V.P. MARKETING/CUSTOMER RELATIONS..........TRISH BIRO trish@rpm-mag.com E-MAGAZINE ASSOCIATE EDITOR.................TOBY BROOKS toby.brooks@rpm-mag.com EVENT MEDIA DIRECTOR...........................RAYMOND KNIGHT events@rpm-mag.com EVENT SUBSCRIPTIONS COORDINATOR.....SHERRIE WEBER sherrie@rpm-mag.com SPECIAL PROJECTS DIRECTOR...........................TOBY BROOKS toby.brooks@rpm-mag.com Photographic Contributions: TONY WEBER, TIM LEWIS, PETE “BOOMER” ORES, MARK goDragRacing.org, TARA BOWKER, GEORGE PICH, TOBY BROOKS, MATT WOODS, TABITHA SIZEMORE, JOHN ULMAN, KRISTAL COWLE, LOUIS FRONKIER, and MIKE COSTIC. Editorial Contributions: TIM LEWIS, CHUCK SCOTT, MARK goDragRacing.org, RAYMOND KNIGHT, TOBY BROOKS, BRIAN WOOD, TABITHA SIZEMORE, KRISTAL COWLE, ROBERT WEATHERS, JAMES WILLIAMS, TIM BIRO, STAN SMITH, and GEORGE PICH
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 regard to design, performance, and power! RPM Magazine does not sell its mailing list or share any of the confidential information regarding its subscribers.
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EDITOR’S RANT
by
Chris Biro
because...
MORE RPM IS ALWAYS BETTER!
W
e’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our RPM Magazine advertisers and readers for your overwhelming support, and also welcome you to our 17th year of
RPM! We’ve stuck to our guns, kept our promise and kept RPM “REAL”...17 years later RPM is still all about YOU, and YOUR cars and stuff that YOU are into—street, strip and once in a while, just to shake things up, something completely off he wall. But no matter what, we want to assure you that we intend to continue to set the trends instead of follow them, innovate, not imitate and above all continue to give you the best original, exclusive high horsepower badass rides and cool real world tech and articles you deserve in the world`s top car mag! In our continuing effort to support the automotive performance and race industries, we’re once again offering a chance for related companies to take advantage of our “Industry Distribution Program” which sees FREE
copies of RPM Magazine sent to performance & racing related businesses in the USA and Canada. So, if you own, operate, or manage any type of performance or race business (ie: speed shop, performance, race or chassis shop, manufacturing firm, installation facility, warehouse, etc.), you need to sign up for your FREE subscription to RPM Magazine today! Simply complete this form and send it in along with your business card and you’ll start getting your complimentary copy of RPM, right to your business door each and every month. Because MORE RPM is ALWAYS better, we also offer an enhanced program that enables you to order MORE copies of RPM for an incredibly low price to either give away free to your best customers or sell on your magazine rack. Industry Distribution Program info can also be found at www.rpm-mag.com and completed online! Or by simply emailing trish@ rpm-mag.com. Do it today!
COMING NEXT MONTH:
Project aPocolypSe .............................................
Body work continues at Mykal’s Custom and our three-stage NOS nitrous system gets plumbed at Nitrous Supply!
4
THIS AND MORE IN THE NEXT RPM! april 2016 | RPM Magazine
ADVERTISER INDEX ACC Performance. ................. 76 Accufab Inc......................... 101 Aeromotive. ....................... 108 AFCO .................................. 105 Alan Johnson Performance (AJPE) ................................ 11 Alston Race Cars ................... 28 Applied Racing Components (ARC) ................................. 43 ATI Performance Products .... 29 Auburn Gear ......................... 89 Autoglym ............................. 99 AVAK/Ridgegate Tools .......... 93 Baer Brakes .....................10, 34 Bear’s Performance .............. 24 BES Racing Engines .............. 44 Bill Mitchell Products ......45, 58 Blower Shop........................... 5 Borla .................................. 112 Browell Bellhousing ............. 64 BTE Racing ........................... 19 C&C MotorSports................ 108 Calvert Racing Suspensions .. 15 Canton Racing Products ....... 38 CFE Racing Products ............. 67 Chassis Engineering ..........8, 59 CN Blocks ............................. 98 CNC Motorsports .................. 77 Coan Engineering ............20, 62 Competition Products .......... 96 COMP Cams .......................... 17 Crower.................................. 31 CVR Products ........................ 78 DART .................................... 18 Design Engineering .............. 57 Diamond Pistons .................. 52 DIY Auto Tune/MS3-Pro EFI .. 97 Drive Train Specialists (DTS).. 39 Dynocologists......................... 9 Dynomite Dynamometer.... 102 Dynotech Engineering........ 109 Earl’s Perf. Plumbing .......44, 94 Ed Quay Race Cars .............. 111 Edelbrock ............................. 21 Energy Suspension ............. 104 Erson Cams........................... 67 Fuel Air Spark Technology (FAST) ............................ 110 Flex-A-Lite/Karbelt .............. 80 G Force Racing Transmissions 12 Gibtech Pistons .................... 27 Greyhound Package Exp. ...... 98 GZ Motorsports .................... 59 Harland Sharp ........................ 9 Holcomb Motorsports .......... 85 HoleShot Wheels .................. 82 Holley................................... 76 Howards Cams.................... 103 Hughes Performance.............. 7 Induction Solutions .............. 48 Innovate Motorsports........... 47 JE Pistons ........................81, 87 JET Performance................. 102
J&K Converters ..................... 82 LenTech Automatics ............. 36 Lokar Performance Products 42 LUCAS Oil Products ................. 2 LUCAS Oil Racing TV ............. 90 Lunati................................... 88 MagnaFuel ........................... 83 Magnuson Superchargers..... 97 MAHLE Clevite Inc. ............... 46 Manton Pushrods ............... 103 Meziere Precision Mfg. ........... 8 Mickey Thompson Tires .....7, 24 MSD Ignition ........................ 14 Neal Chance Converters ...22, 65 New Century Performance ... 14 Nitrous Express..................... 87 Nitrous Pro Flow ................... 16 Nitrous Supply.................... 100 Parts Pro Perf Centers ......... 116 PBM Performance Products .. 36 Performance Improvements. 10 Perf. Plus Connection ....11, 109 Powermaster Performance ... 43 Precision Turbo ..................... 35 ProCharger ........................... 26 Proform Parts ................53, 107 Proformance Racing Trans .... 45 Pro Systems Carburetors.. 23,87 Philadelphia Racing Products (PRP) ................................. 33 PTC ....................................... 58 Quick Fuel Technology .......... 51 Quik-Latch Products ........... 111 Racecraft .............................. 32 Racepak ............................... 39 Racequip .............................. 13 RAM Clutches ....................... 92 Renegade Racing Fuels. ....... 30 Rev-X Oil Products .........56, 106 RJS Racing Equipment.......... 79 Ross Racing Pistons ................ 5 RPM Magazine Subscribe! 114 S&W Race Cars ................... 113 Scorpion Racing Prods. ..34, 107 Shafi off acing Engines .12, 20 SM Race Cars ........................ 80 Smith Racecraft .................... 40 Steve Morris Racing Engines 25 Strange Engineering ............ 50 Summit Racing Equipment 115 Taylor Cable Products. .......... 51 TCI Automotive..................... 86 Ti64 ...................................... 66 Tom’s Upholstery .................. 83 Trick Flow ............................. 49 TRZ Motorsports................... 37 Tuned By Shane T ................. 18 VP Racing Fuels ...............91, 95 WASP Cam ......................... 107 Weinle Motorsports ............. 37 World Products..................... 86
Made in aMerica & designed for: • STROKERS • NITROUS • TURBOS • BLOWERS • NaTURaLLy aSpIRaTEd Ross carries hundreds of proven, race winning, domestic and Sport Compact piston designs to fit virtually any engine combination. along with an extensive line of piston accessories and coatings, Ross has over 35 years of experience in the design & manufacturing of custom piston applications! Call or go online to see what Ross Racing pistons can do for you.
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www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
5
april 2016
Be sure to check out our Performance Directory on page 68!
Often Imitated, Never Duplicated—For 17 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!
RIDES
COVER STORY Sunrise to Sunset
....................................................
Good things happen when the sun shines on this wild ’68 Outlaw Camaro!
Pro Mopar Madness........................ 54
8
Drive it Like Ya Stole It ................................ 32
A former theft recovery, this 2004 Mach 1 Mustang has been reborn to run hard (legally!) on the strip
Chris Isaacs & Spencer Tramm Team Up On This Wild Twin Turbo’d Hemi Mopar Pro Mod!
EXCLUSIVES & TECH
RPM
Beyond Sick: Part 7 ........................................................24 Assembly continues on the new 4,000 hp billet bullet for the Sick 2.0 Camaro!
Piston Tech ......................................................................27 Top ring placement and piston ovality in competition engines
Hit the Brakes .................................................................90
Mean Monte............................................................ 42
From spoke hubcaps to grudge racer, Michael Britt’s 1982 Monte Carlo has come a long way
The last step in improving the brake system on our eldest shop truck
Best. Year. EVER! ..............................................................92 We release our updated 2016 event line-up with tons of stuff you ou can’t miss!
High-Performance CSI ...................................................106 Who murdered my spark plugs?
PROJECTS
THE
Wing and a Prayer......................................................108
Project aPocalypSe Horse gets a new pro stock wing and inches closer to paint
Pop Culture ...............................................................78
This 1948 Anglia is one part hot rod, one part street rod, and another part pro street...but all the parts are awesome!
READ COMPLETE ISSUES OF RPM MAG ONLINE AT WWW.RPM-MAG.COM 6
april 2016 | RPM Magazine
www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
7
story by
I
Kristal Cowle
s your other half always after you to leave the car alone and come enjoy a sunrise together? Well, there’s a way you can have both, at least if you live near Lake Erie. Option A: You can wake up early, set your gaze upon the eastern skyline and take in the vast array of colors across the sky. Or, Option B: Set your sights on checking out the local drag racing scene and if there
photos by
happens to be an Outlaw Limited Street race going on, we can almost guarantee that you will see the 1968 Camaro of Keith Sletvold giving the racers a run for their money. This sunrise yellow beauty is a sight to behold as it tears down track in excess of 160 mph, but as dusk falls over the track, that Camaro will seem to transform right in front of your eyes, from sunrise to sunset. You
Mike Costic, MC Pixels
would swear you must have been mistaken and that the Camaro was indeed orange after all. That paint was the result of many late nights spent in the shop over the winter of 2014 by Sletvold as he did all the paint and bodywork himself, but it wasn’t just the paint that had him putting in overtime the past four years. “I had a lot of problems with the car the past couple of years,
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
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www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
9
SUNRISE to SUNSET
FRONT TO BACK We love the factory look on this Outlaw Camaro, especially keeping the OEM style chin spoiler. However, from the rear it is a diffe ent story. Nothing stock appearing here, with the carbon fi er wing, parachute, healthy rear meats, and extra-long wheelie bars.
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
but I could not let it get the best of me,” said Sletvold. He refused to give up, and as a result, 2015 was the year this car would finally begin to come into its own. There is little doubt that the best is yet to come! Sletvold has been racing for 20 years now, and he still has the car he raced back in those early days which happens to also be a ’68 Camaro. Although it hasn’t seen any quarter-mile action in years, it sits
quietly in the corner of the garage now, not doing much other than maybe collecting dust and serving as a great reminder of where it all began. Sletvold can’t help but smile as he recalls racing that car and running mid12s thinking, “If I could just go 10s!” He obviously made it to the 10s, but like many others, his appetite for speed was not yet satisfied. Today, he has a small arsenal of weapons to choose from
on any given race day. A 1970 Nova, a 1989 Ford Mustang, a 1996 Corvette, and of course his 1968 Camaro that caught everyone’s eye at this past year’s RPM Magazine/Lucas Oil WAR By The SHORE event at Thompson Raceway Park. The Camaro is a legit production line steel car with a glass front end and doors that started its race car life as a Rick Jonesbuilt piece. Like we said, Sletvold did all of the body and paint
www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
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SUNRISE to SUNSET
IN THE WEEDS Even with keeping the factory front frame section, Sletvold was able to achieve a nice low stance for the Camaro. himself. Given the quality of the outcome, some might be skeptical, but doubt not. Sletvold actually owns and operates Keith’s Repair in Austintown, Ohio. Almost every body panel on the car was replaced before Sletvold laid down a slick final skin using House of Kolor Sunrise Metallic Pearl. Once the paint was up to his standards, the black striping was applied and all of the moldings, trim, and badges were replaced
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
on the Camaro to preserve the original appeal. The chassis is Outlaw Limited Street-legal and retains its factory original front framerails, however, the rear section has received a complete chromoly backhalf treatment and is SFI 25.2 certified—meaning it is legal to run sixes in the quarter-mile. Front suspension consists of TRZ tubular upper and lower control arms and coilover shocks with rack and
pinion steering. A TRZ spindle mount conversion kit was also used and dual-caliper brakes are installed. Out back, a 4-link by Jeff utz at Lutz Race Cars in Callery, Pa. suspends a Moser Fab9 housing with 40-spline axles and 3.70 gears via JRI rear shocks. A monstrous 706 cubic inch big block Chevy starting with an 11.2-inch deck height, 4.84 bore space Bowtie block is shoehorned between the factory fram-
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www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
13
erails and topped by equally as large, and pretty rare, EPD cylinder heads and sheet metal intake. A Lunati crank, GRP rods, and CP pistons were used, and of course, camshaft pecs are hush-hush in the game of heads-up drag racing.
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
Two Pro Systems 1250 Dominator style carburetors sit well above the hood line and are covered by a custom-fabricated transparent scoop. One of Carl Rossler’s trick Turbo 400 3-speed transmissions with a 4,000-stall Pro
SUNRISE to SUNSET
LIGHTER BY A NOSE A removable fi erglass front end was added. Sure it saves some weight but more importantly it enables far easier access to the motor.
www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
15
SUNRISE to SUNSET WHAT COLOR IS THAT, ANYHOW? You can see the flip in the paint here. Depending on the light, the car will look yellow or orange. Keith usually laughs when he sees pictures, as rarely does a camera capture the car’s true color. Torque converter was chosen for the task of moving the big-inch big block’s power and torque rearward. Inside, there is not much if anything left hat reminds one of an original ’68 Camaro—or a street car for that matter. The Chevy is currently decked out with painted aluminum wheeltubs and panels, however, before the Camaro hits the track in 2016 that will be refit with carbon fiber. The maze of cage tubes is endless, and required for the hefty certification to hit sub-seven-second quarter-mile runs. A fiberglass re-pop of an original dash was installed and a Racepak digital display provides Sletvold with all the information he needs before, during, and after each run. Don’t feel bad if you don’t get offered to ride shotgun in
THAT IS ONE HEAVILY-JUICED RODENT It’s big, it’s bad, it’s a 706-inch big block Chevrolet that started with an 11.2 deck, 4.84 bore space Bowtie block. The EPD cylinder heads and fabricated intake topped by twin Pro Systems 1250 carbs increase the mammoth proportions of the mill.
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
17
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
SUNRISE to SUNSET
SEATING FOR ONE Inside the Camaro is all race with a single instrument—a Racepak dash—to give Sletvold all the vital sign info he needs. The passenger side is nitrous...TIMES THREE!
CLEARLY SCOOPED The fabricated carburetor scoop is a must to get cold air in as there was no chance of hiding this monster big block under a cowl hood.
this Camaro. No offense, but that space is taken up by something much more important… the nitrous bottles! Keith comes to the show with three guns of nitrous fully loaded via one NOS Fogger kit, a second direct port kit, and one dual plate nitrous kit. “Unfortunately, I have never been able to use more than one kit… yet,” said Keith during our initial interview. Sletvold has been a diehard supporter of the local Outlaw Limited Street scene over the past five years. The Renegade Racing Association ran a full season schedule for its OLS class from 2011 to 2013 and continued to feature the class at special events the past two years, and Keith has never missed an RRA event at Thompson Raceway Park. In 2014, another OLS series was
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$84995 www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
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KEITH SLETVOLD’S 1968 CAMARO OUTLAW LIMITED STREET Chassis Type & Mods: SFI 25.2 certified (to 6.0 quarter-mile ET) chromoly chassis with stock front frame rails. Suspension: FRONT: TRZ tubular control arms, coil over shocks, rack and pinion steering. TRZ spindle-mount conversion with dualcaliper brakes. REAR: 4-link rear suspension done by Lutz Race Cars, JRI rear shocks. Body & Paint: Keith’s Repair in Austintown, Ohio using House of Kolor Sunrise Metallic Pearl. Engine: 706cid. 11.2 deck height 4.84 bore space Bowtie block, EPD cylinder heads and intake, two Pro Systems 1250 Dominator-style carburetors. Power Adder: One NOS Fogger nitrous kit, a second direct port kit and one dual plate nitrous kit. Electronics: MSD Powergrid. NMS progressive nitrous controller. MSD crank trigger and distributor. Transmission & Converter: Rossler Transmissions TH400. 4,000-stall Pro Torque converter. Diff rential: Moser Fab9 housing with 40-spline axles and 9 ½-inch ring gear 3.70:1 gear set. Best Performance (eighth-mile): 4.81 @ 152 on one kit, 4.62 @ 165 mph with two stages of nitrous. Thanks: “As I said, I could NOT let that car get the best of me and I want to say thanks to Jeff utz, Carl Rossler, my friends Pat Adams and Jon Dunn, and my son Derek for all their help and support, and also to Ted from Transfer Performance who did all the machine work.”
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
SUNRISE to SUNSET
A CLOSER LOOK With the right side dash panel removed extensive electronics and wiring is revealed, all necessary to make a car at this level competitive. Out back, Moser 40-spline axles, spool, and 3.70 gears take up the space inside the indestructible fabricated rear housing. introduced at Quaker City Motorsports Park and Keith has been mixing it up with the boys down there running with the “DADS” group for the past couple years as well. Occasionally, you
may see Sletvold turning a spare set of keys over to his friend Pat Adams. With a handful of cars to choose from, why not? I’m sure sometimes it’s fun just to play the odds, and who knows, maybe
A GREAT COMBO 1,081 HP & 841 ft-lbs. Torque
Matt Woodard built a powerhouse big-block Chevy for Super Comp class racing with an Edelbrock Super Victor II intake #2897 and Victor 24° cylinder heads. These components were prepped by Shaut Racing Heads and the block features a 4.625" bore and 4.50" stroke for 605 cubic inches. Testing was performed at Edelbrock’s R&D dyno facility in Torrance, California. “Making 1,080+ horsepower with conventional aluminum cylinder heads is really amazing.” — Matt Woodard
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www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
21
SUNRISE to SUNSET WHEELS UP FOR TAKE-OFF Sletvold launches during the 2015 WAR By The SHORE at Thompson Raceway Park where he qualified #2, on just one stage of nit ous.
SO EXHAUSTED... Exhaust exits through the front fenders, just below the Camaro SS badges.
STRIPED TO THRILL Factory-style black stripes set off the inc edible paint work.
TIRED, TOO... This Outlaw gets it done on Mickey Thompson ET Drag slicks mounted to double beadlocked Weld Wheels.
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
one day he will find himself in the finals against one of his own cars! WAR by the SHORE 2015 was Sletvold’s first time taking the Camaro into the 4s in the eighth-mile at TRP. He secured the #2 qualifying position with a 4.93 @ 150 mph and had a first round bye run where he put up a 4.96 @ 149 mph. Unfortunately, the semi-finals found him with
technical difficulties that would cause the day to be cut short. During that same event, Jaime Stanton was the #1 qualifier with a 4.71 @ 155 mph—officially the fastest pass in competition at Thompson Raceway Park by an Outlaw Limited Street Car. But the plot thickens as we anxiously await the 2016 WAR By The SHORE. Just a
few weeks following Stanton’s record, Sletvold was once again at TRP testing the Camaro, and finally able to hit it with a second stage of nitrous, logged a best that day of 4.62 @ 165 mph! Attention in the pits, attention in the pits…the WAR By The SHORE Outlaw Limited Street racers have officially been put on notice for 2016!
www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
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PART 7
RPM EXCLUSIVE
Beyond
>> Assembly continues on the new 4,000 hp billet
1
bullet for Tom Bailey’s Sick 2.0 Camaro
by
Dana Galus
S
moothing out the bumps in the road towards the baddest billet bullet the world has even known can be a daunting task, but Tom Bailey is almost ready to light the fire in the 4,000-plus horsepower engine for
RULE THE
24
his Sick Seconds 2.0 Camaro! It’s pretty safe to say that when you are leading the pack, going where no one has gone before, paving the road for those who follow etc., etc., etc., you are bound to run into your share of challenges and bumps in the road. After all, anything
STRIP
april 2016 | RPM Magazine
worthwhile takes time and we have a saying here at RPM, “if it was easy, then everybody would be doing it.” Well everybody is not. For Tom Bailey, his quest for horsepower supremacy is definitely not an easy one, so you can bet that he has had—and will have— his share of bumps in
the road. “I know it feels like this engine is taking forever,” said Bailey, “and that’s because it is!” Bailey had some strong research and development behind his plans from the beginning. It’s not like he dove in with both feet before having a well thought out program, or
1: The new billet big block goes into SICK 2.0, and then back out…and then a few weeks later back in… and then, well you get the gist of it. Bailey couldn’t let challenges in the creation of the new motor get in the way of his existing commitments with the new car.
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2: The new billet short block is ready to go!
3: This is innovation! Steve Morris and Bailey developed a way to remove the cylinder heads without removing the intake.
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4 surrounding himself with the right people. Instead, it was exactly the opposite. Behind the scenes and long before RPM even started the “real time” series in our January 2015 issue on his groundbreaking 4,000plus horsepower billet engine build, Bailey was busy doing his due diligence, knocking on doors, and picking brains to figure out what would work, and what wouldn’t. “Imagine if you were me!” he added. “We expected to have the engine in and running for the latter part of 2015 and here we are in March 2016, just getting the engine in the car for a trial fit. We have our fingers crossed though and are
4: SICK 2.0 sits with the new motor between the rails. Between scheduled appearances, races, and other engagements, it has been a challenge to get the new mill properly fit ed.
very confident that it will all be worth it in the end.” “Just to recap on the build to date and some of the pains we have experienced. First, the custom block that we planned to have for PRI 2014 didn’t get completed and delivered until July 2015. Without having a block, everything else was put on hold. Once we received the block, it was getting so close to Drag Week that we made the decision to shelf it until after the event so we could concentrate on getting the car itself completed. And as most know, that paid off s we were successful in winning Drag Week 2015 with our previously enjoyed motor—without even
getting a clean pass on the car!” After returning from Drag Week, Bailey and his crew immediately went back to work on the new mill only to find out that the lifters the block was sized for were no longer available, which meant that they would have to change out all the lifter bushings and secure another manufacture for lifters. “Once we got the lifter dilemma taken care of and went to make the front timing cover we had some concern with the bolt patterns on the front and the back of the block, so we returned it back to the manufacturer to have it all double checked. Turns out it was an easy fix and we were
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RPM EXCLUSIVE 6: SICK 2.0 sits in the staging lanes during 2015 Tour event duty with the SICK 1.0 motor between the framerails….just wait for what comes next year!
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
5: Those existing 2015 commitments for SICK 2.0 included Drag Week, which Bailey won. Here, the crowds gather to see the world fastest street machines getting ready for the track. 7: Lucky kid! Tom’s son Aydan helps by checking slick pressure after going from street to strip tires. AJ Mueller photo
back hard at it, now having the motor assembled for test fitting,” tells Bailey. Remember, too, Tom still had numerous commitments to make with the car itself, including SEMA 2015, PRI 2015, and Autorama 2016 where many RPM readers would first see the car they had been reading about since January 2015. “We had a lot of shows and events we needed to be at to keep all our great sponsors happy, but finally all the assembly items are out of the way, including a way that we can actually pull the cylinder heads off ithout pulling the intake! If we happen to have a head gasket issue that sure will come in handy,” he added. Bailey said that although the engine was in the car for a trial fit, it had to be pulled and replaced with the Sick 1 bullet again for one more
show after which the new motor was slid back in before it headed off o Skinny Kid Race Cars for headers to be fabricated. Sounds complicated? It is! Remember, if it was easy everybody would be doing it! “When the car returns from Skinny Kid, we will then pull it all out again and assemble it completely on the engine dyno and fire it up. Hopefully by next month we will have some dyno numbers to show you!”
SOURCES Bailey Racing www.bailey-racing.com
Steve Morris Engines www.stevemorrisengines.com 231.747.7520
Skinny Kid Race Cars www.skinnykidracecars.com 248.668.1040
RPM QUICK TECH
PISTON TECH
>>Top ring placement and piston ovality in competition engines
by
Titus Bloom
1
N
itrous oxide systems substantially increase the race engine’s power output. Because of the higher partial pressure of oxygen injected into the fuel mixture it enables fuel to be burned at a faster rate. For the most part, the use of nitrous oxide in drag cars has carried a winning promise. But nitrous can also prove to be ruinously expensive, reducing a previously powerful race engine to impotence in seconds. To realize its potential and avoid unwelcome drama, it’s best to investigate its winning formula at the outset. So, where might it malfunction first? Usually pistons and rings are the components that tend to suffer most and, therefore, it’s advisable to speak to piston companies with broad experience in nitrous competition.
1: On naturally aspirated engines, the higher the top ring placement, the smaller the crevice volume between the piston and the cylinder wall, thus the quicker the reaction of the charge.
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RPM QUICK TECH
2: On forced induction and particularly nitrous engines, the top ring groove is moved down to around 0.420in to 0.430in from the piston crown.
2 Robbie Giebas of Gibtec Pistons of Denver, Colorado says, “On forced induction and on nitrous applications, which encounter extreme shock loads, we move the top ring down from the piston crown to around 0.300 inches. In actual fact, the top ring could be moved down by as much as 0.450 inches, depending upon valve size and configuration, as well as
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the positioning of the valve pockets, the radial width of the top ring, the piston pin height, and the amount of nitrous power being added. “Often it’s the intake valve pocket—which is always bigger than the exhaust pocket—that determines the position of the top ring. Compact rings and therefore small ring grooves provide more potential for variation
april 2016 | RPM Magazine
in ring placement than larger ring grooves. For example, a naturally aspirated engine with a top ring of 0.6 mm (0.0236 inches) axial depth and 0.110 inches radial width, which requires a ring groove width of 0.115 inches, offers more pocket clearance than the top ring spec of a nitrous engine, which might measure 0.043 inches axial depth and 0.173 inches radial width.
For more than 20 years Robbie Giebas of Gibtec Pistons has been developing nitrous racing pistons and in 2003 founded one of the first billet production facilities.
3 “But on most small-block applications with a standard inline valve pattern and a power adder, lowering the top ring to around 0.300 inches protects it and the top land from potential detonation and other conditions that may occur in forced-induction applications. “With the top ring positioned at a dimension of 0.260 inches down from the piston crown, the piston will accept a 250 to 260-hp shot of nitrous. The big consideration with nitrous is air-fuel ratios. If they are inconsistent, no amount of top-ring-down placement will save the piston. “On naturally aspirated engines a higher placement of the top ring is desirable. As a result, the crevice volume between the piston and the cylinder is smaller. The higher placement of the top ring also impels the induction gases to enter the chamber faster, as smaller crevice volumes provide quicker reactions to the initial pull. Super Stock racers, whose engine changes are closely regulated, always place the top ring as high as possible.”
When Giebas entered the competition piston business over two decades ago, top ring dimensions of naturally aspirated applications were likely to be 0.043 inches x 0.145 inches or 0.155 inches. Today, axial depths of 0.6 mm (0.0236 inches) x 0.110 inches or even 0.95 inches ring radial widths are commonplace. Generating less friction in the cylinder remains the endeavor.
3: Ovality, which refers to a piston’s out of roundness, is necessary in all pistons to allow for thermal expansion. The piston is narrower along the piston pin axis (the minor axis) than the thrust axis (the major axis) and the amount of ovality is determined by factors such as heat, cylinder pressures and side loadings.
PISTON OVALITY
Piston ovality is a subject not commonly discussed. By necessity, pistons are neither round nor do they have parallel sides. Instead, they have a larger diameter towards the bottom, usually between the base of the piston and the piston pin hole, and become progressively smaller toward the top of the piston. This design logic allows for greater expansion of the piston crown as this is the region closest to the heat source. Ovality, which means out of roundness, is essential in all pistons to allow for thermal expansion. It also compensates for
4: A further form of ovality can be found in the middle of the piston skirts. A bearing area, it rides in the cylinder and is surrounded by a boundary of piston skirt that should not touch the cylinder wall to avoid friction.
4
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www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
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RPM QUICK TECH
6 5 5: Aluminum billets are cut, heat treated, and machined. Those for big-block Chevy typically measure 4.750 inches, small-block Chevy and Ford 4.250 inches, Hemi 4.650 inches and 4.800 inches x 2.600 inches for Pro Stock and Pro Mod. deflection of the piston skirt caused by side loads. Pistons are manufactured with single, double, or triple ovality and the ovality is best measured by a precision roundness form measuring instrument. Ovality in simple terms means the piston is narrower along the piston pin axis (the minor axis) than the thrust axis (the major axis). Because ovality is a function of heat (and therefore the growth the piston is likely to encounter) it is the amount of ovality assigned to
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6: For race engine builders, the advantage of the billet custom piston is its propensity to accommodate change: valve sizes, angles, compression ratios, and skirt profile . If a race team concludes their bores are too wet or too dry, they’ll intervene and change the number, size or shape of the drain holes.
a piston that’s the clever part. Ovality values differ, depending upon whether the engine is naturally aspirated, supercharged, turbocharged, or charged with nitrous oxide. Obviously, heat, cylinder pressures and side loadings are much less in the naturally aspirated engine and hence less piston ovality is required. Correct ovality usually manifests itself in the form of a bearing area. This is the area in the middle of the piston skirts that rides in the cylinder and it is surrounded by a
april 2016 | RPM Magazine
Gibtec’s Nick Plantus says their specialty lies in the rapid design and production of single sets of custom billet pistons. “We have a formula for swiftness, it’s where we shine.”
boundary of piston skirt that should not touch the cylinder wall. If the boundary area does make contact it creates friction. A similar situation exists higher on the piston at the ring belt, which is the thicker area that accommodates the piston rings. Carefully considering the myriad of shapes of today’s racing pistons is the challenge for Nick Plantus, Gibtec’s piston designer. Plantus, whose career in competition piston design stretches back to the 1970s, is often the one in charge of creating
7: Designer Nick Plantus will admit: “We produce a lot of conventional full-round piston designs, but unlike the inboard competition piston (pictured) it’s worth knowing that the full-round style contains unproductive weight without any additional stability.”
optimum ovality. “The science,” he says, “is constantly advancing—and if it didn’t there would be nothing more to learn.”
SOURCE Gibtec Pistons Denver, Colorado www.gibtecpistons.com 303.243.3340 RGiebas@GibtecPistons.com
www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
story and photos by
Tabitha Sizemore
I
s it safe to assume that everyone has at some point heard the old saying, “the third time’s the charm?” Well, hopefully you have, as the story of Donavan Simpson and his 2004 Mach 1, nicknamed “White
Trash,” brings that old one-liner to life. For lack of a better description, Simpson’s white Mustang went from a life of rags to riches. After being taken in as a theft r covery vehicle at London Chassis Dyno
(LCD), the birth of its racing career began. Once the Mustang was in its safe haven at LCD, the Mach began its transformation from roller to racer. Despite the damages as a result of its theft r covery background, according
to Simpson, the use of the car for a drag car chassis was a no brainer, considering the perfect rust-free body. “At the age of 24, I decided to build my first drag car. I raced every Friday and Saturday night, mainly
racing for the fun of it,” said Simpson. “I made a few friends along the way, including Chad Epperson. We became close friends and decided to build a new car for me. Chad and his wife, Carolee, had already started
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www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
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DRIVE IT...
BACK TO ITS ROOTS With its second owner, the ‘Stang had been equipped with a Cobra bumper and matching hood, but Donavan went back to the original Mach look once he took ownership.
HOPE YOU LIKE THE VIEW Donavan’s best pass to date in the ‘04 Mach has been 4.87 @ 151 mph.
their own speed shop, which was called C&C Racecraft at that time. Together we decided to build a big block Ford nitrous body-in-white Mustang. We won the first time out with it in a heads-up Outlaw DOT class, and the rest is history from there,” he reminisced.
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Now known as London Chassis Dyno, LCD has overseen every alteration of the ’Stang from the day it entered the doors until it finally landed into Simpson’s ownership. The Kentucky native had his hand involved with the Ford build from day one, despite the
april 2016 | RPM Magazine
fact that initially the car was purchased for a different owner. “Being a machinist and fabricator by trade, I work on every project through the door in one way or another,” explained Simpson. “A customer from Kentucky had wanted to build something
cool and out of the norm, so we started looking for a car to build for him, and finally we found one: a 2004 Mustang theft recovery.” Enter stage right, the car soon to become known as “White Trash.” “Like I said, the body and chassis were in great
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DONAVAN SIMPSON’S 2004 FORD MUSTANG MACH 1 OUTLAW DRAG CAR Chassis & Suspension: Factory frame front and rear with 25.5 certified cage. Rear is cut and braced factory rails with mini tub. FRONT: Complete kit with caster camber plates, Strange double adjustable struts, Flaming River rack, in-house London Chassis Dyno bump steer kit. REAR: Menscer double adjustable Afco rear shocks. Body & Paint: Factory Performance White. Engine: 400 cubic inch small block Ford, Dart block, TFS CNC heads, with Victory titanium valves and triple Pac valve springs, Aerospace vacuum pump, Lunati Pro Series crankshaft, Dyers 300m rods, ATI balancer, JW flexplate, Titan oil system, Jeff ohnson’s oil pan and valve covers, Ross pistons, Hell Fire rings, T&D rockers, Smith Brothers pushrods, COMP cam, Jesel lifters, Yates belt drive. Induction: Edelbrock Victor intake converted to EFI in-house, Wilson throttle body, Hogan hat. Power Adder: Forced Inductions 88mm GTX55 turbo, JGS wastegates, Turbonetics blow off alve, Chiseled Performance 3000 air/water intercooler. Custom in-house London Chassis Dyno turbo headers and crossover. Electronics: BS3, MSD 7531, Davis Technologies bump box. Transmission & Converter: JW Powerglide, Neal Chance converter, Chiseled Performance water-cooled transcooler. Diff rential: Custom built 8.8, Moser 35-spline axles, Moser spool, and custom bracing. Tire: 275/60/15 MT Pro Radial. Class: X275 and NMRA Street Outlaw. Best Perfromance (eighth-mile): 4.87 @ 151 at NMRA Bowling Green 2015.
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
shape and rust free, which made the decision to use it for a drag car chassis an easy one,” shared Donavan. “Howard (the customer the car was originally bought for) had us build a street-ori street-oriented 347 turbocharged engine, which ran in the 5.70 range. After some time he decided to sell the car and we helped him. It seemed only fitting, since our shop had built the car from stock to strip with an enormous amount of time and dedication he and the car never left the
shop, even during the time Howard owned it.” The next owner in line, from Naperville, Illinois, would take the Mustang a little further. “Once the car was put up for sale a fellow named Gary out of Illinois came to look at it and bought it. He was impressed with the detail and craftsmanship of the car, but, as soon as he took ownership of it we were instructed to take the whole thing apart to the bare chassis and convert it to an X275 style car, and upgrade everything. So we did just that. We
removed all unnecessary hardware and did a complete conversion,” said Donavan. A 25.5 certified cage, carbon fiber rear panels and carbon fiber tubs, double adjustable shocks and struts and a new Racecraft ing were just a few of the changes that the ’04 Mach would undergo. Also added to the car was the very first set of fiberglass doors that Motor City Solutions ever made for that era Mustang. The pony also received a Schoneck Composites carbon fiber ’03-’04 Cobra
...LIKE YA STOLE IT GOT STANCE? White Trash sits on Weld V-Series spindle-mount wheels on the front and Weld V-Series double beadlocks on the rear. LEFT: Mason Isaacs guides Donavan into the beams for a test hit at London Dragway.
www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
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DRIVE IT...
front bumper cover and matching carbon hood. Last but not least, White Trash was given a fresh white paint job all way around. “Gary tested and raced the car a couple outings, and it quickly became apparent that he didn’t fit the car. Gary was 6’8” and no matter how hard we tried to fit him in the car comfort-
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ably, it was impossible,” Donavan explained. “After months of debating, Gary decided to sell the car and build one that would be a better fit for him.” Once again, during all this time, the Mustang had never left he LCD shop. Simpson shares, “it is hard to get rid of a car that you have been a part of for such a long time,
april 2016 | RPM Magazine
so we decided to build Gary a new car and keep this Mustang where it had been for the past four years.” And as we said, the third times the charm, as finally the white Mach 1 became the property of Simpson. “I removed all the Cobra trimmings and put it back to its original Mach 1 appearance and added my own engine
and drivetrain that had been waiting on-hand, ready to go when I had the time to build my own car again. When you work on and build cars for other people, they always come first, at least at our shop they do,” smiled Simpson. The first outing for the third rebirth of White Trash was in the fall of 2015. “We had
NO NINE The Ford sits on an 8.8 rear end with 35-spline Moser axles and spool with custom bracing.
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www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
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...LIKE YA STOLE IT
IT’S BEWSTED, BRO... White Trash is powered by a 400 cubic inch Dart block, topped with TFS CNC heads and an Edelbrock intake. The small block Ford is fed by a Forced Induction 88mm GTX55 hairdryer. The X275 car has an inhouse built crossover and turbo headers from London Chassis Dyno.
NO JUNK IN THIS TRUNK Sleek and clean, the Mustang has carbon fi er sheeting and wheel tubs under the luggage.
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
a lot of bugs in the car going into the first race and slowly worked them out over that weekend in September. We went from changing the ring and pinion ratio to switching torque convertors three different times. We even had to go as far as having Chris Secaur of JW Transmissions come over and build us a new
transmission while at the track,” shares Donavan. “By the end of the weekend though, we had the car in the 5.00 range, but still knew that we had a lot of ground to cover.” “We put former owner Gary Roeben behind the wheel, since he was already familiar with the car and I had been
#1 FAN Donavan with his grandson, Tyler Kirby.
Donavan Simpson, Chad Epperson, and son Lucas Epperson
away from the driver seat for so long.” The team managed to win first round of the X275 Second Chance Race, with a 5.05 @ 145 MPH. Before they could go any further though, the rain came, and forced them to load up and head back north to The Bluegrass State. And the very next weekend they would be loading back up and heading to Bowling Green for The World Finals of the NMRA. With the short amount of recovery time between Georgia and the impeding trip to western Kentucky, Donavan and friends began reviewing data. “Once we got home and had a chance to go over the information gained from Georgia, the data showed that our throttle was closing to 72% down track. So we went to work on fixing the problem immediately.” Once they got to Bowling Green it was déjà vu as rain came yet again, only this time it would be Monday before the
sun would finally break through and allow the racer’s to hit the track. “I managed a first round win against Leroy Nebors with a 4.87 @ 151.7 MPH, which was my fastest pass ever! It was the only full pass of the weekend though as we were still having issues. Even though I lost the next round, I have to admit that I was pretty excited with the progress we had made with the car. We had basically built a new car and went from 5.40’s to 4.80’s in just two weekends,” said an excited Simpson. “I’d like to thank the many key people that have been involved throughout the process of building the car: Daren Sanders, Tony Bischoff Kenny Holcomb, Jimmy Morgan, Eric Secaur and Rodney Kern, to name a few,” says Donavan. “After some changes we have made over the winter months, we are hoping to get the car to the front of the pack!”
SHOWTIME! The pony making an appearance at SGMP in September 2015, where it took a first ound win in the Second Chance X275 race.
www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
HEATIN’ THE HIDES From street to strip, Michael Britt heats up the Mickey Thompson Radial Pros in preparation to take on the next unsuspecting challenger.
story by
George Pich
T
wenty five years ago, when Michael Britt found his prize possession 1982 Monte Carlo, it was sitting on a used car lot. There was no glitz, no glitter, no mag wheels or dual exhaust— just
photos by
Tom Owensby & Photorad Photography
a regular looking G-Body Chevy waiting for the next owner to come along and snap it up. “It was bone stock down to the spoke hubcaps, whitewall tires, and half vinyl top, and it came with the factory neck-snapping
267 cubic inch V8 engine. I paid $1,900 for it over 24 months with my dad signing for my first loan,” said Britt. “And first thing I did was tint the windows and add a killer sound system.” It was the ’90s and Britt was doing
www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
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MEAN MONTE
the first things everyone was to their cars back then—make them look and sound cool! “Then came Centerline aluminum wheels and white letter tires along with dual exhaust with turbo mufflers,” he added. “Then, after I got the looks of the car down, I switched to a 350 engine, TH350 transmission, and swapped out the rearend with a Monte SS unit.” For Britt, this was the start of something special that would take over 25 years to complete. Michael recalls always being interested in racing or competition of any kind in general—but then again what red-blooded
American boy isn’t? But for Michael it went a little deeper than with most. It seems he had an interest in anything with wheels. “At an early age I was into dirt bikes, three wheelers, quads, bikes, and even rollerskating! So when I first went to Seven-Ten Dragstrip in Rowland, North Carolina at age 9 with my dad, I found my niche and never looked back. I guess you could say it was an influence that my older brother had an ’81 Monte Carlo and I loved it, so I knew what I wanted by age 14. Plus all of my buddies seem to be into hot rodding too... so it progressed.” By the age of
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
QUICK CHANGE Drive to the track, block the tires, jack up the back and install the Mickeys. Check tire pressure, turn the bottles on and it’s off o the races.
DON’T SLEEP ON THIS G Aside from the fi erglass cowl hood, this Monte Carlo could still pass as a mild-mannered Sunday cruiser, which would be a pretty large mistake in judgement.
PLUMBED TO PERFECTION A very healthy 408-inch small block Chevy built by Rozier Racing Engines resides under the hood. Even the motor “looks” tame sitting innocently in the very well detailed engine bay.
www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
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MEAN MONTE 15 Michael was a regular at the strip and at 16 he couldn’t wait to get his own car, which is when he came across the Monte. “Back when I first got the car, I watched lots of street racing but I didn’t do too much myself,” Michael admitted. “I was always scared of losing my car and/ or my driver’s license.” By the time he hit 20, Michael started spending bigger dollars on harder-core performance parts because he knew he could not afford to build a car that could handle itself on Friday or Saturday night at the drag strip without doing it over time. “I couldn’t afford to build something like this in any set time frame,” Britt said. “It’s more like an ‘it gets it if I get it’ kind of deal and it has been a 25-year build at this point.” Now the Monte is powered by a Rozier Racing Engines-built Bowtie blocked 408 small block Chevy with 4340 Eagle crankshaft nd Eagle rotating assembly topped with ported Pontiac
23-degree raised runner heads with 210 intake valves and matching Edelbrock intake. Yet taking a look under the hood, one would still think that this is just a nice “cruiser” ’80-something Monte…but it’s far from that. Maybe we’re spilling the beans here, but Michael has gone to great lengths to ensure the car doesn’t look anything close to what it is capable of. “Probably the most unique thing about this car is its use,” said Britt. “Instead of being a drag-only car, it truly is an everyday street car as well—one that travels around 5,000 miles each year. It has a bunch more unique features such as the full exhaust system and most of the electronics and switches are tucked out of sight. The goal was to keep the car’s potential well hidden.” Mission accomplished Michael! Feeding the thirsty mouse is a 1000 CFM Pro Systems carburetor that receives fuel via an Aeromotive A1000 fuel pump with
FUELED & JUICED The two-stage Induction Solutions nitrous system relies on an Aeromotive A1000 fuel pump to keep things from getting lean. The big rear-mounted pump might just be the one thing that alerts would-be challengers to the Monte Carlo’s potential.
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
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www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
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MEAN MONTE
bypass regulator, and Michael had the stock fuel tank modified with a sump. 1 7/8inch primary tube headers expel exhaust gases through a 3 1/2inch mandrel-bent exhaust system with Magnaflow mufflers that extends all the way out the rear of the car.
As an added bonus for those he pulls beside at the drag strip, Britt added a healthy dose of nitrous oxide via a twostage setup consisting of, one direct port kit and a plate kit that are fully adjustable to add anywhere from 50 to 500 horsepower. Each system has its
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
Put the Hammer Down.
You don’t cut corners or accept compromises. Use the best parts. Trick Flow GenX® 255 square port cylinder heads can significantly increase the performance of your GM LS-powered truck. Highlights include LS3-shaped CNC Competition Ported runners, CNC-profiled combustion chambers, 12° valve angles, coolant holes that work with all LS head gaskets and engine blocks, and your choice of standard or 6-bolt mounting patterns—all engineered, machined, assembled, durability tested, and dyno proven in the USA to help your truck stay ahead of the pack. Dyno Results
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GenX 255 Square Port
Test Engine: GM 6.2L LS3 short block with 10.43:1 compression, Trick Flow GenX® 255 square port cylinder heads (TFS-3261T002-C01), Trick Flow Track Max® hydraulic roller cam (TFS-32603001), stock L92 intake with 90mm throttle body, Kooks headers with 17⁄ 8" primaries, and dual exhaust with 3" Flowmaster mufflers.
1604RPCT
GenX 255 Square Port Lift Value
Intake Flow CFM
.100"
71
Exhaust Flow CFM 59
.200"
146
113
.300"
231
171
.400"
294
215
.500"
334
240
.600"
363
252
.700"
382
258
Tests conducted at 28" of water (pressure). Bore size: 4.065"; exhaust with 17⁄8" pipe. To view more airflow charts, go to TrickFlow.com and type the part number you want to see into the Search box and then click “Search.”
Some parts are not legal for sale or use on any pollution-controlled motor vehicles.
MICHAEL BRITT’S 1982 CHEVY MONTE CARLO STREET/STRIP Chassis Type & Mods: Stock frame and suspension setup. Frame is notched in the rear for 10-inch wheel and tire combination. Suspension: FRONT: QA1 adjustable shocks and Moroso springs. REAR: QA1 springs and adjustable shocks, adjustable upper control arms by Edelbrock and adjustable lower control arms by UPR, rear anti-roll bar and “pro street” 8-point roll bar by Wilson Engineering, Lumber Bridge, NC. Body & Paint: Fiberglass hood by Harwood and PPG paint by Kenneth Britt’s Paint And Body, Lumberton, NC. Chrome, pinstriping, and window tint by Derrick’s Window Tint, Hamer, SC. Engine: Bowtie-blocked 408 SBC with 4340 Eagle crankshaft 375 stroke, 4340 H-Beam rods with L19 rod bolts, 0.040-over forged pistons, Clevite Tri-Armour bearings and Hellfire piston rings, ATI Balancer, and TCI Flexplate. COMP hydraulic roller cam with 590 lift, COMP lifters. Built by Willie Rozier at Rozier Racing Engines. Aluminum 23-degree raised runner Pontiac heads with 210 intake valve and ported by Brandywine and matching Edelbrock intake, valve covers and water pump. Jegs chrome alternator, March pulleys. Power Adder: Two stages of nitrous (one direct port, one plate) adjustable from 50 to 500 HP. Two separate regulators, two purge tubes and twin nitrous bottles. System flowed and blueprinted by Steve Johnson at Induction Solutions. Fuel System: 1000 CFM Pro Systems carburetor. Aeromotive A1000 fuel pump with bypass regulator. Stock fuel tank modified with sump by Precision Fabrication and Wiring. Electronics & Ignition: MSD Digital 7 with individual nitrous timers installed by Precision Fabrication and Wiring. Transmission & Converter: Powerglide with Protree transbrake by Mike Melvin, Clarkton Mount, NC, 1.80 gearset and hardened input shaft by BTE, B&M trans cooler and pan, TCI bellhousing and Hurst Quarterstick. 10-inch billet nitrous converter by Atlantic Coast Converters. Strange driveshaft and yoke, Energy Suspension urethane mount. Diff rential: Strange S60 with spool, 4.10 gears, and 35-spline axles. Precision Fabrication and Wiring beefed up all the rear end/suspension mounts on the body Exhaust: 7/8-inch Heddman headers through an All Pro Exhaust 3 1/2-inch mandrelbent tubing exhaust system with Magnaflow mufflers that runs all the way out the rear. Wheels & Tires: REAR: 5x10 Convo Pro rear wheels Radial TA tires (street)/Mickey Thompson ET Radial Pros (strip). FRONT: 15x6 Convo Pros with Mickey Thompson street tires. Division/Class Run: Fun and Grudge. True Street 275 class in CHRA organized by Dennis Hampton Jr. Best ET & MPH: “LOL”
own dedicated bottle, are regulated independently and controlled with separate nitrous timers. The entire nitrous setup was flowed and tuned by Steve Johnson at Induction Solutions. Behind the small block lay more surprises that only the trained eye of a person with the tomatoes enough to crawl under Britt’s car for a look would ever know exist beneath the non-assuming “dad’s car” exterior. A Mike Mel-
vin-built Powerglide trans with Protree brake, B&M cooler and pan, TCI bellhousing and 10-inch billet nitrous torque converter feed into a Strange driveshaft nd yoke. Long gone is the weeny 7 5/8-inch ring gear Monte SS rearend (that replaced the even more-weeny stock 7.5-inch set) and in its place is one of Strange’s impressively trick S60 G-Body rear diffs with spool, 4.10 gearset, and a pair of hefty 35-spline axles.
Since Britt was going “Strange” thus far, he figured that he might as well round out the package, adding Strange Pro Race disc brakes on all four corners. Ten-inch wide Convo Pro rear wheels hold Radial TAs for street driving, but a second set are fitted with Mickey Thompson ET Street Radial Pros for the dragstrip or “serious business,” as Michael puts it. The original full frame on the car is factory except for being notched
PLENTY OF ROOM Staying with a stock fuel tank under the car enabled lots of trunk room for what’s important—like a roll cage, antiroll bar setup, and of course, twin nitrous bottles. Oh yes, and when needed, a cooler and some tools, too!
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MEAN MONTE
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Michael tried his best to hide switches and electronics in the Monte, he even went with a small tach and pencil style shift light. The rest of the car’s vitals come via an owner-installed Monte SS gauge cluster. With the glove box door open you get a good look at all of the electronics in the car, but once closed, it’s all about imagination.
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MEAN MONTE Michael Britt with his pride and joy.
to accept the larger rear wheels and tires and a Wilson Engineering “Pro Street” 8-point roll bar with removable back bar for rear passengers was installed. Rear suspension consists of QA1 springs and adjustable shocks, adjustable upper control arms by Edelbrock, and adjustable lower control arms with rear anti-roll bar. Up front, things look pretty well stock except for a suspension travel limiter kit, adjustable shocks, and Moroso springs. Inside, the car looks factory and most of the electronics are hidden from plain view. Open the glove box, though, and that’s a different story. Andrews Upholstery did the interior
work and the factory Monte SS gauges with inserts were installed by Britt. As for body mods, in keeping with the wolf-insheep’s clothing theme, there are none other than a Harwood fiberglass cowl hood. And, believe it or not, the car was last painted in its bright blue skin in 2005 by Kenneth Britt’s Paint And Body. As we said, Britt likes to grudge race and run the tame looking Monte for fun, and his answer to our ‘Best Elapsed Time To Date’ question on the RPM Mag Tech Sheet was simply “LOL.” Of late though, Michael tells us that he has started to get into some organized drag nights in
the True Street 275 class with a local group. Building the car has not been without its share of excitement along the way, both good and bad. “One of the most memorable experiences with the car is having the driveshaft jected at about 120 mph,” told Britt. “It took out everything else with it including the exhaust, driveshaft, the transmission and torque converter, flywheel, and starter—the whole rearend of the car actually came off of the road! I took that as a challenge to build it stronger or give up…I decided to build it stronger.” “Another highlight of my time with the car was
when I had a chance to race at Pinks All Out in 2010 at zMax Dragway in Charlotte North Carolina, which was the biggest event I have ever been involved in. That and all of the cruise-ins and car shows are awesome as well.” Probably the best part of owning, building and racing a car is involving your family in the enjoyment that it can bring. “I bought this car at age 16 and have been adding to it ever since. And now, my son JoJo is 5 years old and he is already hooked,”
added Britt. And Michael’s mom is as excited about the car as Michael himself. “As Michael’s mother of course I am going to brag on his car,” she said. “His Monte has been his baby for 25 years. He has been in and won awards at car shows and it is a true street car— driven to, raced, and driven home from various drag races. He keeps it spotless inside, outside, and under the hood, and as they say around here, ‘that Monte Carlo is the fastest thing this side of Calcutta!’”
With Pro Line Racing Engines and Diamond pistons, Q80 Racing team resets quarter-mile doorslammer record at 5.46 seconds and 272mph “Diamond’s contributions have been invaluable.” Doug Patton, Pro Line Racing Engines
Diamond’s turbo pistons make big power and combat heat and pressure. • Forged from 2618 aluminum with Herculean pin bosses that accomodate tough TP-1 or H13 tool steel piston pins • Lower skirt rigidity maintained by full-circumference designs that boast the strongest-known stiffening ribs • Hard-coat anodizing, ceramic crowns, and moly skirt coatings available • Fastest turnaround time on custom pistons Questions? Knowledgeable Tech Support: M-F, 9AM-5PM EST
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www.rpm-mag.com | february 2016
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story by
STAN SMITH
photos by
MATT WOODS
MOPAR MADNESS BEWARE OF ELEPHANTS Building a Mopar at this level without a Hemi is like having bread without butter… it’s just not as tasty!
“I
first went to a drag race at Santa Pod, UK in 1974-ish, I was around 7 years old,” told Chris Isaacs of his first formative encounter with drag racing. And it’s pretty safe to say that he was hooked from that point on. “I took my first pass down a dragstrip at age 18 in my very first street car, an Mk 2 Ford Cortina which ran a
staggering 21.2 sec quarter!” he laughed. From there, it wouldn’t be long before Isaacs would debut his first ‘real’ race car in 1989, at age 23. The ar was a homebuilt 1953 Ford Prefect that was initially powered by a 351 Cleveland, and later a 454 big block Chevy that would run a best of 10.60. That car would stand the test of time and would
also help Isaacs win one national bracket championship and two track championships in the early 1990s. Not only did Chris see himself behind the wheel of a race car, but he also thought he would like to try his hand at building them. He took a job with Bob Nixon Chassis, a UK chassis shop, from 1989 to 1995 before starting his own race car shop,
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DREAM MACHINE With authentic looking 1970 Plymouth Duster graphics, there’s no mistaking this for anything but a hardcore muscle car-themed Mopar Pro Mod.
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shield
57
RUN FOR COVER Dual chutes, single wheelie bar, wing, and some majorsized buns outback, and none them are there for “looks,� but we have to admit, the look is intimidating from any angle.
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MOPAR MADNESS PACKAGE DEAL Alone, Isaacs or Tramm simply couldn’t affo d the budget required to run a competitive Pro Mod program, but as a team they’ve created a lethal combination.
Chris Isaacs Race Cars, in October 1995. “My next ‘personal’ car was an ultra-rare Standard Vanguard Phase 3 station wagon—there are only 14 survivors in the UK—with a Chris Isaacs Race Cars (CIRC) fabricated moly chassis and 540 ci Jeff ull-built Chevy pump gas motor that ran a best of 8.79 and won several events in Super Pro ET and Super Comp,” he added.
As for the second half to this high-powered partnership, Spencer Tramm has a solid lineage within drag racing. Tramm’s parents were not only avid drag race enthusiasts but also held several jobs in race organizations in the UK. With his family already so well entrenched in the sport, in contrast to Isaacs, Spencer first visited Santa Pod when he was just 6 weeks old!
Growing up around fast cars and acting as a track worker from a young age, Tramm’s first race car was a UK Ford Sierra (we’d know it as a Mercury Merkur in the US) Super Gas car which he acquired from another racer. The wo met when Isaacs offered some help in running this car, and from there, when Spencer wanted to build a new race car it was CIRC who he entrusted with the build.
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MOPAR MADNESS
PICK YOUR JAW UP OFF THE FLOOR... Fabricating the headers alone was an arduous task. Isaacs chose to go with equal length primaries feeding into the collector in firing o der. A Moran custom intake tops the Hemi and is fed methanol via two 500 lb/hr Moran injectors per cylinder.
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The result esult of the project was a big block Chevypowered VW Corrado that became one of the most successful cars in UK drag racing during its time on the track, winning many events in Super Gas, Super Comp, Super Pro ET, and specialist VW classes, plus, it would win either a track or national championship almost every year it competed. Eventually, with a 555 ci Jeff ull Chevy motor it ran a best of 8.60, and after having achieved all his aims with the car, Tramm sold it to a German racer. “Both Spencer and I held a long standing ambition to run in Pro Modified,” says Isaacs “...but neither of us could afford to do so on our own. However, after a marathon tea-drinking and bull-talking session at the CIRC workshop, we hatched a plan to join forces and campaign a car between us. Originally, we looked at a nitrous car, as I had some experience in running nitrous, but with the FIA European rules mandated unleaded racing fuel, the ability to gain tuning tips from experienced people in the US was essentially nullified. This was compounded by a leap forward in UK Pro Mod performances during the planning stages,
meaning that a competitive nitrous Pro Mod motor was getting very exotic and very expensive.” Neither had much experience with blowers, but Isaacs had worked with turbo EFI technology on a championship-winning Street Eliminator car that CIRC built for Steve Nash a few years previously. “I was very impressed by the accuracy of mapping and tuning that was available when we were involved with Steve’s car,” added Isaacs. “Plus, the UK track and weather conditions can be quite variable, and the turbo EFI route offered a lot of tuning ability for different conditions—we could also make more than enough power with off-theshelf BAE engine parts, so the decision was made to go turbo.”
DIFFERENT IS…
Th re are a number of items incorporated into the build of this Duster-bodied Pro Mod that you might not see anywhere else, and that is mostly because Isaacs built it through his own shop, so why not use it as a platform to showcase his work. “We chose the 1970 Plymouth Duster body because it is different,” tells Isaacs. “Basically, there were
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MOPAR MADNESS
CHRIS ISAACS & SPENCER TRAMM 1970 PLYMOUTH DUSTER PRO MOD Chassis Type & Mods: Chris Isaacs Race Cars (CIRC) double frame rail 4130 chrome moly chassis to SFI 25.1G specifications. Suspension: FRONT: Strange struts, 275-lb. springs, lightweight Strange discs and calipers, CIRC lower A-arms. REAR: Strange double-adjustable shocks with 150-lb. springs. CIRC chrome moly 4-link in 1 3/8-inch tube. Mark Williams 3-inch OD anti-roll bar. CIRC 94-inch moly single-wheel wheelie bar. Body & Paint: Andy McCoy Race Cars 1970 Plymouth Duster Pro Mod fiberglass body. Paint by Andy and Paul Przybyl at Przym Paintworks in Peterborough, UK. Engine: Brad Anderson Enterprises (BAE) billet aluminium Hemi block and Stage V heads. 4.15 stroke and 4.47 bore for 521 ci. P & P oil pump, CIRC fabricated fuel and oil tanks with full internal baffling. Engine machined and assembled in the UK by Jeff ull Racing Engines. Rotating Assembly: Bryant crank, GRP aluminium rods, Ross pistons, Childs and Albert X-treme rings. Manley titanium intake (2.40”) and exhaust (1.90”) valves. Standard BAE ‘red’ rocker shaft assembly. Induction: Moran Motorsports fabricated intake manifold with billet runners and twin Moran/Wilson 105 mm throttle bodies. Moran 500 lb/ hr billet injectors, two per cylinder. Waterman 20 gpm fuel pump with Weldon bypass regulator. Fuel is straight methanol. Power Adder: Twin 88 mm Precision 4788 turbos. CIRC fabricated 304 stainless 2 ¼-inch exhaust manifolds with equal length primaries feeding into the collector in firing order. HKS GT-II 60 mm wastegates on the exhaust side. Tial 46 mm wastegates on the intake side. Electronics & Ignition: MSD 44 amp magneto with electronic points box. Bigstuff 3 CU. Rock 16 volt battery. Mandatory Electri-motion shutoff nit. Wiring by Jedd Guy of CIRC. Base map by Mike Moran, with further tuning by Chris Isaacs. Transmission & Converter: Neal Chance bolt-together converter with BB stator for turbo application. Browell SFI 6.3 spec aluminium bellhousing. Bruno (BRT) converter drive unit with mods by CIRC with Andy Frost consultation. Derale trans cooler and fan mounted above the rear axle. Lenco CS2 3-speed transmission, current ratios are 1.6:1 low, 1.25:1 second gear. Rear Differential: CIRC-fabricated chrome moly sheetmetal housing with Strange 40-spline shafts with floating hubs. Tom’s 10-inch ring and pinion, 3.89:1 ratio. Tom’s billet aluminium third member with Mark Williams spool. Tires & Wheels: FRONT: 15x3.5-inch Weld Magnum wheels with Hoosier Front Runners. REAR: 16x16-inch Weld Magnum Pro SFI 15.3 wheels with Hoosier 34.5 x 17-16 slicks. Best ET & MPH to date: 6.38 at 226 mph (quarter-mile). Special Thanks: Spencer and Chris would like to say a big thank you to the following people: Paul Woodhead of our main sponsors, Direct Plastics, for all his support in helping us to run the car; Mike Moran of Moran Motorsports, Cotton Wuest at Jerry Bickel Race Cars, and Jeremy at BAE for parts and advice; Jeff ull Race Engines for their fastidious work on our motor; Andy and Paul Przybyl at Przym Paintworks for the superb paintwork; Fay Fischer at Speedflow Products UK for all our plumbing; our track crew of Jedd Guy (crew chief), Ray and Andrea Guy, Vince Pinhorn, John Przybyl and Scott Crookson; the Tramm family; and Chris’s wife Rosie for the best pit food at the track!
PLUMB CRAZY Careful planning of plumbing and wiring was required to get the Hemi fi ed and communicating with onboard data logging systems. This photo shows just one small piece of the puzzle located at the fi ewall behind the intake. a few criteria when we chose a body: it had to be nostalgic (we in the UK tend to run cars for quite a few years, and modern bodies date as they get older, while old cars just get cooler!). It had to be something quite unusual. It had to be a ‘proper’ Pro Mod body, as it was partly an advert for my race car building business and we needed a body that demonstrated we
were serious about Pro Mod rather than people just having a go with an unsuitable car. And it had to be a body we both liked! When we were planning the car, Andy McCoy had just launched the Duster body, and we both independently saw it and said to ourselves, ‘That is perfect!’ So it became the logical choice.” Even though the body itself has been substantially
“aerodynamically enhanced” at the production level and might be unrecognizable as a Duster to some, because the duo chose to don it with proper period-correct Duster vinyl, it can easily be picked out of a crowd of Camaros and Corvettes. In fact, they even went so far as to have airbrush work done to add street-realism to the strip-only machine. “We got the
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MOPAR MADNESS NO BURN Fire suppression comes via a twin 10lb tank DJ Safety Coldfi e system.
THE LOUD END Both exhaust and blow off pi es exit the fenders.
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DUSTER GUTS Inside the Duster is a maze of bars, electronics and equipment to get the car down the strip as efficientl as possible. The centerpiece of the cockpit is this Lenco 3-speed transmission with Bruno converter drive, Neal Chance converter, and Browell bellhousing.
fiberglass body because we couldn’t afford the carbon version!” joked Isaacs. “We wanted a factory-style paint scheme with all the marker lights etc. in place, so these are vinyl stickers from 1320 Motorsports, and Przym Paintworks then did some extra airbrush
shadowing on them for maximum realism.” The ouble rail chrome moly chassis was built by CIRC to SFI 25.1G specs and incorporates a number of design enhancements worth noting. “We run a CIRC-fabricated front anti-roll bar, a handful
of cars in Europe and the USA use them. The thinking is that although the rear anti-roll bar is good at eliminating torque roll and uneven tire loading under power, if the car gets sideways it ‘leans over’ on the soft sidewall rear tires regardless of the roll stiffness of
the rear end assembly. It then can snap back the other way as the rear tires act as giant undamped springs, destabilizing the car further. A front anti-roll bar helps to keep the car more level when it is driving out of shape, minimizing the upset to the car’s stability and al-
lowing the car and driver to ‘recover’ the situation more quickly. In this way, the front spring rates and damper settings can be optimized for launch characteristics and the anti-roll bar can be sized for optimum driveability without one influencing the other’s main job. Our
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MOPAR MADNESS
READY...SET...GO Heating up the massive 34.5 x x 17 slicks is pretty easy with twin turbo Hemi power. With 50 runs on the Duster to date and a pretty good handle on the car’s manners, Isaacs and Tramm figu e 2016 will be “turn up the wick” time!
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car recovers very quickly from shake or sideways moments!” “The rack locator on this car is also unusual in that it is not a conventional A-frame or X-link —we have called it ‘the elbow’,” Isaacs explained. “It consists of one horizontal A-frame mounted via rod ends to the chassis, and one vertical A-frame mounted via rod ends to the rear axle housing. Th se two frames are joined at their apexes by a rod end and bolt. This gives the advantages of a conventional A-frame (no side to side movement and the ability to adjust 4-link settings without having to re-center the axle) without the usual sliding joint which can induce play through wear or bind due to lack of lubrication. CIRC has fitted this system to a few cars now with uniformly excellent results.” Of course, power-wise, the only way to propel a Mopar Pro Mod is with a HEMI! Like Chris pointed out earlier, with budget in mind, the pair wanted to use off-the-shelf parts for the engine if possible and chose a BAE billet aluminium Hemi block with 4.15-inch stroke and 4.47-inch
bore which comes in at 521 cubic inches, and topped it with Stage V heads. Once the parts made the long haul ‘across the pond,’ machine and assembly work was completed by Jeff ull Racing Engines. Topping the monster mill is a Moran Motorsports-fabricated intake manifold with billet runners and twin Moran/Wilson 105 mm throttle bodies. The traight methanol fuel is fed by Moran 500 lb/hr billet injectors, two per cylinder. Assistance comes from twin 88 mm Precision 4788 turbochargers with ceramic bearings and billet compressor wheels. CIRC fabricated the 304 stainless 2 ¼-inch exhaust manifolds with equal length primaries feeding into the collector in firing order. “I don’t think this makes much difference on a turbo application, but it’s something we like to do if it doesn’t compromise anything else,” said Isaacs of the slick exhaust fab work. Transmitting motor power rearward to the CIRC-fabricated chrome moly sheetmetal axle housing with 40-spline Strange axles is a Lenco CS2 3-speed
BY A NOSE With the front clip off, you not only get a feel for the size of the Hemi once it is equipped with the turbos and their associated equipment, but also for the amount of effo t that goes into making everything not just work right, but look good, too. CIRC also fabricated the fuel and oil tanks with full internal baffli .
continued on page 76
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MOPAR MADNESS INNOVATIVE UNDERPINNINGS The CIRC-fabricated rearend housing is equipped with Strange 40-spline shafts with floating ubs, 3.89 gears, a billet aluminium third member, and spool.
ALL IN THE DETAILS The already cool old-school graphics are given an even higher level of coolness due to air brush work of Przym Paintworks… just don’t try to stick a key in that doorlock!
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THE CREW (L to R): Vince Pinhorn, Chris Isaacs, Andrea Guy, Spencer Tramm, Ray Guy, Jedd Guy (crew chief) and Kirstie Tramm. Not present here are Scott Crookson, John Przybyl, and Rosie Isaacs (Chris’ wife and team chef!).
transmission with Bruno (BRT) converter drive unit with mods by CIRC after advice and consultation from the UK’s Andy Frost of Red Victor fame. A Neal Chance bolt-together converter with BB stator for turbo applications was used and is surrounded by a Browell SFI 6.3 spec aluminum bellhousing.
The est ET to date for the Hemi Mopar is a very tame 6.38 at 226 mph in the quarter-mile. “We are still creeping up on the tune,” said Isaacs. “And our best run was done on very soft settings. We have around 50 runs on the car since completed and 2016 should see us bring out the full potential of the Duster,” he added.
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
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G
story and photos by
Tim Lewis
ood things take time, right? That is one of the most popular phrases car people hear, or say to ourselves to give peace of mind when we are low on money to fund our project. For Charles and Deborah Hammack though, it wasn’t the funding,
but rather a matter of taking the right amount of time to achieve the results they were looking for in their stunning 1948 Anglia street machine. The ammack’s spent the better part of 10 years working off nd on the little English Ford, also known as a Ford Pop, and Charles’ experience working in Nascar
for Bush and Cup teams as a chassis builder and fabricator for over 15 years sure came in handy. Many of the English-built Anglias found their way across the pond to the United States and into the hands and hearts of North American hot rodders, racers and car enthusiasts of all kinds. Even today, it’s not
Booth 3107
unlikely to come across one or two at most any large car event in the country. And while there are many kit cars out there, Hammack’s is an original steel body Anglia. Charles started out building the 2x3 chassis for the hot rod himself. With his knowledge of welding and fab work on the Nascar teams, this was
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POP CULTURE
CLEAN FRONT TO BACK The incredible tear-away graphics with marbelizer has a 3D effe t that is difficult o truly appreciate in photos. Likewise, the work on the rear fenders is hard to see unless you know these cars well. If you pay close attention to how the factory and gasser cars looked, you can see the slight bit of extra width to the fenders. just like another day in the office, other than now, things were slightly smaller scale since the Anglia has only a 90-inch wheelbase. Once the main rails were built, he moved on to doing the front and rear suspension. A complete Chassis Engineering system using A-arms with coilovers for the ride and a rack for smooth steering were integrated into the build. Moving to the rear,
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Charles used a Chassis Engineering 4-link and coil over setup. A Chris Alston Fab 9 housing with Strange aluminum center section, 4.56 gears, and Strange 31-spline axles round out what’s under the rear of the hot rod. Even though mostly street driven, the car was obviously built to handle some serous horsepower as opposed to dropping rear diff nd suspension parts
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Wrist Pins • High quality 2.500'' pin further reduces reciprocating weight • Carbon steel wire locks included
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POP CULTURE
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
SIMPLY WICKED
WELL FINISHED
These relatively small bodied, short and narrow wheelbase cars are some of the most popular for street and strip builds. From gassers to street machines, what few remain are legends of days gone by. From any angle this car just screams cool. From chopped top to smoothed out fi ewall, there isn’t much on the car that hasn’t seen the vision and influen e of Charles Hammack.
he underside of the hood has been finished o match the exterior paint.
SLICK AND SANITARY The smooth fi ewall has been tediously worked before the base and airbrush work were laid on. Just look at refle tion of the intake in the paint!. all over the road when the throttle is stabbed and those gigantic rear Mickey’s hook. Now that the chassis was up and moving around by foot and back power, it was time to start thinking about what was needed to get some horsepower under the hood. If it were a
Gasser tribute build, you might see a blown big block Chevy much like the famous King Kong of the Kohler Brothers. Or maybe a small block injected mouse motor, like Jack Merkel’s B/ Gasser. Charles, however, decided to go a different direction that was little more along the lines of
his own roots and opted for a Nascar Ford 351. Well, 351 based anyway, as after some cutting and boring by the crew at Kowalsky Machine in Rustberg, Virginia final displacement comes in at a stout 438 cubes of small block Ford muscle! Inside, the tough Dart Ford 351 block swings
a Scat crankshaft long with Eagle rods hooked up to CP pistons. Kowalsky went with Dart Pro1 aluminum heads with full Jessel valvetrain. A COMP Cams roller was picked to do the job and in the size department it sports 672 lift nd 260 duration. Topping off he high-revving little bullet
is an Edelbrock Super Victor and a Holley 4150 carb coming in at 950 CFM after being worked over by the guys at AED in Richmond, Virginia. Charles built the custom headers himself with 3 ½-inch collectors going into Spin Tech stainless steel mufflers and stockcar-style side exits.
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POP CULTURE POLISHED AND PAINTED The small block Ford fits ni e and snug down the engine bay of the little ’48. Every inch of the 438ci Ford has been worked over. The former stock car engine never looked so clean, and don’t let it’s clean, reserved looks fool you, this mill could haul some serious butt in a 2,800-pound car!
Transferring power is a Ford C4 3-speed trans built by Performance Automatic in Gaithersburg, Maryland. A 3,500 rpm stall PTC torque converter finishes off he driveline. Just think, when this little car rolled off he line in the England in ’48 it was powered by a sidevalve 57 cubic inch inline 4 that made a pavement tearing 38 horsepower! And that car would have weighed just 1,448 pounds,
while this version tips the scales at 2,800. Even more amusing is the price. Brand new, this car was sold for $947, and to add insult to injury, after just two years the Blue Book value was only $250! In April of 1948 they landed in the States to be sold for the first time to US buyers and were offered from 1948 through 1953. Only 25,000 were sold in all of North America and the really sad
RUB-A-TUB-TUB Yes, the underside of the car is as clean as the outside. The Chassis Engineering 4-link/coilover rear suspension along with Chris Alston fabricated 9” rear housing, wheelie bars and 15x15 Centerlines with 29X18.5” Mickey Thompson’s top off the wic ed pro street look of the Anglia.
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NICE INSIDE, TOO A very nice mix of colors make for a great looking interior. The work done by King’s Upholstery really sets off the whole car into a total package. part is that, through the Anglia Obsolete Archives, it is estimated that less than 2,400 of them exist in ANY shape and form today. Most no doubt being enjoyed modified as street machines and drag cars. Body mods to the Anglia are extensive and although fiberglass replica bodies and parts are plentiful, Charles, a true craftsman, had the real deal and wanted to stay original steel with his build. The ody was ready for its makeover and a complete makeover is just what it got. The nglia was cut and reworked from front to back. The oof was chopped 2 ½ inches and the hood was stretched and sec-
tioned. The ront fenders have 6 inches added to the rear edge to match the stretch in the hood and the front of the fenders have been rolled forward toward the front to match up with the bottom of the grill. The running boards were built to go with the new length of the front fenders as well and the rear fenders were cut and widened by 0.75 inches. Knowing that the car was going to be black, the bodywork had to be spot-on. After hours and hours of priming and guide coating, then blocking and blocking, and blocking some more, the reworked Ford sheetmetal body was just about ready for the base to be laid down.
www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
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POP CULTURE
To Run Like A Pro... Use The Best
DONE RIGHT After opening up the doors, you can see the graphics run into the jambs. That all adds up in the points when it comes to show time.
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A call was made to South Hill, Virginia’s Chris Ellis who owns Ellis Signs and Custom Painting. Chris is no stranger to wicked paint work as evidenced by PDRA Pro Nitrous racer Davis Campbell’s beautiful ’69 Camaro that has rolled out of the shop along with Campbell’s ex-car, a 1970 Camaro that was repainted for the new owner. Ellis started with House of Kolor Black base and Raspberry Pearl. Just as with the exterior, the
$ %' ( !- " ) ) % ! ) ( $ ) / $, ' ! ' #(" (( $#( . !($ $ '( $" %! ) ! # $ %' " *" )$'&* $#+ ') '( ! )$ # ! $'( %$, ' %%! ) $#( ) ( ()' # ) $#+ ') '( # *()$" * !) $' !$ $' " !! !$ # # ( , ) "*!) %! () ( $ %$, ' '(
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
paint in the jambs and under the hood have been wet sanded and buffed to the same incredible deep shine. The raphics under the hood are a nice touch to show just how well “finished� the car is. With chassis, engine, body and paint in the books, Hammack turned his attention inward and that’s where Kings Upholstery in Roanoke, Virginia came into the picture to give the car an interior to match the
THINGS ARE LOOKING UP Looking up into the headliner you can see the custom overhead console along with the tight fitting oll cage. The bright red goes great with the black cage and billet accents. rest of the package. Knowing that any type of original or race interior would not fit with the rest of the build, Charles envisioned ultra-smooth street rod styling with a full roll cage to let onlookers know the Anglia was no pushover. A complete Painless wiring setup was installed along with digital gauges and billet steering column to help
with the overall look. Billet door handles and pedals plus both a center and overhead console round things out. The 2-point cage has been sprayed in body color, which, on the red leather provides an amazing contrast. After completion and getting the car out into the public eye, Hammack soon realized the fruits of his labor. Show
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www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION These shots, from 2001, are from when the car was being built while Charles and his late father stopped in to check on the progress of the Anglia.
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
SIGNATURE SERIES ROTATING ASSEMBLIES Our Signature Series Rotating Assemblies represent the strongest package of rotating components you will find for your engine. The kit begins with a pulsed-plasma nitride heat-treated crankshaft that is formed on a specialized, non-twist 4340 steel forging and features gun-drilled mains, lightened rod journals, micropolished journals and windage reducing, contoured wing counterweights. Additionally, each kit comes with premium I-beam or H-beam rods, your choice of Diamond or Mahle brand forged pistons and premium King or Clevite engine bearings.
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POP CULTURE appearances started a collection of awards including the Speedway Motors Homebuilt Heaven award at the Good Guys Charlotte show. The nglia was also featured on the Lokar Car Show TV show on Velocity Network, finished in the top 100 Street Rodder Magazine list from the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion at Bowling Green, and Charles was invited by the NHRA to bring the car for display at the Gatornationals. Impressive to say the least, and proof positive that you don’t always have to run at the drag strip to have fun with a car. While this impressive hot rod has the muscle to mix it up with most, cruising and shows
LOOK DEEPLY INTO MY PAINT... In this light, the mile deep paint reveals hidden surprises not otherwise seen.
is where it shines, and the looks, comments, and conversation from onlookers are reward enough for Charles and Deborah Hammack. Look for the Anglia to hit more shows on the east coast this coming year, and we’ll bet that along the way Charles will have to make some more room on his awards shelf! Thanks to: Wife Deborah for her love of the hot rod Anglia. Raynor Adams for use of the shop’s mill and lathe to make some of the car’s custom-built parts. Chris Ellis for the paint work. Kowalsky for building the engine. King’s for the upholstery and everybody else who has helped out in any way on the car.
PRETTY MUCH STOCK... The Ford factory VIN plate is a nice touch and a great conversation piece. We’re betting that none of those numbers indicate a fabricated 9-inch rear diffe ential, 438 inch motor and wheelie bars as options!
www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
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RPM EXCLUSIVES
HIT THE BRAKES
>>The last step in improving the brake system on our eldest shop truck
by
A
1 1: Since we knew we’d be passing close in our travels, we contacted Misener Motorsports to order us up a Russell DOT Brake Hose Kit #696490. The kit works with 99-03 F250, 350 and Excursion with lifts up to fi e inches and was also fine for our slightly higher than stock Bertha.
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april 2016 | RPM Magazine
George Pich
few months back we featured “How To Stop A Tank Without An RPG” and couldn’t be happier with the outcome of the Power Stop Z36 brake install on the RPM shop tank, AKA “Bertha”- our 7,000-pound do-everything Ford Excursion. Since the article, we’ve pulled a car trailer or two, made some pretty long trips with a full payload and even had her buried rim-deep in snow at times, and so far so good with our new found stopping power during every challenge.
2
Like we said back in the original article, this is an everyday truck, just like most of you have sitting in your driveway, only ours might be a bit older! During the Power Stop project we noticed that the truck’s hard lines were deteriorating quickly and would need to be replaced soon. Thinking back, too, we missed one thing with our install... better brake flex lines! OEM rubber lines are fine, but the lines on these trucks are long, and the longer the line the more prone to brake fade and inconsistent pedal feel the system will be. Plus, wimpy pliable rubber is no
3: By the time we got the hoses out of the box and ready for a glamour shot, Misener Motorsports’ resident apprentice mechanic and performance enthusiast Sasha had already stolen one and had it installed.
3
match for a good quality braided hose. So this issue we’ll make that mistake right and install a trick Russell DOT Brake Hose Kit #696490. This is a five-piece kit that covers both front and both rear brake flex lines as well as the intermediate flex line that fastens to the rear housing and joins the rear brake hard lines to the hard line that runs along the vehicle underbody and frame. This job is not rocket science, but the material making up the Russell DOT brake hose is pretty close to it. We hadn’t installed a kit like this in about 6 years and the latest
5 5: Perfect fit! on’t expect a painted and polished undercarriage here. This is the real world and our shop trucks get used for what a truck was made for… hard work!
4
4:It’s tough to see in a photo, but the Russell DOT brake lines don’t end with the stainless braid. Instead, they have a tough, durable outside clear sheath for added protection. 6: Noticing that a lot of the hard lines on the truck were corroding pretty badly, Sasha made up some new rear hard lines as well as the main line running to the front of the truck.
6
7
7: The fi th line of the kit joined our rear hard lines on the rearend housing at the distribution block to the line that ran forward.
technology offered by Russell is obviously far superior to what we last worked with last. Russell PowerFlex hose is made up of a PTFE inner liner with 308 stainless steel braid with a clear exterior layer and is rated at 2500 psi. The quality we liked best was the extra clear sheathing over top of the final exterior braid. As we use this rig daily on and off oad and in every type of weather you can image, the Russell hose offers that extra layer of protection from not just the elements, but also any type of foreign object that
might threaten the line. And when it comes to stopping over 7,000-pounds (unloaded), more is ALWAYS better! After driving the finished product, we have to stress one thing about the brake performance on this truck from before the upgrades, and remember our brakes were good, but just regular off-theshelf OEM style replacements. If you are towing, hauling a load or off oading with an older truck using anything else, you are missing out bigtime, the difference is unbelievable!
8 8: Done and ready to hit the road Seriously, for a few bucks more why not treat your vehicle, and yourself to a quality braking experience… once you try it, you’ll never go back!
READY FOR THE
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www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
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EXTREME EVENTS
Carl Stancell lll in his boosted Pro Blazer pulling the wheels at Rocky Mountain Race Week 2015. 1320 Video photo
With all the awesome stuff e’ve got going on, 2016 is shaping up to be the...
BEST. YEAR. 2016 EVENT QUICK LIST RPM ROAD TRIP ARIZONA: March 19 Phoenix, Arizona. Includes American DragCar race event & Mixteca Cruise night. RPM ROCKY MOUNTAIN RACE WEEK: July 16-23 A gruelling 1300 mile Tour style event between several venues. BRANTFORD POWERFEST CHARITY CAR SHOW & STREET FESTIVAL: July 23 www.brantfordpowerfest.com WAR BY THE SHORE II: Aug 5-6 Thompson Raceway Park, Thompson Ohio www.warbytheshore.com RPM ROAD TRIP PEI: Aug 11-14 Extreme Coastal Cruise & Pinks With A Twist Drag Race.
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E ver!
>> RPM MAGAZINE releases updated event lineup for 2016 with the return of some favorites, plus the introduction of the RPM ROAD TRIP
E
arlier in the year, RPM released plans via online press releases for their 2016 WAR BY THE SHORE event in Ohio and a new ROAD TRIP format in Arizona, however, the list has been expanded to a total of five events in two countries! “We’ve been busy working on another diverse lineup for RPM Magazine’s event involvement for 2016 and we’re pretty excited about the final choices!” exclaimed RPM Editor In Chief Chris Biro. “2015 was a banner year for our events and once again I think we have listened to our readers and approached things from all angles- street, strip and show! Actually, by the time you read this we will just be coming off of our kickoff vent for 2016— the first ever RPM ROAD TRIP, in Phoenix Arizona.”
april 2016 | RPM Magazine
TIME FOR A ROAD TRIP!
One of the most exciting new additions to RPM events is the ROAD TRIP! If you missed the official press release in last month’s issue here is a short rundown on how RPM is again innovating the way a mainstream print magazine interacts with readers and car owners.
RPM ROAD TRIPs will have RPM staff photojournalists and videographers make quick one or two day stops at pre-selected events around the country, and they will be there for ONE reason: to get the coolest cars from the streets and strips into RPM MAG! So look sharp as we’ll be lining up features and also be taking video for our RPM YouTube Channel and commercials! If you are going to be anywhere near our 2016 ROAD TRIP locations, OR are planning to make a special trip to the one of our ROAD TRIP events, then REGISTER NOW by emailing events@rpmmag.com with your name and short description of
your ride accompanied by at least TWO photographs. Due to the overwhelming response to the RPM ROAD TRIP we will be dedicating an entire issue to each stop in 2016! So watch for some of the baddest cars from Arizona in our next issue. Keep an eye out for more RPM ROAD TRIP dates and venues to be announced. As of this issue, we are working on at least three more stops this year: two here and one in Canada that has just been confirmed—on August 11-14th the RPM ROAD TRIP will head northeast, to the amazing province of Prince Edward Island!
刀椀瘀攀琀 ⬀ 刀椀瘀攀琀 一甀琀 ⬀ 刀椀瘀攀琀 匀琀甀搀
EXTREME COASTAL CRUISE August 11-14 coastalcruisepei.com “An expanding cancer research event in Prince Edward Island, Canada is getting a big boost from RPM/Lucas Oil Extreme Events as a dedicated stop on the RPM ROAD TRIP tour!” said Biro. “This is one of the most incredible communi-
ties to have a car event, and we can’t wait to be part of it.” “This season the “Pro Oil Change Pinks With A Twist” Canadian Cancer Research drag race weekend is expanding to include the Extreme Coastal Cruise,” said Kevin Power, event promoter and owner of Prince Edward Island’s Raceway Park PEI, one of Canada’s longest-running drag strips. “In addition to our annual cancer drag race fundraiser we are creating the Extreme Coastal Cruise for street machiners, hot rodders, and cruisers of all kinds which will be part of the event and will be hosted by our neighboring village of North
Rustico.” Power told us that the event is designed to attract people from across Canada and USA to PEI, a picturesque island province in the North Atlantic—which is considered a popular vacation destination worldwide- and at the same time supercharge the events ability to raise money for cancer research.
ON THE STREET: “COME CRUISE ON OUR ISLAND!”
䴀甀氀琀椀ⴀ䘀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 唀渀氀椀洀椀琀攀搀 倀漀猀猀椀戀椀氀椀琀椀攀猀 䄀嘀䄀䬀 䴀愀砀䐀甀琀礀 䘀氀攀砀 吀漀漀氀 䬀椀琀 ∠ ㌀ⴀ椀渀ⴀ㨀 刀椀瘀攀琀Ⰰ 刀椀瘀攀琀 一甀琀 ⬀ 刀椀瘀攀琀 匀琀甀搀 ∠ 䘀氀攀砀椀戀氀攀 栀愀渀搀氀攀猀 昀漀爀 攀愀猀礀 猀琀漀爀愀最攀 眀椀琀栀漀甀琀 氀漀漀猀椀渀最 愀渀礀 氀攀瘀攀爀愀最攀⸀ ∠ 唀渀椀焀甀攀 儀甀椀挀欀匀眀椀琀挀栀 昀攀愀琀甀爀攀 昀漀爀 爀愀瀀椀搀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀愀渀最攀 ∠ 䠀攀愀瘀礀 搀甀琀礀 猀甀瀀瀀漀爀琀椀渀最 猀琀愀椀渀氀攀猀猀 昀愀猀琀攀渀攀爀猀 愀渀搀 猀琀爀甀挀琀甀爀愀氀 昀愀猀琀攀渀攀爀猀 昀愀猀
Street car and hot rod enthusiasts will get to cruise one of the most beautiful places on earth! Starting Thursday August 11th and running through Friday and Saturday a “meet and greet” area will be set up in North Rustico to register all arriving participants and give them their welcome information packages, and Thursday evening there will be a BBQ and entertainment at Raceway Park.
刀椀瘀攀琀 ⼀㐀ᴠ ⠀㘀⸀㐀洀洀⤀ 刀椀瘀攀琀 一甀琀 ⼀㈀ᴠ ⼀ 䴀㈀ 刀椀瘀攀琀 匀琀甀搀 㔀⼀㘀ᴠ ⼀ 䴀㠀
刀椀瘀攀琀⼀刀椀瘀攀琀 一甀琀 䐀爀椀氀氀 䄀搀愀瀀琀攀爀猀
䔀û漀爀琀氀攀猀猀 愀渀搀 䔀ϻ挀椀攀渀琀 䜀攀琀 琀栀攀 樀漀戀 搀漀渀攀 昀愀猀琀 䄀嘀䄀䬀 刀嘀䐀 愀渀搀 刀一䐀 䐀爀椀氀氀 䄀搀愀瀀琀攀爀猀 ∠ 䰀攀瘀攀爀愀最攀 琀栀攀 瀀漀眀攀爀 漀昀 瀀漀眀攀爀 琀漀漀氀 昀漀爀 攀û漀爀琀氀攀猀猀 爀椀瘀攀琀椀渀最 ∠ 唀瀀 琀漀 ㈀砀 愀猀 昀愀猀琀 愀猀 洀愀渀甀愀氀 琀漀漀氀猀 ∠ 匀洀愀氀氀 瀀爀漀漀氀攀 昀漀爀 攀砀琀爀攀洀攀 瀀漀爀琀愀戀椀氀椀琀礀 ∠ 唀猀攀 礀漀甀爀 搀爀椀氀氀 昀漀爀 搀爀椀氀氀椀渀最 愀渀搀 爀椀瘀攀琀椀渀最⸀ 一漀琀 漀渀攀 漀爀 琀栀攀 漀琀栀攀爀⸀ 䴀漀搀攀氀猀
刀嘀䐀ⴀ 㨀 唀瀀 琀漀 ⼀㐀ᴠ 爀椀瘀攀琀猀 刀一䐀ⴀ ⴀ嬀匀⼀䴀崀㨀 唀瀀 琀漀 ㌀⼀㠀ᴠ 漀爀 䴀 爀椀瘀攀琀 渀甀琀猀
This is what awaits you in PEI, a drag strip and just beyond it, the North Atlantic Ocean!
刀一䐀ⴀ
Mark MacDonald photo
Extreme Coastal Cruise and Pinks With A Twist event promoter Kevin Power and wife Nadine with their own hot rod, and dog. photo provided
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www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016
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INTRODUCING: THE
WORLD’S
MOST ADVANCED PLUMBING SYSTEM!
Modern day high performance vehicles require a plumbing system designed to withstand today’s modern fluids, harsh environments, brutal vibration, flow requirements & extreme pressures. UltraPro from Earl’s was engineered as a system to exceed the rigorous demands of even the most extreme forms of racing. Don’t settle for good enough. Go UltraPro!
Available with Earl’s Dynamic Swivel™ technology that allows 360º rotation of installed line
Internal seals are a fluoroelastomer material which is resistant to all known fuel, oil and coolant
Double-helix inner liner provides structural integrity allowing full flow and tight bends
Double-helix inner liner is also carbon-infused for static dissipation Liner is reinforced with an outside glass-fiber wrap for additional strength and integrity
ANO-TUFF black ANO-TUFF™ hard coat anodizing for extreme durability
Assembled with an olive that threads onto the double-helix ribbed inner liner of the hose for positive engagement and retention of the hose-ends
Hose-ends utilize brazed bent tubes for unmatched strength
The design of nuts, sockets & swivels has been optimized for weight-savings! High-stress components are machined from high-strength 2024-T8 aluminum instead of 6061-T6 aluminum used by competitors
ULTRA RUGGED ULTRA DURABLE ULTRA LIGHT ULTRA FLEXIBLE ULTRA VERSATILE ULTRA FLOW
94
april 2016 | RPM Magazine earlsplumbing.com
Inner liner is made of PTFE which is impervious to all known fuel, oil and coolant PTFE inner liner has an ultra low coefficient of friction to promote maximum flow
• UltraPro Polyester Braid hose is up to 67% lighter than traditional rubber hose with stainless steel braid! • UltraPro Stainless Steel Braid hose is up to 35% lighter than traditional rubber hose with stainless steel braid!
UltraPro Crimp-on and UltraPro Twist-on hoseends available for more plumbing options at home or at the track UltraPro hoseend replacement sockets and collars also available in pewter-color and gold-color for a custom look!
EXTREME EVENTS “Friday, all day, as part of their Extreme Coastal Cruise package, there will be test-and-tune and grudge racing at the track for all registered Cruise cars that want to try out drag racing!” said Power. “Photos and time cards will also be available. And for those looking for places to go and sites to see (there are lots of them on the island), Raceway Park staff will be on hand to help out,” he added. Friday evening entertainment in the form of games, a dunk tank, an outdoor casino, and live music will all be a part of the Extreme Coastal Cruise, with proceeds from all games/events going toward the ultimate goal of raising funds for cancer research. Saturday is North Rustico Day, starting off ith the RPM/Lucas Oil supported Extreme Coastal Cruise both leaving from and returning to this beautiful scenic ocean side community. “The cruise will be led by representatives from RPM Magazine
& Lucas Oil taking them to various stops along the way, with the last leg of the drive being on the coastal highway between Cavendish and North Rustico. Photo stops will be made at specific destinations along the beach highway and then of course in North Rustico by photographer Brian Smith.” “Following the Extreme Coastal Cruise, North Rustico will also host a BBQ with musicians performing outdoors. This is something not to be missed, as they are second to none,” said Power. “Later in the evening, to finish off he day, there will be a dance at the arena with more great music, fun and hospitality, Island style!”
ON THE STRIP
Raceway Park PEI will also host their annual Pro Oil Change Pinks With A Twist event, making it an entire weekend “happening” with the addition of the Coastal Cruise. “Raceway Park’s double sided event
The beautiful community of North Rustico will be hosting the Extreme Coastal Cruise portion of the event, you won’t find a mo e relaxing and hospitable place on earth! Top left: Brian Smith photo. Top right and bottom: Prevail Creative photo.
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EXTREME EVENTS
Rick Kopp and his PYRO Jet Semi truck show will be on display in North Rustico, then lighting up the sky at Raceway Park PEI! Event promoters have a bunch more special events and attractions at BOTH venues planned for the event, so be sure to check it out regularly at www. coastalcruisepei. com. Angry Spider photo
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provides our own version of a ‘Pinks’ Drag Race weekend plus a great fundraiser for the Cancer Society Research Division,” explained Power. “The Maritime drag racers and supporters are the real bright lights of this weekend with the many unique ways that they round up donations to beat cancer.” Prior to the event, racers are encouraged to go out to their friends, neighbors, and customers for donations for the Cancer Society. And on race weekend, there are two race divisions where, during the last 8 rounds of competition, racers can bet one half of their winnings with their competitor and the proceeds go to cancer research. “This portion of the event is dedicated to the memory of Bill Hickey, T.J. Myers, and Kevin Gallant,” said Power. “And thanks to the support of the Maritime Pro Oil Change stores, for
april 2016 | RPM Magazine
weekend is our special every $100 raised by racers, a ballot is put in a hat for attractions for 2016!” added a chance to win the grand Power. “We have Rick prize: a trip for two to the Kopp and the PYRO Jet Gatornationals in Florida.” Semi truck on the island to An additional part display in North Rustico of this very worthwhile then make blistering passes event is that the organizers and put on their amazing work with a specific cancer pyrotechnics show at the family to try and make a track! And, rumor has it positive impact for them that there will be exhibition during such a difficult time. grudge matches between “Last year, a young man some of Canada’s quickest just finishing up on the and fastest real street cars good side after a three year during the weekend! So, all bout with cancer got to exthat is left o be said is… perience racing our junior North Rustico and Raceway dragster with his family. Park will be waiting with This season we have anothopen arms for you… come er family where the mother is dealing with cancer while play on our island!” at the same time had to deal with giving birth to an extremely EXTREME COASTAL CRUISE premature www.coastalcruisepei.com baby. We really RACEWAY PARK PEI try to make a www.racewayparkpei.com difference if we NORTH RUSTICO PEI can for these www.northrustico.net people.” “One more PYRO JET TRUCK really exciting www.pyrojetshow.com part of the
MORE INFO...
ROCKY MOUNTAIN RACE WEEK July 16-23 rockymountainraceweek.com “Last year was our first time working with a tour-style event through the efforts of Matt Frost and his crew on their first Rocky Mountain Race Week,” said Biro of the 2015 RPM RMRW event. For those not familiar with the tour event format, street legal cars are registered in several different classes that are based on their configuration. Each competitor has to drive their vehicle to and from each race location and in the end, the competitor with the best overall elapsed times on the strip wins their class. “When your first event is as successful and well received as Matt’s was last year, there is no doubt they will just keep getting better and better. We’re excited to be there with RMRW again and also pleased that Lucas Oil Prod-
ucts will be back with their support of the event,” he added. “Rocky Mountain Race Week is proud to announce that we are in preparation for our second annual event through the support of RPM Magazine and a host of dedicated event partners,” said RMRW frontman Matt Frost. “This year, like last, we will be holding a week-long 1,300-mile event that visits four different facilities. The track venues will be the same, however the order will be different, and we have also added a number of new things to the event.” Day 1 The RPM Rocky Mountain Race Week will start on Saturday July 9th at Kearney Raceway Park in Kearney Nebraska and will
One of the heavy hitters who needs no introduction that you’ll see at RMRW, Larry Larson! 1320 Video photo Features
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EXTREME EVENTS consist of registration with night racing. “The night racing is new to Race Week and we are pretty excited about it,” added Frost.
RMRW is more than just racing, it’s driving! Eddie Wilson and Lewis Martin Jr. Getting ready to hit the road towards the next stop on the tour. 1320 Video photo
Day 2 Sunday the 10th will be a travel day from Kearney, Nebraska to Denver, Colorado. The RMRW team is hoping to add in some activities and a little downtime for everyone to get to enjoy some time together this time around.
Event promoter Matt Frost, who incidentally campaigned his own twin turbo Outlaw Chevy II in the RMRW, addresses the Day 3 masses as the event gets Monday the 11th, underway. 1320 Video photo
race action will be held at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison Colorado. Monday’s action will end with a trip to Pueblo Motorsports Park in Pueblo Colorado. Day 4 How many cars will make two consecutive days of beatings as Day 4 racing takes place at Pueblo Motorsports Park?
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Day 5 Wednesday, July 13th is a travel day, as competitors will be making the long stretch of highway to Great Bend, Kansas. Day 6 Thursday July 14th will be racing at SRCA Drag Strip in Great Bend, Kansas. Then, after Thursday’s racing competitors will head back to Kearney Raceway Park in preparation for the final dance! Day 7 The RPM Rocky Mountain Race Week final day will see all competitors who lasted the gruelling events of the six days prior gather for the final race and awards on Friday, July 14. “While back at Kearney we will have a heads-up race for the top winners in each class, but everyone is welcome to stay and enjoy the activities,” added Frost.
“This event is sure to be bigger, badder, and just as fun, if not more than 2015!” In addition to the night races and travel days added by RMRW this year, for racers, they have added a naturally aspirated class. They have also come up with a great way for fans, enthusiasts AND their families to join in on all the action. “We are adding a fun family feature where people can register to follow and travel along with the racers,” Frost explained. “You will receive tickets to get into all tracks (but not to race). It will make this like a traveling car show, only with some of the world’s fastest street cars in it! We are very excited about this opportunity to further engage our fans in the event, and are hoping it will get more families and kids involved.” Rocky Mountain Race Week would like
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EXTREME EVENTS
TOP: Steve Tasca making a pass at Bandimere Speedway on opening day of Rocky Mountain Race Week 2015. 1320 Video photo BOTTOM: Jack Fisher takes his 1970 Chevelle SS for a run at Bandimere after making yet another road trip between RMRW venues.1320 Video photo
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to thank their returning and new sponsors to the event. RPM Magazine, Lucas Oil, AMS Automotive Machine, Mr Speed Co, John Elway Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, Hilltop Speed Shop,
april 2016 | RPM Magazine
Specialty Auto Auction, Chuck’s Towing, In&Out Oilfield Services, American Family Insurance Christina Jaeger Agency, Unlimited Services, GRP Rods, Hughes Performance, Atlas Performance, DIY Autotune, and FM Fab Speed Shop. “Sponsorship opportunities are still available,” added Frost. “If interested please contact me at mfrost@inoutofs. com” Registration for all events is now open at www. rockymountainraceweek.com and filling up quickly. Register now and don’t miss out! Visit often and follow the event for updates and details on their Facebook page Rocky Mountain Race Week.
BRANTFORD POWERFEST CHARITY CAR SHOW & STREET FESTIVAL July 23 brantfordpowerfest. com RPM Magazine/ Lucas Oil Extreme Events will be supporting full, exclusive event coverage for the Brantford POWERFEST Car Show &
Street Festival once again for 2016. After a successful PowerFest in 2015, over $18,000 was raised during the single day event to benefit three charities focused on helping children with cancer and their families cope with associated expenses, and to fund the opportunity for less fortunate children to attend empowering camp experiences. “The biggest difference between the PowerFest and a lot of other charity events or any event for that
matter is that 100% of the show’s revenues go to support the children… not a portion of proceeds but all of them,” said RPM Magazine’s Chris Biro. This is a large, all-welcome car, truck, motorcycle, and service vehicle show with vehicles from TWO countries! Through RPM KIDS First Foundation, 100% of ALL proceeds from the show go ONLY to pre-approved Children’s charities where the money goes DIRECTLY to help the kids! The event is so big that the entire downtown of Brantford city is closed off or an incredible interactive show with everything from antiques to all-out insane street machines and wild race cars! Special
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EXTREME EVENTS events and displays for the whole family go on all day in Brantford’s Harmony Square and surrounding streets, including live music by BarCode. There are also vendors of all kinds set up throughout the entire show for those that might not take as big as interest in cars, and in 2015 show staff rganized a “startup” of a pulling tractor and funny car to wow showgoers with the sound of horsepower. For info and pre-registration visit www. brantfordpowerfest.com.
Ken’s towing photo
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Crowds, cars and family fun make the Brantford PowerFest Charity Car Show & Street Festival THE place to be in July! This show closes off the entire downtown of a city of 100,000 people for a single day event that is dedicated to raising money for children’s charities!
RPM MAGAZINE/ LUCAS OIL PRODUCTS WAR BY THE SHORE II August 5 & 6 www.warbytheshore.com RPM/Lucas Oil Products WAR By The SHORE is back August 5 & 6 at Thompson Raceway Park, Thompson, Ohio and continues
to gain momentum with the same exciting classes featuring REAL STREET SHOWDOWN.
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Fans knew they were part of something special when the WAR By The Shore rolled into Thompson Raceway Park in 2015. Michelle Matuska photo
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go to WAR…again! Heads-up 1/8th-mile battles to determine who has the fastest real street car! The Real Street Showdown was created to be like pulling up alongside a car at the lights and running and the minimal rules are simply meant to qualify it as an original style street car. This class is in-
vite-only based on racer applications. Just 32 racers are invited and they have to battle it out for a final 16 car field on race day. Rules and application links can be found at www. warbytheshore.com OUTLAW LIMITED STREET presented by M3 Technologies Inc. promises big power/ small tie insanity! Rules can be found at www.
EXTREME EVENTS warbytheshore.com OHIO OUTLAW AA/GASSERS WILD WHEELSTANDING NOSTALGIA! The Ohio Outlaw AA/Gassers are presented by ScottRods Custom Hotrods and Fiberglass and puts the KICK in kick start your heart…these guys will light the pipes and rotate the earth during the WAR! Rossler Transmissions ROSSLER RENEGADE REBELLION presented by 501 Perfect Converter Company will host allout 8.90/9.90/10.50/11.50 1/4-mile Index Drag Racing!
Also included at the WAR By The SHORE will be Box / No-Box - 32 car fields with the best reaction times making the cut and there will be a Second Chance Race with one field for all unqualified cars. “The management and staff at Thompson Raceway Park proved they have what it takes to put down a race surface that is second to none for small tire, big horsepower drag cars,” said event promoter Kristal Cowle. “Records were set, battles were won and lost and the positive comments from racers and fans following last year’s inaugural event let us know loud and clear that thinking outside the box works! The diversity of the cars in the Real Street Showdown class alone surprised a lot a heads-up street car fans, and 2016 looks to be equally exciting…see you in August!”
What’s the diffe ence between the WAR By The SHORE and every other event – it’s not just the same cars or the same race format! Event creators went outside the box to create the Real Street Showdown class where you will see everything from AMCs and Mopars battling it out side by side with Ford and Chevy muscle of all kinds! Mike Costic photos
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RPM EXCLUSIVES
HIGH-PERFORMANCE >>Who murdered my spark plugs? by
Robert Weathers
CSI 2 2: Loading spark plugs is a simple process, just remember: righty tighty, lefty loosey, and screw it in all the way.
1 1: What you get is the trick red device that can be clamped to a trailer frame with two thumb screws, and one handy dandy hole saw that fits just right. You supply the drill and spark plug caddy.
S
teve Johnson, at Induction Solutions, wears many hats. He’s a long-time super investigator who hunts down high performance engine killers and brings those culprits to justice in the name of dominating opponents. He travels the nation, equipped with the tools of his trade and helps those with a desire to be the best succeed—and set a few world records in the process. But there’s one big problem with that. There’s no twin
or army of clones skilled in his craft. The mysteries of too many dead or dying race engines outnumber the hours in a day. Perplexed by this troubling situation, he decided to dedicate himself to helping racers help themselves. How, you ask? By providing the best products, services, and tech support possible. That includes manufacturing tuning tools like the SPARKPLUG STRIP-A-RATOR 2000. That’s not what he calls it, but “Spark Plug Cutting
Tool” doesn’t seem to say it with pizzazz, plus watching cartoons (Phineas and Ferb) with your kids can have a wacky influence on what sounds cool. So… we are taking the liberty of renaming the best tuning tool since timing lights started a long reign of mandating combustion accuracy. With all that said, racers still need to know the “Five W’s” Who, What, Why, Where, and When.” So let’s go through them and solve the mystery of, “My Spark Plugs Have Been Murdered!”
Visit our Facebook page and share a pic of your ride for a chance to win free stuff!!
Find us on Facebook by searching for: REV-X Products
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3: Now the fun part begins: destruction with a purpose! It only takes one plug to get familiar with how it all works. Just be sure to wear eye protection. It’s a known fact that metal shavings are attracted to eyes.
4: Ta-da! Here it is: a naked spark plug that wants to have a conversation about what’s going on in your engine. A tool of choice would reveal the heart of what gives away all those secrets held by the mighty spark plug. We know “Who” is the Horsepower Doctor, Steve Johnson. “What,” is he exposes a spark plug by stripping it down to a naked porcelain tattletale that won’t shut up. “Why,” is to eliminate that deceptive trickery of the dark spark plug crevice, once and for all. Magnification, special lighting, or a Spark-O-Matic Spectrometer, can all tell lies, trick the eyes, and cause a wrongful conviction of the innocent. “Why,” because Doctor S. Johnson, HD., is a renowned Internal Combustion Physicist, who knows good ideas when he sees them. Always on the lookout for anything that helps us understand the interactions of matter and energy across the physical universe, including engine tuning, he’s a master at making good stuff great. Words of wisdom flow from the genius of his CPU when he says, “It’s critical for a racer to get an accurate reading on plugs, whether it’s normally aspirated, nitrous, turbo, or a supercharger application. We want to provide our customers with great products, tools, and resources needed to accurately access what’s going on inside those cylinders to maximize horsepower in a safe and effective manner.”
“When,” is now, because all racers that don’t have one of these trick diagnostic tools need to order it immediately! “Where,” go to his website www. inductionsolutions.com, and from the Home Page, select Products, then Nitrous Accessories/Components, go to Miscellaneous, and click on Spark Plug Cutting Tool (what they call it), and reveal details on the best $199 a racer can spend. Add it to your cart, click on cart, proceed to checkout, enter payment information and click on place order. It’s that simple. No more embarrassing “Peeping Tom” sparkplug experiences; get it all out in the open, naked as a Jaybird for the world to see, because little details can prevent big problems. If you’re a diehard racer, there’s a chance you’ll see “The Horsepower Doctor” out there solving mysteries and imparting knowledge with cerebral verbiage like, “Only one letter of the alphabet separates glory from defeat, so win like a wiNner, don’t lose like a wiEner.”
SOURCE Induction Solutions www.inductionsolutions.com 353.593.5900
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RPM PROJECT CAR
1: One step forward and another step back. Michael Lee of Mykal’s Custom opted to pull the stretched fenders off and work on the custom Harwood fi erglass hood and mounting points for the Ring Brothers billet hinges.
WING AND A PRAYER story by
PART 24 >>Project aPocalypSe Horse gets a new pro stock wing and inches closer to paint
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P
art 24. Twenty FOUR. This project has been such a long time coming we’ve been tempted more than once to just stop counting. But this
april 2016 | RPM Magazine
isn’t some sugar-coated pseudo-reality mag. This is RPM. We give it to you straight and the truth is this project has taken longer than we thought it would. However we have hope that it just might
be coming to a real milestone very soon. Working toward that goal has been Michael Lee of Mykal’s Custom Autobody. This month, Lee tackled the task of working on the
1
Toby Brooks
as-yet-unfinished custom stretched Harwood cowl induction hood, reworking the custom Ring Brothers billet hinges, and getting the body prepped for paint. With the front fenders
2 4
2: Lee added several layers of fi erglass to the opening for the 2014 Boss Mustang heat extractors we decided to put in the hood. The added thickness provided enough material to flush the vents for a smooth, integrated look. off nd the body stripped to bare mtal, we are clinging to hope that it will only get better from here. To begin, Lee added several layers of fiberglass to the undersurface of the hood to add strength and also provide adequate material so that he could sink the factory take-off 2014 Boss Mustang heat extractors into the top surface. Using his newly-acquired AlumiCraft/GoToBlocks billet aluminum sanding blocks, Lee created a stepped lip in
3: With the additional layers of fi erglass set up on the bottom side, Lee turned his attention to the top of the hood, where he transcribed the factory 2014 Boss heat extractor flange o the opening he cut previously. Using the small block from Alumicraft, he then sanded in a relief to allow the unit to sit flush
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both openings that would allow him to flush mount the grilles for the sleek, integrated look we were after. Anything less would have looked tacky and disrupted from the clean lines we are after. While Lee suffered through the unmistakable pain and itch of working fiberglass and trying to avoid inhaling the dust, talented fabricator Mark DePriest of Badd Habit Customs decided to play the role of wing man... literally.
5: This set of billet aluminum sanding blocks from AlumiCraft/ GoToBlocks has come in handy already. We got them for Lee and he says they have been a great addition to his tool arsenal. This set retails for $199.
4: The finished piece sits flush just like the factory intended, giving our Harwood hood added style and helping to keep underhood temperatures down.
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RPM PROJECT CAR 6
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8 6 & 7: Our pal Mark DePriest builds some of the baddest wings we’ve ever seen, so we were happy when he asked about not only scratch-building one for our project but also installing it himself. His craftsmanship is superb and his attention to detail is second to none. After fabricating a sick adjustable wickerbill aluminum wing in his shop in West Virginia, DePriest travelled all the way to Illinois to install it. Using a local 2005-2009 Mustang as a guide, DePriest whipped up a tight-fitting top that hugs the rear line of the deck lid without actually touching, then also bent up some trick heavy duty spill plates on his sheetmetal brake to finish it off. Although the piece could have been built from carbon fiber or even a lighter-gauge aluminum, we opted for the increased
durability of a thicker material on the sides. With the piece cleko-pinned in place and supported on a body stand, DePriest then marked the mounting points for a set of cool adjustable supports from Ed Quay Race Cars. Although the struts come equipped with a quick pin to make opening the deck or hatch relatively painless in the event they are mounted to the bumper, DePreist made trunk access even easier by attaching them to the lower portion of the trunk lid.
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8: Here you can see the tight fit of the wing right up to (but not touching) the top surface of the decklid. The wickerbill at the trailing edge is adjustable using stainless button-headed fasteners. The spill plates contour nicely with the factory quarter panel and overall the added length really helps to balance out the proportions of the car with the 5-inch stretched nose. 9: With the brackets mounted to the rear of the decklid and cleko-pinned in place, DePriest propped the wing up on a body stand to mark the mounting points for the Ed Quay wing support struts.
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RPM PROJECT CAR DePreist mounted the wing temporarily, and after he was satisfied with the end result, he pulled it back off o that Lee could get back to work on the rest of the body in preparation for paint. The first task was to pull the factory steel back to bare metal before closely scanning for dents, dings, and other
10 10 & 11: The lightweight support struts from Ed Quay Race Cars added form and function, providing some much needed rigidity and stability...not to mention a really cool look. The best part is that thanks to the shape of the Mustang decklid, the lower attachment points did not have to be mounted to the bumper, making opening the trunk much easier. Additionally, the vertical opening of the Mustang factory hinges meant we didn’t have to worry about added weight pulling the lid closed. Score!
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imperfections. “Even on newer cars like this, there are oftentimes small waves and ripples in the factory sheetmetal, especially in areas like the door handles and wheel openings where the metal was stamped,” said Lee. To combat that problem, he applied a light skim coat of body filler and started the first of five
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12: Before moving forward, Lee sanded the car down to bare metal. We can’t wait to see some color on this steel!
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13
13: Lee shaved the factory third brake light opening, lock opening, and other mounting holes in the deck lid before applying a skim coat of filler o the bare metal. The vast majority of what you see here will be sanded completely away.
14: There’s no one to blame for this pock-marked roof other than Mother Nature. It seems our Ford suffe ed at the hands of a mild West Texas hail storm at some point. Lee scanned the surface and added filler as needed.
rounds or more of slow, tedious, but completely necessary block sanding to whip the Ford into shape. Helping the cause again were our new set of AlumiCraft Grilles/ GoToBlocks billet
sanding blocks, making quick work of the task and ensuring that the body lines remain laser straight. Although it seems like a lot of filler initially, by the time it has been adequately blocked,
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RPM PROJECT CAR the reality is that very little filler will remain. As usual, we were working away right up to press time and didn’t quite get the Horse in primer like we had hoped, but tune in next month as we get closer to paint,
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have Nitrous Supply plumb our intake, and finally start putting some color on some of the other parts and pieces...as we continue our quest to usher in the Second Coming of Pro Street!
15 & 16: Again using the GoToBlocks, Lee tackled the sheetmetal to get it ready for the first oat of primer. Although tedious, this process of block sanding, heavy primer/fille , and repeating up to fi e or six times is what separates a typical backyard paint job from a show-quality one. There are no shortcuts if you want that laser-straight look. Check out all the dust on the fl or...that’s evidence of the job being done right!
SOURCES Mykal’s Custom Autobody http://on.fb.me/1mJcqMx 618.842.7676
Harwood Industries www.eharwood.com 800.822.3392
Ring Brothers www.ringbrothers.com 608.588.7399
AlumiCraft/GoToBlocks www.alumicraft.com 814.742.7405
Mark DePriest/Badd Habit Customs Keyser, West Virginia 304.813.6459
Ed Quay Race Cars www.edquay.com 800.447.5786
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Piston Rings
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With the most comprehensive line of piston rings, compression rings, and oil rings in the world, we have a piston ring for practically any application— racing, automotive, heavy-duty transportation, agriculture, industrial, small engine, and more.
Ultra-Torque Assembly Lube Gets you within 5% of the required pre-load on the first pull and stays consistent with each subsequent cycle-race prep, machining, pre-assembly and final assembly.
Hyper-Flex™
Polyurethane Bushings Whether domestic or import, front, rear or 4WD, or old or new, all vehicles will achieve that level of performance that has made ENERGY SUSPENSION the most asked-for name in performance polyurethane suspension components.
XPR® Racing Oil Extreme Performance Racing, XPR oil combines the highest quality synthetic base oil with Royal Purple’s proprietary Synerlec® additive technology to maximize horsepower and torque while providing the highest level of protection against motorsportsgrade heat and wear.
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