option for you. Would I recommend it to someone who only welds thinner material and doesn’t need a 220v compatible 200 amp welder? Again, a tossup, since you can get similarly priced legacy brand welders once you look at lower powered 110v-only units. The bottom line: To me, it’s better to have a tool that you can afford than no tool at all, but it has to work well. With a welder, just think of all the trips to your buddy’s house or the shop down the road that having a decent quality DIY unit would save. No matter what the scenario, though, remember to do your due diligence and be sure to get something that will suit your needs.

RPM

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