RPM Magazine April 2022 Issue

STRAIGHT-WEIGHT PERFORMANCE HIGH RISK – KEN SINGLETON

HIGH PERFORMANCE MINERAL DRAG RACING OIL

Mineral based engine oil designed to enable maximum power while providing ultimate protection under the most severe race conditions.

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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............................................................ JIM MCHARG 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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Chris Biro

editor’spix

Videos that are too hot to keep hidden

AED Competition ................. 93

Meziere Enterprises ...........109

AFR:

Misener Motorsports ........... 99

Air Flow Research ...... 5,42,86 AJE Racing........................... 90 American Racing Headers ... 80

Moser Engineering ........22,45

AVAK/Ridgegate Tools ......... 64

Neal Chance Converters....... 85

Baer Brakes ................ 39,108

Northern Radiator ............... 97

BES Racing Engines ............. 16 Billet Specialties .................. 22

Ed Brown’s 2016 Ford Super Cobra Jet Mustang

Truck Centers .....................118

BoulandMotorsUSA.com ..... 81

PBM Products....................103

Burns Stainless .................... 18

Profiler ................................ 82

Callies Performance Prod..... 17

Race Part Solutions .......10,71

Suspensions ........................ 37

Rage Wraps ......................... 22

Canton Racing Products ...... 31

RAM Clutches ...................... 51

Deez Performance ............... 34

RM Racing Lubricants .......... 38

Design Engineering ............. 60

Ross Racing Pistons .......7,107

E3 Spark Plugs..................... 17

RPM Magazine

ECAM ................................103 Erson Cams.......................... 35

RPM Magazine

Granatelli Motorsports ........ 59

Subscribe! .............. 43,49,87

GRP Connecting Rods .......... 62

Summit Racing

Hughes Performance.............. 7 Icon Forged Pistons ............. 90

Thermo-Tec ......................... 16

Joe Van O............................. 82

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T & D Machine ..................... 80 The Supercharger Store ....... 92

Jesel .................................... 67

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Equip. ...................72,81,117

Ian Hill Racing ......... 102,104 Induction Solutions ............. 58

Submit your video for the Editor’s Pix: videos@rpmmag.com

.........................30,40,66,84

GoDragRacing.org ............... 35

Hitman Hotrods................... 82

FOLLOW RED BULL RESTORATION - p.110 THIS ISSUE

RCD ..................................... 98

Derale ................................. 28

Harland Sharp ..................... 12

“And They Walked Away” .....As the new Red Bull Corvette nears completion, Watch Shannon “Big Dookie” Poole’s Crash Video

PRW-USA ............................ 17

Calvert Racing

Clearshot Customs............... 88

Nick Mueller’s Stunning 3,000hp State Of The Art Pro Mod ’55 Chev

Parts Pro/Total

Bill Mitchell Products ....34,62

C & S Specialties .................. 89

Ryan McCain’s Nitroused LSX 1971 Datsun 1200

Moroso Performance ........... 20

Ti64 ..................................... 81 Total Seal Rings ................... 36

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

Trailer Alarms.com ............109

Kinsler Fuel Injection.....13,83

TREMEC ............................... 70

LenTech Automatics ......11,92 Liberty’s Gears..................... 86 Lokar Performance ............103

Trick Flow ......................15,90 Tuned By Shane T ................ 84

Lutz Race Cars ..................... 16

Ultimate Headers ................ 34

Magnaflow.......................... 88

VFN Fiberglass Inc. .............. 21

MagnaFuel .......................... 19 MAHLE Aftermarket ............ 41 Manton Pushrods ................ 56

Vortech .........................39,83 VP Racing Fuels ................... 29

Mark Williams ..................... 88

Weinle Motorsports ............ 42

Maxima Racing Oils ................ 2

World Domination – RPM .105

Metal Products .................... 35

World Products.................... 21

ENFORCER-HALF

JW-PERFORMANCE

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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!

Gucci............................................................................

74 Chris Michael’s immaculate 1969 Nova is ready to take on the No-Prep scene

Crazy Like A Fox ....................................................................................... 8

The Wait Is Over .................................................................................. 52

It’s Time For Chuck Roberts To Live His 30-Year Dream!

Alan Felts knew exactly what he was doing when he built his boosted small block Ford Mustang GT!

Big Power, Small Package......................................................32

You can’t argue with the math...this boosted LS Honda has it all figured out!

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Read COMPLETE ISSUES OF RPM MAG online at www.rpmmag.com 6

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+

CUSTOM IN STOCK PISTONS ROSS RACING PISTONS HALF

TRUSTED BY THE FASTEST RACERS, ELITE ENGINE BUILDERS AND HIGHEST HORSEPOWER MACHINES ON THE PLANET, FOR OVER 40 YEARS!

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HUGHES PERFORMANCE HALF

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IAN HILL RACE PARTS 2

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As horsepower-loving gearheads devoted to going quicker and faster with every modification we make to our beloved rides, it is hard to deny that we live in a world where almost anything goes these days.

E

ngine brand swaps have arguably become more accepted in recent years, and the most popular among them; sliding an LS Chevy mill into a Fox Body Ford platform.

Alan Felts, however, would have none of that for his winning low 4-second 1/8th-mile Mustang, instead, he probably spent a bit more time and money and stuck to his small block Ford. Is this guy crazy, you ask? Crazy like a fox, we say!

Flashback to the decade of the 1990s when so many great things were happening.

The economy was good, one hit wonders were topping the charts, and of course, drag racing, and more specifically street car drags, were peaking in popularity. A young Alan Felts was just getting his fix in racing and although technically he started watching roundy round action, it didn’t take him long to notice drag racing, and he liked what he saw. “My dad

always had some pretty bad hot rods, and the itch grew bigger and bigger for me,” Felts explained. “Over the years my passion grew as I entered high school, by then I knew I wanted to drive fast.” After graduating high school, Alan had his sights on his future, attending WyoTech to become a diesel mechanic, and after paying his dues and gaining enough hands-on experience, he opened his owned business in February of 2006.

LENTECH 6TH

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The Fox

T

he car was purchased for Alan by his parents Johnny and Tena when he was a tender 16 years of age. We all remember when were 16 and just itching to get our license and hit the road, now imagine getting one of the most powerful production cars of the day right out of the gate! The Mustang GT was powerful, fun to drive and easy on the pocketbook, too. Alan’s new ride was far from perfect, though; “It had been in a wreck and the driver side door and quarter panel were destroyed,” Felts added. “But with help from my dad, we repaired it and painted the entire car. I drove the car to high school, but it didn’t remain stock for long.”

Alan’s dad started taking him to the famed Beech Bend Raceway and he learned to drag race, starting in bracket racing, eventually hitting 6.50s in the 1/8th mile.

“My most memorable moment would be the day I saw my parents bring this hot rod on a trailer into the driveway for me...”

Alan Felts

HARLAND SHARP

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KINSLER HALF

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This Mustang was once an original partially wrecked GT bought for Alan when he was 16 years old and underwent two previous builds. In its current state, the car still retains its factory steel body tub but lightweight doors, fenders and hatch have been installed along with a ’glass cowl hood and carbon rear wing. Factory style ground effects have been kept to give off that original GT vibe.

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MoPower to You. Trick Flow PowerPort 190® cylinder heads are the new standard for small block Mopar engine builds.

Improvements over stock: A356-T61 aluminum castings; enhanced intake ports; CNC Street Ported runners; stronger rocker arm shaft bosses; and 3/8" pushrod clearance.

There’s also standard features like bronze alloy guides, ductile iron seats, 11/32" stainless valves, PAC Racing springs, steel locks, and chromoly or titanium retainers.

PowerPort 190 heads fit all non-emissions, LA and Magnum 318-360 engines. That’s right, Magnum owners can now—bonus!—use LA parts on their builds using these heads. What a great time to be a small block Mopar owner!

Dyno Results

Airflow Results

PowerPort 190

PowerPort 190

Lift Value

Intake Flow CFM

Exhaust Flow CFM

.100"

66

54

.200"

134

121

.300"

200

181

.400"

248

213

.500"

281

231

293

237

301

240

TRICKFLOW FULL .600"

Test Engine: 10.92:1 compression 365 c.i.d. LA-series engine with Trick Flow PowerPort 190 cylinder heads (TFS-61417802-C00), custom hydraulic roller camshaft (230°/236° duration @ .050"; .577"/.572" lift; 110° lobe separation), Trick Flow roller lifters (TFS-21400010), Trick Flow Track Heat® intake manifold (TFS-61400111), 750 cfm carburetor, Trick Flow billet aluminum carburetor spacer (TFS-2141501B), Hooker Super Competition headers with 13⁄4" primaries, 3" dual exhaust with Flowmaster mufflers.

.700"

Tests conducted at 28" of water (pressure).

Bore size: 4.000"; exhaust with 17⁄8" pipe.

Your Recipe for Small Block Mopar Performance!

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

Track Heat® Intake Manifold A perfect match for the PowerPort 190 heads is this single plane Track Heat intake manifold. Fitting all 273-360 Mopar LA V8 engines making peak power in the 3,000–7,000 RPM range, the manifold features a one-piece spider-type design with extended high-flow runners and a raised plenum floor to significantly increase horsepower and torque.

Retro-Fit Hydraulic Roller Lifters These affordable retro-fit roller lifters permit roller camshaft conversions to be made to engines originally equipped with hydraulic flat tappet cams. The lifters are manufactured to factory tolerances for an exact fit and to provide precise oil control to keep your engine running smoothly.

Track Max® Harmonic Dampers Put Trick Flow’s advanced engineering to work for you with a Track Max harmonic damper. Engineered for safety and power, these SFI 18.1 rated, carbon steel dampers contain an injection-molded, bonded elastomer and removable counterweights. They also have engraved timing marks for easy adjustment and a corrosion-resistant black powdercoat finish.

TrickFlow.com 1-330-630-1555

2204RPCT

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

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BES RACING ENGINES

THERMO TEC CARD

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LUTZ CARD

Bracket racing and running respectable numbers was all well and good for Alan, however, something strange happened... he went to his first ever drag radial race. We all know where this is going. The event was at Holley Springs Motorsports Park in Mississippi and featured some of the baddest small tire radial cars in the area, so to say that Alan was instantly overwhelmed with new and interesting thoughts of what drag racing meant to him, is an understatement.

“I attended this radial race in Mississippi with my good friend Marty Stinnett and I was hooked. I had never seen anything like radial tire racing before, but I knew I had to be a part of it!” Over the next 2 years the car underwent a major transformation with Jessie Coulter at Jessie’s Garage

RPM POWERDOUBLE PRW CARD

CALLIES CARD

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in Bowling Green, KY. completing the Lion’s share of the work. Once finished, Alan entered the car into an X275 class where he got his feet wet and started learning to drive at a whole new level. “With a lot of work, we finally made it into the 4.50 range and were semi competitive.”

The top cars in the X275 category were running deep into the 4.30 range, though, and Alan knew it was going to take more, so in the off season of 2019 he decided it was time get compet-

itive and do a massive overhaul, with Jessie’s Garage once again putting their skills to work on the project.

A 25.3 chassis with all new suspension and a fresh new boosted powerplant would all be art of the equation and Alan and his team came out swinging for the 2020 season, competing in many of the major Drag Radial events throughout the country. All the hard work paid off with a string of event wins, topped off with the 2021 NMCA Street Outlaw

Anyone who bleeds blue appreciates a fullblood Ford build and this Fox is powered by a World Products block based 440-inch turbocharged small block Ford.

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UMPS P P M U S RY TRI LOBE D MOROSO STAGES MULTIPLE6TH E IN AVAILABL

No. 22326 MOROSO PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS

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WWW.MOROSO.COM

Got Billet?

Alan Felts does, with the top end of his motor looking more like art than race parts.

Air to spare...

The 88mm XPR Precision turbo picks up fresh air from the front right of the factory style air dam. The boosted atmosphere is plumbed into a jewel-like billet intake manifold.

Championship, all while setting the class record, and all in his Ford powered Mustang GT. Throughout Alan’s 20-year span of ownership, the Mustang has gone through a total of 3 makeovers, including this most recent iteration. There’s no doubt that the Fox Body Stang

has been instrumental in developing the world of drag radial racing to where it is today, but not many are as clean as Alan’s GT, not to mention that a number of others have been outfitted with off-brand engine swaps, and you can probably count on your fingers how many Mus-

WORLD PRODUCTS

VFN CARD

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Alan Felts’ Turbocharged X275 1991 Ford Mustang GT Body & Paint:

Tires & Wheels:

Flawless White by James Brown in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Chassis Modifications: Custom 25.3 chassis from Jessie’s Garage.

Suspension: All suspension was built at Jessie’s Garage and parts provided by Hammer Concepts. Front is Santhuff struts with tubular control arms and tubular front end. Rear is coilover setup with Precision Racing Suspension shocks and custom anti-sway bar.

Engine: World Products block with Callies crankshaft and Diamond pistons.

Cylinder Heads: Energy Manufacturing billet top end.

Induction & fuel delivery: Aeromotive cam driven fuel pump.

Power Adder: 88mm XPR Precision turbo

Transmission: 3 speed TH400 from Proformance Racing Transmissions, EV1 Pro Torque converter.

Rearend: Fabricated 9inch with 40 spline axles.

Wheels are RC Components with Mickey Thompson tires

Interior: Holley EFI management, Motion Raceworks steering wheel, M&M shifter, Ultra-Carbon seat, Fire Aid system from Mags Performance, ISP safety pads, Stroud parachute.

ET & MPH: 4.22 @ 169mph

Thanks To: Wife Jaqueline and kids Knox and Kambree.

Chassis builder and tuner Jessie Coulter at Jessie’s Garage.

Energy Manufacturing Callies VP Racing Fuels Holley EFI Simpson Safety Proformance Racing Transmission Pro Torque RC Components TBM Brakes Motion Raceworks Precision Racing Suspension Salvato Designs Precision Turbo

Brakes: TBM

RAGE WRAPS CARD

MOSER CARD

moserengineering.com

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All the hard work has been paying off with dividends for Alan...

He has been 4.22 @ 169 miles per hour which would put him in the top half of any X275 field. 2021 brought numerous wins including 2021 NMCA Street Outlaw Championship, not to mention his setting of the class record.

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The cockpit of the Mustang features an expertly crafted SFI 25.3 roll cage with lots of extra goodies. The retired passenger seat has been replaced by the cooler box and Co2 bottle among other things. A factory dash has been gutted and only the Holley EFI screen is needed to relay vital signs before, during and after a run. Custom tinwork is complemented by carbon wheeltubs and filler panels along with a carbon seat.

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tangs at this level still run with their factory sunroof intact! The added ground effects and trim of the 1991GT Mustang (over the less flashy LX version), most of which are still present here with minor modifications, make a great looking race car. Felts sent the Fox over to Bowling Green, Kentucky for the body and paint where James Brown laid down a slick skin of Flawless White paint.

RACETRONIX HALF

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DERALE.COM TECH SUPPORT: 323-266-3850

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No expense is spared where safety is concerned A dual Halon fire suppression system from Fire Aide was an integral part of the build.

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Like we said, no LS swap here, instead Felts went all-Ford starting with one of World Products tough-as-nails blocks as the base for the killer boosted mill. When all was said and done the displacement works out to 440 cubic inches of small block Ford power. A Callies crankshaft and rods pinned to Diamond pistons rotate inside, while a jewel-like full billet top end assembly (including heads and intake) are from Energy Manufacturing. Complimenting the stout SBF is a single 88mm Precision XPR turbocharger, capable of handling/making nearly 2,000 horsepower.

Mated to the small block is a heavily modded 3-speed turbo 400 transmission from Proformance and a Pro Torque EV1 series torque converter. A fully fabricated 9-inch rearend with beefy 40 spline axles resides out back, hung by a fabricated coilover setup with custom anti-sway bar. Up front, the factory struts towers remain and are coupled with tubu-

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Everything about Alan Felt’s

lar control arms and front chassis work with a custom engine plate for mounting the small block.

The stance on the Mustang is just right, thanks to the fab work at Jessie’s Garage. Besides the stance, Alan hit the nail on the head with the wheel and tire combination, going with RC Components wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson rubber, with class-legal 275/60R15 Radial Pros located out back to provide the hook.

TBM brakes and a dual parachute setup provide the whoa at the top end where Alan reaches speeds of approximately 170 MPH during his 660-foot eighth-mile hits.

In this crazy world of horsepower where some might ask; is this guy crazy for not going LS? Rest assured, Alan Felts knew exactly what he was doing when he planned out the build of his killer ’91 GT drag radial contender. So yeah, he’s crazy alright, crazy like a Fox, and has the wins to prove it!

s Fox Body says ‘Crazy Fast’

CANTON RACING

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At the drag strip these days, especially a small tire or radial tire event, you will always see the typical American Big 3 muscle brands along with variants of V8 sounds everywhere.

H

owever, with the rise in popularity of imports at the strip, it’s only natural that they join in on the fun. Travis Mangum’s idea of what a small tire street car should be is something that melds both drag racing and street driving together, but why not take advantage of some obvious tactics right out of the gate, like building a lighter car with some serious proven power.

Travis grew up loving all things with a motor.

If it had one, he’d be tinkering with and riding it. But once he caught a ride in a swapped Honda Civic as a teen, he fell in love with imports.

Most are front-wheel drive, and today’s drag racing community has created classes dedicated to the four-cylinder screamers, but Travis would take a bit of a different direction. He did play with his Acura Integra for a number of years, that is, until the Honda S2000 came along.

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ULTIMATE HEADERS CARD

BILLET CARD

ERSON CAMS As you can see, the S2000 gets up and out off the line, and runs clean to the top end thanks to chassis and suspension work.

METAL PRODUCTS CARD

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kill

the looks that

TOTAL SEAL

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The S2000 is a small fourbanger car, but rear-wheel drive, opening up so many possibilities for the right person.

The nice thing about the car is the engine bay has room for improvement, and that’s where the LS powerplant comes in. It’s pretty fair to say that over the past few years, it doesn’t matter what it is, an LS has found a home in it. And with the Honda S2000 being light compared to other bodies, building an LS for it opens up a whole new level of performance capabilities.

Travis found this particular build as an unfinished project that already had the LS swap started. Initially, he kept the LS1 backed by a T-56 manual six-speed and had some fun on nitrous, however, the itch to get more out of the platform became too much to ignore, so a complete teardown started with a goal of having a serious top-tier street car.

Aside from the Formula Red paint along with most of the factory body panels and interior of the Honda, the rest of

This is just one of those cars that looks fast…and it is. From the killer stance to the menacing front view and dead giveaway ’chute out back, this Honda has got it goin’ on. It’s nothing for Mangum to go out for a cruise then hit the strip to bang off high 4-second 1/8-mile hits and low 8-second 1/4-mile runs. And since this is a fairly new build, watch for that 7-second time slip in the not so distant future.

for TRUCKS

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RM RACING 6TH

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the car was changed entirely.

A custom owner-built one-off hood was also added to the exterior.

The LS1 5.7 was ditched in favor of a more boost-friendly LC9 5.3 block; it’s no secret that many push these things well into four-digit numbers.

Surprisingly, the stock crank is a solid piece so it was kept and now spins K1 rods pinned to BTR boost-spec pistons. Once the short block was in check, Travis moved on to choosing the right parts for the top end,

and this would require a bit more creativity. Boosted applications obviously require increased breathing capabilities and the best way to achieve this is by maximizing the head and intake package. A set of Trick Flow 220cc heads served as a base, and they were packed with a complete lineup of parts from BTR, including their Ultimate RPM springs and shaft mount rockers for high revs, and the mill was topped with one of their Equalizer intake manifolds.

RPM UP CLOSE

BAER 6TH

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RPM MAGAZINE FULL PAGE TARGET MARKET RPM POWER FULL

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BIG BLOCK DOME-INATION

MAHLE HALF

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A turbo’d LS is tightly packed into this S2000. The math of drag racing clearly illustrates that more power and less weight equal quicker elapsed times. Of course that all depends on the rest of the car doing its job and holding together.

Loo

WEINLE MOTORSPORTS 6TH

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AFR CARD

oking at the sum of the parts in Travis Mangum’s S2000, it’s obvious he’s got it figured out.

Compressed atmosphere is introduced to the 5.3 through a Forced Inductions GT55/88mm turbo; Travis built and fabricated the turbo kit himself. Fueling comes via a custom AEI cable drive system that pumps E-85 through Billet Atomizer injectors. A Fueltech stand-alone ECU and dash control all vitals and operations. While there are LS swap kits available, Travis wanted to be able to get the motor in and out fairly quickly with the use

of a motor plate, so he went with a custom-made setup from AEI. The driveline hard parts aren’t different from the typical pieces used, but Mangum was shoehorning it all underneath a small S2000, which took a lot of work. While a six speed comes from the factory, and the T-56 sits quite well in the factory tunnel, going auto is a whole different animal. Besides going to an automatic transmission, Travis wanted to also

RPM POWER 6TH

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replace the factory independent rear suspension with a solid axle, requiring a complete suspension overhaul.

Travis used fabricating skills at his shop, Hidden Performance, to perform these daunting tasks, first creating a transmission mount for the auto. Like many in the drag racing world, he backed the LS with a built TH400 from PTC and Dusty set him up with a spec’d converter to go along with the build. Mangum based his custom rear suspension on a Moser Fab 9 inch, then stuffed it with 35 spline gun-drilled axles and added an Enemies Everywhere anti-roll bar setup. He has two sets of gears to gain an advantage, 4.30s for the 8th mile and 3.73s for the quarter. The suspension system is four-linked and uses 2JM coilovers valved for the S2000. 2JM coilovers sit in the front, as well, while the rest of the

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Inside, the Honda is about as factory original as you can get, including power windows. The cage, race seat and a few other parts were necessary for the business of winning races.

Travis wanted a street car, so all of the interior stayed, including power windows... suspension remains untouched.

The Honda has some show with a Belak Industries drag pack wheel combo with Mickey Thompsons on all four corners. Specifically, 15x3 in the front and with a mini tubbed rear, 15x10.5s clear the wheelwells. Factory brakes reside out front, and Wilwood drag brakes and a ’chute bring the Honda to a halt when needed. If none of that grabs your attention, the massive intercooler in the bumper and cut-out for the turbo above it should, not to mention the menacing cowl hood. Carbon fiber accents and hardtop match well with the factory bright red.

Travis wanted a street car, so all of the interior stayed, including power windows. He sits strapped into a Kirkey seat with RJS harnesses, while a certified cage he built surrounds him. A fuel cell, air-to-water tank, and battery relocation fill up the trunk area.

This S2000 does get street miles put on it, plus some of the classes he runs require a 25 or 50-mile cruise before heading straight to the lanes for eliminations. So far, Travis piloted the Honda to a 4.94 at 141 8th-mile and an 8.19

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The trunk is filled with a sizeable fuel cell, cooler tank and battery.

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Another major benefit of the S2000 platform is the fact that they were rear wheel drive. Of course, the factory independent rear suspension would be no match for the power Travis had in store, so he swapped it out with a heavily fortified Moser fabricated 9-inch hung by a 4-link coilover setup with anti-sway bar.

Travis Mangum’s 2001 Honda S2000 SS Body & Paint: Original body with lightweight cowl hood. Factory red paint.

Chassis & suspension: Factory style front suspension with aftermarket coilovers.

Rear is 4-link with 2JM custom valved rear coilovers with Enemies Everywhere anti roll bar kit.

Engine: LC9 5.3, TF220. BTR parts. Custom cam, ultimate RPM spring pack, shaft mount rocker kit, boost pistons, K1 rods, stock crank.

Cylinder Heads: TF220, BTR shaft mount rockers, BTR Ultimate valve springs.

Fuel Delivery: Billet Atomizer injectors, AEI custom cable drive fuel system, Brown and Miller fittings and lines.

Electronics: Fueltech

Power Adder: Forced Inductions GT55/88mm turbo.

Transmission: PTC TH400 and converter.

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Rear: Moser Fab 9” with 35 spline gun drilled axles 4.30 rear gear for mile and 3.73 for ¼ mile racing.

Brakes: Factory front brakes and Wilwood rears.

Tires & wheels: 15x3 fronts 15x10.5 rears Bleak Industries

Interior: All factory interior with power windows, speakers, carpet, dash… everything.

ET & MPH: 4.94 at 141MPH, 1/4 8.19 at 126 “lol...I had to let up at the 1000ft mark!”

Thanks To: Huge thanks to Nick and Brian at BTR, they have both been a major helping hand in leading me to where I am today.

Kyle at BTR sends all the parts out asap. Dusty a PTC answering questions and getting this converter right. Robert at AEI working with me making our custom LS/S2000 motor plates and cable drive fuel systems.

at 126 in the long haul; he let out at the 1000 foot mark! Of course, he’ll get that 7-second full pass in the books soon enough; after all, this build is relatively new.

Travis’ proudest moment was at a Streetcar Takeover event in Charlotte, NC. After putting out a small fire that scorched the cars wiring to the lights, he wired the car to run what was needed. He’d planned to roll race and run in the streetcar drag class but got placed out of

the street car class due to not having working lights.

He went on to win the roll racing class and got bumped up to the faster small tire class, where he finished a close second.

Mangum has definitely fulfilled his goal of having a seriously badass street driver and strip contender, and there’s no doubt that building a wicked boosted LS then packing it into a smaller, lighter chassis has helped him achieve that goal.

RAM CLUTCHES

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I’ve helped other people win 9 championships in PSCA and WCHRA, now it’s my turn...

I

CHUCK ROBERTS

f the name sounds familiar, it should. Roberts has been involved in street car and outlaw drag racing for a number of years on the west coast and beyond, and focuses on nitrous cars and tuning. Now, after far too long of a wait, he has acquired his own ride, a slick big-inch ’96 Pontiac Firebird that he will be throwing enough nitrous at to knock out a small town!

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Chuck Roberts’ Nitrous Outlaw 1996 Pontiac Firebird is a legit Don Ness Racecraft full tube chassis ex-Pro Stock car. Repairs and modifications were completed by Whoppado Racing (John Sicalpi Sr. and Jr.). The Sicalpis cut off the entire front end in the process and the car has been certified for 6.0 second ¼ mile hits.

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The body consists of an OEM steel tub with steel ¼ panels; fiberglass deck lid, doors, front end, hood and scoop were added. It has taken its share of hits over the years and Chuck is planning to continue with body repairs and a complete color match.

MANTON 6TH

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Needless to say, the racing bug didn’t just recently hit Roberts.

During his youth in Las Vegas he raced BMX in the mid-1970s placing #5 for the state of Nevada, and before long, by 1977, he had himself a sweet set of wheels, one that any young man would be proud of. It was a 1967 Camaro RS and Chuck would hit the streets with it, learning the ins and outs of horsepower. The next mountain to climb was motocross racing and after that, just after moving back to California, Chuck decided to go with 4 wheels again.

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“When I moved back in 1980 I started to street race heavily,” said Roberts. “In fact, I made a living for 5 years just street racing from Los Angeles to San Diego.” Along with paying his dues and making money on the street though, he was also paying fines and had his license taken away twice. “I was very happy once I started to take racing to the track,” he added with a smile.

Before long, Chuck found himself working with and on nitrous combinations and decided to immerse himself in everything N2O. “Nitrous was fun so I started learning everything I could about it,” Roberts

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WORLD DOMINATION HALF

A color matched cage is mixed with carbon panels and tinwork inside the ’bird. An OEM style lightweight dash is blank except for the Racepak display along with a traditional tach and oil pressure gauge. The MSD Grid and ARC module along with Racepak V300 SD are mounted on the passenger side firewall area.

GRANATELLI

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DESIGN ENGINEERING 6TH

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continued. “Wady from NOS took me under his wing and taught me a lot along with Charles Carpenter and Monte Smith (RIP).” Chuck would continue to focus on nitrous combinations but along the way had the opportunity to crew on Mike

Hayden’s championship twin turbo Pro Street ’57 Chevy and then drove the car in South Carolina with Annette Summers. “And now, my 30 year dream is complete and ready to go,” he added. “I have waited a long time for a car of this calibre.”

TOM’S UPHOLSTERY

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SMALL BLOCK CHEVY Lorem Ipsum I N TA KES

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GRP

It’s hard to argue with 648 cubic inches of Fulton big block Chevy, especially when it’s plumbed with 4 stages of Nitrous!

The car itself is a proven piece as it was a legit Don Ness Pro Stock car and won a Pro Stock event when it was first built. The body is an OEM tub with steel quarters. Fiberglass doors, a complete front end, hood and hood scoop were added for weight savings along with Lexan windows. Body wise, the Firebird has seen its share of bumps and bruises over the years and Chuck is making his way through repairs and paint

matching. The full tube chassis carries an NHRA 6.0 certification however a number of upgrades were required to get it back into shape and recertified, and Chuck had Whoppado Racing (John Scialpi Sr. and John Scialpi Jr.) cut it off at the firewall to build a whole new front frame section.

Interestingly, Roberts had tuned on the car for a previous owner in the past and also tuned on the motor, yet never in this car. He somehow ended up with both and dropped the size-

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I have waited a long time for a car of this caliber...

CHUCK ROBERTS

RIDGEGATE TOOLS

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able Fulton 648-incher between the new front rails of the Firebird.

Fulton started with a Brodix aluminum block and installed a Bryant crank swingin’ GRP rods and custom JE nitrous pistons. Big Duke heads were studded in place and equipped with Jesel rockers and Manton pushrods. Cam specs are, of course, top secret but Chuck did say the cam was carefully selected

by Fulton specifically to run 4 stages of nitrous. And guess what? There are 4 stages of Nitrous Supply/Fulton juice cocked, locked and ready to rock. A Hogan’s sheet metal intake is topped by twin Dominator style Pro Systems carbs and fuel is supplied via Magnafuel pumps and regulator and Holley 803 regulators control fuel for the nitrous systems.

A Mike’s Transmission Extreme Monster Glide transmission with Reid case and Pro Torque nitrous

This is why most of us shouldn’t try to self-plumb 4 hits of juice…leave it to the pro

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os!

AFFORDABLE. REPLACEMENT. STEEL. Jesel Engineers have combined all of the features of our Pro Aluminum Rockers with the durability of our Pro Steel Rockers. Jesel Sportsman Steel Rockers provide engine builders with the option of high strength steel rockers at an extremely affordable price and can be ordered separately or as an upgrade to certain Pro Aluminum rocker systems.

MISENER 6TH

For additional product details, visit us online at Jesel.com or contact us by phone at 732.901.1800

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The Mike’s Transmission Extreme Monster Glide with Pro Torque converter send power through a chromoly driveshaft to the braced full floater 9-inch rearend and then out to these sizeable 35x15x16 Mickey Thompson meats.

Chuck Roberts’ Nitrous Outlaw 1996 Pontiac Firebird Body & Paint: Original body tub with steel quarter panels. fiberglass doors, hatch, front end, hood and scoop. Lexan windows. Silver paint.

Chassis Modifications: Original Don Ness Racecraft full tube chassis Pro Stock car – modified by Whoppado Racing (John Sicalpi Sr. and Jr.).

Suspension: Custom fabricated front suspension with Lamb struts and rack and pinion steering. Rear is 4-link with Santhuff coilover shocks and anti-sway bar. Wheelie bars.

Engine: Fulton 648 cubic inch big block Chevy. Brodix aluminum block with Bryant crank, GRP Rods and JE nitrous pistons.

Brodix Big Duke heads, Jesel rockers, Manton pushrods. Top secret Fulton nitrous cam. Jesel belt drive. Hogan’s sheet metal intake with twin Pro Systems Dominator style carburetors. Magnafuel pump and main regulator, Holley 803 regulators control nitrous system fuel. Tuned by Chuck Roberts of Competition Nitrous Systems.

Power Adder: 4 stages of Nitrous Supply nitrous installed by Fulton.

Transmission: Mikes Transmission Extreme Monster Glide and Pro Torque converter. Chromoly driveshaft.

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Rearend: Braced 9” housing, Strange Ultra center section, 40 spline full floater axles, 4.56 gears.

Brakes: Lamb carbon fiber front, Strange steel rear.

Tires & Wheels: Weld Wheels with Mickey Thompson “big bubba” tires.

Safety: Stroud belts, safety net and parachutes.

Electronics: Racepak IQ3 dash, Speedwire switch panel, MSD Grid and ARC module, Racepak V300 SD with multiple sensors set up

by Pro Data Systems, traditional tachometer and oil pressure gauge.

ET & MPH 4.36 at 168 MPH so far…

How long to build the car?

I have owned the car for 7 years and just recently completed it.

Thanks To: “GOD! He brought all this to me. Whoppado Racing – Paulie Henry (Crew Chief ), Mike Hayden, Annette Summer Drag Racing School.”

converter sends power rearward through a chromoly driveshaft to the braced 9-inch rear with spool, 40 spline full floater axles, Ultra center section and 4.56 gears. A custom 4-link coilover rear suspension with anti-roll bar provides the hook out back, while a fabricated strut front suspension with rack and pinion steering keeps things on the straight and narrow.

Inside this ’bird is all business.

The cage snakes its way through the cockpit and Chuck’s co-pilots are a billet pistol grip air actuated shifter, two nitrous bottles and twin Induction Solutions large-face gauges to monitor pressure.

A high-mounted Speedwire switch panel controls most

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of the car’s functions and wiring along with relays and control boxes are affixed to the passenger side firewall area. Chuck chose an MSD Grid and ARC module to control the spark and utilized a Racepak V300 SD set up by Pro Data Systems to monitor all the vitals such as driveshaft RPM, vacuum, oil pressure, water temperature, fuel pressure, air/fuel

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ratio, transmission pressure and temperature, and the rear shocks.

Just in case, he keeps a traditional tachometer and oil pressure gauge mounted to the left of the Racepak display. Hey, old habits are hard to break!

To date, with just a handful of runs, Roberts has wheeled the Firebird to a 4.36 at 168MPH in the 1/8th, but we can guarantee,

To date, the Firebird has been 4.36 at 168 MPH in the eighth-mile, but there is more to come...

We figure “more” means 2 more nitrous stages to activate…after all Chuck has 4 kits plumbed and ready.

RACE PARTS 6TH

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It takes a village to raise a race car...

Chuck (back row left) has that village support. He has waited over 30 years to own and drive a car of this caliber, and throughout those years he helped many others win races and championships, putting all his efforts into learning everything he could about nitrous oxide from some of the best in the business.

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.

WORLD PRODUCTS since Chuck knows the game all too well, those runs are with one, maybe two stages, and when he does hit that magic number, we probably won’t hear

about it anyway. After all, given the fact that he already has some grudge races coming his way, some things are just best left unsaid. www.rpmmag.com

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When we witnessed the unveiling of Chris Michael’s 1969 Nova, we weren’t sure if we were at a car show or a drag race...

O

ver four years in the making, Michael debuted, “Gucci”, at the 2021 PRI show in Indianapolis. And boy was it popular... So, what exactly is the Gucci Nova? The goal, envisioned by the Southern California native, was to build the cleanest and fastest hot rod and campaign it in the No Prep King Series.

Chris grew up in beautiful Orange County, California, a true hot-rodding mecca. As an only child he was very active in numerous sports and while Chris loved all that, there was something else that caught his eye.

His father Ralph was a hot rodder himself, and on occasion would take Chris to the local dragstrips; Lyons, OCIR and Irwindale, to name just a

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few. When he finally reached driving age, he picked up a cool retro 1967 Volkswagen Beetle and immediately modified it. Throughout his younger years, Michael would own everything from fast domestics to rotary powered imports. While he was having a blast and meeting so many people, he knew he had his whole life ahead of him and thanks to his continued networking, Chris started a career in real estate and investing in small businesses. Things were going well and he started getting the need for speed again. At his point, he was tricking out Polaris RZR’s and other atv/utvs, until one day nearly 6 years ago when his life would change forever. He and some friends set out to hop some jumps at Pismo Beach 78

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PARTS PRO FULL 1

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The body is a legit 1969 Nova

...and was actually a second choice after the first donor was deemed a no-go by Larry Jeffers Race Cars.

ARH CARD

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The carbon fiber wheelie bars are a perfect match with the continuing candy red and carbon look throughout the car.

serious, and even gave it a name; “Bad Intentions”. Bad Intentions was the fuel behind the fire to build one badass 1969 Nova named “Gucci”.

To fully understand the scope of this project, you need to follow it from the very beginning. Gucci was not born of Chris’ first Nova. Initially, he had picked up a car that he felt would work for the project however, after a strong recommendation from Patrick Barnhill, he called up Larry Jeffers to discuss his ideas. Larry suggested that he ship the car to Missouri for an in-depth look, just to be sure. Once Larry had the opportunity to see the car, he suggested building a different one starting from the ground

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HITMAN CARD

JOE VAN CARD

During the build discussion, Larry asked Chris if he planned to build a race car or a show car. Thus, Larry dubbed Chris as ‘Gucci’. He liked that name so much; he gave it to the Nova.

RPM CARD

VORTECH CARD

KINSLER CARD

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Chris mentioned that it took over a month to have the intake and valve covers powder coated.

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The itch for competition never left Chris and he wanted to start building race cars again... when he miscalculated a hill and rolled his RZR and was severely injured. Chris was hospitalized with 9 broken ribs, a crushed scapula, and a punctured lung. Doctors were skeptical on his prognosis; initially they weren’t even sure he would survive.

His wife Srey and their two kids were at Chris’s side every day and he miraculously turned the tides.

Through his strong will and support from friends and family, he is making a solid recovery. It was a slow rehabilitation process, but he had a new perspective on life and what he wanted to do. The itch for competition never left Chris and he wanted to start building race cars again. This time he was

NEAL CHANCE

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The Noonan 4.9” bore space Hemi between the rails of Gucci is a special animal. It is a refinement of the 4.8 Hemi with loads of technology built into it to not only increase power and durability, but also make the racer’s life a bit easier.

LIBERTY’S CARD AFR DOUBLE CARD

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RM RACING DOUBLE CARD

RPM CARD

The 4.9 bore space Hemi head with the valve cover off offers a glimpse of the Reid dual shaft rocker setup.

up. The original car was sent back to California and subsequently sold shortly after.

A little while later, the Covid-19 Pandemic hit and almost all of society was shut down for a while.

The project was delayed, but not too long after it was back down to business. There are always ups and downs on any project of this magnitude, and Gucci was no different.

Chris has very particular taste, so it took some extra time to get the candy red and black colors to perfectly match throughout the entire car. Larry Jeffers has built plenty of amazing machines over the years, but this Nova is definitely one to remember. Chris is adamant that his builds look as good as they perform.

Once the full tube chassis was finished, Chris, Larry and Patrick sat down and discussed what would be the heart and soul of the Nova and agreed to go with a newly designed

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Noonan 4.9” bore space Hemi engine, and strapped to the Hemi would be twin 98mm Precision turbochargers.

You’ll find many different combinations in the No Prep scene, however Chris wanted to stand out, and we’d say he hit this one out of the park!

Not sure what a Noonan 4.9” bore space Hemi is? It’s basically their existing 4.8 “Fathead” style Hemi, heavily refined. The billet block’s increased bore center allows for an increased bore size (up to 4.600”) which in turn allows for larger valves.

Noonan also changed the valve angle in order to flatten the combustion

MAGNAFLOW CARD CLEARSHOT CARD

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MARK WILLIAMS CARD

AED CARD

C&S CARD

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Chris Michael’s 1969 Twin Turbo Chevrolet Nova Grudge Car Chassis:

Brakes:

Full tube chassis certified to 6.0 built by Larry Jeffers Race Cars.

Suspension: 4-link with Marc Smith adjustable coilover shocks. JRI air assist drag shocks. Custom Lamb Components front struts.

Engine:

Lamb carbon fiber pads/rotors.

Tires & wheels: RC Component Wheels Hoosier Racing Rear Tires Mickey Thompson Front Runners

Interior:

Noonan 4.9” Bore Space Hemi. Bryant racing crankshaft, GRP rods, Trend wristpins, CP pistons. Clevite coated bearings and Total Seal rings. Custom Bullet camshaft and Jesel lifters.

Noonan 4.9 cylinder heads with Reid rockers, Manley valves, PSI springs and Noonan billet valve covers.

Dan Olson Oil Pan and Barnes Oil Pump. Noonan billet manifold, RCD mag drive, Noonan front cover / gear drive assembly and RCD fuel pump extension.

Carbon fiber and candy red to match. Safecraft fire system, RE Racing radio, Braille 16v battery, Speedwire Systems control panel, Racetech seat.

Miscellaneous.

Voss carbon fiber wheelie bars. Dual parachutes.

ET & MPH: Grudge/no-time car.

Thanks To:

Electronics: Haltech Nexus R5 Engine Management System.

Prowire Electronics wiring.

Power Adder: Twin 98mm Precision turbochargers.

Transmission: Rossler 3 speed Turbo 400, Neal Chance converter, M&M shifter, PST carbon fiber driveshaft.

My wife and kids Mark Washington Jay Boddie Paul Summers Larry Jeffers Giuseppe Gentile Eddie Maloney for waiting 9 hours to do the photoshoot!

Rear: Mark Williams full floater with Mark Williams axles.

AJE CARD

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ICON CARD

TRICKFLOW CARD

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LENTECH CARD SUPERCHARGER CARD

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West Coast legend Jay Boddie was tasked to give Gucci the first shakedown passes at Orlando Speedworld Dragway.

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The

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e Gucci Nova’s candy red/carbon interior is a thing of beauty. You almost don’t even want to sit in it.

The center piece of the interior is the Rossler Turbo 400 trans, painted candy red to match.

chamber and they raised the port up an inch on both intake and exhaust. Lifter spacing went from 2 inch to 3.3 inches which also has a ripple effect creating improved valvetrain geometry and allowing for more intake port development.

The engine also boasts a raised cam design and the cylinder head can be removed without removing the intake manifold and associated parts, cutting down maintenance and turnaround times.

After machining, Noonan filled the billet block with a Bryant

crank spinning GRP rods pinned to custom CP piston with Trend wristpins. Clevite coated bearings and a Total Seal ring pack were also used. A custom camshaft with Jesel lifters actuate custom pushrods and the Reid Racing dual shaft rocker setup on the trick Noonan 4.9 billet heads. Being a twin turbo combination, Michael’s Hemi is equipped with the Noonan turbo manifold with Accufab throttle bodies. The twins have been expertly plumbed and receive fresh air via carbon cones

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leading to custom hood cutouts. With only the slight bulge of the Sunoco style hood, they are hardly noticeable.

Adding to the bling factor of “Gucci”, Chris had prominent engine components painted (powder coated) candy red to match the car and interior accents.

Mated to the engine you’ll find a near indestructible Rossler Turbo 400 transmission with Neal Chance converter.

Once again, as a centerpiece inside the Nova, the Rossler is rightfully finished in candy red. Power is routed through a carbon driveshaft back to an equally impressive Mark Williams full floater 96

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NORTHERN RADIATOR

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West Coast legend Jay e h T k o o t e i d d o B Gucci on an inaugural o d n a l r O t a s s pa Speedway... able to share any n u re e’ w , er ev w ...ho the run, other specific details oyn- “wow!” than to sa

rearend suspended by a 4-link coilover setup, while carbon wheelie bars keep the Nova well grounded.

Once the chassis and power parts of the equation were complete, it was time to focus on the “look” of Gucci, and one thing was sure, it would be an attention grabber.

The paint and body crew at Jeffers went to work spraying the sweet gloss black with candy red accent skin, and once again the results were outstanding.

The car was completed just in time for the 2021 PRI show and immediately broke the internet.

From there, after tying up some odds and ends, car and crew were shipped to Orlando Speedworld in February for testing, where we had the opportunity to not only com-

plete our photoshoot, but also get some insight into plans for 2022. Chris had hired gun Jay Boddie driving at Orlando and plans to have him shoe the Nova for the entire 2022 No Prep King Series. Chris himself is continuing to take things slow due to his healing as a result of the accident. “A build of this magnitude can’t be taken lightly, and I trust Boddie behind the wheel,” he said.

This combination makes roughly…well, a lot of power! And it runs… well, really quick!

After all, this is a grudge car so horsepower and performance numbers are cards best held close to the chest. One thing’s for sure though, if it runs as good as it looks (which we know it does), Gucci will see the Winner’s Circle in no time flat!

misener

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C

raig Amptmeyer’s Turbocharged X275 1970 Chevelle is one of those cars that make photographers drool. When Steven Taylor came across this gem, he couldn’t wait to start shooting; when we saw the results, we couldn’t wait to share them with you. We hope you get as much pleasure from this mini feature as we did with its preparation.

IAN HILL

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400 Cubic Inch LS All Pro Heads 88mm Turbo Fabricated 9 Inch Rearend 4-Link Coilover Rear Suspension

PBM Performance Engine LOKAR

ECAM

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NPW

• 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.

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ROSS PISTONS

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BAER 2

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MEZIERE

TRAILER ALARMS CARD

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n the December 2021 issue of RPM, we followed the Red Bull Restoration as the body was starting to take shape and the car was looking like a Corvette once again.

Mostly, though, I focused on safety and certain items that were being designed into this build with additional safety in mind. You may recall that I said “The main goal this time around isn’t about how fast I can go, but rather how I can race the car and be safe.”

It’s a combination of decades of experience (including the wreck) and aging that rearrange the priorities I talked about in that last article. But enough about that, let’s get on to what I promised would be next on the list; The Red Bull’s engine.

Follow along below with our photo documentation of the teardown.

The all-aluminum conventional headed 632 took a lickin’ during the crash and I really wasn’t sure what the extent of the damage would be until I had the opportunity to tear it down. 1 I’m a few months behind on my plans to address the engine, but as always, With the intake off, we can see the intake runners and lifter valley. There doesn’t seem to be life happens. any obvious damage, like cracks or broken parts, so that’s a good sign, but there is a long way As a racer, I’ve always wondered to go. about how an engine that was involved in a rollover wreck would handle those extreme conditions. Usually, all of the wrecks you see videos of, the motor goes to the rev limiter, and being upside down, you know there is no oil pressure. And as we all know, no oil pressure is a very bad thing.

This particular wreck was very intense and when the car took off, the motor did indeed go to the rev limiter and finally died after a few rolls when it ran out of fuel.

In this issue of RPM, after almost 2 2 years of sitting, we will tear the Red Bull motor down and investigate the With the valve cover off, the valvetrain looks good and it is still bolted down good and tight. internals. read more on p.118

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3 The final part of the valvetrain to be removed is the lifters. Every lifter pulled right out of its bore and after a close inspection, it seemed they survived well. Also, the lifter holes suffered no damage. The lifter valley is a vulnerable spot in a big block and it did indeed have me worried.

4 When the car came out of the sky and crashed, the headers were torn from the head. If you look closely you’ll see that the bolt was really short and only pulled out 5 threads. This should be an easy fix with a 3/8 helicoil.

8 Inspection of the RFD 24-degree head went well. No obvious damage. I poured some fuel in the exhaust and intake ports to check valve seal. These are the most expensive parts of the whole motor, so it’s a huge relief to know they will most likely be able to ride again.

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9 The combustion chamber looks great. No obvious cracks is a good sign.

10 Gotta save those lash caps now, or they will not all show up when it’s time for everything to go back together

6 5 Next I’m checking the oil for any sign of metal.

This is Maxima oil 10/30 so you know this motor had the best protection available!

There is a good bit of metal attached to the magnetic plug. This is a typical happening. Over the course of 100 runs on this powerplant, you are going to experience some wear.

7 With the head off, I can really inspect it closely along with the deck of the block. All I can do at this point is carefully visually inspect everything and search for obvious damage. It will be sent out to be Magnafluxed to check for cracks.

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11 The oil pan has to come off now so we can see the guts!

One thing I was interested in was what the gasket looked like. When I built this motor, I decided to O-ring the block. An O-ring head required a small piece of wire inserted into a groove cut into the head and block. When the head mates to the block the wire seals by pressing into the copper gasket from both sides. After 100 runs, these gaskets looked perfect and there were no hot spots between the cylinders.

13 The pan suffered some bumps. This one was not leaking oil, but it’ll have to be knocked out and welded up.

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RPM TARGET MARKET

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14 It was pretty oily in there, but at least there’s not a piston at the bottom!

15 Here is the rotating assembly. Those are GRP aluminum rods attached to some JE slugs. A Bryant crank spins the whole thing.

16 This poor sensor looks like the wires were jerked right out.

17 Wow! That Maxima 10/30 is doing what it’s supposed to do. 100 runs, including the last one that ended up upside down with no oil pressure on the rev limiter. This bearing is a perfect example of what it looks like to have the proper oil for your combination and correct bearing clearance.

18 Here is the other end of the first rod I pulled out. There are a few scratches on this end but it looks great.

19 All of the pistons, rods and bearings survived and will probably be reused. This whole thing is likely to go right back together just like it is. www.rpmmag.com

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22 20 The rear main crank cap looks like it was just installed.

Visually, we knew the carb did touch the concrete at some point and some of the header bolts were jerked out of the bolt holes. The bolt holes should be an easy fix with a 3/8 helicoil and Pro Systems has created a brand new carburetor to feed this 632 when it is back in commission.

Also, the direct port nitrous system was pretty beat up and Steve Johnson from Induction Solutions replumbed the system and did so with some extra get up and go.

The first thing I removed was the RFD heads. These are the most expensive pieces and I’ve been praying for almost 2 years that they will make it out unscathed. As you can imagine, it was pretty tough to see the motor sitting there after the crash and not touch it for such a long period of time, but I guess I just knew the time We’ll be back on Red Bull’s chassis and body next time, so be sure to stay tuned and follow The Red Bull Restoration, only in RPM! In the meantime, to get a better idea of the scope of our project, be sure to check out the video of how all this came about.

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21 Here is the naked crank. All of the journals look perfect and all it needs is a bath.

The cylinder wall and camshaft look good to go. The cylinders will be measured and get a light hone job. The camshaft will likely be ready for the next party.

would come to get into it and that it couldn’t be rushed; this way, every part of the rebuild will get 100% of our attention.

In short, after a very close inspection, I was very satisfied with the whole outcome and I feel blessed that the motor did not take a direct hit to the concrete. It could have been a lot worse and honestly, if this motor would have been hurt, I would probably been done with racing for another few years. The results here give me a sense of hope that I will be back racing very soon as there is really only minor damage; the carb touched the concrete and the nitrous got beat up along with the oil pan and header bolt holes. So with a sigh of relief I can say that it was exterior damage making up most if not all of the bad Just like on one of the best days of my life, this photo shows the way I felt after this tear down. news, and I’ll take that any day!

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