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Made in the USA 2
august 2022 | RPM Magazine
MaximaUSA.com
RPM Magazine is a REGISTERED TRADEMARK of Revolution Publishing & Media Inc. RPM Magazine is a worldwide motorsports publication distributed online.
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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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editor’s
RANT by Chris Biro Editor In Chief
Beware of The Know It All! I’ve heard from a number of RPM readers on how much they miss my sometimes colorful (often with hidden message) Rants, so I decided to bust one out this issue. A number of months back, unrelated to the car industry, I was reminded of a strange human mutation that affected me a few times during my starved-for-horsepower and knowledge hungry youth – the Know-it-all. The Know-it-all is actually a human species that, well, pretends to know it all, and does so VERY convincingly. Let me assure you my fellow RPM readers young and old that there is absolutely, 100% guaranteed, no such creature! On this planet anyway. We were all there at one point, young and car crazy, easily impressed and even more easily led down a garden path by a seemingly genuine fellow car buff who was usually a bit older and really appeared to have their act together, at least in our young eyes. Ah, we were so impressionable back then. Now I’m not saying that there are no folks in the world who know “a lot” about many different things, what I am saying is that there is no one person that knows everything about all things. If there was such a creature wouldn’t all of our industry manufacturers want one of their very own? Imagine, instead of having a staff of Tech Experts, each with several different areas of expertise, they could have just one individual on staff that knew it all. It would be the land of milk and honey – we wouldn’t have to do any R&D and there would be no trial and error based learning. This is not the case in any industry, though, and I personally am grateful that there are many human sources of credible information. Those quality sources that are not afraid to admit that they don’t have all the answers for everything, but can find an answer, and most will also freely admit that they have learned something the hard way – and that is the true value of their knowledge! The things is, the Know-it-all usually targets younger people, but us more seasoned folks can become a victim as well, it just takes the right set of circumstances. And these days, with an internet-educated younger generation we seem to be seeing a much younger form of the Know-it-all,
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also known as “the expert of everything” (self-proclaimed of course). While the key indicators are the same, this new beast is able to dig up “fact” after “fact” to support their supposed all-knowing existence. Many times, however, those “facts” are not really verified facts but rather Web or Social Media chatter. Keep in mind that you wouldn’t call a plumber to wire your home... even though there are many Jacks of all trades, they do not really “know” the ins and outs of each trade. Of course this can be a little harder to maneuver when the Know-itall has been recommended to you. So how do we know when we’re being duped? Here are few quick tips that might help: 1. They Know-It-All says, “I know” to everything, even though they don’t. – TIP – the truly genuine, helpful and constructive person with solid knowledge will say “I don’t know that, but I will find out and let you know”. 2. The Know-it-all will try to detour, prevent or sway you from seeking a second opinion. – TIP – The true knowledgeable person will encourage it. 3. The know it all, for whatever reason, usually portrays themselves as everybody’s “buddy”, so not only do they know everything, but they know everybody, too. – TIP – The genuine knowledgeable and helpful person is usually a bit more quiet and humble about their knowledge and their circle of contacts. 4. The Know-it-all will not want you around when they are doing work for you. – TIP – The genuine knowledgeable person will welcome you to be part of the project, within a schedule time of course...nobody likes unannounced drop-ins or hangouts as they get in the way of progress. 5. The know it all will not have a list of people that they call in for expert advice or work when they are doing a job. – TIP – The truly knowledgeable person will gladly admit that they have a long list of experts in many fields that they work with regularly. The long and short of is, don’t get caught in the gravitational pull of the Know-it-all...it usually costs YOU time, money and frustration! Mic drop, peace out, until next time.... Chris Biro, Editor in Chief
august 2022 | RPM Magazine
AED Competition ................. 96
Meziere Enterprises ............. 73
AFR:
Misener Motorsports ........... 44
Air Flow Research ...... 5,55,93 AJE Racing........................... 98
Moroso Performance ........... 22
American Racing Headers ... 90
Moser Engineering ........24,63
Baer Brakes ...................51,81
Neal Chance Converters....... 99
BES Racing Engines ............. 18 Billet Specialties .................. 24
Parts Pro/Total
Bill Mitchell Products ....11,74
Truck Centers ....................... 87
BoulandMotorsUSA.com ..... 88
PBM Products....................103
Browell Bellhousings.........105 Burns Stainless .................... 34
Profiler ................................ 90
C & S Specialties .................. 47
PRW-USA ............................ 17
Callies Performance Prod..... 17
Race Part Solutions .......44,51
Calvert Racing Suspensions . 49 Canton Racing Products ...... 43
Rage Wraps ......................... 24
Clearshot Customs.............104
RAM Clutches ...................... 65
Deez Performance ............... 47
RCD ...................................892
Derale ................................. 42 Design Engineering ............. 81
RM Racing Lubricants .......... 50
E3 Spark Plugs...................103
Ross Racing Pistons ..........7,86
ECAM ................................102
RPM Magazine .....21,64,105
Erson Cams.......................... 50 GoDragRacing.org ............... 89
RPM Magazine
Granatelli Motorsports ........ 77
Subscribe! .....................12,45
GRP Connecting Rods .......... 75
Summit
Harland Sharp ..................... 12 Hitman Hotrods................... 90 Hughes Performance.............. 7
Racing Equip. .......89,96,111 T & D Machine ..................... 91
Ian Hill Racing ............ 86,102
The Supercharger Store .....102
Icon Forged Pistons ............. 98
Thermo-Tec ......................... 17
Induction Solutions ............. 41 Jesel .................................... 45
Ti64 ..................................... 88
Joe Van O............................. 90
Total Seal Rings ................... 54
JW Racing Transmissions ........ 5
Trailer Alarms.com .............. 23
Kinsler Fuel Injection.....13,91 LenTech
TREMEC ............................... 89
Automatics...........23,55,104
Trick Flow ......................15,98
Liberty’s Gears..................... 93
Tuned By Shane T ................ 92
Lokar Performance ............103 Lutz Race Cars ..................... 17
Ultimate Headers ................ 97
Magnaflow.......................... 96
VFN Fiberglass Inc. .............. 23
MagnaFuel .......................... 35
Vortech .........................10,91
MAHLE Aftermarket ............ 76 Manton Pushrods ................ 67
VP Racing Fuels ................... 53
Mark Williams ...................105
Weinle Motorsports ............ 54
Maxima Racing Oils ................ 2
World Domination – RPM ... 94
Metal Products .................... 97
World Products.................... 46
ENFORCER-HALF
JW-PERFORMANCE
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august
2022
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!
The Perfect Family Car ................................ 60 Not really… but This wicked all-motor Dart is definitely fun for the whole family!
That Mustang Is BOSS! .................................................................... 8
The Shaggin’ Wagon...................................................................... 82 This Cool Coyote Wagon Has Room To Spare!
And this BOSS is a boosted street machine with some serious attitude! From the pages of RPM Magazine, December 2014
Real Street...............................................................................................32
This wild boosted Camaro brings back the glory days!
Ralph Rowland’s 2007 Mustang is worth a second look!
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From the pages of RPM Magazine, October 2015
We revisit Ken Wright’s 1948 Ford Anglia Drag Car
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Read COMPLETE ISSUES OF RPM MAG online at www.rpmmag.com 6
august 2022 | RPM Magazine
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HUGHES PERFORMANCE HALF
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august 2022 | RPM Magazine
Story & Photos: Wes Taylor
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That’s Boss,man! Back in the sixties and seventies (coincidentally when the first generation Boss Mustang was introduced) the word “boss” added to a sentence meant that something wasn’t just cool, it was over-thetop cool!
Some of us have a diverse collection of keys hanging on our key rack, while others, like Sterling Hall, stick to one brand, and even a specific model. Sterling is a Ford Mustang man through and through, and that blue oval gene was passed directly from his father.
When Sterling was a child, his dad had a 1972 Mach 1 Mustang that he tinkered with and then a Thunderbird with a 306. They enjoyed gokarts, circle and dirt racing together until Sterling became legal driving age after which they would go to the drag strip to support local Top-Sportsman racer Ronnie Proctor. Ronnie and his wife Karen had recently acquired a 1995 Ford Mustang GT convertible and they talked Sterling’s dad into letting him make his first straight line pass in it. From that point forward Sterling decided he never wanted to turn again, at least at a race track anyway. “I was hooked immediately and we sold the oval track karts!” he exclaimed.
RACE PARTS 2
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august 2022 | RPM Magazine
LESS WEIGHT = PERFORMANCE Bill Mitchell Products creates nothing but the best blocks from 357-T6 Aluminum as our standard.
Sterling Hall’s Boss is rare, with only 672 Performance White models produced!
LS SBC BBC 409 SBF HEMI WEDGE www.rpmmag.com
Check Out Our Huge Selection Of High Performance Parts at BillMitchellProducts.com Or Call 386.957.3009
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HARLAND SHARP
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august 2022 | RPM Magazine
St setu ‘86 f that Qui racin kid, a les stree were Hall Term ever Mili he h
terling’s first step into a car up for the drag strip was an four eye Fox Body Mustang t they did a 351 swap into. ickly realizing how expensive ng is for a broke high school , the car was sold in favor of ss costly 1998 Mustang GT et machine. Once finances e in better working order, l went to a full bolt-on build minator Cobra that he raced ry chance he could, but his itary service came first and had to let her go.
Sterling Hall’s Boss 302- Night Racing At It’s Best!
KINSLER HALF
A few years later he reconnected with his love for horsepower and built it into a supercharged 900whp brawler. By 2016 he’d been through a few more Mustangs, but when he came across a bone stock white Boss 302 with 38k miles on it, he just had to have it. “While at the Crusin OC event I was looking at classifieds and a buddy sent me a Performance White 2013 Boss. This was the car. So as soon as I got back from the beach I went directly south to get it,” Hall said.
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The car, known as the ECOBOSS sits low and looks mean complete with somewhat deceiving twin front grille air inlets.
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august 2022 | RPM Magazine
Put the Hammer Down.
You don’t cut corners or accept compromises.
Use the best parts, like Trick Flow GenX® 255 square port cylinder heads that can significantly increase the performance of your GM LS-powered car. Highlights include LS3-shaped CNC Competition Ported runners, CNC-profiled combustion chambers, 12° valve angles, coolant holes that work with all LS head gaskets and engine blocks, and your choice of standard or 6-bolt mounting patterns—all engineered, machined, assembled, durability tested, and dyno proven in the USA to help your car stay ahead of the pack. Dyno Results
Airflow Results
GenX 255 Square Port
GenX 255 Square Port
Lift Value
Intake Flow CFM
Exhaust Flow CFM
.100"
71
59
.200"
146
113
.300"
231
171
.400"
294
215
.500"
334
240
363
252
382
258
.600" TRICKFLOW FULL
Test Engine: GM 6.2L LS3 short block with 10.43:1 compression, Trick Flow GenX® 255 square port cylinder heads (TFS-3261T002-C01), Trick Flow Track Max® hydraulic roller cam (TFS-32603001), stock L92 intake with 90mm throttle body, Kooks headers with 17⁄8" primaries, and dual exhaust with 3" Flowmaster mufflers.
.700"
Tests conducted at 28" of water (pressure). Bore size: 4.065"; exhaust with 2" pipe.
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Some parts are not legal for sale or use on any pollution-controlled motor vehicles.
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“Well I had the car roughly two weeks before I heard of a track rental at MIR, so I got a line lock installed and ordered a set of 19 inch radials, we were back, and the rest is history!” he added. Mustangs have come from the factory in many variants; the Boss versions having unique traits and are limited to specific years with low production numbers. 16
august 2022 | RPM Magazine
For example, the first generation Boss was produced only for the 1969 and 1970 model years, while the second generation, like Sterling’s, came in 2012 and 2013. With 2013 getting a facelift, Sterling’s Boss is rare, with only 672 Performance White models produced. Ford designed the Boss to be a better “corner carver” than the regular GT, but Hall had other plans.
The Mustang remains stock appearing with factory glass, body panels, and still has power windows and door locks along with the power steering and heat! Chances are this won’t last forever though, as plans are to go on a strict diet during the coming off-Season.
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Inside the Boss is as factory as factory gets aside from the Mike Thomas built 10-point cage, Motion Raceworks column and steering wheel with buttons for staging etc., window net, a pair of race seats with Racequip harnesses and a custom rear seat delete.
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Sterling Hall and his white Boss 203 Mustang make this ultra clean launch and pass right down broadway to the finish line and the win!
The car’s setup has been through a few different variations over the past few years, from bolt-ons to a manufactured turbo kit and eventually the current setup. The stock 302 saw some pretty heavy use thanks to Ford forging the rods and pistons from the factory, but it just wouldn’t cut it for Hall’s end goals. Nonetheless, after swapping out the stock trans for a built ’Glide, Sterling was able to break into a single-digit time slip, and then into the 8s on a stock motor with the first turbo setup. Remember, he’s got 1 of 672 Boss cars in this color, and he was eventually
able to go an 8.65 in it! A few things had to change from here, though; safety and power. For power, he contacted RPG Racing Engines to take on a new build. After machining the block, RPG installed a micro-polished Boss forged crank, Manley Extreme Duty pistons, and their billet steel rods. Total Seal rings and bearings keep things sealed, oiled and reliable, and ARP hardware was used throughout. Next, they took the stock Boss heads, did some port and polish work, added Ferrea valves and Pac Racing springs, and called it a day with a complete long block.
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august 2022 | RPM Magazine
Hall took the stock mill with a bit of boost to an 8.65 ¼-mile run, but decided it was time to buy insurance in the form of better, stronger parts and, of course, more boost!
It surprises many people how far you can go on the stock Mustang/Boss cams without needing an upgrade. Compressed air enters the small block through a sheet metal Plazmaman intake manifold on the induction side. Next, Mike Thomas of Mike Thomas Fab created a turbo kit around a 91/102mm turbo. A combination of
1650cc injectors and a return style triple pump fuel system deliver a healthy dose of ethanol. A Boost Leash boost controller, MSD 2-step, and True Stage smooth stage system provides control assistance. With Rob Shoemaker from Palm Beach Dyno behind the keyboard, based on track times they estimate that the car makes 1500whp!
RPG Racing Engines built the latest motor between the Boss’ rails starting with a sleeved Gen 2 Coyote block. After adding some serious internal hardware, RPG ported and polished Boss heads and added Ferrea valves and PAC springs. A trick Plazmaman intake tops the small block and the turbo fab work was completed by Mike Thomas Fab.
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Sterling Hall’s 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Body & Paint:
ET & MPH:
All stock body and glass. Calvin Atwell III did paint work, Mike Thomas Fab wing.
Chassis & Suspension/Modifications: Mike Thomas Fab 10 point cage.
Engine: RPG built and sleeved Gen 2 Coyote block, ARP hardware. Manley Extreme duty piston , Manley billet steel rods, Total Seal rings, micro polished Boss crank. RPG ported and polished Boss heads, Ferrea valves PAC springs.
Induction & Fuel Delivery: Plazmaman intake, fuel rails. Fore triple pump return style fuel system with FIC 1650 injectors.
Electronics: Factory ECU tuned with HP tuners, MSD 2 step, Leash Electronics Co2 Boost Leash, True stage Smooth Stage.
Power Adder: Mike Thomas Fab turbo kit with Forced induction 91/102 turbo.
Transmission: Transmission Specialties Powerglide with 1.80 first gear.
Rear Differential:
¼ mile 7.93
Unique Features: The car is a true boss car, it was made to be a road race car but my love for the nostalgic name plate drew me to do something different. I have gone as fast as I have with factory glass, body panels, and still have power windows and door locks along with the power steering and heat.
Thanks To: RPG Race Engines, Belak Industries for wheels, Mike Thomas Fab for all the long hours and hard work, Vibrant Performance for all the parts, Forced Induction Solution for the turbo talk, Rob Shoemaker for all the tuning help and long hours. Mostly my wife for being a major supporter and instigator in this build. Some guys have to justify why they buy parts where my wife says “why buy it twice, let’s over build it”. My father for the drive and work ethic to push myself that if I have a goal then work hard and I can achieve it. My entire family of friends for continually supporting me in chasing this dream. My friends spend more time helping in one way or another then most people’s family would so this wouldn’t be possible without them either as racing at any level requires a team.
Most memorable experience to date:
8.8 Rear end with welded and braced housing. 3.55 rear gear, Strange spool with 35 spline axles.
Brakes:
Running that 7! I couldn’t wait to call my wife and my dad who couldn’t make it to share the great news. All the long hours and hard work come down to one pass.
Aerospace Brakes on all 4 corners.
Tires & wheels: Belak Series 3 wheel with Mickey Thompson Radial Pro 275/60/15 rear.
Interior: Gauges are factory, steering wheel and column are Motion Raceworks MPI wheel, Stroud Window net, Kirkey seats with RaceQuip harnesses and custom rear seat delete from CMComponents. Factory stereo still works in the car.
RAGE WRAPS CARD
MOSER CARD
moserengineering.com
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august 2022 | RPM Magazine
@ 174mph
RPM TARGET MARKET
www.rpmmag.com www.rpmmag.com www.rpmmag.com | august | |june july 2022
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The latest two-speed Powerglide is from Transmission Specialties and equipped with a 1.80 gearset and a Circle D torque converter that JPC Performance spec’d for Hall’s setup. The 8.8 rear is quite strong from the factory, but having it welded and braced helps it handle the extra power, along with the 35 spline axles and spool also installed during the upgrade. Custom upper and lower control arms, a heavy-duty anti-roll bar, and Viking Crusader shocks with BMR drag springs keep the rear planted. An aftermarket K-member and a-arms with Viking Crusader coilovers and BMR drag springs handle front suspension duties. Stopping power comes from a single parachute and Aerospace Components brakes on all four corners. Belak Series 3 wheels, with beadlocked rears hide the trick machined brakes. Mickey Thompson radials reside on the rear and skinnies upfront and other than a wing fabricated by Mike, the Mustang remains stock appearing with factory glass, body panels, and still has power windows and door locks along with the power steering and heat.
Sterling Hall with his Boss Mustang.
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august 2022 | RPM Magazine
meet the new Boss... not the same as the old Boss.
Sterling Hall vs The Time Clock www.rpmmag.com
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The ECOBOSS runs clean 7-second hits in its current state, yet it’s still fully street legal! 28
august 2022 | RPM Magazine
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This Boss is fast, and although newer cars are engineered better structurally, rules dictate everyone going a specific time or faster to have a cage. Mike did a superb job outfitting the stock interior with a custom 10 point class legal cage painted black with carbon fiber accents. The interior is very streetcar-like, and even the factory working radio remains intact. Additions include a Motion Raceworks column and steering wheel with buttons for staging etc., window net, a pair of race seats with Racequip harnesses and a custom rear seat delete from CMComponents. Hall’s biggest challenge was to make it into the 7-second club, something a limited number of true street drive30
august 2022 | RPM Magazine
able cars can achieve. Finally, after long hours and more than a few headaches, Sterling reached his goal at the Street Car Takeover Virginia, going a blistering 7.93 @ 174mph! “I can’t thank the people who have had a part in this build enough. The evolution will continue as we go standalone with Holley and try to take
some weight out of this pig.” Looking all the way back to the sixties and seventies, it’s hard to believe that one single word has had so much influence over our performance car culture, and one thing is for sure, a 7-second street Mustang definitely qualifies as “BOSS”!
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august 2022 | RPM Magazine
Story: George Pich Photos: Randy Pugh
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Remember the cars that competed in the original “Real Street” and “True Street” classes of street legal heads-up drag racing?
through the 90s. Stock chassis, small tires, violent launches, crazy, unpredictable power adders, but the theme was always one thing “street” car, with an effort to maintain as much of the original car as possible and prevent exotic and overly expensive engine parts from entering the mix. And these 9 and 8-second ¼-mile cars We sure do! Street-le- were the show! Oh how git cars that were driv- times have changed… en during the week and but not for Blaine Huffraced on weekends. man and his cool 1979 You would see a variety ProCharged big block of styles from the 60s Camaro.
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august 2022 | RPM Magazine
The cool raked stance comes courtesy of a stock suspension with no min tub! An assortment of Calvert parts out back include their split mono leafs and world renowned Caltrac bars along with double adjustable shocks. Up front, tubular A-arms work in conjunction with stock springs and aftermarket shocks.
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When we’re talking about original, stock or OEM it’s tough to know where to start with Blaine’s Camaro, but let’s go with the body. The Camaro retains nearly all of its original steel body with the exception of the Glasstek fiberglass cowl hood. Trim and bumpers are also original pieces.
Blaine, like many of us, started into cars at a young age and was influenced by his family. How cool would it be to have parents that owned a small car lot? “My parent’s lot in Streetsboro, Ohio was called Alabama Wheels. We owned it through the 1980s and that’s how my addiction got started. It was all southern cars and probably every muscle car ever made went through there,” explained Huffman. “Then, on my 16th birthday, my brother took me to the race track and let me race his ’70 LeMans that ran in the 15-second area, and from that point I was ruined,” he added with a smile. 36
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A mostly original oh-so-hot red interior includes the factory dash, trim panels, console, tilt steering column and steering wheel, and even the back seat! A certified 12-point mild steel cage was installed by Ultra Tech during the build and seats were exchanged with comfy Procar race seats upholstered to match with “8 Second Express” embroidered into the headrests.
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A complete array of aftermarket gauges have been expertly installed in the original dash face using carbon panels, and a Hurst billet pistol grip shifter commands gear changes.
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august 2022 | RPM Magazine
By 1995, Blaine was ready to dive into his next car build and found a 1979 Camaro in the local trader paper, and it was a true barn find – sitting in a small garage at a horse farm, it was rust free with all original body panels. Needless to say, he bought it right then and there. Soon a 475-inch big block with TH350 setup for pump gas was installed and Blaine raced and drove it for the next 5 years, running mid 10-second hits on the long track on pump fuel. Experimenting with horsepower, Blaine was wooed by a different type of racing and found himself getting into the diesel truck and pulling scene, so the Camaro sat safely in storage for the next 8 years. Once he discovered that building a pulling truck is just as expensive as putting a fast car together, Huffman opted to get back into the Camaro.
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My first pass on the ProCharger setup the car went 9.30, killing the tire on the original 5 leaf spring setup with slapper bars installed! Blaine along with Chris Klink of Ultra Tech Racecars and Blaine’s sister Jennifer built the car into the street/strip brawler it is now, but losing a good friend that was a big part of the build definitely had an impact on Huffman. “Chris Clink lost his battle with Leukemia and he was a big part of my motivation for the build,” Blaine remembered somberly. During this next phase of Huffman’s Camaro he was introduced to boost and in 2010 he bought his first ProCharger for the new 509 BBC, and
he was instantly ‘blown’ away. “My first pass on the ProCharger setup the car went 9.30, killing the tire on the original 5 leaf spring setup with slapper bars installed!” Obviously Huffman needed to focus on all other areas of the car in order to put the new power to work as efficiently as possible. While the frame remained factory, an overhaul was completed and it started out back with a braced Ford 9” with Moser 40-spline gun-drilled axles, aluminum boltthrough center section, spool and 3.50 gears.
DERALE.COM TECH SUPPORT: 323-266-3850
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A 509-inch ProCharged big block Chevy resides under the Camaro hood. V’s House of Horsepower is responsible for the machine work and co-assembly along with Ultra Tech Racecars.
CANTON RACING
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misener
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RACE PARTS 6TH
The big Bowtie sports a 9.5:1 base compression ratio, making it perfect for boost, and that’s exactly what Huffman had in mind (not to mention that going with a blower is fitting to the last name HUFF MAN).
Suspension was upgraded with products from Calvert, including their Caltrac bars and split mono leaf spring setup with QA1 dual adjust shocks. The car hit the 8-second zone, running 8.91, and today, after a bunch more time and lots of help, Blaine can go from the street to the track and bang off consistent 8.50 hits in the quarter…now that’s impressive! Remember, there’s no exotic parts here, just good ol’ fashioned cubic inches + boost + the right parts in the right areas with the right tuning. When we’re talking about original, stock or OEM it’s tough to know where to start with Blaine’s Camaro, but let’s go with the body. The Camaro retains nearly all of its original steel body with the exception of the Glasstek fiberglass cowl hood. Trim and bumpers are also original pieces.
MISENER 6TH
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Huffman more recently updated the look of the engine by replacing chrome and aluminum with a hammered gray with silver finish and black piping for the blow-thru system.
Chassis-wise, the car retains its complete original frame with stock style suspension and even the rear wheelwells are original – no mini tub here! We’ve talked about suspension mods out back, all using the stock configuration, but Huffman also had to look after things up front and started with aftermarket tubular upper and lower control arms. Stock spindles and springs were used but shocks were swapped out with QA1 single adjustables, and an S10 manual steering rack was also installed. As you can see 46
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in the photo on page 54, the Camaro has stood up on the back bumper from time to time and, albeit cool to watch, it’s not what Blaine wanted so he worked the tune along with the new suspension parts to tame the launch considerably and minimize the risk of breaking stuff. The interior of the Camaro is that oh-so-hot red and almost all of it is original, including the factory dash, trim panels, console, tilt steering column and steering wheel, and even the back seat!
Blaine Huffman Complete Walkaround, Startup and burnout!
Blaine Huffman’s Street / Strip 1979 Chevrolet Camaro Body & Paint: All steel original sheet metal with fiberglass 4” cowl hood.
Chassis Type & Mods: Stock frame, non tubbed, stock wheel wells. 12-point cage certified to 8.50.
Suspension: Stock style suspension. Rear is Calvert split mono leaf springs and Caltracs with double adjustable QA1 shocks. Front is tubular upper and lower A-arms, stock coil springs with single adjustable QA1 shocks. S10 manual steering box.
Engine: V’s House of Horsepower/Ultra Tech Racecars 509 cubic inches with 9:1 compression ratio (502 block, 30 over). Eagle crank and H-beam rods. Dart 320 heads with T&D shaft rocker arms and PAC springs. JE psitons, Mahle Clevite bearings, Total Seal rings. Bullet solid roller camshaft .775/.750 lift 268/285 duration. 4150 carb by CSU on Holley Strip Dominator intake.
Power Adder: ProCharger F2, cogged belt, 18lbs of boost with air to air intercooler.
Electronics: MSD Grid, Fire Core wires
Transmission & Converter: Turbo 400 with trans brake and Neal Chance 9” bolt-together converter.
Rear Differential: Ford 9” with Moser 40 spline gun drilled axles, aluminum bolt through center section, 3.50 gear with spool.
Miscellaneous: carpet etc. Autometer gauges. on the street.
stop the 3550lbs!
Best ET & MPH: 8.51...so far!
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Of course, a certified 12-point mild steel cage was installed by Ultra Tech during the build to keep Blaine safe and seats were exchanged with comfy Procar race seats upholstered to match with “8 Second Express” embroidered into the headrests. A full array of aftermarket gauges have been expertly installed in the original dash face using carbon panels, but all the original accessory controls are present. A Hurst billet pistol grip shifter commands gear changes (no air bottle here!) and for air conditioning, Blaine says it’s
an old school “drive fast with the windows down” system! The not-so-stock part of the equation takes control under the hood and starts with a 502 block bored .030 over producing a 509-inch ProCharged big block Chevy – Huffman being a firm believer in the old saying “There’s no replacement for displacement”. Starting with a 4.50 bore, 4.00-inch stroke block an Eagle crank spins a set of their H-beam steel rods with Clevite bearings pinned to JE pistons with Total Seal rings.
A single parachute and aftermarket brakes help stop the 3550lbs of Chevy and all street equipment is fully operational!
CRrear shocks 9
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burnin’ up the track www.rpmmag.com
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A .775/.750 lift cam was slid in place and Dart aluminum heads were equipped with PAC springs and T&D shaft rockers. V’s House of Horsepower is responsible for the machine work and co-assembly along with Ultra Tech Racecars. The big Bowtie sports a 9.5:1 base compression ratio, making it perfect for boost, and that’s exactly what Huffman had in mind. A ProCharger F2 with air to air cooler runs at 18psi boost and blows through a
1000cfm CSU Holley 4150 Dominator carb on a tricked out Holley Strip Dominator intake. A Vickers Performance Transmission TH400 was coupled with a Neal Chance 9-inch bolt-together converter to send power back to that 9-inch through a custom Henderson Drivetrain & Axle driveshaft. Of course, in all this madness, Blaine runs through a traditional exhaust system with Magnaflow Series 4 mufflers that exits behind the rear axle.
ERSON CAMS
RM RACING 6TH
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A braced 9-inch rearend heavily fortified with a full line of Moser parts is suspended by the stock type suspension system (no coilovers here!). Spent gases exit through big tube headers and a traditional exhaust system complete with Magnaflow muffles that exits behind the rear axle. A 15 gallon fuel cell is trunk mounted along with the battery and allows for both nighttime cruising and track hits on the weekend.
RPM UP CLOSE
BAER 6TH
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What’s Old Is New if you haven’t read it yet! Over the coming months we will be hosting some of our past issues of RPM Magazine in this section. If you haven’t read them yet, they are new to you! If you have, maybe there’s a favourite car/story you want to read again….here they are!
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KEEP UP TO DATE ON THE LATEST IN HARDCORE HORSEPOWER...SUBSCRIBE!
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Driving and racing a car regularly doesn’t come without the odd bump and bruise.
DYNO TESTED, RACE PROVEN & OUTLAW APPROVED.
MAHLE HALF
Justin Swanstrom Relies on VP Lubricants Street Outlaws don’t mess around when it comes to getting every ounce of power out of their no-prep drag machines. That’s why Justin Swanstrom trusts VP Traditional SAE 60 Engine Oil to protect his 3,300hp Proline Hemi powered Lexus pass after pass.
Learn More About VP Drag Racing Products
VPRacingFuels.com/Lubricants www.rpmmag.com
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A thrilling treat for fans trackside, dynamic launches like this can be risky for car as well as the driver, sometimes putting an end to race day or worse. Blaine submitted this photo of him teasing the spectators with a spectacular wheel stand that thankfully resulted in yet another successful pass.
WEINLE MOTORSPORTS 6TH
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Blaine drives the car on the street regularly and has run at tracks everywhere from Florida to Indianapolis, Michigan, and Ohio. He was even able to do a few laps around the famed Daytona and Indianapolis Speedways, but he still says that picking his daughter up from school in a line of mini vans was definitely a highlight with the Camaro, too. Street driven, raced hard and boasting in the area of 1,000 horsepower, whether its wheels on the ground or several feet in the air, it’s hard to argue that Blaine Huffman’s boosted big block Camaro is anything but “Real Street”!
RPM POWER 6TH AFR CARD
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RPM hidden gem
Ralph Rowland’s stunning 2007 Mustang Cobra From the pages of RPM Magazine, December 2014
Don’t let the new boDy style fool you ! this 2007 Mustang is the result of olD school Drag racing craftsManship...
T
hrowback. Old school. Nostalgia drags. Call it what you will, but whatever you choose to label it, you can rest assured that Hampton, Virginia’s Ralph Rowland embodies it. The 30+ year drag racing veteran comes from an era when parts were built and not bought and there was no greater satisfaction than knowing that the car you raced was the car you built yourself. Case in point is Rowland’s cool new 2007 Mustang Cobra. As nice as the car might appear on first glance, it is even more im-
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pressive when you realize that pretty much everything you see is the result of Rowland’s tireless efforts out of his modest two car garage. It is guys like Ralph who give drag racing’s next generation hope that not everything on the strip needs to be a six-figure turn-key build CNC machined in a high dollar shop. Using ingenuity, creativity, and good old fashioned drag racing wherewithal, Rowland’s Horse proves that the roots of hot rodding aren’t dead yet, not even close.
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Photos: Louis Fronkier
Rowland meticulously prepped the all-‘glass shell, doors, trunk lid, and one piece front clip for paint. He sprayed the car himself using a rich burgundy PPG/Axalta basecoat/clearcoat color, masked the car and shot the iconic gold Shelby-style stripes.
“I saw cars like Rickie Jones’ and decided it was time to build one for myself...” RALPH ROWLAND
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RPM hidden gem
Drivetrain for the build was a no-brainer, as Rowland’s consistent Probe already sported a powerful Blue Oval mill and a rock-solid transmission. The 598 ci Ford SVO block has been fitted with a 4.500 stroke Sonny Bryant crank and GRP aluminum rods. Pistons from Ross Racing round out the rotating assembly, while A-460 Trick Flow alu-
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minum heads keep the intake and exhaust flows properly directed. Further fortifying the build are a set of titanium intake and exhaust valves, a Jo-mar stud girdle, ARP head studs, and Crower roller rockers. Topping it off is a fabricated aluminum intake with a pair of 1050 Holley Dominators.
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Story: George Pich Photos: Jerry Garrison
It’s no secret... The staff at RPM loves cars with a distinct factory appearance. There’s just something about a muscle car, old or new, that keeps as much original equipment as possible (and practical) in place that gets our attention.
To us, it’s still looks like a “real” production car, so when we find killer pieces like Shiloh Davies’ 1968 Dodge Dart, we jump at the chance to feature them in RPM Mag. After all, it was cars like Shiloh’s that started all this madness! The date was 1998 and Shiloh and his wife Cynthia had just received the exciting news that they would be
having their first child. At the time, he was driving his 454 Chevy pickup daily, in fact, it was his only source of transportation. The thought of a pickup with a baby created some obvious challenges, so Davies did something about it, he explains: “The opportunity arose for me to trade my truck for a 1968 Dodge Dart. I thought, hmmm, that would be a perfect family vehicle!” Interesting decision Shiloh, very interesting; it’s amazing how our gearhead minds are wired just a bit differently as I am sure 99% of RPM readers would completely agree! After having the Dart for just a short time you can probably imagine what happened – first headers and then a 4 barrel carb found their way onto the little 273 small block.
MOSER HALF
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Things sort kept going from there as the extra power destroyed the stock trans which led to an upgrade in that department, and why not add a nice stall converter while you’re at it. “I instantly thought we had a race car on our hands!” Davies added with a smile. “We went to the street legals at Pomona California and made a blistering 16-second pass. I was completely excited, that is until I got the time slip, but I guess it
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was at that point the need for speed became a necessity of life for me.” This new found need left Shiloh wanting more and after “chasing better time slips on a french fry budget”, he decided a little nitrous would provide the best bang for the buck. “That led us out to the streets of LA where we street raced three to four nights a week until the 273 could no longer be repaired.”
This 1968 Dart is a survivor!
The factory steel roof, quarter panels, doors, fenders and floor remain and only fiberglass bumpers, trunk lid and hood have been added.
RAM CLUTCHES
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Hardtop styling and long rear quarter panels were a trademark of early Darts. Couple that with a low stance, pro stock style hood and slick bumble bee striping and you’ve got a killer looking ride.
Next up was an upgrade to a 360 with Edelbrock RPM heads and a 150 shot, which led to more street racing and trying the local Street Legal drags. By 2003, after driving the Dart from Los Angeles to Las Vegas for an event, Shiloh garnered his first 10-second pass, went a few rounds and then drove the car back to Los Angeles. “That road trip resulted in a pretty cool write up in Car Craft about a 10-second Long Haul hot rod.”
After having a ton of fun with the Dart, by 2015 Shiloh and his wife decided to go with a new engine, only this time they wanted an 8-second capable motor that would do so without a power adder. They had enjoyed playing in the NMCA West Ultra Street class and with the West Coast Hot Rod group for a few years and wanted to build something using the famed W series Mopar cylinder head.
MANTON 6TH
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“The fact that it’s a Dodge with a small block Dodge motor definitely can catch the competition off guard...” www.rpmmag.com
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This small block is not your ordinary animal... First, it’s Dodge small block and that alone involves a whole new set of rules to make the sort of power this one makes, not to mention a fatter wallet. QMP Racing took on the task of helping create the 430-incher based on an R3 block with 4.200 bore, 3.880 stroke and 60mm cam tunnel. Brett Miller built the W8 heads and also supplied one of their cast ported intakes.
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The end result of that choice is a killer small block Mopar (yes we said small block) that runs au-naturel; AKA, we don’t need no stinking power adders! A QMP Racing machined R3 race block with a 60 mm cam tunnel boasts a 4.200 bore and 3.880 stroke that nets a healthy 430 cubic inches of pure Mopar muscle. And there’s more tricks
in this little bad boy then a magician’s hat, including extra work to enhance oiling. A Bryant crank spins Carrillo steel rods and Ross pistons with Total Seal rings and Trend wrist pins. Those Mopar W8 cylinder heads were worked over by Brett Miller who installed Delwest 2.25 intake and 1.6 exhaust valves with Moldstar seats and guides.
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Shiloh Davies’ Small Block All Motor 1968 Dodge Dart Body & Paint: The car retains the factory steel roof, quarter panels, doors, fenders and floor. Fiberglass bumpers, decklid and hood along with carbon fiber dash by Unlimited Fiberglass.
Chassis Modifications: Mini tub In the rear and front inner fender wells removed. Tied the cage into the front suspension utilizing the factory shock mount location and custom-built k member and lower control arms. Roll cage and suspension modifications we’re built by Mike Aiken and Rod McGregor in El Monte, CA.
Suspension: Rear is Calvert Caltracs with their mono leaf slightly moved inboard for extra tire clearance. The leafspring has been rotated in the car 3 inches to move the instant center further forward in the car. The rear shock is mounted 6 in off of axle centerline as we use the shock to control separation as well as rotation of the housing. Added a total of 2 in of lowering block and topped off the rear with a set of Menscer shocks with super valving. Up front the custom built K-member utilizes the stock upper shock location and a total of 4 in of travel. Eliminated the use of the factory torsion bar and made room for the large headers and in their place added a set of Menscer coilovers with 200 lb springs.
Engine: Small block Mopar 430 CID packaged in an R3 47-degree race block with a 60 mm cam tunnel (3.880 Stroke × 4.200). Oiling mods along with keyway lifters 100% of machine work completed by the amazing team at QMP RACING in Chatsworth California.. thank you Brad Lagman and Mike console! A Daily Dry-Sump pump circulates LAT Racing Oil. The camshaft was spec’d by Brett Miller. Rotating Assembly is a Bryant center counter weighted crank, Carrillo steel rods and Ross pistons with Total Seal rings and Trend wrist Pins. Clevite rod /main bearings. Balanced by Qmp Racing in Chatsworth California. Cylinder Heads are Mopar W8 cylinder heads designed, ported and set up by Induction Specialist Brett Miller. Equipped with 2.25 intake and a 1.6 exhaust valves by Delwest, and Moldstar seats and guides. Machined by Randy and Jeremy Harshman. The valve springs, retainers, keepers and lash caps come from Joe Hornick Enterprises with a set of Jesel rocker arms.
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Induction & Fuel Delivery: Ported Brett Miller cast intake and spacer which was designed to work perfectly with 2.350 carburetor. Quick Fuel 427 pump and Aeromotive regulator.
Power Adder: All motor, baby!
Transmission: 727 3 speed auto with an A1 7in 8400 stall converter utilizing LAT transmission fluid.
Rear Differential: Ford 9-inch with Moser axles, spool and center section with 5.29 gears and LAT gear oil.
Brakes: Combination of Lamb and Wilwood brakes.
Tires & Wheels: Billet wheels by Weld, 3.5 ×15 fronts with Mickey Thompson tires, 15x12 with 28 inch Hoosier in the rear.
Interior: Racepak, A.R.T steering wheel and column, PPP shifter, DJ seat belts. Data collected by a Sportsman Racepak and MSD Grid ignition system.
ET & MPH: 1/8th mile is 5.06 at 134mph
Thanks To: A very special thanks to Brett Miller for this killer induction system. Kirk Bouchard who has put in countless hours on engine assembly and dyno tuning and race day tuning. Crew chief Justin Davies who is always there making the right call on race day. My beautiful wife CynthiaMEZIERE Davies for your dedication and race day support. Our entire race crew: Kirk Bouchard, Jr Ernie Sandoval, Ronnie Wilson, Mike Aiken, Rod MacGregor and Kirk Bouchard Senior.
Valve springs, retainers, keepers and lash caps come from Joe Hornick Enterprises and a set of Jesel rocker arms were also used. The camshaft was spec’d by Brett Miller and he’s also responsible for the ported cast intake that is topped by a CFM billet-bodied carb. Fuel delivery comes via a Quick Fuel 427 pump and billet regulator. The transmission has been upgraded to a tricked-out 727 3-speed auto with an A1 7-inch 8400 stall converter which transfers power back to a Ford 9-inch with Moser axles,
spool and center section, and 5.29 gears. The Dart’s suspension is a pretty trick animal, too, even though it still rides on leafsprings and traditional design shocks. Calvert Caltracs with their mono leaf are moved inboard while the leafspring has been rotated in the car 3 inches to move the instant center further forward in the car, and the rear shock is mounted 6 inches off of axle centerline to control separation as well as rotation of the housing. www.rpmmag.com
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SMALL BLOCK CHEVY Lorem Ipsum I N TA KES
BILL MITCHELL 2
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IN STOCK - BUY NOW: $422.60
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Original door panels and some trim are about all that remain from the original Dart interior. A race seat, shifter and collection of wiring that include the MSD Grid are affixed to the passenger side firewall area. A Racepak Sportsman system sends vitals to the Racepak dash and a carbon dash replaces the heavy OEM steel unit.
GRP
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Up front, the stock inner fender wells and torsion bar setup were tossed in favour of a custom K-member that uses the stock shock location with a set of coilovers. The chassis and suspension modifications as well as the roll cage we’re completed by Mike Aiken and Rod McGregor. As for the Dart body, Shiloh is proud to say that it is still mostly OEM Mopar. In fact, the factory steel roof, quarter panels, doors, fenders and floor remain in place and intact and only fiberglass bumpers, decklid and hood have been added. But that’s not to say that Davies hasn’t added some little tricks to take weight out of the stock parts like lightening the doors.
Given the fact that the original steel body and floor remain, Shiloh has tried to save weight wherever possible, including getting rid of the rear seat, gutting most of the heavy interior and adding the carbon dash, but most all, if you have a really close look at the bottoms of the steel doors you will notice they have been lightened, the old school way!
BIG BLOCK DOME-INATION
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Inside the Dart, original door panels and floor give off an old school vibe and are complimented by a carbon dash, Racepak display, single race seat with harness and wiring tucked neatly in the passenger side firewall area. With the car completed and their desire to race naturally aspirated growing day by day, the Davies family decided to join West Coast N/A Racing Series. The series runs in the Match Race Madness and RJ Muscle Car Shootout and hosts the fastest naturally aspirated small tire cars in the western United States, and well beyond.
GRANATELLI
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Shiloh has a lot of tricks up his sleeve, including the suspension work completed on the Dart. Remember, it still rides on a leafspring/conventional shock setup out back, and by the looks of the launch and time slips, it works!
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Shiloh Davies ‘68 Dodge Dart
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It takes a village to raise a child... and a race car!
Shiloh gets support and help from family and friends and won the 2021 WCNA series championship and did so with his mom and dad in the Winner’s Circle!
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“The class has drawn competitors from as far away as Washington, Oregon, Canada, Nevada and Arizona, and in 2021 we captured our first WCNA series championship and did so with my mom and dad in the Winner’s Circle!” Exclaimed Davies. And incidentally, although you might see N/T ( meaning No Time) on the Dart’s windshield, Shiloh did say that the car has run 5.06 at
BAER 2
134mph in the eighth, but that might not necessarily be the fastest it’s gone. While Shiloh Davies’ 1968 Dart may not have turned out to be the “family car” he imagined back in 1998, it has definitely become an exciting activity for the whole family, not to mention a far cry from that 16-second, 273-powered beast he traded his truck for.
DESIGN ENGINEERING 6TH TOM’S UPHOLSTERY
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Story & Photos: Eddie Maloney
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S
o many of us, young and old, started out driving a Fox Body platform Mustang and moved on from there. No matter what your favourite flavour was, it was truly “fast on the cheap” back then, and hard to resist. But when was the last time you saw one of these, a 1978 Fairmont station wagon?
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They weren’t known as the prettiest or most aerodynamic cars made, and they certainly had zero performance qualities. For some reason though, long after production stopped, people started to take an interest in them for street and strip machines, if for no other reason than just to be different…and different they are. They’re big and hold lots of people and stuff, so why not drop a new Coyote motor in and have the best of all worlds? And that was exactly what Tim Donathen was thinking.
Tim Donathen’s 1978 Fairmont Wagon came to him with original paint, dings, and roof rack! Perfect for a surfboard…but that’s another story! A paint buff is all Tim did to the wagon to doll it up as it was originally a southern car with rust-free body.
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The body is all steel and all the trim is the way it came from the factory. The hood was swapped out for weight reasons with a composite flat hood from HO Fibertrends.
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Tim wasn’t shy at all at explaining where he can from. “I started off working on cars because I was poor,” he explained. “I couldn’t afford to pay anyone to work on my car, but I knew how to read, so I would buy the Chilton’s manual and read it… front to back.” In High School Tim was part of the trade
Harnessing the Competitive Edge
school, and for some reason he was asked go for an interview with a pharmaceutical company. He went along with it, and this would change his life. “I did the interview and it was about cars! They asked if I had one and if I worked on it. I went on to explain all the things I had done, and that’s what got me the job.”
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WATCH IT RUN...CLICK HERE
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Much of the cool seventies stock interior was kept. In fact, Tim went to great lengths to keep the front seat as close to stock as possible and still fit the Long shifter in a way that looked factory original. The clear coated 10pt cage is the work of Bill and Austin Carter at Two Lane Performance.
PROFILER CARD HITMAN CARD
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Picnic anyone? There’s always room to spare in this race car!
KINSLER CARD
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Tim’s Wagon was originally equipped with a 302 that produced a whopping 139 horsepower. Now, a stock Gen 3 Coyote 5.0 Litre sits under the hood. The only additions to the stock setup are the 1 ¾” long tube headers and custom air tube.
Apparently Tim’s new employer had a fresh outlook on what they wanted from their team and that was hands-on skill, and Tim had that. “They told me ‘we can teach anyone how to run a machine, but we can’t teach mechanical aptitude’. They wanted to be confident that when they sent me out on a job I would be able to do what needed to be done.” Tim’s new career was with a company that had very high standards of work performance and quality and he soon
noticed these high standards starting to show up in the work he was doing on cars. “The people who know me, know how I do things now… it’s embedded now!” he added. Tim always had a passion for anything fast, wild, or sometimes even dangerous and it wasn’t long before his passion for cars turned into Donathen Racing. “I started my business out of frustration I guess,” Tim said. “I felt I could do things better.”
SHANE T
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Slow Motion Wheels up launch by both competitors in this NMRA Matchup
LIBERTY’S CARD
RM RACING DOUBLE NEAL CHANCE CARD
RPM CARD
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Old school Bogart wheels are wrapped in Mickey Thompson rubber with the rear ET Drags tucked very neatly up in the factory wheelwells.
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Tim Donathen’s 1978 Coyote Powered Ford Fairmont Station Wagon Body & Paint: 1978 factory Ford Red paint - buffed out. HO Fibertrends hood.
Chassis Modifications: 10 pt cage - clear coated – done by Bill and Austin Carter at Two Lane Performance.
Suspension (Front & Rear): Team Z rear suspension, Team Z upper torque box and antiroll bar.
Engine: Block Type, CID, Modifications/Parts Specs, etc.: Gen 3 Coyote – 1-3/4” long tube headers and a custom inlet tube.
Rotating Assembly: Stock
Cylinder Heads: Stock
Induction & Fuel delivery: Weldon Fuel Pump and Regulator from Jim Craig.
Power Adder: We don’t need no stinking power adders!!
Transmission: G Force Transmissions 4 speed – G101A - prepped by Sean Scobe – Scobe Transmissions.
Rear: Team Z 9” housing – Owner built center Section with input from Wayne at Indy Gear
Brakes: Brake Man Brake.
Tires & Wheels: Bogarts with Mickey Thompson tires.
Interior: Stock seats. “I tried to keep everything as stock as possible… even the radio works!”
ET & MPH: 9.851 at 135mph in the ¼.
Thanks To: I can’t thank everyone enough. As much as you know or think you know, you can’t do this all alone. From my shop helper, Keith Withem to my test pilot dummy Bob Cosby, there are so many people thank: Spaghetti Mendors – the best wiring system out there in my opinion. Automation Race Cars – Brandon Stoner for helping with the parts and brain storming. HO Fibertrends for the lightest hood ever made! These guys rock and are half the reason for the wheelies! Indy Gear for the 9” build support. Ron Turranski – Thank you for help on the transmissions. Scobe Transmissions – Thanks for the late-night support. The Brake Man Brakes – Thanks Jason Smith. Simple Machine – Thanks Dustin for the dyno! Special Thanks to the guys who believed in me when no one else did: Team Timmy...Kevin McMullin, Randy Soper and Chad Stephens.
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You can’t fix anything unless you know the theory of how each system works... He continued, “You know how it is when you pay for something to be done and they just didn’t quite get the memo on how you wanted it done. That’s what led me to Donathen Racing.” Tim was tired of paying for work to be done on his cars and many times having to clean it up or totally redo something, so he decided to jump in with both feet, and never forgot the valuable lesson he learned from those Chilton manuals years earlier; “You can’t fix anything unless you know the theory of how each system works.” The search for a new project was now on and Tim knew one thing, it
wouldn’t be a Mustang. Admittedly, he loves the Fox Body and all generations of the car, but he sees them every day at the shop and at every car event, so he needed to feed his hunger with something different. He hit Craigslist just to see what was out there locally and quickly found out there wasn’t much at all. Tim expanded his search further and further and came across an ad: “1978 Ford Fairmont station wagon, 302, automatic transmission with just over 70,000 miles,” and this definitely piqued his interest, especially after he found out it was owned by a newly retired Ford employee.
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MAGNAFLOW CARD
The most unique feature of this car, is that is I race in the NMRA….in the sea of Mustang. I show up with a station wagon and that’s kind of like bringing a knife to a gun fight. You lose 20 years of aerodynamic improvements here, right from the get go. T I M D O N AT H E N
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AED CARD
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The very next day, Donathen headed out with trailer in tow for the 6-hour one-way haul to Traverse City, Michigan. The previous owner bought the car in Florida and had used it more like a truck and its sole purpose was to tow the fishing boat around. With his wife’s health deteriorating, he couldn’t fish anymore and AJE CARD
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decided to sell the wagon. While the price seemed a bit high, Tim didn’t hesitate with the purchase. “On the way home, it was amazing how many people were giving me the thumbs up on the car. That’s when I knew I might have something cool if I could do it right. When I got home, I unloaded it and my wife asked immediately ‘Why
did you buy that?’ I just shook my head and told her that I had a plan.” That “plan” was to go class racing with the NMRA in Coyote Stock! Coyote Stock is highly competitive, and Tim knew he would have his hands full with the sea of Mustangs he was going to compete against.
After working long hours at his day job, and more hours at his own Donathen Racing gig, Tim needed an out. So, after helping guys like Randy Soper, Kevin McMullin and Chad Stephens, he decided he wanted to make the wagon into a Coyote Stock class car.
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In a sea of Mustangs, Tim races in the Coyote Stock class launching with wheelies most times
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The NMRA Coyote Stock class is one of the most highly contested and arguably one of the most fun to watch! Wheelies like this are frequent and often straight up.
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He debuted the wagon with the NMRA in May of 2021 at Worldwide Technology Raceway, in Madison, Illinois and for the first half dozen races or so Tim found himself qualifying towards the bottom of the field. Margins in Coyote Stock are tight, and Tim kept on pushing it, getting quicker, faster and more consistent each event. Without a single round win, he confidently entered Norwalk in June of 2022; “Normally out of 18 cars, I would qualify 15 or 16,” he said. “This time I stopped show-
boating the wagon and kept the wheelies down and qualified 6th with a 9.851 when the #1 qualifier ran a 9.78. For the first time I felt like I had a chance as I didn’t have a single round win at this point. Unfortunately, I had to race my buddy Kevin McMullin, but I won!” The body on the Fairmont is all original steel with the exception of the HO Fibertrends hood. Even the 1978 Ford Red paint is almost factory fresh and was just buffed out after Donathen got it home.
IAN HILL SUPERCHARGER CARD
ECAM
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Minor chassis work was next up and a 10-point cage was completed by Bill and Austin Carter at Two Lane Performance. Of course suspension mods were a must from front to back and Tim chose a Team Z rear suspension, upper torque box and antiroll bar, and built a Ford 9-inch rear for the wagon using a Team Z housing. A Gen 3 Coyote mill with 1-3/4” long tube headers and custom inlet tube now grace the engine bay, and guess what, it’s stock, just like the Coyote Stock class says it has to be. A Wel-
LENTECH CARD
don pump and regulator supply fuel, and once again, since there are no power adders permitted in the class, this Coyote runs all on its own. You might notice the Long shifter tucked neatly in front of the factory bench seat… that’s because Tim rows the boat on the wagon through a G Force G101A 4-speed prepped by Sean Scobe of Scobe Transmissions. Wanting to keep the interior all stock (or as much as possible) that tricky shifter fitment was made possible with help from Littles Upholstery.
PBM Performance Engine
LOKAR
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...Um, you forgot the surfboard... So, aside from the cage, a Racepak digital dash, a few buttons and switches, the aftermarket steering column and wheel, everything is stock just like it rolled out of the factory back in ’77, even the radio still works! The wagon has been a ton of fun to date and Tim’s family and friends are definitely onboard with his plan, including the roof-mounted surfboard. “One of the funniest memories was when I unveiled the wagon in St. Louis. I wanted to leave the surfboard on and remove it after the burnout (Bob Cosby was driving), but I forgot to take it off. The car left and damn near dragged the bumper through 3 gears! I was in shock and turned around to see Jacob Lamb right there saying: ‘Um, you forgot the surfboard’. I laughed and waited for it to blow off and scatter into a million pieces.”
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RPM hidden gem
Ken Wright’s 1948 Ford Anglia Drag Car From the pages of RPM Magazine, October 2015
C
hristmas 1986 holds a special place in Ken Wright’s heart as that is when his wife and two daughters presented him with the Christmas gift of a lifetime- a 1948 Ford Anglia. One look at the photos of this car and you immediately start noticing that the car has some parts and bodylines not present on most reproduction fiberglass bodies, and that’s because this one is the real deal. Yes, this is a true survivor steel Anglia body!
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Photos: Tia Elizabeth The paint on the car is gorgeous. In sunlight it takes on an orange candy look while in low light it looks almost copper.
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RPM hidden gem Check it out! Ken operates the gas and brake from different sides of the trans tunnel while sitting front and center in the cockpit, pretty cool setup!
Ken Wright’s homebuilt Anglia is as at home at the show as it is on the drag strip.
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Chassis & Suspension Type/Mods: 2”x3” rectangular tube chassis (mild steel), tubbed. Front A-arm coil over suspension. Ladder bar rear suspension with coil over shocks and anti-sway bar. Flip down drag ‘chute. Body & Paint: Steel 1948 English-built Ford Anglia body. 4-inch chopped roof, fiberglass flip front end, all aluminum interior and firewall. Single race bucket in the centre of car, over the rear pinion. Engine: 408 cubic inch small block Chevrolet. Siamese Bowtie block, (Bore: 4.165, Stroke: 3.75, CR: 13:1). Splayed centre main caps, ARP head and mains studs. Stainless O rings SCE copper head Gaskets. Cylinder heads are Brodix Track1 ported with 2.08 intake/1.60 exhaust valves (CFM: Int. 312.7 @.650, Exh. 209.2 @ .550). Comp Cams 999-16 springs and P/N 7695 push rods and Harland Sharp rocker arms and custom stud girdle. Comp Cams 317E-R6 mechanical roller camshaft (Lift: Intake .660, Exhaust: .630, Duration @ .050: Intake 280, Exhaust 292 with 106 lobe separation). Pete Jackson Gear Drive. Internally Balanced Eagle crank with fluid damper. H-Beam connecting rods, JE P/N 182057 pistons and ARP 7/16 bolts. Custom Zoomie exhaust by Lost Time Hot Rods. Machining and Balancing by Atchison Machine, assembly by Mattson Motorsports. Induction: Hilborn mechanical alcohol injection with Enderle bug catcher, mechanical belt driven pump. Auxillary pump for starting.
An injected 408-inch small block Chevy on alcohol motivates the Anglia on the strip. During our photoshoot passersby were treated to the music of the Pete Jackson gear drive and Zoomies lighting up with 13:1 compression.
Electronics: Delay box 2 step, electric rpm shift, MSD 7AL3 power box. Pro Billet MSD distributor and Pro Power coil. Transmission & Converter: 2 speed Powerglide with JW Super Bell, TCI scattershield and trans brake, 5600 stall bolt-together Neal Chance converter. Rear Differential: Ford 9-inch housing with Strange centre section and 35 spline Strange axles, 4.86 pro gears with a spool. ET & MPH: 9.90s @136 mph on 10.5x33” slicks.
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RPM hidden gem
At the drag strip the Anglia is clearly set apart from the rest of the field
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