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There are arguments for both sides of the Electric Vehicle craze that was supposed to hit North America hard over the past few years...
As it turns out, it didn’t gain the traction the industry thought it would and many large companies pulled back from production numbers and certain stock prices fell. Whether it’s the cost of an EV itself, the carbon footprint involved in large scale mining for battery raw materials, or the third-world country labor wages, expected sales just haven’t happened… yet. There’s no doubt that an alternative fuel source for transportation is in the future, but taking a quick glance around our roads, it’s most likely a little more distant future than some expected.
Story: George Pich
Photos: Stephen Taylor
Ormond Beach, Florida’s
Greg Ward has a little different approach for his street/strip project, but make no mistake, ”It’s No EV”!
Ward started racing dirt cars when he was 15 and continued racing a number of different things for 30 years. During that time he immersed himself in all things horsepower, including doing
chassis fabrication and repair and sheet metal fabrication on mainly dirt and asphalt late models race cars. With a firm grip on what it takes to build and race, Greg took a break from the industry for a number of years and when he got his second wind, he decided that drag racing would be his next mountain to climb.
When he found it at an online auction, Greg Ward’s 2015 Tesla Model S had a broken strut, flat on the right front and missing bumper cover. The body, however, was near mint and Ward was able to keep the factory paint and even found a matching front bumper cover.
A trick removable front grille to enable massive airflow when needed makes going from street to strip a snap!
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Greg checked out a bunch of different races and when he went to a large no-prep event, he was instantly hooked, not just on the racing but on the turbocharged engine combinations he saw competing. ”The following year my friends talked me into going to watch a drag-and-drive style event and I knew that I had to participate,” Ward explained.
A short time later, Greg went on the hunt for a suitable candidate for his new street/ strip build and found this 2015 Tesla Model S through Copart auctions. Interestingly, he bought the car for donor parts for a swap project into a 68 Mustang and liked the body lines so much that he decided to make a street/strip car out of it.
There’s a bunch stuff going on in the trunk of the Model S including provisions for ample fuel and food for long drives. Check out the colorful corn cob on the fuel tank!
A pair of GT45 turbochargers were mounted on each side of the engine, which is substantially set back in the chassis. Stainless Works did the headers and Greg along with his team fabricated the cold side piping and exhaust out. The twins are wrapped for heat control and screened at the inlets for pest control, especially necessary during long drives.
It was unique and nobody was running a Tesla on E85 that he knew of.
The car had a broken strut, flat on the right front and was missing the bumper cover. The body of his new project was near mint and Ward was able to keep the factory paint and even found a matching front bumper cover. “I could
have fixed it myself for about $2k and sold it for $42k at that time,” Greg said, “but I decided to continue on stripping it completely. The hardest part was cutting out all of the unneeded floor pan, firewall and frame parts. I will admit that the car was well engineered and like nothing I had seen before.
The car is now a full double rail tube chassis piece with strut front and 4-link coilover rear suspensions. A near bulletproof Chassis Engineering rear housing is fortified with 35 spline axles, spool and 3.90 gear. Magnum 15 x15 beadlock rear wheels skinned with sizeable 31 x 18.5 x 15 tires handle the hook.
Advanced Racing Engines created a 565 cubic inch boost-ready big block Chevy starting with a 4.600 bore/4.25 stroke Dart block. An Eagle forged crank spins a set of their H-beam rods pinned to Mahle forged boost-spec pistons. The Ultra Ram EFI intake topping the nasty Rat is equipped with 240lb injectors for E85 fuel.
Trying to figure out how to remove all of the electric stuff without blowing something up was definitely interesting.”
Once he started the project, Greg decided to go all-in and constructed a round tube double rail chassis to SFI 25.4 spec. using Chassis Engineering components. The car was equipped with a custom strut front suspension
setup and a four-link coilover rear with a fabricated Chassis Engineering Ford 9-inch fortified with 35 spline axles, spool and 3.90 gear. To control hook, AFCO has been providing guidance with their Big Gun coilover shocks and Lowdoller sensors were also installed to help get traction under control.
Magnum 15x15 beadlock rear wheels skinned with sizeable 31x18.5x15 tires are matched with 18-inch front hoops.
The interior is anything but Tesla and made up of fabricated aluminum panels
with steel floor panels and firewall completed by Greg.
A Motion Raceworks MPI steering wheel, shifter and chute release were used along with a pair of padded race buckets equipped with Simpson harnesses.
Greg and his team created this slick custom all-aluminum support trailer in-house for drag-and-drive events.
Greg Ward’s Street/Strip Twin Turbocharged Big Block Chevy 2015 Tesla Model S
■ Chassis & Suspension /Modifications:
The chassis is a round tube double rail four-link with strut front. Built with components from Chassis Engineering to SFI 25.4 spec.
■ Body & Paint:
Paint and body are all original, even the E-Bay replacement front bumper cover .
■ Engine:
Advanced Racing Engines 565 cubic inch Big Block Chevy with a Dart block, 4.250 stroke, 4.600 bore. Eagle forged crank and H-bema rods, Mahle forged boost-spec pistons, Comp Cams hydraulic roller cam and 3 stage Peterson dry sump pump driven off of a Milodon gear drive modified for ½ inch cam drive. Also fabricated a Ford type cam sensor to run off the front of the oil pump.
■ Induction:
FITech Ultra Ram EFI manifold with Fuel Tech 240# injectors for E 85.
FTI TH 400 reverse pattern 3 speed with Pro Brake and FTI converter.
■ Rear Differential:
Chassis Engineering Fabricated Ford 9-inch with 35 spline axles, spool and 3.90 gear.
■ Brakes: 4 piston fronts and rears.
■ Tires & Wheels:
Weld Racing Magnum 15 x15 beadlock rears and 18 inch fronts. Hoosier 31 x 18.5 x 15 rears and 28 x 4.5 x 18 front runner tires.
■ Interior:
Interior is full custom aluminum panels with custom steel floor panels and firewall completed by owner. Aim colour TFT dash monitor, Motion Raceworks MPI steering wheel, shifter and chute release.
■ Best ET & MPH:
Working on it….if weather would cooperate! The car is built and certified to run in the sevens and the combo is capable of that.
■ Most Unique Feature(s): It’s an ICE (internal combustion engine) powered Tesla!
■ Build Timeline: 2 years.
■ Thanks To:
Chris Doane and Evan Doane, Chassis Engineering, Motion Raceworks and Summit Racing.
Nothing even resembles a factory Tesla inside the car. An owner fabricated interior consisting of aluminum panels with steel floor pans and firewall is complemented by the SFI 25.4 spec cage finished in metallic blue. A Motion Raceworks MPI steering wheel, shifter and chute release were used along with a pair of padded race buckets equipped with Simpson harnesses.
The real fun begins under the hood, where Ward chose a big block Chevy to do the heavy lifting on the dragstrip. Advanced Racing Engines used a 4.600 bore/4.25 stroke Dart block to create 565 cubic inches of Rat power. An Eagle forged crank spins a set of their H-beam rods pinned to Mahle forged boost-spec pistons. The motor was equipped with a Comp Cams hydraulic roller of unknown specifications and 3-stage Peterson dry sump setup driven off of a Milodon gear drive modified for a ½ inch cam drive.
Despite logging street hours in the Model S, Greg’s biggest challenge has been getting down the track due to the number of rainouts this fall. We’re confident that the Tesla will be bangin’ off 7-second hits in no time at all though!
Ward and his team also fabricated a Ford type cam sensor to run off the front of the oil pump. The Ultra Ram EFI intake is equipped with 240lb injectors for the E85 fuel consumed by the big block. There’s little doubt that a boosted combination has excellent street manners, especially for the long hauls between test tracks during a drag-and-drive event, and adding substantial extra punch to the Tesla’s mill are a pair of GT45 turbochargers. Stainless Works did the headers for the Tesla and Greg along with his team fabricated the cold side work and exhaust out. The package is controlled by a Haltech Elite 2500 ECU and backed by an FTI TH400 transmission and converter.
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Despite logging street hours in the Model S, his biggest challenge has been getting down the track due to the number of rainouts this fall. “In a little less than 2 years we took a broken EV and we fixed it! We also built the aluminum enclosed support trailer completely inhouse and are ready for some test drives with the whole package,” continued Ward. He’s shooting for 7-second hits in the quarter
mile and just barely missed being ready for a drag-and-drive event earlier this year, but has already entered for 2025.
When you first lay eyes on Greg Ward’s 2015 Tesla Model S, a second take is definitely needed. While, to an untrained eye, it looks stock-ish on the outside, aside from the rear wing and wheelie bars, one thing quickly becomes abundantly clear…It’s No EV!
“Focus.Speed. Iamspeed.”
The words of animated racer Lightning McQueen find an appropriate home with Madera, California’s Stephen Chase, who has been racing his entire life across a wide range of disciplines.
Eventually finding his way to
drag racing, Chase built his 1972 Chevy Nova from the ground up and has found success and friendship along the way.
“I’ve been around racing my entire life,” Chase noted. “It started with dirt bikes, then moved to oval go-karts, then onto drag racing. I have raced on pretty much any surface: sand, dirt, snow, asphalt, concrete, mud.
Story: Steve Baur
Photos: Amber Hynes
"We resurrected it from a bare rusted shell..."
that was very dominant in sand drag racing, then after that died down, we got more serious with the car.”
Chase had always wanted a Chevy Nova, but when he dragged home
dy of his found up in the mountains, other friends questioned what he was going to do with it.
“We resurrected it from a bare rusted shell,” Chase said.
STEPHEN CHASE
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“We didn’t have much money, so we saved and did everything ourselves to get it to where it is today. Each stage since then has taken a couple months to perform the upgrades as we save up to minimize downtime with the car. Little by little it started to become the car it is today.”
The original build took just over a year, but in the following 15 years, it has undergone several transformations.
“Originally, it was a carb/nitrous 496ci big-block Chevy street car,” Chase recalled. Next, he added electronic fuel injection and he and his wife Michele, drove it to their wedding.
Getting back to making the car go quicker, Chase switched out the nitrous for a turbocharger, and it wasn’t long before he exceeded the limits of the stock block.
The next step in the Nova’s evolution was to swap in a 540ci big-block, and as things
like this tend to go, Chase realized that he had now exceeded the limits of the chassis.
“That engine became way too much power for the car,” Chase told us. “We then decided that the stock leaf spring setup and mild steel cage were not safe any more.
The Chase Nova eats the pavement up on this trip down the track..!
Chase kept the Nova looking as factory as possible but utilized lightweight composite parts wherever possible.
We found a chromoly, 4-link back half chassis and retained the stock front clip to be legal for the classes we raced at that time.”
At that time the steel doors, fenders, and other heavier components were replaced with fiberglass and carbon fiber versions. Chase’s main goal was for the Nova to be competitive anywhere he raced it.
Over the years, Chase and his crew have refined the Nova to make it the formidable street race machine it is today. He has been able to accomplish that with plenty of help.
“Loren Van Laar was the man who taught me how to weld and fabricate and was a big part of the original build,” Chase explained.
“Ernie Carson has been a huge supporter of the car and has helped with the car in every way possible—the car rarely goes out without this man behind it.
Over the years, Chase and his crew have refined the Nova to make it the formidable street race machine it is today...
The Nova didn’t always look (or perform) like this. Chase started the build back when he and his wife Michelle were dating and when the 496 big block nitrous motor was the weak link, he swapped to a bigger 540-incher, and then a turbo, and so on.
Jimenez paints the car and continues to keep it looking sharp, even if we
A monster 118mm GT55 Gen 4 turbo hangs front and center off the big block and large diameter hot and cold side tubing take up much of the left over real
Channel’s Street Outlaws: Fastest in America TV show.
“Some of the best memories we had racing was when we got invited to be a part of Team California,” Chase said. “The racing was fun on camera, but behind the scenes, testing and working with everyone on the team was a great time and the fact that we did well as a team made it that much sweeter.”
From triumph to tragedy, Chase recently lost a good friend and supporter of his racing program, Nathan “Cali Nate” Schaldach.
“Nathan Schaldech was probably the biggest
supporter of the car,” Chase told us. “He is also the only person other than myself to race the car. He was my brother (from another mother) and was there every time we raced the car and helped us build the program we have today.
He recently moved back east to chase his racing dreams, but made the trip back to the west coast to race with us. He ended up beating me first round. After the race, he stayed with us and we all went to dinner and just had a good time hanging out.
The current mill between the Nova rails started life as a Brodix 9.8 aluminum big block Chevrolet. It specs out to 540 cubic inches and is filled with a Callies crankshaft, GRP aluminum rods, JE pistons and a top secret boost-spec camshaft.
built in mounting bracket
Tri-lobe scavenge sections feature individual timing gears to ensure proper clearance at high rpm
Gear pressure sections based off Moroso’s highly successful Billet Wet Sump Pump Design
A Spartan interior with only an interactive display panel and pertinent safety equipment are all that Chase needs to win races...
Inside, the car has been stripped of practically anything representing its OEM roots for the benefit of saving weight and reducing clutter. Large carbon wheel tubs take up the space where passengers once enjoyed a Sunday drive and the trunk houses the fuel cell, battery and fire system bottle.
The car hadn’t been out since that race. They announced a memorial race and we decided we had to take the car there, as he wouldn’t want us to let it sit.”
The trip was not without issue, however, you can’t hold down a determined racer.
“We prepped the car and everything we did fought us leading up to the night
before we left,” Chase recalled. “The truck broke down on the way to the race, but we were able to fix it and make it to the race. They had a Friday night run-what-ya-brung race and a Saturday small tire race. We were able to bring home the win on Friday night and then were also able to double up and take the win on Saturday night as well.
The No Prep/Grudge scene demands even greater attention to weather and in particular the variety of race surface conditions which can include anything from a back road to airport runway. It takes a strong group to manage a competitive drag car...
It was a huge and emotional victory for us to take home the W in Cali Nate’s honor.”
While Chase has had plenty of help from friends, his Nova journey started right at home.
“Little by little it started to become the car it is today,” he said. “I started building it when my wife
Michele and I first started dating. She got to witness the car get built and see the different stages of the build. She has been one of my biggest supporters of the car and race program. Because of this car, we have gotten to experience races all over and meet a lot of great people along the journey.”
Brock Wright’s drag racing experience started a year before he got his 1993 Mustang LX, shortly after meeting his wife to be, Ashley, in 2009 and in particular meeting her brothers Dusty and Derek Hunter.
While he had always enjoyed cars and racing through his high school years, and even trained as an apprentice paint & body pro, he never actually sunk his teeth into organized drag racing, but all that was about to change.
Story : Jack DuBois
Photos: Wes Taylor
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The bright red paint is not only easy on the eyes but appropriate for a career Firefighter. Brock swapped careers from body & paint a number of years back but kept his skills polished and did the minor body and complete paint job on the car himself.
Growing up he had a number of Mustang street cars, each of them equipped with nitrous, but the closest he got to competition was test and tune nights at the local strip.
“Dusty and Derek were involved in drag racing and that is when the transformation of my car started taking place and my passion for drag racing started,” Wright explained. “They both had drag cars and a love for the sport and have both played a huge role in helping me get the car where it is today.”
Brock found his stock LX in 2010 for $12,000. It was well taken care of and super clean, and almost immediately he began to transform it into what it is today. The evolution happened over the course of many years and started with a with a Compucar nitrous kit. Still street driving the car and driving it to the track for Test and Tune, he fed his need for speed by having a 347 small block Ford built by Charlie Long Automotive and upgraded the nitrous to a plate system.
Kevin Mullins at TKM created the latest mill for the Coupe and now that he’s racing some No-Time gigs, Brock has keep some info under his hat, including the exact cubic inches of the new small block Ford. A Dart block was filled with a Callies Magnum forged crankshaft, R&R connecting rods and forged nitrous pistons of an undisclosed compression ratio. Cam specs are, as you might have guessed, top secret, as well. CID SC2 heads were studded in place and a cast CID intake manifold is topped with a Pro Systems Dominator style carb.
This next step would see Brock enter ing events at Piedmont, and by 2019 he had a 427 small block Ford built us ing his existing Ford Z304 heads and transformed the car towards drag rac ing. “We started running more street car classes and ASAG (All Steel All Glass) events in their early days. We ran 5.20s with full interior and full exhaust and did very well for being as heavy as the car was.
After a few seasons Brock was eying up classes that were gain ing popularity and rebuilt the car to what it is today to continue to run ASAG and Nitrous Small Block classes, but this time try their hand at the Carolina No Time Series. “We met with Kevin Mullins at TKM and discussed what we wanted, and he knocked it out of the park with the new engine.
Coilover shocks were swapped into the rear suspension mix along with a selection of aftermarket parts, including Merillat upper and lower torque boxes and a custom antiroll bar. While the Stang retains its factory frame front and rear, a mini tub out back was necessary for clearance. The factory 8.8 rear diff was modified with 9-inch ends, 35 spline axles and spool and an aluminum girdle. Brock Wright's Nitrous Mustang makes a wicked hit.... start to finish!
A direct port nitrous system was plumbed into the intake, however, we are not privy to the capabilities of it for obvious reasons.
Changes to the Chassis/ Suspension were completed by Knight Performance and Fabrication, the car was fully rewired by my brother in laws Dusty and Derek and I painted the car myself,” he added.
And the bright red color is fitting since Brock is a career Firefighter. While he swapped careers from body and paint to firefighting a number of years back, he kept his previous skillset polished.
Ian Hill Racing Post-race videos on
Brock Wright’s Nitrous Small Block Ford 1993 Ford Mustang LX
■ Body & Paint:
All steel, except hood. Owner completed body and paint at Hyde Street Classics paint booth. Factory red color- PPG product.
■ Chassis & Suspension/Modifications:
Factory frame, tied. Stock style suspension with Menscer coilover rear shocks and anti-roll bar. Merillat upper and lower torque boxes. TRZ chromoly K-member with Strange front coilovers. David Knight of Knight Performance and Fabrication preformed all of the rear end fabrication and setup of the suspension.
■ Engine:
4xx cubic Inch small block Ford. Dart block, Callies Magnum crankshaft, R&R connecting rods, forged nitrous pistons.
■ Induction & Fuel Delivery: Aeromotive Pro Series fuel pump.
■ Electronics:
14 Relay controller with switch panel, MSD Grid, Racepak Sportsman, IQ3 Dash. The car was completely wired by Derek and Dusty Hunter. MSD HVC2 coil and Lithium drag race battery.
■ Power Adder:
Switzer Dynamic direct port nitrous system on a CID intake manifold.
■ Transmission:
BTE Powerglide with Ultimate Converter Concepts torque converter.
■ Rear End:
8.8 Ford rear end with 9 inch ends, 35 Spline axles and spool.
I think the most unique feature of the car is the condition it is in inside and out. The exterior is immaculate, and interior is not a gutted race car which is commonplace at this level. Also running a SBF is unique these days.
■ Build Timeline:
The build has progressed over the last 5 years to what it is today.
■ Thanks To:
Special thanks to Dusty Hunter and Derek Hunter for helping with the build. I would like to thank Heath Bare, Luke Shields and Matt Hick for their help around the shop and at the track.
Blake Hughes and his gang at 417 Motorsports took our ideas for the fuel cell, puke tank and rear wing and made them a reality for us.
Chassis and suspension wise, the fac tory frame has been connected and suspension consists of mostly bolton parts and the work completed by Knight Performance, including Me rillat toque boxes and fitting the 8.8 rear diff with 9-inch ends. Mini tubs replace the factory wheelwells for clearance.
The new motor is of a top se cret displacement – now that he is running no-time events, Brock has to learn the game of cat and mouse. We can tell you it is a small block Ford built around a Dart block. A Callies Magnum forged crankshaft was paired with R&R connecting rods and forged nitrous pistons. CID SC2 heads are equipped with custom valves, Pac springs and T&D rockers and a CID intake manifold is topped by a Pro Systems Domina tor style carb.
Wright tried to lighten the car up as much as possible but wanted to keep the street vibe. The passenger seat was removed along with a number of parts that can’t be readily seen. A rear seat delete kit was also added in place of the backseat.
The Mustang still has the full dash, door panels and trim with working power windows and full carpet. A custom roll cage was painted gloss black with carbon overlays and an IQ3 Drag dash, MPI steering wheel, Simpson belts and Hurst pistol grip shifter were also installed.
To make things more interesting, not to mention win races, Wright had a direct port nitrous system plumbed into the intake, however, he was not willing to disclose the capabilities of the system. In the No-Time drag race game, secrecy is king. Even seeing a car run with the clocks on means nothing, but can be a useful technique for the owner to lure in their next race.
The package is wired using an MSD Grid and monitored by a Racepak Sportsman system linked to an IQ3 dash. Backing the nitrous small block is a BTE Powerglide transmission with Ultimate Converter Concepts torque converter.
Wright tried to lighten the car up as much as possible but at the same time didn’t want to take away from the “street” part of the street car. The passenger seat is removed and a rear seat delete kit was also added in place of the backseat, but the Mustang still has the full
dash, door panels and trim with working power windows and full carpet. The custom roll cage is painted black with carbon overlays and an IQ3 Drag dash, MPI steering wheel, Simpson belts and Hurst pistol grip shifter are part of the race car equation inside the LX.
What’s Old Is New if you haven’t read it yet!
Each month we host 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! CLICK A COVER OR SCAN A QR CODE TO GO BACK IN TIME!
...this car brings our family together whether at the shop or the racetrack...
BROCK WRIGHT
Heath Bare and son Easton Bare, Brock Wright, Ashley Wright with daughter Kayleigh, Brianna Hunter, Dusty Hunter, Derek Hunter.
The fact that Brock most likely would have never drag raced at this level had he not met his wife and her brothers is pretty cool, but what’s even better is that it’s this very sport and the bright red Mustang LX he bought so many years ago that has created a bond between both sides of the family. “Winning races will always be memorable in their own way, but this car brings our family together whether at the shop or the racetrack,” Wright added. “Most of our weekends involve either working on the car or racing with both
my side of the family and my wife’s side. And watching my daughter’s love for drag racing grow – she has been involved with every part of the build from sanding the bumper to pulling wire or just grabbing tools. Since the new build she has begged to be ‘the back-up girl’ and she was able to do this with the help of my brother in law Derek Hunter on our debut pass with the new setup. Watching her excitement through the windshield while backing up was by far the most memorable experience I have had!”
Article first appeared in the August 2020 digital issue.
RPM MAGAZINE Reprint IN Print! RPM MAG’s commitment to features that appeared digital-only since June 2020.
We often dig pretty deep when we try to find feature vehicles for RPM, but it does not come without a little help sometimes. This, our final feature vehicle on our Bakersfield trip was sent to us by local and up and coming racer, Andrew Sanchez.
We were told this would be of the “sleeper” kind, and needless to say, we were shocked when we saw Emmanuel Mayorga’s single cab Ford F-150. It
A quick look under the hood of this F-150 and it looks like everything is factory, but those are the signs of a clean install.
The more horsepowereducated among us will quickly notice the Gen. 4, 2.9L Whipple supercharger and massive air intake tube.
With the blower strapped to the 5.0-liter Coyote it is capable of pushing well over 850 horsepower to all four wheels.
looks deceivingly stock, and slow, but that’s the first impression that Mayorga wants you to have, and the one that will be the cause of your demise.
■ HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Like we said, it didn’t look like much, but then we noticed some subtle modifications, and a few more here and there, you know, things that might spell there was something more here than first meets the eye.
We believe the word sleeper would be a big understatement when it comes to Emmanuel Mayorga’s truck. Modifications are subtle but it’s fully functional, and fast!
After talking shop with Emmanuel, we got to know a little more about his racing history and his vision behind this wicked F-150. “I have been racing since I was 15, following in my older brother’s footsteps,” he said. Emmanuel’s first car was a 1995 Ford Mustang equipped with a 3.8 liter, V6.
“I worked at NAPA auto parts and the car was sold to me by one of my family members. The V6 didn’t stop Emmanuel from trying to keep up with the bigger powered machines. “I purchased several performance upgrades for my Mustang like exhaust, a bigger throttle body and even an 80 shot of nitrous.”
■ THE BIRTH OF WICKED MOTORSPORTS
It’s been one vehicle after another since that first Mustang for Emmanuel, always getting a little bit faster each time, and with each one he got a little more serious about racing and performance and formed the group, “Wicked Stangs”. Over time, the group
The truck has all the factory creature comforts of a daily driven vehicle and nothing inside that tells of its potential.
of like-minded horsepower junkies grew bigger and bigger and would eventually rename themselves, “Wicked Motorsports”. Why limit your potential, right? “Our team now includes my brother, one of the original members of Wicked Stangs and a diverse group of individuals from Delano
through to the Madera area of central California. We are a small group but we’re very close and as I said, I consider every one of them as family. Our team has a couple of the fastest street event raced cars in the entire west coast. We’ve traveled across the country making street race events with our car Z’Unit
Two noticeable upgrades include a Tesla-style 12.1 inch screen and a steering wheel from a Ford Raptor. Take a close look at the wheel and you notice the red tape to let you know it’s at dead center, but check out the functioning paddle shifter, now that’s cool!
and have made appearances on a lot of underground street racing channels along with a couple of appearances in Discovery’s show Street Outlaws. We hope to continue to do so as our stable of cars continues to grow and strengthen.”
■ NEED FOR SPEED
Alongside the F-150, Emmanuel has a few other toys in his stable. A 25.2 chassis,
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small tire, single turbo Fox Body Mustang, and a 25.2 chassis big tire BBC F3 ProCharged Ford Lightning. “While I was raised in a Ford household, I just love anything that goes fast. My father was always a Ford person and owned more than a handful of Ford trucks. Growing up I was a diehard Ford guy but as I got older, I became a car fa-
A 5 gallon charge cooler resides in the bed of the truck to cool the air before it is jammed into the engine. Cooler air = more HP!
Ian Hill Racing
Keeping things on the lighter side is always the rule in any type of motor sport. If your choice of vehicle is a truck, then the single cab XL, modestly optioned version of the F150 is about as “light” as you can get at just over 4,000lbs.
When you see sticky Mickeys on all four wheels, you’d probably scratch your head and think what the heck….? The answer is yes, this truck hooks on all four and Mickey Thompson ET Street SS radials are the tire of choice for Mayorga.
Look close and you can just see the CalTracs mount sitting below the front portion of the box.
EMMANUEL MAYORGA’S SUPERCHARGED 2019 FORD F150 4X4
CHASSIS TYPE/MODS:
• 2019 Ford F-150 4wd, factory chassis.
SUSPENSION & BRAKES:
• Performance axles, limit straps, CalTracs traction bars with shock relocation and double adjustable Viking Shocks.
ENGINE:
• 5.0L Coyote. The engine is unopened aside from oil pump gears.
INDUCTION:
• Gen. 4-Whipple 2.9L supercharger.
INTERIOR:
• Tesla-style 12.1 inch center screen dash, Raptor steering wheel with functioning paddle shift.
ELECTRONICS & INJECTION:
• Injector Dynamics ID1300s, Walbro twin 450s pumps, Flex fuel sensor, 132 mm throttle body, 5gal ice box mounted in bed. Tuned by Sai Li.
EXHAUST:
• Kooks full length header with 4” stainless exhaust.
TRANSMISSION & DRIVELINE:
• Circle D converter, Mcleod transmission kit and clutches for the 10r80.
DIFFERENTIAL:
• Limited Slip differential with 3.31 gears.
TIRES & WHEELS:
• Motegi lightweight performance wheels, 305-45-27 Mickey Thompson ET Street SS tires.
WINS: Undefeated…
appreciate all the coolness in everything that’s out there. Now, with two of my vehicles being Chevy powered and being so successful, I have to say, I like it all.”
■ THE TRUCK
The factory chassis Coyote truck is the most recent addition in Emmanuel’s garage and while the
truck appears to be mostly stock, don’t let it fool you, there are a few changes. Mayorga strapped on a Gen. 4, 2.9-liter Whipple supercharger system fed by (2) Walbro 450 fuel pumps spraying fuel through ID1300 injectors. A set of full length headers with 4” mandrel bent stainless steel exhaust flowing through Magnaflow muf-
flers exits spent exhaust gases in a hurry. Transferring the power to the all-wheel drive system is a factory 10r80 transmission with aftermarket rebuild kit and performance clutches and a Circle D billet torque converter. The factory limited slip diff has been retained with 3.31 gears. When you hook on all four tires, though, chances of
breaking something are pretty good, so Mayorga bought some insurance in the form of aftermarket axles all around. Viking Double adjustable shocks on all four corners and CalTracs traction bars have also been installed to help hook the Mickey Thompson ET Street SS radial tires.
Needless to say, many of the performance upgrades on the truck cannot be seen in plain sight and that’s exactly how he likes it and plans to keep it. Trucks have always played a huge role in Emmanuel’s life and with the addition of his sleeper F-150, he has a fast, daily driven machine that can go out and hurt some feelings whenever someone dares to challenge him. “I love this truck because it’s fast and I can still use it for any of its designed functions.”
■ THE F-150’s FUTURE
The future is certainly looking bright for this AWD Ford as Mayorga eventually plans to install a Gen 3, 5.2L Predator short block with a much bigger Whipple Supercharger when they hit the market. “I am looking to make at least 1500 horsepower transferred to all four wheels,” he added. And these plans
include keeping the truck looking as lowkey as possible.
It’s hard to believe that with bolt-on parts a pretty much factory stock motor can reach the sort of horsepower numbers that used to be reserved for 15K engine builds, and more importantly do it with drivability and reliability. This F150 is definitely proof positive that our world is changing.
■ SPECIAL THANKS
Special thanks to my family for supporting me, my wife for standing behind me and holding down our household taking care of our boys while I take time to do what I love to do. My racing team over at Wicked Motorsport Racing, I am happy to say that I can truly call each and every one of those guys family. We’ve been working on our program for a long time and it’s paying off for us well.
It’s crazy to think that it has been a decade since General Motors shuttered the Pontiac brand amid a painful economic recession and deep restructuring efforts.
The familiar red arrowhead logo adorned such musclecar and performance icons as the GTO “Judge” and more recently the fourth-gen WS6 Firebird. But buried in between those two beasts was a diver-
gent little two-seater, mid-engined sports car that was famous for a number of high-tech innovations. Oh yeah—and a reputation for catching fire.
The likelihood of engine fires was pretty much limited to the 1984 inaugural model year but sadly, the reputation would plague the car throughout its production run.
Article first appeared in the August 2020 digital issue.
RPM MAGAZINE Reprint IN Print! RPM MAG’s commitment to features that appeared digital-only since June 2020.
Story by Toby Brooks
Photos by Stephen Taylor
The most common reason for the failure was due to faulty connecting rods that had a tendency of exiting the engine block, particularly if engine oil was allowed to run low. The newly liberated oil would then splash onto the exhaust manifold and then the real havoc would ensue.
A total of 370,168 Fieros were built between 1984 and 1988. During that time, Illinois-native Rod Sny-
der decided that the compact little silhouette would be the perfect starting point for a no-holds-barred full tube chassis pro street build.
“I went to the Street Machine Nationals in Indianapolis for the first time as a spectator in 1980. I had built a pro street Vega that I took to The Nats from 1982-1987, but I reluctantly decided to sell it to start a new project I had in my head,” Snyder said.
OH THOSE CRAZY 80s!
From 1980 to now, Rod Snyder’s Pro Street Fiero hasn’t changed a whole lot aside from the whine of the 6/71 blower that once poked through the hood.
That project was a blown and injected big block Fiero. “I had seen a couple of Fiero drag cars built with an aftermarket fiberglass body. These were a roadrace body, which was longer and wider than stock,” he recalled. “I thought it would be cool to build a pro street version from a stock body Fi-
ero,” he added. Snyder started searching for a donor Fiero, however, he lacked the finances to just buy a new or even a nice used car.
“I ended up buying two totaled Fieros and then a lot of other salvaged and new parts,” he said. “I designed as I built the round tube full chassis.
MORE STREETABLE?
I guess most anything is more street-friendly than an old school 80s blower motor, but this 440-inch owner-built big block Chevy is no slouch.
New Zoomie headers were also built for the re-release of the Fiero.
A .060 over GM iron block houses a forged crank, h-beam rods and forged pistons designed to add needed compression for the direct port nitrous system replacing that 6/71.
WHAT’S YOUR MPG?
A Holley Strip Dominator intake is topped by a 1050 Dominator carb, so you can bet Rod puts the new fuel cell to the test on lengthy drives.
This was also the first full chassis I ever built,” he added.
Up front, Strange Engineering struts work in conjunction with Strange coilovers and Hurst Airheart disc brakes. The trick 15-inch diameter spindle-mount Centerline Pro Stock wheels measure just 3 ½ inches
BRAND RECOGNITION
It may be a Chevy big block, but the car has Pontiac lineage.
wide and roll on Patriot tires. Meanwhile, in the rear, a narrowed 9-inch Ford housing was assembled by Snyder using a Strange spool and 35-spline axles along with 4.56 Richmond gears before it was mounted in place with a custom 4-link and another pair of Strange coilovers.
Repurposed GM disc brakes slow the massive 15x15-inch Centerline Pro Stock wheels with 33x21.5-inch Mickey Thompson Sportsman tires.
Snyder next turned his attention to the drivetrain, where a big block Chevy was shoehorned in where the factory trunk used
to be. As part owner of Five Star Engines in Springfield, Illinois at the time, Rod handled the engine build himself just like the chassis fab. “I align honed, decked, bored, and honed the block. I balanced the rotating assembly and machined the L88 cylinder heads,” he said.
FIERO 2.0
This Fiero was in-service during the heydays of the original Pro Street movement and it was iconic for the times. This 2.0 version, which started in 2016, has a revised more streetable motor program and larger fuel cell for cruising.
At the time, the engine sported a Hampton 6/71 blower and an Enderle bird catcher scoop with mechanical injection. The current setup is a bit more streetable. The cast iron block now measures 440 ci
and swings a forged crank, H-beam rods, and custom top-secret pistons. A Holley Strip Dominator intake has been equipped with a direct port nitrous system from Top Gun and a detailed 1059 Dominator carb.
BUILT FOR COMFORT
Many Pro Street builds used creature comforts throughout, such as the factory cloth bucket seats. This movement gave way to the cars built for today’s tour style events many of which have NAV, USB charging ports, cup holders and on occasion even air conditioning.
Backing the rat is a beefed-up TCI GM TH350 trans with manual reverse valve body. An aftermarket flexplate and a TCI 3,800 rpm stall converter handle the power on the input side, while a Snyder-custom driveshaft spins it back on the output side.
Paint and body are clean and crisp with minimal modifications. A pair of fiberglass tubs were installed out back, and a ’glass aero scoop and front air dam round
out the additions up front. Snyder handled the prep work himself before Rick Schmidt sprayed the jewel-tone RM Diamont Bahama Blue basecoat. Michael Turk added some trick airbrush graphics down the car’s flanks and a bit more on the hood, lending a tasteful and timeless look and feel.
Snyder also handled the car’s extensive hand fabricated tinwork under the hood, in the interior, and out back under the car.
WHAT’S MISSING BACK HERE?
The engine! Massive carpeted tubs and cage work now reside where a factory 4-banger used to live in the mid-engine Fiero.
TIMELESS
With the redesigned wing, wheelie bars, massive rear meats and vanity plate out back, the Fiero never fails to catch people’s attention, even almost 30 years after it first hit the streets!
The bead rolled pieces have all been painted body color for a well-executed and fully integrated appearance.
Inside, the Pontiac sports modified Fiero cloth buckets with 3-inch RJS harnesses. A factory sunroof lets the sunlight in, while VDO gauges
relay the critical info to the driver. A Hurst Quarterstick handles the gear selection duties and the massive carpeted tubs and clean cage work now reside where a factory 4-banger used to live in the factory midengine design.
The initial build took about 18 months and Snyder campaigned the car until 1992. “Family priorities and financial reasons sidelined the car and it was put away in my dad's garage. It stayed there pretty much until 2016,” he said.
The license plate refers to a Pontiac marketing quote from the eighties that is also airbrushed in to the car’s graphics.
ROD SNYDER’S PRO STREET 1988 PONTIAC FIERO
Engine:
440 ci big block Chevy engine built by Rod Snyder. GM iron block bored 0.060-over with forged steel crank, H-beam rods, and custom-spec pistons. Aluminum GM L88 cylinder heads with Milodon roller rockers.
Induction and Fuel Delivery:
Holley Strip Dominator aluminum intake manifold with 1050 Dominator carb. Mallory electric fuel pump.
Power adder:
Top Gun direct port nitrous system.
Electronics & Ignition:
MSD ignition box with Pro Billet distributor 8mm wires. VDO instrumentation.
Owner-built chromoly & mild steel full tube chassis.
REAR: Custom 4-link suspension by Rod Snyder with Strange coilovers and GM disc brakes.
• Body & Paint:
Fiberglass wheel tubs, aero scoop, and front spoiler. Prepped by Rod Snyder and painted by Rick Schmidt with Michael Turk graphics. RM Diamont Bahama Blue basecoat/clearcoat paint.
• Exhaust: Custom 2 ¼-inch zoomie headers.
• Transmission & Driveline: TCI TH350 automatic transmission with manual valve body. Aftermarket flexplate and TCI 3,800 rpm stall converter.
• Differential: Narrowed 9-inch Ford housing with Strange Engineering spool and 35-spline axles. 4.56 Richmond gears. Assembled by Rod Snyder.
• Tires and Wheels:
FRONT: Centerline 15x3.5-inch spindle-mount Pro Stock wheels with Patriot 165/60-15 tires.
REAR: Centerline 15x15-inch Pro Stock wheels with 33x21.5-15 Mickey Thompson Sportsman tires.
With the Nationals back, he made the decision to pull the car out of storage and freshen it up. “I did some maintenance and upgrades on the car and had it back out locally. Upgrades included new zoomie headers and an all-new fuel cell. “Originally I built the car with a 3 ½-gallon fuel cell because it was the biggest cell I could find that would
fit between the rear frame tubes (just 12 inches apart). I built a pattern that was shaped like the cavity available, and then cut out aluminum plates and made a tank with a capacity of 13 gallons,” he said. Howie Clausen handled the welding and also did modifications to a new aluminum radiator.
The re-release has been a
smashing success. “I brought the car back to DuQuoin in 2018 and 2019,” he recalled. “The reception of the Fiero was overwhelming. Many remembered the car and others thought it was debuting. It received one of the Legends Choice Awards in 2019—what an honor after being hidden away for many years!” he added.
