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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............................................................
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Photographic Contributions: MARK goDragRacing.org, GEORGE PICH, MATT WOODS, MATT TROMBLEY, LOUIS FRONKIER, BLAKE FARNAN, JERRY GARRISON, NEIL ZIMBALDI, EDDIE MALONEY, WES TAYLOR, STEVEN TAYLOR, DAVID GATES, and ANDREW RADIOTIS Editorial Contributions: CHUCK SCOTT, MARK goDragRacing.org, 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
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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, muscle cars, 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.
RPM Magazine has been a world leader in motorsports publishing for 23 years and has support locations in Ontario, Canada, Alabama, Texas, and Virginia, along with contributing writers and photojournalists worldwide. If you have a story that may fit within the focus and scope of RPM Magazine’s coverage, please email our Editor In Chief at editor@rpmmag.com. Submission of an article does not guarantee that it will be published. Revolution Publishing & Media Inc. (RPM) / RPM Magazine IS NOT responsible for errors or omissions in ANY advertisement or article. Advertisements may be rearranged or altered at the sole discretion of RPM to allow the ad to fit in the space purchased by the advertiser. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE ANY ADVERTISING WHICH WE CONSIDER TO CONTAIN MISLEADING, OFFENSIVE OR FALSE INFORMATION. REPRODUCTION OF ANY INFORMATION HEREIN IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT.
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Chris Biro
editor’spix
Videos that are too hot to keep hidden
AED Competition .................87
Misener Motorsports ...........12
AFR:
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Air Flow Research .... 5,40,95 AJE Racing...........................90 American Racing Headers ...74
Northern Radiator ...............96
Baer Brakes ...............37,104
Parts Pro/Total
BES Racing Engines .............17
Truck Centers .......................75
Billet Specialties ..................33
PBM Products......................99
BoulandMotorsUSA.com .. 104 Burns Stainless ....................18 Callies Performance Prod.....17
Race Part Solutions ...63,100
Calvert Racing Suspensions .34
Racetronix ...........................27
Deez Performance ...............24 E3 Spark Plugs.....................16
RM Racing Lubricants ..........36
ECAM ..................................96
Ross Racing Pistons ......7,103
Energy Suspension ..............78
RPM Magazine ..... 16,38,47
Erson Cams..........................33 GoDragRacing.org ...............47
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Granatelli Motorsports ........56
Subscribe! ....................21,43
GRP Connecting Rods ..........60
SM Racecars ........................98
Harland Sharp .....................63
Summit Racing
Hitman Hotrods...................80
Equip. ............. 69,105,109
Ian Hill Racing ..............10,98 Icon Forged Pistons .............90
Taylor Cable Products ..........61 T & D Machine .....................74
Induction Solutions .............57
The Supercharger Store .......95
Jesel ....................................76
Thermo-Tec .........................16
Joe Van O.............................80
Ti64 .....................................77
Kinsler Fuel Injection....13,81
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RAM Clutches ......................49 RCD .....................................87
JW Racing Transmissions ........5
Submit your video for the Editor’s Pix: videos@rpmmag.com
Rage Wraps .........................24
Design Engineering .............58
Hughes Performance..............7
“And They Walked Away” .....As the new Red Bull Corvette nears completion, Watch Shannon “Big Dookie” Poole’s Crash Video
Profiler ................................80 PRW-USA ............................17
Clearshot Customs...............99
Watch Ed Thornton kicking butt at 3.83 @ 193.96 MPH!
Piston Racing Engines .........47
C & S Specialties ..................77
Canton Racing Products ......28
Wally Elder’s Blown HEMI Pro Street 1969 Dodge Daytona Walkaround
Neal Chance Converters.......86
AVAK/Ridgegate Tools .........62
Bill Mitchell Products ...32,60
This Joker is wild! Watch Allen Hurley’s ‘68 Fairlane fly!
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LenTech Automatics .....12,94
Tom’s Upholstery .................59 Total Seal Rings ...................21
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Trailer Alarms.com ........... 105
Lokar Performance ..............96
Trick Flow .....................15,90
Lutz Race Cars .....................16
Tuned By Shane T ................91
Magnaflow..........................99
Ultimate Headers ................32
MagnaFuel ..........................19 MAHLE Aftermarket ............39 Manton Pushrods ................53
VFN Fiberglass Inc. ..............21 Vortech ...............................81
Mark Williams .....................98
Weinle Motorsports ............40
Maxima Racing Oils ................2
World Domination – RPM 101
Metal Products ....................87
World Products....................69
Meziere Enterprises .......... 104
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Often Imitated, Never Duplicated—For 23 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!
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Something Different ................................................ 8 From Small Tire Drags to Pro Stock, Pro Mod and now an AWD 2,000hp Street/Strip GTR, Gene Wilson wouldn’t have it any other way!
The “Fast” Gene .................................................... 30
Building killer cars, going fast and winning is part of this father/son team’s DNA!
35 Years of Smoke & Gears..................50 Harry Gerb’s nitrous’d ’68 Firebird is show quality, street legal and deadly consistent! Page 92
Page 106
We light the fire in our latest RPM MAG small block Ford build
“You can’t change what you can’t measure”
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Story & Photos By Wes Taylor
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The Nissan R35 GTR surfaced in 2009, shedding new light on the performance car world. Sporting a paddle-shifted dual-clutch transmission, all-wheel drive, and a twin-turbo V-6 engine for quick responsiveness, they quickly became terrors of the street, and it didn’t take long for the aftermarket and drag racing sector to catch on to this unique platform. Gene Wilson comes from a long line of muscle car enthusiasts. “The first time I got to ride in something fast, my father took me down the road in his ’67 427/435hp 4-speed Corvette. It made such an impression on me, from that day forward my thoughts were consumed with engines and cars,” he explained. As a teen, Gene worked at a grocery store where he saved all the money he could to buy go-fast parts for his 1987 Mustang street machine that he eventually built into an Outlaw 10.5 car with a 408 twin carb small block, Powerglide and nitrous. It was the early ’90s, and the Fox Body experience gave Wilson a bunch of seat time and introduced him to
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Even with the parachute hangin’ off the back, who would ever think that this almost stock looking Nissan would be packin 2000 ponies?
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many like-mined friends, such as Tim Lynch, who he would race with in Outlaw 10.5 and years later would become instrumental in the GTR build. From a very young age, Gene’s dream was to drive at a professional level such as Pro Mod or Pro Stock. He eventually took a job at his friend Keith Swafford’s machine shop where he learned the trade of engine machining and assembly, which definitely opened some doors towards his goals.
“
Working with Keith gave me a good general knowledge that allowed me to start building my own engines after our workday was complete,” Wilson explained.
And soon, by 1995, his dream to compete at higher level would become reality when he stuffed a 604-incher into a Mustang to hit local Pro Mod races. “It gave me an understanding of how to set up and adjust a clutch and also how driving a Lenco equipped car feels. It was trial and error for a long time, more error than anything actually, but we learned, and the only guy at the races with me was Keith.”
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The exterior body panels, trim and paint are completely factory, the only addition is the rear wing. 14
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1998 would see Gene’s first Pro Stock event with Keith, and after getting their feet wet, and getting tired of not qualifying, they got their hands on a Jon Kasse-built Ford 815ci for the following season. “After that we qualified for almost all of the races and finished 9th in Pro Stock points in 1999,” he said. And then Wilson’s Pro Stock career really blossomed – in 2000 shoeing for Charlie Hunt, they finished 6th, and in 2001 won 8 of 11 races in a new Cougar and also took the IHRA Championship. But he wasn’t done there. In 2002 he was asked to drive with Mopar on their two-car NHRA Pro Stock team and also won NHRA Rookie Of The Year. Following his Pro Stock success, Wilson went on to build a turbo Mustang and a Focus and dabbled in a Pro Stock seat from time to time. For the next decade, however, he moved into racing motocross, that is until Tim Lynch took him for a spin in his 1,600HP GTR, and from there he was immediately hooked!
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...Gene hit the road with 1,600 wheel horsepower at his command...
15-inch rear mixed with 18inch front wheels give the car a unique look and also provide better hook than the previous 20-inch all around combination. Both front and rear are wrapped in Mickey Thompson street legal sticky radials.
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He purchased an already modded 2015 GTR from Florida and the 860HP kept him satisfied… for a while. While Gene has always completed his own motor work, since the 3.8 VR38 V6 motors from Nissan are pretty complicated, when he decided to up the ante, he left it up to someone already well acquainted with the platform to get the job done, Tim Lynch. Lynch started with the factory 3.8 aluminum block and used a combination of a Bryant billet crank, Manley rods, and Wiseco pistons to create a 4.1 stroker. Factory CNC ported heads with Ferrea valves and aftermarket springs, and GSC billet cams were next on the list along with new timing chains, oil pump
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The almost completely factory interior is joined by a carbon ste wheel, harness bar, and lightweight racing seats. The rear seats r as does the air conditioning, heat and even the navigation sys
The factory Nissan fuel tank saddles the transmission, creating higher fuel and trans temps and eventually overheating the fuel in high power applications. To solve the challenge, Gene built this one-off 16-gallon fuel cell for the trunk similar to what a typical drag car would run. 18
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eering remain, stem!
and pan. A Boost Logic 12 injector intake manifold tops things off. Aftermarket turbos were added and Gene hit the road with 1,600 wheel horsepower at his command. After 5,000 “less-than-easy” miles, Gene had Lynch tear the engine down to check out wear and tear. The pair were amazed at just how good everything looked, which got Wilson thinking that more power is always better, right? With that, the heads were fire-ringed, pistons freshened,
along with a few other tweaks, and new turbos were ordered. Power-adder wise, all of the big power GTR guys reach a limit with the stock turbo placement due to what fits in the allotted space, and that’s where the Verkline lightweight tubular front subframe comes into play. With this most recent iteration, the fabricated turbo kit uses twin Precision 76/75 turbos and modifications to the front also allow for a custom air to air intercooler setup. www.rpmmag.com
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Yes, it looks factory! Sporting in the vicinity of 2000 horsepower, the Nissan factory 3.8 now sits at 4.1 liters and was host to a load of quality parts during the build by Tim Lynch. A Bryant billet crank with Manley rods and Wiseco pistons now rotate inside, and billet GSC cams were used with a Boost Logic 12-injector intake topping things off.
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Gene Wilson’s Street/Strip 2015 Nissan GTR Body & Paint:
Interior:
Factory Nissan panels (except wing) stock pearl white paint.
Chassis & Suspension:
All stock with the exception of lightweight front seats and carbon steering wheel.
ET and MPH:
Verkline tubular front end, SPL lower rear control arms, different rate springs from stock.
Engine: 4.1L factory aluminum block with Bryant billet crank, Manley rods, Wiseco pistons, a billet girdle, CNC ported factory heads with Ferrea valves and springs, stock lifters and GSC billet cams.
Induction & Fuel:
Has been roll-raced once since completion - 185 mph on map 7. Not able to use map 8 or 9 because of track conditions at event.
Reason for building the car: I love the AWD GTR platform and I’m a drag racer from the word go, I can’t hide the love of the sport, it shows up in whatever I build or do.
Thanks to:
Boost Logic 12 injector intake, custom made turbo piping and air to air intercooler, ID 1700/2600 injectors. Two Aeromotive brushless pumps; a 3.5 gpm for street and 7.0 gpm for high power demands. Motec M150 ECU.
Power Adder: Twin Precision 76/75 turbos and custom piping setup.
Transmission: Stock style with Promax clutch, Dodson drop gears and Wavetrac differential. Billet front chunk also with Wavetrac differential.
Rear: Wavetrac differential with DSS axles, stock ratio ring and pinion.
Brakes: Carbon ceramic rotors from a ZR-1 Corvette, stock GTR calipers.
Tires and Wheels:
Tim Lynch (Lynchmob Racing), 100% without his help this car would not exist. He went over and above to make the car a reality for me. Thanks to Zohair at Boost Logic, another company who also played a major role in making this car what it is and for all the help they provided me. Brett with Aeromotive fuel systems for the product help and support with these brushless pumps and regulators. I have used Aeromotive products on every car I have built or raced. Nick Dixon- Thanks for the tuning and putting up with my good and not so good ideas, and for keeping this thing running perfect while I try to decide if I wanna drive it 200 miles in an evening like a stock vehicle OR make it go really fast down a dragstrip. Thanks to my kids (twins) Jayna and Walker Wilson for basically living in my shop after school until late hours of the night while we got this thing going.
Boost Logic Belak GTR spec wheels, 15-inch front and 18inch rear, with Mickey Thompson ET street R tires.
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There’s not much room to see the rear cradle due to the aero panel used for half-mile events.
Fueling is unique on Genes GTR; he runs a two brushless Aeromotive fuel pump system. One 3.5 gpm for street duty, and the other 7.0 gpm unit comes on for full-throttle situations. The factory fuel tank rests above the transmission and “saddlebags” off each side, and it works well until higher power applications start having fuel heat issues. To solve the challenge, Gene built a one-off 16-gallon fuel cell for the trunk like most drag cars run. The rest of the fuel system is also split into street and full-throttle modes; six Injector Dynamics 1700cc injectors are for street use while the other six 2600ccs come on at full throttle. If that’s not enough, a nitrous system is also wired in just in case. MoTec’s
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M150 ECU controls every function of the drivetrain with extreme precision. Gene drives the car on the street often – these cars have fantastic street manners – and he also has nine levels of power to play with. Of course, the drivetrain must be just as strong behind that caliber of motor. Surprisingly, all the top GTR record-holders run factory-style dual-clutch transmissions, as does Gene but with significant updates including Promax clutches, a Dodson dropgear set, and WaveTrac differential. The front differential case is billet, while the factory unit remains in the rear. Both front and rear run Wave-
Tracs and Driveshaft Shop axles. The cockpit remains untouched aside from a carbon steering wheel, harness bar, and lightweight racing seats. The rear seats remain as does the air conditioning, heat, factory controls and even the navigation system! Wilson’s 2015 GTR has a unique stance for an R35, running Boost Logic Belak GTR spec 15x10 rear wheels and 18x10 fronts, all four wrapped in Street-legal Mickey Thompson ET street R rubber. Esthetically, all is stock down to the pearl white paint aside from a Boost Logic wing. Underneath the factory
front body panels sits that tubular front end, while SPL front coilovers, rear shocks, and control arms were used. Factory brakes get help from ZR1 Corvette carbon ceramic rotors. Gene’s reasons for building the GTR were simple; after years of going fast with American muscle, he wanted something different. After all, how many people can say they own a 2000whp street car that they can drive anywhere? And how many of that small group can say they have an all-wheel-drive import capable of running seven-second quarter-mile times?
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Story: George Pich Photos: Blake Farnan
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S
ome say it is learned, while others insist it somehow runs in the blood, but the fact is that most kids with gearhead parents (one, or both) usually end up following in the family way. And for Tyler Kranendonk, that “way” is; learn the skill, build the car, go fast, stay calm and win! “As a former racer, it’s a father’s dream to be able to accomplish something like this car built at this level with their children,” says Tyler’s dad Hugo, who is also the co-conspirator in their latest project. “ The sheer emotions that come with building, racing and winning as a father/son team are really something to cherish!” For Tyler, whether it was in his bloodline from birth or he just took to it, he noticed the attraction to horsepower at a very young age, watching his dad work on and race cars as long as he can remember. “Spending weekends at the track was the norm for us,” Tyler reminisced. “I’d be with my cousins playing in the pits riding our bikes and getting autographs from the ‘fast guys’ at big events. My dad sold his own car when I was about 10 and took a break from racing for a bit, but I followed my passion for anything automotive and started working on cars as an auto body technician at 16.” Before long, after working on cars for everyone else, Tyler decided it was time to build one of his own to allow their family to get back into racing,
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and thankfully his dad was all-in on the idea. Hugo had built a 25.5 Fox Body years earlier and wanted the same parts and serviceability that platform affords, but they also wanted something a bit different this time through. Tyler really liked the “New Edge” 1999 to 2004 Mustang (New Edge refers to the sharper, more crisp body lines relative to the rounded shape of the 1994
through 1998 models), but they are a bit bulkier and heavier than the Fox platform. Knowing that their class had heavy weights for turbo combinations weight was a non-issue, so the search began and quickly ended when fellow racer and friend Eric Webber put them on to a 2004 project that the current owner had lost interest in. The shell itself was actually an entirely rust free real Mach-1 that was saved
Tyler’s talent is evident in the body and paint work on the Mustang. He built the car with his dad (Hugo) in their home shop and then literally wheeled it next door to be painted where Tyler works. www.rpmmag.com
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Tyler (left) and Hugo Kranendonk’s turbo LS ’04 Mustang has become a solid contender in the EZ Street class where they stood in 1st place early last season and finished runner-up.
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from the crusher from the (then) owner Ken Green, who also wanted to see the car go to a good home. A short trip to see the car with a pocket full of cash would end with it loaded on the trailer heading home to
the Kranendonk’s garage. “The car was just a bare shell with a k-member, some front suspension components, interior and exterior panels, rear end and some other rear suspension parts. It was really bare bones,” Tyler added. “The best part was that we could tell Ken
wanted this car to go to a good home, and be completed how he had envisioned it. What he didn’t know is what we had in store for it! It was really really cool to see Ken’s reaction when he saw it finished. I think it exceeded all his expectations and it’s awesome we were able
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Once again, this is the work of Tyler and Hugo. Out back they shortened a factory 8.8 and added 9-inch ends then fortified it with 35 spline axles, spool and 4.10 gears. Torque boxes were braced and aftermarket control arms were added along with an antiroll bar and Afco Big Gun coilovers. Front strut towers were also braced and an aftermarket k-member and a-arms were used with Afco struts.
to give this car another life.” “For me,” Hugo added, “it was an easy decision to build another car with every confidence that we could accomplish our goal with the determination and skillsets we both now had in every aspect of the project.” Tyler and Hugo built the 25.5 cage themselves with Hugo measuring, tube notching, pipe bending and fitting everything and Tyler Tig welding it along with doing most of the other welding on the car. “Safe in every way was my highest priority,” said Hugo.“We focused on chassis, suspension, brakes and steering first, making certain it was setup up to work correctly the very first time out.” The pair built everything from the custom 8.8 rear end to the turbo hot side, cold side and intercooler piping right at home in their own shop. “We had a plan, had the right tools for the job and my work being right next door to where we
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lived was a perfect setup,” added Tyler. “With dad and I able to do 100% of the fab work ourselves there was no wait time for any labour, we were out there almost every night during the week and all day on weekends until it was ready. I prepped the car for paint in our home shop and literally rolled it next door to my work paint shop when it was time.” Once painted (by Tyler) the stunning BMW Sakhir Orange, the car was reassembled
The interior is 90% original equipment mixed with an owner-fabricated 25.5 certified cage, a center-mounted Holley EFI dash, quick release steering wheel, TCI shifter and twin race seats upholstered to match the stock fabric. The car also still has factory power windows.
and wired in-house, as well. The initial build for the Street 275 class, which has a 5.50 1/8th-mile cap, took a little over a year before it was ready for Tyler to take his very first run down the strip. Yep, that’s right, his first hit in a drag car would be in a 900-horse LS turbo Mustang! “People thought I was crazy for jumping in a 900 horsepower car for the first time, I kind of did too to be honest. But I knew that it was in my blood
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A Dart-blocked LS with TFS 245cc heads and 88mm single turbo power this New Edge Stang. Hugo and Tyler built the turbo kit hot side and cold side along with the intercooler piping right at home in their own shop, and make no mistake, their work is top-shelf quality.
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and that I would enjoy it. As well as having my dad and his vast amounts of knowledge when it comes to setting up a race car, tuning and building, I felt very safe from day one.” After running solid 5.60s in 2019, it was game on for 2020 and the car and motor were upgraded to run 235 Outlaw on 8.5” drag radials. And later that year, upgrading to a 91mm turbo would net 5.05 ETs in a 3200lb car and 3 wins out of 5 events! This provided the much needed seat time in heads-up racing for Tyler and learning curve for the team on the car, power and chassis that was needed to kick it up a notch yet again! For 2021, the Mustang morphed into a high power contender in the hotly contested
EZ Street class, sitting #1 in points early in the season. “I used to get these guys’ autographs when I was growing up, so it was really a dream to be here. I never expected to be racing with them at this level, let alone be first in points and end up 2nd in the class for 2021!” Tyler exclaimed. “It is a surreal feeling. That being said, I know my dad and I have the car, the combination and the teamwork to be where we are today.” After a number of upgrades, the final engine/turbo package ended up as a Dart LS Next Pro 4.125” bore iron block sporting 388 inches. A Dart 3.622” stroke billet crank swings Wiseco Boostline connecting rods pinned to forged Diamond LS2K pistons.
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Meet Tyler, the owner/ driver/bodyman of this stunning Ford Mustang!
While purists will scoff at interracial builds (putting a Chevy motor in a Ford chassis), you can’t deny the results, and in this case the current 4.69 ET at 155 mph in the 1/8th mile at 3125lbs is nothing to scoff at. Plans are to hit 4.50s in 2022!
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Tyler & Hugo Kranendonk’s 2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Body & Paint: By Tyler Kranendonk. Paint color is BMW Sakhir Orange. Motorcity Solutions Outlaw front bumper, Joe Van O cowl bodyworked onto factory hood, Terminator Cobra side skirts, Bullitt Mustang side scoops, Racecraft rear 17” wing customized by Tyler Kranendonk.
Chassis Modifications: 25.5 SFI certified chromoly roll cage, braced upper/lower rear factory torque boxes (still factory mounts), braced front strut towers. Custom parachute holder by Tyler Kranendonk
Suspension: Front is Team Z k-member/A-arms, AA Performance 2” drop spindles, Afco radial valve struts. Rear is Team Z upper/lower control arms, antiroll bar and Afco Big Gun radial shocks.
Engine: Dart LS Next Pro iron block – 4.125” bore, 388 CI. Tapped/ threaded freeze plugs for high boost. Rotating Assembly is Dart 3.622” stroke billet CCW crankshaft, Wiseco Boostline connecting rods and Diamond LS2K pistons. Full Proof Performance hydraulic roller camshaft and Johnson axle oiling hydraulic lifters.
Cylinder Heads: Total Engine Airflow – Trick Flow 245cc HIPD cylinder heads with titanium intake valves and inconel exhaust valves. Brian Tooley Racing Ultimate valve springs and shaft rockers, Comp Cams 3/8” pushrods.
Induction & Fuel Delivery: Edelbrock Pro-Flo cast intake with 92mm throttle body, Magnafuel Pro Series 750 pumps and 8 - Bosch 210lb fuel injectors. VP Racing fuel - C16
Power Adder: Forced Inductions Gen 3 X275 - 88mm turbo, 2000 hp Air/ water intercooler
Transmission: Powerglide with 1.69 1st gear ratio, Pro Torque 9.5” turbo converter.
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Rear: Ford 8.8 factory rear housing – shortened 2” with Ford 9” ends, Strange 35 spline axles/spool, Ford Motorsports 4.10 gear and PST carbon driveshaft.
Brakes: Strange disc brakes front and rear.
Tires & Wheels: Rear wheels are Billet Specialties double beadlock with Mickey Thompson 28x10.5 Pro Bracket Radials. Front are Billet Specialties Comp 5 wheels with Mickey Thompson 4.5 x 26 tires.
Interior: Holley EFI digital dash, Holley EFI Dominator ignition system, Motion Raceworks MPI steering wheel with a Race Craft steering column, TCI Outlaw shifter, race bucket seats, 10 lb fire suppression system. Factory power windows, interior panels, dash and carpet.
ET & MPH: Canada Heads up Series EZ Street class - 1.15 60 ft, 4.69 ET @ 155 mph 1/8th mile. Weight – 3125 lbs
Thanks To: R&M Services: Reid & Michelle McCall are Tyler’s employers and they specialize in auto body and collision repair as well as industrial paint coatings. Thanks for giving us an opportunity and supplying some of the product and services for this race car build. Lightheart Racing: Jason Lightheart (Tyler’s uncle, Hugo’s brother in-law) for all the work and support they have given to this build. Misener Motorsports-Jay Misener: For all the product and service he provide and the dyno sessions we had. Our engine short block components and suspension components are right from Misener Motorsports!
Additional Information: “This car is co-owned, built and raced by my son Tyler and I. Tyler is the driver and I am the crew chief. This role is reversed, maaaybe once a year if Tyler will give up the seat!“ - Hugo Kranendonk
Tyler is an absolute monster on the tree...
A unique Full Proof Performance hydraulic roller camshaft with Johnson axle oiling hydraulic lifters was used and TFS 245cc HIPD heads are studded in place. An Edelbrock ProFlo cast intake with 92mm throttle body tops things off and a Forced Inductions Gen 3 X275 88mm turbo is coupled with a 2000 HP air/water intercooler. During the chassis work, Tyler and Hugo braced the upper and lower rear factory torque boxes and front strut towers. A Team Z k-member and a-arms with AA Performance 2” drop spindles were used with Afco radial valve struts up front, and Team Z upper and lower control arms, an antiroll bar and Afco Big Gun radial
shocks suspend an in-house modified factory 8.8 rear housing with Ford 9” ends, Strange 35 spline axles and spool and Ford Motorsports 4.10 gears. As much of the factory interior as possible was kept in place with only the essentials for racing a car of this caliber added. The 25.5 cert cage snakes through the cockpit and the stock gauges were deleted in favour of the center console-mounted Holley EFI dash. An aftermarket column with quick release steering wheel replace the factory unit and a pedestal mounted TCI Outlaw billet shifter commands gear changes, while twin race seats were upholstered to match the stock fabric.
With a runner-up finish in EZ Street for 2021, Hugo and Tyler have raised the bar yet again for this year with a quest to run a 4.50 1/8th mile, and of course, walk out of 2022 with the championship. “What I admire most now with Tyler at the wheel and a few years under his belt is his absolute calmness in his driving. And the best part, nothing phases him on the tree. Being a turbo car, we worked on a killer fast spool package for staging and it’s paying off with killer lights! He is an absolute monster on the tree, with numerous 0.01x lights, winning his last EZ Street event on a holeshot with an 0.013 light. So nitrous cars… look out!” exclaimed Hugo.
RAM CLUTCHES
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u -b 0 0 9 rn tu to w o h w o n k to t n a W a killer 8-s J
ust ask Harry Gerb, he’s had 35 years to work with on his 1968 Firebird. Ok, so you don’t have 35 years, no problem, Harry just also happens to be in the performance and race parts business so he can help with that too. As far back as he can remember Gerb has always had a soft spot for cars and building things. He’d spend literally thousands of hours building 1/24th scale model cars and even built model cars for a Honda commercial back in 52
1986. That certainly explains his eye for detail in the build of this Firebird. A young 16 year old Harry had already been brand-influenced and certainly had a thing for Pontiacs after seeing GTOs in the family driveway, so he was pretty set on finding one for his first car. “I found this car only blocks from my house in May of 1986,” tells Gerb. “Riding around with friends one day I saw this car painted its original Pontiac Verdoro green with primered
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Story & Photos: Eddie Maloney
ucks into second street legal drag car? MANTON 6TH
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¼ panels and a black vinyl top.” The Firebird was a 7 out of 10 condition wise, and with everyone else he knew driving around in Camaros and Chevelles back then, Harry decided to spend his hard-earned money – 900 dollars he had saved up – and buy it just two weeks after his 16th birthday. “The car was drivable, did killer burnouts, started up every day for me, and was a good platform to build and work on,” he continued. “What else did a 16-year-old kid need? But I had no clue it would lead to a lifetime 54
of spent money and hard work, a successful shop building race cars and selling parts, and more good times than bad!” A pretty rare ’Bird, the car was an original 350, 4-speed 10 bolt posi piece, the catch was that Gerb didn’t know how to drive a stick car…yet. “I learned to drive stick as I pulled away from the previous owner’s house! So as you might guess, one of the first repairs to the car was a new clutch after I taught myself how to drive it!” he added with a smile. Using the car for daily
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Roll up windows, factory dash, headliner and more, and all black just as it came from the factory. Harry mentioned he wanted to keep it as factory appearing as possible to go along with the required safety and race equipment upgrades.
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Straight as an arrow with unsurpassed attention to detail The 5” Glasstek cowl hood is needed to clear the 565 BBC with Edelbrock Super Victor intake, nitrous plate and Nickerson Dominator sitting on top. Gerb also had fiberglass fenders, bumpers and trunk lid installed, and the black vinyl roof adds a touch of class to any musclecar. transportation to high school, Gerb would make upgrades as money allowed and it’s first real transformation was a restoration/street build with Harry doing most of the work himself, including the suspension, electrical and engine. “I learned as I went along. There was no YouTube
back then, it was talking to friends that were mechanics, taking pictures so I knew how to reassemble it, asking questions and reading how-to books.” After driving the newly refurbed Pontiac to college – always being careful to park far away from oth-
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ers to avoid any damage to the new paint and bodywork – Harry got bit by the racing bug and pulled it from daily duty to once again dive into the Firebird, only this time making it a street/strip car. It was for this version of the car that Harry built his first full engine, a Pontiac 400.
INDUCTION SOLUTIONS HALF
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To run index and be competitive, engine reliability is key. The 565 BBC started with a Dart block and has parts from Callies and JE rotating inside. Heads are also Dart and an Induction Solutions plate kit was added for good measure.
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He also tossed the 4-speed in favour of a Turbo 400 and added as many gofast parts as the budget would allow. He would still street drive the car, but mostly to car shows and cruises, and since the attention to detail was incredible, he won many awards at the shows and on the track turned respectable 11.00 ETs. Marriage and buying a home can do strange things to people, and for Harry it inspired him to tear into the Firebird yet again to create more of an all-out race car, with only rare street appearances. The car retains its original steel body tub and doors, however a Glasstek 5” cowl hood, fenders, bumpers, and trunk lid were installed with weight savings in mind. Brent Beachley made sure the body and paint were flawless, and a custom wing by H&J Motorsports was
TOM’S UPHOLSTERY
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The Firebird is back halved and tubbed with a 4-link with x-link/coilover setup in the rear. A Strange-fortified 9-inch rearend puts the power out to the sticky Mickeys. The front maintains the stock style frame with aftermarket A-arms, double adjustable coilover shocks and rack and pinion steering.
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added along with a black vinyl top. Combined with original trim and chromed fiberglass bumpers – particularly cool on the Firebird as the front is a wraparound style – it’s easy to see how the car brings home show awards along with track wins. Harry knew the chassis would need the biggest overhaul and he opted to backhalf and tub the car along with installing a chromoly cage certified for 7.50 elapsed times. A 4-link with x-brace and double adjustable coilover shocks sus-
pends a Ford 9” with Strange Ultra center section, 35 spline axles and 4.56 Pro gear. Up front, the factory framerails were integrated with TRZ Motorsports A-arms, double adjustable coilover shocks and rack and pinion steering. As a result of the work, the Firebird sits low to the ground with the sizeable 15x14 rear rims with 33x10.5 Mickey Thompson tires tucked nicely up in the wheeltubs and the front slammed just enough to give the car that slick muscular rake.
TAYLOR VORTEX
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Weld Racing Magnum Drag 15x3.5 fronts are wrapped in Mickey Thompson tires while beadlocked 15x14 rears sport 33x10.5 Mickey Thompson tires. The car has the perfect stance! RIDGEGATE TOOLS
You won’t be disappointed when you poke your head in the window either, as the ‘strive for perfection’ theme continues. To be honest, there is probably as much original equipment in the interior as there are race parts as not only did Gerb keep the factory dash structure and pad, he also kept the factory style steering column, carpet, door panels and headliner. The rear area is filled with wheel tubs and custom tinwork highlighted by a large Pontiac emblem airbrushed between the tubs. The well-executed cage work includes a funny car style halo for the driver and 62
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extends through the firewall where it meets up with the front framerails. The factory dash holds a full array of aftermarket analogue gauges installed using a trick center-mounted custom 4-gauge mount, and electronics are fastened to the passenger side firewall. For reliability, consistency and maintenance, Harry knew he’d be best to opt-out of the Pontiac engine program, especially since he planned on running a quicker Index class car where all three of these things mean the difference between winning and losing on race day. In Index racing,
Can you find any flaws in this car? We couldn’t. What’s even better is that Harry kept the car completely street legal and once in a while still drives it out for ice cream, a car show or local hangout just for fun.
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HARLAND SHARP
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Any chance we get to travel to an event and meet new people, we jump in the rig and hit the road! Harry Gerb
Harry is a very competitive Index Racer with numerous wins under his belt
He typically races in the Northeast, near his home in Pennsylvania but does compete in many of the big events in Virginia, Georgia and Florida.
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Harry Gerb’s 1968 Pontiac Firebird 8.50 Index/Street car
Body & Paint:
Brent Beachley did the body and paint. Glasstek fiberglass 5” cowl hood, fenders, bumpers, and decklid. Custom wing by H & J Motorsports. Black vinyl top.
Chassis Modifications:
Backhalf and tubbed with 7.50 Certified chromoly cage. Stock style front end.
Suspension:
Rear suspension is 4-link w x-link locator, Competitive Suspension double adjustable coil over shocks, Strange Ultra center section, Strange brakes. Front suspension is TRZ Motorsports A-arms and rack and pinion, Competitive Suspension double adjustable coil over shocks, Strange brakes.
Engine:
565 Cubic Inches with Dart block, Moroso billet oil pump and oil pan, Jesel belt drive and ARP hardware. Rotating Assembly: Callies Magnum Crankshaft, Callies Ultra H-beam rods, JE Nitrous pistons, Clevite coated bearings, ATI Balancer and flexplate.
Cylinder Heads:
Dart 355 heads with 2.350 titanium intake valves and 1.80 titanium exhaust valves, PSI triple springs, T&D shaft rockers. Moroso billet rail valve covers
Induction & Fuel Delivery:
Nickerson Performance 1250 Dominator carb, Edelbrock Intake, Product Engineering 460 GPH Fuel pump and regulator, Sunoco Racing Maximal fuel, Redhorse Performance hoses and fittings.
Electronics/Ignition:
MSD Power Grid, MSD distributor, spark plug wires and crank trigger, Speedwire switch panel, Spaghetti Menders nitrous oxide relay board, Turbo Start 16-volt batteries, Powermaster starter and alternator. Custom wiring and install by H&J Motorsports.
Miscellaneous:
NGK spark plugs, Lemons Headers.
Rear:
Strange brakes front and rear.
Tires & wheels:
Weld Racing Magnum Drag 15x3.5 front w/ Mickey Thompson tires. Weld Racing Magnum Drag w/MacFab beadlock conversion 15x14 rears w/33x10.5 Mickey Thompson tires
Interior:
Autometer gauges, Hurst Shifter, Kirkey seats, RJS safety equipment.
ET & MPH:
We run this car in the 8.50 Index Class—8.50 @ 164 mph. The car has been as fast as 8.30.
Special Thanks “First and foremost, special thanks to my wife Jackie and son Matt, without their love and support during race day and in the shop between events none of this would be possible. They are an absolute invaluable part of the H&J Motorsports Race Team. Most people have no idea how important a great team is to winning races and championships. Very special thanks to Bob and Sandy Borawski, Al Czerniak, Mo Bolduc, and Brent Beachley...each person has had a hand in our successful career, and I cannot thank them enough!! I would also like to thank some very special sponsors who have become even better friends over the years and are crucial to everything I do in my shop as well as at the racetrack. Redhorse Performance, TurboStart, Nickerson Performance, Sunoco Race Fuels, Powermaster, Moroso, Autometer, TRZ Motorsports, Induction Solutions, Strange Engineering. These relationships have been long term and appreciated very much and with multiple displays at shows and races we have increased product awareness for all of our sponsors.”
Accomplishments:
“Everything we do with this car has been memorable. It is very hard to pinpoint one thing but I would like to list some of our team’s accomplishments and some very special events we were asked to attend with the car.”
Power Adder:
Induction Solutions nitrous plate system.
the Redhorse Performance Booth
Transmission:
Reid Case Turbo 400 by Czerniak Racing, Neal Chance bolt-together torque converter.
Rear:
9” Ford with Strange Ultra center section, 35 spline axles and 4.56 Pro gear.
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Motorsports Park
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From left; Jackie Gerb, Harry Gerb and Matt Gerb
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...fast and quick is good but faster and quicker is better. especially 8.50, you can expect the staging lanes to be packed with cars, sometimes hundreds of them, so going rounds without added work is important. The 565-inch big block Chevy started life with a Dart block. A Callies Magnum crankshaft and Callies Ultra H-beam rods with JE nitrous pistons rotate inside. Dart 355 heads boast 2.350 titanium intake valves and 1.80 titanium exhaust valves, PSI triple springs and T&D shaft rockers. An Edelbrock Super Victor 2927 intake is topped with a Nickerson Performance 1250 Dominator style carb receiving an ample supply of Sunoco Racing Maximal fuel via a Product Engineering 460 GPH pump and regulator. A stout Turbo 400 (with Reid Case) by Czerniak Racing and a Neal Chance bolt-together torque
SUMMIT 6TH
converter back up the big block. As with any horsepower junkie, fast and quick is good but faster and quicker is better, so for those “just in case” moments in drag racing, Harry added an Induction Solutions nitrous oxide plate system into the build, meaning that while he strives to run his 8.50 index and get to the finish line first, he has gone 8.30s with the Firebird just for fun. No detail on Harry Gerb’s Firebird was missed, and there’s no doubt that it runs as good as it looks…which is absolutely amaz-
ing! “We are very competitive with multiple wins and championships in the 8.50 Index Class at multiple tracks, and still get our ‘street fix’ driving to car shows as the schedule allows to show off this stunning dual-purpose car,” Gerb added. So, while you may not have 35 years to build your $900 car into a work art that can win races and shows alike, chances are you have a few minutes to look Harry up and find out how he can help with your project so you can enjoy it right now.
WORLD PRODUCTS
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T
he Ford Fairlane paved the way for Ford’s full-size sedan segment from 1955-1970 with several model variations available. One could order a two or fourdoor model, a station wagon or even a truck-style variant, and each them could be had with a host of engine options. One of the more notable models is the Fairlane 500 two-door hardtop. They came with Ford’s “R-code” 427 and a top loader four-speed manual trans built to compete in NHRA Super Stock racing. These 500s are very rare today; only 57 of these beasts rolled off the assembly line in the mid-’60s, but many enthusiasts have built their own race-prepped version of the Fairlane, like Allen Hurley’s 1967 model. “I’ve always had a passion for cars and remember stories my dad would tell about the cars he owned and how they worked on them every weekend, so I guess that probably started the ‘DRIP’,” Hurley explained. “Like most car guys/ gals I spent about every dollar I had on my first car – a 1986 four-eye Fox Body coupe – and I’m surprised I didn’t wash the paint off of it!”
The Fairlane’s racing lineage is clearly visible in this ad from 1967, but it’s doubtful anyone could have predicted anything close to what Allen Hurley created.
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At a glance, Hurley’s creation does resemble a factory-bodied Fairlane, but that is pretty much where the similarities end...
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Allen’s passion for power would grow along with his success in business, leading to his current 23-car stable, including everything from a Lamborghini Huracan to a 1974 AMC Gremlin! “We work out of our shop and build most of our cars with the guys in our circle and have been
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racing for over 25 years,” he continued. “Our thing is building cars that look as original as possible but are real hot rods, it’s same for our race ‘street cars’. It takes a lot of extra work to pull it off but that’s just always been our thing.” Interestingly, Allen bought this
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Fairlane in perfect condition as a well-built Pro Tour inspired project. The car came complete with a 500hp big block Ford and originally he had no plans to drag race it, especially when that meant he would have to tear the car completely apart. That plan changed however, when Allen
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There’s just something about a big-bodied car with raked stance that draws attention. Musclecars of the sixties and seventies are becoming rare as it is, but seeing one built to this level is almost impossible. The factory body with slick custom oneoff paint give the Fairlane a personality all its own. “Our thing is building cars that look as original as possible,” says owner Allen Hurley, “It takes a lot of extra work to pull it off but that’s just always been our thing.”
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happened to run across a deal on a 700inch nitrous-ready motor, and it wasn’t long before the Fairlane was down to a bare shell. Allen and his group of friends had previously built an 8-second quarter-mile 2006 Mustang street car so they had a pretty solid idea of what to do to the Fairlane, and when needed, he called on others such as Jack McCarty who is responsible for all of the cage and body modifications required to compete where Allen wanted the car to be. Jack had mentioned keeping a Ford motor in the Fairlane and the Coyote platform got thrown around in conversation;
“
After a couple days the big block got put to the side and we changed the plan to a twin turbo Coyote build,” Hurley added.
Although the Fairlane remains a street car themed (and street legal) build, don’t be fooled into thinking that is a mildly built cruiser, when in fact it is an all-out track brawler capable of running well into the 7-second ¼-mile zone at almost 4,000 pounds!
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Factory trim was used throughout the build along with a Ram Air style hood. Look close and you can just make out the twin turbos lurking behind the blacked-out grill. No wing for this warrior out back but the chute is required and necessary to slow over 3,800 pounds of metal down after 7-second passes at 180mph!
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An all-out track brawler capable of running well into the 7-second ¼-mile zone at almost 4,000 lbs
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A 7.50 25.5 certified cage was added for strength, safety and the ability for the heavyweight to meet stringent tech inspections on race day. Up front, a custom-fabricated Heidts Mustang II K-member positions the boosted Coyote between the frame rails and also allows the use of Mustang style suspension. The rear coilover setup suspends a Strange 9-inch rearend with 40-spline axles and 3.90 gears. The Ford rides on Weld Racing beadlocked 15x10s in the rear and 15x4.5s up front with Mickey Thompson radials on all four corners. Bill Richards expertly applied the slick green paint referred to as “Voodoo,” because it’s a combination of Synergy Green and a secret primer for a true one-off look. To contrast the body, the Fairlane R-Code Ram Air style hood received a matte black finish and a black vinyl roof was installed. A one of a kind exterior deserves something unique under the hood, and that’s 84
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Almost all the factory interior was kept in place for the Fairlane build. A 25.5 certified cage snakes its way through the cockpit and race seats take up the space where a bench seat once was, while an FT600 dash relays all pertinent information to the driver.
From left: Noah Hurley (son) Allen Hurley and Dale Minton.
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where the Coyote platform comes into play. Proline Racing took care of Allen’s build, leaving no stone unturned. A stock Gen 1 block received Darton sleeves along with proprietary work for strength and longevity. Next, a heat-treated and
polished steel crank, billet Manley rods, and custom pistons create 305ci of modular muscle. A Modular Motorsports Racing block brace, billet crank gear, oil pump gear, and timing chain gears were added to the mix and Ford GT350
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heads with titanium valves were o-ringed and ported by Proline. Cams are custom ground for the turbo application and a Modular Motorsport’s billet intake with built-in intercooler tops off the quad-cammed small block.
A Proline built Coyote mill sits between the Fairlane’s rails. A stock block was sleeved and a stock crank swings billet Manley rods pinned to forged Manley boost spec’d pistons. Massaged GT350 heads were 0-ringed and studded in place and an MMR custom intake with built-in intercooler tops the package. Accompanying the capable Coyote are twin Precision turbochargers with Turbosmart wategates and custom piping.
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Allen Hurley’s Twin Turbo 1967 Ford Fairlane Body & Paint:
Rearend:
Synergy Green with secret primer color to give it that one of a kind look.
Chassis & Suspension/Modifications:
Brakes:
Factory chassis stiffened with 7.50 25.5 cert cage/chassis, Heidt’s Mustang II front end with front k-member, custom tuned Menscer coilovers all around.
Engine: Built by Proline. Gen 1 Coyote stock block with Darton sleeves,305 CID, MMR block brace, Manley billet rods and custom boost pistons, stock heat treated crank polished and balanced, o-ringed GT 350 heads with titanium valves and oversized head studs. Custom grind cams, billet oil pump gears, MMR timing gears.
Induction & Fuel Delivery: MMR custom intake with built-in intercooler. Precision 225 lb injectors, Weldon 2345 fuel pump.
Electronics: FuelTech FT600
Power Adder: Twin 7175 Precision turbochargers, Turbosmart wastegates.
Transmission: M&M Transmission, M&M custom bolt-together converter.
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Strange 9-inch, 40 spline axles, 3.90 gear. Custom carbon fibre driveshaft. 4 wheel Wilwood Brakes
Tires: Mickey Thompson 275/60/15.
Interior: Stock interior, including rear seat, M&M Shifter, Kirky seats, Safecraft fire suppression system with nozzle under hood, trunk and drivers compartment, carbon fibre wrapped cage, FuelTech dash for gauges and data collection.
ET & MPH: 7.80s @ 178 mph, more HP available, a little more testing and we’ll be 7.50s!
Thanks To: Special thanks to Dale Minton that owns Fatboy Fabrications and raced with us for over 20 yrs, Jacky McCarty- McCarty Performance, John Homier, Eric Dillard and all the boys at Proline, Scott Vestal, Mag Gough, Chase Driskel that tunes the car, my son Noah, my wonderful and understanding wife, Mrs. V, Bill Richards for that sick paint and a lot of other people. Thanks to all those cats that have made this 3880 pound hot rod run 7.80s like a bracket car and be driven back to the shop, this is a real accomplishment for us all.
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The Fairlane waits in the staging lanes on a warm Virginia night. This car is a true street/ strip machine that can bang off 7-second ETs in the quarter, then drive home afterwards. “She weighs over 3860lbs with me in it so she’s heavy, but drives like a 71 Lincoln on a Sunday drive, (I have a 71 Lincoln),” Hurley added with a smile. With all the intricate work McCarty Performance put into the chassis and suspension, it was no surprise that they’d be responsible for the turbo plumbing as well. They designed and fabricated the turbo headers and piping around two Precision 7175 turbochargers with Turbosmart wastegates. A Weldon 2345 fuel pump paired with Precision 225lb injectors run VP-16 fuel through the mod motor and Fuel Tech’s FT600 stand-alone ECU controls the entire system. An M&M Turbo 400 with bolt-together torque convertor transfers power rearward via a carbon fiber driveshaft. Step inside, and it’s a trip back to the 60s; Allen’s Fairlane retains most of the complete original interior, however, a pair of race seats takes up the real estate where the factory LOKAR bench seat onceCARD was. Electronics are easily accessible, and while the factory speedometer remains intact, it’s a state of the
art FT600 dash situated to the right of the driver that now relays vital signs. It’s extremely impressive to see any car run 7.80s in the quarter and drive back to the pits, and even more so when it’s tagged and insured. But Allen takes his Fairlane a step further, doing it at almost 4,000lbs and with a motor combination that most couldn’t even imagine being responsible for it. As a result, he’s able to leave the track, drive through town and run through the drive-through for a bite to eat before heading back for more runs. Although the project started nearly a year and a half before the car hit the strip, the lion’s share of work came down to 27 hours before rolling into the staging lanes to make that first test pass. “We were trying to finish the car to test at an AtlantaECAM event CARD and as always there’s never enough time. We had 8 of our pals come over and we were working 14 hours
a day but still running behind. The last day we all worked 27 hours straight and finished
the car at 6am, had it in the trailer at 7am and off to Atlanta. The rest is history!”
SHANE T
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We light the fire in our latest RPM MAG sm By Tim Biro
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n our last article, we left off with what looked like a fairly complete package in our World Products Man O’War based small block Ford build, but as you all know when completing any project the last 10 percent is more often than not the most difficult and sometimes most time consuming. It’s been 6 months since our last installment of Project World Domination, so let’s get everyone up to speed. In the initial build, we had planned on utilizing the priority main oiling system of the World Products block by complementing it with an external crank driven oil pump from Moroso. We had also planned on an external water pump, and of course a vacuum pump, so the next step was to fabricate an engine plate to give us a mounting location for these external accessories. After cutting, drilling and machining the plate, I mounted all the accessories and planned the plumbing for each system. To facilitate all the vital fluid transfer, we looked to one of the Holley Group companies, Earl’s Performance Products, for hoses, hose ends and adapter fittings.
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World Domination SBF ready for wiring and plumbing. The base for this build was World Products’ 6 bolt per cylinder 9.200” deck Man O’War block to be used with Bill Mitchell Products 10 degree CNC ported Race Cylinder Head.
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We used Earl’s for all the vital fluid transfer on our World Domination build with their aluminum Swivel Seal hose ends and Pro-LIte 390 hose. We needed -10 , -12 and few-16 sizes to complete all of the plumbing.
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Founded by Earl Fouts in 1955 in Lawndale, California, Earl’s started as a small Army Navy hardware surplus store supplying high-quality military aircraft specification surplus plumbing components to the local hot rod and racing communities. As the military surplus market died, Earl pioneered a range of hoses and fittings to service the racing industry, all of which are still used today. Earl’s developed and patented the self-indexing adjustable hose end in 1973, known as the “Swivel Seal”. It allows 360 degree adjustment after installation making plumbing a snap. Earl’s has invented most of the special purpose racing adapters, and was the first to introduce flexible Stainless Steel PTFE lined hoses to the racing industry in the 1960s. Earl’s racing heritage is second to none and is also the most replicated but never duplicated A.N. plumbing in the world. We selected their Swivel Seal design wherever possible in our build and also wanted all the components to be lightweight so chose their aluminum line of fittings and Pro-Lite 390 design hose. The Pro-Lite 390 hose is not only lightweight but it is tough, rated at 500 psi, and can be routed in tight radius applications. After careful selection of all the plumbing parts,
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To make life easy when on the dyno and eventually in our chassis, I fabricated a block plate to give us a standard mounting location for our external oil pump, vacuum pump and water pump.
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we also ordered their blockoff plate required for the block mounted oil filter area as well as all the adapter fittings for the block, oil pump and vacuum pump. With the block plate and external accessories completed, it was time to pay attention to the intake manifold once again. We are using a World Products 9.200 Cleveland deck height block and a set of 10-degree Bill Mitchell cylinder heads to take advantage of the World Products 6 bolt per cylinder block. With this in mind, we knew right off the
hop that the intake manifold was going to be a concern. To this date, there is not a bolton cast aluminum intake designed for our application, and since we opted out of a custom fabricated intake, we went on the hunt for a reasonable alternative. Eventually we found an Edelbrock cast manifold (designed for another deck height block and cylinder heads) that basically had a large enough runner size and correct port spacing for our cylinder heads. I also needed to fabricate a valley cover as the intake manifold did not have one.
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I cut the manifold flanges off both sides of the intake, and drilled and tapped the cylinder heads to fit the manifold bolt pattern. With the flanges now bolted to the cylinder heads, I gradually cut the intake manifold runners down to fit the flanges again. This was a very tedious and time consuming process, but after many hours, it was time to tack weld the flanges back onto the runners. After I TIG welded all the runners to the flanges, Chad at Kraushaar Machine Services took a cut off each mating flange to straighten the surface and give us room for our .060” hand cut intake gaskets. We ended up having to cut .075” off each side of the manifold flanges to bring the ports to the correct location for a gasket fit. Although the procedure was time consuming, we were able to keep a thick mounting flange that was straight and true. It was finally time to start our completed World Domination small block Ford. Because Kraushaar Machine Services also sells complete running engine packages, years ago they invested in a nice quality run stand. Mick (Kraushaar) and I decided that it would be best to run the World Dom-
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With all the external accessories mounted it was time to plumb it all up with our big box of Earl’s parts. Earl’s also has part numbers for the oil filter block off and handy tools for assembling AN fittings.
Because there is bolt-on intake manifold made for our combination yet, we chose something similar. As you can see the out-of-the-box manifold is a gross mismatch - it’s time to get the tools out and start cutting to make it all work
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After I cut the runners off the flanges, I drilled and tapped the flange pattern to the cylinder head. Bolted the flanges to the heads then spent many hours removing material from the runners to create a decent fit.
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ination engine on the run stand first, to address any challenges before the dyno. With the manifold installed, I installed the PBM intake spacer and FST carburetor. I then set the valves, a little tight for initial start-up, and for the exhaust, we dug out a set of 2” primary long-tube headers we had hanging around the RPM shop from another project. These headers had the large 3” bolt pattern required by the BMP cylinder heads, so on they went. If you have ever tried to mate the starter and flywheel deal on a small block Ford, you will know what I mean when I say “what a drag”. I borrowed a Fox Body bellhousing from Misener Motorsports to mate the motor to our run stand, and used a 157 tooth neutral balance flywheel from our stock. From here it was a matter of finding the correct starter, which proved to be a bit of challenge. We had one that worked with this specific header, however it did not contact the flywheel. After a few more starters we had the correct contact with a much larger starter, however now our headers required some massaging. So, off came
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This is our finished intake after the flanges were welded back to the runners. The only procedure left is to true up the mounting surface of the flanges.
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Because our intake manifold does not seal to the lifter valley, we needed to fabricate an aluminum panel to do the job. Six bolts should keep it in place and seal any oil from that area.
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RPM Project World Domination Edelbrock Intake Setup & Install
You need to get your hands dirty whenever you go to the dyno! After several minor adjustments, the World Domination engine sounded fantastic!
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Thanks to Vince and Scott for all their help loading and unloading the engine, as well as making good solid suggestions. And thanks also to The Man, The Legend… Al Blanchard at New Generation Engines.
the headers and out came the welder and after repositioning a few tubes, we were in business. Finally, we were on the home stretch! I set the crank trigger air gap to .060”and about 30 degrees advance, gapped the plugs to .035” and dropped the distributor in for correct rotor phasing. I then made 8 Taylor wires for the ignition and routed the wires onto each plug. The World Domination engine was now ready to fire. I wound the external oil pump to prelube the entire engine and added a generous amount of VP C12 fuel to the mix and she fired right up. After running for a few minutes we noticed that we were down one cylinder. A plug had closed up, so we went through and shimmed all 8 plugs and were finally ready for the dyno! We contacted Al at New Generation Engines (AKA New Gen) to get our World Domination engine on his dyno. With
everyone running busy schedules these days it’s tough to book dyno time and we decided that if they could accommodate, a Sunday would be best. New Gen has been around for a long time and is well known for making serious power with every combination they build. They are a one stop shop originally opened by Al’s father and now the two sons run the shop. Taking a look around their shop, you can see their deep involvement in all types of racing engines, in fact, on our dyno day Al was just taking off one of their crate engines and sealing up the intake for the customer to pick up, and there was a long lineup of racing engines to be tested, so thanks again to New Generation Engines for squeezing us in. We loaded our Ford 427 on the dyno, and I’m not sure what it is with headers this time through, but we had to tweak the left side this time to clear the dyno drive. Confident that the engine
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was ready to go after running it on the run stand, it fired right up on the New Gen dyno. Through approximately 8 dyno runs, we were able to work the timing and fuel curve for optimum naturally aspirated power. We started with 30 degrees of timing, but the engine ended up liking 34 degrees best. The FST carb performed great at all rpm, and we actually ended up leaning the system a bit by switching out a couple jets and high speed air bleeds. I have to reiterate that this FST carb was our first from this manufacturer and turned out to be great to work with, very easy to modify and an overall solid design. The strongest pull for horsepower netted over 823, while torque topped out at over 680 lb ft. It was a great day and celebrated with a couple post-session cold beers! Once again, our thanks goes out to New Generation Engines and Al for all the help! In summary, we made very close to 2 horsepower per cubic inch with the naturally aspirated build. Our goal was to get over 800hp naturally and then experiment with a power
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In summary, we made very close to 2 horsepower per cubic inch with the naturally aspirated build... adder to see exactly where we could go with it. These days, in small tire drag cars with fairly serious chassis work, 2000 horsepower seems to be the winning number and we realize that’s hard to chase that with smaller displacement and more compact V8 engines. It’s not unusual to see twin turbos, massive blowers and buckets of nitrous being ingested by exotic alcohol small blocks or big inch big block combos, but that’s not where we are going with this engine. We’ve preached solid and reliable from the
start and that is exactly why we chose the parts we did (You can check out our World Domination parts list PDF file here) We will try to move close to the 1500 horsepower mark with nitrous oxide injection. As mentioned in previous articles, how much power adder your engine can take is relative to many factors. Sure, you can grab that wrecking yard engine and stick a 500hp plate on or plumb a couple offshore turbos into it and turn some numbers, but it won’t be long before you end up with a basket full of parts. My experience is that using the best mechanical components along with high quality machining, precise assembly practices and the correct tune is the best formula to reach your engine’s limits with reliability. After all, who wants to keep breaking parts? The RPM/World Products World Domination engine build produced a good power range and it is a great place to start for our future engine nitrous combination. The mechanical components are rock solid and all of them went together with very
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tests. Stay tuned for power numbers using Nitrous Express Shark nozzles and a second kit - their newest Nitrous Express Assassin plate system. For now, have fun building your cars! Keep your families happy and stay safe! You can follow the entire World Domination SBF series by visiting www.rpmmag.com and typing World Domination in the search bar, or by clicking here.
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386-957-3009 Earl’s Performance Plumbing 1-866-464-6553 Jesel https://www.jesel.com/
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The World Domination engine rocks along its torque numbers over 4500 rpm to peak at 5850 and still does well with over 600 lb/ft at 7000 rpm. The horsepower steamed along to a peak of 823hp at 7383 rpm. Now let’s swap out the cam and add some juice!
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Technical Support Lines: Erson Cams 800-641-7920 PBM Performance 800-588-9608 World Products 877-630-6651 Ross Racing Pistons https://www.rosspistons.com/ RPM
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By Lake Speed, Jr. 106
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have to admit that over the last 16 years of doing field technical support for engine builders around the world, I’ve seen situations where the outcome didn’t fit the known pieces.
Those situations have always bothered me, but over time I’ve come to learn that when the outcome doesn’t fit the known parts and pieces, you are missing a variable (or two). Piston ring break-in and the oil used for that purpose has been one of those areas with a fair number of puzzling outcomes, at least until the last 12 months. For those that don’t know me, I spent 16 years working for Joe Gibbs Racing and then Driven Racing Oil. During that time I also became a member of the Society of Tribologists & Lubrication Engineers (STLE). Within STLE, I am a Certified Lubrication Specialist and Oil Monitoring Analyst. I also hold certificates in Metalworking Fluids, Gasoline and Diesel fuels, so yes, I am a complete engine and chemistry nerd. However, in the last 12 months, I joined Total Seal piston rings, and that is where things got really interesting. As discussed in a previous article, piston ring seal is like soup. It’s a combination of many ingredients that must all work together for the soup to be good. So what does that have to do with hidden variables? Simply put, cylinder bore surface finish is the hidden variable in “ring seal soup.” I’m not talking about cross hatch angle. We can see and measure that. What I’m talking about is what we can’t see – surface roughness. What does surface roughness have to do with “ring seal soup”? To properly answer that question, we first need to define proper lubrication using the 4 R’s.
“You can’t change what you can’t measure” Paul “Scooter” Brothers Comp Cams Proper Lubrication is… Having the Right oil (defined as the correct type and viscosity of lubricant for the application), In the Right place (where the parts are located in the engine), At the Right time (when the part needs lubrication), and In the Right amount (enough lubricant to get the job done). You may be wondering what lubrication has to do with “ring seal soup”? Well, the motor oil is the “gasket” that seals the piston to the piston rings and the piston rings to the cylinder walls. Again, there is a whole other article about the oil being the gasket, so let’s get back to answering our earlier question – what does surface roughness have to do with “ring seal soup”? It is the valleys (AKA RvK) in the surface finish of the cylinder wall that holds the oil in the right place, at the right time and in the right amount. The hidden variable that effected lubrication, which in turn effected ring seal has always been surface finish. Without a profilometer to measure surface finish, this variable remains hidden because your eye can’t see in micro inches. Just for reference, 100 micro inches equals .1 of thou. Keep that conversion in mind as we continue.
When looking at the graphical trace created by a profilometer, it becomes obvious that the majority of the valley in a good plateau finish is roughly 100 micro inches deep. Without enough valley in the cylinder wall finish to retain oil, “ring seal soup” will either turn out bad or spoil quickly. As I have travelled around to engine shops this past 12 months with my profilometer in my back pack, I’ve seen a wide variety of surface finish measurements. Between these field tests and actual dyno testing, the hidden variable is no longer hidden. You just need to correct tool to see it.
The Mitutoyo SJ-210 profilometer measures surface roughness and displays both traces of the surface (above) and values that represent the surface roughness. Let me give you an example: For several years I wondered how a couple of shops had great success using a certain oil for break-in that would never work in the engines I helped build and test. In fact, I had actual engine tests with measured wear data that proved a drastic difference between the two oils in question.
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The surface trace from the failed cylinder shows more peaks than valleys.
Ra, Rk, Rpk and Rvk are values measured by the profilometer that characterize the surface. Cylinders bores can vary dramatically in the roughness parameters, and that can make a huge difference in engine life and performance.
So why could these shops use one oil (let’s call it Oil A) but not the other (let’s call it Oil B)? Why couldn’t I use Oil A but could use Oil B? The differences were actually two -fold, but the common theme was surface roughness. The shop successfully using Oil A had a completely different surface finish than my SBC dyno mule engine. There was a good reason for these wildly different surface finishes. While my SBC was a grey cast iron block, the other engine was a Nikasil
Cylinder bore scoring due to insufficient lubrication. This was not a fault of the oil but actually caused by poor surface finish – too much peak roughness and not enough valley depth. 108
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Measured surface finish values from the failed cylinder. More Rpk (peak) than Rvk (valley) is a recipe for failure.
plated bore in an aluminum block. These different bore materials required a different bore finish, which required a different oil chemistry to get the soup right. Because Nikasil contains silicon nodules trapped in the metal matrix, it requires a smoother bore finish compared to grey cast iron. The smoother surface finish of Nikasil didn’t need the powerful boundary layer chemistry that the grey cast iron bores love. At this point you may be saying that the difference in bore material is a known and primary variable, so why bring up the secondary variable of surface finish? Well that is because sometimes Nikasil engines respond well to the oil with the powerful boundary layer chemistry. Why is that? It’s because the inconsistency of
the surface finish. When the surface finish is rougher, the rings are protected by the boundary layer lubrication chemistry, so the hidden variable that actually effects the “soup” is surface finish even over the cylinder bore metallurgy (at least in this case). In conclusion, Scooter was right. You need to measure everything that can change the outcome of your “soup”.
Source:
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