February 2023 RPM Magazine

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Story & Photos: Eddie Maloney

How many times have you heard this before?

“This car was supposed to be my ‘fun’ streetcar that I occasionally grudge raced every now and then”. Introducing 2022 NMRA Limited Street Champion, Samantha Moore and her 2014 Ford Mustang GT, California Special.

“The first time I ever took a car down the track was in my Camaro in spring of 2011 and I was instantly hooked!” Moore exclaimed. Since that point she would race a number of different “for fun” events with both the Camaro and her Mustang, but particularly enjoyed grudge/ no ET formats. By 2017 Samantha decided to settle down (a bit anyway) and raced her first NMRA event in Fall 2017 with the Mustang in “Super Stang” and actually got her NHRA license completed and signed at that event as well. Feeling a pull towards series action, in 2018 she raced 4 events in the NMRA and then moved onto Limited Street for 2019. In her first year she was able to attend 4 out of 6 races in that class, but made it to all 5 in 2020 and hasn’t missed a race since.

Body-wise, this wicked 7-second Mustang still looks like it did when it rolled out of the showroom, well almost. It’s an Oxford White original California Special with Shelby GT500 front fascia. A custom fabricated drag wing and Harwood cowl hood were also added to the mix.

As Samantha’s journey progressed from Super Stang into heads-up racing in Limited Street she has certainly run into her fair share of memorable moments. “There have been so many crazy things that have happened with this car…whether it be the highest highs during crazy wins we accomplished or the lowest of lows, like in Atlanta 2020 when we broke the transmission right before round 1 of elimi-

nations.”  Samantha borrowed a transmission from the team over at Holbrook Racing and replaced it in the pits on a set of jack-stands in the middle of a severe thunderstorm. Through relentless determination, they swapped it just in time to be called back to the lanes.

Fast forward to November 2021, Sammie and her crew decided to compete at the annual Mod Motor Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park.

Sammie Moore’s 2014 Boosted Coyote Ford Mustang GT/CS

“We showed up with a D1X ProCharger setup on the car and were experiencing boost issues.”  The first night, they changed the intake manifold from the Holley Race Sniper to the Cobra Jet to combat the problem but continued to have issues the next day. The Saturday night before the next day’s eliminations, they changed the entire car to a 2.65L VMP Gen3R TVS blower combination. They worked until the wee hours of the morning and won the All Blower Pro class the next day with an untested setup and tune.

Results

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

“I purposely built and designed the car to be able to switch from a ProCharger to TVS (or vice versa) at the track, but never actually thought that I would have to do it,” she added with a smile.

July of 2021 brought the most memorable moments with the Mustang to date though, and it happened during the NMRA season. Some major rule changes for the TVS superchargers just a few weeks prior hit Sammie’s program hard, so she made the changes and hit the dyno.

“I put the car on the dyno a week before the 2021 Norwalk race to see how much power this penalty was taking from me.” As luck would have it, during the first pull on the dyno, bam… catastrophic failure!

The monster Holley EFI dash sits front and center while Sammie is surrounded by factory dash and door panels and a pair of aluminum race seats recovered to match.

The GT/CS (California Special) features a mostly factory appearing interior which is of no concern weight wise since Moore’s class weight for her combo is 3,775lbs.

Jewel-like quality! That’s because the Mustang’s SFI 25.3 chassis and cage were handled by Randy Jewell of RJ Pro Fab. Randy incorporated a bunch more “tricks” into the build such as the custom fuel & water cells.

Parts were almost impossible to get then (and still are) but they somehow pulled enough things together and rebuilt the engine in less than 7 days. They showed up to the Norwalk event and hurt the engine again during qualifying. Heading home defeated from that race and trying to figure out what to do, Moore had less than 4 weeks to get ready for the US-131 July 2021 race.

“I began another engine rebuild and finally got everything together, but we decided to take a big chance, again with only 1 week before the Martin race.

A cool custom “Coyote” emblem graces both the dash and the front grill of the Mustang.

Under the hood of the Mustang has seen several intake and supercharger swaps and even a redesign of the base engine. With her “Relentless” effort Moore has seen victory with every combination. This 5.0L Coyote-based mill by Holbrook Racing Engines and boosted via a ProCharger P1X has been the most successful yet though.

Not only did we switch our combination over to a ProCharger in 1 week, but we also redesigned it.”

Working behind the scenes, Sammie decided to run a P1X Procharger, a combination that others claimed to

have tested unsuccessfully.

“Not only did we want to make the statement that a ProCharger could win and be competitive, but we wanted to make a statement with one that nobody thought could win.”

Various liquid cells reside in the trunk along with the batteries while a fabricated 9-inch rear with aluminum center section hangs around out back.

-

Modern Racing solid state shut-off module, race seats custom mounted by RJ Profab who also made the custom adjustable throttle/brake pedals. Racequip 5 point racing harness, RJS air launched parachute system & window net. Fire suppression system.

■ Miscellaneous:

• Turbostart 16v batteries and stepdown module for factory headlights/power windows.

• Complete custom Vector Motorsports (VMS) race wiring harnesses.

• Brisk silver racing spark plugs.

• VP c-85 fuel.

• Firecore plug wires.

• American Racing custom long tube headers w/VMS fabricated exhaust/mufflers.

Frankenstein Engine Dynamics billet “Predator” intake manifold (for non-NMRA races).

• Meizere water pump.

• Star vacuum pump.

• Lucas fluids (race oil, trans oil, rear gear oil, cleaners, etc.).

• Diamond Claw by Shaftech, Ltd.

• Radio communication system by Turn2rc.

■ ET & MPH: 7.968 at 173.18 mph in full NMRA trim 3795 lbs. (class record)

■ Thanks To:

• First and foremost, a huge shoutout to Dan Sienkiewicz who has taught me everything I know about tuning, racing and helping me get to where I am today…he is not only my business partner at Vector Motorsports, but also my Crew Chief and the only one I trust to bring me through the water box and line me up on the track.

• Jason Coan at Coan Engineering who has been my transmission guy since day 1 and improved our program significantly not only with Coan’s full sponsorship but also with his guidance, knowledge, and transmission/converter building skills.

• Chris Holbrook from Holbrook Racing Engines for all his help and sponsorship with our engine program and engine building for the 2022 season. • Randy Jewell from RJ ProFab for his sponsorship and badass fabrication skills to make this car safe with his 25.3 cage fabrication/installation as well as other unique fab features in the car.

Drew at ZPE Griptec for supplying us with pulleys that never slip as well as his sponsorship contributions to our program.

And of course, to all my guys at Vector Motorsports who have spent countless hours helping me keep this car competitive.

They arrived to the next race at Martin Michigan, again with no testing or tuning at all, and drove it off the trailer ready to kick some ass.

The very first pass off the trailer the car was flying, and Moore finally had some data to work with. Sammie’s relentless effort didn’t stop, not only in qualifying number 1, but winning the entire event with a brand-new combination!

The relentless

Sammie Moore makes this incredible pass…Wow!

relentless pursuit of excellence...

While the car was not technically setup or maximized for the P1X, Sammie made it happen. “We proved a ProCharger could win and did win, with Air-to-Air intercooling and all the other things people complained about.

That was a  ‘mic drop’ winners circle event for us and it felt beyond great. But we were very proud of what we had done, not only in that time frame, but how we utilized what we had and made it work with almost everything else on the car being wrong. I would say this was a huge turning point for our racing program and really showcased our shop and tuning capabilities.”

A turning point indeed for Sammie, as she entered the 2022 racing season winning all but one event, amassing nearly 3,000 championship points on route to a Championship in NMRA’s Limited Street class.

Sammie

“There have been so many challenges we had to overcome mechanically as well as completely retuning the car, changing engines etc… but we are relentless.

It’s funny because I had been calling the challenges (both good and bad) that the car was throwing at us in the years prior to ‘Relentless’, but as it turned out these challenges showed us that we were relentless as a team and refused to ever give up, throw in the towel or walk away. No matter where we are, what the problem is, we will never quit, ever.”

Sammie and her business partner Dan Sienkiewicz celebrating yet another hard-fought victory at Norwalk Ohio.

Story: George Pich / Photos: Robert Richard

Never in Chevrolet

Engineers’ wildest dreams did they foresee a 1955 Chevy rated at almost 900 horsepower naturally aspirated, let alone be equipped with nitrous oxide to push it well over 1000 and be able to run 8-second quarter-mile elapsed times, all while being fully street legal and driveable. Well ladies and gentlemen, welcome o the 2020’s, where anything is possible, horsepower potential seems endless and the bar is reset every weekend!

Back in the day, Chevrolet boasted that the 1955 Belair was stealing the thunder from high-priced cars. Fast forward 68 years, and Mark Vinson’s build is the source of thunder whenever he fires up this veteran beauty.

What’s not to love about a cool Shoebox Chevy?

...Let alone a solid street piece that can run 8s! The car was intentionally kept all steel and as factory appearing as possible complete with bumpers, trim and emblems. Yep, it’s a heavyweight, but it can still put the numbers down. Even the RC Components Retro wheels fit the look of the ’55.

nter Mark Vinson, a hardcore horsepower junky who loves cars and speed so much he has 3 badass rides of his own, but we’ll get to that later. Mark’s past cars and even his brother’s killer powder blue Fairlane have seen the pages of RPM in the past, but this ’55 holds a special place for Vinson; “This car came into my life years ago through a friend. He had started a complete restoration on it in 2014. It was a body off deal and I helped him throughout the work, doing the chassis separate from the body. I never really thought I

would own it though.”

As work continued, when the previous owner got the car back home from body and paint, it sadly sat for the next 4 years, until one day Mark asked to buy it. A deal was struck and in September 2021 Vinson took it home to finish what he had helped start. Prior to finding a permanent place in the Vinson garage, Mark had helped his buddy Dan with a lot of the heavy lifting on the project. Once the frame was sandblasted, they moved the rear springs inboard and installed a new shock cross

member.

Mark Vinson’s Shoebox Chevy makes a night hit at the track!

The very definition of Dynamic Duo...

The iconic tomobile Michigan. dissolved ny (originally

The ’55 poses with another one of Vinson’s cool rides, a wicked small tire ‘73 Nova SS ( stay tuned to RPM Magazine for more on this build).

iconic sill scuff step plates proudly proclaim Body By Fisher, an automobile coachbuilder founded by the Fisher brothers in 1908 in Detroit, Michigan. Well known to the public, this division of General Motors was dissolved in 1984 to form other General Motors divisions. Fisher & Compa(originally Alloy Metal Products) continues to use the name.

They tweaked the chassis itself as needed and installed Calvert rear springs and Caltrac bars along with a Dana 60 rearend with 9-inch Ford ends, 4.10 gears and Truetrac differential with Moser axles. The body got a smoothed firewall and rear mini tubs were also installed. After the body was set back onto the chassis and the bodywork and paint was completed, worked stopped. With a goal of building a solid reliable drive-any-

where street/strip car, once Vinson took over the project, he picked right up where he and Dan left off.

It might seem like the bulk of the work was done, but that was far from the truth. There was complete wiring, plumbing, glass, trim, interior and then came the engine and transmission. “My brothers and I spent the next 4 months working on the car,” Vinson explained.

“We installed the engine, a 548ci BBC, with transmission and all of the trim, glass and interior etc. It was road worthy by December that same year.”

Body wise, being a complete steelbody survivor 1955 210 Sedan, this big boy is no lightweight, and Mark stuck with keeping it as stock looking as possible outside and inside, not

worrying too much about

Inside the roomy interior, more stock than not. Vinson original look wherever possible, cluding the bench seat! Gauges needed but fancy electronics tentionally kept out of the mix least the visible mix) and instead assortment of analogues tell

weight.

interior, there’s Vinson kept the possible, inGauges were electronics were inmix (or at instead an the story.

night racing

A mostly factory interior greets you inside the ’55, complete with the factory bench seat recovered in black leather. The car even starts with an original keyed ignition switch! Factory gauges have been kept in place but an array of aftermarket analogue units help with vital signs. An 8.50 cage follows the distinct roofline of the Chevy interior.

This Shoebox Chevy is a very worthy competitor and loves night racing

Make no mistake though, all the original dash and gauges were kept intact.

An 8.50 cage was installed that follows the boxy roofline of the interior and looks cool at the same time. The slick M&M pistol grip shifter is about the only hardcore race part that stands out inside the Chevy.

Vinson loves the drag race scene and has enjoyed as many drag and drive and true street type events that he could over the years, and that was the plan for the ’55 – have an all-round cool ride to drive and drag.

All those little bowtie Chevy symbols stamped into the dash face plate are a testament to the way things were back in the day.

1955 Chevrolet 210 Sedan Tech Backgrounder

The Chevrolet 210 or Two-Ten is a midrange car from Chevrolet that was marketed from 1953 until 1957. It took its name by shortening the production series number 2100 by one digit in order to capitalize on the 1950s trend toward numerical auto names. The numerical designation “210” was also sporadically used in company literature. It replaced the Styleline DeLuxe model available in previous years. The 210 was discontinued after the 1957 model year to be replaced by the Biscayne.

Two engines were used in each of the 1953-54 model years, the more powerful Blue Flame unit used with the Powerglide automatic transmission.

All Two-Tens had a three-speed Synchromesh manual transmission as standard, with two optional transmissions (see below). All engines are of the overhead valve (OHV) design. They are commonly referred to as “Stovebolt Sixes” because of the large slotted-head screws used to fasten the valve cover and pushrod covers to the block.

The 1955 model year marks the introduction of a new chassis and the debut of the small block V8. The center door frame was beefed up for more safety. Brakes were 11-inch (280 mm) drums. The Two-Ten buyer was free to choose any powertrain option available. The ammeter and oil pressure gauges were changed to warning lights.

This was not the first Chevrolet to have a V8 engine installed. The first Chevrolet with a V8 engine was introduced in 1917 called the Series D which was built for two years, and was manufactured before Chevrolet joined General Motors.

Engines:

• 235in “Blue Flame” I6 rated at 123 hp (manual transmission).

• 265in “Blue Flame I6 rated at 136 hp (automatic transmission).

• 283in “Turbo-Fire” OHV V8  rated at 162 hp or 180 hp (optional).

Transmissions:

• 3-speed Synchromesh manual.

• 3-speed Synchromesh manual. with overdrive unit.

• 2-speed Powerglide automatic.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Chevrolet_210

■

Mark Vinson’s Street/Strip 1955 Chevy 210 Sedan

Body & Paint: All done by Jay Grabiak.

■ Chassis Modifications: Original frame sandblasted and reworked as necessary. Calvert rear springs and Caltrac bars. Car weighs 3850lbs.

■ Engine: Vinson Race Engines 548ci. Dart Big M block, Callies crank, Oliver rods, Mahle pistons, Comp cam, Bam lifters, Moroso vacuum pump. Engine made 885hp on engine dyno.

■ Cylinder Heads: Heads are Dart Pro 1 355 CNC with Manley valves, PSI springs and Jesel shaft rockers.

■ Induction & Fuel Delivery: Dart intake with King Demon 1150 carb.

■ Power Adder: Applied Nitrous Technology single stage plate nitrous system controlled by an NX Maximizer5 controller.

■ Transmission: Rossler TH400 transmission w/brake, 10” Coan converter, Gear Vendors overdrive unit.

■ Rear End: Dana 60 rear w/9” Ford ends and 4.10 gears and Truetrac diff, Moser axles and Willwood brakes.

■ Tires & Wheels: RC Components Retro wheels. 15 x 4 fronts with MT street tires, 15 x 12 rear w/MT 295/65 ET radials.

■ Interior: Stock appearing interior. Original seats recovered in black leather front and rear. M&M shifter, Autometer gauges, MSD Grid ignition system.

■ ET & MPH: Car runs 9.90’s on motor and has run 8.81 @ 155 on the spray

■ Most Unique Feature(s):

Best feature of the car is its functionality. It can drive anywhere with the overdrive and still run respectable times. The car is all steel and is no lightweight.

■

Reason For The Build: Just wanted to see the car finished, it sat for too long and I had to do something!

■

Thanks To:

I would like to thank Dan Chisholm for actually agreeing to sell me the unfinished project! Also thankyou to Jay Grabiak and his son Timmy for the late nights helping with the windows, trim, glass, etrc. The car would not have gotten done without the Grabiak’s help

Finally, I want to thank my brother Matt for all the help throughout the whole project. All the sometimes unseen work gets overlooked but is very important, things like plumbing, wiring, exhaust, this was all done by Matt among other things.

Vinson Race Engines (owned by Mark) put together a stout engine trans package to achieve his goal and packed a Dart Big M block with a Callies crank swinging Oliver rods pinned to Mahle pistons. A substantial solid roller Comp camshaft controls valvetrain activities with the help of BAM lifters. Dart Pro 1 355 CNC ported heads were equipped with Manley valves, PSI springs and Jesel shaft rockers. Finally, in keeping with an ole-school vibe, a Dart intake with King Demon 1150 carb was set atop the long block. Dynoing out at 885 horsepower, Vinson knew the sizeable 548-incher would need just a little nudge to get the heavyweight into the 8-second zone, so he opted for an Applied Nitrous Technology single stage plate nitrous system controlled by an NX Maximizer5 controller. A Rossler TH400 transmission with transbrake, 10” Coan converter and Gear Vendors overdrive unit back up the spayed big block. When all is said and done, Mark’s Chevy Shoebox will churn out 9.90s on motor and click off 8.81 @ 155MPH on the spray, and can be driven dependably any day of the week. Now that’s a blast from the past!

Vinson Race Engines built a nice tidy 548 big block for the ’55. Mark used a Dart Big M block, Callies crank, Oliver rods, Mahle pistons and Comp cam with Bam lifters. It made 885HP naturally aspirated on the engine dyno.

Keeping it clean and simple was the intent with the engine install, but a keen eye will pick up the nitrous solenoids tucked neatly under the edge of the air filter.

Gary Giessen’s 1965 Buick Skylark Convertible

“I have owned this car since 1987,” explains Giessen. “It’s been raced since 1993 and in my mind it’s never finished, or fast enough, I just keep going further with it!” Gary set out with the goal of having a fast convertible to drive and race and eventually that goal morphed into having the car run low 8-second ¼-mile times. As the car progressed through the various levels of power, to ensure it met the appropriate safety rules and would protect Gary in the event of a crash, it was sent to Matt and Mike of San Diego Auto Fab to redo

the existing, outdated roll cage. “In two weeks they had the new chrome moly cage done for me!” Gary exclaimed. “The funny car style cage carries the NHRA 25.5 certification, so it’s good for 7.50 in the quarter. The only modification to the stock frame was sectioning of the rear frame rails to make room for the Mickey Thompson 275 Drag Radials or MT 29.5x10.5 slicks we run,” he added.

The rare Buick was originally white but back in 1993 Gary decided that it needed a change from “boring to bad!”

Photos: Pete Ores

“...the car is never finished, never fast enough...”

Gary Giessen

Defying

Very little factory equipment remains aside from the OEM dash. A chrome moly cage surrounds Gary and an Induction Solutions nitrous bottle takes up the passenger seat.

Despite tipping the scales at 3,400lb, The world’s fastest 1965 Buick Skylark convertible is like a featherweight in Gary’s skillful hands.

Now

Defying the laws of gravity...

Chassis Type & Mods:

Funny car style cage built to 25.5 NHRA certification. Stock frame is modified at the rear frame rails and mini tubbed for tire clearance.

Suspension (Front and Rear):

Front is TRZ upper & lower A-arms, Moroso front springs and QA1 single adjustable shocks. Steering is controlled by the stock 1965 manual steering box.

Rear is TRZ adjustable lower control arms, Strange double adjustable shocks, stock coil springs (in stock location), HRPartsNStuff anti-roll bar, solid upper rear end bearing/ bushings, and their severe duty adjustable upper control arms.

Engine: 470ci Buick built by Finishline Motorsports. 13 1/2:1 compression, TA Performance aluminum block. Custom solid roller cam by Scott Brown at Competition Components (Lift: .799 intake and .765 exhaust. Duration at .050: 273/290. 114 lobe separation). GRP aluminum rods with ARP2000 bolts, CP nitrous pistons with Hellfire ring package. TA Stage 2TE cylinder heads with 1.7 T&D individual pedestal rockers.

Miscellaneous: Custom 2 1/8-2 ¼” step headers and bullet mufflers welded into the 4” turn downs to meet class requirements. Tilton Superstarter, MOROSO 4 vane vacuum pump mounted to owner-fabricated aluminum motor plate and Meziere electric water pump. TA Performance billet timing chain and MSD billet distributor.

Induction & Fuel: Edelbrock Super Victor MOPAR single plane intake manifold adapted for Buick heads. JAZ 8 gallon cell, Aeromotive A2000 pump and regulator. DaVinci custom built 1230 cfm Dominator-style carb.

Power Adder: Two stages of nitrous oxide. NX Gemini Twin plate nitrous and an NOS Pro Race Fogger. Edelbrock Progressive Controller. Both nitrous kits are fed from a dedicated fuel system consisting of a JAZ 1 gallon cell mounted to the core support that feeds a Holley “black” pump up to a billet fuel log that holds two Holley regulators, one for each system.

Electronics: ARC flat touch control panel and relay board was used to replace all factory wiring. MSD basic Digital 7, PowerGrid and MSD Cam Sync all work together to control RPM, timing and other functions. MSD pro billet distributor and an HVC II coil, MSD 8.5 wires, NGK -11 spark plugs.

Transmission & Converter: Mikes Ultimate TH400 with trans brake, Ultrabell flexplate shield and B&M case shield. Custom PTC 9.5-inch torque converter.

Rear Differential: Currie Ford 9” rear housing, Nodular center section, 35 spline spool, 3.70:1 gears, 1350 yoke and Ujoints.

Wheels & Tires: 15x10 single beadlock Weld 2.0 wheels fit with Mickey Thompson slicks or Drag Radials. Front rims are BOGART 15x3 with MT drag tires.

Best ET & MPH: 5.62@122mph (1/8th) “with a lot more in it!”

Thanks To: “None of this would be possible without the patience and support of my wife Adela, my kids Krystal, Josh and Brianna, and friends Briant Wiltz, Mike Saiki, Alex Smith and Bobb Makley.

Story: George Pich

Photos: Blake Farnan

“As a kid I had always dreamed about buying a 5.0 Mustang from the day I first saw one. From all the magazine pictures in my high school locker, to drooling over every Mustang I saw on the road and at car shows, to my first experience in my friend’s 5.0 with him fish tailing across the parking lot. I was 100% hooked and knew I had to have one!”

At the age of 14 Sean started working extra hours and double shifts with the sole purpose of snapping up a cool 5.0 when he turned 16, his dream would have to wait though, but for good reasons. Turns out Sean’s dad, also into cars, thought he’d be better off buying a classic and the pair found an amazing 1969 Mustang Fastback southern car that turned heads wherever it went. Even though Sean wanted to make it faster, his dad wouldn’t

let him touch the classic as it was worth far more the way it was. Sean admits it was looker and got far more attention than his Fox Body, but his love and want for a 5.0 just grew stronger while driving the ’69. He eventually sold it to his dad, who made

a tidy profit on it years later, and decided to follow his dream.

He bought his first 1988 Mustang 5.0 to have fun with and by 1994 it led to this ’88. He wanted to build it in to everything he could have ever dreamed of and more, but not until after he got

Sean Sabato is Ford through and through… even his Mustang is painted blue! The Kandy Kobalt blue skin was meticulously applied by Indy 101 Customs.

pulled into the (then) hot stereo scene and competed country wide. As if by some unknown inspiration, Sabato decided it was time to ditch the audio and go fast, and pretty much overnight he ripped all the heavy stereo equipment and batteries out and started mods on the Stang.

Before long he would be street racing the car and winning and losing races, but there was no doubt he was going to keep adding parts to his dream car. “If I lost a race I would have to modify something to improve and go faster… enter Paul Silva & Joe Silva from J&P Performance who started me down that drag racing lifestyle path,” explained Sean. First it was 3.73 gears, then a Pro 5.0 shifter and Sabato would even get stuff done under the radar so he could lay the smack down on his high school buddies during their “lunchtime race.” “It was never about the money back then… just pride and bragging rights!” he added. “From the local hangouts we had lots of late nights racing until the sun came up, ducking and dogging cops. Eventually, when tickets add up and your license becomes vulnerable, it was time to head to the track and do things legally.”

Sabato hit the track with everything he had, and as we all know, everything is never enough. He added a blower, then a bigger blower, and a bigger one yet, then nitrous and eventually a combo of both and the car was a rocket, but he knew a major overhaul was long overdue to take it to the next level. “With my current build I wanted to try something completely new and different, so off to the dark side I went and built a SBF single turbo combo which is what we are working with today.”

Top-shelf work is evident throughout the Mustang, including mounting and trimming out the turbo body and bullhorn exhaust.

The car is still the OEM body that was purchased back in 1994. During the recent major overhaul a few composite pieces were added such as doors and bumpers, but otherwise it’s all original steel. Optic Armor windows were used throughout.

The Mustang was totally rebuilt, starting with stripping the body down to bare metal. The steel fenders, roof, quarters and rear hatch remain, however, Motorcity Fiberglass lift off doors and front and rear bumpers were added along with a Cervini Cobra R hood and Schoneck Composite carbon fibre quarter window inserts, a Racecraft aluminum 15” Strutless race wing and Optic Amour Lexan windows throughout. Once the body was completed it was painted in 2021 by Indy 101 Customs using House of Kolors Kandy Kobalt Blue.

Considering where he wanted to take the fresh new Fox Body, Sean knew chassis mods would be plentiful and he started by ripping out the 8.50 cage and having Eddy Bryck of The Chassis Shop start fresh with a 25.2 SFI certified 6.0ET chassis, cage and mini-tub setup for the stock style suspension Mustang.

The

factory dash and trim were retained inside the Stang and most of the stock floor remains as well. A Holley display was inset into the dash face and an aftermarket column and steering wheel were installed. Most notable is the Chassis Shop cage that snakes its way through the interior to protect Sean.

Racecraft parts take care of everything relating to ride and hook including their wishbone, upper and lower control arms and fully fabricated 9-inch rear end out back and Turbo K-Member, 2” drop spindles and A-Arms up front with a Stiletto rack. AFCO shocks and struts tuned by Menscer control the bumps on all four corners.

There was no doubt that Ford power would sit under the hood and Sean had Paul Silva Performance create a stout turbo-ready piece. PSP started with a Dart Iron Eagle 8.2” deck height block then filled it with turbo spec forged Diamond pistons pinned to GRP aluminum stroker rods swung by a Callies forged crank.

A Comp Cams custom grind “top secret” camshaft with Isky roller lifters actuates valvetrain activities and a Jesel Belt Drive keeps things in time. When all is said and done the small block works out to a healthy 352 cubes. TFS High Port Stage 3 heads were fitted with T&D 1.7/1.6 rockers and Manley valves with triple springs. PSP ported an Edelbrock Super Victor lower intake and mated it

to a Wilson billet aluminum upper.

Adding boost to the package is a Precision X275-legal billet 88mm with twin Precision 66mm wastegates, a KBX front mounted air to water intercooler with ProCharger blow off valve and Holley CO2 Boost Controller. 1 7/8 Stainless Works headers work in conjunction with Chassis Shop hot and cold side plumbing and a driver side exit bull horn.

This Ford is all Ford and Paul Silva Performance (PSP) built the killer boosted small block residing between the rails of the Fox. A Dart Iron Eagle 8.2” deck height block was filled with Diamond pistons, GRP aluminum stroker rods, a Callies forged crank and a top secret COMP cam, then topped with TFS Stage 3 High Port heads and a PSP ported Victor lower intake mated to a Wilson billet upper. Boost comes into the mix via a Precision 88mm turbo.

Sean Sabato’s

EZ Street Turbocharged 1988 Ford Mustang hits the Dyno!

Sean Sabato’s EZ STREET Turbocharged 1988 Ford Mustang LX

■

Tires & Wheels:

Weld 17” Alumastar front with Mickey Thompson front runners, 15 x 12 rears are double beadlocked with X275 Mickey Thompson Drag Radials. ■ Interior: Holley EFI dash, Speedwire Systems switch panel, Holley Dominator ECU, Davis Traction Control, Safecraft Fire Suppression System, Kirkey seats and Stroud 5 point camlock belts.

■ Chassis Modifications: 25.2 SFI certified Chassis /6.0 roll cage was built ground up by Eddy Bryck of The Chassis Shop. Mini tubbed stock style suspension.

■ Suspension:

Front: Racecraft Turbo K-Member, Racecraft 2” Drop Spindles and Racecraft A-Arms, Stiletto Steering Rack, AFCO double adjustable front Struts tuned by Menscer and Menscer springs. Wheelie control sensor. Rear: Racecraft Upper and lower rear control arms, Racecraft wishbone and shock sensors. AFCO double adjustable Rear Shocks with canisters tuned by Menscer and Menscer springs.

■ Engine: 352 CID SBF built by Paul Silva Performance. Dart Iron Eagle 8.2” deck height block, Diamond Pistons, GRP aluminum stroker rods, Callies forged crank, Comp Cams custom grind camshaft (Top Secret) Isky roller lifters, Jesel belt drive, Aerospace vacuum pump, Jeff Johnson aluminum oil pan.

■ Cylinder Heads: TFS High Port Heads (Stage 3). T&D 1.7/1.6 rockers, Comp Cams pushrods, Manley triple spring & valves.

■ Induction & Fuel Delivery: Edelbrock Super Victor lower intake ported by PSP, Wilson billet aluminum upper intake. Peterson fuel & oil Pump, 160lb FIC billet fuel injectors, runs on Q16 VP fuel.

■ Power Adder:

■ ET & MPH: No full passes as yet.

■

Most Unique Feature(s)

Most unique factor I think is the Kandy Kobalt Blue paint… in my opinion nothing looks like House of Kolors Kandy when painted correctly… oh and also the fact that it actually has a true blue Ford motor instead of the usual LS swap lol.

■ Thanks To:

Paint/Body: This is the 3rd time Indy GoPaul of Indy 101 Customs has painted my car. I met Indy at a local car hangout in Markham Ontario 25+ years ago and we hit it off immediately especially since he was driving a sweet looking 86 Mustang GT at the time. Soon enough my car was getting painted at his shop for the very first time in 1998.

Chassis: Eddy Bryck (The Chassis Shop) is the legendary mastermind and craftsman behind all the chassis work from front to back. We started with a blank slate by me cutting out the old mild steel 8.50 cage in my garage and then Eddy built the new setup.

Engine Builder/Overall Install: Paul Silva Performance built the SBF motor from the bare block up. I have been a customer of Paul’s since the late 90s back when it was J&P Performance. Paul Silva and the PSP family (Ryan, Brandon & Michael Silva) are as always an essential pilar to my race program. Paul helped me from day one with my first supercharged combo 20+ years ago running 11’s… we eventually made more and more power.

EFI Tuner: Ernie Zambri of Tuned By Easy wired the car from headlight to taillight and everything else in-between. Ernie will be the trusted man on the laptop tuning my new Holley EFI Turbo combo and helping ensure we get down the track in all conditions.

Crew: Chris “Murder GT” Damovski a great friend and fellow racer who will be helping with the all the crew duties that we all rely on as racers to make us fast and safe.

■ Most memorable experience to date:

I would have to say it started off from day 1 of owing my car… A friend with a Honda insisted he could beat any 5.0 Mustang with his “super fast” done up import… so on the day I picked up my 88 Mustang I set up a race with him that night. I did not even go home to show my parents the car… no, no, instead I had to go make a couple quick test hits, and then went on to prove Mr. Honda wrong later that night.

From a racing perspective, it took a couple years of straight struggling with my last combo to get there but winning the 2017 OSCA Championship in 8.50 Index was a great feeling of accomplishment. Special thanks to Bob Kurgan of Kurgan Motorsports in Georgia for the many years of support tuning my prior PSP combo!

There are two aluminum race seats waiting inside the Mustang along with a host of factory equipment, including trim and factory dash with the Holley EFI display expertly mounted front and center. The Chassis Shop cage snakes its way through the interior providing a Funny Car style halo for the driver. The rear seats have been tossed in favor of mini tubs and it’s safe to say that there’s no big bad stereo equipment taking up space in the hatch area any longer as it is now reserved for race related matters, namely fluid tanks and the battery.

Racecraft equipment makes up the lion’s share of suspension parts front and rear. AFCO struts and shocks tuned by Mark Menscer were also used.

Sean was aiming to have the car done in early in 2022 and wasn’t too far off, hitting the chassis dyno in July and producing a solid 1,441 horsepower and 1,012 pounds of torque at a very safe 27PSI boost.

The first track event was Smackdown6, and although Sabato had to work through a number of shakedown bugs, they were able to collect a bunch of data to help do that. Given the fact that the car ran 8.30s prior to the new setup, it’s a given that this monster is a deep 7-second ride at minimum.

A proud Sean Sabato seen here with his mom and dad, Angie and Joe, is living his dream of building a wicked Fox Body Mustang.

The Mustang sounds insane at the track! It “broke” the chassis dyno this past fall at its 1500 horsepower limit and plans are to hit the track hard this spring since the bugs have been worked out and a new converter installed.

Late in 2022 they found that a bad converter/stator had been causing the track issues and are ready to rock for this season. They did hit the dyno again though, and maxed it out at 1500 RWHP!

“I’m most proud that I had the right people involved to help me learn along the way, and build this new version of my race car from the ground up. It’s definitely built not bought! Not being

a mechanic by trade, I always need to learn as much as I can which I could not have done if I just bought a race car. There’s a lot more time and cost involved this way, but knowledge is also priceless in this game! From cruising to high school… to local street races… to now tearing up the dragstrip it’s been a long 28 year adventure that I wouldn’t change for the world!”

Sean Sabato’s incredible blue ‘88 Ford Mustang prepares for the next pass with a smokey burnout!

Story:George Pich

Photos:James Cummins

Wray was turning wrenches as soon as he could hold one and grew up at the drag strip watching his mom and dad race, until he could finally get behind the wheel himself. “I have been drag racing since I was 16,” he said. “I started building cars and square body Chevys in my teen years while helping my dad run his transmission shop, until I opened my own auto repair shop when I was 25.”

Throughout his life, building, repairing and racing cars has been Willie’s passion and he has passed that passion on to his youngest son, Hunter, who started helping him with builds.

With over 40 years of horsepower in his blood, Willie Wray shows no signs of slowing down (pun intended).

“Hunter was 15 when we built his first truck, a 1987 Chevy C10, and he has been hooked ever since. He helped me with the build of this truck 3 years ago, and having my son work alongside me has brought me such joy and pride.”

Building power and racing spread through the Wray family and Willie’s wife took the wheel in 2008 and Hunter, now 21, is also a regular at the drag strip. “The

love for drag racing is truly a family affair, handed down 3 generations now,” he add ed.

2019 based off pictures and conversation only as an unfinished project race truck from Texas. It was a Pro Street back-half piece and while striking the deal with the owner, Derek, he realized they shared a deep love for square body Chevys.

...the love for drag racing is truly a family affair...

occasional

cruise

In fact, Derek was so impressed that the truck was going to someone who would appreciate it that he actually loaded it up and drove it 23 hours to Willie, and the two remain friends today.

While the truck needed quite a bit more work than expected, Willie and his son got right down to business and had it done in just 4 short months. Many of Wray’s past builds had been street oriented, but with his passion for both building and racing he decided to build this square body C10 for the strip first and foremost. However, while it’s not regular practice, you might just see the truck cruising the streets of Glendale, Arizona as it is tagged with “Historic” plates.

An

street

in the C10 has a habit of turning heads....

As we all know, the C10 truck is not the most practical choice for drag racing. Weight and wind resistance are the first things that come to mind – it’s heavy, and shaped like a brick – but Willie isn’t out to set records and prove anything other than to himself and his family. They set out to build a truck

that could handle anything they could throw it power wise, yet be dependable and safe for the whole family.

The body on the C10 is all steel, even the cowl hood is an aftermarket steel version, and all the windows are still OEM glass.

The interior was kept simple with a factory dash and a few necessary gauges to relay info. A 7.50 SFI certified Funny Car style cage protects the driver. Electronics are mounted to the passenger side firewall for easy access.

Again, Willie wasn’t aiming for a lightweight ride but he did shave weight where he could without compromising the original vibe of the truck itself. And anyone who knows Willie, knows he likes the clean look of a classic square

body. To make the engine compartment more accessible, they did however modify the stock front clip to make it into a removable onepiece and also pinned the stock front bumper for easy removal.

American

The healthy pickup tips the scales at 3,150 pounds with driver, which is surprisingly trim for a vehicle of this size. On the aerodynamic shortcomings of the C10…they are part of its identity, so there’s nothing Willie could or wanted to do about that. The body and paint work was completed by Willie and Hunter.

The chassis is overbuilt for the current power lev-

el, mostly because Wray chose to run it naturally aspirated, for now anyway. The cage carries a 7.50 certification and up front a double rail chromoly chassis section was fabricated to work with the factory mid and rear frame and includes a chromoly X brace underneath. Afco struts were used along with custom tubular A-arms, rack and pinion steering and aftermarket disc brakes.

American Racing Headers

Out back, the stock rear frame was equipped with a ladder bar setup with Afco double adjustable coilover shocks. Mounting points for the coilovers are between the massive wheel tubs in the truck box, where multiple chassis and cage bars meet. A Ford 9-inch with 35 spline axles, spool, Strange center section and 4.56 gears send power outward to the Sanderson 15x14 beadlocked wheels wrapped in 16x33x15 tires.

The roomy interior was equipped with a factory dash pad with after-

market gauges installed. One race seat with harness accommodates the pilot who shifts through the Powerglide trans via a Hurst Quarter Stick. Door panels are fabricated and painted black and custom black carpet provides a clean finished look. Electronics, including the fuse and relay panel and MSD Digital 7 box, are affixed to the passenger side firewall area.

The pair built a 582 inch big block Chevrolet to sit between the rails that started life as a World Products aluminum block.

A simple but effective big block started with a World aluminum block and ended up with 582 inches. Dart 360 heads, a Super Victor intake and Dominator carb make up the top end. The truck hauls to 9.20’s in the quarter to date, on motor alone. There is a plate nitrous system installed but it has not been plumbed for use…yet.

Willie Wray’s 1985 Chevy C10 Drag Truck

■ Body & Paint: All steel body with 2” steel cowl hood. Body and paint done by Willie and Hunter Wray.

■ Chassis & Suspension/Modifications: Double rail chromoly strut front end with tubular A-arms and rack and pinion steering. Stock mid and rear frame sections braced and equipped with ladder bars and Afco double adjustable coilovers. 7.50 cert Funny Car style cage.

■ Engine: 582 inch big block Chevrolet. World Products aluminum block, Callies crank and rods, forged pistons. Reher Morrison solid roller cam, Jesel belt drive, Dart 360 heads, Edelbrock Super Victor intake and Holley Dominator carb.

■ Power Adder: Nitrous Outlet plate nitrous system – not currently plumbed for use.

■ Rear End: Ford 9”, 35 spline, Strange center section with spool and 4.56 gears. ■ Brakes: Wilwood disc brakes all around.

■ Tires & Wheels: Sanderson rear 15x14 single beadlocks wrapped in 16x33x15 Hoosiers. 15x4 Billet Specialties wrapped in 26x4x15 Hoosiers on the front.

■ Elapsed Time: All steel, all stock glass, weighs 3150 with the driver and runs 9.20 @ 140mph in the 1/4, all motor.

■ Thanks To:

• My wife, Neva Wray for supporting me in doing this build.

• My youngest son Hunter Wray for helping with the build.

• AZ Differential Specialists, Dave Leyba.

• Hughes Performance.

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!

The frame x-braced factory sections with moly front struts and rack ing. A ladder was used out meet the rear bed area of the massive

frame consist of the factory mid and rear with a double rail chrowith tubular a-arms, rack and pinion steerladder bar coilover setup out back. Cage bars rear coilovers in the of the truck between massive wheel tubs.

A Callies crank rotates Callies rods with forged pistons, and a solid roller Reher Morrison cam is kept in check by a Jesel belt drive. Dart 360 heads were reworked and fitted with a host of parts and a Super Victor intake with Dominator carb tops off the capable Rat. Being a transmission guy, Willie also built and installed a Powerglide with a trans brake and a 5500 Hughes converter. All in all, it’s a tried, tested and true, dependable setup. A Nitrous Outlet plate nitrous system is installed, but no lines have been run to it as yet as the pair want to hit the max effort with the all-natural combo before moving on.

Excited about the finished product and how it performed during some shakedown miles, with all systems go, it was track time, but there was one challenge left. Willie didn’t realize the bulky Chevy would be such a tight fit in his 24 foot car hauler. Unable to open the truck door when it was boxed up, and having pinned the window in place after removing the regulator, there was no escape once it was in the trailer. Willie and Hunter devised a way to make the steel driver’s door into a removable piece using the stock hinges for loading/unloading the truck. At last it was go time!

Naturally aspirated, the truck

turns 9.20s in the quarter-mile with ease and mid to loweights are expected with a conservative hit of nitrous. Racing as a family is fun and the truck definitely catches attention when it shows up at the track, but Willy says the most memorable experience with it to date has to be the fact that he built it with his son, and that’s what makes it truly special!

With great sadness, we announce the passing of Dan Jesel, the founder of Jesel Valvetrain Innovation. Dan was a beloved father, a brilliant innovator, a generous employer and respected member of the racing community.

Dan started Jesel Valvetrain in 1980 with the goal of engineering the finest valvetrain components available, without compromise. He built Jesel Valvetrain into what it is today, a state of the art engineering and manufacturing company. Along the way, Dan introduced the performance engine world to

innovations such as Shaft Rocker Arms, Camshaft Belt Drives, Keyway Roller Lifters and his latest and most innovative project, a designed from scratch engine he named the “Equal Eight.”

As per Dan’s wishes, Jesel Valvetrain Innovation will continue to operate as a privately held company run to the highest of standards. Through Dan’s wisdom and knowledge and with the dedication of his employees, Jesel Valvetrain will continue to supply the industry with components worthy of his name.

The Jesel Valvetrain Innovation success story is due to the vision and drive of its founder, Dan Jesel, who is one of those rare people with the ability to accomplish great things while making it look easy. But what Dan and Jesel Valvetrain Innovation have accomplished over the last 35 years is anything but easy – they have carved out a reputation of delivering superior valvetrain components that excel under the most demanding racing conditions.

Venues such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, NHRA Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock, NASCAR Sprint Cup, Xfinity and Camping World Truck are Jesel’s proving grounds. With countless wins and championships to its credit, Jesel never lets up. Recent products such as Jesel Cartridge roller lifters, billet tool steel cam cores, and dual-plug front drive distributor kits secure Jesel’s position on the cutting edge of race engine development.

A lot has changed at Jesel Valvetrain Innovation over the past 35 years. It has grown from a 2,000 square foot back shop with a single manual milling machine to over 65,000 square feet of air conditioned manufacturing space complete with spotless epoxy coated floors.

So, how did Jesel reach the point of producing more than 550 different shaft rocker kits, in ex-

You have to know where you’ve been, to know where you’re going...

and the opportunity to discuss solutions for problems they may be having.

The journey for Dan Jesel started many years ago when his father gave him a Model A pickup and a young Dan Jesel took it apart to see what made it tick. It wasn’t long before Dan swapped in a Ford Flathead V8 and his quest for horsepower and speed was ignited. Today, it burns in him as passionately as it did when he was a young man.

cess of 20,000 roller lifters per year, manufacturing belt drives and distributor drives for over 30 popular engines, oversize billet camshaft cores, cam bearings, motorcycle valvetrains and more? Jesel Valvetrain Innovation’s success and standing in the racing community is due to Dan Jesel’s vision and unrelenting drive to be the best. His focus on the task at hand is unwavering. A good example is the nine years of R&D he invested into his first roller lifter design before he sold a single lifter. Dan has

assembled a staff of very talented people and put operating procedures in place that handle the day-to-day operations seamlessly. He treats his employees like family and has a genuine concern for their well-being and job satisfaction. This process-driven organization allows Dan to focus on the R&D aspects of new product development and the time to stay in close contact with the racers, engine builders and crew chiefs. They provide him with valuable feedback about Jesel products

While the Model A piqued Dan’s interest in all things mechanical, and whetted his thirst for speed, his second car, a 1958 Chevy with a small-block V8 opened his eyes to the real power potential locked away in the small-block Chevy. He did the traditional modifications of the day – a Duntov “097” cam, 2x4 intake manifold and he milled the heads .125”. He installed a 4.56 rear gear and while most street racers were opting for 4-speeds, Dan, understanding the smallblock’s appetite for gear multiplication, opted for a 2.97 first gear ratio 3-speed, and was rarely beaten by stoplight challengers.

But if you are serious about performance, there is only so much you can do on the street, so Dan built a dedicated racecar – a C/Gas ’55 Chevy. It too was pretty typical of the day with a factory 365hp 327 Chevy short block that cost just

Where it all began...Dan and Wayne Jesel with their Competition Machine Services Camaro in 1974.

$327 from the dealer and was equipped with a set of ported heads and 409 carbs. Dan campaigned the car quite successfully for a year, but noticed the action and attention of NHRA class racing was shifting. Junior Stock racing was becoming a pretty heated class and Dan became involved with his younger brother Wayne and Tony Masari’s G/SA ’56 Chevy Sedan Delivery dubbed “yoo-Hoo-Too” after the popular east coast chocolate drink. The car soon became the NHRA national record holder in 1967 with Jesel power. Dan also dabbled with big-block Chevy racecars too. He campaigned a ’66 Chevelle NHRA SS/D car that had a factory 375hp, 396 cid engine. It did very well running 11.6s @ 121mph. However, a transition was taking place. Dan was turning the driving and car-building chores over to Wayne who was really good at it, and Dan focused in on refining his small cubic inch engine combinations for maximum horsepower. Setting records with 300 cubic inch engines in NHRA’s Comp Eliminator classes required extreme rpm and before long Dan was up to his neck in the valvetrain development that became the genesis for Jesel Valvetrain Innovation.

Along the way Dan

learned about how the speed equipment retail sales model worked when his shop was located behind Duffy’s Performance, a specialized speed shop for local New Jersey racers and mail-order business across the country. Duffy sold the parts, and Dan built the engines and installed the race parts on customer’s cars. After a few years Dan moved on to work for Manley Performance Products. He worked for Manley part time and rented space from them to run his engine building business under the banner of Competition Machine Service (CMS). Working at Manley gave Dan a chance to see how a large speed equipment manufacturing plant was set up, information that would later prove valuable.

Around 1972 Dan moved CMS to the back of a body shop in Freehold, New Jersey. His following of loyal racers continued to grow along with the list of CMS engines in the record books – C/MP, D/SR and even a 427 big-block ’66 Biscayne were rewriting the NHRA record books. In 1974 Dan and Wayne built a ’74 Camaro D/Altered car that set the national record several times. It was a very sophisticated car for the time in Competition Eliminator with a full SRD Pro Stock chassis and CMS

plastered on the door.

In the late ‘70s Dan discovered that the only way to build a reliable high rpm valvetrain for the small block Chevy was to remove stud rockers from the equation and to create a shaft rocker setup. It not only allowed him to move the rocker pivot point wherever he wanted, it also enabled him to set the rocker height to optimize the valvetrain geometry. Now he just had to figure out how to build the shaft rocker systems. Ed Iskenderian of Isky Cams sold Dan a few 12-foot bars of aluminum rocker arm extrusion, and that put Dan on his way to being in the valvetrain business. That was 1980 and from that time forward Jesel’s shaft rocker systems proved to be an essential part of any serious small-

block Chevy race motor, and the business began to grow by leaps and bounds.

Jesel Valvetrain Innovation quickly outgrew its shop space, so Dan moved to a nearby industrial park with triple the floor space and purchased his first CNC machine, which he still runs today. Jesel’s shaft rocker systems were continually refined and new models added for big-block Chevys and other popular engines that came from the factory with stud rockers.

Original Jesel - The original blue Jesel Shaft Rockers - 1980.

Jesel Belt Drive.

Around 1982 Dan was reading an industrial magazine and saw an ad for Uniroyal drive belts. After seeing a Cosworth Vega many years earlier, Dan wanted to build a belt drive setup for an OHV pushrod V8. He made a trip to Uniroyal and it wasn’t long before Jesel was building and selling belt drives. Dan invented the first pushrod V8 racing belt drive more than 34 years ago and Jesel is still the leader in belt drives today.

Dan’s next project, started in 1989, would not see the light of day for nearly nine years. But when the Jesel Keyway Roller Lifter was released in 1998 it became the industry standard for reliability and performance. Where traditional roller lifters retained small-diameter bodies and small rollers, the Jesel Keyway lifters came in a variety of larger body and roller diameters making them stronger and more versatile. Also, traditional roller lifters had a link-

tie-bar alignment device that not only added weight to the lifter, but friction as well. The Jesel Keyway Lifter eliminated the tiebar and used a pin on the lifter body guided by a slot in a bronze lifter bushing.

beatable Jesel reliability.

Jesel Sportsman shaft rocker system assembled.

Jesel now manufactures five different styles of roller lifters in various sizes: Keyway, Dog-Bone, TieBar, Sportsman Solid Body, and the latest wheel-guided Cartridge Roller Lifters. Each has its unique applications, but they all share the same materials, manufacturing processes, tolerances and that un-

By 1994 Jesel had moved into a larger 44,000 square foot building in the Lakewood Industrial Park to handle the large shaft rocker and belt drive production demands, plus the on-going roller lifter testing and development. Along the way, the lucrative drag racing market was almost dwarfed by the popularity and demands of the NASCAR race teams. Jesel became the go-to valvetrain supplier for NASCAR, NHRA Pro Stock and Comp Eliminator, and Le Mans and Daytona 24 Hour endurance racers. By ‘07 Jesel expanded again, adding additional floor space and numerous CNC machining centers.

Today, the new products and developments come at a fast and furious pace, including rocker kits and roller lifters for Top Fuel and Nitro Funny Cars, cam followers for OHC engines and mammoth tool steel cam cores with clamshell-style bearings.

The newest Modular Roller Lifters are directed at special aftermarket and billet blocks that can accept the “cartridge”-style lifter pair. If there is a failure of any kind a lifter pair can be replaced at the track in a matter of minutes. It also allows the engine builder to relocate the lifters for pushrod port clearance in the heads.  When Dan reflects on the past, he is somewhat amazed at how far Jesel Valvetrain Innovation and the production 2V pushrod V8 race engine have come. 11,000rpm 500cid Pro Stock engines with 1350-pound valve springs and 10,000hp Nitro Top Fuel engines with crushing cylinder pressure could never have been dreamed of in 1980. Thanks in part to Jesel Valvetrain Innovation, those levels of performance are now commonplace.

SOURCE: Jesel Valvetrain Innovation

Jesel Keyway Lifters.

Jim Oddy’s 1933 Willys

From the pages of RPM Magazine, February 2014

We were always told as kids “ask the owner before you pet their dog, you never know, it might be vicious”. Well watch out for this cutie ‘cause it’s a mean one! This car has won every race it entered this year except one. The Junkyard Dog 33 Willys is the resulting hard work of living drag race legend Jim Oddy. Well known for his years in pro modified, not to mention being the go-to-guy for making serious blower horsepower, prior to that Oddy was reputed for his involvement with gassers back in the earlier days of drag racing.

From the rear, you can easily tell this is an original bodied Willys by the imperfections of the original steel.

Photos: Benoit Pigeon

The Dog takes on Canadian Nelson Bilyk’s Beyond Bezerk 33 Willys Coupe.

Jim checks the valve clearance. These gassers require relatively little maintenance, but 1,000 horsepower from a cast iron small block is still a going concern and can keep the teams busy.

A braced regular production 9-inch ford rear end puts the power to the wheels and the car is suspended by a pair of coilover shocks.

Ray and Junior fill the tanks for the density is also checked by Jim prior this stuff is pretty volatile.

the next run. The methane prior to filling, and remember,

Below the inline 4 port Hilborn injection is the 6-71 compressor, the maximum size allowed. You have to appreciate the worn out look of the blower, knowing full well that it is packed full of Oddy voodoo.

The body started as a 4 door steel sedan and was drastically altered and stripped. The dashboard was re-installed to the body tub as well as the fenders, the front axle and one rear light. And that’s about how much is left from the 30s.

The sedan has actually lost two doors and four inches on the top. The front doors of the ’33-35 sedan model Willys being short, were replaced by a couple of longer ‘33 delivery doors. As the story goes, Jim liked the look of a ‘33 concept car drawing from Willys enough to get his inspiration from it, and by doing such a radical modification he would create a truly unique model within the Gasser community. The original Willys rails were used maintaining the wheel base at a stock 100 inches and the bodywork was done by both Jim and Ray Williams, who is also the team mechanic and knows everything there is to know about “The Dog”. The roll cage along with custom chassis work underneath bear Oddy’s custom signature.

Here is the tricky part. By the organization’s rules, all the Gassers involved in the Nostalgia AA/GS championship must use an original cast iron block as well as cast iron heads. All the parts must have been available during the 60’s, including the transmission. These Gassers must be equipped with a front axle for suspension as well and Junkyard Dog has an original ‘33 Willys model.

Left to right - Dan Oddy, Ray Williams, Jr. Ward, Jim Oddy.

The

This thing screams madness for the entire burnout...

To sum it up, this car has the benefit of over 40 years of constantly refined knowledge and thinking out of the box. It’s hard to beat, but frankly the guys who race him seem fine to face the legend and have a chance at the win, and at times they’ll even get some help from Oddy as this group seems to be a pretty tight knit bunch.

A

398-inch first generation Hemi powered Henry J known as “HEMI-J” takes a run at Junkyard Dog by getting the holeshot off the line.

Junkyard Dog lines up against Code Blue, another Oddy creation.

furious Dog does its usual very straight burnout in preparation for the next run.

STICKEY MICKEYS