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Photo Credit: Nicole Lisca

Story by George Pich

Photos By Stephen Taylor

As an avid racer, hunter and family man, Kyle Brewer always knew he’d have a fast car, and at 34 years old, after 7 hard years in the making, he finally finished his LS powered Fox Body known as “Unknown”.

Why unknown? “I was doing a street event in Hermann Missouri,” Brewer explained, “There was a company there videoing it and I was up against another car, and they referred to me as ‘the unknown Mustang’. I said to myself, that’s it! And

Kyle Brewer's Hard Launching small tire Mustang makes every pass look easy.

The ’88 steel body shell is complemented by a fiberglass front clip, doors, hood, and trunk lid along with an Optic Armor windshield and door windows, Let’s just say weight is definitely not an issue with this car. Once the body was completed, the car was painted silver metallic.

Kyle was hooked on cars from a very age and eventually became interested in Mustangs. Since then he has had a selection of them ranging from 1984 to 1996 model years. He modified them

all and all of them stayed street cars, including this one, that is until it became too much for the street. He now, at 34 years old, has the car he dreamed of as a kid and has worked hard to get it to this point.

The car sits in the weeds thanks to the extensive chassis and suspension work completed after a crash Kyle had during a No-Time event. The car came back better, stronger and faster than ever!

Brewer found the Fox Body LX seven years ago in Oklahoma from a good friend of Daddy Dave from the TV show Street Outlaws, and apparently Dave used to drive it. He struck a deal for it for 14K turnkey with a big block Ford mill powering it.

Kyle had a bunch of fun with the big block under the hood, but eventually had too much fun and blew it up. “When I rebuilt that motor, I went way overboard and decided to sell the engine and have my good buddies at CBI Street Cars in Desoto MO do a bunch of work to it.”

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Brewer found the Fox Body LX seven years ago in Oklahoma from a good friend of Daddy Dave from the TV show Street Outlaws. He struck a deal for it turnkey with a big block Ford mill powering it. Things have changed considerably since then.

The next step was to add a new engine and for bang - forthe - buck reasons, Brewer swapped a stock 6.0 LS into the Ford and added a Vortech YSI blower to the package.

“Boy was that a fun ride!” Kyle said of going from naturally aspirated to boosted. He was instantly hooked and has stuck with boost of some kind ever since.

A massive single 98mm turbo is positioned on an angle in front of the engine. Four inch piping was used through an air-to-water intercooler to cool the charge.

After four years he upped the ante to a built LS. The new engine combo was quick, running 5.20s to 5.30s in the eighth, and deadly consistent, but after another two years he found he just couldn’t squeeze any more power out of it, and after a crash at a No Prep gig he decided on a total retool of the car.

“The whole car has been gone through and pretty much everything has been redone with all the good badass parts now,” he added.

Egineered Racing Services

Mike Lough Racing Engines created a 434-inch LSX motor for the Coupe. After putting together a solid rotating assembly, Lough installed aluminum LSX square port heads. A Texas Speed Titian intake and Icon 102mm throttle body top things off.

Custom torque boxes and upper and lower rear control arms along with Kinetic rear coliovers suspend a braced and built 8.8 rear diff with 35 spline axles and 3.55 gears. Tubular chassis bars were added up front and a Racecraft k-member and front end was used with Ron G long-travel front struts.

The ’88 steel body shell was complemented by a fiberglass front clip, doors, hood, and trunk lid along with an Optic Armor windshield and door windows, so the already svelte LX is even svelter (we know that’s not a word but it sounded cool!). Let’s just say weight is definitely not an issue with this car. Once the body was complete, the car was painted silver metallic.

Small Tire 88 Ford Mustang LX takes the win.....AGAIN!

The fuel cell and battery take up the trunk area which has been retinned with reliefs for the coilover shocks.

Kyle Brewer’s Turbocharged LSX Powered Small Tire 1988 Ford Mustang LX, AKA “Unknown”

■ Body & Paint:

OEM body shell with fiberglass front clip, doors, hood, and trunk lid. Optic armor windshield and door windows. Silver metallic paint.

■ Chassis & Suspension:

Tied factory subframes with modified rear section. 12 point chromoly cage. Aftermarket custom torque boxes and upper and lower rear control arms and Kinetic rear coilover shocks. Racecraft front end. Ron G long travel front struts

■ Engine:

Mike Lough Racing Engines LSX 434ci. Dragon Slayer crank, Oliver billet rods and CP pistons. Texas Speed Titian intake and Icon 102mm throttle body. Aluminum LSX square port heads. 4” turbo piping into air-to-water intercooler.

■ Power Adder:

98mm turbo

■ Electronics:

Holley Dominator system.

■ Transmission & Converter:

Reid Powerglide, Circle D bolt-together converter.

■ Rear differential:

2024 | 25 Years

Braced and built 8.8 with 35 spline axles, spool and 3.55 gears.

■ Tires & Wheels:

RC Components.

■ Interior :

Holley dash, custom painted fiberglass dash, fire suppression system

■ Best ET & MPH:

5.0/1.19 60ft @ 148mph so far!

■ Build Timeline: 7 years in total the way it sits now.

■ Thanks To:

I wouldn’t have what I have without CBI Street Cars, N&N Performance, Spartan Fab, Phine Designs, B&B Customs, Bolt Thrower Weld Shop.

The factory frame is tied and tubular bars were added up front and a 12-point chromoly cage keeps the driver safe. Custom torque boxes and upper and lower rear control arms along with Kinetic rear coliovers suspend a braced and built 8.8 rear diff.

A complete Racecraft front end was used with Ron G long-travel front struts and aftermarket race brakes were installed on all four corners. Inside the Mustang there is little to no factory equipment left in the mix, even the dash has been replaced with a lightweight composite piece.

An interactive display sits front and center that is interfaced with the Holley EFI system that controls the boosted LSX and a large cooler tank now rides shotgun.

Aside from that, it’s a pretty simple setup really with an M&M race shifter, removable steering wheel, single aluminum race seat and trick Jolt Systems panel mounted in the center of the top windshield cage bar, within reach of the driver. And on the faux CD player, AC/DC Back In Black is the permanent music choice.

The Mustang interior is simple and effective. A lightweight composite dash holds a Holley display and a large cooler tank now rides shotgun. An M&M race shifter runs the Reid-cased ’Glide through the gears while a removable steering wheel makes entry and exit a breeze.

Kyle sits in an aluminum race seat and a trick Jolt Systems button panel is mounted in the center of the top windshield cage bar within his reach. A 12-point chromoly cage keeps the driver safe in the event of the unthinkable.

RC Components wheels with polished accents were used and the rear beadlocks are skinned with M/T ET Street Radials that fill the wheelwells nicely.

The car has gone a 5.00 ET in the 1/8 at 148mph with a 1.19 60-foot time, and there’s more to come. Suffice it to say, when you line up against “Unknown” you never really know what you’re up against, and that’s just the way Kyle Brewer likes it.

Mike Lough Racing Engines created the 434-inch LSX motor now residing under the front end of the Stang. A Dragon Slayer crank spins Oliver billet connecting rods and boost-spec CP pistons.

Aluminum LSX square port heads were used and a Texas Speed Titian intake and Icon 102mm throttle body top things off. This time round Brewer went turbo, with a single 98mm unit positioned on an angle in front of the engine. Four inch piping was used through an air-to-water intercooler to cool the charge. A Reid Racing Powerglide with Circle D bolt-together converter sends power rearward.

In all, it’s been 7 years in the making, but it was the crash that really prompted Kyle to take the Mustang to the next level. And although he’ll be running timed and No-Time events, he’s told us that the car has gone a 5.00 ET in the 1/8 at 148mph with a 1.19 60-foot time, and there’s more to come. Suffice it to say, when you line up against “Unknown” you never really know what you’re up against, and that’s

Photo Credit: Nicole Lisca

Story by George Pich

Photos By Stephen Taylor

Through good times and bad, one thing has remained constant for Aaron Gerling over the past 35 years, his Chevelle 300 2 door post.

“I still love it as much now as when I got it,” Gerling said, “It's kind of a member of the family.” It was 1988 and Aaron had just graduated high school when he found his Chevelle. He had always wanted a ’67 and didn’t even realize Chevrolet produced a “post” model until he saw this car. He bought it and has been tinkering with it ever since; racing it, cruising it and just enjoying the car every chance he gets. “I'm married with 3 kids and my wife encourages me to do this hot rod stuff and I can't thank her enough for her support and understanding of what all it involves, from time to the financials and everything else!” he added.

“I have done a little bit of everything in my life but my most enjoyable times have always been around racecars and hot rods. I worked on and off at a local chassis shop for probably 25 years building some pretty cool stuff, which helped me out on the Chevelle.”

The car actually sat tore apart for around 16 years while Aaron went through some tough times in his life, but it was patiently waiting on him to get back to it.

Aaron started a complete body restoration on the car

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A motivated self-starter who doesn’t give up, when he turned his attention back to the Chevelle he made it into the car it is today. “I’ve done every possible thing that can be done on a car to it at one time or another, so there is a lot of personal attachment and pride involved.”

Body-wise, the car has seen a restoration com-

pleted by Aaron and he even laid down the beautiful Lazer Red paint on the car, which incidentally was done back in 1997 in his grandfather’s garage! His grandfather had completed the previous paint work and was working on the body restoration with him when he passed away, so it was left in Aaron’s fairly inexperienced hands.

“I have never had any give-up in me so after some time and struggling I decided to finish the body and paint it myself in his garage. It's not a showstopper, but I think it looks pretty good for a novice home paint job.”

The Chevelle has had numerous engine combinations in it over the

years, most were done by necessity due to Aaron being admittedly aggressive with some nitrous tune ups. The current 427 big block Chevy was actually a loaner engine. Gerling’s close friend, Karl Harris, loaned him the engine so he could put the car back together after its long slumber.

Plans were simply to cruise and show the car until Aaron suggested to Karl that they try the new combo out on the dragstrip, just to see what it would run. Karl was a bit nervous, so Aaron offered to buy the motor and transmission from him so he could run it more aggressively, and the rest

is history.

The Chevelle is known for big wheelies and draggin’ the bumper, something Aaron is working on taming down a bit this year, but it has always been a strong runner using tried and true parts, hard work and good old fashioned ingenuity.

You can’t go wrong with a big block Chevy! A stock block 427 was punched out 30-over and is equipped with a Chevrolet steel crank, Crower rods and TRW pistons. A set of literally untouched GM 990 iron cylinder heads with Crower steel roller rocker arms were studded in place. “There is not a single grinding or sanding mark in/on them”, Gerling said of the heads. The custom ground cam is a mystery spec piece as it was originally ordered by a friend in the 1980s and Aaron doesn’t have the card. A Dart intake manifold with a Ken Jones Performance Carburetors 1050 E85 Dominator style carb tops the healthy Rat.

The stock type suspension includes Southside Machine lower rear control arms and owner-built double adjustable rear upper arms with AFCO double adjustable shocks and stock coil springs. A Moser-fortified GM 12 bolt with girdle was used and a Burkhart Chassis anti-roll bar helps provide a level launch.

Earlier this year, at a large event in the Streetcar Braggin' Rights Class, Aaron piloted the Chevelle sky-high once again and had to remove the oil pan between runs to “reshape” it after a hard landing. “I have a set of TRZ Motorsports tubular a-arms and a set of AFCO double adjustable coilover conversion shocks waiting

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Aaron Gerling’s Nitrous Big Block Street/Strip 1967

■ Body & Paint:

The body work was handled by the owner with help from friends and the Lazer Red paint was applied by the owner in his grandparent’s garage.

■ Chassis & Suspension:

Stock type chassis with an 8.50 certified cage from Burkhart Chassis. Suspension is stock type with Southside Machine lower rear control arms and owner-built double adjustable rear upper arms with AFCO double adjustable shocks with stock coil springs.

Currently, the front suspension is stock type with tubular upper a-arms that the owner built at Burkhart Chassis. Stock lower a-arms with Moroso Trick springs and Competition Engineering 3-way adjustable shock and Pinto rack and pinion steering setup.

■ Engine:

.030 over 427 big block Chevy with a stock Chevrolet steel crankshaft and a stock block with an untouched set of GM 990 iron cylinder heads with Crower steel roller rocker arms. Crower camshaft originally ordered by a friend in the 1980s.TRW pistons. Melling high volume oil pump and Moroso oil pan.

■ Induction:

Dart intake manifold with a Ken Jones Performance Carburetors 1050 E85 Dominator “that has performed flawlessly!”

■ Power Adder:

Induction Solutions direct port nitrous kit that has been installed , flowed and blueprinted by Induction Solutions. “The technical support that they provide is second to none in my eyes. Every time that I've made a change in tuneup Steve Johnson has always went over what I was doing and what I wanted to do and gave me his advice and it's never went anything but better for me. In my opinion they are absolutely the best in the business!“

■ Electronics:

MSD distributor

MSD 7531 programmable Digital 7 Plus box

MSD Pro Power HVC II coil

MSD crank trigger

■ Transmission & Converter:

Performance Transmissions TH400 with reverse manual valve body and transbrake. Coan 8-inch converter.

■ Rear Differential:

GM 12 bolt with Moser 33 spline axles with c-clip eliminators and Moser spool with 3.73 gears. Aluminum rearend girdle and Burkhart Chassis anti-roll bar.

■ Brakes:

Aerospace Components 4 piston disc brakes front and rear.

■ Tires & Wheels:

Weld Draglites 15x3½ on the front and 15x8 on the rear.

Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/R 27x6 fronts and Mickey Thompson

275/60R15 ET Street Radials on the rear.

■ Best ET & MPH:

5.89 @ 116 1/4 mile, 9.31@ 142 in the ¼ mile, “so far”

■ Most Unique Feature(s):

The fact that I've had it for as long as I have and I still love it as much as I do. It's kind of a member of the family. I didn’t realize that it meant something to others until about a year ago when I was talking to my cousin and she explained to me that I had had it her whole life. I just never thought about it like that before.

■ Reason For Build:

I always wanted a ’67 Chevelle when I was a young boy and I actually didn't know that there was a sedan version of them until I actually went to buy this one, and of course over the years I've learned more about them and naturally became more fond of mine.

■ Build Timeline:

When I get it done I will let you know! It's a never ending project, I think that's what I love about it and it's also what I hate about it too lol.

■ Most Memorable Experience(s):

When I won the X E85 event on Father's Day with my wife and kids at the track with me at Great Lakes Dragaway in 2022! There is nothing better than that, oh, and it was my first ever event win!

■ Thanks to:

My wife and kids.

My Grandparents, who are no longer with us but have been a very huge part of my love for this stuff and taught me more than I could have ever thanked them for.

Karl Harris for decades of friendship, inspiration, help and knowledge.

Mike Donnel for being my "crew chief" racing buddy and friend.

Jimmy Heatherton

Corey Osborne

Jimmy Turner

Chuck Burkhart at Burkhart Chassis

Matt Bell at Redline Motorsports

Bob Alexander at Performance Transmissions

Steve Johnson at Induction Solutions

Miguel Hernandez at Las Margaritas

Jim Anderson at Jim's Detailing for always keeping me shiny!

And I'm sure there are numerous others that I'm forgetting but I hope they all know that I appreciate all of the people that have ever been any part of my passion!

Being a hardcore nitrous guy, an Induction Solutions direct port nitrous kit installed, flowed and blueprinted by Induction Solutions was added to the mix.

Chassis-wise, the Chevelle has a strong OEM full frame construction and with extra bracing, the post models are supposed to be superior for drag racing. Since Aaron isn’t overly concerned about weight, he added an 8.50-certified cage from Burkhart

Chassis to keep him safe, and legal at the track. The rear suspension is stock type with Southside Machine lower rear control arms and owner-built double adjustable rear upper arms with AFCO double adjustable shocks and stock coil springs.

The Tach is mounted to the right of the steering wheel and a full switch panel is roll bar mounted with the Pillsbury Dougboy along for the ride. Aaron shifts through the TH400 trans via a B&M Pro Stick ratchet shifter.

Aside from a few hard to get pieces, the Chevelle interior has most of its stock parts and trim in place, including the full rear seat. The front seat was swapped out for a pair of more comfortable buckets.

Currently, the front suspension is stock type with tubular upper a-arms that the owner built at Burkhart Chassis along with stock lower a-arms with Moroso Trick springs and Competition Engineering 3-way adjustable shocks. But like we said, Aaron’s working on taming the Chevelle’s wild wheelstanding antics with a bunch of new parts.

That stock block 427 was punched out 30-over and is equipped with a Chevrolet steel crank, Crower rods and TRW pistons. A set of literally untouched GM 990 iron cylinder heads with Crower steel roller rocker arms were studded in place and a custom ground “mystery” Crower camshaft originally ordered by a friend in the 1980s commands valvetrain activities.

A Dart intake manifold with a Ken Jones Performance Carburetors 1050 E85 Dominator style carb tops the healthy Rat and a Melling high volume oil pump feeds from a new, but lightly massaged, Moroso oil pan down below.

Gerling is a nitrous guy thorough and through and relies on an Induction Solutions direct port nitrous kit that has been installed, flowed and blueprinted by Induction Solutions. “The technical support that they provide is second to none in my eyes,” he said. “Every time that I've made a change in tuneup, Steve Johnson has always went over what I was doing and what I wanted to do and gave me his advice and it's never went anything but better for me. In my opinion they are absolutely the best in the business!“

It’s the way it was done back in the day! An array of five cowl-mounted gauges and two more mounted inside the car provide Aaron with pertinent info on all aspects of the combination. You can’t beat that pre-digital interactive display look of the cowl mounted gauges on a musclecar that was hot-rodded during the nineties.

The Chevelle rides on a set of traditional Weld Draglites with 15x8 rears skinned with Mickey Thompson 275/60R15 ET Street Radials.

Photo Credit: Nicole Lisca

A Performance Transmissions TH400 with reverse manual valve body, transbrake and Coan 8-inch converter send power rearward to a GM 12 bolt with Moser 33 spline axles, c-clip eliminators, spool and 3.73 gears. An aluminum rearend girdle helps the 12-bolt survive nitrous oxide hits and a Burkhart Chassis anti-roll bar helps control body motion and provide a level launch. Traditional 15x8 Draglites with Mickey Thompson 275/60R15 ET Street Radials plant the power to the ground.

This big bodied Bowtie has been 5.89 at 116mph in the eighth and 9.31at 142 in the long haul with more to come. “When I get it done I will let you know!” Gerling added. “It's a never ending project, I think that's what I love about it and it's also what I hate about it, too.”

The iconic Chevelle is always a crowd pleaser wherever it goes, and for Aaron Gerling that might be cruising the streets, at a fairgrounds show or draggin’ the bumper on a low 9-second pass at the strip!

Photo Credit: Nicole Lisca

No matter what your age, do yourself a quick favor and listen to “Godzilla”, a song by Blue Öyster Cult dedicated to the 1970s movies about the original radioactive beast. Nathan Strunk’s turbocharged Godzilla powered 1980 Ford Fairmont has a lot in common with the OG giant of the sea….it too is awesome and a force to be reckoned with.

While there’s varying stories, rumor has it during development of Ford’s 7.3 gas engine a few years back a junior employee made a comment something like “man that thing is a beast, like Godzilla” and it stuck!

Story by Jack DuBois

Photos By Stephen Taylor

Nathan grew up working on cars with his dad and brothers, so you would definitely say he was born into it. As kids they built old lawnmowers to go faster and it eventually evolved into working on cars and trucks through Nathan’s teens into adulthood. For whatever reason, he never really got into the dirt track scene but always enjoyed drag cars and fast street cars.

He started off working on what he could afford and as

time passed, he got better paying jobs and started to play with Fox Body Mustangs and small nitrous kits; a familiar starting point for many of us. Nitrous would become turbo kits on mild street cars and racing buddies on back roads and then on test and tune nights at the local track. As time passed, Nathan’s arch rival was himself, hitting the dragstrip to see how much quicker he could go with the next mod.

Nathan Strunk's Godzilla Stuffed Fairmont Gets UP and GOES!

When Nathan first heard about the new Ford 7.3 motor he told his buddy who was big into V8 BMW M3s that he was going to build a 7.3 with a nasty turbo one day. At that time he was driving an LS swapped Fox Body Mustang with turbo and getting discouraged with trying to go 5.00s in the 1/8th. He sold it and said he was done with racing, but two years later he was back in the game with an ’05 supercharged Mustang and just as he was making a career change, another friend approached him to buy his Ford Fairmont.

This was an interesting twist in Nathan’s life with cars as when his friend painted the Fairmont white a few years earlier, Nathan recalls telling him that he had to have it, and now he actually had a shot at owning it! “I was the first to get the money rounded up for the car, so it was mine and at that point it was go time. I was 100% all in!” Nathan said. Nathan did build that turbocharged Godzilla he said he would, but not without an arduous journey. With the car home, he started making phone calls to the fab shop and the body shop to get things lined up and sold off the 4.6 parts that came with the car.

“I began to order all the cool parts I’ve always wanted to put on a car and took it to 319 Fabrication and had Matt get to work on building the cage and all the other stuff I needed done to the car while I worked my butt off to earn the money to build this thing,” he added.

The next big step for Strunk was placing an order for a Ford Performance crate 7.3 while Matt did his thing on the chassis. Nathan knew the stock Godzilla wasn’t going to cut it

for what he was going to do; many builders and racers were already finding the weak points and aftermarket parts were starting to surface to make them stronger. There was one big challenge in the early days of making this new motor hold together above 800hp though, there were a bunch of people who thought they knew, but really didn’t, and Nathan ran into a number of issues finding parts and people willing to help get the car together.

Harnessing the Competitive Edge

VANESSA FLANAGAN OPEN OUTLAW RACING

“Early on, at one point no one wanted to work on the Godzilla motor. No one wanted to make the car run. People did not have parts available to swap these motors into cars. I got lucky to have found some very good people to step-up to help me and they are some of the best people I have ever worked with.”

Nathan reached out to Todd Warren for a cam, ported heads, and rods and Bob at Creative Werks in Des Moines Iowa to help build the 7.3, since he was familiar with the platform and was already making aftermarket parts for them with Jim Ryder at Indy Power Products.

The Godzilla was assembled and fitted with some trick new parts, as well, and Nathan wasted no time installing it in the Fairmont. After spending several months with the install and fabrication required for the turbo setup, it was time to wire the car and Jolt Systems jumped onboard and wired it from scratch to run on a

Holley Dominator ECU.

It’s worth noting that this was one of the first Godzillas running on a Holley ECU with stock sensors, and Nathan was told it wasn’t supported and couldn’t be done at that time. “With the help of Scott Clark at Realtuners LLC, Ryan from Jolt Systems was able to get the car all wired and ready to run.”

Nathan Strunk’s Small Tire Turbocharged Godzilla 1980 Ford Fairmont Boxtop

■ Body & Paint:

Paint and body work done by Henry County Customs. Stripped to bare metal and painted Oxford White. Cage has been paint matched to the body

■ Chassis & Suspension:

Car has a chromoly 8.50 caged with thru-floor subframe connectors. Team

Z torque boxes, Kinetic Raceworks upper and lower control arms and an Enemies Everywhere anti-roll bar and double adjustable coilover shocks.

Team Z Godzilla front k-member, Kinetic Raceworks 1.5 inch narrow a-arms.

All work done by 319 Fabrication.

■ Engine:

Ford 7.3 Godzilla motor with factory compression ratio, bore and stroke.

Ported OEM heads with PAC valve springs. Factory crank with Diamond pistons, Molnar rods, Comp cam. Indy Power Products timing cover, valve covers, intake and timing lock-out. Custom build 417 Motorsports oil pan. All engine work was performed by Creative Werks.

■ Power Adder:

TDI GT55 94mm turbo

■ Electronics:

Holley Dominator. Jolt Systems switch panel. Lowdollar Motorsports sensors. Whole car wired by Jolt Systems.

■ Transmission & Converter:

FTI TH400 with 1st and 2nd gear leave valve body. PTC bolt-together converter.

■ Rear Differential:

Ford original 8.8 rearend narrowed and braced with 3.73 Ford gears and aftermarket axles. Ford Performance carbon disk kit for limited slip.

■ Brakes:

TBM brakes on all 4 corners.

■ Tires & Wheels:

Billet Specialties Win Lite wheels and M/T tires.

■ Interior:

6.86 Holley Prodash. MPI steering wheel and Motion Raceworks column. PPP shifter, aluminum seats with custom covers with rear seat and door panels matched. 5-point harness for driver and passenger, swing out door bars and fire suppression from Mags Fab Worx.

■ Best ET & MPH:

5.19 at 139mph

■ Most Unique Feature(s):

Has to be the Godzilla motor.

■ Reason For Build:

I wanted to be one of the first ones doing cool stuff with the new Godzilla motor and really wanted to give the Fairmont the love it deserved.

■ Build Timeline:

The car was a 1 year process from start to finish and racing.

■ Most Memorable Experience(s):

Having the car on the dyno for the first time it had been running and it making 1200hp at the tires on 11.5lbs of boost at Scott Clarks Realtuner school.

■ Thanks To:

Matt Schmitt at 319 Fabrication for all the chassis work, Bob Folkestad and Jim Ryder for all the motor work and Ryan Hoffman at Jolt Systems for all the electrical work. Scott Clark at Realtuners for getting the car to run on Holley efi, Levi Evans at Henry County Customs for the paint and body, Kevin Fitz at Redhorse Performance and Jason Waterhouse for helping work on the car and going racing all the time.

With limited space up front due to the turbo install, engine cooling is handled at the back of the Fairmont with an undermounted radiator and twin fans. The trunk is well laid out for max efficiency housing the battery, fuel cell and various tanks.

Once the car was wired it was off to Henry County Customs paint where it was stripped to bare metal and painted Oxford White, along with the cage. Next, Nathan installed the custom interior and reassembled the rest of the car.

“On start-up day, Scott remote tuned the car and Ryan came over to make sure there wasn’t any electrical issues on first start.

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!

Scott got the car running in 15 minutes from scratch! We loaded the car into the trailer and drove 5 hours to 417 Motorsports to have Scott tune the car and it ended up making 1200hp to the tires that day on just 11.5lbs of boost.”

Nathan started to drive

the car a bunch on the street in 2023 and hit some drag and drive events along with some radial tire and Real Street class action. To date, in timed event trim, he’s gone 5.19 in the eighth at 139 mph with more to draw on as he puts miles on the car.

In the end, Nathan kept his promise to himself and built a badass 7.3 turbocharged Godzilla and just happened to be one of the early pioneers to do so. He also managed to get the combination installed in

a car that he had wanted for a number of years, and while the journey was full of twists and turns into uncharted territory, the destination was worth it as he ended up with a potent street/strip package.

Godzilla is on the chase in this wicked pass

Story by George Pich

Photos By Wes Taylor

Imagine back in the crazy street car days of the 1990s and early 2000s, telling someone you had a naturally aspirated street driven Mopar that runs 9s.

Assuming you were telling a tall tale, the local Fox Body and Camaro guys would be lining up to race you… and you would be taking a mitt full of money home! Even today, that statement seems a bit farfetched for a pump gas car with no power adder, but retired Equipment Maintenance Parts Supervisor Gary Jones set himself up with the best retirement

package ever…a street driven big block naturally aspirated Duster than runs 9-second hits at will!

Some folks say that Gary was born with racing fuel in his blood and his mom would often share stories of how, at two years old, he would run through the house with pot lids in his hands making engine noises and shifting gears.

At twelve years old Gary loved hanging out at the Shell Station his brother worked at and on Sundays guys would bring their hot rods to the station, hangout and share stories about their cars, and Gary couldn’t have been happier just being part of it. At 16, his first car was a ’64 Fairlane and he did a lot of street racing with it! Jones learned to work on that Fairlane with his best friend and mentor Mike Walters. “Mike was a little older than me, and there wasn’t much he didn’t know about cars and racing,” Gary recalled. “He taught me so much, from the mechanical aspect, to body work and paint.

Gary Jones' Stock 440 Block Duster runs 9's with NO POWER ADDER!

Myconsistedweekends of race, break, fix and repeat...

GARY JONES

Color matched bumpers, a slick matte black “Twister” stripe and oversized “6 Pack” style hood scoop along with original trim and grille set the Duster’s look off.

The extensive body work to bring the Duster back from near death and even the base coat/clear coat Lime Green paint was completed by Gary, and the car definitely turns heads!

My weekends consisted of race, break, fix and repeat. I also spent time working on my brother’s Cuda, always trying to make it faster. That’s always been my goal with every car I worked on really, just figure out how to make it faster!”

By 18, Gary worked at a Chrysler dealership

in the parts room, and was very involved in Direct Connection Performance Parts, which, along with brother’s Cuda, developed a love of all things Mopar. After work and on weekends he wrenched on other people’s cars which he found could be quite lucrative.

Dave Smith built the bullet for the Duster and made Gary’s dream come true of having a pump gas, streetable big block that would run 9-second hits. A 1972 stock 440 block was bored and stroked to 543 cubic inches and equipped with billet main caps and ARP studs. Machine work was done by VZ Engine in West Virginia.

Indy EZ cylinder heads ported by Steve at VZ Engines, a ported Victor intake and Holley 4500 Dominator 1050cfm carb top off the capable mill. Take a good look at those fenderwell headers too, they are a true work of art! Gary wanted a clean look under the hood of the muscle car and certainly achieved it, just throw the shades down when he pops the hood because the influx of Lime Green is near blinding!

Though he went on to do other types of jobs, and ended his working days with the Baltimore County Government, he worked on cars as a hobby through it all.

This particular 1972 Plymouth Duster came to Gary’s attention in

2002, sitting in a bunch of weeds down in Middle River MD. It was a rusty shell, full of dents with no interior and no engine or transmission and he paid just $500 for it. Nearly 20 years later, in 2021 on the exact month Jones retired, the

car was ready to hit the streets and the track! “I use the term ‘finished’ loosely,” Gary added, “as it never really seems to be finished – I am constantly upgrading and finding new ways to get more horsepower out of it.”

Gary Jones’ 1972 Big Block Naturally Aspirated Plymouth Duster

■ Body & Paint:

Body work and paint was completed by owner. Base coat and clear coat of ‘Extreme Finishes’ paint Lime Green.

■ Chassis & Suspension/Modifications:

Mini tub rear with frame connectors. Rear suspension is a leafspring setup with Caltracs and QA1 double adjustable shocks. Front is adjustable upper control arm from RMS with QA1 shocks and 6 cylinder torsion bar.

■ Engine:

1972 stock 440 block. Stroked and bored to a 543 cubic inch with billet main caps and ARP studs. Machine work done by VZ Engine in West Virginia. Camshaft Is a Racer Brown custom grind. Engine built by Dave Smith at Smith Race Engines and Transmission.

■ Rotating Assembly:

K-1 crank and rods, King Bearings, Icon Elite pistons with Thermal Barrier Coating for maximum heat dispersion while reducing material fatigue.

■ Cylinder Heads:

Indy EZ cylinder heads. Port work done by Steve at VZ engines, Pac valve springs & retainers, Manton pushrods, Harland Sharp rockers arms, BAM solid roller lifters.

■ Induction & Fuel Delivery:

Holley 4500 Dominator 1050 cfm, Magnafuel fuel pump and filter. Victor intake with port work.

■ Electronics:

MSD 6al box and distributor

■ Power Adder:

None – naturally aspirated.

■ Transmission:

727 trans built by Smith Racing Transmission, billet drums, A&A aluminum valve body, reverse pattern, bolt-in sprag, PTC 4500 stall converter.

■ Rear:

Dana 60 with Eaton locker, Richmond 4.10 gears and Yukon axles.

■ Brakes: Mopar 4 wheel disc brakes.

■ Tires & Wheels:

SSR Spike 15x10 rear wheels with beadlocks by Mac Fab and 29.5 x 10.5 x 15 Drag Bracket Radials. Front wheels are 15 x 4 with Mickey Thompson Sportsman 26 x 7.5 tires.

■ Interior: Autometer gauges, Precision Performance Products shifter, 10 point roll cage, 5 point harness and window net.

■ ET & MPH – Race only:

So far best ET for ¼ mile is 9.7 at 132 mph and my best 1/8 mile is 6.15 at 112 mph

Still making adjustments as I feel we should be at 9.50 in the ¼.

■ Most Unique Feature(s):

This car is naturally aspirated, runs on pump gas, and is street driven. Runs in the 9’s without any power adders!

■ Reason For Build:

This was my project car that would be a ‘street and strip’ car that I would race when I retired.

■ Build Timeline:

I worked on the car on and off for a good 10 years. My goal was to have it finished by my retirement, and then race it. The car was “finished” the month I retired. I use the term “finished” loosely, as it never really seems to be finished – I am constantly upgrading, and finding new ways to get more horsepower out of it.

■ Thanks To:

I have a lot of people to thank that have helped me along the way to get this car to where it is today. They include: Ed Thompson, my nephews – Bert and Travis Jones, and a big thanks to Dave Smith for all his continued help and support.

The extensive body work and even the base coat/ clear coat Lime Green paint was completed by Gary and the car definitely turns heads. He also mini tubbed the Duster and connected the subframe sections. Rear suspension is a leafspring setup with Caltracs and QA1 double adjustable shocks and the front is adjustable upper control arms from RMS with QA1 shocks and 6 cylinder torsion bars.

Magnafuel handles fuel delivery and filtration and a sizeable fuel cell is trunk-mounted for street driving.

Gary set out to build a naturally aspirated big block for the Duster that would be pump gas friendly, fully streetable and run at least 9 seconds in the quarter-mile – and that is a fairly tall order for a Mopar, unless you have some pretty deep pockets. Align yourself with good people though and good things happen, and Jones enlisted Dave Smith at

Smith Race Engines to build the bullet for the Duster.

A 1972 stock 440 block was bored and stroked to 543 cubic inches and equipped with billet main caps and ARP studs. Machine work was done by VZ Engine in West Virginia. A K-1 crank and rods were used with King bearings and Icon Elite pistons with thermal barrier coating.

A custom grind Racer Brown camshaft was slid in place and the short block was topped with a set of Indy EZ cylinder heads ported by Steve at VZ Engines, a ported Victor intake and Holley 4500 Dominator 1050cfm carb.

To back the naturally as-

pirated RB big block, Dave Smith also built a reverse pattern 727 transmission with billet drums, A&A aluminum valve body, bolt-in sprag and PTC 4500 stall converter. And power is transferred rearward to a Dana 60 with Eaton locker, Richmond 4.10 gears and Yukon axles.

This Twister ready to stir up a path of destruction in its wake.

The Duster had no interior when Gary found it rotting in tall grass back in 2002. He was able to find a stock dash, door and trim panels and went with a pair of race buckets with harnesses up front and deleted the rear seat when he did the min tub. A 10-point roll cage surrounds him and the 727 trans is shifted via a Precision Performance Products shifter. Electronics are mounted in place of the factory glove box and engine vitals are sent through an array of aftermarket gauges

Through this whole experience, the best part has been meeting so many great people who have helped and supported me along the way...

GARY JONES

Gary was able to find all the parts to restore the interior with a stock dash, door and trim panels and chose to install twin race buckets with harnesses up front and deleted the rear seat when he did the min tub. A 10-point roll cage surrounds Gary and he shifts the 727 trans via a Precision Performance Products shifter. For easy access, electronics are mounted in place of the factory

glove box and engine vitals are sent through an array of aftermarket gauges.

So far, the Duster has run 9.70 at 132 mph in the 1/4 but Gary knows the car will go 9.50s with some fine tuning, and of course he will continue to work on getting the car quicker and faster, just as he has done since he was a teenager.

“Through this whole experience,

the best part has been meeting so many great people who have helped and supported me along the way,” Jones added. “The K.O.S. (King of Street) group that I race with have become like family to me and experiencing all of this with my brother Gordon and my son Mike are great memories in the making. You just couldn’t ask for a better retirement package!”

Gary Jones with his retirement package….a big block 9-second street driven Duster. It doesn’t get any better than that!

Story by George Pich

Photos By Amber Hynes

About 15 years back, there was this movement to label “street racing” as “drag racing”.

There were articles in papers, on the web and TV describing how a group of “drag racers” racing through city streets or country roads were busted or killed or hurt someone. This error in reporting cost the industry some traction and created some negative vibes towards a legitimate sport. Drag racing is done in a safe and controlled environment, you can’t be busted for doing it and the chances of hurting or killing an innocent 3rd party are

Brent Albury tunes on his turbo Fox Body at a Chuckwalla event.

Johnny Osmundsmon’s sllck Bug is always a crowd favorite at Chuckwalla.

Jason Sample’s supercharged Vette sounds vicious, launches hard and wins races!

Billy Spain wrenching to make the show.

Fastlife Motorsports

Most of us have street raced and know that it fits into none of the above. But now street racing has morphed into a form of drag racing, stay with me here.

The last few years, street racers have banded together at dragstrips and other venues to, for lack of a better term, street race! No track prep, no times are generated or shown and generally it’s run what ya brung, or a few minor rules to ensure there’s some level of parity. In essence, it’s as close to pull up beside someone and go as it gets, just in a safe environment.

With “reality TV” depicting their brand of “street racing”, the line between drag racing and street racing has been blurred a bit again. While TV is generally carefully staged for entertainment, rest assured the experience you will get at a good noprep street race event with a solid promoter will be the real deal.

There are a number of good folks and promoters out there doing positive things for street racers looking to do their thing with a level of safety and bringing authentic street racing to life at various dragstrips, airports or back-of-thetrack events, and that can only be good for the movement.

Whipple Mike & Hazlife enjoy Chuckwalla’s huge shutdown.

Turbo Bobby hands the keys of the Camaro to a new driver!

Courtney Sterling making a name for herself in no-prep street race action. Kano gives the thumbs up for Chuckwalla.

One place in particular though, has taken things several steps further.

Enter Sandro Schneider. You might recall him being featured in RPM with his badass big cube nitrous Camaro. Well as it turns out, as rough and tough as Sandro is (he’s a stuntman, fitness and fight trainer), he has a soft spot for drag racing and an even bigger soft spot for noprep racing. It’s not about the money, the glory or anything else, it is about giving street racers (and those that want to try it in a safe place) a place to race, and he has certainly accomplished that by working with Chuckwalla Valley Raceway (CVR) in Desert Center, California, to bring events to the facility.

Chuckwalla Valley Raceway (CVR) is a 1000 acre property. It was once the Aerodrome and Supply Depot for General Patton and the training facilities he operated in the 1940s.

In 2010, a 17-turn, 2.68-mile road course was built, with safety and fun being the key mandates. Designed to run in both directions, this is considered one of the best road racing experiences in the country.

Over time, CVR has been steadily improving and now includes 40 Cabins for onsite housing, 24 large member garages, a military training facility (including a firing range), and a one mile runway with aircraft tiedowns.

“As one of Chuckwalla’s resident members and a drag race junkie, I have been pushing the team at CVR to activate a drag race component to the facility,” Sandro explained.

Sandro Schneider (right) chats with Baby K.

The Original Patented CalTracs Traction System

Complete bolt on system: no mods, cutting, welding, most applications

Keeps axle from rotating, maintains pinion angle

Eliminates spring wrap up

Pre-load adjustability

Durable powder coated finish

Detailed Illustrated Installation Guide

Custom sets

CalTracs, Calvert Mono Leafsprings, Calvert Sliders and Lowering Blocks

RON RHODES 1968 Chevrolet Camaro

Billy Spain, left lane, takes on Sandro Schneider at Chuckwalla.

Fastlife Motorsports/Taylor Wright make hits with the “Side Bet” Mustang in lightweight form.

Billy Spain’s boosted Datsun is a standout, day or night!

Chuckwalla offers amazing onsite cabins

Check out the amazing track and surface at this

A battleship gray

with

Mike Saiki is a familiar name in West Coast racing action.

Datsun

twins….Syke “Steezy” Murillo goes up against Robert Horton aka “Turbo Bobby”.

hidden Gem

“So we installed burnout boxes, some K-rail and here we are. Venues are closing and street racing is not acceptable, so the question is: Can a drag racing community use our facility and respect that we love this place and expect it to be protected by those who use it?

To date we have hosted several day and evening events. Starting on 120’ concrete burnout boxes and aimed east down runway 5 (1 mile long x 80 feet wide), most races are 1/8th mile and a few have been 1/4. With a long safe shutdown stretch, the runway has hosted 1/2 mile top speed events as well, with trap speeds reaching 230mph! Surrounded by flat desert scape, this facility is renowned for its safety and runoff.”

RPM MAG was fortunate enough to be invited by Sandro to meet him at CVR this past March and we knew immediately that this was something special. Any hardcore racer could only dream of having a venue like this in their neck of the woods.

Emmanuel Fernandez’ teal Mustang. This car was previously driven by Cali Nate and this event was dedicated to his memory.

Let’s start with a check list of what we want and don’t want in no-prep “street” racing:

• We want a street type surface to race on.

• We want as long a shutdown area as possible.

• We don’t want artificial prep on the surface…ever!

• We don’t want a lot of class/car rules.

• We don’t want our times/ capabilities to be displayed or shared.

• We want our friends and families to be able to come out and watch, safely.

• We don’t want it to cost us a bunch of money to participate.

• We want to able to arrange grudge and money races.

• We want to minimize the possibility of getting hurt or hurting somebody else. If you could have all of these in one place, would you support it? Don’t say yes if you are the type of person that:

• Complains about everything.

• Doesn’t stick to their word.

• Hides behind a keyboard.

• Doesn’t know how to respect a gift.

• Looks at the glass half-empty. Personally, hearing “street racers” complain about a surface strikes me as ironic.

Fastlife Motorsports/JJ evacuates cockpit smoke after the burnout at Chuckwalla.

Aaron Alvarez takes on John Gonzales.

Fox Body squared….Marc Franco & Long Beach Performance at the hit.

If you are a no-prep street racer, a real one, you have raced on damn near any surface; bumps, lumps, cracks, dips, uneven pavement and even with gravel inches from your tires. So save the complaining and excuses, as you’d be hard pressed to find a better “street” than Chuckwalla has to offer, or many of the back-of-thetrack and airport event for that matter.

While at Chuckwalla, we had an opportunity to sit down with Dave Waugh, as well. Many refer to Dave as the General Manager but Dave wears several hats, and we’d call him an overseer of all things Chuckwalla. He’s a mover, shaker and has an extensive background in a variety of motorsports, but not drag racing. Admittedly, he doesn’t completely understand the no-prep/ grudge scene, but he’s willing to learn and work with Sandro to offer up a section of the facility to make it happen. He knows it’s a growing movement and believes that with solid support it will not only benefit the racers by giving them a place to race, but also offer them what only Chuckwalla can in additional safety, comfort and amenities.

Stephen Chase won his class at the June Cali Nate tribute event.

Things such as a controlled gated entrance, a place to park safely and camp overnight, full cabins to rent and a race surface that goes above and beyond “street”, boasting a concrete starting line, extra width and a huge shut down area. Dave has a genuine interest in the success of drag racing at Chuckwalla, but at the same time it obviously has to make sense for the facility. You can check out Chuckwalla Valley Raceway at https:// chuckwalla.com/ and don’t forget to check into the area’s rich history as General Patton’s training grounds.

On the June 8th weekend, Sandro brought in an event dedicated to the memory of Cali Nate, a well-known racer from the area who passed suddenly a few months back. “It was a nice tribute to Cali Nate and we were able to raise some money for his family,” Schneider commented. “We had a solid showing of fast cars which resulted in very close competitive racing, not to mention a very large crowd of spectators

A sizeable crowd filled the Chuckwalla drag race area for the June event.

Jay Boddie (pictured) promoted an event at Chuckwalla late last year and was the starter too. Here, George Mitchell backs up into the hot sticky rubber following his burnout.

in March

I’d like to thank all the drivers that came out. It was a fitting end to the event that Stephen Chase and Billy Spain ran in the finals to an absolute photo finish, literally. It took us quite a while to figure out that Stephen barely held off a hardcharging Billy Spain. Those two guys were Nate’s pals and that was an amazing way to finish off the event.

A big thanks to Kevin, the owner of Chuckwalla, and Dave the GM for donating and opening up the track after their racing season had ended in order to make this event happen. Everyone at Chuckwalla is looking forward to the future of no-prep racing here,” he added.

So the only thing left to say is…why aren’t you racing at Chuckwalla? Watch for their next event in September 2024.

Ace bike road racer (as in motorcycle) Bridgette Lebuer helps out whenever needed. This day

she was the starter for the drag race!