RPM Magazine February Issue 2014 by RPMMAG

V.P. MARKETING/CUSTOMER RELATIONS.......TRISH BIRO trish@rpm-mag.com E-MAGAZINE ASSOCIATE EDITOR.........................IAN RAE ian@rpm-mag.com EVENT MEDIA DIRECTOR.....................................TONY WEBER tony.weber@rpm-mag.com EVENT SUBSCRIPTIONS COORDINATOR.....SHERRIE WEBER sherrie@rpm-mag.com Photographic Contributions: TONY WEBER, TIM LEWIS, BRIAN HANSEN, PETE “BOOMER” ORES, PAUL SCHMITZ, LOGAN WEBER, MARK goDragRacing.org, TOMMY LEE BYRD, www.DragStory.com, BRIAN TYLER, GEORGE PICH, TOBY BROOKS Editorial Contributions: IAN RAE, TONY WEBER, TIM LEWIS, CHUCK SCOTT, TOMMY LEE BYRD, BRIAN HANSEN, BEN STRADER, MARK goDragRacing.org, RAY KNIGHT, BRIAN TYLER, AL HEISLEY, GEORGE PICH, TOBY BROOKS, BRIAN WOOD, PAT McGOWAN Technical Writing Contribution: CHUCK SCOTT, BEN STRADER, SHANE TECKLENBURG, TOMMY LEE BYRD

ADVERTISING SALES

MEET THE RPM TEAM

EDITOR IN CHIEF.......................................................CHRIS BIRO editor@rpm-mag.com

RPM Magazine is a REGISTERED TRADEMARK of Revolution Publishing & Media Inc. RPM Magazine is a worldwide motorsports publication distributed in 34 countries and can be found on popular newsstands in the USA, Canada and select newsstands in the UK. If you cannot find a copy near you please call 519-752-3705 or email circulation@rpm-mag.com To subscribe to RPM go to www.rpm-mag.com or email Trish Biro at trish@rpmmag.com, or call 519-752-3705. The focus of RPM is to bring a diverse mix of high performance street and race automobiles to life within its pages including; Race cars, Musclecars, Hot Rods and Street Legal machines with an emphasis on the “EXTREME,” including Fast Doorslammer and Outlaw forms of Drag Racing. Not familiar with these types of cars? They are considered to be the top-shelf of the industry and are on-the-edge with regards to design and power! RPM Magazine does not sell its mailing list or share any of the confidential information regarding its subscribers.

WANT YOUR CAR IN RPM?

RPM Magazine has been a world leader in motorsports publishing for 15 years and has support locations in Ontario, Canada, Alabama, Wisconsin, Texas & Virginia, along with contributing writers and photojournalists worldwide. If you have a story that may fit within the focus and scope of RPM Magazine’s coverage, please email our Editor In Chief at: editor@ rpm-mag.com. Submission of an article does not guarantee that it will be published. Revolution Publishing & Media Inc. (RPM) / RPM Magazine IS NOT Responsible for errors or omissions in ANY advertisement or article. Advertisements may be rearranged or altered at the sole discretion of RPM to allow the ad to fit in the space purchased by the advertiser. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE ANY ADVERTISING WHICH WE CONSIDER TO CONTAIN MISLEADING, OFFENSIVE OR FALSE INFORMATION. REPRODUCTION OF ANY INFORMATION HEREIN IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT.

Publication Return/Address Change Information

Art & Graphics Director: Toby Brooks

USA RPM MAGAZINE (USPS Periodical #023474) is published monthly 11 Times/year, except for a combined issue in January/February by USA Publisher’s Agent, 10387 Main Street, Suite 300, Fairfax, VA 22030. Periodicals Postage Rate is Paid at Fairfax, VA and additional mailing offices.

Special Events Managers: Chris Biro, Raymond Knight events@rpm-mag.com

Postmaster: Send address changes to:

For advertising information contact TRISH BIRO .............519.752.3705.......trish@rpm-mag.com

Special Events Sales: Trish Biro: 519-752-3705 trish@rpm-mag.com Subscriptions/Address Changes: Circulation circulation@rpm-mag.com General Inquiries: 519.752.3705 info@rpm-mag.com

RPM Magazine P.O. Box 24020 Brantford, Ontario CAN N3R 7X3 CANADA PUBLICATIONS MAIL INFO AGREEMENT NO. 40045044 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CDN ADDRESSES TO RPM MAGAZINE P.O. BOX 24020 BRANTFORD, ONTARIO N3R 7X3 OVERSEAS RPM MAGAZINE P.O. BOX 24020 BRANTFORD, ONTARIO, CAN. N3R 7X3

EDITOR’S NOTES

ADVERTISER INDEX

3rd Strike Performance......... 75 Accufab Inc............................ 37 Alan Johnson Performance (AJPE)................................. 31 AFCO..................................... 48 Applied Racing Components (ARC).................................. 77 ATI Performance Products..... 26 Autoglym.........................65, 89 Bad Attitude Engines............ 44 Baer Brakes......................51, 86 BES Racing Engines............... 18 Bill Mitchell Products............ 73 Blower Shop............................ 5 Boteler Racing....................... 73 Browell Bellhousing.............. 36 BTE Racing............................ 54 C&C Motorsports................... 82 Calvert Racing Suspensions... 38 CN Blocks.............................. 18 Coan Engineering.................. 72 Crower.................................. 41 CVR Products......................... 68 DART..................................... 24 Design Engineering............... 17 DIY Auto Tune/MegaSquirt EFI..................................... 18 DUI Perf. Distributors............. 70 Dynotech Engineering........... 10 Ed Quay Race Cars................. 51 Engine Research & Development (ERD)........... 24 EZV Jack................................ 71 Fast Eddie Racewear.............. 69 Fuel Air Spark Technology (FAST)............................... 87 FastMotorsports.................... 11 Fast Times Motorworks......... 50 FORD Racing.......................... 78 Frankenstein Racing Heads .. 28 Gold Living............................ 52 G Force Racing Transmissions.80 GZ Motorsports..................... 73 Harland Sharp....................... 11 Holcomb Motorsports........... 40 HoleShot Wheels................... 14 Holley.................................... 84 Holley Ultra Dominator......... 33 Holley Ultra Double Pumper.. 43 Holley Ultra Street Avenger... 64 Induction Solutions............... 23 J&K Converters...................... 80 JE Pistons.............................. 35 Jeffco.................................... 31 Jesel...................................... 76 JET Performance................... 77 Joe Gibbs Racing Oil DRIVEN. 27

K&N Filters............................ 67 Lokar Performance Products. 85 LUCAS Oil Products.................. 2 Lunati.................................... 81 Mahle Clevite Inc................... 69 Manton Pushrods.................. 72 Meziere Precision Mfg........... 83 Mickey Thompson Tires........... 7 Midco Blue Maxx Racing ATF.45 Mile High Crankshafts............. 8 MSD Ignition......................... 29 Neal Chance Converters...... 9,25 New Century Performance.... 64 Nitrous Pro Flow.................... 64 Nitrous Supply...................... 55 Northeast Rod & Custom....... 22 OASIS by Corlor........................ 8 Ohsweken Speedway............ 16 Outlaw 10.5 Racing Assoc..... 86 Parts Pro Perf Centers............ 92 Performance Improvements.. 14 Perf. Plus Connection.......43, 83 Powermaster Performance.... 51 Precision Turbo/ProInjectors.. 15 Proformance Racing Trans..... 32 Pro Systems Carburetors...20, 70 Philadelphia Racing Products (PRP).................................. 28 PTC........................................ 72 Quik Latch Products.............. 32 Racepak................................ 33 Racequip............................... 50 Racecraft............................... 30 Race Shop Converters............ 42 Racing Radios.......................... 7 Rev-X Oil Products............17, 79 Ross Racing Pistons................. 5 Rossler Transmissions............ 88 RPM MAGAZINE..................90 Scotty’s Racing Engines......... 21 Shafiroff Racing Engines....... 13 SM Race Cars......................... 21 Smith Racecraft..................... 12 Summit Racing Equipment... 91 Ti64....................................... 10 Tom’s Upholstery................... 77 Trailer-Alarms.com................ 67 Trend Performance................ 34 TRZ Motorsports.................... 44 Two Guys Garage/Truck U...... 89 Valvoline............................... 39 VP Racing Fuels................49, 75 WC Enterprises...................... 74 Weinle Motorsports.............. 83 Weldon High Performance.... 67 Wilson Manifolds.................. 50

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

Chris Biro

t is with heavy hearts that we say goodFollowing bye to friend and motorsport promoter the success of Dale Boeru. A few weeks back, Dale was his web magainvolved in an automobile accident that zine, he turned claimed his life, but he will be remem- his sights on the faltering world of Alcohol bered throughout Canada and the north- Funny Cars. Seeing the lack of promoter ern United States as a standout promoter of interest in these once featured machines, motorsports that was always eager to take he started the NDRA Alcohol Funny Car on life’s next challenge. With his unique Series presented by Ohsweken Speedway to approach and strong moral values, in just bring back the glory days for these teams. a few short years Dale was able to impact Everyone needs a break, and in spring of drag racing, particularly in Canada, in a 2012 Grand Bend Motorplex gave Dale way that few ever have, or ever will. that break by offering to host his first ever We were fortunate to have met Dale NDRA Alcohol Funny Car event May 18th when he first re-involved himself in the weekend at their facility. business of fast cars through photographThe NDRA became a credible series, ing them. Dale was quite involved in avia- hosting Funny Car teams from two countion photography and eventually expanded tries in four events during 2012 and the that into shooting drag racing. Cars and following year the series expanded with racing were a natural fit, as years earli- a separate class to include the former er Dale built and raced his own Camaro, Heads-Up Racing Association’s (HURA) which planted the seed for his future en- Pro Doorslammers. The HURA Pro deavors in horsepower. Many times Dale Doorslammers were the brainchild of racer supplied RPM and other magazines with Dave Earhart and created to give Pro Modphotos from Canadian ified teams that were weary events and always made a of keeping up with national point of saying, “whatever event level performances, a you need, just ask.” place to race. Earhart, overDale realized a gap in whelmed by the growth media for the grassroots and commitment required drag racer in Canada and of the series, had to pass it decide he wanted to make a into the right hands, and difference with his very first those “right hands” would venture into motorsports be Dale Boeru’s. In 2013, media through his Canawith Boeru now also at the dian Drag Racer Magazine helm of the Pro Doorslamwebsite. Dale did things difmers, both NDRA classes ferently than most—withwere featured at RPM Magout the abrasive attitude azine’s Canadian “Extreme 1962-2013 and hoopla often associated Event” at Grand Bend Mowith media and some of the promoters in- torplex. volved in a fast paced sport such as drag During all of this, Dale also founded racing. Within seconds of meeting him Fast Entertainment as a means of hookyou understood quickly that it was not ing up special attractions such as Jet Cars, about Dale Boeru, but rather it was about Nostalgia Funny Cars, Nitro Harleys and those that he was able to cover on his web- Top Fuelers with tracks that needed a site, and a few years later, the race teams show. As with the Alcohol Funny Cars and that he promoted through his National Pro Doorslammers, he realized the talent Drag Racing Association (NDRA). of these people and what their machines Always the Champion for the underdog, brought to the table for both events and Dale took on challenges that most would fans, and knew there was a definite need to consider improbable, impossible or just not have them properly represented within the profitable, but when your heart is in it like industry. Dale’s was, those words are simply reasons From here, the sky was the limit as Dale to succeed. With the unending support was focused on expanding the fields in of his lovely wife Wendy and knowing he both NDRA classes and taking the show was doing this to make a difference rather on the road for 2014 and beyond, a dream than make a living, Dale kept his job as a that was unfortunately cut short with his tractor-trailer driver by day. Although he untimely passing. often said he’d love to give that up and foDale’s passion for cars and drag racing, cus his energy 100% on the sport he loved, energy to succeed and good old fashioned he knew that was still a few years down the kind-hearted approach to his fellow man road. will not soon be forgotten. Godspeed my friend!

DALE BOERU

CLASSICS . MUSCLE CARS . COMPETITION ROSS IS YOUR #1 PISTON CONNECTION! STROKERS • NITROUS • TURBOS • BLOWERS • N/A HUNDREDS OF PROVEN RACE WINNING DOMESTIC AND SPORT COMPACT PISTON DESIGNS AVAILABLE TO FIT ANY ENGINE COMBINATION. WE CAN CUSTOM DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE PISTONS FOR ANY APPLICATION!

625 S. DOUGLAS ST • EL SEGUNDO • CA • 90245 | FACEBOOK.COM/ROSSPISTONS

WWW.ROSSPISTONS.COM | 310.536.0100

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

FEBRUARY 2014 Often Imitated, Never Duplicated—For 15 STRAIGHT YEARS RPM Magazine has been the ORIGINAL Voice Of Wild Street Machines and Extreme Drag Racing WORLDWIDE! Don’t Settle For Less! We DELIVER Insane Fast Cars and Bring You NO POLITICS... JUST ACTION! Your ONLY “Real Time” “Real World” Car Mag... PERIOD!

THE

SO Much Horsepower Packed Into One Place... That Place IS RPM Magazine!

CARS

COVER CAR

SPECIAL: Readers’ Projects................. 30

ACTION

THE

HOLCOMB MOTORSPORTS

PROldsmobile................................................ 8

Josh Lester’s wicked 1993 Cutlass is full of surprises

CIVIL WARS

This month we also bring you TWO incredible “Wild Willys” drag cars in a special double feature!

Chevelle Means Something....................18

Blistering seven-second passes with show-stopping good looks are nothing for this slick street Chevy

Junkyard Dog................................................... 66

Drag racing legend Jim Oddy’s Willys nostalgia gasser is one vicious animal!!

Blue By You................................................................ 46

Get a good look at this six-second Fairlane 500, because once Matt Vinson hits the throttle, it’s gone!

THE

TECH & PROJECTS

Bulldog Willy....................................................... 74

Racers beware: This ’41 Willys Coupe will bite!

X Marks the Spot........................................................................................... 28

Frankenstein Racing Heads talks X275 head porting and technology

Part 3: Blowin’ Up Our Plans.......................................................... 82

Project aPocalypSe Horse gets a block, rotating assembly, and a host of other parts and pieces

READ COMPLETE RPM MAG BACK ISSUES ONLINE FREE AT WWW.RPM-MAG.COM

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

Josh Lester’s wicked 1993 Cutlass is full of surprises

et’s face it: in today’s world of social media and

instant access to information via the ol’ interwebs, it is becoming harder and harder to build a cool street machine that is truly unique. Such is the case even when money is no object. Throw in the budgetary constraints that most of us normal folks have to live with, and the prospect becomes even harder still. That’s why when we first caught a glimpse of Josh Lester’s old-school-meets-new-school 1993 Pro Street Cutlass, we stopped dead in our tracks. Sure, it is a potent performer. It has a perfect stance. But more than that—it just drips modern-tech Pro Street cool.

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

Toby Brooks

story by

photos by Check out our interview of Josh by pointing your smartphone here or check it out on the web at http://bit.ly/1dejLY6

Lester, a body shop owner by trade from Alexis, Illinois, is a self-professed Oldsmobile junkie. To prove the point, Josh still owns his first-ever car, a 1978 Cutlass and a 1964 F-85 that he drives daily in addition to the wild street/strip ’93 you see here. Lester is quick to credit his dad Jerry with instilling the love for the venerable but now-defunct GM brand at an early age, so the choice of a relatively obscure Cutlass body for the build shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

Dan Barker

RPM COVER CAR

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

PROLDSMOBILE No one ever accused the docile front-wheel drive late-’80s and early-’90s W-bodies of being remotely “muscular” in nature, however, many younger street machiners may be shocked to learn that stock-trimmed grocery getter body style actually enjoys a rich drag racing history and can BLOW OFF SOME COOLNESS look fantastic If the the monstrous fiberglass cowl induction hood doesn’t give away the fact that this when treated beast is wild, the red anodized ProCharger blowoff valve poking through it sure does. to all the right touches. “I wanted to build the car because of those old pro stock cars. I really liked that body style when they used them back in the ’90s,” Lester said. “That’s actually why I started building it,” he added.

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

Lester knows his NHRA history well. Back in the day, drag racing legends like “The Professor” Warren Johnson, Jeg Coughlin, and Larry Morgan all campaigned Cutlass-bodied pro stockers, while John Force, Del Worsham, and several others even ran Oldsmobile replica bodies on their fuel funny cars. Lester wanted to replicate the look and stance of the pro stock cars, and his effort was so successful that the Professor actually approached the car and gave it a thorough inspection before signing the dash at the World Series of Drag Racing in Cordova last year. That killer classic pro stock stance is the result of a custom Metalcrafters of Monmouth full tube chassis. Most of the fabrication chores were expertly managed by metal master and friend Robert Carrasca. The car’s front suspension features a Mustang II rack & pinion with QA1 single adjustable shocks, while a

BOOSTED EXPECTATIONS The cool belt driven ProCharger is currently set to push around 12-13 pounds of boost, but Josh has plans to crank that closer to 20 with an EFI system in the near future.

Fab9 housing stuffed with stout 35-spline Strange Engineering axles and 3.50 gears is suspended out back via a custom built 4-link with double adjustable coil overs. The car sports Mickey Thompson tires all around mounted on Champion Cap5 wheels. Although the Olds was built to compete as a 10.5” car, the deep offset backspacing and trick black beadlocks further reinforce the old-school pro stock feel. Unique as the body itself is, the surprises don’t end there. The first is apparent even with the huge cowl induction hood still fastened in place. A red anodized ProCharger blow off valve reaching skyward on the passenger side of the bulging

hood suggests—and accurately so— that there’s likely forced induction of some sort lurking beneath. A quick removal of the lightweight hood reveals the second: Lester’s Cutlass is motorvated with real honest-to-goodness ProCharged Oldsmobile power.

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

PROLDSMOBILE STEP INTO THE OFFICE Lester takes care of business in a clean race-ready cockpit. The B&M shifter manages the Rossler trans while Auto Meter gauges keep an eye on things. Check out the Warren Johnson autograph on the dash. The Frozen Boost water-to-air intercooler sits passenger side.

“I wanted the Oldsmobile powerplant, but they are known for not taking a lot of boost,” Lester acknowledged. “Right now we are only putting about 13 pounds in it, but we are hoping that with some more tweaks to the fuel system

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

we can get upwards of 20 once we get everything set.” In its current form, the engine is a fortified 461 cubic inch beast with a 425 Olds steel crank spinning Eagle H-beam rods and Diamond pistons. Combustion chambers are topped with a pair of lightly massaged Edelbrock aluminum heads. ARP fasteners with a full main girdle keep the stout collection of parts together, while a full roller Comp cam expertly commands the valvetrain. Ignition chores are handled via an MSD unit and fuel is managed by a C & S blowthrough carburetor squirting E-85. Lester’s winter to-do list

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

PROLDSMOBILE

1993 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS Owner/Driver: Josh Lester Engine: ProCharged 461 cubic-inch Oldsmobile with Eagle rods, Diamond pistons, Comp cam, Edelbrock aluminum heads, and ARP fasteners Intercooler: Frozen Boost intercooler (passenger mounted) Ignition: MSD billet distributor and MSD 6-BTM Boost Timing Master

YOUNG OLDS GUY Lester poses with his PROldsmobile. It is one of three the Illinois paint and body man currently owns, including his first-ever car, a 1978 Cuttlass.

Carburetor: C & S blow-thru on E-85 Power Adder: ProCharger F2 running 13+ lbs. of boost Wheels: Champion Cap5 with rear beadlocks Tires: Mickey Thompson ET Sport front, 10.5â&#x20AC;? ET rear Brakes: Aerospace Components discs Transmission: Rossler TH 400 Rear: Fab9 Ford with 3.25 gears and Trac Lok center section Best Quarter Mile Pass: 8.970 secs. at 152 mph

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

includes a switch to electronic fuel injection, but in the meantime the portly front-mounted F2 ProCharger stuffs all the waterto-air frozen boost intercooled charge the big block can manage to swallow. The super-cool maze of charge tubes and custom fabricated plumbing gives the car the perfect mad scientist look while, at the same time, squeezing out every available ounce of power.

Transmission duties are expertly handled by a Rossler TH400 with a 4600 stall PTC converter. Aerospace brakes help bring it all to a stop after yet another 8-second/ 150+ mph pass. Inside, the dash is stuffed with a full complement of Auto Meter gauges and the stout Rossler tranny takes its commands from a B & M Pro Stick shifter. G-Force belts round out the clean and all-business interior.

PROLDSMOBILE

TEAM EFFORT Lester is quick to credit his family and his good buddies at Metalcrafters for their help on the build.

Body and paint were last on the list, but given Lester’s vocation, posed no problem for the Illinois body man. Other than the previously mentioned blow-offvalve-pierced cowl induction hood, the 20-year-old GM sheet metal is unmolested. Again not one to take the road more often traveled, Lester selected a mild Nissan factory “metallic sand” color. The result is understated elegance and is perfectly befitting a car that is

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

somehow ridiculously radical yet interestingly subtle all at the same time. Lester is quick to credit his friends Robert Carrasca, Kim Gough, and the rest of the crew at Metalcrafters for their help building the car as well as friend Greg Smith who regularly helps with tuning chores. He also leans heavily on son Damon Clemens who “helps with everything” and serves as crew chief at the track. With some new parts and pieces and given time to sort things out, Lester is confident that he can propel the cool Cutlass deeper into the 8’s while still maintaining some decent street manners. It doesn’t take a Professor to recognize that achieving that goal is no small feat.

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

RPM FEATURE CAR

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

Means

hen Chevrolet introduced the Chevelle in late September 1963, GM was going after the Ford Fairlane in the mid-size market. Some say this is when the true musclecar wars started, a war that would continue through to the early ’70s with the Chevelle staying as a frontrunner all the way to the end.

Blistering seven-second passes with show-stopping good looks are nothing for this slick street Chevy

The 2nd Gen story and photos by Chevelle which ran from 1968 to 1972 rode on a 115” wheelbase chassis and came with engines from the 230 cubic inch straight six to the 396. For 1970, the limited production LS6 454 big block was king, covering the quarter-mile in just over 12-seconds. The 1968 and ’69 models shared much of the same design and appearance

Tim Lewis

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

CHEVELLE MEANS SOMETHING GASSED RAT The Randell Haynes built 632 is just as clean as the rest of the car. Two nitrous systems (that both have more HP to unleash in them) have pushed the 3,620lb heavyweight to a very impressive 7.80 @ 173mph!

features, and there was even a very rare concept SE 124 1969 Chevelle with a Bresler steam engine. That’s right, a 50 horsepower steam engine! Robbie Langford’s 1969 SS model certainly isn’t steam powered and we don’t think the boys at GM could even imagine packing this type of power into the popular Chevelle platform, yet 45 years later here it is. Langford, from Dinwiddie, Virginia is no stranger to horsepower or racing and has been at it for 28 years starting with a 1969 Chevelle in 1985. Back then his street-raced car ran mid 11’s and eventually lead to a tube chassis ’69 that went low 10’s in Super Pro and Pro brackets. The third version, seen here, didn’t really happen until after Langford tried his hand at oval track racing at Southside Speedway for 8 years. After going in circles, the street car and drag racing bug got hold of him again and the search for another Chevelle ensued. Once the project car was acquired work began immediately with Randell’s

Racing Engines in Chester, Virginia building the 632 big block which resides between the frame rails. A 4.610 bore and stroke of 4.750 make up the cubes inside the Dart block. A Lunati crank spins inside with Eagle rods and pistons from Wiseco. The folks at AFR supplied the heads with a flow of 440. Crower

shaft rockers make up the valve train and a custom Bullet camshaft helps make some seriously big power. The intake of choice is a Pro-Filer Sniper 2 with two nitrous systems installed by Duane Peppers in Chester, Virginia, and topping off the mill is a Holley Dominator carb. To get all of the pent

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

CHEVELLE MEANS SOMETHING

BUSINESS IN THE FRONT... The front suspension was updated for the 632 including all TRZ upper and lower control arms. Definitely not a hack job like a lot of cars that run in a drag race class where the stock frame rails are to be retained.

up gasses out of the big inch Chevy a pair of Stahl headers from Jere Stahl are used. On a sad note, by the time this article is published Stahl will have closed the doors on the York, PA shop after 50 years of putting out top of the line products. When it came time for the transmission, the crew at Master Transmission in Colonial Heights, Virginia built a 2-speed Powerglide and installed a Neal Chance bolt-together converter to help get the power under control. Chris Acors at Acors Race Cars in Doswell, Virginia was Robbie’s first choice for the rear differential. Acors is known for his work on cars ranging from street/strip all the way to mountain motor Pro Stock and does some of the nicest work around.

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

For the Chevelle, Acors fabricated his own sheet metal 9” Ford and stuffed it with Moser axles and a 3.70 gear set. Robbie commented about the rear diff, “I walked in Acors’ shop and said ‘that’s a badass looking rear-end, whose is it?’ Chris said ‘it’s yours!’ I guess I just wasn’t ready to see that nice of a piece going under my car,” laughed Robbie. Hooked to the rear is a set of Chassis Engineering Outlaw Ladder Bars and Afco adjustable shocks. After scaling the car out and setting up the chassis the Chevelle was ready to make a pass and Robbie tells us that from drop off until race ready Acors took only two weeks to do the entire job! Robbie, along with good

SMOKE ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM Randy puts some heat to the radials during a test pass at the Kevin Bowen Memorial Shootout race at VMP.

PARTY IN THE BACK The Chris Acors built rear is a work of art. Acors did a great job of getting the ladder bar setup working, with both the radials and slicks biting hard into the starting line.

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

CHEVELLE MEANS SOMETHING friend Christy Perkinson and his son Randy who drives the car for Robbie at the track, bolted up the entire front TRZ suspension. “The guys at TRZ were a big help and their products are the best around for fitment and function,” added Robbie. The car tips the scales at a hefty 3,620lbs so getting this heavyweight hitter slowed down after a 170 plus mph run are a set of heavy duty disc brakes and a single parachute. Wheels are Billet

Specialties and the car runs on either a Mickey Thompson 315 radial or a 29x10.5” slick also from the boys at Mickey. Front 27.5x4.5” tires are, you guessed it, Mickey Thompson as well. As of this writing the heavy Chevy has been a best of 4.85 at 142mph in the eighth-mile and an out-theback-door 7.80 at 173 in the quarter, which makes this street car one bad machine! And yes, with the radials on you can take this bad bowtie out for a cruise around town

FASTEST TRIP TO THE MARKET EVER Yep, the tags are registered to the car, just make sure you have the radials on before going to grab groceries.

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

PRETTY ON THE INSIDE Looking into the driver side you see a full interior minus the back seat. Clean and simple with little touches like carbon bar protectors finish off the show car look.

PASSING GAS The only regular passengers that ride in here are the two 10 pound nitrous bottles that get things going in a hurry at the track.

When not driving the 69, Randy Perkinson can be found wheeling father Christy’s beautiful Top Sportsman GXP that runs 4.20’s in the eighth when the nitrous is turned loose.

OVER 50 YEARS OF RACING KNOWLEDGE THAT TAKES JUST SECONDS TO EXPERIENCE! Outlaw 2 & 3 Max Duty Super F®® from ATI! 30 weight Max Duty Super Speed T400s New F for large displacement, turbocharged 3-Speed Outlaw or +2,000 HP engines! Features heavier

Rated to 2,000 HP as equipped or 3,000 HP with big input and pump option. Available with 2.10 Helical, 1.95, 1.86 Straight-Cut Low Gear with optional SuperCase.

2-Speed Outlaw

Comes with your choice of 1.57, 1.48, 1.40 or 1.34 straight cut gears with optional SuperCase.

6.1 & 30.1

Shown with optional LockUp feature and Browell bell

Super Dampers Eliminate harmful crankshaft

vibrations and help boost the power & torque of your engine! ATI Super Dampers are used by top engine builders worldwide! Available in standard and serpentine models.

viscosity for less thermal break down, cooler temps and better converter lock-up over the standard 20 weight. Proven by many leading racers, it’s 100% synthetic and contains Type F friction modifiers for quicker, more positive shifts. Available in quart or gallon containers!

NEW!

T400 Super Pump Starting with a new permanent-mold aluminum casting, ATI Super Pumps feature a 3 piece design with a bolt-in, one-piece, steel stator tube for improved fluid routing, microfinished coated gears, and ATI’s exclusive hardened steel wear plates. At just 12 lbs, the ATI pump weighs 5 lbs less than an OEM unit. Available for OEM size Stator and Input as well as larger sizes for high HP applications.

NEW!

Lock Up Option Now Available!

www.ATITransmissions.com • (877)298-4728

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

CHEVELLE MEANS SOMETHING TWO MAN CREW Robbie Langford (left) and Randy Perkinson (right).

or to the local car show. Fit and finish is what Langford’s Chevelle is all about and he has numerous show awards to back it up. The ’69 was a big hit at the Yellow Bullet Nationals in 2013 and slowing the car down a bit to run the 8.50 index gave them a new challenge outside of running heads-up classes at Virginia Motorsports Park (VMP) on Friday nights. And who says you can’t be consistent enough to win an index race with a fast nitrous street car? On one of those Friday nights at VMP Robbie asked longtime friend Bob Avalos to drive the car in the 5.49 index class. Bob, an accomplished bracket racer behind the

wheel of his Monte Carlo, had never driven the Chevelle before and after just a few test runs with Robbie tuning the car down to run the 5.49, Bob went on to win the race! When asked in 1963 what “Chevelle” meant, then Chevy General Manager Semon “Bunkie” Knudsen is said to have replied, “Chevelle means nothing. But, we’re going to

make it something!” We’re sure that Chevelle owners around the world including Robbie Langford will agree, mission accomplished Bunkie! Robbie would like to thank Christy and Randy Perkinson, Brian Terrell, Duane and Cindy Peppers, Randell Haynes, Chris Acors, Molly Langford, Dale Langford and a very special thank you to wife Shelley Langford.

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

RPM QUICK TECH

story by

Robert Weathers

photos by

Chris Frank

X MARKS THE SPOT: X275 HEAD TECHNOLOGY

rankenstein Racing Heads (FRH) has opened up their facility to give RPM readers an inside look into the latest developments on cylinder heads specifically designed for X275 radial tire drag racing. According to FRH, it takes a dedicated effort to stay at the forefront of this fast evolving race class. Racers are competitive by nature and demand the best, and that takes time and considerable expense. Producing superior port designs to maximize horsepower for various combinations, small or big block, these cylinder heads have been specifically designed for each combination carefully. Improving an engine’s rate of acceleration is key in the success of a limited tire class such as X275, especially as each year passes and the rules change. A great cylinder head design and port development program may lead to added weight requirements for those who choose it though, as success at the track usually means rule makers are quick to take advantages away. Because of this, cylinder head design must evolve constantly to provide a performance advantage, while others only remain competitive. X275 drag radial drag racing stormed onto the scene with impressive performances using a relatively small tire, which allows these cars to maintain a musclecar look. The class has grown exponentially over the last

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

couple of years and so has cylinder head design. The days of just taking a good hand-ported, or out-of-the-box CNC head and being competitive are over. Racers in this class are exceeding most expectations of what it was designed for. What began as a 4.80 to a 5.0 eighthmile ET class has now advanced to the low 4.50’s and continues to improve. These amazingly fast ET’s and huge MPH’s have been a direct reflection in the progression of exceptional cylinder head design. Where there’s glory to be had in racing, there’s competition, and that means big money is spent for custom one-off work that’s carefully hidden. FRH takes all that expensive development work and utilizes it in their production facility to CNC machine and hand finish the best heads in the business at a significant cost savings vs. a one-off design. Chris Frank has been at the forefront of designing the most aggressive and advanced top-end packages in X275 racing. What used to be a fairly simple task of taking readily available castings and producing race worthy combinations has now become a far more complex process. FRH knew that in order to offer customers an affordable competitive advantage, castings had to be CNC friendly for the latest port designs. Over the last several years they’ve been hard at work with different manufacturers to produce proprietary castings. This not only gives customers the latest advances

Bare heads have minimal machine work and are a blank canvas. Small raw ports may require more CNC porting, but they allow a wide variety of port designs in the same head. The ability to move ports in any direction gives Frankenstein Racing Heads the latitude to develop unbelievable power.

Bare castings also have unmachined exhaust ports that require extensive modifications to keep up with the intake side at the desired ratio of intake to exhaust flow.

CNC machined intake ports are sizable compared to the unported runner, but tailor made castings allow the optimal port design to be put in place for maximum flow. Hand finishing and a quality valve job with the proper margins and angles are worth several CFM and are key to the overall package.

The most noticeable difference from as cast to CNC ported is on the exhaust side. With large amounts of nitrous being used on X275 engines, exhaust flow is critical.

in cylinder head technology, but were approaching 500 CFM and also provides it at a significant now that level of performance cost savings. has been surpassed. High perAdditional material in forming small-block heads were critical areas has allowed the in the low 400 CFM range and creation of port designs that are current designs are knocking on much more aggressive, and prothe door of 500 CFM, and with vides a performance advantage. tremendous air speed, which “I don’t want my customers allows more power faster. FRH to merely be competitive, I want wants to give its customers some them to have a leg up.” food for thought, FRH castings contain unique “If it takes a combination qualities such as proprietary 4.7 seconds to realize full valve locations within the cylinpotential, what good is it when der bore to optimize piston and you want to be done in 4.5?” port design. Another characThe FRH mantra is, “We teristic is added deck structure build heads for combinations to maintain a more rigid frame that set records and win races!” that holds up to increased power levels. Reduced water jackets also allow the ability to engineer superior port designs. On many castings, material has been added to the roof of ports in order to relocate intake and exhaust ports for enBEFORE: This is what a bare head looks like hanced performance. with basic machining from the factory. Chris The procedure Frank works with manufacturers to modify required to take a raw castings so more material is where it’s needed, casting and transform and less where it isn’t. This cuts down on it into a race-ready cyl- machining time and costs and allows big time inder head is lengthy. one-off custom performance to be available to There are about twelve the masses. hours of five-axis CNC machining required for a full-competition port, not including application specific variables with multi-angle valve jobs, hand-blending, surfacing, and assembly. These special castAFTER: Valve seats have been installed, CNC ings are all machined machining completed, and it awaits hand within strict .0005 finishing to meet customer specifications. tolerances. Now one casting can be used for multiple Advances in X275 applications because more heads have been cylinder heads have modified to accommodate CNC machining been substantial. The big-block Chevy heads centers that provide a final product to customers. This allows manufactures to from a few years ago concentrate on providing the best castings available.

SOURCE

• Frankenstein Racing Heads 817.556.2434 www.frankensteinracingheads.com

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

RPM SPECIAL

ntil temperatures begin to climb come springtime and conditions improve enough to begin making cruise laps or passes, most RPM readers are stuck indoors. However, as evidenced by these pictures and brief stories, a number of RPM faithful have some crazy winter projects in the works. Check them out!

RUSSELL & DEEDEE

Miller

Hartsville, South Carolina

ussell and DeeDee Miller are the proud owners of this beautiful new creation, a 1969 Chevelle SS pro modified, the latest of many unique cars from Andy McCoy Race Cars (AMRC). McCoy and team always seem to come up with the wild rides that are guaranteed to turn heads such as the almost-fullsize 57 Chevy and the very cool Duster pro mod body, and they have done it once again! This is the first ’69 Chevelle pro mod completed from the new body design. The new “clear” carbon body tips the scales at just 55 pounds complete! Doing the “clear” body was a difficult task in itself. Layer

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

after layer of the body was laid down with painstakingly exact precision to make the weave flow together. Then, a high gloss clear covers the body for a flawless look. Another trick part of the car itself is the Racepak mounting location in the steering wheel, which is something we’ve been seeing pop up at industry trade shows of late. The really neat part is that the steering wheel is still completely removable with no cords attached. Andy would like to thank shop foreman

Scott Wymore for all his hard work and dedication, Father Stan, who is also in charge of the composite shop and who gave the most sacrifice on this project as he suffered a heart attack during it, James Eads for the help with the clear paint, MVM Motorsports for building the carbon wheelie bars, and last but not least, 1320 Media for the awesome decals. Look for the Miller Chevelle to be out testing soon and hopefully run well into the 3-second zone in the eighth.

RANDY

Hoffman Orange, Virginia

ong time street car racer Randy Hoffman who would normally be associated with wheeling one of a number of 67 to 68 Camaros over the past 30 years has made a step up in a big way. Hoffman, of Orange, Virginia, runs Randy’s Automotive along with daughter Amy and is stepping into a twin turbo pro mod Cavalier. The car made its way to the track in the fall of 2013 for its first and only shakedown runs and within three hits it went into the 4.20’s in the eighth and that was with Randy in and out of the gas much of the run. Powered by a 600ci Billy Albert built engine equipped with twin 88’s and with tuning help from Patrick Barnhill at PTP Performance, the car should be a 3 second ride come spring. Chassis tuning comes from Marvin Wright at Pro Cars in Culpepper, VA. Along with son Randy Jr., Hoffman will still race in the DMV Outlaws “no prep” races with his Camaro street car where he picked up the win in the big tire class at their first race. To add to his accomplishments, Hoffman has also made it onto the top 10 list of quickest street cars in Virginia.

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

READERS’ PROJECTS D

ean and Shannon Parker’s 57 Chevy is another new car to try on some 10.5’s this year. The full tube chassis car was built by longtime chassis builder and top sportsman racer Bob Mandell at Pro-Fab. Since then, updates have been done by Skinny Kid Race Cars to get it ready for racing on the smaller tires. Power comes from a 555 ci big block Chevy with a single 114MM Precision turbo. Edelbrock Pro Port Heads, GRP Rods, CP Pistons, Precision Injectors and a Waterman fuel pump make up some of the

remaining components of the engine built by Kim Mapes. A FAST 2.0 XFI fires everything up and the boosted mill is backed by a Rossler 210 transmission. When it came time to lay the cool skin on to the classic styled shoebox body, Dean took on the task personally, completing all of the body and paint work himself. Airbrush artist Jason Olmsted then applied the final touches. Look for this Michigan based team to compete at Milan Dragway and other tracks where the tube cars are legal to race in 10.5 competition.

STEVE

Merman

Collegeville, Pennsylvania

DEAN & SHANNON

Parker

Belleville, Michigan

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

teve Merman, owner of Merman Motorsports, is jumping in the waters of Outlaw 10.5 with this wild new car. Merman, from Collegeville, PA, has built a 1993 Honda Civic Coupe to compete in Outlaw 10.5 and the Sport Compact Modified class. Merman says, “I have been racing the FWD Hot Rod class for 6 years now and have the world’s second fastest FWD Honda in this class with a 7.97 @ 187 mph. Now, we’re going to take a run at being the fastest 3/4 chassis 4cyl Honda in the world, or even the fastest of all the makes and models.” The car was sent to DL Race Point in Long Island, NY to build a 25.1 RWD chassis. “David Lopez, owner of DL Race Point, did an amazing job of building a complete oneoff rolling chassis to fit the 93 Honda Civic body. The car has a 6.0 chassis cert and has been done so with numerous details to the fabrication work to set the car apart from others,” added Merman. The engine will be a 2.0L Honda B-series running an 82 mm Precision turbo on

methanol fuel using an MSD Pro Mag 44 ignition system with Motec engine management. Ferrea Racing Components sponsors Merman Motorsports with all cam and valve train components. Golden Eagle MFG also helps with engine sleeves and key engine components to meet the demands of their 1500hp goals. The Honda engine is capable of bolting to a Chevy Browell bellhousing with a 3/8 aluminum midplate that accepts the two different bolt patterns. That is where power will be transferred to a G-Force GF5R 5 speed clutchless transmission with RAM triple disc adjustable clutch. A custom driveshaft takes power to a Strange third member. Strange axles and brake assemblies complete the 9’’ fabricated rear housing. Steve will pilot the new ride and also perform all major mechanical duties. Mike Merman is crew chief. David Lopez will handle all chassis tuning and Bill Hunsberger at Second Street Speed will execute all tuning and data analysis.

IMAGINE REPLACING THIS

RANDY

Lambert

Falls Church, Virginia

ell known fast street car drag racer Randy Lambert of Falls Church, Virginia says he is not done racing just yet! Built by HFR Fabrication, the 1986 Mustang features a 365ci Merkel Racing Engines single Precision turbo small block Chevy. Brodix BD 2000 heads, block and intake, 225S injectors and 105mm throttle body round out the mill. Boost control comes from Leash Electronics and FB Performance built the Powerglide transmis-

sion with a PTC bolt together converter. Ron Rhodes will be doing the paint and bodywork and Wayne Keegan will be creating the complete wiring system in the Mustang. Randy will be getting help at the track while racing in X275 from wife Jen, brother Rodney, little Randy, Jesse Lambert and Jay Dameron aka “Heavy Duty.” Look for Randy to be out and testing by the end of this month (Feb 2014).

WITH THIS

Smartwire solves the complexities of wiring today’s race cars. The power control module serves as a central point for all of the vehicle’s electrical components. Circuit breakers, fuses and relays are eliminated and replaced by the Smartwire’s programmable solid state circuitry to reduce wire clutter and weight.

(949) 709-5555

RACEPAK.com

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

DRAG RACE ACTION

HOLCOMB MOTORSPORTS

CIVIL I WARS

story and photos by

Chuck Scott

Kenny Holcomb talks about the East Coast tradition spanning over two decades!

n the business of motorsports, just as any industry, promoters and events come and go. When looking at drag racing specifically, it is obvious that we are dealing with a high power, high en-

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

ergy sport that is way under marketed but always seems to over-deliver. The trick is to get people to experience it either as a participant or fan for the first time, after that, they are usually hooked.

BBC 632 Nitrous Series

BBC Open Chamber Blown Alcohol Dome

Designed for Nitrous-fed 632 engines using aluminum rods.

Designed for high horsepower, blown alcohol BBC engines. Ideal for use in Top Dragster and Top Sportsman engines

• Vertical gas ports • Designed with large pin boss span and extra clearance to accept aluminum rods • Designed with 3/16″ oil rings for improved oil control (critical in nitrous engines) • Intake valve relief edge has been machined to remove thin outside area, reducing hot spots and likelihood of preignition • Utilizes JE Pro Seal Hardened Nitrous Series .043″, .43″, 3/16″ ring package

5.OOO'' / 5.3OO''

• Made from forged 2618 alloy

bore spacing piston

• Heavy duty .200″ wall wrist pins included

New “777F”

• Valve reliefs accept oversized valves and are compatible with angle milled heads.

• • • •

4.810″ - 5.140″ Bore Extremely durable in high HP engines Up to 1.094'' diameter pin Starting at only $805 MSRP per set

• Accumulator grooves & Double forced pin oilers

• Precision CNC machined ring grooves accept 1/16″ , 1/16″ and 3/16″ rings.

Pistons • Rings • Pins

15312 Connector Lane • Huntington Beach • CA • 92649 • 714-898-9763 • Fax 714-893-8297

www.jepistons.com

HOLCOMB CIVIL WARS

Kenny Holcomb congratulating Pro 5.0 racer Les Baer in the winners’ circle around 1997. Les was the big dog in Pro 5.0 and is just as well known for building custom firearms today. A match race at an early Civil Wars event between Craig Radovich’s Pro 5.0 car and Roy Hill’s Pro Stock ride. Roy gave Craig the kick and tried to run him down.

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

It’s not like NASCAR. Their massive marketing efforts seem to pave the way not only for themselves, but every other form of oval track racing in existence, which from a marketing standpoint is a job well done. In drag racing though, there are many things that are unique, things that you just don’t “get” when you see the large sanctioning bodies present their versions of it on TV. Things that you can only really enjoy and appreciate by attending one of the many smaller “outlaw”, “fast doorslammer” or “street car” based events across the country. Anyone can participate in drag racing, and you don’t need to spend a dime other than buying your tech card on a Friday night! That’s right, at

a beginner level, simply take your daily driver to the local dragstrip and go have some fun. And from there, there are levels of drag racing for every budget. Probably one the most unique things about drag racing is that, in many cases, the cars on the track are built from cars that were at one point, production automobiles. So they look, smell and feel just like the cars we all grew up with, and that cannot be said of any other motorsport. Sure, as you run up through the ranks the cars in competition become more highly modified and altered to meet their goals, but at most every level of doorslammer drag racing (cars with doors as opposed to dragsters), even the full fabricated chassis and

CIVIL WARS The original Holcomb Motorsports company car back in 1994. The big tire bracket car was dubbed Holcomania.

Joe Da Silva leaving hard in his Pro 5.0 heavy hitter. Notice the NOS sticker on the fender and the lack of a hole in the front bumper? Later in 2000, Joe was the first Pro 5.0 car to run quicker than 7.50 in the quarter-mile.

Steve Jackson rotating the earth at the 2009 Spring Civil Wars a month and a half before running the record breaking 4.60 in Valdosta. Back then a 4.60 in Outlaw Drag Radial seemed like it had to be the limit for radial tires. Three years later the same car went 4.19 in the eighth!

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

aftermarket bodied cars still look pretty much like street machines. But that is where the similarity ends as once you get a taste of it you soon realize that what drag racers do is pretty much the impossible… they go out of their way to build as much horsepower as possible and transport it safely from one end of the dragstrip to the other. Many well-known oval track racers have been quoted as saying, “I thought drag racing was easy… until I actually tried it!” Each promoter in drag racing has their own unique style and leaves a definite mark, good or bad, on the industry that they support. Today especially, it seems that no matter how hard a good promoter tries, the most difficult thing to do is please not just everybody, but rather please that one thing that can be the biggest thorn in their side… the internet! There always seems to be at least one “internet sniper” who has something bad to say about pretty much everything and everyone. Many times though, the good promoters are in it for the love of the sport, and sometimes there are those who just seem to be able to do it right and stand the test of not only time, but also the ultimate test of a con-

stantly changing industry. Kenny Holcomb is one of those select few. Twenty years ago, with his new Ford performance parts business in its infancy, Kenny Holcomb came up with an idea to help promote Holcomb Motorsports and give back to his customers, and that idea is still alive and well today. RPM: Racing events and classes have all kinds of names with 97% of them bearing some variant of “Street”. Why the name Civil Wars? Kenny: In 1994 I came up with the idea to bring the quickest Pro 5.0 cars down from north of the Mason Dixon to do battle with the South’s quickest cars. The following April of 1995 at Rockingham Dragway, the 5.0 Civil Wars was born. The concept was simple, whichever team had the most class wins would be declared the winners. Team South won that inaugural event. I decided to keep the events open to just doorslammer Fords. That first event also featured a Pro Stock match race, the AMRA series, all-Ford bracket racing, a car show, swap meet and the Miss Holcomania bikini contest.

Introducing Valvoline NextGen. The first recycled oil formulated from a breakthrough process that combines the latest re-refining technology with Valvoline’s special additives to exceed industry standards. It’s the only recycled oil good enough to be called Valvoline, because we hold ourselves to a higher standard. Yours. Go to NextGenMotorOil.ca and find out why it is important to recycle your used oil and use recycled oil.

Available at

CIVIL WARS RPM: So with the events reserved for Fords only and Pro 5.0 being the featured attraction, how did Civil Wars get to be known as a 10.5 Outlaw event? Kenny: In 1999 a new heads up class, World War 1 Pro Street was introduced which allowed other makes to compete against the Fords for the first time at Civil Wars. All makes were also allowed in the bracket classes as well, while keeping the remaining classes Ford only. In

the early part of the new century, as OutFor years these 2 cars dominated True 10.5 at Civil Wars. The law 10.5 was heating nitrous fed 69 Camaro of Darren Hoyle and the twin turbo Fox up, we decided to make ev- Mustang of Keith Szabo square off at the spring event in 2009. ery class open to all makes. RPM: Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen some of the biggest By 2003 Civil Wars was paying $10,000 to win in Outlaw 10.5 names in outlaw and small tire racing at and drawing all the then heavy hitters Civil Wars, but for some Carolina and like Steve Kirk, Mike Hill, Stacy McIn- southern Virginia racers and fans, it is the tyre, Brad Brand and many others. only big race they attend. 10.5 Outlaw had become the headliner Kenny: Civil Wars was born not only followed up by several other heads-up as a North vs South east coast battleclasses for an action packed weekend. ground, but also as a venue that would 2003 also saw Pro Tree Doorslammers allow Holcomb Motorsports customers added which is basically bracket racing a chance to race at a national event on a pro tree. Pro Tree Doorslammers without traveling hundreds of miles. has grown to be our largest car count We have always strived to have a class class while giving the regular weekend for every racer to fit in, much to the chabracket racers a chance to shake it up grin of the track workers. Sometimes it at a big outlaw event while leaving on was quite confusing due to the number a pro tree. of classes. Blake Holcomb in 2010 following in Kennyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s footsteps with a big part in running the Civil Wars events that he grew up with.

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

CIVIL WARS X275 was really heating up by 2010. Chad Branson was rockin’ with the War Bird graphics on the turbocharged small block Ford powered Dodge Dart, but Dale Handy was the one taking flight in the four eyed fox at the fall 2010 event.

Civil Wars and Rockingham Dragway suffered a great loss in November 2011 with the loss of the Track Manager and Announcer Big John Leviner. Here Big John and track owner Steve Earwood go over the run order during the fall 2009 event. Civil Wars would never be the same without his voice over the loud speakers giving constant entertainment.

2011 was the year of Eric McMillon’s controversial Vader Mustang. The insane-for-the-time 155mph passes had X275 racers bringing out the pitchforks. The band-aid rule at the time was a cover for the anti-surge holes of the large frame 88mm turbo front cover.

RPM: In the last 19 years a lot of traveling series and other outlaw type races have come and gone. Many popular classes have ruled then faded away. Race cars have changed and progressed to levels once unheard of. How has Civil Wars stood the test of time? Kenny: When we changed the Civil Wars to all makes, we started Fast Fords in the Fall, a one day event for

the true blue fans. That lasted about five years until we just decided to put all our energies into Civil Wars. Over the years, we have tried many new classes and ideas…burnout contests, bikini contests, hand drop starts (before Pinks). Some worked, some didn’t. Steve Earwood (Rockingham Dragway owner) thought I was crazy when

Another Civil Wars veteran, Nick Yarber, warming up the Mickey Thompson 275s at the fall event in 2013.

I came up with some of those ideas. We give the racers and fans what they want and what’s hot at the time. For the past few years we have featured the always exciting X275 Drag Radial class. Typi-

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

CIVIL WARS Two of the baddest small tire cars on earth at the spring 2013 race, Keith Berry’s Corvette and Chris Tuten’s Mustang.

cally, our events are not points meets, so racers can come out, bring their family and enjoy the weekend. Since the spring 2009 race we have incorporated several King of the Streets classes into both spring and fall races where points are earned and carried to the other KOTS events throughout the year. Civil Wars is a completely different event today compared to the first one in ’95. If we had just kept the same classes and routine, I doubt we would still be racing now. John Keesey took home the money in Street Race at the fall 2013 event. Keesey is the record holder in Ultra Street which is basically the same as KOTS Street Race run at Civil Wars. The Holcomb family’s latest endeavor takes things another step past selling parts and putting on drag races. Blake Holcomb bought into the already successful Piedmont Custom Motorsports shop in Raleigh North Carolina. PCM does everything from dyno tuning to roll cages. Now the Holcombs can sell you the parts and install them. Just a small taste of the “all-brand” wheels-up action from the latest Civil Wars event in fall of 2013.

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

RPM: It looks like the whole Holcomb family pitches in on race day. I’m sure having a supporting family helps keep things going. Kenny: My, wife Lisa has always been there, faithfully selling the racers their tech cards, often with the help of our daughter Leigh Anna. My son Blake has been there throughout the years, now overseeing the heads-up classes as well as heading up the KOTS series. So it is a family affair for sure. We are now making plans for the 2014 season, hoping to keep new ideas coming in order to keep the event fresh, fun and exciting for racers and fans! Don’t miss the 2014 Outlaw Civil Wars at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina on April 25-27 and October 17-19. Be sure to check king-of-the-streets.org for KOTS race dates coming soon. We will see you there!

RPM FEATURE CAR

Brian Hansen photos by

Pete Ores

Get a good look at this six-second Fairlane 500, because once Matt Vinson hits the throttle, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gone!

BLUE BY YOU

hen Matt Vinson bought his 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 back in 1982, he never imagined that 31 years later he’d still be wrenching on it every weekend. What started out as a 289 small

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

block powered mid-size sedan has evolved into a one of the wildest original bodied Ford doorslammers on the strip. Having recently ran a personal best quarter-mile of 6.75 @ 214mph before tucking the car away for another frigid Pennsylvania winter, it appears that Matt has not given up on the continued quest to get every ounce of performance out of his beloved Fairlane. “I purchased my ’66 Fairlane 500 from the original owner, a little old lady from North Carolina, when I was 15 years old and drove the car all through high school.” Matt recalls. “It

all began when I spotted the Arcadian Blue Fairlane sitting in a field at the Pittsburgh Parts-O-Rama with a for sale sign and asking price of $2,200 in the window. Remember though, this was in the mid-eighties and cars like this were cheap and plentiful, so I kept on walking through the swap meet to see what other deals I could find,” he added. “Having looked at all of the other cars in the car corral, there was just something special about that 84,000 original mile Fairlane that intrigued me. After haggling over the price with the owner, a selling price of $2,000 was agreed upon and I drove the car back to my home in Shaler Township, Pennsylvania.” Matt continued, “When my brothers Ray, Mark, and I were growing up, my Dad had a 1966 Fairlane 500 that was Gold. It was the first new car that he had ever bought and I guess that of all the cars he owned over the years the

Fairlane was the one that I always longed to have, and now I finally had one of my very own.” Even though Matt was not of legal driving age, he immediately began tinkering on the Fairlane’s original 289 small block/C-4 automatic transmission combination in anticipation for the day that he could get behind the wheel. With a fresh tune-up on the ol’ 289 he made his first pass down the ¼-mile which netted him a 15.70 time slip. And from that point on Matt, as many others, found himself hooked on drag racing. By 1985 the Fairlane was able to dip in the 11’s thanks to an NOS (Nitrous Oxide Systems) Powershot plate-style nitrous system. Interestingly, in the mid-eighties very few racers were using nitrous

oxide because the common school of thought at the time was that nitrous would “blow up your engine.” In talking with Mike Thermos (founder of Nitrous Oxide Systems) recently, he confirmed that this was a misconception. Mike explained, “We intentionally jetted those early systems so fuel-rich just to be on the safe side. You’d have to have had the ignition timing way too far

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

BLUE BY YOU advanced, or an engine with internal components that did not meet our recommended specifications (ie: forged pistons for horsepower levels over 150-200 horsepower), to cause major damage to an engine. As many racers found out early on, if they followed our tuning recommendations reliable horsepower could be produced and they could win races. ” In the years that followed, Matt’s never-ending pilgrimage for power prompted a number of different engine and transmission combinations to find their way into the Fairlane. Sticking with the small-block Ford engine architecture, he built a number of combinations of varying displacement. As the horsepower levels increased, Matt eventually traded in the C4 automatic for a Doug Nash 5-speed and later a cluthless Liberty 5-speed transmission. He ran the car

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

in the NSCA and later with the NMCA in the Limited Street Class. Of course many will ask, “Why is there a big block Chevy in a Ford?” Matt commented, “Initially we had contemplated running a Ford combination but we had this 615-inch big block Chevy sitting in the shop and thought what the heck, let’s bolt it in the Fairlane and see how it works. Wanting to go a lot faster I ordered up a set of Precision turbochargers and that is when the fun really started!” Built around one of Dart Machinery’s steel blocks with a deck height of 10.2” it was filled with all of the good stuff. Domhoff’s Auto & machine (Zelienople, PA) machined the block. Matt, along his Brothers Mark and Ray assembled the engine in their shop. A set of JE 9.0:1 pistons, MGP connecting rods, Callies forged crankshaft and

1966 FORD FAIRLANE 500 Owner/Driver: Matt Vinson Engine Short Block: Dart iron (10.2” deck height), JE 9.0: 1 dished Forged Pistons, Total Seal 3mm, 3mm, 3/16” ring pack, Callies forged crankshaft, MGP aluminum connecting rods. Induction: Dart Intake w/sheet metal top, Accufab 105mm throttle body, Wilson 90-degree elbow, 8 Precision 550lb injectors, 8 Precision 240lb injectors, and 8 Precision 160lb injectors Engine Management/Data Acquisition: Big Stuff 3, NLR boost controller and Racepak data acquisition Cylinder Heads: Pontiac Big Chief aluminum ported by Steve Schmidt and Fowler Engines Power Adders: Twin Precision 91mm turbochargers Ignition: MSD Transmission: Rossler T210 Pro-Mod with Coan Super Mega bolt-together converter Suspension/Chassis: 4-Link rear suspension Fuel System: Waterman “Little Bertha” 19 gallon mechanical alcohol pump Tires: Mickey Thompson 33.0 x 10.5” rear tires Weight: 3,570 pounds w/driver Exhaust: Predator Performance custom 2 ¼” primary headers with Church Performance 5” exhaust Horsepower: 2,800hp Torque: 2,500 ft lbs + Performance: 6.756 @ 214.01 mph in the ¼-mile

MORE BOOST! MORE FUEL! Precision 91mm turbochargers fan the flame and THREE separate sets of 8 Precision injectors (24 in all!) readily pour the fuel to the fire. Thermo-Tec wrap helps keep underhood temps down.

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

BLUE BY YOU

ALL IN THE FAMILY

BROTHER MARK’S SUPER SLEEPER 1970 MONTE CARLO

CAGED ANIMAL The Church Fabrication tube chassis is certified to 6.50 at 3,500 pounds

BIG BAD BARGE Mark Vinson’s Monte Carlo is the quintessential sleeper! With no roll cage, tachometer or aftermarket shifter, the only thing that raises an eyebrow are the SFI spec seat belts. It even has air conditioning to keep summer cruising comfy. Nestled under the flat steel hood is 555 cubic inches of fire breathing big block Chevy, dyno proven to produce 835 hp and 735 ft-lbs of torque on pump gas WITHOUT nitrous!

HEAVY DUTY

All of the Vinson boys are into hot rods and when we first met them in the pits during the 2013 Shakedown at the Summit, we couldn’t help but notice this unassuming Monte Carlo parked by the Fairlane. Matt’s twin brother Mark has owned the Monte for about six years and has painstakingly tried to keep it as low-key as possible in hopes that it doesn’t look as fast as it actually is. Just how fast is it, though? According to Mark, the luxury

liner has run in the 9.20’s @ 144mph through full exhaust on MT ET Streets, at a portly 4,055 pounds with driver! With his sights on an 8-second time slip, plans are already in the works to install a roll cage and the other necessary safety equipment to make the car legal to run at any NHRA or IHRA sanctioned track next year. Mark has hinted that you may even see this car running in Drag Week in 2014. Keep an eye out for Mark and his Monte!

Church Fabrication and Fastest Street Car pioneer Jon Anderson put together a bulletproof and effective rear end and suspension

a custom camshaft make up the short block. High flowing Pontiac 18 degree Big Chief cylinder heads are used that were initially ported by Steve Schmidt and have been recently reworked by Fowler Engines (Columbus, Ohio ), with a set Victory titanium valves for added insurance. Feeding the monster is a massive Accufab 105mm throttle body, Wilson 90 degree elbow, Dart intake with fabricated top and three sets (yes we said

three sets) of Precision fuel injectors! As Matt commented, “The 240lb injectors are on at all times and when I’m on the transbrake the 550lb injectors start flowing. We haven’t even used the third set of 160lb injectors yet, but they are there just in case...” The Precision 91mm turbochargers are the only ones that Matt would even consider running, “Everybody runs them and for good reason…. they are the best!” added Matt.

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

BLUE BY YOU

800-626-1828 www.bteracing.com Bill Taylor Enterprises 2 Memphis Avenue â&#x20AC;˘ Mt. Pleasant, MS 38649 Some Parts Not Legal for Sale or Use on Pollution-Controlled Vehicles

ASSEMBLED POWERGLIDE TRANSMISSIONS re Signatuoduct r Racing P

Top Sportsman / Top Dragster FEATURES: New BTE Magnum SFI Approved Case, Ringless Vasco Turbo Spline Input Shaft, Mega Racing Band, Two Ring Servo, Performance Servo Spring, Coated Deep Aluminum Pan, BTE Straight Cut Gear set (Available in 1.80, 1.98, and 1.69 ratios), Roller Tail housing/Rear Cover, New BTE High Volume Pump, Roller Governor Support, 10 clutch drum, BTE Top Sportsman High Pressure Transbrake Valve body, Dyno-tested.

$359599 Bracket Powerglide FEATURES: 1.76 Gear set with 4340 forged output shaft and housing, Steel Clutch Hub w/ 5 clutch pack, Rebuilt Pump, Two ring servo, BTE Bracket Transbrake Valve body, Kevlar lined Band, Dyno-tested.

$84995

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

HISTORIC TUBS Vinson has been involved in the street machine scene for a long time as evidenced by this sticker from the 1987 Street Machine Nationals

Controlling the monster is a MSD Power Grid, Big Stuff 3 and a NLR boost controller. Data acquisition is by Racepak. Harnessing the kind of power that the twin turbo charged big block produces is no easy feat. Since failure is not an option, Matt wisely chose a Rossler T210 transmission to spin the carbon fiber driveshaft and uses either a Coan “Super

Mega” or Pro Torque converter (depending on the track). The rear 4-link suspension was built in a cooperative effort by Jon Anderson and Church Fabrication. A true measure of a car’s ability to transfer the power to the ground is in the 60-foot time recorded at the drag strip, and the Fairlane has proven itself to be up to the task with best 60-foot times of 1.15 seconds.

continued on page 64

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

PAGE 56 www.rpm-mag.com

Chassis Body Suspension Fabrication, Parts , Service

CONNECTIONS PERFORMANCE DIRECTORY... Connecting YOU With The Industry

Engines & Cylinder Heads Parts, Service, Machine Work

SB-CHEVY

SB-FORD Call Call for for details details

661-257-8124

www.airflowresearch.com

www.rpm-mag.com PAGE 57

PAGE 58 www.rpm-mag.com

CONNECTIONS PERFORMANCE DIRECTORY... Connecting YOU With The Industry

Fuel & Intake Carburetion Fuel Injection Intake Manifolds

The first to perfect the one-piece pushrod

Manufacturer & innovator of high quality competition valve train components 800.326.8368 www.trendperform.com

Exhaust ALL

WWW.CANDSSPECIALTIES.COM

速 USA

Racing Carburetors and Fuel Systems

636-723-4996

CONNECTIONS PERFORMANCE DIRECTORY... Connecting YOU With The Industry

Media, Marketing & Advertising Services

www.rpm-mag.com PAGE 59

Performance & Race Parts ALL

10 10 lbs lbs lighter lighter runs runs 30째 30째 cooler cooler

Titan-TXR Titan-TXR

661-257-8124

www.airflowresearch.com

PAGE 60 www.rpm-mag.com

CONNECTIONS PERFORMANCE DIRECTORY... Connecting YOU With The Industry

www.rpm-mag.com PAGE 61

Race Orgs, Tracks & Events

3"$&

XXX /FX&SB3BDFDSBGU DPN

Power Adders Incl. Nitrous Oxide, Blowers/Superchargers, Turbochargers, Systems/Parts/Service

PAGE 62 www.rpm-mag.com

CONNECTIONS PERFORMANCE DIRECTORY... Connecting YOU With The Industry

Safety Apparel & Communication

Tires & Wheels

Transmission Converter, Clutch & Driveline

CONNECTIONS PERFORMANCE DIRECTORY... Connecting YOU With The Industry

Tuning & Electronics Incl. Ignition, Control Systems, Parts, Service

www.rpm-mag.com PAGE 63

MISC. Including INSURANCE Tools, Tents, Vinyl Graphics

BLUE BY YOU

IT TAKES A VILLAGE Matt’s Brother Ray, Jon Anderson, “Big Brad,” and Jeff McDougle pitch in at Shakedown at the Summit while Matt handles the wheel

Regarding how the Fairlane’s suspension works Mark commented, “My car has always been, above all else, fun to drive. It goes straight and hooks 95% of the time, mainly because we know this car so well due to all of the passes I have under my belt. When it went 6.75 @ 214 this fall, the front wheels didn’t even touch the track for the entire ¼-mile. It drove like it was on a string and pulled 2.5G’s all through second gear. Launching the Fairlane is like launching a building and pulling a freight train along for the ride.”

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

“I would like to thank my girlfriend Teresa for putting up with me all of these years, also my brother’s Mark and Ray, Jon Anderson, “Big Brad,” Domhoff Machine, GIS Automotive, Carbonite, LRC (Lutz Race Cars). A special thanks goes out to the countless others that have helped me out over the years. Without you there’s no way that I would have ever been able to accomplish what I have in this crazy, and fun, sport of outlaw street car drag racing!”

Drag racing legend Jim Oddy’s Willys nostalgia gasser is one vicious animal!

emember being told as a kid to ask the owner before petting their dog? After all, you never know when an otherwise innocent-looking pet might be vicious. Well this is the dog your mother warned you about, ’cause it’s a mean one!

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

Need proof? It won every race in which it was entered last season except for one. This 1933 Willys is the result of the vision and hard work of living drag race legend Jim Oddy. Well known for his years in pro modified not to mention being the go-to-guy

for making serious blower horsepower, prior to that Oddy was reputed for his involvement with gassers back in the earlier days of drag racing. Oddy started racing gassers in 1966 and this most recent creation took him 18 months to build. With lots of “junkyard find” parts, the

RPM FEATURE CAR story and photos by

Benoit Pigeon

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

JUNKYARD DOG

RACERS AT ODD(Y)S

FLYIN’ LOW

Junkyard Dog lines up against New London, VA where airplanes have shared the strip with Code Blue, another Oddy creation. drag racers since the ’50s in a classic hilly background.

cvrproducts.com For more information visit

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

www.cvrproducts.com

MAHLE Clevite products have been on board every single NASCAR® race winner since its beginning in 1948. But even we realize the true lifeblood of auto racing is on any short track on a Friday or Saturday night across the nation. This is the arena where today’s gladiators battle for supremacy - and we are proud to support them. As long as grassroots racing continues to breathe life into asphalt or dirt, our commitment to quality under the hood remains strong. www.mahleclevite.com

Proud suPPorters of the

“heArt”

of AmericAn rAcing! matte blue bruiser is built around an original (yep we said original) 1933 Willys. The body started as a four door steel sedan and was drastically altered and stripped. The dashboard was re-installed to the body tub as well as the fenders, the front axle and one rear light. That’s about all that’s left from the ’30s. The sedan has actually lost two doors and four inches off the top. The front doors of the ’33-35 sedan model Willys are short, so Oddy replaced the factory units with a pair of longer ’33 delivery doors. As the story goes, Jim liked the look of a ’33 concept car drawing from Willys enough to get his inspiration from it, and by doing such a radical modification he would create a truly unique model within the Gasser community. The original Willys rails were used maintaining the wheel base at a stock 100 inches and the bodywork was done by both Jim and Ray Williams. Ray is also the team mechanic and knows everything there is to know about “The Dog.” The roll cage along with custom chassis work underneath bear Oddy’s custom signature. Here is the tricky part, though: by sanctioning body rules, all Gassers involved in the Nostal-

gia AA/GS championship must use an original cast iron block as well as cast iron heads. All parts must have been available during the ’60s, including the transmission. On top of that, all Gassers must be equipped with a front axle for suspension. That’s quite a list of limitations. However, safety is of course kept to modern standards. Jim’s background in sixties drag racing, having literally “been there” and “done that,” makes the rules specifications no problem at all. At the same time, his pro mod years are also of extreme value with regards to blower knowledge. In fact, the 6-71 compressor shown is a Jim Oddy production, and on top of the blower sits a Hilborn four-port injection unit.

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

JUNKYARD DOG MIGHTY MOUSE Jim likes names and “Black Betty” is one powerful 350. Below the inline four hole Hilborn injection is the 6-71 compressor, the maximum size allowed. You have to appreciate the worn out look of the blower, knowing full well that it is packed full of Oddy voodoo.

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

A powerglide transmission, readily available in the sixties, backs up the estimated 1,000 horsepower motor. Jim is no stranger to making full use of rules (or lack of them) to find maximum advantages. When rules were changed to put a stop to “creative interpretations,” Jim was happy to abide by the new ones. As a result, the Dog benefits from over 40 years of constantly refined knowledge and thinking outside the box. It’s hard to beat, but frankly the guys who race him seem fine to face the legend and have

a chance at the win. At times they’ll even get some help from Oddy, as this group seems to be a pretty tight knit bunch. When it comes to driving The Dog, how appropriate is it to have Junior Ward, a regular at the pro modified Big Dog events, step into the cockpit. In the September 2013 issue of RPM, we followed Junior at a race that unfortunately ended early due to breakage. That very same night the team drove back to the shop only to swap cars in the trailer and take the road north to Ohio where they won

NICE REAR END A braced regular production 9-inch Ford differential puts the power to the wheels and the car is suspended by a pair of coilovers. From the rear, you can easily

tell this is an original bodied Willys by the imperfections of the original steel. Check out the unique tires on the custom made wheelie bars and the required parachute.

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

NICE INSIDE A very clean interior is kept so simple. The most obvious sign that this is not the sixties is the incredible roll cage work in this area. The original dashboard has been retained and holds what minimal gauges Junior needs to keep tabs on things.

DIALED IN Here Jim checks valve clearance. These gassers require relatively little maintenance, but 1,000 horsepower from a cast iron small block can still keep teams busy.

It’s not a secret anymore!

The Strongest Pushrods in the World!

High Performance Custom Pushrods Tapered or Straight Tube in the Following Diameters

3/16” • 1/4” • 5/16” • 11/32” • 3/8” • 7/16” • 1/2” • 9/16” • 5/8”

Toll Free:

1.877.626.8667

Fax 951.245.6563

www.mantonpushrods.com

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

POUR IT ON Ray and Junior filling the tanks for the next run. The methane density is also checked by Jim prior to filling.

JUNKYARD DOG with the Gasser. It was certainly cause for celebration after their misfortune earlier in the week. This gasser and driver have a strong connection and were destined to be a team. When the car was first tested in the fall of 2012, Ward took command for the shakedown runs and was to hand the driving off to Oddy. Instead, Jim ended up keeping him at the wheel. Junior says it is a handful to drive, which is easy to believe, but he adds “that is all the better for me because that’s the kind of car I like to drive.” And for sure, when the beast comes alive with Junior’s talent at the helm, the Willys turns into a real freight train.

This thing screams madness for the entire burnout. Ward is fast in the lanes and ready for the lights. There is never any hesitation and the car has no problem following his persuasive commands, which usually ends with a win for the team and The Dog. As for the Gasser spirit, while this car is not your typical high rider and the wheelies are far more tame than most, it sure is a pleasure to hear and see in action and is another truly unique expression of the living legend Jim Oddy. As for where to see the car in action, or more appropriately where to “watch The Dog,” visit www.nostalgiaaagassers. com.

BEST DOGGONE CREW AROUND Left to right: Dan Oddy, Ray Williams, Junior Ward, and Jim Oddy.

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

RPM FEATURE CAR

Racers beware: This ’41 Willys Coupe will bite! by

Michael Stefanyshyn

verybody has their own reasons for racing, but for Pitboss Racing’s Ron Stennes it all comes down to having fun and going fast, and what could be more fun than a ’41 Willys Coupe named Bulldog Willy?

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

Ron has been racing for over 25 years but only acquired Bulldog Willy in 2007 when he bought the car in Chicago where it was running in an open Outlaw class. Ron transported the Willys north to Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada with the

intention of running it in local Top Eliminator races at Castrol Raceway just south of Edmonton. After a lengthy transformation of the car, Ron would realize his goals. RPM attended the 2013 Rocky Mountain Shootout

to focus on some of the upper west coast Pro Street talent and to see what other interesting doorslammers were in the house, and the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bulldogâ&#x20AC;? certainly stood out. Bulldog Willy is not a car that was simply thrown

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

BULLDOG WILLY together, some serious thought went into this build, starting from the twin rail Markow Race Cars chassis right on up to the flawlessly straight fiberglass body. This unbelievable car looks as good standing still as it does flying down the track. Ron and his Pitboss Racing Team haven’t overlooked a single detail; from its custom Candy Apple Blue paintjob with ghost flames, to the chrome Willys badge on the fenders, this Willys is a piece of art. The guys even took the time to make sure the interior was as clean as the exterior, and those blue metal flake race buckets add a certain something to the total package in the cockpit. So much detail went into this car that Bulldog Willy grabbed 2nd place at the Powerama Car show in Edmonton, but don’t be mistaken, this car is no trailer queen. Ron isn’t the type to put together a beautiful ride like this just to look at, he takes it out to the track to

beat on it as much as possible, since that’s where the real fun is. Things were not always this perfect with Bulldog Willy though. A lot of work went into building the exact car that Ron wanted. When first purchased, the car was running alcohol through a Donovan 540 aluminum block topped off by a 14-71 Littlefield blower and carried Ron down the track in 7.50 seconds at 185 mph. While it more than met Ron’s needs as far as power, speed and fun factor, it had one small problem: the engine was too inconsistent to be competitive. Ron found himself spending too much time fixing the car and not enough time racing it, so in 2009 he made the decision to replace the engine with something he could rely on to run consistently. He had an excellent engine to use as a base; however it needed

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

WARMING THE HIDES Ron lights â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;em up in Edmonton during some test hits. This race car is cleaner than many show cars and Ron just loves to beat on it at the track!

FOR REAL Instead of airbrushed or decal trim that is usual on most race cars, the original Willys grill, headlight assemblies and hood trim really add to the exterior wow factor of this ride.

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

REAL POWER. REAL PERFORMANCE. REAL SUBSTANCE.

REAL VALUE.

BOSS 302 AND 351 ENGINE BLOCKS • Available in 8.2, 9.2 and 9.5 deck • 4-bolt main 2,3 and 4 caps • Designed for stroker and big bore applications

True

BLUE. Get the most out of your True Blue Performer with Ford Racing Performance Parts

COBRA JET THROTTLE BODY • Electronic or mechanical linkage available • CNC Billet Aluminum • SVT and Mustang GT applications

COBRA JET DAMPERS • Front - 19mm more travel than stock Mustang” • Fits 2005-2012 Mustang • Valved for Drag Racing • 5 Adjustable Settings

DON’T LOSE YOUR CASH!

COBRA JET CHASSIS KIT • Fits 2005-2012 Mustang with 9” Axle • Designed for Drag Racing • Includes Adjustable Torque Arm

BOSS 302S INTAKE MANIFOLD • Fits 2011-2012 5.0L Mustang • Great for Forced Induction • Composite Connstruction • “Runners in Box” Design • Accepts new 90mm throttle body

Ford Racing posted more contingencies in 2010 than any other vehicle or performance parts manufacturer, don’t let your winnings get away! REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR 2011 CONTINGENCY PAY-OUTS. BE SURE TO REGISTER ONLINE AT FORDRACINGPARTS.COM/REGISTRATION. Complete contingency part listing available online - Buy the brand that rewards your performance.

Get True Blue Ford Racing Performance Parts, the only performance parts good enough to wear the Ford oval! Don Sanderson Ford Glendale, AZ www.sandersonford.com (800) 729-2593 Autocars/Speedshop Direct Atascadero, CA www.fordracingpartsdirect.com 877 SPEED BY (773-3329) Hawaii Racing Simi Valley, CA www.hawaiiracing.com (805) 583-8800 Mustangs Unlimited Manchester, CT www.mustangsunlimited.com (800) 243-7278

Gary Yeomans Ford Daytona Beach, FL www.garyyeomansford.com (800) 231-6172 Chicago Parts and Sound LLC Elk Grove Village, IL www.clickoncps.com (630) 350-1500 Rod Baker Ford Plainfield, IL www.rodbakerford.com (815) 436-5681 Apple Valley Ford Lincoln Mercury Apple Valley, MN www.appleautos.com (952) 431-1414

Hilbish Motor Company Kannapolis, NC www.hilbishfordperformanceparts.com (800) 849-0233 Roush Yates Mooresville, NC www.roushyates.com (877) 798-RYPP Downs Ford Motorsport Toms River, NJ www.downsford.com (800) 378-3673 Team Ford Las Vegas, NV www.teamfordparts.com (800) 791-6436

Northcoast Performance Ontario, NY www.nthcoast.com (585) 216-1210 Tasca Automotive Group Cranston, RI www.tasca.com (888) 832-8272 Tommie Vaughn Motors Houston, TX www.tommievaughn.com (800) 944-4415

BULLDOG WILLY

LAUNCH DOG Purchased as an Outlaw car, the Bulldog was fast but inconsistent. Now that it has all the right parts for Ronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs, it launches hard and low, running consistent mid to high 7â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in the quarter on a soft tune-up.

a complete rebuild from the ground up. For that, Ron turned to local Edmonton engine builder BEL Engines to deliver a monster. BEL stepped up to the challenge and put together a new engine for Bulldog Willy that not only provided the power, but did so without the inconsistency headaches that had plagued Ron to date. The new engine is built on a 672 Dart all aluminum big block

Chevy with a Callies crank, GRP aluminum rods, JE pistons, Comp Cam, Isky lifters, Jesel rockers and belt drive, Moroso dry sump, Pro-Filer heads, Hogan billet runner intake, MSD ignition, and polished 2 3/8 -2 1/4 step stainless headers. Instead of alcohol, the new motor drinks C16 fuel through a pair of 1250 Quick Fuel carbs. Ron decided to forgo engine dyno testing and slipped the big block

!!! www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

BULLDOG WILLY between the rails of the Willys right away to take it racing. Even today Ron is not completely sure how much power his latest engine is putting out, simply because he is more interested in racing it than knowing the numbers for bragging rights. He did tell us that the engine it is based on, which is incidentally installed in another Willys, put out 1360HP on the dyno years ago and Bulldog Willy is quicker and faster, even with a “soft tune-up.” Regardless of the exact number of ponies under the hood of Bulldog, Ron is having a blast in the cockpit and that “soft” safe tune-up is netting very consistent 7.82 quarter-mile runs at 185 mph. In addition to the original engine, Ron has also had his share of issues with transmis-

sions. From when he bought the car in 2007 through the 2011 season Ron managed to destroy eight of them! In 2012 he tried out a Lenco drive 2-speed and while it held up to the engine, Ron found that it ran too hot for the quick rounds between races in Top Eliminator. A Salty’s Racing Superglide transmission was installed in 2013 and things have been smooth as silk since. In 2013 Bulldog Willy took more than 60 hits and both the engine and transmission have handled everything thrown at them. The amount of time Ron gets to spend racing now, rather than fixing broken parts, makes all the work they have had to put into the car more than worth it. Not one to let perfectly

ALL BUSINESS A very cool and functional interior is topped off by the metal flake bucket seat covers, steering wheel and door panels. A full array of liquid-filled gauges provide Ron with the ‘Dog’s vital signs.

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

good parts go to waste, Pitboss Racing has taken the Donovon motor and Lenco tranny and are using them to build a Funny Car, so that next year they will be able to make even more passes down the track. Ron might own and drive Bulldog Willy but he is the first person to tell you that without the crew who work on it with him, there wouldn’t be a Pitboss Racing Team. To ensure that Bulldog Willy runs at its best Ron has assembled a top notch support crew lead by Crew Chief Jeff Pruden, a former racer himself who Ron managed to convince to sell his car and take on the position of Crew Chief full time. Jeff is a fountain of racing knowledge who makes sure that Bulldog is ready to go every time out, and given the short turnaround times common in Top Eliminator, that is no small task. Jeff is not alone in supporting Bulldog Willy and Ron, with Aaron Lyseng spending countless hours spinning wrenches as

the team’s top mechanic. As with any race car there are simply some things you cannot buy off the shelf, so Pitboss Racing turns to their “top fabricator/chopper” (Darren) and Greg to build anything else they need. The crew is rounded out by Randy, who for years worked on the team full-time but now has his own Willys to race alongside Bulldog, so he helps out when he can. Finally, we get to the person who might be the most important, and is definitely the hardest working member of the crew, Noella. Noella takes care of all the little jobs so that the rest of the crew can concentrate on making sure Bulldog Willy is ready to race. This includes everything from making sure there is food ready to feed the guys right on through to helping Jeff load up his wheelchair into the tow cart so that they can get the car to the lanes. Noella is so important that Ron says without her there might not be a Pitboss Racing. The best part about the Pitboss Racing

Team is that they all share Ron’s belief that the most important part of fast cars and drag racing is having fun, and have fun they do. Spend just a few minutes with these people and you can see how much they love being at the track, and that working on a beautiful fast car like Bulldog Willy is just the icing on the cake.

BULLDOG CREW Left to right: Noella Hebb (crew), Ron Stennes (owner/driver), Jeff Pruden (crew chief), and Aaron Lyseng (crew).

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

RPM PROJECT CAR

PART 3: by

Toby Brooks

B It just needed something else. Like a blower. Or maybe two. And a stage of nitrous. Or maybe two.

Blowin’ up our plans

uilding a project car for a car guy or gal is like cooking a multiple course gourmet dinner for a well-respected chef. Namely, for the whole thing to end up as initially intended, it takes tons of planning, lots of work, and sometimes excruciating levels of patience. We here at RPM are known as the “Real Time Car Magazine” for a reason, and along with that comes a hearty dose of urgency (some would call it impatience, but we like to keep it positive around here). However, as we are learning from our experiences with Project aPocalypSe Horse, sometimes you just have to dial down the burner a bit and let the thing simmer in order for the whole package to end up tasty. Case in point, we had hoped to have a full story on the chassis fabrication progress this month. However, as things often do in a project of this caliber, there have been a few delays. In planning the build initially, our intention was to run a relatively mild naturally-aspirated 700-800 horsepower Kaase Boss Nine backed by a beefed but still budget-friendly two-speed Powerglide transmission. One call to our now-friend Terry

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

Woods, a veritable mad scientist constructing wicked induction systems in the Arizona desert out of his Supercharger Store shop and those plans might as well have been paper dinner napkins—in the trash. It all started as we were analyzing last month’s article that featured the rendering so expertly penned by renowned automotive artist Steve Stanford. No doubt, the car Steve drew based upon our input was cool, but it just seemed to lack that wild 1980’s Pro Street overthe-top “wow” factor. The big gun tubbed cars back in the day all seemed to have something that set them apart and broke new ground somewhere. While the car we told Steve we were going to build would have still been trick, it just needed something else. Like a blower. Or maybe two. And a stage of nitrous. Or maybe two. Now we were gettin’ somewhere! Twin superchargers are nothing new. Rick Dobbertin’s J-2000 had had two Magnachargers on an all-aluminum small block Chevy (along with two turbos) back in 1986. Matt & Debbie Hay’s pink Thunderbird had two B & M blowers mounted out front on a wild 351 Ford powerplant in 1989. Rocky Robertson’s Kaiser had two Paxtons blowing through a single carb in the mid 90’s. Lots of people have done it. The challenge in a build like ours is to pay respect to those pioneers but still not blatantly copy their efforts—and try and take it one step further (or at least in another direction). Enter ProCharger and the Supercharger Store.

HEART OF THE BEAST The getting-crazier-by-the-minute Kaase Boss Nine engine will rely on a trick C & C Performance aluminum block poked and stroked to a spacious 529 cubic inches.

Late night Googling of one-off supercharger systems got us hot on the trail of ProCharger and their innovative line of highly efficient centrifugal huffers. While the round inlet orifice and snail-shaped housing of the ProCharger certainly has the look of a turbo, the crank drive offered us two things we were looking for from the start: neck-snapping on-demand torque and power coupled with a neat and tidy four-tube true zoomie header on each cylinder bank for that unmistakable funny car look. As cool as a ProCharger setup is (for proof, see Josh Lester’s nasty Olds Cutlass in this issue), a single

blower still seemed just a little too pedestrian for the level of “over-the-topness” we were after with the Horse. So in true eighties Pro Street style, if one was good, two would be better. That’s when we discovered the Supercharger Store. Terry and brother Bob have been perfecting an all-billet twin ProCharger crank-mounted gear drive for a few years now. Although they’ve built a number of such setups already, the Horse would represent the first such application on Kaase’s high-flowing Boss Nine platform. Things were getting crazier with every tick up of the boost gauge.

(800) 208-1755

Meziere.com

Crafted in the U.S.A.

EVIL TWINS Terry and Bob Woods at the Supercharger Store have been building custom gear drives for ProCharger superchargers since 2000. Our project will feature a twin crank mount drive like the one on this Chrysler Hemi. Terry Woods photo

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

• 100% Holley - Made in the U.S.A. • 97% aluminum construction • 28% weight savings • 20% more fuel bowl capacity • 10 new fuel bowl features • 6 new main-body features • 5 new metering block features • 1 new carburetor ... Gen 3

ALL NEW CALIBRATIONS FOR TODAY’S ENGINES!

(GEN 3)

(Previous)

GEN 3 mainbody with noticeably larger air entries than previous generations

Integrated idle bypass valve for full idle control

Fully machined from venturii throat to throttle bore for predictable & repeatable performance

•

950 TO 1475 CFM!

Factory ready TPS mounting points for use with data acquisition

HOLLEY.COM | Techline: 270-781-9741

Available in vibratory polished finish with Red™ or Black™ metering blocks & booster inserts or in Hard Core Gray™ hard-anodized finish!

After finalizing plans for the gear drive, we made a phone call to Cary Pangrac and the friendly folks at ProCharger. In a matter of days, a pair of freshly polished F1’s were en route from their birthplace in Lenexa, Kansas to the desert of Southeast Arizona and the Supercharger Store. With the twin blower system well underway, we now had some other issues to address. The added boost would mean we had to rethink everything in the powertrain. It seems that the projected 1500-pre Nitrous Oxide Systems 12-port, twostage fogged horsepower (more on the NOS system soon!) meant our anticipated block, crankshaft, connecting rods, and transmission would all have to be upgraded. First, although the factory 460 Ford block is a stout piece in its own right, when someone starts throwing around numbers like 12-15 pounds of street-tuned boost and 1500 horsepower BEFORE hitting the Nitrous Oxide Systems Launcher button, something with a bit more fortification is in order. After surveying the possibilities, we called Carroll Carter at C & C Motorsports in Manassas, Virginia. C & C’s exclu-

BLOCKED AND LOADING Even empty, the C & C Motorsports all aluminum block is a thing of beauty. Once fitted with parts from Callies, Diamond Pistons, Comp Cams, Milodon, Mahle Clevite, and Cometic it will be way more than just a pretty face.

sive cast aluminum Ford big block can easily accommodate applications of over 2,000 horsepower. The gorgeous machined casting is available in either a solid race-only or a street-friendly water jacketed version. We obviously opted for the jackets. The block comes standard with 9/16” main studs. With available deck heights of up to 11.200” and bores up to 4.900”, it can accommodate up to a whopping 820 cubic inches. We specified the standard deck height unit with a 4.500 bore and with that the heart of our monster was beginning to take shape.

BOTTLE-FED PONY With a twin ProCharger system in the works already and a two-stage Nitrous Oxide Systems sportsman fogger system planned, 2,000+ horsepower isn’t out of the question. Check out the super-trick twin carbon fiber tanks!

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

RPM PROJECT CAR While the cavernous 529 cubic inches of big block Ford will certainly be no high winder, most estimates seem to indicate that it will produce copious amounts of horsepower and enough torque to potentially twist off our faces—give or take. There was no need to threaten the health of our new C & C block with a rotating assembly that wasn’t up to the task.

A MAGNUM...IN A FORD Once plans for our build yielded projected horsepower output north of the 1,000 mark, rotating assembly selection became even more important. To protect that new block, we opted for parts like this Magnum crank and I beam rods from Callies and Diamond Racing pistons that will be more than adequate.

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

We tapped our friends at Callies for their new big block Ford made-in-USA Magnum 4.150 stroke crankshaft and 6.80 Ultra I-beam connecting rods. After that, we called the good folks at Diamond Racing to order up a set of their exclusive Boss Nine pistons. Since we would be pouring on plenty of ProCharged heavy breathing, we specified a conservative 8:1 compression. Coupled with a trick Supercharger Store water/methanol injection system, we should be able to run pump gas without needing an intercooler and without the risk of detonation. Unfortunately E-85 just isn’t readily available locally, but it could be a viable option in some locales, too. The transmission for the build was another story altogether. Simply beefing up what we had in

With a water/methanol injection system, we should be able to run pump gas without needing an intercooler and without the risk of detonation.

mind originally wasn’t going to work. Initially, the car was slated to be a cool fairgrounds cruiser with a stout engine that might see the track a time or two. The near indestructibility, reasonable cost, and ready availability of the triedand-true Chevy Powerglide seemed to make sense. However, once we realized we would be more than doubling our power output and now wanted to drive the car on extended trips just to say we could, the two-speed started to look less appealing. After talking it over, we called up Carl Rossler

RPM PROJECT CAR at Rossler Transmission in Girard, Ohio. Rosslerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s TH210, a well-strengthened Chevy Turbo Hydro 400 with tons of oneoff parts, new gearing, high technology, and performance and durability tricks has been a favorite of automatic pro mod and high horsepower door car drivers for a while. The addition of a Reid Racing case that adds additional REID WARRIOR Mating a high horsepower Ford engine to a stout Chevy transmission durability and a custom-fit bellhousing that will allow us is made easy through the use of a Reid Racing case. Not only does to directly mate the Bowtie the totally redesigned unit improve performance and extend tranny to the Blue Oval block transmission life, it also utilizes a two-piece design allowing it to be installed using several different application-specific SFI bellhousings. made the decision a slamLike our block and heads, our Reid case will be treated to a full dunk. polished finish prior to install.

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine

The three speed TH210 would be better than the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Glide for interstate driving, but to really get out and enjoy the open road, we knew that overdrive would be the way to go. After all, the entire theme of the build from the start has been a meshing of all the things you loved about pro street back in the day along with the high tech touches of today in the hopes of making it way more fun this time around. After briefly considering a GM 4L80E, we opted instead for an external unit mounted behind the tried and true three speed. We called up Rick Johnson at Gear Vendors to order one of their

bulletproof external overdrive units. Now considered almost mandatory equipment for auto-equipped Drag Week cars, the Gear Vendors overdrive affords the INTERSTATE CRUISINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; owner the ability to The Gear Vendors overdrive unit will operate a high horsegive us a bulletproof drivetrain that will power bruiser that withstand all the punishment we can still possesses good dish out on the street and on the strip while also allowing a smooth open street manners and is road cruise for our longer drives. actually fun to drive on long trips. Look for a full feature on the fabricator Rich Gebhardt install of the engine, transwisely opted to stow his TIG mission, and overdrive unit welder for a bit and let the in an upcoming issue. dust settle on our spec sheet. So with all this changing, Now that we have some clarmodifying, and refining ity on precisely what compogoing on, legendary chassis nents will need to be mount-

www.rpm-mag.com | FEBRUARY 2014

RPM PROJECT CAR ed up and parts and pieces arriving daily, Rich can set about to the task of meticulously piecing it all together in a way few can. Check back next month as we continue the journey, hopefully revealing our one-off new Budnik wheel design, Mac-Fab beadlocks, and Mickey Thompson Sportsman SR tires. At the same time, we fully expect the chassis fabrication to be well under way and the engine to start coming together at Kaase’s “house of horsepower.” It’s getting more delicious by the minute around here.

SOURCES • C & C Motorsports 8081 Centreville Road Manassas, VA 20111 703.368.7878

• Callies Performance Products 901 South Union Street Fostoria, OH 44830 419.435.2711

• The Supercharger Store 314 W Highway 82 Huachuca City, AZ 85616 520.456.9706

• Diamond Pistons 23003 Diamond Drive Clinton Township, MI 48035 877.552.2112

• ProCharger 14801 W. 114th Terrace Lenexa, KS 66215 913.338.2886

• Rossler Transmissions 1 Rossler Drive Girard, OH 44420 330.530.5000

• Nitrous Oxide Systems 1801 Russellville Road Bowling Green, KY 42101 270.782.2900

• Reid Racing 1917 Oak Park Blvd. Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 925.935.3025

• Jon Kaase Racing Engines 735 W. Winder Industrial Pkwy. Winder, GA 30680 770.307.0241

• Gear Vendors 1717 N. Magnolia Ave. El Cajon, CA 92020 800.999.9555

www.candcmotorsports.com

www.thesuperchargerstore.com

www.procharger.com

www.nosnitrous.com

www.jonkaaseracingengines.com

FEBRUARY 2014 | RPM Magazine